My first month behind the GM screen comes to a close with the Third session. So, in Summary so far:
As a reward for a milk-run well completed, well, completed at any rate, the PC's have just received their first real paying Shadowrun. And it promises to be a doozy at 9k a head. The meet with the Client - Kitsuribami - has gone remarkably well, even if Hollywood realised the Japanese accent she was putting on was bogus...
Still, she gives Adonis a disk drive with the job details on it, then sets a specific date for the run to take place. Next Thursday. It's Currently Saturday Evening....
(GM Note. Oops.... Teaches me to use my computer calender at a glance. I got the dates in my notes mixed up in a moment of confusion, and all my notes are now in the 'revised' date format. Reality Quake!)
So, on with the game.
Morning. Count Zero investigates what's on the drive, immediately getting a warning of an attempt at hacking her comm-link for two marks. It's not a particularly effective attempt, giving her the idention of the hacker in the process. The Icon for Jake204 appears.
(GM Note: He had a profile. He had a roll. He didn't do good.)
Jake204, is not some corporate goon. He's been associated with a couple of high-profile corporate hacks. Count Zero thinks he might be more of a Shadowrunner. As a final gesture, CZ fires back a quick response that any Hackers would recognise. "Better Luck Next Time". She keeps an eye on him and his social network posting.
Count Zero copies the useful and genuine data from the disk, before sending it to the rest of the team. Inside are plans, a discription of the building layout, and a few suggestions for completing the mission. Count Zero then sets about digging up whatever information she can on AGILE and their building security.
Meanwhile, planning is in full force.
First thing's first - With Hollywood claiming Kitsuribami's accent was a put on, and the hacking attempt from a Shadowrunner, things don't add up.
Second, questions on how to properly handle to prototype wafers, which must be delivered cleanly. There's a little confusion as to what exactly a wafer is and how to properly transport them. AresPredator2053 calls an old school-friend for advice - someone who actually paid attention in class and got themselves a cushy job. He gets told that the wafers need to be transported in special cases, they're not generally sold to the general public, but there'll probably be some around the lab.
(GM Comment. In the process, rolling a Glitch..... which, IRC, wasn't edged away. *Scribble Scribble* Also, this is what happens when anyone with an engineering background tries to run a game)
Third. The Plan.
What is agreed upon, is to ignore any of the suggestions in the document. Instead, the team eros in on the Wagemage named Damien Resden (GM Note. I'm sorry... small reference pools) as their potential in. He's a 20 year LoneStar employee, on a LoneStar contract to AGILE - and LoneStar's contract is running out in a month's time so there's the possibility he might be disgruntled... Their first idea is to try and hire him to give them an in, since he's probably at risk of loosing his job. But rather than nab him violently, they decide a much better option would be to set up a fake WageMage Recruiting agency, named Mages-R-Us. Jobs for Mages, by Mages. They spend most of a day putting together a believeable looking matrix presence with appropriate contact details, false referrals and enough doodads to make it believeable as a company.
(GM Note. This was about where what I thought would happen, and what actually happened went in different directions.... I was expecting something 'simpler'. Take a peek. Then go in, cause some ructions, then leave. This is so much better)
It's also agreed that gear could use some investments and additions. Count Zero is interested in aquiring a good quality sequencer to make entry easier, along with an electronics kit. Adonis is interested in a decent set of lockpicking tools.
Count Zero does some more digging on the background of AGILE microtechnology, attempting to work out just who it was who bought them out. Unusually, it hasn't been publically announced.
Hollyood uses her experience of corporate politics to surmise that the Lone Star contract might've been abruptly cancelled, if Lone Star weren't popular with the new owners. It isn't hard to find that there's been some disagreement between Saeder Krupp and Lone Star lately.
(GM Notes. 11 edge-assisted successes on a corporate politics test.)
Meanwhile, Wraith takes a watching position in a Starbucks across the street from AGILE offices, watching the comings and goings of employees for most of the day, checking for any who are awakened. Aside from the usual background percentage of 'slightly' awakened individuals, he doesn't see much. Until a BMW-manufactured van parks up outside, disbursing its suited and armed contents.
