[Finn]

Yeah, it's supposed to be .1.  In the 2nd ed book his essence is listed as 0, but that one has slightly different augments as well . I don't think you can make that Sammie unless you use Alphaware now.

[Wakshaani]

Yeah, 0 Essence is ... not a place that you want to be.

[Finn]

Just looked at the Sam in the 2nd E book. That one should be at -0.9 essence not 0. I think the Muscle replacement 2 for that one was a typo. 

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

An interesting thing is the ongoing blend of Samurai, Mercenary, and Soldier. The three archetypes have sort of conglomerated.

That's the thing - the three have always been a pretty incestuous Venn diagram, it's just a matter of whether or not people realized that a samurai was a soldier (not a suicidal 'warrior', and yeah, there are major differences between the two - field and unit discipline being one of them), or that a mercenary was a soldier (not a kill-crazy psychopath with an assault rifle), or that a soldier was not a warrior (see comment on samurai re: warrior/soldier difference).  The main general difference is that the first looks to his duty and honor, the second to his survival and contract, and the third to his country and flag - but all of them look to their squadmates first and foremost, because at the sharp end, that's who'll keep you alive ...

[Hobbes]

Soldier/Mercenary/Ronin/Samurai have more in common than not.  All will fight for a cause, all need to get paid.  One big difference between the four comes down to "is the cause or the paycheck more important." 

IMO, with Street Samurai, the paycheck is the important one.  The cause is usually picked by a Johnson, and next week the Street Samurai could find himself working for a direct rival. 

I don't know that it's required for a Street Samurai to be dedicated to some greater cause outside the job.  Most of the fictional cyber punkish examples are certainly trustworthy, loyal, downright honorable sorts.  Just not what I consider to be driven by some greater cause, or obedient t to some higher rank.

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

'A paycheck' tends to indicate that they'll do anything if the price is right.  For some street samurai, that's correct.  But for all three of them, there is a code, there are lines they won't cross.  Whether that's the UCMJ, the seven samurai virtues, or their own internal code, there's still something there that makes them 'women who do violence upon others' and yet keeps them both human and sane.

[Wakshaani]

The part for me was the code some people were describing sounded like not much of a code at all. Being nice to people that were nice to you, while cheating against cheaters, is just normal. If the code doesn't *hamper* you, then what's the point?

[Sendaz]

The part for me was the code some people were describing sounded like not much of a code at all. Being nice to people that were nice to you, while cheating against cheaters, is just normal. If the code doesn't *hamper* you, then what's the point?

Edit: I guess I would have to ask what you define as 'normal'?

Remember by definition if not by default most of your shadowrunners are criminals or anarchists who don't really fit into the system in the light of day.

Most of those social and moral niceties that you take for granted as a SINner are not necessarily a right or guaranteed in many parts.

Often Might makes Right is the rule of the day in those parts, and many just roll along with it as it is easier and relatively safer for them to do so.

Sure if you are in a part of town where everyone are all just chummers and never do anything naughty, that code probably seems unnecessary, but we don't live the A+ zones.
We live in the places where life is cheap, violence is the norm and it's always Bowb your buddy week.

Plus I can think of many 'normal' supposedly upstanding people who seemed to have no moral qualm cheating/stealing/otherwise taking advantage of perfectly nice people who did them no wrong to start with.  That is what you really see when you don't have any kind of code/ethics/fill in the blank for being more than just an animal on the prowl.

So yeah, that code does have an impact, if even only for yourself, because it helps define who and what you do or at least what you are striving towards, because we all fall down occasionally. 

[Hobbes]

'A paycheck' tends to indicate that they'll do anything if the price is right.  For some street samurai, that's correct.  But for all three of them, there is a code, there are lines they won't cross.  Whether that's the UCMJ, the seven samurai virtues, or their own internal code, there's still something there that makes them 'women who do violence upon others' and yet keeps them both human and sane.

Righteous vengeance for a stain on your honor or thin skinned psychopathic prima donna all depends on what side of the cyberspur you're on.

It's difficult to apply some of these codes to shadowrunnners.  PCs aren't likely to swear an oath of fealty to a feudal lord.  Shadowrunners violate the UCMJ just by existing in some cases.  My point is that PCs are taking liberties with most any of the more structured codes, just by being Shadowrunners. 

And as Wakshaani says, normal human behavior isn't a disadvantage.  At least not one you'll get points for  : )

Mind you, I'm not saying we should start calling them Street Ronin.  Just doesn't have the same feel as Street Samurai.

[Finn]

Sometimes it helps players when I explain it in terms of the Street world of SR. So a "typical" Rayzorboi or Girl is a lot like a thug. They are throw away muscle, a dime a dozen, expendable. They are to be used and then cast aside like a shell casing. A Street Samurai is something wholly different. They are a step above the scum and street trash. They have rules and a reputation and if an agreement is reached and their code or rules are not violated by the employer and no deception is involved in their engagement you can trust them implicitly because their word means something.

There is a lot of crossover between a Merc and their contract and a Soldier and their Regs with a Sams Code of Honor but both of those have a more Legitimate, In the light, bend or feel to them. A Street Samurai is wholly of the SINless streets to me I guess.

[Whiskeyjack]

I would say a lot of sams started their careers in the shadows as razor[gender]s, whether for a gang, a syndicate, as corpsec, mercs, ex-military, whatever.

What differentiates the razor[gender] from a sam is puissance on the field of battle and living as a shadowrunner - a hired asset for anyone who can pay, versus being tied to a specific gang or whatever.

Sams are the ones who "made it" and started climbing the martial ladder out of the gutter.

[Finn]

So for you a Street Samurai is someone who is just better at eliminating the enemy compared to the other 99% and makes money at it. There is no need for any kind of rules they live by, personal honor or respecting the lives of others? To me that one thing is what makes them the exception and wholly different from the others. You can say that a lot got their start that way but if they've lived their life by some set of rules, to me I guess, they were never a Razor-whatever- to begin with just for that reason alone.

Someone can be the biggest highest paid killer on the market but if they have no character or don't respect life, they are not a Street Samurai to me. They are just a package for others to rent.  That is just my understanding though, it probably doesn't go very far.

[Whiskeyjack]

So for you a Street Samurai is someone who is just better at eliminating the enemy compared to the other 99% and makes money at it.

Yup.

There is no need for any kind of rules they live by, personal honor or respecting the lives of others?

Nope.

And making all sams adhere to the same code like the one you suggest would be bad for the game.

[Wakshaani]

See, these are the kinds of discussions that I love to see, and why I starte dthe survey in the first place.

Which reminds me, we are *wildly* overdue for the next question.

IN ORDER, what are the top three priorities for a Street Samurai, out or magic, race, attributes, skills, and resources? Note that I don't need to know what skills or what attributes here, only what's your #1 priority, your #2, and then your #3. (In general. Obviously specific things, like a Troll Samurai, will mix it up.)

[Whiskeyjack]

This is hard to discuss in the big picture just because race reallllllly affects this, especially in priority where you have a minimum slot required for some races (Trolls can't go below B, for example). But I guess...

1. Resources, with which to buy the ware.
2. Attributes, a foundation on which to build upon with the ware.
3. Skills, generally with a narrow focus improved with the ware.

I won't rate meta because that has just too many possibilities depending on what you want. For instance, human can be low and still be loaded on Edge, but ork can't.