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Lost Demiurge
2009-07-23, 02:46 PM
All this talk about Shadowrun has got me jonesing to run again... In fact, I think I'll bust out one of my old ideas, about a game set on a ruined oil rig. This one was inspired by Snow Crash, if you've read it. It's my attempt at bringing the Raft into a playable format. Comments and suggestions welcome.


THE RIG

The place known as the Rig was concieved as the world's largest fixed drilling platform, located above the largest deposit of oil ever found in the Pacific ocean. First planned in 2012 as a solution to China's ever-increasing need for oil and fossil fuels, it was meant to ensure a supply of crude oil for the PRC, that would not pose an ecological threat to an already-polluted nation.

The Rig was a triumph of engineering, with support struts that stretched twelve-thousand feet from the ocean floor to the surface, supporting the main body of the immense platform a good eighty feet above the surface of the ocean. Four-hundred miles northwest of Hawaii, it would be outside of Chinese national waters, but easily within range of supply routes.

Gaining the territorial rights proved to troublesome, with a tense United States unwilling to give Chinese interests such a large foothold within range of American soil. The matter would drag on for years, with legal issues preventing significant development. The project was put to the backburner, until 2016. The secession of Hong Kong cost China their most profitable port, and a large part of their petrochemical trade. The economy suffered, and the plans for the Rig were exhumed from the archives, reviewed, improved, and once again set into motion.

In 2016, the PRC managed to purchase territorial and drilling rights to the Rig's location from an embattled United States by using several layers of separation and a shell company, Qiao Xing. Dealing with the NAN uprising, the attention of Washington was elsewhere, and by the time the mistake was recognized, the White House had bigger problems.

In March of 2016, work began on the Rig with all the industrial might, effort, and fervor that China could invest to its construction. The lack of petrochemicals was the major component in their economic upset, an upset that was slowly removing them from their previously held position as the world's industrial center. As such, much attention and many hopes were focused upon the Rig. Corruption, a normal attribute of similar constructions, was rooted out and punished mercilessly. Bureacracy was neutered, no delays were allowed to hinder the busy schedule.

It was quite a lot of effort.

And as it turned out, it was all for nothing.

In 2018, bloody civil war began in the Chinese mainland. Pressured by a series of natural disasters, following a horrific depression, the provinces of mainland China began to assert their independence. Funding for the Rig disappeared, and the workers began deserting, trying to head home while they could. In late 2018, the US Navy moved in to seize the half-completed project. After waiting to observe the outcome of the Chinese civil war, the Rig was auctioned off to the highest corporate bidder, Lockheed-Martin. Lockheed-Martin contracted with the American government, and gained a commission to complete the rig's construction, and ensure a steady, non-middle-eastern supply of offshore oil to the United States of America for DoD use and support.

That was the goal. It was not to be.

Lockheed-Martin milked the contract for all it was worth, spending a decade wringing profits from the taxpayers of the United States. The schedule underwent constant revision, the work that did get done was slapdash, and the plans were changed multiple times each year, reflecting advances in construction that were questionable at best. Poor oversight and heavy lobbying at the highest levels ensured almost two decades worth of profit for the military defense giant.

It was during these decades, that the first refugees started to show up at the Rig. Many of them were mainland Chinese escaping warfare and oppression from their now-fragmented homeland. They were willing to work cheap, and Lockheed-Martin didn't mind employing off-the-books labor... This let them minimize the budget for safety preparations, medical expenses, benefits, and they worked cheap. In a turn of irony, many of the laborers had worked on the Rig during its first incarnation.

As the years stretched on, Lockheed started moving more and more of their own personnel out of the project, finally leaving it existing as a government dollar money mine under minimal supervision. It soon became known as a punishment post... Once you were stuck here, your career was done.

In 2030, amid clamors for government reform, Lockheed-Martin quietly abandoned the rig. The DoD was not amused, and the resulting legal troubles would hurt the military contractor for the rest of their independent existence.

With nowhere else to go, the Rig's workers and their families claimed the place. More refugee ships from various troublespots turned up, and the smuggling vessels that used to visit there clandestinely, now treated it as a neutral port. Pirates began to notice the Rig, and bloody wars were fought.

As the Rig was damaged during these battles, the refugees who called it home started adding to its infrastructure, cannibalizing pirate vessels and integrating them into the mix.

