Shadowrun Play > Character creation and critique

Playing a vigilante. What is your take?

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Grizzly:

--- Quote from: Stainless Steel Devil Rat on ---vig·i·lan·te
/ˌvijəˈlan(t)ē/
noun
noun: vigilante; plural noun: vigilantes
a member of a self-appointed group of citizens who undertake law enforcement in their community without legal authority, typically because the legal agencies are thought to be inadequate.


The Shadowrun setting is fertile ground for vigilantes.  Lone Star/contracted law enforcement is inadequate in certain areas (the Barrens) and for protecting the rights of certain denizens (the SINless)? Wow, news flash!

--- End quote ---

I always thought that this was part of the reason that so many gangs are openly tolerated in many parts of Seattle - they tend to stay on their own 'turf' and, while they can certainly be horrible to those they claim to 'protect', they do provide a certain level of security as the gang organization needs a certain level of local stability to operate/feed on.  If they treat you better than the police, even if only by a little bit, then they might appear to be a better option.

IIRC even in semi-safe B and C zones full of SINners, when the cops show up they do so in force like they're expecting an ambush as standard procedure.

Jayde Moon:
Sure.  Either as a campaign designed around it, with 'hooding' as a major campaign theme...

Or even a single character in the group... fighting crime is $$$ and taking shadowruns (that stay in the boundaries of your characters values) helps pay the bills.

And could lead to interesting situations when the group gets dragged into criminal vendettas against the vigilante.

ORTEGA76:
As a big fan of the Arrow tv series, I've played a vigilante style character and it worked out really well. Lots of fun in combat and great rp. No crazy uniforms but you DO need some calling cards or a signature.

1. Code of Honor is important. Who or what will you allow to be collateral damage? If you are a anti-corporate crusader, are you fine with a wageslave janitor or secretary getting caught in an explosion you rigged to sabotage something? If you go after a go-gang hideout, are the "old ladies" fair game?

2. In an age of gel rounds and stun bolts, do you have to kill to get your point across? Are your kills clean or are they just disguised torture?

3. Targets are often a product of your background, as someone else pointed out. With corporate police contracts, if you are poor or meta you can bet your 'hood gets no coverage or you treated like scum by badge carrying thugs. That means you may have a long history of taking things into your own hands. Maybe you were a rookie Lone Star cop who joined after watching too many trid shows and found the reality too distasteful. Maybe your family had trouble paying protection to the local Yaks and now you are out to make them pay.

4. Relationship with the law? Do you cooperate with them? Got a disillusioned detective contact who slides you info on targets or hires you for low pay runs against scumbag criminals?

5. Crime pays. What do you do with the proceeds of crime? Say you hit a gang that's been running drugs for the Triads. Sure, you take the money and guns for yourself but what about the drugs? Destroy them? Sell them for more money to fund your operations? What does your crew want to do?

This can be a really fun character to play at a street-level where you are hungry for resources and shit can be reallllllly personal.

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