// Session 13 :: May 1st 2012 [August 9th 2072] //

Dave here. We'll be picking the game back up tomorrow, if you need a recap of the last game session, check the previous entry. At the start of the session the team will be given some time to make preparations before venturing to Lake View Cemetery to intercept the Triad gang members who killed Mr. Sing and stole the mysterious object from his office wall safe. This job is paying 30k through Dorimo's corporate connection. Post any questions or comments below.

// Karma Gained :: April 17th 2012 //

Last tuesday the team followed up on a job offer from Shiawase's Shinshuko division (paying 30k upon completion). The mission objective is to locate an awakened object held by a chinese antiquities dealer known as Mr. Sing.  The object is an item of potential interest to both Shiawase and Mitsuhama, and both parties are vying for control of the object. Members of a Triad group were placed under guard of Sing's Collectibles, and Lugh found evidence of Sing's demise at the hand of the Triad. The astral signature of the object led the group to the Lake View cemetery in Central Seattle, an area of high astral activity. The team earned 4 karma, 1 for survival, 1 for roleplaying, 1 for teamwork and strategy, and 1 for successfully tracking Mr. Sing's murderer to the graveyard. Total karma for the team is now 50.

After killing a couple triad thugs in the back alleys of the international district, the party looted several crates worth of collectibles and antiques, 2 Ares Sliverguns, 2 leather jackets, 2 smartlinked shades, 2 rating II commlinks, 2 sets of bike racing armor [4/7], and 2Yamaha Katana-II racing bikes (yamaha katana bikes have +4 slots for modification).

// Drones and Autosofts //

The core book only covers a handful of autosoft programs to teach drones new skills, but arsenal mentions a few of the new autosofts that are covered in the Unwired book.

Normally drones use their Pilot attribute + the related Autosoft rating to accomplish noncombat tests.

Noncombat autosoft programs cover most regular skills such as Armorer, Mechanic, and Repair. These autosoft programs cost the same amount as any other autosoft program, rating 1-3 costs rating X 500¥, rating 4-6 costs rating X 1,000¥.

// Vulcan Repair Drone //

• Pilot 3
• Aeronatics Mechanic Autosoft Rating 3
• Fuzzy Logic upgrade gives +3 dice pool for tests made out of combat
• +1 dice pool bonus for facilities and tools

// Karma Gained :: April 10th 2012 //

After facing off with the Halloweeners and dealing with the fallout, the party has gained six karma, bringing the total karma up to 46.  Killing Nightmare gives a bonus point of street cred for bragging rights, counting the new karma total the party should have 6 positive street cred.  Public awareness for the team is an average of 2 right now.

The halloweener thugs carried these items:

• 6 doses of novacoke
• 3 stimulant syringes, Rating VI
• 2 combat knives 25¥ each
• 4 leather jackets [2/0] 25¥ each
• 1 skinsuit [2/1] - cold dampening VI 2,250¥
• 4 AmoTek holster commlinks, Rating II 900¥
• Improvised weapons (clubs, crowbars, etc)
• Remington Roomsweeper (shotgun) 150¥
• 2 Ruger Super Warhawk (heavy pistol) 250¥
• Box of nails and glass shards (50 rounds)

// Nightmare's Implants //

Obvious Right Cyberarm (Alphaware, 4 slots available for upgrades)
[Strength Enhancement IV, Agility Enhancement IV, Spurs] 1 Essence(used), 30,000¥

Wired Reflexes (Alphaware, Rating II)
3 Essence(used),  51,200¥

Aluminum Bone Lacing (Standard grade)
1.2 Essence(used), 12,000¥

Dermal Plating (Standard grade, Rating II)
1.2 Essence(used), 8,000¥

// Critter Guide :: Reapers //

Reapers

The most dangerous of ghosts, reapers—also called black angels, ankous, yamis, or thanatos, depending on the cultural context—never appear as images of the deceased. Instead, they take on a personification of death. The appearance may vary, but the most common is a robed skeleton carrying a scythe, although modern versions of a goth girl with a sickle have also been reported. These spirits emanate decay, and they are often drawn to places where people tend to die on a daily basis (including hospitals and Z-zones), watching people die or accelerating deaths to draw karma.