In 2034, America fractured into the UCAS and CAS, Lockheed-Martin was bought out, and most people in the West forgot about the Rig's existence. The folks who called it home were just fine with that... Despite frequent pirate assaults, it was gaining a reputation as a place where you could offload just about any cargo, and find great prices for questionable merchandise.

In 2036, flush with the success of seizing terrain in California, Imperial Japan attempted to annex the rig as a low-cost supply line to its new holdings. The people of the Rig put up an enormous resistance, aided by Filipino rebels who saw a chance to hurt their oppressors. The pirates who had formerly raided the Rig now turned their attention to the somewhat undertrained and overequipped Japanse naval vessels in the area. The Japanese forces had expected to run off a few pirates and chase out vermin... They hadn't expected the opposition that they got. Unable to secure the structure with small arms only, they could not employ larger weapons without risking the destruction of the platform... An end that would make the mission's goal a certified failure.

While the Japanese high command conferred, their hesitation lead to the Sakura incident, where the Destroyer of the same name was boarded by the Huk pirates, seized, and used to shell the Kingdom of Hawaii before it was destroyed by Japanese air forces. With the massive loss of face that ensued, and the censure of the newly-formed corporate court, Japan withdrew naval forces from the area.

The Rig spent the next thirty years following a simple pattern of serving as a haven for refugees, pirates, smugglers, and clandestine activity. Its occupancy eventually outstripped its habitable space, and as a solution, the inhabitants started creating Underside... By permanently mooring vessels and frankly, anything buoyant, to the support pillars under the platform, they created an uneven, gap-filled surface that got downright maze-like after a few years of development. There was no central plan to build it, no real blueprints for its construction... It was merely worked on when people had the time, materials, and inclination. By 2060 it stretched out like a skirt around the Rig, and was about twice the size of the platform.

Eventually, the pirate raids died down as they realized the profit to be gained from a port where you could sell just about ANY kind of cargo, without tariffs or government or corp to worry about. There was no law in the place beyond that of the gun, and if you behaved yourself, you could enjoy cheap R&R, a good drink that wasn't engine room whisky, and cheap refugee bedwarmers for the night.

Besides, now that the Underside had grown so large, any raiding groups had to go through the poor section to get to the good stuff. With the worst slums of Underside around the far edges, that was a good way to get mobbed by the most desperate and dangerous.

Mind you, some pirates are still crazy enough to TRY, but most know by now that it's not a good target.

It's now 2071, and life goes on. With the exodus of a few devoted technomancers from Russia, Hong Kong, and a few other places, the rig's been brought onto the matrix. It's still a place that doesn't exist, a nation without land, that's probably going to fall into the sea in a year, a decade, or a century. People with false names come here to conduct shadowbusiness. Corporations send shipments of rejects and crap goods off-the-books to sell in the only market that'll take them. The only law is the law of the gun, and ghouls and worse things lurk in the dark mazes of Underside.

The corps don't want to own it, the governments don't want to admit it exists, and so it goes on.

It's a cobbled-together mass of rusting steel and crumbling plascrete, surrounded by hulks of all sorts of ships, gathered after half a century's worth of salvage, seizure, and integration. The most well-off live up top, the poor and desperate live on Underside, and the rich don't live here at all. There are no official taxes, there is no government, there are no police, and there are damn few amenities. You pay through the nose for what you get, or you don't pay at all, and take your chances on the Underside.

Welcome to the Rig, Chummer.

OverdrivePrime
2009-07-23, 03:47 PM
Demiurge, this is fantastic. Great work!

potatocubed
2009-07-23, 04:13 PM
Man, there's like, 900 stories you could tell right off that description. Nice work!

chiasaur11
2009-07-23, 04:19 PM
Man, there's like, 900 stories you could tell right off that description. Nice work!

There are a million stories in the sea-locked city.

Most of them aren't fit for public consuption.

Doc Roc
2009-07-23, 04:21 PM
Just tell me when recruiting starts, okay? :)

You have my sword.



Also my ruthenium camo, Ruger Super WarHawk, spyball drones, wire cutters, and spray-foam explosives.

Lost Demiurge
2009-07-23, 04:32 PM
Heh, thanks guys!

I've actually been mulling over this one as a PbP. VERY low-powered to start, though... 300 BP and availability 6 or lower gear only or so.

Swordguy
2009-07-23, 04:41 PM
Just tell me when recruiting starts, okay? :)

You have my sword.