Wraith recognises "Bob" from "Accounting", from his corporate days. A reasonably low-level Security Officer, but still a corporate officer. Wraith waves, inviting him over for coffee.
(GM Notes. 7 edge-assisted successes on a perception test.)
Saeder Krupp.
Count Zero's response when told is an uneasy: "Lofwyr! Lofwyr! Lofwyr!..."
The sun rises on another monday morning. The Mage Recruitement Agency is now enough of a thing for the plan to be further amended. They then receive their first customer phonecall from a mage who's been unemployed for a few months. So it's a good fake. Good enough to give false hope to innocent wageslaves.
Count Zero "Going Straight is Easy!"
The team seriously consider taking on an innocent mage, and using them as a scapegoat. Especially as an unpaid intern.... like a Jobbridge. With this in mind, Adonis pays a Visit to the AGILE offices on behalf of Mages-r-Us, trying to talk to a manager to bid for the security contract. He gets stopped at reception, failing to convince the on-duty sanitisers that he was there on genuine business. Mr. Carrington is not available, but please leave your contact details, and we'll be in touch.
(GM Note.I was worried about accidentally railroading things.... but it all makes sense and dice were rolled fairly.)
AresPredator2053 spends some time in the same Starbucks, watching the comings and goings from the building with his augmented senses. Heat and Cooling emissions are well within normal bands. His augmented hearing however, captures a scrap of a conversation from inside the building....
A engineer arguing with a security officer about his Maglock priveleges. Aparently, he's been denied access to the parts of the building he needs to work. Moments later, someone storms out the front door. AresPredator2053 takes a snapshot with his optics.
Count Zero wonders if it might be possible to find the engineer, forge his maglock card, then swap the forgery for his real one, leaving them with the good card. But the idea is set aside.
The team returns its attention to Resden. Adonis' revised plan is to call him up, make him a false job offer, and take him in for interrogation, then Adonis will use his ability to replace him. He takes the phonecall from 'George, of Mages-R-Us' and seems remarkably amenable to the idea of of being picked up in a limousine.
Scorch rents a good one. And a chaffeur's outfit.
Adonis gets a lead on a lockpick, but it's been sold. Still, the seller knows a guy who knows a guy who might have what he's looking for . So it's progress.
(GM Note: Houserule/Correction. Searching for gear is an extended test... )
Tuesday. Time for the Headhunt to begin.
Scorch dons his suit and driver hat.
Adonis "Try to drive a little less like a maniac."
Adonis slips into the back, and Wraith tags along incase things go South. They are all thoroughly enthused about being in a snazy rental limo. AresPedator2053 trails conspicuously on his motorbike.
(GM Note, I had it in mind that Resden might ask if they knew they were being followed, depending on his dicerolls.... but alas, that's not what happened)
Resden is waiting for them when they arrive, dressed in his best suit. He is also thoroughly enthused about being picked up in a Limo for the first time in his life. Otherwise, the interview is a car crash. Clearly, Resden has been 20 years in the same job, and gone a little stale on interviewing skills. He's able to spot that Adonis is a mage with a little astral perception. Still, he's especially enthusiastic about working for a Mage-based agency.... by us, for us. The negotiation begins, Resden wanting 100k to switch from Lone Star. Adonis goes through the rigmarole of negotiation up until Resden elects for a quick demonstration of his abilities. After a moment's consideration, Adonis agrees. Wraith glances at his pistol.
(GM Note. It's not just the players familiarising themselves with the system. On a side note, he fires off a Force 6 spell, with Drain of F-2, and failed to soak any of it, so took 4 stun. )
Resden is surprised by the drain, winded a little, but correctly points out the guns Adonis is carrying. Adonis tries to act impressed and they both agree on a salary. Adonis and Resden shake hands, and the wired tazer in Adonis suit does the rest. Wraith is dissapointed that his gel-rounds won't be needed.
