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Anarchy House Rules

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SINlessSlacker

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« Reply #15 on: <11-21-16/1440:04> »
Counterspelling is already mentioned in the rules (pages 32 and 127). Granted, there are no mechanics for it, but you don't need a house rule for it to exist.

It's listed as a skill specialty, but is never mentioned how/when it would be used. I wanted to clarify when/how a PC would be able to use such a specialty.

SINlessSlacker

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« Reply #16 on: <11-21-16/1455:14> »
SR has always been gear intensive and I know Anarchy is meant to counter that somewhat...but 4 pieces for a standard runner seems woeful to me!

I'm suggesting that a single gear slot should give a 'runner essentials pack' which includes a burner link, fakeSIN, bug scanner, tag eraser, basic respirator, a light source and an emergency stim patch.  Does that sound overkill?  Granted the bug scanner and tag eraser might be considered a bit more specialist perhaps?!?

Another way to go is just make a list of things that everyone is always considered to have on top of their gear that doesn't need to be accounted for. I mean there's no mention of clothes, but it's assumed you have them. Some sort of home isn't listed but I don't think the runners are meant to be homeless nomads necessarily either.

Gingivitis

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« Reply #17 on: <11-21-16/1550:08> »
I do something similar with counterspell but I make the defense cost a Plot Point (basically the counterspell "takes the hit").  I wanted counterspell to be more like a resource and not a permanent shield.

For effect spells, I just make it an opposed Sorcery + Willpower. No need to keep track of hits, just test and succeed or fail.
« Last Edit: <11-21-16/2032:53> by Gingivitis »
Shadowrun: Anarchy Resources (GM Screens, Character Sheets, New NPCs, House Rules) at: www.surprisethreat.com

Tecumseh

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« Reply #18 on: <11-22-16/0046:57> »
Counterspelling
@Gingivitis, very interesting idea to require the use of Plot Points with counterspelling to take the hit. What dice pool do you roll for counterspelling combat spells? Do you make an opposed Sorcery + Willpower test or do you simply add the counterspeller's Sorcery skill rating to the dice pool of the defender(s)?

Gear
I agree that 4 pieces of gear is highly limiting, especially since half of that is likely to be taken up by a fake SIN and a commlink. I think a "Runner's Starter Kit" is a great idea. Of course, not everyone will want one for thematic reasons (or street level games), but those character could receive some other benefit. I would probably include less than Aria suggests, but keep the general idea. Of course, GMs can tailor it to what's appropriate for their campaigns. The core equipment PACKs at the end of Run Faster (p. 228-9) have some good guidelines for what might be in a basic kit. In fact, a lot of the other PACKs have some great ideas for what might be reasonably crammed into a single karma point.

Gingivitis

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« Reply #19 on: <11-22-16/0311:52> »
Counterspelling: I just have the player spend a Plot Point and roll Sorcery (counterspelling) + Willpower instead of whatever the spell normally targets. 

- I didn't want to add 3 number together when we could use 2 like everything else. 
- Also I felt like counterspelling a Fire Ball had little to do with the defender's AGI or LOG and more with stopping the spell.
- I didn't want counterpelling to be an unlimited resource.

Gear:

- For a Street Runner: a burner commlink (including cheap AR-only glasses), and fake SIN (with associated fake licenses), a trauma patch (to justify some of the not-dead-yet options on p. 44), some stim-patches (to justify First Aid use of a Plot Point on p. 36), and some non-armored, Tag-appropriate clothing.

The more I think about it, the more I would say this would NOT count as one of the four pieces of Gear.  That way the Gear chosen by the runner will really distinguish them from the other runners.
Shadowrun: Anarchy Resources (GM Screens, Character Sheets, New NPCs, House Rules) at: www.surprisethreat.com

VSir

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« Reply #20 on: <11-24-16/1451:50> »
You guys got great ideas and spirit patching the product you actually PAID for.

