[lousydiceroller]

jonathanc,
Running a Shadowrun game is kind of challenging, like any game.  Here are my suggestions.

Magic:  I’ve had this problem also so what I do is try and create adversaries who throw those same powers back at the mage/ shaman who creates them.  This is easier said than done because you don’t want the other players on the side lines while the magic using character wages a magic war so I throw in a lot of grunts to keep the others busy.

At times, I also try and create situations where the party is separated.  In shadowrun, during the legwork part of the run, it is a great time to try and corner players.  While the matrix focused player is battling it out with a system to gain some vital info, I try and create a scene for the other players and run the combats simultaneously.

For example, recently my group’s technomancer had to get some access codes of the security team that they knew the players were going to throw down with.  While he was doing that a spirit cornered the mage of the group and tried to get info about the group.  Spells were flying in one scene while code was being slung in another.

The moral of the story is to keep your bad guys proactive about the shadowrunners.  If they see them snooping around they are going to do the same research on the players to see if they are a threat because it will give them the information they need to stop them.  At this stage of the mission the players may need to be subtle with the situation because if they just squash the scouting attempts it will just alert the true target of the mission.

Are you all ways going to be able to stop a fire elemental from taking down bad guys? No.  But keep in mind if the mission requires stealth, these actions may blow the mission and result in failure. 

[JustADude]

Magic:  I’ve had this problem also so what I do is try and create adversaries who throw those same powers back at the mage/ shaman who creates them.  This is easier said than done because you don’t want the other players on the side lines while the magic using character wages a magic war so I throw in a lot of grunts to keep the others busy.

So true. I've noticed, in Missions, that when there's an enemy Mage present we spend so much time trying to take each other out that we end up neutralizing each other until someone (usually the sniper) pegs the other guy in the head.

[Smiley]

Mine would be just this: Chances are, you have at least one number cruncher in your group. For this reason, don't try to challenge them on their strengths. If one is very very strong in one area of expertise, just let him win. Find the weak spots of each and every characters and challenge them fairly in these area. Isolate the Face and pitch in an NPC who's going to seduce the easiest PC. Isolate the Street Sam and force the hacker in a fist fight. Plan these challenges ahead. This will keep them busy and challenged while still giving them the satisfaction of being a badass in their area of expertise.

[snowRaven]

My biggest suggestion?

"It's a game that has elves and dwarfs and humans and trolls and cyberware and magic.  It has an Aztech nation fueling a world-spanning megacorporation with blood magic and a Dragon attempting to buy the world through a German megacorporation.  A dragon ran for president, won, and then was assassinated.  Evil bug spirits took over Chicago and the government tried nuking the city, and FAILED.  A clown-faced immortal elf is almost single-handedly trying to stop cthulhu-like creatures from entering our world and destroying it.  Keep all that in mind when I tell you:  It's a game with some amazingly absurd ideas that are just completely and utterly ridiculous.  So don't take the game too seriously, and never, ever forget that it is *just* a game.  if you do that, you'll have a blast."

Ridiculous? See, I thought you just listed all of the coolest, most awesome elements of the game!!! 

[Angelone]

Mine would be just this: Chances are, you have at least one number cruncher in your group. For this reason, don't try to challenge them on their strengths. If one is very very strong in one area of expertise, just let him win. Find the weak spots of each and every characters and challenge them fairly in these area. Isolate the Face and pitch in an NPC who's going to seduce the easiest PC. Isolate the Street Sam and force the hacker in a fist fight. Plan these challenges ahead. This will keep them busy and challenged while still giving them the satisfaction of being a badass in their area of expertise.

Don't focus on this, Shadowrun is a team game, the PCs work together to have others to make up for their weaknesses. If you are constantly picking at characters weaknesses you will frustrate the players. There's not enough points for the characters to be good at everything and if you are constantly forcing the socially/physically/magically/technologically weak characters into the roles they aren't designed for it's not fair to them or the players.   