B F+1
A F
R  F+2
S  F–2
C F
I F
L F
W F
EDGE F
ESS F
M F
Init (Fx2)+2
IP 2

Astral Initiative/IP: F x 2, 3
Movement: 10/25

Skills: Assensing, Astral Combat, Dodge, Exotic Melee Weapon
(Scythe), Perception, Spellcasting, Unarmed Combat

Powers: Astral Form, Banishing Resistance, Concealment (Self ), Deathly Aura, Energy Drain (Karma, Moment of Death), Enhanced Senses (Low-Light Vision, Thermographic Vision), Fear, Innate Spell (Death Touch, Detect Life), Materialization, Movement (Self ), Natural Weapon (DV: (Force)P), Sapience, Silence, Spirit Pact

// Seattle News Feed :: Mid-July 2072 [March 27th 2012] //

 

 // Independent Information Network :: Late Edition //

Gunshots were heard late last evening coming from the 42nd floor of the downtown Seattle Hyatt Executive Suites.  Local security drones report aggravated entry through rooftop doorways and forced entry through the lobby main corridor.  Dawkins Group security members, under contract by an unknown party, were seen defending the lobby from the intruding squad of armed gunmen.  The rooftop entry was repelled by an unknown group of half a dozen or more mercenaries under contract by an unknown source. Gunfire was recorded coming from both ends of the western hallway during the gunfight.  Hired investigators released surveillance footage that revealed the intruders all possessed matching tattoos on the neck and upper torso . Positive identification of the contracted guardians was made difficult by the presence of strobe grenades.

If you have information concerning this story, contact our Marketing Research Team at // Independent Information Network //

// Shadowrun Returns :: Kickstarter //

Check out the Kickstarter page for Shadowrun Returns, a proposal to bring Shadowrun to modern consoles and PCs.

About this project

Shoot Straight. Conserve Ammo. And Never Cut a Deal With A Dragon.
Jordan Weisman, the creator of Shadowrun, is back and Shadowrun Returns (for Apple & Android tablets and PCs) is the game that Shadowrun fans have been waiting for a long time. A graphically rich 2D turn-based single player game with deep story interaction, meaningful character development, and highly-contextual tactical combat, Shadowrun Returns is not only going to make some old geeks (like us) very happy but it will introduce new players to a dynamic gaming universe that is beloved around the world.


http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1613260297/shadowrun-returns?ref=live

// April 3rd game moved to April 10th //

Hey guys, now that school is back in effect we might have to go back to the bi-weekly schedule. For now I'm going to move tomorrow's game to the following week and we'll pick up everything on next Tuesday night, April 10th.
-Dave

// Comm Static :: Message Intercept //

// run sniffer.cu9 //
// contacting host . . . //

"Tell me what I'm looking at."

"It's them again. It's gotta be. Same spell signature, same biometrics, hell some of them are even wearing matching jackets! You familiar with this symbol?"

"Looks like some kind of iconography. Could be part of a street gang."

"Nah. They aren't gangers. Yakuza maybe. Jackets could be their calling card, the tokko-fuku that represents their bososoku clan."

"I've seen enough. Hire someone to find out more."

// Loot Gained :: 27.3.12 //

After looting the bodies in the hallway, the runners managed to scavenge the following:

• Five HK MP-7 Submachine Guns [5P, -1 AP, SA/BF/FA, RC (2) Ammo 30(c)] 1,450¥ each
• Five Custom Military Armor [10/8] 8,000¥ each
• Two extendable shock staff [2 Reach, 6s(e), -half AP] 750¥ each
• Five Rating VI goggles [smartlink, safe target system, flare compensation, image link, internal commlink rating III] 5,000¥ each
• Five gas masks 200¥ each
• Five thermal smoke grenades 35¥ each
• Ten Rating VI tranq patches
• Forty gel rounds
• Fifty normal rounds
• 682¥ in certified assets

The team can choose to "repo" the corpses of the corporate hitmen, but doing this while under surveillance will gain the runners 3 notoriety each, gaining them the reputation of organleggers.

