[Shadowplay]

Hiya gang!   I want to start running a Shadowrun game.  Sounds simple enough, right?  Except I'm completely new to Shadowrun and am pretty out of touch with table top role playing these days.  Sorry for the ramble, but I want to give a little background for how I ended up here

I used to role play a lot, at least weekly if not more often.  That was 15+ years ago which is really depressing.  Denial of age aside, I used to both play and GM.  Started with AD&D like many people, moved on to the whole World of Darkness bit from White Wolf (Vampire, Werewolf, Mage, etc.) then ended up in a tight-nit group focused entirely on story and character interaction with light doses of dice once in a while based on a smattering of rules we cobbled together from various game systems.  We actually have a Shadowrun 2nd edition core book from back in our gaming hayday in near-mint condition that we've never really used!

Fast-forward to the here and now.  I've been jonesing for some pen and paper role playing for a while and recently a friend ran a small Cyberpunk2020 game for my wife and I.  So, 2 players and a GM.  It was a lot of fun and I want to go further with it all.  Then there's the recent Shadowrun kickstarter which I donated to and it really got me thinking about Shadowrun.  I love the mix of cyberpunk + magic + a dash of fantasy turned on it's ear.

So I'm reading up on Shadowrun, getting a handle on the setting, the culture, the way the world works.  I'll probably get the current core book and the Runner's Toolkit and stick with that for a while.

My questions, if you've managed to stay with me this long, are:

* How many players do you feel are necessary for a solid campaign?
* How many players can you replace with NPCs sprinkled into the story when needed?  Don't worry - not as "GM Player Characters"
* Single Player a) How hard is it in Shadowrun to GM a game for a single player?
* Single Player b) Which archetypes are more or less fitting for a single player session/campaign?

There aren't many people I know that both want to game *and* have schedules that mesh well with mine.  My wife and I both want to game and so I was thinking of running some single-player sessions just for her to get us used to the mechanics and to just plain have fun so we're not sitting around waiting on friends to find time to join us.  Is this feasable?  Any suggestions?

Thanks everyone!  I'm really looking forward to some Shadowrun!

~ Shadowplay ~

p.s. - my forum name is purely coincidence as I've used it off and on for a long time, but seems fitting here

[Mirikon]

* How many players do you feel are necessary for a solid campaign?
* How many players can you replace with NPCs sprinkled into the story when needed?  Don't worry - not as "GM Player Characters"
* Single Player a) How hard is it in Shadowrun to GM a game for a single player?
* Single Player b) Which archetypes are more or less fitting for a single player session/campaign?

4-6 is a good number for a group. Really, having the three Ms covered (Magic, Matrix, Muscle), with a Face as well, then everything else is cake. If the players cooperate on their builds, then you can get by with 3, especially if your muscle is a Face/Sammy. (Hey, I've heard stranger things!) But 4-6 is the range I'd shoot for. Don't do solo campaigns unless they're focused on the Matrix or Astral.

[Shadowplay]

4-6 is a good number for a group. Really, having the three Ms covered (Magic, Matrix, Muscle), with a Face as well, then everything else is cake. If the players cooperate on their builds, then you can get by with 3, especially if your muscle is a Face/Sammy. (Hey, I've heard stranger things!) But 4-6 is the range I'd shoot for. Don't do solo campaigns unless they're focused on the Matrix or Astral.

Ouch hehe that's not likely to work well for my current situation.  I think the problem is that Shadowrun is one of the more complex, lethal-to-players games out there, and seems to kind of need a solid group... but I don't have a reliable group for this yet   However I really dig the setting!

Maybe I can "wing it" and start by using the base rules and the setting to cobble together my own version of things   I'm never afraid to create a non-standard campaign concept to fit my and my player(s) needs.  Same goes for the rules if they are too much I might have to dumb them down for a more RP-centric experience.

I dunno, I'm not ready to give up just because Shadowrun is rough on the uninitiated and "lone wolf" game styles. 

