[belaran]

According to the book and the plot of Shadowrun Chronicles video game, there is not (yet) a resolution to the Boston Lockdown. I've not read yet Bloddy Business, but I'm guessing that situation in Boston will remains at is in 2077 (ie city being on lockdown).

Is there any plan to have an update either (or both) resolving the situation or update on the inside situation ? (What is happening in Salem with Eliohann, what is Damian mucking about ? and so on...) Also, by now, despite the lockdown, some information, at least in the Shadows, must have been leaked - maybe even smuggling routes out or in....

[MijRai]

There's a distinct possibility that the city remains on lockdown for years.  I mean, look at Chicago as an example. 

Resolution will take a lot more time, but there will probably be updates soonish. 

Some information has been leaked; that's the point of the Lockdown book.  Smuggling routes are described in said book (basically, your chances of getting in are slim, your chances of getting out are infinitesimal). 

[Ech0]

As far as I've heard, according to "Hard Targets" the lockdown still seems to be in effect, with no one the wiser, more than a full year later.

Given the nature of the new strain of CFD in Boston, it's quite unlikely that there are still a lot of infected running around the streets of beantown, though.
Still, the general worldwide public is still convinced that a terrorist organisation is to blame.

[MijRai]

As far as I've heard, according to "Hard Targets" the lockdown still seems to be in effect, with no one the wiser, more than a full year later.

Given the nature of the new strain of CFD in Boston, it's quite unlikely that there are still a lot of infected running around the streets of beantown, though.
Still, the general worldwide public is still convinced that a terrorist organisation is to blame.

The public is still convinced it was an outbreak of extremely virulent viral encephalitis. 

[psycho835]

As far as I've heard, according to "Hard Targets" the lockdown still seems to be in effect, with no one the wiser, more than a full year later.

Given the nature of the new strain of CFD in Boston, it's quite unlikely that there are still a lot of infected running around the streets of beantown, though.
Still, the general worldwide public is still convinced that a terrorist organisation is to blame.

The public is still convinced it was an outbreak of extremely virulent viral encephalitis.

Man, I really can't wait for some corporate heads to roll. I know, unlikely, but one can always dream...

[CitizenJoe]

Something from Chronicles is supposed to affect the Pnp game.  Some people have hypothesized that a megacorp will go down.  I don't believe that.  I think the change is basically CFD.  The quarantine won't be lifted until CFD is cured.  Since Chronicles was slated for like 5 cities, things are going to get worse before they get better.  So, Boston will be locked down until Chronicles has run its course.

[belaran]

Yeah, but last i heard, the Shadowrun Chronicles was not faring that well. They are not dead and they may (and I wish'em to) recover, but in the meantime, I would like to have a better grasp of the events relating to Boston. Especially Eliohann - has he been replaced by Deus or some other IA, or is the dragon still "fighting" ? Also, wtf is Damon doing in this mess ?

[Mirikon]

AFAIK, Eliohann's body has been taken over by one of three AIs. These three AIs (or fragments thereof) also inhabit all the Lockdown Head Crashes (we'll call them LHCs, for short). The mix depends on how much of the different flavors of nanites they got exposed to. Deus was set to be uploaded (thanks, Pax) when Cerberus realized what was happening, and tried to force upload himself to stop it. The results are nanites with Deus, Cerberus, and the amalgam Cereus code in them. My personal suspicion, being that Eliohann was at ground zero, is that his body is now inhabited by either Deus or Cereus. If it is Deus, then things are going to get very, very interesting.

[belaran]

Yes, Cereus is certainly an "interesting" development - but sadly I don't really feel like we have enough "actionnable material" to play around this. Basically, we know that after Fenway, Eliohann crashed in Salem - and we have a couple of infos on what is actually happening there, since the lockdown. Except that, according to the last update from Shadowrun Chronicles, Megas are fighting over there - probably to take control and/or kill Eliohann.

So, if my PCs end up in Boston during the lockdown, and decide - as I think I would, to run after the dragon to try to get to the bottom of this, I'm going to run out of material quickly...

[witchdoctor]

You could just choose the explanation you like best or straight up make something up and if it ends up being wrong blame it on Megacorp misinformation or Neoanarchist propoganda. Hint: Neoanarchists make a great scapegoat for just about anything you can imagine, go nuts.

[Mirikon]

Remember, just because the players want to do something, doesn't mean it is possible. Sure, they may WANT to get to the bottom of things and find the dragon (they're insane if they do, but that's besides the point), but this isn't like walking into a Stuffer Shack and getting a box of NERPS. No matter which entity controls the body, count on them not only having multiple schemes in the works, but also having tricks and traps to keep random runner teams from running them down.

If they get stuck inside the lockdown, the simplest way to deal with things is to have jobs that DON'T lead up to Salem. Courier runs across town seem like low-level stuff, until you consider that Boston is rapidly sliding towards the level of Chicago during the Bug City years. There's plenty of work to be done that will require runner support, without venturing too deep into things which haven't been settled yet.

[Beta]

If they get caught up in the ‘what the heck happened, anyway?’ aspect of Lockdown, they’ll want to go up to Salem sooner or later, I suspect. 

But when you read through Lockdown it is pretty clear that Salem may be inside the quarantine line, but generally has not been hit the way the rest of the area has been.  In fact they’ve pulled together quite well.  I think the chance of getting through to actually see the dragon is extremely low.  They will almost certainly be intercepted, with way too much magic to punch through (the thing about blowing away a spirit is that within seconds the summoner may send a new spirit after you, and be crankier.  No runner group is apt to have the resources to punch through an almost endless spirit assault, nor are they apt to get past that much magical monitoring.)  At best I think they’d get a spokesperson for the Children of the Dragon, who will probably provide a lot of pseudo-spiritual mumbo-jumbo.

[belaran]

Of course, there is many "ways" for me to workaround the issue. I just wish we had a bit more about what is going on, just to avoid taking our story too far from the official time line. (I just like to stick to the time line, it actually feeds my creativity more than "making my own version of the story" - well, actually it helps me making my own version...)

[Beta]

Of course, there is many "ways" for me to workaround the issue. I just wish we had a bit more about what is going on, just to avoid taking our story too far from the official time line. (I just like to stick to the time line, it actually feeds my creativity more than "making my own version of the story" - well, actually it helps me making my own version...)

Sorry, I'd misunderstood your earlier post.

Agreed that it is very awkward having such a long delay.  Lockdown encourages the group to come to a fairly defined course of action, but makes it clear that the game world will come to some conclusion based on aggregate feedback from the mixed computer and PnP games -- which inherently means that there is some period for getting feedback, more for them to decide exactly what happens based on that feedback, and yet more to put that impact into a product and bring it out.  So there is the mix of 'why are there no repercussions for so long and "Wait, we sold the information to party X, and somehow they took the fall for what went on?  That doesn't seem to make sense...."  Structurally the PnP book is written to hit pretty much every group with this problem.  On top of which, like your group, most are interested in dragons and will want to know what happens there....

[belaran]

Yep. I mean I appreciate the idea of trying to "build together" the universe rather than just let game designer makes all the decision. But with the uncertain future of the video game (or at least, the slow releases of new chapter) it is making the all thing a bit difficult. It's a bit of shame of reading Lockdown, be excited, and shelve it for a undeterminated amount of time.

Actually, I would need is something like "more info on the Lockdown coming in sourcebook XXX scheduled in (for instance) mid 2016". That would enough for me to know how to "pace myself" ...

@catalyst insiders so ?