// Game Session 15 :: Tuesday June 5th 2012 //

June 5th! Session 15!
Session 15 will start with just one day left to prepare for the Mitsuhama Tech Expo. We'll assume that with Dorimo's contact through the corp, everyone in the team will have the opportunity to purchase a ticket for 500¥. V.I.P. Tickets are available for 5,000¥ (availability 10).

Team One's Total Karma is now at 63, officially turning the team into PROFESSIONAL Shadowrunners.
From this point on Edge will only refresh at the end of a mission. Lethal encounters will become more common, complications will occur more regularly, and missions will be more difficult overall. Rewards will also increase accordingly, more karma, bigger payouts, and access to restricted tech and cyberware. This is like playing on Hard Mode, don't expect hints as often, and come prepared with a full understanding of your character's abilities and limitations. So far everybody has been playing exceptionally, and I've been having a blast running the game for you guys. As always if you have any questions post them below!

// Shadowtech :: Chameleon Nano-rifle //

John Doe is working on creating a modified Walther MA-2100 that utilizes a ruthenium polymer coating to produce a chameleon effect, rendering visual perception of the modified weapon very difficult under normal circumstances.

Several steps need to be taken before fabrication of a protoype can be completed.

• Design the case, housing, and relevant hardware modifications needed to integrate the new technology. This will require a Hardware or Firearm Design Extended Test with a Threshold of 12 and a duration of 8 hours. This step will require a workshop, but no raw materials.
• Program the sensors to capture and project the chameleon imagery to the ruthenium-alloy coating of the modified weapon. This will require a Software Extended Test with a Threshold of 12 and a duration of 8 hours. This step also requires a custom Sensor program, Rating 4 or better.
• Fabricate a Prototype after performing safety testing and making necessary refinements/adjustments. Run field tests with prototype. Fabrication requires an Armorer or Engineering Extended Test with a Threshold of 12 and a duration of 8 hours. This step requires a facility and workshop with access to at least 8,000¥ worth of ruthenium polymer nano-compound (Availability 10R).

After those 3 steps you'll have a working prototype that will give a built-in bonus of -4 to the sniper rifle's Concealability rating.

// Karma Gained :: May 22nd 2012 //

Dave here. Session 14 served as an opportunity to rest, recover, spend karma, and sell loot.
Dorimo got an inside tip about an upcoming Mitsuhama tech expo.
Luna made plans to acquire a rare white tiger as an exotic pet.
Lugh dug up some interesting info about the Horizon Corporation.
Boris bought some new heavy weapons and accessories.
John Doe made plans to build a customized chameleon-tech sniper rifle.
The team as a whole made a boat-load of cash selling off some unwanted weapons and cyberware to a Romanian revolutionary faction.

The team earned 4 karma during session 14.

• 1 for digging up information on a Johnson
• 1 for negotiating a +25% payout during a black market exchange
• 1 for designing a unique weapon upgrade (more karma can be earned by completing schematics, fabricating a functional prototype, and mass-producing a working model for market distribution)
• 1 for roleplaying and character development

 Dorimo also recovered three wax-sealed scroll tubes from the subterranean triad mausoleum.

 

• 1 scroll of aged silk, inscribed in faded blue ink. This scroll is Joss paper, or spirit money. The value of the paper is marked at 20,000¥, but you've never heard of spirits actually using physical money.
• 1 scroll detailing a complicated group ritual for calling forth spirits of the dead.
• 1 scroll detailling a binding ritual, using sacred ashes and blood tribute as a method of spiritual transfer or possession.

Researching either of the ritual scrolls will earn the character a +1 bonus on any attempt to perform the specified ritual (including resisting drain). Research will also likely earn the character at least 1 point of notoriety.

// Marked For Death //

As a result of cheating Yama out of a claimed soul, Dorimo has earned the Spirit Bane (Death spirits) negative quality. Death spirits include any manner of ghost, phantom, revenant, reaper, apparition, or specter (certain shadow spirits and spirits of man could also be considered death spirits, at GMs discretion). These types of spirits will attempt to reclaim Dorimo's mortal essence whenever an opportunity arises.

Acquiring this drawback brings Dorimo's notoriety up to 4. This negative quality is worth 10BP.

An Assensing test (3) will reveal the astral presence of a black symbol inscribed on Dorimo's chest, a mark of death from the yami spirit.

// A Second Shadowrun Team? //

Dave here! Some of my non-employee buddies want to play Shadowrun, so I've been considering starting up a second team. The second team would start at 0 karma, and would probably only play once a month. I'd like to run both teams in a shared continuity and timeline, to open up the possibility of crossovers and guest players and give myself some more elbow room to let the metaplot grow. Give me your feedback in the comments section below, the tuesday game belongs to you guys as much as me, and I don't want to introduce any changes to the game universe that might cause conflict further down the road. Adding a secondary team that plays on a separate schedule but follows the same game calendar could offer some unique rewards but could also add some new challenges.

• Separate karma pools for each team. However, if a player joins another team for a guest session, any karma earned is also added to his home team's total karma.
• Business partners, rivals, or allied team. Teams would be encouraged to share data, exchange information, or perform tasks in exchange for money or services.
• Side Missions. I've got a shitload of adventure sourcebooks and I would love to run them on free nights as long as I'm not busy with family or other plans.
• Join Another Team as Hired Help or as a Called-In Favor. You could also roll a new character if you've ever wanted to try a different character build for a session or two.

Post your feedback below, I can always run the second group in a non-Seattle area or a separate timeline if there is concern about the metaplot becoming a continuity clusterfuck.

