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Neo-Tokyo FAQ Discussion

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Jayde Moon

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« on: <03-09-18/1447:17> »
The SRM FAQ Team invites you to post your thoughts, gripes, suggestions, and hopefully praise for the Neo-Tokyo FAQ. The upcoming Neo-Tokyo arc will differ from the Chicago arc in tone and many of the Neo-Tokyo specific aspects of the FAQ are meant to address this.  Post your comments here and we will ensure we look over everything you guys have to say.

While we won't be defending or debating anything (you guys can do that if you want, while keeping it civil per the forum rules), I'll make sure I get in here and recap your thoughts once weekly so you know we're paying attention and listening to you.  We feel pretty confident that the FAQ is where it needs to be, but it's definitely possible that we missed something, your feedback is important!
That's just like... your opinion, man.

Stainless Steel Devil Rat

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« Reply #1 on: <03-09-18/1556:58> »
It's correct that runners that are played today in Chicago will remain legal for play once season 9 begins, right? 

Quibble on the crimes/penalties chart on page 12:  You have a line for "restricted" firearms, but doesn't page 11 establish that there are no "restricted" firearms- any gun is always F for PCs?

Suggestion: Assuming that today's Chicago runners will be tomorrow's Neo-Tokyo runners, it'd be nice to see a standard expectation for handling wildly variable, "GM call" situations regarding two obvious situations: A Runner trying to use the Japanese language skill when it's not "N" and a runner trying to get info from a North American based contact while performing a shadowrun in Neo-Tokyo.  Connection ratings that represent pan-continental reach are afterall reserved for values far in excess of what SRM has been giving to contacts in the past...
RPG mechanics exist to give structure and consistency to the game world, true, but at the end of the day, you’re fighting dragons with algebra and random number generators.

Lormyr

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« Reply #2 on: <03-09-18/1754:53> »
If I understood the Prime Runner update correctly, Prime Runners from Chicago's Season will be able to play all new Prime Missions, all new Special Mission's, and all new CMPs (as they will be dated after 2017). It is not clear if all characters from the current season will be forced into Prime Runner status, but I was operating under the impression that would be the case.

Additional question: Are these rules in play immediately, or once the new Season begins? Relevant due to the changes for working for the man/people.
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Marcus

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« Reply #3 on: <03-10-18/0211:52> »
I like it, I think it's a very interesting direction to go. I like the focus on burning Fake Sins, and the speed of reaction is also very impressive. Making all normal Guns to be Straight F and unliscenceable but allowing anyone to carry a melee weapons reach 1 or lower to pass is also very interesting. Is this a move to make Tokyo more melee heavy game?

 
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Marcus

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« Reply #4 on: <03-10-18/0214:31> »
It's correct that runners that are played today in Chicago will remain legal for play once season 9 begins, right? 

Quibble on the crimes/penalties chart on page 12:  You have a line for "restricted" firearms, but doesn't page 11 establish that there are no "restricted" firearms- any gun is always F for PCs?


I think it's pretty clear Any gun that takes bullets that do P. So Tazers are ok
My guess is the optimal thing to do will be something like swapping to light pistols with integrated silencers on gun slides.
« Last Edit: <03-10-18/0217:11> by Marcus »
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Stainless Steel Devil Rat

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« Reply #5 on: <03-10-18/1329:47> »
If I understood the Prime Runner update correctly, Prime Runners from Chicago's Season will be able to play all new Prime Missions, all new Special Mission's, and all new CMPs (as they will be dated after 2017). It is not clear if all characters from the current season will be forced into Prime Runner status, but I was operating under the impression that would be the case.

Well whatever the answer ultimately is, this line from the Neo-Tokyo FAQ absolutely needs to be addressed/updated:

Quote from: Pages 17&18
Can I transfer my character from a previous Season of Shadowrun Missions?

Sadly no. With the new Season and the jump to the Shadowrun, Fifth Edition rules we’re taking the opportunity
to start everyone off on equal footing. Of course, if your character is ready for Prime Missions, please refer to the next
section.

That answer is a survival from Season 5 that's got no business being in the Season 9 FAQ.  It only serves to confuse as to whether Chicago-based runners are in the same category as characters generated under SR4 rules.

Criticism aside, I'd like to add that I too like and appreciate the thought and effort put in to giving Neo-Tokyo games some unique flavor.
RPG mechanics exist to give structure and consistency to the game world, true, but at the end of the day, you’re fighting dragons with algebra and random number generators.

Hobbes

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« Reply #6 on: <03-10-18/1351:53> »
2nd the request on clarification for season 5 characters with less than 149 Karma, and the language barrier, and such.

I am curious as to the mechanics for how Combat spells are being detected by the NTPD?  Just the standard "Ka-boom" from a fireball or is there some Magic security as well.  Because differentiation between a Stun ball and a Chaotic World seems a little fine to me.


