NEWS

Ally Spirit Formula in Missions

  • 22 Replies
  • 7736 Views

FasterN8

  • *
  • Catalyst Demo Team
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 607
  • Err on the side of awesome.
« Reply #15 on: <04-06-16/1147:50> »
Sinthalix,
      Thanks again for the quick response.  Regardless of whether or not we like any specific ruling, the attentiveness with which you respond to these questions and the frequency with which you update the FAQ is exceptional.  The Demo team and it's leadership really are an outstanding example of the things that are going right within Catalyst.  They should take the whole demo team and and raise it up a few levels within the company.

      I would love to get in some facetime with you and Banshee, but on this subject I think my thoughts are pretty well laid out in my first post here and I don't want to waste anyone's time rehashing the same points, I know you've heard them and will take them up at the next call.  Thanks very much for that. 

I would like to address a couple of the points you made. 
      As far as making a metaplanar quest to find an ally formula, I completely agree.  Anything side-quest thing like this is WAY outside the scope of Missions and simply can't be allowed.
     Having someone else craft an ally formula (by themselves) is fraught with the danger and Missions play simply does not have the ability to give that level of individual risk taking its due attention (and well deserved trouble).

      However, assistance in creating the spirit formula is different, particularly if that assistance ends in or near the first 1/2 of the whole process. That means the NPC was not there when the formula was completed, so does not have access to the completed formula.  At best they only have a premature piece which is certainly different from the final version.  While that might give them a bonus if they wanted to seek out the completed formula via metaplanar quest or some such, it's not nearly on the same level has having the keys to the castle in their hand.

As for the players listening it's important to remember that there's 3 basic concerns these guys have when making missions rules: 

1)  The first constraint is practicality, if a rule is not practical to implement in Missions - It gets the axe and we can't bitch about that.  You might as well complain that your car doesn't fly.  It's just doesn't and there's no amount of rule making that will fix that.
2)  The rules have to honor the fluff and setting of the game, otherwise we're not playing Shadowrun anymore, we're playing in some other contrived setting that may have been shadowrun once, but compromised to too much "I WANT".  If you want to change the the fluff, get on the writing team for the next edition.
3)  The missions rules have to be balanced so that gamemasters and players can present and overcome challenging obstacles with reasonable effort while having cooperative fun at the game table.  Advantages can and should be able to be gained but not without commensurate cost.  The only thing that comes free is cleverness and you have to bring that yourself.

If something violates any one of these three, it's breaks the reason we're doing this whole thing.

« Last Edit: <04-07-16/2238:38> by FasterN8 »

Teutonic Overlord

  • *
  • Administrator
  • Omae
  • *****
  • Posts: 429
« Reply #16 on: <04-06-16/1952:56> »
You'll see our final decision in the next release of the SRM FAQ...which should happen this month.
Ray Rigel
Former Shadowrun Missions Developer and Event Coordinator
Catalyst Demo Team

dlinch

  • *
  • Newb
  • *
  • Posts: 30
« Reply #17 on: <04-07-16/2026:31> »
I would like to echo Faster8N's sentiments. I really appreciate all the time and attention you have made to the questions we have raised. It helps (at least from my standpoint) to hear the logic and reasoning behind a rule. Thank you for all the help.

Teutonic Overlord

  • *
  • Administrator
  • Omae
  • *****
  • Posts: 429
« Reply #18 on: <04-08-16/0721:57> »
Not a problem!  I've been trying to make more time to visit the forums.  Pretty soon time will be at a premium thanks to those little things called PAX East, Heroicon, Origins, and /GenCon :) Conventions I'm attending and doing my thing as head of the CDT and SRM Developer and Teutonic Overlord and guy who will probably bake cookies (Origins/GenCon) and guy who will need coffee shots....
Ray Rigel
Former Shadowrun Missions Developer and Event Coordinator
Catalyst Demo Team

FasterN8

  • *
  • Catalyst Demo Team
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 607
  • Err on the side of awesome.
« Reply #19 on: <04-08-16/0834:35> »
Don't worry, we'll set up the IV caffeine drip and even get you one of those rolling coat racks for the saline bags. ;)

Teutonic Overlord

  • *
  • Administrator
  • Omae
  • *****
  • Posts: 429
« Reply #20 on: <04-12-16/0833:05> »
This topic was discussed in last night's SRM FAQ Committee call and it is the opinion of the Committee that the ruling will stand as is.  NPCs may not be hired to assist in writing the Ally Spirit Formula.  It must be another PC who meets the requirements or you do it on your own.

We reviewed the forum posts and took all of it into consideration before we made our final decision.

Thank you for your feedback and discussion.
Ray Rigel
Former Shadowrun Missions Developer and Event Coordinator
Catalyst Demo Team

FasterN8

  • *
  • Catalyst Demo Team
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 607
  • Err on the side of awesome.
« Reply #21 on: <04-12-16/1631:23> »
Thanks for the heads up.  And for the consideration.

dlinch

  • *
  • Newb
  • *
  • Posts: 30
« Reply #22 on: <04-20-16/0554:43> »
Thank you for taking the time to listen to us and discussing the our concerns. It is truly appreciated.