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Mysterious Implant

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Barracuda_Kali

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« on: <12-09-11/0337:29> »
Let's say one of my players takes Amnesia (Everything) and Mysterious Implant (All the Way). Also they are a technomancer. D'you think it would be feasible for the player to Scan, Analyze, and then attempt to hack the implant to get into its node? This may be an important method of plot exposition.

Xzylvador

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« Reply #1 on: <12-09-11/0447:11> »
The player wouldn't even know how to scan or analyze, or even that he ever knew he could, or know that he's a technomancer. Nor would he have any reason to suspect the presence of the implant.

I'd suggest using a whole lot of other plots first because he'd have to spend quite a lot of time to figure out who/what he is. If not, he just got a whole lot of free BP's.

Edit: I should probably point out that I'm kind of biased towards some Negative Qualities, Amnesia, especially the Full version, being one of the worst. IMO it's a quality that just can't be played, and if it is I don't see how any group of 'runners would want anyone with Amnesia in their group. Who knows how many bad stuff that'll get thrown their way because of that guy. Total Amnesia is a lot worse, not only can't they know who/what will come causing trouble, the guy is completely useless too!
"Can you hack?" "Dunno." "Shoot?" "I Dunno" "Wrestle?" "I can try, I guess." "Do any kind of magic?" "I... might... maybe not..." "Explosives?" "Might be... maybe I'd blow myself up." "Sneak" "Oh yeah, chances are the enemy will never see me... or they'll spot me a mile away, not sure really." "And you have no idea who you are, what you've done so far or what enemies you got?" "Not... exactly... nope, sorry, can't." "So for all we know, or you know, you might be a wanted fugitive terrorist hunted by half the world, a toxic shaman or a fraggin' bug spirit host?" "I guess so, but I really doubt I am though!" "Why the drek would we want anything to do with you? Are you even sure you're a shadowrunner?" "I... think so. Yeah... Almost sure I am... was... I think..." "Let's ditch this guy, this job is risky enough without all that dead weigh dragging us down."
« Last Edit: <12-09-11/0458:23> by Xzylvador »

Hawke

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« Reply #2 on: <12-09-11/0843:54> »
Partial Amnesia is cool I think.  It adds some RP flavorness.

Total Amnesia seems to be very very bad for the group.  Basically you have a full grown man with the skills and knowledge of a 4 year old.  Oh and people are shooting at you.

You can have any negative quality and end up buying it off with Karma.  It all balances out I think.  However, I like the RP stuff that goes with the negative qualities.  Opens up some nice doors.

Stuff like Enemy could be on going even if you kill the guy after you... just having another one pop up in his place.

FastJack

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« Reply #3 on: <12-09-11/1021:30> »
Actually, if he has Amnesia and is a Technomancer, he'd figure out PDQ that he is a TM. Basically, the first time he goes into public and notices that he sees all the AR advertisements without the benefit of visual enhancements.

Hawke

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« Reply #4 on: <12-09-11/1030:53> »
But how does he know that is not what everyone else sees?  It might just be the norm and he not even realize he is different :D

I am of course referring to the total Amnesia.

Xzylvador

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« Reply #5 on: <12-09-11/1034:46> »
I guess I don't really like any of the qualities that basically force the GM to build the game around you. I get it, I get the roleplaying aspect and the story you might want to tell, but I just find it kind of... selfish and self-centered, I guess.
If every player came to the table with 35BP in qualities like Enemy, Lost Loved One, Mysterious Implant, Amnesia and I don't know what else; the GM could never get started telling the story he wants to tell. He's the guy spending all his time building the game for you, respect him enough to let him tell his story without having to interrupt the story for your own personal moment in the spotlight.
*shrug*
I could be wrong there and I imagine it depends on the GM; but if I spend hours and hours creating a story and building a world, I don't think I'd like if everyone at the table started telling me what else should be in it.

FastJack

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« Reply #6 on: <12-09-11/1036:04> »
Because, at some point, someone is going to say "Where's your commlink?", "How are you doing that?", etc., etc. They generate their own signal from their brains. Someone is going to notice at some point. Especially since he probably won't have a commlink if he's starting with total amnesia.

Black Sheep

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« Reply #7 on: <12-09-11/1120:34> »
I don't agree that there's anything inherently selfish in any of those qualities... I like that sort of thing as a GM because it gives me a chance to take the world I've created and draw characters into it in different ways. I don't think that a player taking the Enemy flaw means that the game has to be centered around that player, but admittedly, I haven't run that flaw using the actual incidence rating table. To me, saying "You can't take Enemy, Amnesia, Lost Loved One, etc. because I don't want to have to plan the game around you" is just as selfish... everyone wants some time in the spotlight, and I have no issues with providing that.

However, I do absolutely agree that there must be a limit to that. I do not allow and would never take the full Amnesia flaw because that's when it does get into the realm of the game having to center around that character, because they are essentially useless until the group has spent a few sessions exploring their abilities. The only time I would use or allow this quality would be in a one-shot where either every character has it as the main thrust of the plot.

