In which Vox and Mr. Johnson discuss the better-heeled districts of Sixth World Seattle (that aren’t Downtown).
Quick note: The listener contribution from “Martin” should have been from “Snake.” Our apologies, Snake. We’ll forward you the nuyen for a good new fake SIN.
Show Notes:
Some maps of Seattle we’ve used for the Actual Play podcast:
http://www.chinagreenelvis.com/gaming/tools/shadowrun/map/
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zGqZteJrY39g.kFTZw_mYWFKQ
http://home.snafu.de/garion/Shadowrun/Landkarten/seattle_stadtteile.gif
Links related to Snake’s contribution: How I Play Shadowrun on the Internet:
Mumble server: mumble.rpgzweinull.de
Dice Bot reference:
https://github.com/MartinBober/mumble-bots/blob/DiceBot/bots/dice.md
charXchange: https://charxchange.com/
Contact form: https://charxchange.com/contact_requests/new
Storytime:
https://www.reddit.com/r/gametales/comments/2qr83m/are_you_ready_for_some_shadowrun_storytime/
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Regarding the jewels … I’d apply the Day Job Quality here. You have to invest time X to create an outcome Y, and maybe modify the profit with some dice rolling on negotiation and artisan. It would keep the rolling for it to a minimum, and then you could concentrate on the more fluffy side of things.
Who the hell is this Andy guy? It sounds like he’s trying to thin the runner herd in his AO. His advice is totally wrong. First of all, a Johnson isn’t out to screw you. He needs professional people with special skills to do a job. If he isn”t confident in you, he’ll walk and hire someone else. And chances are it’ll affect future job prospects with your fixer and other Johnsons. You want him to be comfortable about your abilities and your focus. It may be helpful from time to time to introduce evidence or hints you’re not to be fragged with. But when and how is a judgement the runner must make on the spot. Bottom line, if you’re not inconvenient to him and he understands there are severe consequences for going back on a deal you’ll be OK.
So you need to present yourself as a professional. This is tricky but here’s some good general advice. If you’re a sam, merc, investigator, hermetic mage, etc., show up looking conservative. A suit is a good option and you don’t have to go for the full corp look. If you’re a decker or shaman a little eccentricity is what Mr. Johnson expects and what you need to give him. Some flash clothes, tats, and fetishes are OK. Just don’t go overboard. Deckers: don’t wear PJs; Shamans: no totem sports mascot uniforms. If you’re a runner with a notorious look, wear that. Mr. Johnson will probably expect it. If you’re called to a meet on the fly or just too “street”, like a moonlighting ganger, STFU and let the Face do all the talking.
Andy, if you’re worried the Johnson may slip a sedative in the food, why the frag would you recommend runners drink alcohol? Neither eating or drinking alcohol at a meet is a good idea. Plus some runners have issues with it (though it ain’t the worst addiction the 6th World offers). You can always say “I don’t mix business with pleasure” and get a doggy bag. And you shouldn’t need to check the background on a Johnson if your fixer is doing their job. It’s not impolite to have the decker check the basic job data as a prereqisite for taking the job or establishing payment on the spot. Some Johnsons might take offense; some will consider it professional. Either way it’s better than walking into a kill zone or a job costing more in resources than the payment.
Finally , where the hell can you get broccoli? I haven’t seen broccoli since the Jarman administration. It’s one of those items that wasn’t popular enough for a soy counterpart. If you know a good place to get it you’d make more money importing it into the Tir than shadowrunning.
The name is “Handy”, omae, and my advice comes from over a decade of running the sprawls of the 6th world. If the Johnson offers me a drink, I’m giving it to my Troll buddy first. His lead belly and chemical analyzer will let me know if I can trust it.
And maybe using broccoli-in-teeth references shows my age a little bit… b/c if I had a line on some broccoli, I sure as drek wouldn’t be spillin’ that can o’ soybeans.
[since you posted in-character… I’m going to assume you realize that my “Dear Handy” stuff is intended to be humor. 😉 Good to get a good-natured response from someone. =D]
Too bad Shadowrun Storytime is being attributed to a bad scrape at Reddit. That version is pretty pared down from what the original series of 4chan threads. You can find the thread series in its original (and profane) glory through some quick searching at suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com’s archive. “Shadowrun Storytime” will get you most of the installments. The audience commentary in some of those threads is pretty fantastic and it is definitely worth a read when you’re not at work. Just watch out for Bubbles.
Thanks for the answers guys, I appreciate it. I got some nifty run ideas sloshing around my head dealing with those jewels.
I have to say I really like Ray’s suggestion for a “tutorial” actual play episode. I feel I have a pretty good grasp of the rules but a refresher course is always good. This would also be very handy to give out to my new and inexperienced players.
Also, Ray, if you’re looking for some help getting started with Shadowrun let me know. I’m Dutch as well so maybe we could meet up.