[Smiley]

Yes, it's about team effort. That doesn't mean they have to be together all the time. In fact, most missions I played, either as a player or a GM, ended up with the team splitting up because of exactly that, to apply their strengths where it's needed. If you prepare a second challenge, a fair and fun one (not something that difficult, something he should statistically win), to test on one of their weakness (or force them to think of something clever to avoid it), then you can gauge the level of difficulty you want in your game more easily. Their strengths stay useful and they'll have original challenges to overcome too. Important to test both. Otherwise, you end up trying to design an ever biggest baddest evil guy for your Street Sam, the ever more secure node for your hacker, and so on, for each of you mission. That is the most difficult AND unimaginative way of designing challenges for missions. You'll force your players to stay (or become) one trick poneys and everything gets old pretty fast for both players and the GM.

[Mystic]

Have fun. Seriously, have fun. One of the things that I have seen over the years in ANY RPG is that when the game becomes work or basically your live, it stops being fun and its time to quit. Enjoy what you are doing, take it seriously, but not TOO seriously. This, ultimately is a game...treat it as such and you'll be better for it and enjoy it a lot more.

[Medea]

     I've noticed many of you are into team-splitting.  Don't you know that the GM is waiting for the team to split-up so he can target the weaker members??  I know this is a little off -topic, but at least two of you talk about team-splitting here so I had to mention it.  Don't you know that splitting the team up is an old cliche that leads to ruin in so many genres?  LOL  I don't mean to be rude but splitting my team up is usually the LAST thing I want to do.  Just saying...
     Back to the topic however, I say "bring it on."  I'm not afraid to die for what my character believes in.  I love a good challenge in an RPG, especially one where I have to use my noggin'!  If I die as my character, at least I died for what I believed in.  Give me a challenge!  Plus, I can always make a new character if the one I currently play with gets blown away. 
     

[Unahim]

     I've noticed many of you are into team-splitting.  Don't you know that the GM is waiting for the team to split-up so he can target the weaker members??  I know this is a little off -topic, but at least two of you talk about team-splitting here so I had to mention it.  Don't you know that splitting the team up is an old cliche that leads to ruin in so many genres?  LOL  I don't mean to be rude but splitting my team up is usually the LAST thing I want to do.  Just saying...
     Back to the topic however, I say "bring it on."  I'm not afraid to die for what my character believes in.  I love a good challenge in an RPG, especially one where I have to use my noggin'!  If I die as my character, at least I died for what I believed in.  Give me a challenge!  Plus, I can always make a new character if the one I currently play with gets blown away. 
   

If the run requires you to be in 3 places at the same time to pull down securiy levers simultaneously, then you split up, no way around it :p (unless you got some cool gadgets laying around or stuff)

[Angelone]

Drones (with arms) or spirits can pull levers just as well as a person, with the added benefit of being expendable. I suppose you could use an npc as well.

Splitting up isn't a very good thing to do. It weakens your team, which is why divide and conquer is (what is it? a saying?).

[Patrick Goodman]

I will reiterate, based on what I've seen here: It's not a competition.

[bigdamndm1986]

my words of advice to a new gm? don't be afraid to take the game where you want it to go. all the resource books are great to have and use, but if you want say bug city to have happened in manhatten rather than chicago then go for it. remeber it is your vision that you are trying to bring across to your players and as long as every one is having fun than do it.

[Simagal]

Having fun is the most important thing.

[Medea]

If the run requires you to be in 3 places at the same time to pull down securiy levers simultaneously, then you split up, no way around it :p (unless you got some cool gadgets laying around or stuff)

  Yes, you're right.  If the decker has to be on location for instance, he will have to be guarded or locked up safely while the other team members split-off to do something else.  I'm just saying that this is something GMs rely on so they can exploit it when it happens.  Especially when they are running a horror-themed mission.  Isolation is one of those elements always found in missions/adventures such as this.  But I agree with you.  Sometimes you just don't have a choice.  It's just that I don't want to split my team up unless I have to.  It makes me nervous.  My GM is particularly nasty when it comes to exploiting these situations.  He's so MEAN! 

[Kontact]

You won't get anywhere without communication, understanding and agreement. 

Know what your players want and are interested in exploring.
Make sure both you and they understand how their character fits into the world and what they are capable of.
Agree on rules and interpretations where you can and as they come up.  Make allowances for discrepancies.

The rest is window dressing.