Also my ruthenium camo, Ruger Super WarHawk, spyball drones, wire cutters, and spray-foam explosives.


All of that.

Question though - Matrix access seems "iffy" by necessity. Wireless Matrix active out that far? Or is a hacker looking at old-school headjacking to poke around on the 'net?



Oh, and from having built some 4e PCs - I'd be VERY careful about limiting starting BP that far. A half-way reasonable statline on a metahuman is gonna run you 220-250 BP before you do anything else. Limit it to 350-375, and include stipulations; no more than "X BP may be used for nuyen", "Y BP may be used for skills", and so on. Limit the availability ratings as you see fit (double-check Wireless Reflexes 1, though, since mages are going to be able to cast reflex-enhancing spells regardless of availability ratings, mundane folks would need some way to keep up, and WR1 is the lowest-power way to do that), and you should be good.

BRC
2009-07-23, 04:56 PM
I LOVE IT. I think you should expand it by coming up with some factions. Here's one

The "Greenies", A group of smugglers who set up permanent residence on The Rig, though now they buy and sell from other groups rather than do any smuggling work themselves. They've since elevated themselves to being fairly larg. players on The Rig, their higher ups even going so far as to talk amongst themselves like they are a legitimate merchant company. Their higher ups even wear buisness suits, to present a more "Professional" air than most of the people onboard the Rig. Most of their business comes from serving as a middleman between people who live on The Rig and visitors looking to do business. All their members can be identified by a green article of clothing. For the higher ups, it's often a tie, while their street-level operatives tend to prefer armbands.
Many people think of the Greenies, with their visible street presence, as a legitimate authority on The Rig. Newcomers mistake the visibly-armed "Green Goons", as some sort of police force. In fact, they are only interested in keeping enough peace so that potential business partners arn't scared off by exchanges of rocket fire. They have no interest in anything that does not affect their buisness.

OverdrivePrime
2009-07-23, 05:01 PM
Oh, and from having built some 4e PCs - I'd be VERY careful about limiting starting BP that far. A half-way reasonable statline on a metahuman is gonna run you 220-250 BP before you do anything else. Limit it to 350-375, and include stipulations; no more than "X BP may be used for nuyen", "Y BP may be used for skills", and so on. Limit the availability ratings as you see fit (double-check Wireless Reflexes 1, though, since mages are going to be able to cast reflex-enhancing spells regardless of availability ratings, mundane folks would need some way to keep up, and WR1 is the lowest-power way to do that), and you should be good.

While I agree, and am slightly traumatized by the thought of having less than a 5 in my primary stat and couple of 4s for a human, with the Rig being a refugee camp with not the best access to health care and high standards of living or education, it makes sense to have low stats and skills for starting characters who've spent the entirety of their short lives there. Average stats might actually be pretty strong compared to the rest of the populace. If everyone's malnourished and has little access to any sort of education, a character with agility 4, reaction 4, and intuition 3 might be considered something of a hoop kicker. With no formal training, skill groups and 2 or 3 would be pretty advanced compared to the rest of the populace.

Night Monkey
2009-07-23, 05:05 PM
Woah.

First, awesome description. Highly creative and, just as importantly, highly plausible for the setting.

This would be a great location for a SR game with a bit of a more anarchic feel, like cyberpunk Falloutverse.

I love it.

Lost Demiurge
2009-07-23, 05:39 PM
All of that.

Question though - Matrix access seems "iffy" by necessity. Wireless Matrix active out that far? Or is a hacker looking at old-school headjacking to poke around on the 'net?


Actually, the way I envision it is some scrounged and salvaged BIG dishes, riding on hijacked satellite wavelength. Most of the place isn't wired, there's just enough around to keep the technomancers from going insane, let commlinks work in the area, and such-like. And if a techno or hacker wants to pay the gatekeeper, they can always go up the signal and go surfing around the net.

Actual AR there? Minimal to none. There ARE a few places where they've got wired security around, but only the really well off factions can afford that.



Oh, and from having built some 4e PCs - I'd be VERY careful about limiting starting BP that far. A half-way reasonable statline on a metahuman is gonna run you 220-250 BP before you do anything else. Limit it to 350-375, and include stipulations; no more than "X BP may be used for nuyen", "Y BP may be used for skills", and so on. Limit the availability ratings as you see fit (double-check Wireless Reflexes 1, though, since mages are going to be able to cast reflex-enhancing spells regardless of availability ratings, mundane folks would need some way to keep up, and WR1 is the lowest-power way to do that), and you should be good.