Here are a few basic and advanced house rule brain teasers on top of what has been posted:
Judge intentions should rather not be CHA +CHA, but rather CHA +LOG (surely supermodels aren't the best at judging intentions)
Muscle augmentation amp is currently useless with STR related rolls (unless your team really needs a forklift), so added DMG would suit better
Skillwires amp should be for other AGL or LOG related skills as well. You can observe this intention on sample chars as well
Adepts could have Increased ability amp same similar skill wires, but 1 point more expensive (no essence cost) and could be connected to AGL, LOG or CHA skills
Jack of all trades and team player are rather positive qualities than amps. Fear is ok-ish if you consider it as some sort or a critter amp
Break up Intimidation skill into Intimidation (connected to STR) and Influence (CHA). Former has specialisations as torture, threat and frighten and latter is interrogation, command and instruction (these last two were missing anyways).

On a larger house rule scale I am working on;
- reduce Agility importance by adding Reaction back on, which will be the base for dodge and surprise test or even for an initiative test (consequently attribute points at chagen will need to change too)
- Get limits back: for each of 24 skills I assigned a secondary attribute (e.g: Close Combat DP uses AGL and STR for limit)  and the actual skill limits are calculated as: (secondary attribute x2 +skill rating)/3 round up. This way you penalise defaulting as well.
- Limits reintroduced can bring Magic attribute back (as limiting attribute), so being awakened no longer costs 2 amp points, but you would have to spend the attribute points on them
- Once Magic is back you can use it's rating for drain in multiple ways; e.g. success above MAG, or 1s rolled above MAG or simply use the Sorcery/ Conjuring skill test's limit
- Specialisations would no longer give +2 to DP, but +1 DP and +1 limit  (and could even be 2 levels)
-  each skill test would have 3 components: dice pool, re-roll, limit. The hard work here will be to align amps and qualities to this rationally; dice pool would be increasing if something directly affecting a specific skill (e.g. skill wires, expert shot etc), re-rolls would be connected to the attributes involved in the skill test and limit would be increased by such amps as smart link, cyber eyes, tailored pheromones, foci etc.
- change armour rules completely : protection to have 2 simple factors: cover extent and armour rating and basically the net hits from an attack have to be equal or lower than cover extent of the armour to have any damage reduction by the rating it gives. Naturally, new armour stats and slight damage adjustments need to be done
- for qualities, it would be better to have a basic a point system (1-3) and have 3 slots for both positive and negatives as well (I felt negative qualities made characters more role-playable)
- knowledge skills would be nice to be expanded: e.g.: 3 slots: 1 for a backghround knowledge skill (corp, runner, ganger, magical), 1 knowledge skill connected to the main profession the character had and the last one for an interest/ hobby. Skill points should be spent for additional K skills and/ or more qualities would affect them.

I think none of the above would slow the game much down (being fixed precalced values) and expanding knowledge skills and qualities would rather help to flesh characters out.
.... the effort  to actually revise this whole thing, however, is infuriating as a paying customer.



Tremodian

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« Reply #21 on: <12-21-16/1455:37> »
Quote
.... the effort  to actually revise this whole thing, however, is infuriating as a paying customer.

Well, there's no game on earth without some house rules, but yeah, Catalyst has a real talent for releasing semi-finished games. Most of your first paragraph of rules makes sense to me, but your bolded list makes it seem that you're interested in a more complicated game than they chose to design. You're right that your suggestions wouldn't slow down play much, but that wasn't the only goal of the very simplified rules system. A rules-lite system gets people playing quickly, and can get rules-averse players into the game. We had an Anarchy character gen session last night, and I could just say to my players "You get two positive and one negative quality" without explanation, point spending, checking their work, or assigning point value to qualities. This is a big benefit to my group, which is a mix of people with varying interests in crunchy rules.

Gingivitis

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« Reply #22 on: <12-21-16/1737:59> »
I was running an Anarchy session for 5 folks on Saturday. Two had played SR a bit years ago. 3 had played ONCE years ago.  This was our second session as a group (I've run another group through about 6 sessions).  The first session was a blast.

Then one of the newbs brought his girlfriend over.  To play.  In Shadowrun.  A person who has never played ANY RPG ever.  To play.  In Shadowrun!

It was fine.  It was actually better. She just grabbed a pre-gen that she liked (Rose Red) and jumped in, mid-contract brief.  THAT is the power of this system.
Shadowrun: Anarchy Resources (GM Screens, Character Sheets, New NPCs, House Rules) at: www.surprisethreat.com

R.L.