In the meantime, Hollywood nicks him in the back of a neck with a scalpel, before bandaging it up. The only thing better than putting a Cortex bomb in someone's neck, is making them think you have a Cortext bomb in their neck. Wraith adds a quick Ward to keep him in the Astral dark, simultaneously remembering that he'd forgotten to establish the building's Ward earlier like he'd agreed to...
Wraith: "Oh, I didn't do that..."
Resden is treated to the experience of waking up tied to a chair in a basement, to a group of Shadowrunners, with obvious signs of a Cortex bomb in his neck. So naturally, his first instinct is to moan about how he's definitely going to loose his job now.
Adonis: "Perhaps we can now drop the ruse,"
Resden: "I'm due in work at 7,"
Adonis: "I'm sure it can be arranged that you'll show up,"
The sight of another man shifting his face to match his own, is enough to convince Resden to sing like a canary. That, and the company's just not being paid enough to have him die for his clients, so he's at least protected by contract if he talks. He talks about his life, gives a reasonably detailed layout of the building and it's security services, then gives an insight into some of the events going on inside. There's security chaos with the new Saeder Krupp-supplied troops, and some engineers are finding that their security clearances have arbitrarily been modified or revoked, making it impossible for them to do their jobs. The SK troops are also a bit more gunhappy, being armed only with lethal weaponry. He gives the lowdown on the number of guards and their distribution, how strong the internal security is. Three engineers had recently been fired over a security breach that allowed an outside hacker to break into one of the secure servers. Jennifer, Allan Jenning, and an "Ork"... apparently, someone had used pirated software, which realised it was pirated, and hadn't been patched or updated.
(GM Note. I had Adonis roll for his interrogation, based off his Con skill to gather the required information, with the idea that the amount of hits he gets acts as a limit to his rolls to pass as Resden. But this might not be the best idea.... )
Count Zero quickly finds a post by Jake204 bragging about how easy it is to crack corps hoping to save some coin using cracked software. Pieces fall into place. Adonis and Count Zero start to suspect a doublecross is awaiting them when they go to make the handover. It may get violent.
Finally, Resden informs Adonis that he has a security check at 7pm. This gives Adonis his in - a chance to snoop around and get a lay of the land. Resden requests that his great-grandfather's M1911 pistol be returned to him when it's over.
Meanwhile, Count Zero manages to compile a sprite, with the intention of watermarking Jake204. The process of compiling and attempting to register the sprite with the Matrix knocks her out for an hour. She manages to come around before GOD converges on the innocent sprite, and sends it away to do its duty. It watermarks Jake204's person, then returns to the resonance.
(GM Note. There was some confusion here. Originally, the intention had been for Count Zero to watermark the wafers being targetted, but a bit of a communication error occured at the tabletop, and this was the agreed upon turn of events. The wafers are basically just slabs of Gallium Arsenide crystal and are effectively inert in the matrix, I figured. An argument could be made that they might've had some sort of RFID tag or similar that could be detected.)
Adonis gets ready for his performance....
And that's where we break for the night.
-------
(GM Final Note. Like I said, this was not the direction I expected everything to go in. Especially given how the last session went. As usual. Still, it was a more fun direction for all involved. We also got to exercise a good variety of rules in the session. I'm still getting caught on the hop more than I'd like... but I can get better. Resden basically existed as a profile, to act as a spellslinging target, for a start. Now he has an elf for a wife and children, worries about his job and something of a backstory.
Also, I've gotten at least two more notes to add to my 'possible plotlines' if the game continues beyond this run. Bonus Karma has been noted....
Wraith waving at his former associate from SK has been noted, and will be a cause of problems in the next game. The presence of Saeder Krupp and the fact that he is known to them might also add a complication for the team later.
AresPredator glitching his roll to call his contact, means his contact has also forwarded details of the call to the boss. Ares Macrotechnology might be able to join 2 and 2 in the aftermath of the forthcoming run, adding to complications.
The Team also knows they're being messed with a little - but not quite how. I'm happy with this turn of events.
Also, Bob, do you mind if I borrow the basic concept of Mossad? It gives me an idea...)