See, now, the campaign I'm envisioning starts at a refugee level, where the PC's are starting on Underside, and have to claw their way up. They're not far from gangers, and ideally, young to represent their decreased BP. Underside would be a setting where having a heavy pistol will draw you envy, and maybe a late-night knife in the throat if you flash it around without the cred to back it up.

Though I HAVE been considering allowing pc's to lower the availability for items by designating it as "worn-out", or "glitchy". So that every time you use the item in question, it adds a free "1" to your roll for every degree of glitchiness. Sure, you can fire that Ukranian surplus explosive ammo... Just don't be surprised if it jams your gun, or worse, takes off a few fingers when it blows the chamber!

And if a PC goes mage or adept without taking care to be subtle... Well, flashing magic on the Underside automatically makes you a meal ticket for slavers, or worse.

If it helps, think of this as the prelude, a "How my runner got to where he is." Sure, you'll start low, but by the time you reach 400 BP you'll have some serious stories, scars, and development to talk about. Want to be a rigger? Start with a commlink and some skills, and start collecting drones. Sure, half of 'em will be reworked Teddy Ruxpins, and some others will have coffee cans for chassis, but eventually you'll work up to an Eyespy, or if you hit it BIG, maybe a Doberman. And hell, by the time you get there you'll have your own kickin' speedboat, with hand-welded armor plating.

Want to be a mage? Magic 3, and 2-3 spells, plus maybe a mentor spirit or a contact who happens to be a Wu Jen ex-political prisoner. Sure, you won't be much to start, but you can do the small stuff and build up.

It's just a thought. The setting's out there, so feel free to drop it into your own SR game and use it as you wish. If nothing else, it makes good scenery for a stopover. :D

Swordguy
2009-07-23, 05:45 PM
Cool. I'm all about "gangers with guns" as a style. :smallbiggrin:

May I suggest a couple of NPCs written up so as to give an approximate power level to the game? One who's supposed to be a "runner equivalent" and one who's "reasonably badass guy"? That'll go a long way toward clearing up power questions, which always occur in variant settings.

Knowing that a starting mage should have a Magic 3 and only perhaps 3 spells, for example is incredibly informative.

And yes, you should definitely run this as a pBp game, if for no other reason than it'll force you to populate the rig with interesting characters - then you have a complete setting package to upload to general praise and acclaim on DumpShock. :smallamused:


EDIT: The cautionary note about Reflex Enhancers still applies, though. Extra actions are so great in ANY version of SR that either the whole group needs to at least have the opportunity to access them, or they need to be banned for starting PCs. In light of your writeup, I'd suggest the latter, but your call, obviously.

Doc Roc
2009-07-23, 05:49 PM
EDIT: The cautionary note about Reflex Enhancers still applies, though. Extra actions are so great in ANY version of SR that either the whole group needs to at least have the opportunity to access them, or they need to be banned for starting PCs. In light of your writeup, I'd suggest the latter, but your call, obviously.
I second this but note that SR4 allows you to do some fancy juju with karma-for-actions, I remember correctly.
Had a guy with this beautiful build he called Roland for reasons that I think are obvious.

BRC
2009-07-23, 06:17 PM
I would personally love to play a 4e game set on the Rig.

One question, how does language work on the Rig? I assume chinese woul yd be the primary language, but how common are other languages? Do you need to speak Chinese, or are there enough, say, english or spanish speakers around that you can make do with those languages if need be.

Dragonmuncher
2009-07-23, 07:15 PM
Yeah, so all of this Shadowrun talk recently has made me curious. I'm off to get the 4e books, see what all the fuss is about. Maybe it'll finally spur me into trying a PbP game.

Oh, what's the difference between the 20th anniversary books, and 4e?

Swordguy
2009-07-23, 07:22 PM
Yeah, so all of this Shadowrun talk recently has made me curious. I'm off to get the 4e books, see what all the fuss is about. Maybe it'll finally spur me into trying a PbP game.

Oh, what's the difference between the 20th anniversary books, and 4e?

The 20th anniversary books are essentially 4e + errata. There's a teenie bit more to it, but I can't recall what, exactly. All published 4e stuff is supposed to be 100% compatible with the 20y books.