// Game Session 14 :: May 22nd [August 10th 2072] //

Next game session is scheduled for May 22nd. We'll pick up right where we left off, with the team leaving Lake View cemetery.  The team will be able to make opposed tests for a negotiable reward for delivery of the item, with a starting payout of 30K nuyen (expect some bonuses for delivering it intact).
Remember that street cred is used as a positive bonus to dice pools that are charisma-based as long as the target is aware of your reputation (if you got the job from a mutual contact, your employer is probably aware of your street cred).

Session 14 will be a good in-between point for your characters to regroup and focus on personal goals such as repairs, selling goods, purchasing upgrades, learning new skills or spells, implants, or new weapons, research, or making modifications to existing gear.  Session 14 will also serve as a book-end for the recent series of linked adventures that focused on two distinct megacorps (Shiawase and Mitsuhama) and two distinct organized crime syndicates (the Yakuza and the Chinese Triads), and any non-mission tasks can be completed to investigate recent developments or follow leads.

An important element in the upcoming sessions will be the Mitsuhama International Technology Summit, a centerpiece event that will highlight some important elements of the Sixth World metaplot, and will lay the groundwork for events that will take place during the transition from the year 2072 into 2073. As always, check the blog regularly for game updates and info relevant to upcoming games.

Here is a replica of a series of posters that would be plastered all over the sprawling city blocks of the dock/warehouse district. AR tags would also clutter matrix and commlink traffic with similar flyers/popups.

CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE FOR FULL SIZE

// Loot Gained :: May 8th 2012 //

The team recovered the following items from the mission at the Lake View Cemetery.

• Three jade-inlaid ritual daggers [STR/2 +1P, 0 AP, 0 Reach] 1,000¥ each
• Eight chinese ceremonial robes [4/1] 700¥ each
• Three wax-sealed scroll tubes, unknown value
• Two inscribed silver bracelets, unknown value
• One iron-banded spiked club [STR/2 +3P, 0 AP, 1 Reach] 120¥
• One bronze-inlaid chinese straight sword  [STR/2 +3P, 0 AP, 1 Reach] 1,000¥

// Karma Gained :: May 8th 2012 //

For those of you who are curious, here is a picture of what Yama might look like. Yama is a death deity from Buddhist, Chinese, Tibetan, Korean, and Japanese mythology.  His guardian spirits ('yami') act as judges for the deceased, and often appear wearing devilish masks and tattered robes, with ink and scroll in hand to transcribe the names of the dead. If you are curious about the stats of a Yami guardian, click here.

The team performed exceptionally well during the mission into Lake View Cemetery, especially considering the lack of knowledge concerning the spirits guarding the cemetery grounds. Security was dealt with expertly, no digital tracks were left, the relic was retrieved undamaged, and all enemies were dealt with.  Boris made very timely use of medkits to save Dorimo from certain death, and Dorimo's kami guardian proved to be an invaluable ally. Click here to see what a foo dog/lion might look like when manifested.

Vulcan's drones provided helpful support as always, and Lugh proved his worth with some expert matrix moves.  John Doe murdered faces, even managing to destroy the physical manifestation of the Yami spirit after Dorimo's foo dog softened it up. There were a couple close calls, and Vulcan lost his first drone to an automated turret. Let a single robotic tear be shed for the passing of the dragonfly drone. Boris scrapped with the Yami spirit while it was physically manifested, and managed to survive several claw attacks to the gut. After defeating the Yami, the team discovered descending elevator shafts in the interior of the central mausoleum. Following live camera feeds and hacking through security, the team managed to track down the stolen relic and interrupt a possession/binding ritual in the deepest level of the subterranean burial complex.  The operation culminated in a brief and bloody showdown with Wan Kuok-Koi (a formerly deceased Triad general), after which the team managed to abscond with the objective in tow.
Here's a breakdown of the Karma earned.

• 1 for completely disabling/bypassing all security measures.
• 1 for the recovery of Wan Kuok-Koi's sacred burial urn, in tact and undamaged.
• 1 for timely and effective use of healing/first aid.
• 1 for survival.
• 1 for completing all mission objectives.
• 1 for roleplaying.
• 1 for teamwork.
• 1 for strategy/planning during the course of the session.
• 1 for suffering no casualties or severe wounds during a deadly encounter.

That's 9 karma in one session, out of a possible 10!  You guys were more on the ball this time, and I think facing a challenging foe helped reinforce how helpful it can be to get more familiar with your character's equipment and abilities.
After this session the team will have 59 total karma and 7 street cred. Loot list will be posted later this week.

// 88 Goes Underground //

// What happened to Project 88 during those 2 game sessions when Steve was in Arizona? //

88 ran out of his "special" meds, so of course he went to visit his trusted friend and black market pharmacist, Dr. Dave. Much to his dismay, 88 found the doctor's black market clinic had been ransacked, corpses of corporate hitmen slumped in heaps against the wall while no trace of Dr. Dave could be found.  Teaming up with an unlikely ally, 88 made his way deep into the heart of the Ork Underground on a mission to find his mentor and creator.

These events transpire during the weeks between the hotel standoff and the throwdown with the Halloweeners [July 14th 2072-August 2nd 2072].

// Game Session 13 :: May 8th [August 9th 2072] //

This is just a reminder that tomorrow, Tuesday May 8th, we will be playing Shadowrun. Last week we didn't get the game off the ground, but this week we will pick everything up exactly where we left off. 50 total karma, 6 street cred, 2 public awareness. The team will begin the game session prepping to kick down the doors at lake view cemetery and recover whatever relic the triad gangsters lifted from Sing's Antiquities. Mitsuhama is paying out 30k for this job, using Dorimo as an intermediary.