[Aryeonos]

So I`m mulling over a campaign idea for a "low level" game, the premise is that al the characters are just office workers (~450 karma, I may bump up to 500 if I need to) above average folks in the most literal sense. The game is going to take place in a small city in europe most likely in the CR, on the border of poland.

Heres my problem, and feel free to throw in any history updates I`ve probably missed, I need to arange a situation where this city becomes quarantied, and the players need to use their smarts and rp to escape the city. I`m thinking of invading it with "ghosts". I remember reading somewhere of there being ghosts/spirits from a nuclear blast zone or meltdown somewhere. Black twisted forms of people writhing and crying/screaming something scary like that, I cant remember what book wish I could find it again. But any hosit, how would I go about pulling off something like that in a plausible way? What would you folks suggest?

[Magnaric]

I don't know about any books that have the location you mentioned in mind, other than maybe the SOX(which is roughly where Luxembourg used to be).

For a city-wide quarantine though, the way I'd do it is over the course of a couple sessions. Basically one where weird shit starts to happen, you set the tone, people are freaked out, paranormal investigators have their hands full, etc. Then the weird shit turns dangerous, maybe hauntings start involving injuries, people going missing, spirits being openly hostile, even civilian deaths. At this point the city's small police and security agencies are overwhelmed, and unable to cope with the rapidly changing situation with the spirits.

Enter corporation X. A corporation that had investments in the city or surrounding area comes in and agrees to contain and resolve the situation before it can spread beyond the city to other populated areas. Unfortunately for the people in the city, this means military patrols, massive Astral watch and barriers, the corporation's magic users and spirit assets on active watch, etc.

As for the players, if they're just office workers, maybe they get wind of rumours that the regular citizens of the city are being "interrogated" by the Corp and aren't heard from afterwards. Or spirits going nuts killing and torturing people doesn't sound fun. Or maybe on the way home one night they see something they shouldn't involving the Corp and it's plans for the city that freaks the shit out of them and leads them to really, REALLY want to get put of the city ASAP.

Anyways, it's your game, you're the GM, but that's how I'd do it. The "friendly corp is here to help but is actually out to get us" angle would just give regular office workers a good reason to disappear into the shadows, and maybe leave them with few choices except to try their hand as low-level runners (queue Runner origin story intro).

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

I vaguely remember something like this happening in Chernobyl - there being revitalization efforts, then the entire place going on lockdown for one reason or another.  As always, take your pick of reasons - VITAS outbreak, ghouls, toxics, radiation issues, nano problems ...

[Reaver]

I vaguely remember something like this happening in Chernobyl - there being revitalization efforts, then the entire place going on lockdown for one reason or another.  As always, take your pick of reasons - VITAS outbreak, ghouls, toxics, radiation issues, nano problems ...

That was one of the plot hooks thrown out in I think Conspiracy Theories? There for a GM to take and run with....


Well, you have the whole Dragon Civil War that went down "just next door". Maybe Lofwyr has decided it's time to start hunting out those who aided his lil bro, starting with a lockdown of the players city as his agents search for the fugitives?

A new infection of VITAS hits the city so the WHO orders a complete quarantine of the city?

[Aryeonos]

How would a VITAS breakout happen and the ensuing quarentine play out? I like the idea of having the city siezed under the guise of a VITAS breakout. Maybe the corp in question is using it to swoop in and snatch up some iradiated magic reagents from the SOX that are being kept under lock and key but that in turn excites/attracts the spirits? I like where this is going. So what kind of company could my little bean counters be working for? This ones got me snagged.

Also does anyone have any info or sources for magic and radiation? Not just toxic shamans but but the spontanious stuff in fallout zones and the like.

Thanks much!

[Reaver]

Radiation only comes from radioactive particles. While some are natural, I don't know if there is an uranium or plutonium in that area.

However,  CR/Poland has/had a huge industrial facilities. These produce toxic chemicals like no one's business! Everything from acetone to mercury to PBS to fleurocarbons.... all linked to cancers, birth mutations, and genetic damage...

As for VITAE,  it still makes its rounds, wiping out small communities in its path...

As to who your players work for, that's up to you. There are hundreds of small companies out there so they don't have to work for a Mega. Heck, they could work for McFly Industries making hover boards

[Aryeonos]

Well I`m quite familiar with how radiation works, I was wondering if anyone had some good sources for various ghost stories coming out of the SOX or other hotspots where spirits and paracritters mutated or manifested. I just need some nightmare fuel to crop up in the town to feed my players. Drive home the setting to them make it sound urgent and engaging.

Side note, I can`t believe I misspelled Czech.

[Aryeonos]

Self bumping sorry, better than making a new thread eh?

What books have the most materials, or just good sources et al, on the WHO and CDC`s of other nations outside the UCAS? I`ve been thumbing through this and that but I`ve kinda forgotten allot since I`ve been away from SR.

Again, cant thank everyone enough who has already posted!

[Reaver]

Off the top of my head, there are no books that give more then a passing reference to the WHO or even the CDC....

Ask Wyrm, that old fart knows just about everything for SR history..

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

Understand that with most of the authors being in the US, the publishing being in the US, and most of the action taking place on the North American continent, most of the information available is on the US, the UCAS, etc.  For all of that, there isn't a ton of information published about national governments or general 'good' organizations like the World Health Organization.

If you need to use them, take what they are today and either privatize them or else cut their effective reach by 75%.  For all intents and purposes, though, you can treat any general government agency (or similar group) as if it were a corporation, albeit one that doesn't need to make a profit, just prove it spent its money wisely and well.

[Aryeonos]

"cut their effectiveness by 75%"
I got a laugh out of that one. I can surmise its gonna be sparse, just wanted to see if there were in horror stories to get inspiration from regarding, well disease control in general. Or just quarintines at all.

I`ll keep looking, just not sure where to look.

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

I didn't say effectiveness; I said 'effective reach'.  When the WHO speaks, some people listen; when the CDC speaks, almost everyone worldwide listens.  In Shadowrun, people will listen to Their Corp sooner than the CDC; QED.

[Aryeonos]

Hrm, would you look at that.

Okay, so what I`ve got so far is that the PCs will be working for a company analyzing the dull pencil pusher data on radiation scrubing and heavy metal deposition in the SOX. Or at least thats what they think they`re doing. Underground they`re studying a captured toxic rad shaman and a huge chunk of crystaline corium he venerates that functions as a powerful foci. Somehow he`s stayed near the catanom reactor for several years and not died they want to know why and what the relation is.  Not sure how solidly that holds up SR science wise but from what I`ve gathered through target wastelands it kinda is, as radiation and magic dont mix well but poisoned mana can be harnessed by toxic shamans.

Trouble I`m having at this point is what would cause the city to get quarintined? I had a couple ideas where "ghosts" from deaths of the radioactive fallout are drawn to the corrium (I`ve come to nickname it the "Lodestone of Atom"). When either the shaman escapes or they attempt transfer -

[Aryeonos]

Him or the corrium and it causes a breach drawing in all the spirits. Trouble is, I dont know if that would cause the CDC to show. My other thought was they are using the quarintine as cover to move him and neutralize anyone who had figured out a little too much and were non essential, then that goes awry and the city gets really locked down and the CDC/Corp quarintine go full paranoia and start shooting anyone not getting in line to go to the happy fun concentration camps. Though, I cant in my head justify them pulling strings in the cdc like that for their own means. Or maybe they would and I`m just underestimating them.

Thoughts?
(sorry to double post my stupid phone puts in a cap On character count.)