Doc Roc
2009-07-23, 09:26 PM
Splurge for the 20yA books. I have the 4e books, and the production values for the core books were very high.
The 20yA books are by all accounts gems.

kjones
2009-07-23, 10:14 PM
Holy crap, Demiurge, this sounds awesome.

One question - how does one leave the Rig? Presumably, it takes money/connections... But how much money, and what kind of connections?

Also, == Swordguy with regards to character generation. Limiting availability will go a long way. I like the idea of "glitchy" equipment as well - seems like the sort of thing that could easily blow up in one's face, so to speak.

Finally, can I steal your ideas? :smallbiggrin:

Lost Demiurge
2009-07-23, 10:41 PM
Swordguy, thanks for the tips! I know how rough reflex enhancers can be... Probably a general ban on them would be the easiest way to do it.


I would personally love to play a 4e game set on the Rig.

One question, how does language work on the Rig? I assume chinese woul yd be the primary language, but how common are other languages? Do you need to speak Chinese, or are there enough, say, english or spanish speakers around that you can make do with those languages if need be.

Chinese is the most popular language, with English coming a close second. Russian and Korean are up there too, but not as common. If you know at least one of these, odds are you can get by. And if not, then there's a grinning merchant over in the corner market selling bargain basement skillsofts. Sure, they might frag your head a little, but you'll finally know what the Russians two boats over are arguing about in the morning.

The locals have developed a gutterspeak they call P'yin... Mostly simple Cantonese with a spattering of English and Spanish. Heavy slang, easy to use. It does NOT have its own skillsoft.

Kjones, it's pretty easy to leave the rig. Pirates and smugglers coming and going at all times, you can usually find SOMEONE to ship out, or even fly out if you've got the connections.

The trick is finding someplace to land afterwards. See, the Rig's a refugee nexus... It's actually pretty cheap to live here, if you're willing to work, or spend a little cred, or owe favors. It's not secure, safe, or prosperous, but you can live here cheap. Leaving the place means risking a trip, and moving to a more expensive area. And since you're SINless if you're born on the rig, you need people to set you up to land right...

Figure a Fixer 4 can do the job. It'd take at least 20K nuyen in fees to get it through. Mind you, that's for a safe and secure relocation, using reliable transport that won't cut your throat, harvest your cyber, and dump you mid-trip.

Now, if you're just looking for a trip outside for supplies or a mission, that's not so bad.

Lost Demiurge
2009-07-23, 10:43 PM
Finally, can I steal your ideas? :smallbiggrin:

Sure, steal the hell out of them! Just let me know how it goes, if you use it. :D

Swordguy
2009-07-24, 08:21 AM
So, I woke up early and was bored, so I statted out a sample character. Is this about the power level you're looking for in this setting?


This was explicitly built under the "no reflex enhancers" entente. Everything is Availability 6 or less. Working under 300 BP meant that I really took it in the statline; he's pretty puny for a Troll.



Troll Physical Adept

Attributes (140 BP stats + 40 BP race + 41 BP Magic +10 BP Edge)
Body 6
Agility 4
Reaction 3
Strength 6
Charisma 2
Intuition 3
Logic 3
Willpower 3
Edge 2
Magic 5

Active Skills (82 BP)
Gymnastics 3
Clubs (batons) 5 (7)
Dodge 2
Etiquette 2
Infiltration 2
Intimidation 1
Perception 2
Throwing Weapons 3

Knowledge Skills
16 points worth

Language Skills
Native 6
Chinese 2

Advantages (10 BP)
Adept 5
Ambidextrous 5

Disadvantages (-35 BP)
Allergy (Uncommon, Moderate)
Gremlins (2)
SINner (Criminal)
Scorched

Adept Powers (5 magic points)
Improved Combat Ability [Clubs] 2
Wall Running*
Mystic Armor 3
Combat Sense 2
Sustenance*
Improved Sense [Scent]

(* found in Street Magic Supplement)

Foci (Bonding BP cost added in "magic" under Attributes heading)
Rating 1 Weapon Focus (baton)

