Original Box Set AP Episode 5: Parsons, P. I.

 

We break away from the team just as the drek hits the fan to introduce the last character of the team, Alan Parsons. A week before Sunny called the team together to help out Nick Lucciano, she hired Mr. Parsons to look into a series of arsons befalling a fixer network known as The Enclave. This episode follows the investigator-for-hire as he agrees to and starts following up on the leads Sunny provides.

 

>>>>> [Come on, Trollface! I’m good for it! You can’t hold that botched job against me forever. It wasn’t my fault the mark ended up in the gutter! I still got the pay data, didn’t I? Gimme another chance, I’ll find the torch.] <<<<<

–Slickguy… (12:12:37/1-23-79)


Download this episode (right click and save)

AP Episode 035. Missing Blood, Part 4

Welcome Chummers.  In this episode, the group learns a little more about just what they got themselves into, and starts debating whether they are getting paid enough. .   Shall they continue?  We shall have to wait and see.

 

Relative Dimension is now available on Google Play Music Podcast..  or, whatever they call their service.  If iTunes is not your gig, you can now find us over there.


Download this episode (right click and save)

Original Box Set AP Episode 4: Are You Blue?

The runners are on their way over to Renton to pick up a pastor of the Brotherhood who wronged Don Louie so he’ll help out Nick in return. All they have to do is avoid the street gangs who terrorize the roadways after dark.

>>>>> [I should have just gone through the construction zone. Fraggin’ tunnels. If they scratch the paint on Christine there’s gonna be hell to pay. I’ll send the dog to sniff ‘em out. Then snuff ‘em out.] <<<<<
–Gears (17:11:46/2-20-79)

>>>>> [You shoot, I’ll drive! Keep it between the lines, that’s all I need to do. I got this. I hope.] <<<<<
–Sunny Day (17:11:51/2-20-79)


Download this episode (right click and save)

Shadowrunning 101 – Tips and Tricks

A question was asked.  What are some good (maybe lesser known) Shadowrun 5e tips and tricks.  I thought about it, and only had a few answers immediately ready.  Now, that I have a chance to sit and think about the question, I figure I will take down the answers here.

I’ve already written a few write-ups that you can find on this site about different ways you can use Reagents and some methods to speed up the Matrix.

These are going to be other tips and tricks that I’ve either discovered on my own or learned from others.

Stat Blocks – Some make the mistake of trying to stat up their NPCs.  Instead of wasting time coming up with stat blocks for NPCs that may not even survive, just grab some dice.  If you figure that the “average” human is going to have attributes of 3s, and skills in the 3 range as well, that means “average” dice pools of 6.  Well, your Average nobody will probably have a specialization or augmented bonus of some sort, so grab 8 dice instead.  8 dice is good for low-life grunts who aren’t there really to pose a significant threat, but to merely delay your PCs, or be a nuisance.  If you want your NPCs to pose a significant threat, grab 12 dice instead.  12 dice is enough to score 4 hits on average, or to buy 3 hits.  If several gangers with 12 dice shoot at someone, they are likely to hit.  Serious threats, on the other hand, warrant 16 dice.  This allows for 4 purchased hits, or 5 if you roll average.  NPCs might cause some actual damage with this amount of dice.

Now, with everything, you need to know your players, and your PCs.  If they are all of the optimized variety, you can add 2-4 dice to the numbers I’ve listed above.

For Major NPCs, if they survive, you can stat them later.  No one is really going to notice if they were firing with 16 dice in one encounter, and later (after you’ve had a chance to think about some of their gear and augmentations) they suddenly have 19 dice.  But even if you give them a stat block later, keep it short.  Attack, defense, armor values maybe.  A few key skills that will matter; Negotiations, Con, Small Unit Tactics, Composure, Judge Intentions.

This works outside of combat as well.  Street chase between PCs and a group of semi-skilled gangers, 8 dice should work.

Gear – In the same vein as stat blocks, it is okay to leave gear mostly ambiguous until it matters.  No one is going to realize that you were capping yourself at X dice during the fight, but when they scoop up the guns, the accuracy is Y.  Its not that important, since guns rarely fetch a fencing value worth anything, so they are likely to just be left behind.

Say Yes – Some refer to this as “Yes, and” or “yes, but.”  When your player asks to do something, say yes.  Let them be the hero of the story.  Of course, you may get some players that want to do the absurd that really doesn’t make sense or fit the game/world/story.  So use a little common sense, and ask your players to use a little common sense.  But if a Player asks if there’s a window on that wall over there, and it really doesn’t matter one way or the other, say yes.  Now, if you’ve mapped the place out, and that wall leads into a lab, or another room, instead of outside, then you say no.  Is there a fire extinguisher in the hallway?  Yes, and it happens to be mounted on the wall right by those NPCs.

Now, saying Yes goes both ways.  If you are a player, and the GM presents some information, or what may be some plot info, and he asks if you are going to interact with it, say yes.  Unless you have a really valid reason not to, you should usually take whatever bait the GM lays for you.