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« Reply #23 on: <01-03-17/0826:05> »
Fellow Gamemasters,

As a fan of the Shadowrun video games by Harebrained Schemes I have translated the Known Etiquettes feature to my Shadowrun: Anarchy campaign.

Should you find the rules below to your liking, please feel free to include them in your personal campaigns.

KNOWN ETIQUETTES

Each player character knows CHA/2 (round down) etiquettes, chosen from the following list.

Etiquettes:
- Academic
- Corporate
- Gang
- Security
- Shadowrunner
- Socialite
- Street
(Source: Official Shadowrun Returns Wiki. URL: http://shadowrun.gamepedia.com/Etiquette)

If a character interacts with a NPC that has a compatible etiquette, either as a Tag or as decided by the gamemaster, the following benefits may apply:

* Modify Tests

Option 1: Gain +1 die to appropriate Tests (usually CHA and LOG based Tests). This option may be only chosen before a roll is made.

Option 2: Re-roll 1 die of appropriate Tests. This option may be chosen only after a roll is made and if Option 1 was not used.

* Affect NPC Attitudes and Behavior

The attitude and behavior of a NPC (usually but not always towards the PC) may be improved or worsened. This may lead to mission-based changes, new Narratives and can modify future Tests (see Shadowrun: Anarchy, page 38).

* Mission Modification

The use of an etiquette may create mission complications (positive, negative or both), open new dialogue options and lead to Karma or other gains.


GAINING MORE ETIQUETTES

New known etiquettes may be added by raising CHA, as well as purchased as Shadow Amps under the category of Social/Other Amps, as shown below.

Even More Etiquettes (Amp Level 2)
Gain CHA/2 (round down) new known etiquettes.


Thank you for your interest!

Yours,

R.L.
« Last Edit: <01-03-17/0919:49> by R.L. »

R.L.

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« Reply #24 on: <01-06-17/0501:27> »
Fellow Gamemasters,

Jack Bauer rode motorcycles. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace painted. Adam Jensen was into mechanical wristwatches. Why not give your Shadowrunner some hobbies as well?

If the following optional rule is to your liking feel free to include it in your personal campaigns.


OPTIONAL RULE: HOBBIES, PASTIME AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES OF A SHADOWRUNNER

All Shadowrun: Anarchy player characters and any important NPC's gain a free Hobby Skill. This skill represents the most significant pastime activity of a Shadowrunner. The skill can be used, for example during downtime Narrations to add further color and insight into a character.

The Hobby Skill should be chosen from outside the range of normal Skills, unless the GM permits otherwise. A Hobby Skill is not counted against the maximum of five skills, has no rating and thus does not cost Skill points.

A Hobby Skill engaged in during a Narration may at the GM's permission justify any of the following:

- Regain 1 point of Edge, if spent

- Heal 1 Stun damage, if sustained from a suitable source

- Spend up to 2 Karma to gain 2 Gear items or 1 Contact

- Create new Narrations

In order to maintain the momentum of Shadowrun a player character may use a Hobby Skill once per mission.

R.L.

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« Reply #25 on: <01-14-17/2005:10> »
Fellow Gamemasters,

The printed version of Shadowrun: Anarchy lacks rules for cybercombat damage. Until an official errata is published I am introducing the following rules to my campaign.

If you find that these rules add value to your games feel free to use them in your personal campaigns.


OPTIONAL RULE: BASE CYBERCOMBAT DAMAGE

Cybercombat damage is based on the Logic attribute of the decker and the quality of the cyberdeck. The base damage values per cyberdeck rank (see SRA, page 203) can be seen below.

Cyberdeck 1 (LOG/2)S

Cyberdeck 2 (LOG/2 +1)S

Cyberdeck 3 (LOG/2 +2)S

Cyberdeck 4 (LOG/2 +3)S

From a design perspective the damage scaling is consistent with that of close combat weapons (SRA, page 206).

The base damage values of lower-grade cyberdecks can be increased as per the rules for improving Shadow Amps, with a maximum value of +3.

What About Technomancers?

The base cybercombat damage of a technomancer is based on the virtuakinetic's unmodified Logic Attribute. This rule gives technomancers a potentially higher base damage when compared to deckers. This is offset by the Optional Matrix Rules governing the use of technomancers (SRA, pages 45-46).