And no background count?  Physical Adepts everywhere rejoice. 

Overall huge fan.  As long as the players are aware of the consequences and be discrete they're all good.  NTPD patrols consequences escalate and there is opportunity at each spot to de-escalate, or can be completely avoided.  HTR drones response time is fast but not really too fast for Runners to handle. 

Marcus

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« Reply #7 on: <03-11-18/2156:21> »
While i agree there are options to de-escalate, my worry is the first run. My money says, most folks fresh in con game aren't going to understand that suddenly guns are considerably more illegal then ever before, and will lack the contacts necessary to employ the de-escalation options.  I mean burst weapon fire trigger the alarm code. In most con tables that's pretty much is first action to happen as much half the time. 2+1d6 is probably manageable. But GMs are gonna to have to thread that needle very carefully.  The first time a party sees it, or include a more direct warning to characters. After the first time and players are warned it's on them. The other thing that i see as very likely pit fall is the Giri section. If the first offer is the best offer why do we run negotiation faces? Or is just also accepted that, this just not true? Its strikes me as slightly problematic, when your traditional face rolls up and lays the negotiate edge smack down, that unless they happen to pack pile of etiquette this is gonna go south. How is that intended to be handled?

I love melee build personally, and it makes me very happy to brush-up on the ol'Kendo school and get sword fighting on. But lets be real most characters are built guns, and a larg percentage of those are going to pack automatics.  Even most melee primary character have guns secondary.
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Fade

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« Reply #8 on: <03-12-18/0346:29> »
2nd the request on clarification for season 5 characters with less than 149 Karma, and the language barrier, and such.

I am curious as to the mechanics for how Combat spells are being detected by the NTPD?  Just the standard "Ka-boom" from a fireball or is there some Magic security as well.  Because differentiation between a Stun ball and a Chaotic World seems a little fine to me.


And no background count?  Physical Adepts everywhere rejoice. 

Overall huge fan.  As long as the players are aware of the consequences and be discrete they're all good.  NTPD patrols consequences escalate and there is opportunity at each spot to de-escalate, or can be completely avoided.  HTR drones response time is fast but not really too fast for Runners to handle.

Just to help out and clarify the questions here:

No season 5-8 character will remain valid into season 9.  You can still play that character in Season 5-8 games and the corresponding CMP's as well as primes for those CMP's.  Everything going forward as of the release of Neo-Tokyo is intended for new characters.

As far as detecting combat spells, you have to remember, Law Enforcement is ubiquitous in Japan, especially compared to Chicago. Someone tosses off a big spell, it will show up on the astral pretty easily, plus, the presence of astral patrols is going to be much higher.  Further, Ritual Tracking is also a thing, if people do not scrub their signatures properly.

This can all be mitigated for a super inexperienced group, and the contacts the runners will have access to out of the gate will help with some of that.
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Lormyr

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« Reply #9 on: <03-12-18/0944:59> »
Thanks for the reply Fade. Does that statement apply to Prime Runners as well? The current wording of the FAQ reads as though Prime Runners from the Chicago season will be able to participate in Prime Missions, Specials, and CMPS (from 2017 and on) that are part of the Neo-Tokyo season.
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Stainless Steel Devil Rat

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« Reply #10 on: <03-12-18/1321:39> »
Found what appears to be an error.  Reference: Illegality of Firearms, pg 11.

While all sorts of firearms have Availability hikes in Neo-Tokyo, SMGs do not.   I doubt that's what the SRM team intends.  Or is it an intended way to incentivize the SMGs that so rarely see play? :D

Edit:  Also grenades.  While the absence of SMGs on the list is imo more likely an oversight than an implicit statement that SMGs get no availability hike, I'm not so sure about (hand-thrown) grenades.  What of the grenades that aren't thrown by a heavy weapon?  Seems that in the greater context presented it sounds like they should have seen an availability hike as well, but again I'm not inside the SRM team's head.

Edit times two:  I see that I only presumed that ammunition suffered the same availability hike as the firearms themselves.  On re-rereading I see that the FAQ never says this.  Shouldn't it?  Or are bullets intended to be easy to get in Neo-Tokyo.. just not the guns for some reason?
« Last Edit: <03-12-18/1338:13> by Stainless Steel Devil Rat »
RPG mechanics exist to give structure and consistency to the game world, true, but at the end of the day, you’re fighting dragons with algebra and random number generators.

Stainless Steel Devil Rat

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« Reply #11 on: <03-12-18/1328:38> »
...
Just to help out and clarify the questions here:

No season 5-8 character will remain valid into season 9.  You can still play that character in Season 5-8 games and the corresponding CMP's as well as primes for those CMP's.  Everything going forward as of the release of Neo-Tokyo is intended for new characters.
...