Metagaming – Usually, metagaming is something you should avoid.  If you’ve read some novels, and you know what certain people go on to do in the lore, don’t just assume that the lore in the game you are playing is identical.  If you’ve played through a certain module before, then let some of the other players come up with some of the important decisions.  Metagaming isn’t always bad though.  As a friend points out, you sometimes need to engineer  a situation to further the story.  Example.  Take a modern horror story perhaps, where the PCs come across a classic Vampire.  They know nothing about it, nothing about its strengths and weakneses.   It is up to the Player to discover the ineffectiveness  of their current weapon, and then to improvise.  The player knows he needs a wooden stake, but the PC should try a golf club, then maybe a gun.. and then out of desperation because nothing works, he grabs the chair and breaks it over the vampire’s back, only to have the vampire recoil in fear at the broken, wooden chair leg.

Don’t be afraid to fail – Failure doesn’t mean game over.  Failure doesn’t even always mean death of a PC.  Failure in certain tasks can mean that now more interesting things are about to happen.  You should trust that your GM is not going to immediately kill everyone because they were all knocked out.  If the players are fighting, say feral ghouls, where being knocked out will likely lead to the PCs being eaten, then the GM should say something to the players.

Trust – This goes both ways, and is partially addressed in the “say yes” portion above.  If you are a GM, trust your players not to go out of their way to ruin the game (unless this is actually an issue, then there might be other problems).  Trust that your players are there to have fun as well as you, and will actually play the game.

On the player side, trust that your GM is not just looking for new and interesting ways to ruin your PC.  Dramatic things happen, bad things happen, but these are often catalysts to the story.  When it looks like the story is leading into a place of no return, trust that your GM is going to leave you an out of some sort.  Maybe the opposition is way overpowered, you might be able to run.  You might be able to sneak.  You might be able to talk your way past a stronger opponent,  The point is, have some trust in your GM.

Play the game –  This come into play with trusting your GM, but there’s more than that.  Pull levers.  If you notice that the plot is to the left, don’t be a dick and go right just out of spite.  Play the game.  If the game allows your stuff to be hacked so that a certain archetype (Deckers) have something to do, then don’t go out of your way to minimize that aspect.  Play the game.  If there’s a McGuffin presented to you, and you know it’s probably a trap.  Interact with it anyway.  Play the game.

Playing in Character –  As a GM, most of us like when our players remain in-character, and don’t drift OOC all that much.  We like the immersion, the interactions, etc.  Just remember that roleplaying your character is not license to be a dick to the other players.  If your sole response to something bad is “But that’s what my character would do” you might want to rethink your character.  Rogues shouldn’t be stealing from party members.  “Loners” shouldn’t be making the game harder for everyone else, because they want to be the whiny, broody type that never wants to play along with the rest.  Characters can be dicks, but ultimately, it is you, the player, who chose to play that dick of a character.  Remember that.

 

I might have more for later.  I will either update this, or start a new page.  If you have ideas that I might have missed, feel free to leave a comment below.

Original Box Set AP Episode 3: Talking the Talk

Welcome back, chummers! In this episode Sunny and her team work to convince Don Louie that helping Nick willingly is preferable to the alternative.

 

>>>>> [Where the hell did Mr. McFeely come from? I swear if that dwarf touches me one more time… No I don’t care if he’s trying to be helpful. I don’t like to be touched!] <<<<<

–Xio (09:10:32/2-10-79)

 

>>>>> [When I work with new people I want to make sure they’re healthy. I mean, I don’t want to get sick. I don’t want to burst someone’s heart either when I try to give them a boost. It’s just a precaution.] <<<<<

–Pollux (13:34:27/2-13-79)


Download this episode (right click and save)

Original Box Set AP Episode 3: Talking the Talk

Welcome back, chummers! In this episode Sunny and her team work to convince Don Louie that helping Nick willingly is preferable to the alternative.

 

>>>>> [Where the hell did Mr. McFeely come from? I swear if that dwarf touches me one more time… No I don’t care if he’s trying to be helpful. I don’t like to be touched!] <<<<<

–Xio (09:10:32/2-10-79)

 

>>>>> [When I work with new people I want to make sure they’re healthy. I mean, I don’t want to get sick. I don’t want to burst someone’s heart either when I try to give them a boost. It’s just a precaution.] <<<<<

–Pollux (13:34:27/2-13-79)


Download this episode (right click and save)

Original Box Set AP Episode 2: Open Mic Night

In this episode, the team assembles to go meet with Nick’s cousin, Don Louie. For most of them, this will be their first interaction with Nick Lucciano, and for one runner in particular it will be a shaky reunion.

 

>>>>> [It ain’t my fault. If that drekhead had told me he had an open com line I wouldn’t have said anything, and Doc wouldn’t be charging me extra fees to replace her pa- you know what? I ain’t tellin’ you either. It’ll just get back to her and she’ll charge me for talkin’ drek. Frag off, punk.] <<<<<

                –Lucky Lucciano (19:22:35/2-6-79)


Download this episode (right click and save)

First Anniversary!

This week, on the 11th, Relative Dimension celebrates our first anniversary. Tomorrow, before we record our session, I’m going to do a little special episode. Memorable runs, what the players think could have happened better, things like that. If anyone has questions for any of the players, or all of us in general, feel free to leave a comment below, or contact us using the contact link at the top, or find us on Twitter @relativedpod and submit questions/comments with #RDanniversary