Hoi, chummers!
I'm sure that by now you've heard there's a lot of nuyen to be made in Chicago, and that fixers like me are always looking for talent to take on work in the CZ. Make no mistake about it, this is seriously dangerous drek, and if you can't hack it you're either dead or worse; and trust me, you don't even want to know what "worse" is up here in Chi-town.
Interested? Apply below, and let's get this show on the road...
The Essentials!All right, here's the deal; I have been wanted to run a game in Bug City for a while now so I'm hereby officially recruiting for a Play-By-Post game set in Chicago. We will be using custom character creation rules which will be based on the Prime Runner rule set with a twist of Military / Mercenary options. Essentially, this means the following:
1. You will get 50 karma to be spent after character creation
2. Availability limits will be upped to 16
3. The Resources priority will be twice the normal rate for Prime Runners (so, an easy 1,000,000¥ for Resources A, 750k for B, 420k for C, etc)
I will also be using
my own Rigger Revamp houserules to allow riggers a more direct role in combat; feel free to ask any questions about these rules in linked topic to avoid cluttering this thread.
There are going to be some caveats for the above freedoms, however...1. As you are expected to be a highly trained team who has worked together for a relatively long time (1 year at the very least), each team member will have to have a specific primary and secondary role. There will be 4+ of you, and this is definitely not a "first come, first serve" kind of game; I'll be choosing the character concepts I feel are most appropriate for the team, so feel free to submit said concepts regardless of what others have posted until I've updated the main post with which roles are filled.
2. I expect all players to familiarize themselves with the Small Unit Tactics chapter of Run & Gun, and for all characters to have some measure of skill in this area; successful teamwork is the key to success for any military unit.
3. Your character should not have any significant shortcomings in terms of their stat line; see
this post where I provided suggestions of what I would expect a military operative (in this case, a Ranger) to look like if created in the Shadowrun universe. I will favor characters who have average (meaning base +2 or better) attributes across the board with a significant focus on skills, as I firmly believe military operatives are best represented with a specialization in one role as well as secondary and even tertiary areas of expertise.
The Team!Now that all of that is squared away, these are the roles I want filled (taken straight from Run & Gun). Note that multiple Direct Combatants may be allowed, while I am only looking for one Team Leader (obviously (hopefully)), one magical support character, and one decker/rigger:
Team Leader: 1 of 1 filled; closed
Captain Antala "August" Marquis, Callsign-1 (played by rednblack)Primary role: Combat leader, decision maker
Suggested Secondary role(s): Face, shooter
The character: The team leader needs to remain calm and collected when the team comes under fire, and to have the clarity of mind to skillfully direct his team during engagements. This person needs to be capable of seeing opportunities where they present themselves, and to be able to listen to team specialists when they have information that could be critical for the mission. This is not your average gun-bunny psychopath; this is a consummate professional who gets the job done no matter what. When the team leader says go, the team follows.
The player: You should have a good grasp of the unit tactics rules from Run & Gun, and be able to formulate short and concise orders. You are expected to lead the team, so knowledge of military tactics is preferable but not required. Unlike most games, however, your orders are expected to be obeyed, so most importantly don't be a power-hungry dick; respect your team and their strengths and weaknesses, and they will respect you back. Negotiation skills are less likely to be an issue in this game, as you will be dropped into the game having already accepted the mission. That doesn't mean you should completely skimp out on these, as there may be NPC you'll want to interact with along the way who needs to be tricked, negotiated with, or intimidated.
Special Considerations:You get the Small Unit Tactics knowledge skill and the Leadership active skill at Rating 6 with an appropriate specialization at no cost.
Magic Support: 1 of 1 filled; closed
First Lieutenant Thomas "Nightingale" Robards, Callsign-2 (played by reyjinn)Primary role: Force multiplier
Suggested Secondary role(s): Astral recon, Combat medic
The character: The magic support person should be able to assist the team with various combat maneuvers. Being able to enhance the teams infiltration abilities will be key, as the team won't be able to take on all of Chicago by itself; quietly getting into position before a strike can be crucial. A dedicated magician should also be prepared to boost a teams effectiveness in creative ways; using barriers to force melee attackers into prepared fire lanes is a good example of a magician acting as a force multiplier, as is being able to detect the enemy before they detect you. Of course, a combat magician like this will also need to be able to fire a weapon and take a hit.
The player: You'll need to be more than "just" a magician in this game; expect to take hits, and expect background counts. Think carefully about what your spells can do not just for you, but for the team as a whole. I don't need a dedicated combat mage for this team, but someone who can augment the team in creative ways, as well as sling the odd combat mojo will be incredibly useful.