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?
As a reward for a milk-run well completed, well, completed at any rate, the PC's have just received their first real paying Shadowrun. And it promises to be a doozy at 9k a head. The meet with the Client - Kitsuribami - has gone remarkably well, even if Hollywood realised the Japanese accent she was putting on was bogus...
Still, she gives Adonis a disk drive with the job details on it, then sets a specific date for the run to take place. Next Thursday. It's Currently Saturday Evening....
(GM Note. Oops.... Teaches me to use my computer calender at a glance. I got the dates in my notes mixed up in a moment of confusion, and all my notes are now in the 'revised' date format. Reality Quake!)
So, on with the game.
Morning. Count Zero investigates what's on the drive, immediately getting a warning of an attempt at hacking her comm-link for two marks. It's not a particularly effective attempt, giving her the idention of the hacker in the process. The Icon for Jake204 appears.
(GM Note: He had a profile. He had a roll. He didn't do good.)
Jake204, is not some corporate goon. He's been associated with a couple of high-profile corporate hacks. Count Zero thinks he might be more of a Shadowrunner. As a final gesture, CZ fires back a quick response that any Hackers would recognise. "Better Luck Next Time". She keeps an eye on him and his social network posting.
Count Zero copies the useful and genuine data from the disk, before sending it to the rest of the team. Inside are plans, a discription of the building layout, and a few suggestions for completing the mission. Count Zero then sets about digging up whatever information she can on AGILE and their building security.
Meanwhile, planning is in full force.
First thing's first - With Hollywood claiming Kitsuribami's accent was a put on, and the hacking attempt from a Shadowrunner, things don't add up.
Second, questions on how to properly handle to prototype wafers, which must be delivered cleanly. There's a little confusion as to what exactly a wafer is and how to properly transport them. AresPredator2053 calls an old school-friend for advice - someone who actually paid attention in class and got themselves a cushy job. He gets told that the wafers need to be transported in special cases, they're not generally sold to the general public, but there'll probably be some around the lab.
(GM Comment. In the process, rolling a Glitch..... which, IRC, wasn't edged away. *Scribble Scribble* Also, this is what happens when anyone with an engineering background tries to run a game)
Third. The Plan.
What is agreed upon, is to ignore any of the suggestions in the document. Instead, the team eros in on the Wagemage named Damien Resden (GM Note. I'm sorry... small reference pools) as their potential in. He's a 20 year LoneStar employee, on a LoneStar contract to AGILE - and LoneStar's contract is running out in a month's time so there's the possibility he might be disgruntled... Their first idea is to try and hire him to give them an in, since he's probably at risk of loosing his job. But rather than nab him violently, they decide a much better option would be to set up a fake WageMage Recruiting agency, named Mages-R-Us. Jobs for Mages, by Mages. They spend most of a day putting together a believeable looking matrix presence with appropriate contact details, false referrals and enough doodads to make it believeable as a company.
(GM Note. This was about where what I thought would happen, and what actually happened went in different directions.... I was expecting something 'simpler'. Take a peek. Then go in, cause some ructions, then leave. This is so much better)
It's also agreed that gear could use some investments and additions. Count Zero is interested in aquiring a good quality sequencer to make entry easier, along with an electronics kit. Adonis is interested in a decent set of lockpicking tools.
Count Zero does some more digging on the background of AGILE microtechnology, attempting to work out just who it was who bought them out. Unusually, it hasn't been publically announced.
Hollyood uses her experience of corporate politics to surmise that the Lone Star contract might've been abruptly cancelled, if Lone Star weren't popular with the new owners. It isn't hard to find that there's been some disagreement between Saeder Krupp and Lone Star lately.
(GM Notes. 11 edge-assisted successes on a corporate politics test.)
Meanwhile, Wraith takes a watching position in a Starbucks across the street from AGILE offices, watching the comings and goings of employees for most of the day, checking for any who are awakened. Aside from the usual background percentage of 'slightly' awakened individuals, he doesn't see much. Until a BMW-manufactured van parks up outside, disbursing its suited and armed contents.