Contacts (8 BP)
2 Loy/1 Con Contact
2 Loy/1 Con Contact
1 Loy/1 Con Contact

Gear (4 BP; $20,000)
2 months Low Lifestyle
x2 Extendable Baton
Stun Baton
x4 Throwing Knife
Lined Coat (6/4)
Armor Jacket (8/6)
CMT Clip Comlink
Vector Xim OS
Subvocal Microphone
Rating 3 micro-tranciever
Virtual Pet Simsense Game
Virtual Surround Music
Rating 4 Respirator
Survival Kit
x2 Rating 3 Stimulant Patch
Trauma patch
x6 Flash-bang Grenades
x2 Smoke Grenades
x4 Pepper Punch Gas Grenades
500 nuyen of Misc Spare Clothing
400 nuyen of Misc Hong-king Bad Martial Arts movies (on commlink)
Stuffed Cat (looks like the one in the Virtual Pet game)
$250 remaining


Relevant Combat Rolls
Attack with mundane extendable baton is at 9 dice (7 skill, 2 from Improved Combat ability), plus potential Reach bonuses (Reach 2). Baton attack hits at 7 (STR/2+1) physical damage against impact armor. If he's using his weapon focus, this goes up, of course.

He defends against attacks with 5 dice (Reaction 3 + Combat sense 2). Damage soak is pretty good - Body 6, 3 levels of guaranteed B/I armor from Mystic Armor, and whatever armor he happens to be wearing.

Lost Demiurge
2009-07-24, 08:39 AM
Yeah, that's about right, Swordguy! You've definitely got a heavy hitter for Underside. Guy looks lethal up close, but he's going to have a big problem with guns for most of his life.

With clubs that high, I'm seeing an ex-Fillipino guerilla, trained in Escrima. That criminal SIN could've easily come from internment in Yomi, or otherwise annoying the Japanese government back during the occupation.

Mind you, that disadvantage of Gremlins would make that fellow really unpopular. In a place full of so much jury-rigged equipment, his name is going to be known and cursed among the mechanics. There's probably places he can't go without getting shot on sight.

EDIT: Also, he's got a good chunk of gear. Either he's got in good with a prosperous gang, or he's lucked into a good stash and managed to keep it hidden.

Swordguy
2009-07-24, 08:56 AM
That was actually more gear than I wanted - I ended up with 1 BP left over, and there's nothing you can do with 1 BP aside from getting more nuyen. So there's 5K nuyen I had to spend on something. I originally had it like this:

1 month Low Lifestyle
x2 Extendable Baton
x4 Throwing Knife
Armor Jacket (8/6)
Rating 3 micro-tranciever
Virtual Pet Simsense Game
Rating 4 Respirator
Survival Kit
Trauma patch
x2 Flash-bang Grenades
x2 Smoke Grenades
x2 Pepper Punch Gas Grenades
Stuffed Cat (looks like the one in the Virtual Pet game)

It's good to see that's about where you wanted it. Very clear - I do hope you run this as a pBp game.

EDIT: I take that back - I could have bonded another weapon focus for 1 BP. Too bad I couldn't afford a second one. :smallamused:

EDIT2: About the guns - I'm thinking the rig as very close in concept to a space station. There's going to be a lot of fighting in corridors and tight spaces - so a lack of guns isn't necessarily as bad as you might think. :smallbiggrin:

Lost Demiurge
2009-07-24, 09:10 AM
Yeah... I've been toying with the idea of letting folks hold BP back, for later use. Mind you, you'd be limited to holding a maximum of 3, but you COULD do it.

My vision of the Rig has a mix of wide open spots, mazelike roofless decks and tangles of housing, and tight corridors once you get into the REALLY developed spots, or when you head belowdecks on the larger shiphomes. Guns still rule here, but there ARE spots where you can force a foe to close... And it's almost always easy to get cover of some sort.

If I do run this, which is looking pretty likely, I'll work out a zone breakdown for the major parts of Underside and the Platform.

BRC
2009-07-24, 09:20 AM
I should stat up my Rig Character. I was thinking a Mechanic type character. Backstory was that he worked on a Freighter until some Pirates attacked it and took him onboard because he had valuable skills. When they got the The Rig he slipped out and vanished into the throng of the Refugees.

Lost Demiurge
2009-07-24, 09:28 AM
Not bad! Getting away from pirates is always a good reason to be on the Rig.

Just remember guys, this isn't a recruitment thread. When I do the PbP, I'll post one in the appropriate spot.

kjones
2009-07-24, 10:09 AM
400 nuyen of Misc Hong-king Bad Martial Arts movies (on commlink)

Swordguy, you're my hero.