Special Considerations:You will be allowed to initiate up to two times but must find the Karma for it the usual way
Up to 100,000¥ can be converted to Karma at a 1 Karma : 2,000¥ ratio
Matrix and Drone/Vehicle Support: 1 of 1 filled; closed
Chief Warrant Officer Jack "Wires" Willes, Callsign-3 (played by Ravensoravle)Primary role(s): Information Gathering (
ISTAR), Transport
Suggested Secondary role(s): Any
The character: The matrix monkey for this team needs to be able to deal with noise and protect the teams gear. Top-of-the-line hacking skills will be less critical than in many "normal" gamesm but that doesn't mean that this person is a complete newb, just that the decker in this case is going to be more combat oriented than usual. Since the Matrix support is less of a focus, this person also needs to be the team pilot; able to drive and fly almost any vehicle, this person can provide physical fire support and recon not usually expected in somewhere like downtown Manhattan.
The player: This person needs to be a little bit of a do-it-all; a cross between a dedicated decker and a dedicated rigger, the team Matrix / Vehicle specialist should be able to competently deck and rig, though not (often) at the same time. There will be no dedicated high-end hosts in the Chicago CZ what with there barely being stable matrix connectivity and the fact that most of the old corporate servers haven't been upgraded to the new Matrix protocols yet, so decking will be mostly relegated to keeping the team leader informed about the situation around the team. Rigging will be important, as you'll be the eyes and ears of the team physically; the shooter may be in charge in close proximity of the team, but you'll be able to tell what's going on beyond line of sight. You'll also need to really read and understand the house Rigger Revamp house rules linked above. Post in that thread or PM me with questions.
Special Considerations:I've got a special treat for you; your very own GMC Banshee T-Bird, complete with a mounted Ares Humvee (aka stats of the Rover Model 2072)! They're not yours alone, of course; the team has been able to afford these toys through various sponsorship and so you'll have to be damned careful with these highly expensive toys. Since you'll need to fulfill both Matrix and Rigger roles, the cost of these two vehicles are included in the role, so all you need to worry about is upgrades for them, as well as the gear to use them and protect them.
Weapon mounts and weapons are not restricted by availability, as they are supplied by Vulcan International
Direct Combatant: 3 of 3 filled, closed
Staff Sergeant Charles Ray "Chuck" Mitchell, Callsign-4 (played by Koshnek)
Sergeant Jane "Weedy" Smith, Callsign-5 (played by Poindexter)
Sergeant Thomas "Jack of Hearts" Calhoun, Callsign-6 (played by Blazrath)Primary role: Shooter, weapons specialist
Suggested Secondary role(s): Combat medic, scout, other
The character: The direct combatant is the team's muscle in a firefight; this person knows all the tricks in the books when it comes to guns and then some. Charged with keeping an eye out for danger in the physical world and to keep the mage and the matrix monkey safe while they do their thing, the DC will need to be a mix of offensive and defensive abilities. Downtown Chicago is a dangerous, lawless place, and it's not uncommon for elite ground forces to pack heavy munitions going into the Zone; the Direct Combatant should embrace this and feel free to bring out the big guns.
The player: Ever wanted to bring out the heavy weapons? Well, this is your chance; you'll be dropped in a target rich environment, and you'll have the tools to deal with the situation. A military team doesn't need a Rambo, however, so you need to be able to protect your team mates while they do their thing; covering fire can be the name of the game, as can versatility.
Special Considerations:You, and only you, get to buy gear with availabilities up to 20; yep, that means you can pick up that assault cannon or missile launcher you've always wanted, or those augmentations that have been out of reach forever. It also means you can pick up heavy mil-spec armor, but keep in mind that those things will slow you down; also remember that some bugs love to hunt food with hard outer shells so they can crack the exterior to get to the softer squishy bits. You have been warned
EDIT: One person (Poindexter) gets to buy a single weapon (with ammunition) with no availability limit, but must buy all other gear using normal 16 availability limit if this option is chosen
The game!I'm expecting an average of at least 1 post per working day (Monday through Friday) from each team member; weekends are busy for many of us, so I have no expectations here. If you can't commit to this very basic requirement; don't apply. I'm on Houston time, but have no specific preference in terms of what time zone you're in.
As for game length, I have a very defined mission arc for at least two distinct "missions". I'm working on a third, but depending on your actions in the first two this could very well be a suicide mission
. I don't really think it's realistic to keep this going for more than the three ops I've got in mind, but you all may surprise me so I won't discount it.
Please post character concepts only at this stage; I'll want character sheets eventually, but for now just give me the following:
Alias: Real Name: (Smith will be assigned if your character never knew his or her last name)
Age and Metatype: Desired Role: Short Background (two paragraphs): Short Physical Description (one to two paragraphs): And with that all said, let the games begin!