Wraith recognises "Bob" from "Accounting", from his corporate days. A reasonably low-level Security Officer, but still a corporate officer. Wraith waves, inviting him over for coffee.
(GM Notes. 7 edge-assisted successes on a perception test.)
Saeder Krupp.
Count Zero's response when told is an uneasy: "Lofwyr! Lofwyr! Lofwyr!..."
The sun rises on another monday morning. The Mage Recruitement Agency is now enough of a thing for the plan to be further amended. They then receive their first customer phonecall from a mage who's been unemployed for a few months. So it's a good fake. Good enough to give false hope to innocent wageslaves.
Count Zero "Going Straight is Easy!"
The team seriously consider taking on an innocent mage, and using them as a scapegoat. Especially as an unpaid intern.... like a Jobbridge. With this in mind, Adonis pays a Visit to the AGILE offices on behalf of Mages-r-Us, trying to talk to a manager to bid for the security contract. He gets stopped at reception, failing to convince the on-duty sanitisers that he was there on genuine business. Mr. Carrington is not available, but please leave your contact details, and we'll be in touch.
(GM Note.I was worried about accidentally railroading things.... but it all makes sense and dice were rolled fairly.)
AresPredator2053 spends some time in the same Starbucks, watching the comings and goings from the building with his augmented senses. Heat and Cooling emissions are well within normal bands. His augmented hearing however, captures a scrap of a conversation from inside the building....
A engineer arguing with a security officer about his Maglock priveleges. Aparently, he's been denied access to the parts of the building he needs to work. Moments later, someone storms out the front door. AresPredator2053 takes a snapshot with his optics.
Count Zero wonders if it might be possible to find the engineer, forge his maglock card, then swap the forgery for his real one, leaving them with the good card. But the idea is set aside.
The team returns its attention to Resden. Adonis' revised plan is to call him up, make him a false job offer, and take him in for interrogation, then Adonis will use his ability to replace him. He takes the phonecall from 'George, of Mages-R-Us' and seems remarkably amenable to the idea of of being picked up in a limousine.
Scorch rents a good one. And a chaffeur's outfit.
Adonis gets a lead on a lockpick, but it's been sold. Still, the seller knows a guy who knows a guy who might have what he's looking for . So it's progress.
(GM Note: Houserule/Correction. Searching for gear is an extended test... )
Tuesday. Time for the Headhunt to begin.
Scorch dons his suit and driver hat.
Adonis "Try to drive a little less like a maniac."
Adonis slips into the back, and Wraith tags along incase things go South. They are all thoroughly enthused about being in a snazy rental limo. AresPedator2053 trails conspicuously on his motorbike.
(GM Note, I had it in mind that Resden might ask if they knew they were being followed, depending on his dicerolls.... but alas, that's not what happened)
Resden is waiting for them when they arrive, dressed in his best suit. He is also thoroughly enthused about being picked up in a Limo for the first time in his life. Otherwise, the interview is a car crash. Clearly, Resden has been 20 years in the same job, and gone a little stale on interviewing skills. He's able to spot that Adonis is a mage with a little astral perception. Still, he's especially enthusiastic about working for a Mage-based agency.... by us, for us. The negotiation begins, Resden wanting 100k to switch from Lone Star. Adonis goes through the rigmarole of negotiation up until Resden elects for a quick demonstration of his abilities. After a moment's consideration, Adonis agrees. Wraith glances at his pistol.
(GM Note. It's not just the players familiarising themselves with the system. On a side note, he fires off a Force 6 spell, with Drain of F-2, and failed to soak any of it, so took 4 stun. )
Resden is surprised by the drain, winded a little, but correctly points out the guns Adonis is carrying. Adonis tries to act impressed and they both agree on a salary. Adonis and Resden shake hands, and the wired tazer in Adonis suit does the rest. Wraith is dissapointed that his gel-rounds won't be needed.