// Karma Gained :: 27.3.12 //

Dave here. This week we had a guest player, Kristen Johnson, who is playing an Elven weapons specialist. Her character, Luna, was working for Ms. Johnson, and was serving as head of security during an extraction/pick-up at the Hyatt Executive Suites in downtown Seattle. Thanks to the on-site security and tactical expertise of the runners, the team managed to safely deliver Ito Sosuke to the Johnson. There was a big gunfight in the hallway, Hamilton set off a strobe grenade that partially blinded his own teammates, and Dorimo got half of his leg blown off by a shower of bone-shattering burst-fire bullets. Boris and the elf gun-bunnies managed to make quick work of the first wave of thugs, and Dorimo's wind kami managed to distract and disrupt enemy communication. Vulcan's drones caused some confusion in the lobby, and got shot up pretty bad in the process. The Johnson offered double pay for running interference while she coerced Ito to reconsider his allegiances. After all this, Lugh and Vulcan spent a few weeks entrenched in black market negotiations while Dorimo recovered in a Mitsuhama Body Garden. Boris spent his weeks working and purchasing garbage bags full of horse tranquilizers. John Doe and Luna worked a freelance contract with the local mafia, gunning down a jury member. It was a fun session, and I felt it captured a few of the iconic elements of what a Shadowrun session should contain: a hallway gunfight, someone getting a limb blown off, a Johnson acting suspiciously, and the troll becoming bulletproof for a full round. Also Hamilton's character is legitimately paranoid...yup, sounds like Shadowrun!

OH yeah, you guys probably want Karma. Let's see..

1 for surviving, 1 for roleplaying, 1 for strategy and teamwork, 2 for mission objectives, and 1 for acquiring 20,000¥ in one payout. That brings you guys to 40 total Karma, and 4 Street Cred.

NEXT WEEK :: RENT IS DUE!!

I'll post loot in another post.

// Corporate Etiquette Guide :: Shiawase Mega-Corp //

//uploaded Uniformat text file :: posted by Kia//
Shiawase Damashii ETIQUETTE

• Be polite. Never lose your temper. Always show respect. Never violate this rule.
• Make yourself knowledgeable—not only in Japanese business customs, but Shinto as well. The more cultured you appear, the less likely you will be regarded as expendable.
• Bring a meishi. A meishi is a business card. Even in this wireless age you are expected to present a meishi printed on real paper. Don’t show off, though. Having a card that’s more elaborate than your boss’s can cost you points.
• Note how you’re addressed. This will indicate what the speaker thinks of you. Shadowrunners are rarely addressed with the honorific suffix –san. Being a criminal, the best you can usually hope for is a –hikoku (defendant) or –yogisha (suspect). If he calls you a burakumin, he sees you as expendable.
• Call your Johnson “Naka-udo-san.” Naka-udo is the internal Shiawase name for a professional go-between. (Actually, a naka-udo is an archaic name for a professional marriage arranger, a function that is currently regaining popularity.) Just by knowing this, you will distinguish yourself from the riffraff your Shiawase Johnsons usually deal with.
• Watch out for sokaiya runs. No, sokaiya ain’t milk. A sokaiya run is a specialized type of shadowrun in which you’ll be required to attend a shareholder meeting of a rival corporation or corporate takeover target. Your job will be to disrupt the meeting and cause the rival to lose face or to dig up dirt and blackmail it. Sokaiya runs are very well paid because they demand a high degree of flair and fine instincts.
• Be aware of genchi genbutsu. Genchi genbutsu— “Go and see for yourself”—is a guiding principle in
Shiawase Damashii. Following this principle, Shiawase security personnel do not rely solely on sensor feeds
and other forms of remote observation. If an alarm sounds, someone will come and check out the situation.
You can count it. The trick is to make genchi genbutsu work for you.
• Never say things directly. It’s highly impolite. The art of beating around the bush is called ishin-denshin, in
case you’re looking for a class or chip on the topic.
• If you screw up, apologize. Never blame others. It just increases your shame.
• Hurry. If you run against Shiawase, the MFID will be your most dire enemy. MFID personnel make extensive
use of external sources, private eyes, tabs, even holistic probability models. The more time that passes between your briefing and the start of your shadowrun, the greater the chance the MFID has already alerted Shiawase security or is hot on your tail.
• Don’t follow this list blindly. Remember, Shiawase divisions and their subsidiaries have great autonomy
in how they do business. And countless Shiawase people outside of Japan have never heard of a meishi,
naka-udo, or burakumin before.