Thanks for the clarification.  The SRM FAQ document does need to actually say that somewhere, though ;)  Highly recommend getting it updated.
RPG mechanics exist to give structure and consistency to the game world, true, but at the end of the day, you’re fighting dragons with algebra and random number generators.

Hobbes

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« Reply #12 on: <03-12-18/1630:18> »
2nd the request on clarification for season 5 characters with less than 149 Karma, and the language barrier, and such.

I am curious as to the mechanics for how Combat spells are being detected by the NTPD?  Just the standard "Ka-boom" from a fireball or is there some Magic security as well.  Because differentiation between a Stun ball and a Chaotic World seems a little fine to me.


And no background count?  Physical Adepts everywhere rejoice. 

Overall huge fan.  As long as the players are aware of the consequences and be discrete they're all good.  NTPD patrols consequences escalate and there is opportunity at each spot to de-escalate, or can be completely avoided.  HTR drones response time is fast but not really too fast for Runners to handle.

Just to help out and clarify the questions here:

No season 5-8 character will remain valid into season 9.  You can still play that character in Season 5-8 games and the corresponding CMP's as well as primes for those CMP's.  Everything going forward as of the release of Neo-Tokyo is intended for new characters.

As far as detecting combat spells, you have to remember, Law Enforcement is ubiquitous in Japan, especially compared to Chicago. Someone tosses off a big spell, it will show up on the astral pretty easily, plus, the presence of astral patrols is going to be much higher.  Further, Ritual Tracking is also a thing, if people do not scrub their signatures properly.

This can all be mitigated for a super inexperienced group, and the contacts the runners will have access to out of the gate will help with some of that.

Thanks!  I maybe should have been more clear.  The FAQ specifically calls out "Combat" spells.  Fireball, Stunball, Manabolt, ect.  It seems Chaotic World, Vines, Petrify, Heal, Healthy Glow are all good?

Not trying to rules lawyer the committee, just asking on behalf of our more literal minded players  : )   Strict reading of "Combat" spells means a player could immobilize (Magically or otherwise) and then drop some damaging Manipulation spell on the targets.  That doesn't seem to be the intent.  The ever popular Chaotic World or Trid Phantasm into heavy traffic also.  Control Thoughts to go jaywalking and turn them invisible?  Just spitballing. 

And will the Astral Patrols be alerted by any spells?  Sustained spells?  The Shapechanged mage just heading to the meet going to get hassled by NTPD Spirits for flying without broadcasting a Mage licence ;  )    ?

And thank you and all the rest of you on the Missions team for your efforts.   

Cormroc

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« Reply #13 on: <03-14-18/2349:02> »
I have some questions regarding the basic police responses and SINs/Licenses
-If your fake SIN is burned do you then have to present another SIN or suffer the detention and relocation? It doesn't make a lot of sense for the cops to just fine you without actually verifying your identity. Presumably if you keep presenting fake SINs and they keep getting detected the cops will tire of that game pretty quickly.
-Are Licenses checked individually or is that just all abstracted with the SIN check?
-When a SIN is burned are all licenses attached to that SIN invalidated, making the associated items unlicensed and subject to confiscation?
-Upon arrest are unlicensed items also confiscated?

A lot of these came up when contemplating a Decker. For a Decker deck confiscation is basically character death and even assuming paying the 1k everytime you end up interacting with the police it seems far too likely to happen for my comfort.

Stainless Steel Devil Rat

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« Reply #14 on: <03-15-18/0001:52> »
The SRM FAQ says the default SIN checking system used by NTPD patrols is rating 3.  That's 6 dice to come up with 4 hits* vs a Rating 4 SIN... odds are pretty fair in your favor it'll pass.  But not so guaranteed that you can necessarily afford to risk being checked spuriously.  Purchase a Fake SIN with a rating less than 4 at your peril.  A rating 4 is only 10,000 =Y=... anyone who's not priority E on resources can even afford a couple of them.

I like that Season 9 begins to enforce that you "should" be buying Fake SINs :)

*Edit: Actually the Police need 5 hits on 6 dice to truly burn you... if it's "only" 4 hits the systems directs the user to inquire more deeply (SR5 Pg 364).  At 4 hits you get the 2nd chance to salvage the situation.  But if you drop as low as a Rating 3 Fake SIN... now it's only 3 hits out of 6 to come up with a "inquire more deeply" and potential for a social encounter with the Cops to be mishandled...  OTOH a rating 6 should be among the first post-chargen purchases for Neo-Tokyo SRM... a Rating 6 DOES pretty much let you assume you'll breeze through random police patrol SIN scans (6 dice can't get the 7 hits necessary to burn a Rating 6 SIN)
« Last Edit: <03-15-18/0010:19> by Stainless Steel Devil Rat »
RPG mechanics exist to give structure and consistency to the game world, true, but at the end of the day, you’re fighting dragons with algebra and random number generators.