In the meantime, Hollywood nicks him in the back of a neck with a scalpel, before bandaging it up. The only thing better than putting a Cortex bomb in someone's neck, is making them think you have a Cortext bomb in their neck. Wraith adds a quick Ward to keep him in the Astral dark, simultaneously remembering that he'd forgotten to establish the building's Ward earlier like he'd agreed to...
Wraith: "Oh, I didn't do that..."
Resden is treated to the experience of waking up tied to a chair in a basement, to a group of Shadowrunners, with obvious signs of a Cortex bomb in his neck. So naturally, his first instinct is to moan about how he's definitely going to loose his job now.
Adonis: "Perhaps we can now drop the ruse,"
Resden: "I'm due in work at 7,"
Adonis: "I'm sure it can be arranged that you'll show up,"
The sight of another man shifting his face to match his own, is enough to convince Resden to sing like a canary. That, and the company's just not being paid enough to have him die for his clients, so he's at least protected by contract if he talks. He talks about his life, gives a reasonably detailed layout of the building and it's security services, then gives an insight into some of the events going on inside. There's security chaos with the new Saeder Krupp-supplied troops, and some engineers are finding that their security clearances have arbitrarily been modified or revoked, making it impossible for them to do their jobs. The SK troops are also a bit more gunhappy, being armed only with lethal weaponry. He gives the lowdown on the number of guards and their distribution, how strong the internal security is. Three engineers had recently been fired over a security breach that allowed an outside hacker to break into one of the secure servers. Jennifer, Allan Jenning, and an "Ork"... apparently, someone had used pirated software, which realised it was pirated, and hadn't been patched or updated.
(GM Note. I had Adonis roll for his interrogation, based off his Con skill to gather the required information, with the idea that the amount of hits he gets acts as a limit to his rolls to pass as Resden. But this might not be the best idea.... )
Count Zero quickly finds a post by Jake204 bragging about how easy it is to crack corps hoping to save some coin using cracked software. Pieces fall into place. Adonis and Count Zero start to suspect a doublecross is awaiting them when they go to make the handover. It may get violent.
Finally, Resden informs Adonis that he has a security check at 7pm. This gives Adonis his in - a chance to snoop around and get a lay of the land. Resden requests that his great-grandfather's M1911 pistol be returned to him when it's over.
Meanwhile, Count Zero manages to compile a sprite, with the intention of watermarking Jake204. The process of compiling and attempting to register the sprite with the Matrix knocks her out for an hour. She manages to come around before GOD converges on the innocent sprite, and sends it away to do its duty. It watermarks Jake204's person, then returns to the resonance.
(GM Note. There was some confusion here. Originally, the intention had been for Count Zero to watermark the wafers being targetted, but a bit of a communication error occured at the tabletop, and this was the agreed upon turn of events. The wafers are basically just slabs of Gallium Arsenide crystal and are effectively inert in the matrix, I figured. An argument could be made that they might've had some sort of RFID tag or similar that could be detected.)
Adonis gets ready for his performance....
And that's where we break for the night.
-------
(GM Final Note. Like I said, this was not the direction I expected everything to go in. Especially given how the last session went. As usual. Still, it was a more fun direction for all involved. We also got to exercise a good variety of rules in the session. I'm still getting caught on the hop more than I'd like... but I can get better. Resden basically existed as a profile, to act as a spellslinging target, for a start. Now he has an elf for a wife and children, worries about his job and something of a backstory.
Also, I've gotten at least two more notes to add to my 'possible plotlines' if the game continues beyond this run. Bonus Karma has been noted....
Wraith waving at his former associate from SK has been noted, and will be a cause of problems in the next game. The presence of Saeder Krupp and the fact that he is known to them might also add a complication for the team later.
AresPredator glitching his roll to call his contact, means his contact has also forwarded details of the call to the boss. Ares Macrotechnology might be able to join 2 and 2 in the aftermath of the forthcoming run, adding to complications.
The Team also knows they're being messed with a little - but not quite how. I'm happy with this turn of events.
Also, Bob, do you mind if I borrow the basic concept of Mossad? It gives me an idea...)
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?