[NinthSphere]

I can see solo working with infiltration type missions (matrix or meat) or decent npc support. Obviously, the jobs you take on solo are going to be different than if you had a full team with you.

Three people is probably the minimum you want to run with.

[Graymage]

another option I suggest with a grain of salt, have each player run 2 characters.

this can work but remember that it can bog the game down quite a bit.

[Mirikon]

If the game isn't focused on the Matrix or Astral, and you're doing a solo game, your best bet is the cat burglar/spymaster kind of setup. Think movies like Entrapment.

Alternatively, the two character idea is something I've seen used in D&D, and it can work well, so long as the players are able to maintain separation between the two characters. It is, however, not something I'd throw on someone completely new to the system. Better to have a couple NPC teammates than overwhelming the players with all the new and strange, all at once.

If you're stuck in the 1-3 person range, I would consider providing as much info to your players as you can, and then running a module of some other game, which will give them time to read through and absorb the material you gave them. The better prepared they are before starting, the better luck you'll have.

[Dirtywork]

SR is totally doable for one or two people. As Mirikon said try to do some cool James Bond style stuff.

Plus since you're just getting back to table top gaming and since you're new to SR it might be better to take it slow and run with a smaller group. At least until you're confident that you've got a solid grasp on the game mechanics.

I've always felt that it's not so much the number of players as much as the quality of the player. You can have a blast with just two people. You'll just have to streamline the missions a bit more.

[All4BigGuns]

If the game isn't focused on the Matrix or Astral, and you're doing a solo game, your best bet is the cat burglar/spymaster kind of setup. Think movies like Entrapment.

Alternatively, the two character idea is something I've seen used in D&D, and it can work well, so long as the players are able to maintain separation between the two characters. It is, however, not something I'd throw on someone completely new to the system. Better to have a couple NPC teammates than overwhelming the players with all the new and strange, all at once.

If you're stuck in the 1-3 person range, I would consider providing as much info to your players as you can, and then running a module of some other game, which will give them time to read through and absorb the material you gave them. The better prepared they are before starting, the better luck you'll have.

Multiple characters per player can work in SR as well. At least it did in an SR3 game I was in at one point.

[clvrmonkey]

In your background you state you got really story focused back in the day.  I think that would work really well for a solo SR game.  Spymaster type would work, but I've actually been thinking about either a noir style game (think Blade Runner, or pick up some old Dashiell Hammett) or a take on revenge westerns (Once Upon a Time in the West or Fist Full of Dollars).  You could also give your solo player a little more flexibility in character points to make them a little more well rounded.  In any case I hope you post some play notes once you get it going.

[All4BigGuns]

In your background you state you got really story focused back in the day.  I think that would work really well for a solo SR game.  Spymaster type would work, but I've actually been thinking about either a noir style game (think Blade Runner, or pick up some old Dashiell Hammett) or a take on revenge westerns (Once Upon a Time in the West or Fist Full of Dollars).  You could also give your solo player a little more flexibility in character points to make them a little more well rounded.  In any case I hope you post some play notes once you get it going.

Does the group making the GM cry during an RP session count?

[Shadowplay]

Does the group making the GM cry during an RP session count?

I'd say that depends on what the group did to break the GM.   I mean I've had some pretty emotional sessions that leave the group fairly wrecked, but there's always that one guy who gets mad and throws things at the GM which can make for some tears 

[All4BigGuns]

Does the group making the GM cry during an RP session count?

I'd say that depends on what the group did to break the GM.   I mean I've had some pretty emotional sessions that leave the group fairly wrecked, but there's always that one guy who gets mad and throws things at the GM which can make for some tears 

No injury involved. It was just for the sheer amount of emotional residuum.  It did get us the largest karma award I've ever seen though...50 for just that session...just for making him cry.

[Shadowplay]

No injury involved. It was just for the sheer amount of emotional residuum.  It did get us the largest karma award I've ever seen though...50 for just that session...just for making him cry.

Sounds like a great gaming experience!  Those really stick with you over the years I think.