The same thing goes for taking all of your negative quality points in Enemy. You either have tons of people who want to see you dead or, at best, simmering in a pan of failure, or Lofwyr has a personal grudge with you. Either way, there is not a team on the planet that would work with you if you have that kind of heat coming down on you.

To speak to the original post, though, I would say once he figures out he is a Technomancer, that still doesn't really tell him there is a node in his head unless it's broadcasting a wireless signal and you let him notice it when he scans for signals around him. I would say letting him hack into it isn't necessarily a problem, especially if it's important to the story that he be able to, but he shouldn't just automatically know it's there because he's a Technomancer.

tzizimine

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« Reply #8 on: <12-09-11/1159:44> »
In the game I'm running, the player make up consists of:


Troll Hacker w/ Mysterious Implant & Wanted
Dwarf Rigger w/ Lost Loved One & Enemy (20 points worth!!)
Elf Street Sam w/ Lesser Amnesia
Orc Sniper w/ SIN (Ex-Lone Star)
Elf Mage (no flaws)
Human Adept (no flaws)


The Mysterious Implant is the datalock, protected with 'plot-cryption'... meaning that it will not respond to attempts to even access it to try encryption without the 'right' module (like a alchemical passkey from Unwired). The character is missing 8 hours of memory from 6 months, during which he got the datalock and started being wanted.


The Dwarf Rigger is looking for his dad as so is the organization that his Dad burned and went into hiding shortly thereafter.


The Elf Street Sam knows he 'woke up' stumbling into a street doc missing his right hand, which has been replaced with cyberware. He doesn't know Sperethiel and exposure to it has caused non-Flaw flashbacks.


The Ork Sniper is paranoid about making sure the team operates cleanly because of his knowledge of police forensics.




Personally, I like having these kind of flaws. It doesn't prevent me from running the kind of stories I want to run, but it helps if I ever get writer's block or if I need to up the ante without a story-related reason.
"When in doubt, cause trouble. When in trouble, cause doubt."

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All4BigGuns

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« Reply #9 on: <12-09-11/1208:15> »
How many points in Enemy would the hacker who Rickrolled Lofwyr have?
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Hawke

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« Reply #10 on: <12-09-11/1213:22> »
How can any of those flaws be selfish and force a GM to work around him?

GM approves all sheets, no?  If not, then you got bigger problems with your campaign.

I have a guy for a sitting that has Amnesia (5BP), Enemy (10 BP), Lost Loved One 5, and I have something else, I cannot remember.

Basically the GM asked if I had an enemy in mind, cause he had something for me.  And he was good with how it all worked out with my proposed RP background.

Now I agree if everyone had Enemy 20BP that would cause me not want to work with him either, since whoever his enemy is, has some serious pull.  But it also does not mean that a team of 6 all with enemy has each of their enemy hitting the team at the same time.  AND the players can come up with a way to get rid of the enemy... Repay the debt with interest, kill them, blackmail them, and then buy the negative quality back with Karma.

tzizimine

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« Reply #11 on: <12-09-11/1451:56> »
Admittedly I haven't used all of the negative flaws yet. The party started low at 650 Karma Build rules. We have a bunch of new players and I will be introducing them all over time as they approach the normal 750 Karma mark.
"When in doubt, cause trouble. When in trouble, cause doubt."

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JustADude

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« Reply #12 on: <12-09-11/1602:22> »
How many points in Enemy would the hacker who Rickrolled Lofwyr have?

Depends... did he turn down the job offer?

I think anyone who beats S-K Prime's security around Lofwyr's personal system would get a visit from Mr. Brackhaus with an Offer They Can't Refuse.
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Black Sheep

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« Reply #13 on: <12-09-11/1635:37> »
How many points in Enemy would the hacker who Rickrolled Lofwyr have?
I can imagine that Lofwyr would find said person and lock them on a simsense loop of Trolololo, where the emotional track was nothing but sorrow and terror.

Exodus

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« Reply #14 on: <12-09-11/1954:01> »
1. Players shouldn't even get to make their own character sheets if they take Total Amnesia. The GM makes it, OR the GM asks a friend, another player who can keep a secret, or someone on the internet to make it. The GM should just give them the dice in their pools when they try things under stress, and they fill out the sheet as they go.

2. The PC isn't a 4 year old, think Jason Bourne (books version, not movie), they're functional adults, they've been living with having their primary memory shattered for a week or so now. Maybe they have some clues to point them in the right direction.

3. Frequently, Total Amnesia requires a more street-level campaign, fewer break-ins to megacorp facilities, more knocking over gang controlled operations.

Total Amnesia can be awesome when the players play more crazed pink-mohawk sporting action movie stars.

I had a player with TA whose character I made as physically tough and fast as possible, on a whim I gave him ignorance of ground vehicles. As he's running from some yakuza he yanks a man off his motorcycle, straddles it, and says

"Alright... what now???" Looking at me, waiting for his die pool.
"You have no idea how this thing works"
"I can't default?"
"Nope, ignorance... Ground Vehicles"
*PC kicks the motorcycle furiously like it's a horse, rocking it forward and back like a child* as the Yaks round the corner they see this guy they're hunting humping a bike shouting "GO YOU METAL BEAST GO!!!"
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