[martinchaen]

Well, you're clearly biased against it, Sengir, and I'm not, so I'll just leave that discussion well alone...

Enjoy!

[Crimsondude]

Well, FWIW, all this is because I have a player who wants to make a character that's a merc, in 4th edition (circa 2073), so naturally the events of Storm Front haven't happened yet. So even if he does pick Black Star (which I doubt) they aren't in the state of being completely gutted as they were at the end of the AzAm War.

How cybered is he? Some of the big shops focus on that (MET2000, Tsunami), and others shy from it (10,000 Daggers). Also, if he's Japanese he'd be welcome in Tsunami. If not, there's always Combat, Inc. 10,000 Daggers is pretty meta and Awakened friendly. Black Star, of course, is the most Awakened-friendly (1/3 Awakened).

[Crimsondude]

- Killing Holocaust victims once over to steal their necromantic treasures (worth 1500 ¥ or something and violating every rules on magic items)

That one is flat out fucking bullshit.

Ghosts are ghosts. They are not, and never were human. The ghosts in Auschwitz have always been dangerously violent, human-hating, evil spirits. The entire fucking plot was an extension of one begun in Shadows of Europe, but ...

There is no point in discussing this further, because it doesn't even merit discussion. It's false. It's always been false, and it will always be false.

[tasti man LH]

How cybered is he? Some of the big shops focus on that (MET2000, Tsunami), and others shy from it (10,000 Daggers). Also, if he's Japanese he'd be welcome in Tsunami. If not, there's always Combat, Inc. 10,000 Daggers is pretty meta and Awakened friendly. Black Star, of course, is the most Awakened-friendly (1/3 Awakened).

Don't know yet.

Details he's given me as of right now is:

-mercenary
-grew up and worked in an unstable part(s) of the world
-assassination and unconventional warfare expert
-maybe traps (although haven't really looked at if SR4A has anything solid and written in regards to mundane traps)
-stealth based with a focus on melee and close quarters combat

So yeah; he could go either way on the augmented or Awakened route (adept ideally)

[gyrobot]

Well, FWIW, all this is because I have a player who wants to make a character that's a merc, in 4th edition (circa 2073), so naturally the events of Storm Front haven't happened yet. So even if he does pick Black Star (which I doubt) they aren't in the state of being completely gutted as they were at the end of the AzAm War.

How cybered is he? Some of the big shops focus on that (MET2000, Tsunami), and others shy from it (10,000 Daggers). Also, if he's Japanese he'd be welcome in Tsunami. If not, there's always Combat, Inc. 10,000 Daggers is pretty meta and Awakened friendly. Black Star, of course, is the most Awakened-friendly (1/3 Awakened).

Black Star is dead as of Storm front.

[tasti man LH]

Black Star is dead as of Storm front.

And as I said...

Well, FWIW, all this is because I have a player who wants to make a character that's a merc, in 4th edition (circa 2073), so naturally the events of Storm Front haven't happened yet. So even if he does pick Black Star (which I doubt) they aren't in the state of being completely gutted as they were at the end of the AzAm War.

[Crimsondude]

How cybered is he? Some of the big shops focus on that (MET2000, Tsunami), and others shy from it (10,000 Daggers). Also, if he's Japanese he'd be welcome in Tsunami. If not, there's always Combat, Inc. 10,000 Daggers is pretty meta and Awakened friendly. Black Star, of course, is the most Awakened-friendly (1/3 Awakened).

Don't know yet.

Details he's given me as of right now is:

-mercenary
-grew up and worked in an unstable part(s) of the world
-assassination and unconventional warfare expert
-maybe traps (although haven't really looked at if SR4A has anything solid and written in regards to mundane traps)
-stealth based with a focus on melee and close quarters combat

So yeah; he could go either way on the augmented or Awakened route (adept ideally)

I'd be inclined to say he's a 10,000 Daggers alum. However, he could've always done grunt work for Argus, which is the intelligence arm of MET2000. They're big enough to contract out on their own, as well. So kind of like the random CIA henchmen in every stupid Bourne, etc. movie of the last twenty years. That is to also explain how he got skills, but wasn't trained/experienced so well to be the baddest of all badasses. After all he is a starting character.

[Sengir]

Well, you're clearly biased against it

Says the guy who claims that a book which even those involved have admitted to be the low point of the brand and only a result of being rushed out by committee was a good book...


And Argus is be more about intelligence gathering (and MP duties) than "hands on" black ops...MET in general is not exactly the most subtle mercenary team.

[martinchaen]

You'll note that I specifically said I'm not biased against it, which you should feel free to take as meaning I'm biased FOR it. That is all.

[Sengir]

You'll note that I specifically said

...the following

I thought WAR! was a good book.

[martinchaen]

Wow, really?

And after that, I said this:

Well, you're clearly biased against it, Sengir, and I'm not, so I'll just leave that discussion well alone...

Enjoy!

I honestly have no idea why you're going on at this point, so I'm out.

[Crimsondude]

How cybered is he? Some of the big shops focus on that (MET2000, Tsunami), and others shy from it (10,000 Daggers). Also, if he's Japanese he'd be welcome in Tsunami. If not, there's always Combat, Inc. 10,000 Daggers is pretty meta and Awakened friendly. Black Star, of course, is the most Awakened-friendly (1/3 Awakened).

Don't know yet.

Details he's given me as of right now is:

-mercenary
-grew up and worked in an unstable part(s) of the world
-assassination and unconventional warfare expert
-maybe traps (although haven't really looked at if SR4A has anything solid and written in regards to mundane traps)
-stealth based with a focus on melee and close quarters combat

So yeah; he could go either way on the augmented or Awakened route (adept ideally)

I'd be inclined to say he's a 10,000 Daggers alum. However, he could've always done grunt work for Argus, which is the intelligence arm of MET2000. They're big enough to contract out on their own, as well. So kind of like the random CIA henchmen in every stupid Bourne, etc. movie of the last twenty years. That is to also explain how he got skills, but wasn't trained/experienced so well to be the baddest of all badasses. After all he is a starting character.

So just to clarify:

Adept --> 10,000 Daggers


Street Sam/Cybered --> MET2000/Argus

[Nath]

MET2000 and Tsunami probably have some adepts, even if not a lot, and 10000 Daggers may also have cybered operators. It depends on how typical you want the character to be.

A Japanese adept may feel more at home at Tsunami, and a cybered Turkish would work for the Daggers. I actually find nationality to be somewhat more flavorful, and would use the following guidelines:

- German, Polish and Scandinavian mercenaries at MET2000
- Turkish, Ukrainian, Georgian, Lebanese and Syrian mercs at 10,000 Daggers
- Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysian and Filipino mercs at Combat, Incorporated
- Japanese, Korean, Australian, Fijian, Tongan and other Polynesian mercs at Tsunami

Nothing like the look on the face of players who expected a team of tidy Japanese human mercenaries and encounter a squad of tattooed Fijian orks and trolls with the latest ware from Chiba.

[Sendaz]

Nothing like the look on the face of players who expected a team of tidy Japanese human mercenaries and encounter a squad of tattooed Fijian orks and trolls with the latest ware from Chiba.

The latter group often being referred to as 'Fijish and Chibs' , though not to their face.

[Crimsondude]

Nothing like the look on the face of players who expected a team of tidy Japanese human mercenaries and encounter a squad of tattooed Fijian orks and trolls with the latest ware from Chiba.

Pfft.

Like they'd give the cannon fodder cyber.