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SRM Combined FAQ Discussion

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Hobbes

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« Reply #15 on: <05-18-18/1230:55> »
Given the worst that can happen is the Players don't get any bonus pay I'm not sure why anyone would choose to stay in the van when told they're not going to get paid.  Played lots of games where all we got was the base pay, somehow managed to stay in bullets and booze. 

Marcus

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« Reply #16 on: <05-18-18/1619:21> »
I'm with ya Hobbes. I've seen plenty of times plenty of socially belligerent horrible kill monster sit down at Johnson meetings before, and I don't doubt I'll see many more.
But leave them in the van opens up to much chance for stuff to get ugly at the table. An even split is always been the deal, go back on that and I just can't see it going well.
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Stainless Steel Devil Rat

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« Reply #17 on: <05-24-18/1709:15> »
New Observation/Question for the SRM team:

The nearly dozen or so Missions that I've read all have some mention in the "Contacts" portion of the Picking up the Pieces chapters that loyalty gains are always capped to a ceiling of 4, for both mission-specific NPCs as well as any other Contacts the PCs may have impressed/interacted with as well.

Admittedly it's a small sample size, but I'm getting the impression that EVERY SRM Mission has that same ceiling of 4 Loyalty for any Contact improvement.

question 1) Is this true?

question 2) Perhaps more of an observation... but Loyalty 5 & 6 is possible at chargen it appears to not ever be attainable after chargen?  Should Loyalty 5 & 6 be allowed on made up Contacts?  Because if they are, the way fencing gear works in SRM where Connection doesn't matter and Loyalty means everything if you don't buy a Fence with 6 Loyalty you're Doing It Wrong :)
RPG mechanics exist to give structure and consistency to the game world, true, but at the end of the day, you’re fighting dragons with algebra and random number generators.

Hobbes

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« Reply #18 on: <05-24-18/2045:43> »
Loyalty gains from Mission rewards capped at 4.  Yes.

Stainless Steel Devil Rat

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« Reply #19 on: <05-24-18/2048:46> »
I think that begs the question of whether loyalty 5/6 contacts should be allowed to be purchased in chargen, since they're impossible to gain post-chargen.
RPG mechanics exist to give structure and consistency to the game world, true, but at the end of the day, you’re fighting dragons with algebra and random number generators.

Marcus

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« Reply #20 on: <05-24-18/2218:49> »
Eh I think that's going to far. There's no cause to stomp on that sort of thing. It's not like a loyalty 5/6 contact is actually that much better and in the scope of mission, it has very little bearing on much of anything. Contact roll are well defined in missions play, and it's not going to unbalance the game with something already always been in play.
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Stainless Steel Devil Rat

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« Reply #21 on: <05-25-18/0005:59> »
Perhaps... my concern is really in how loyalty intersects with fencing gear.  It's awkward that the only way you can get 25% or 30% of book price is by exploiting a chargen rules loophole.
RPG mechanics exist to give structure and consistency to the game world, true, but at the end of the day, you’re fighting dragons with algebra and random number generators.

Marcus

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« Reply #22 on: <05-25-18/0026:47> »
There usually isn't that much to fence, i mean some commlinks and some guns, is generally the take away.
Even 30% book value just isn't going to be that much is it?
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Stainless Steel Devil Rat

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« Reply #23 on: <05-25-18/1259:15> »
There usually isn't that much to fence, i mean some commlinks and some guns, is generally the take away.
Even 30% book value just isn't going to be that much is it?

It all depends.  Most of the time the runners won't have the alignment of circumstances and connections to harvest cyberware from slain opposition, or to claim things like security vehicles intact.  But in those cases where they do, the SRM fencing rules ensures they don't totally blow the nuyen rewards out of line with what's programmed to be awarded.  Even still: getting 30% of half a million nuyen worth of vehicle and/or cyberware is still potentially gonna be worth more than the 10-12 thousand nuyen they get from Mr Johnson/Tanaka-san.

Now granted 25% or 30% in such a case isn't that much more than 20% that's possible under the ceiling of 4 Loyalty, but as I said it's more of the principle of the thing.  Why should 25/30% on fencing be possible with Chargen-generated Contacts but never with Contacts gained afterwards?  It's minor and perhaps only applicable in corner case looting, but it still seems "wrong".  Rather than raising the Loyalty ceiling, it just seems more elegant to disallow Loyalty 5/6 on made-up Contacts from chargen.  The extra percentage points on fenced gear is part of why it's more elegant, but also there's no reason to have 5/6 Loyalty besides fencing because Contacts with that much loyalty must necessarily have super low Connection ratings, which in turn means the extra Loyalty is useless (other than to exploit the Fencing rules).

Edit: Perhaps the problem I'm seeing is better fixed by addressing Fencing rather than Loyalty.  If Connection becomes important, the abuse/exploit may simply go away.  If Connection 1 becomes insufficient to Fence expensive loot, the 6 Loyalty to gain 30% of said loot isn't incentivized.
« Last Edit: <05-25-18/1307:49> by Stainless Steel Devil Rat »
RPG mechanics exist to give structure and consistency to the game world, true, but at the end of the day, you’re fighting dragons with algebra and random number generators.

Marcus

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« Reply #24 on: <05-25-18/1337:06> »
May we please have official stats for a Bokken? It's Neo-Tokyo, we really need Bokken.
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Crimsondude

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« Reply #25 on: <05-25-18/1519:37> »
It seems like it should follow the generic "Club" stats.

Stainless Steel Devil Rat

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« Reply #26 on: <05-25-18/1530:15> »
OTOH I'd say a Bokken's stats should be identical to a Katana's... other than flipping Physical to Stun.  Maybe not the most faithful translation... but thematically appropo and since when were SR weapon damage codes "realistic" anyway :)
RPG mechanics exist to give structure and consistency to the game world, true, but at the end of the day, you’re fighting dragons with algebra and random number generators.

Sphinx

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« Reply #27 on: <05-25-18/1546:08> »
May we please have official stats for a Bokken? It's Neo-Tokyo, we really need Bokken.

A new weapons table with all the asian/martial arts standards would be great, actually.
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Hobbes

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« Reply #28 on: <05-25-18/1615:11> »
There usually isn't that much to fence, i mean some commlinks and some guns, is generally the take away.
Even 30% book value just isn't going to be that much is it?

Shouldn't even be that much in a Missions game.  Mission GMs are specifically told to discourage looting.  Most do.  I find a "Please don't do that" works.  Usually it's newer players who aren't familiar with how Missions works, simple communication is all that I've ever seen needed. 

That said, the occasional Yamaha Raiden or fancy commlink falls into a players hands and gets dropped off at Goober's for a quick re-licencing?  Yeah, whatever.  Just don't ask about harvesting cyberware or stealing cars, enjoy your new toy that is all but mechanically indistinguishable from your old one. 

Redwulfe

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« Reply #29 on: <05-25-18/1747:00> »
I would also have to agree that I feel the cap should be lifted on loyalty for some contacts. The reason that I think it should be lifted is for purchasing gear however as it is really hard for some characters to get gear with the current buy hits only rules.

my 2 cents.
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