Hello fellow Houston Shadowrunners!
I am the GM of a local Houston Shadowrun group and we are currently looking for a couple of new members to add to the team. We are experienced gamers with the Shadowrun system (since 2nd edition) and have decided to move away from current published 4th edition rules (too slow and bulky). Instead, we are using our own in-house rule system to allow for faster combat, more time for role-playing and shorter (but fulfilling) gaming sessions of approximately 5-6 hours or so on weeknights (not weekends).
For those of you not too familiar with Shadowrun, it’s basically fantasy D&D set in the near future (year 2050) where magic has emerged (once again) and elves, dwarves, shamans, mages and dragons interact with, thwart and even run megacorporations (the de facto neo-governments of the world more or less). As a shadowrunner, you’ll find yourself performing contract jobs such as data-theft, corporate espionage, employee extractions, executive protection and sometimes assassination (i.e. wetwork). Think Bladerunner, Minority Report, Smokin’ Aces, Heat, Mission Impossible, The Takers, etc. to help give you an idea of what to expect.
What we are offering:
- an immersive Shadowrun tabletop RPG experience utilizing a 47” HD big-screen TV (for map/floorplan layouts), multiple smaller monitors (for NPC and location photos) and mood-lighting
- an emphasis on character role-playing (both player-to-player and player-to-NPC)
- a fun, mature group of gamers without overinflated egos
- a dedicated GM with many years of experience working with the Shadowrun universe
- food at our expense (only seems fair since you’ll be driving to us)
What our in-house Shadowrun system (currently referred to as “SR X.0”) offers:
- more fluid combat rules (allowing for more exciting, fast-paced combat while also freeing up more time for role-playing and strategic/tactical group mission planning)
- appreciation toward tactical combat aspects (e.g. abstract ammo management, chance of critical hit/misses, fully customizable firearms, etc.)
- a flexible dice pool system (similar to SR 2.0 but unfortunately removed from SR 4.0) to give player characters more decisions when dealing with various situations/tests
- individual (but team-oriented) role-specific advantages (e.g. covert ops infiltrator, scout/sniper, electronics specialist, medic, face, weapons specialist, etc.) to promote teamwork and “moment of shine” for each player character
- Secret Card agenda system (passed out by the GM) which directs individual player characters (unknown to fellow player characters) toward specific tasks to make for more interesting storylines (and promotes role-playing)
How is all this fine detail (ala SR 4.0 or AD&D 3.5) possible while still being a fast-flowing (ala White Wolf) in-house RPG system?
The key is pre-calculation. For all you number-crunchers and detail-oriented folks (myself being one of them) with SR X.0, you have all the time and tools available to trick out your stats, abilities, weapons and gear BEFORE a game session has begun. Then for those of you looking for a role-playing experience with minimal prep and/or rules-lookup, DURING a game session, you have all relevant data available on a 1-page legal sheet for quick-reference. Through pre-calculation, this system caters to all types of tabletop RPG gamers. You don’t need to be familiar with previous Shadowrun systems (though you will appreciate SR X.0 much more if you did). You don’t even need a rulebook (a hard copy will be provided to you).
Who we are looking for:
- an experienced tabletop RPG gamer (preferably between the ages of 21-35) willing to play a somewhat moral character (i.e. no “Chaotic-Evil” characters allowed in our campaign)
- someone who is mature but also knows how to cut loose from time to time (without being overly distracting, of course)
- someone interested in being part of our group long-term (i.e. if you’re planning to move in 6 months to a year, we consider that short-term)
- doesn’t take things too seriously (politically-correct we are not)
- a player WITHOUT the mindset of “players vs. GM” or “power gamer” or “rules-breaking” (I will get rid of you in a heartbeat if you’re of that type so please don’t waste my time and I won’t waste yours)
- a team-player (someone who isn’t afraid to be an individual but also knows when to choose decisions for the good of the team)
- someone available Mon-Thurs from 6PM to Midnight once every 1-2 weeks (we try to find a wrap-up point at 11PM but if we’re in the middle of combat or something major, it could drag out up to Midnight)
- must be willing to commute to SW Houston (Wilcrest & Bellaire vicinity)
Who we are NOT looking for:
- power gamers and stats-Nazis
- players who waste everyone’s time arguing with the GM (or with other players)…you are more than welcome to challenge a GM’s decision once per issue but anything beyond that---goodbye
- flaky types (we schedule our gaming sessions a couple weeks ahead of time to work around school and/or work so if you cancel frequently and/or show up late, don’t even bother asking for an invite)
- distracted (or distracting) people (leave your laptops at home and turn off your smartphones unless it’s an emergency…that’s just rude and annoying otherwise)
- unsound hygiene (wear clean clothes and, if you’re not sure, use deodorant for damn sure)
- anyone allergic to cats and dogs
- smokers (or at least if you do smoke, don’t do it on group time---i.e. we don’t have time for smoke breaks)
- ultra-conservatives/ultra-religious (sorry, we just don’t mix well)
If you are interested in joining our group, please send an email to: gm.shadowrun@gmail.com
Be sure to include the following info...
Name:
Age:
General Location:
Tabletop RPG Systems Familiar With:
You will then be asked to fill out a questionnaire to help us determine the right candidates. Thank you for your time!