Question: What's the metatype demographic on the Rig? Mostly human? An even mix? Somewhere in between?

BRC
2009-07-24, 10:23 AM
Swordguy, you're my hero.

Question: What's the metatype demographic on the Rig? Mostly human? An even mix? Somewhere in between?
Not official here, but I'd expect a higher-than-average number of Orcs, considering the Japanese views towards metahumans, I wouldn't be surprised if alot of Japanese Orcs and Trolls ended up fleeing to the Rig.

Lost Demiurge
2009-07-24, 10:27 AM
Swordguy, you're my hero.

Question: What's the metatype demographic on the Rig? Mostly human? An even mix? Somewhere in between?

It's actually a pretty even spread, due to a lot of metahumans leaving Yomi. Humans and orks make up the most of'em, with dwarves in second and elves and trolls coming in third. There's also ghouls down in the more warren-like sections of the Underside.

Orks actually do pretty well out on the Rig. Big families are an advantage out here, and while you have to feed'em more than humans, they're tough enough to take the hard living and lack of amenities. And if a few kids get lost due to predators or slavers or teenage stupidity, then you can always make more.

There's a sizeable population of Japanese metatype variants, like Oni and Koroboro... Keroburo... Those little dwarf guys. Other metavariants pass through, but tend not to stay. Still, it'd be possible to find an ogre or a minotaur or a gnome if you looked hard enough.

Weirder metavariants are uncommon. There's enough superstition and folklore around that any dracoform who tried to live here would find every part of him cut up and ground into medicine or telesma. Rumor is that there's at least one naga living up on the platform... If that's so then it probably doesn't come outdoors much.

Cristo Meyers
2009-07-24, 10:30 AM
Just remember guys, this isn't a recruitment thread. When I do the PbP, I'll post one in the appropriate spot.

Please let me know when/if you do.

This is just too good to pass up.

kjones
2009-07-24, 11:00 AM
What do Merfolk think of the Rig? Do they avoid it like the plague? Is it the seamy overbelly of merfolk society?

Lost Demiurge
2009-07-24, 12:09 PM
What do Merfolk think of the Rig? Do they avoid it like the plague? Is it the seamy overbelly of merfolk society?

There's about ten thousand people living on the Rig, give or take. There is minimal to no waste filtering for these people. The water under and around the rig is FOUL. Merfolk stay WAY the hell away, except for a few toxin-resistant ones, who find it a good place to trade pearls, coral, and crude crafts for amusing toys. Even then, most Merfolk don't linger long around the rig... Too much chance of being grabbed and sold as a curiousity.

BRC
2009-07-24, 12:14 PM
There's about ten thousand people living on the Rig, give or take. There is minimal to no waste filtering for these people. The water under and around the rig is FOUL. Merfolk stay WAY the hell away, except for a few toxin-resistant ones, who find it a good place to trade pearls, coral, and crude crafts for amusing toys. Even then, most Merfolk don't linger long around the rig... Too much chance of being grabbed and sold as a curiousity.
Oh yeah, that brings up another question. Basic supplies. I assume most food comes from Fishing boats, but what about water? Do they ship it in, do they have desalination and rudimentary purification facilities on-site.

Come to think of it, I could imagine that the quality of the water you drink is a major indicator of social status on the Rig. With purified, clean water being a valuable commodity.

Heh, I could imagine a run based around sneaking into the compound of some rich smuggler to fill up a barrel from their tap or something.

Alejandro
2009-07-24, 12:25 PM
It would be hilarious if the oil deposit suddenly went dry, but no one cared because the shadow business done there is now worth more.

Hunter Noventa
2009-07-24, 12:43 PM
It would be hilarious if the oil deposit suddenly went dry, but no one cared because the shadow business done there is now worth more.

I don't think it ever pulled up a drop of oil, from the sound of the history.

Also, excellent setting, I'd love to try it, but my group has never really tried Shadowrun at all. But if we adapt it to another setting or something I'll try to let you know how it goes!

Swordguy
2009-07-24, 12:44 PM
Actually, it'd be a great place for a data haven. I remember when The Pirate Bay was planning to buy that extraterritorial abandoned oil rig out near Jutland - similar concept here.

Lost Demiurge
2009-07-24, 12:58 PM
BRC, you're correct in that food and water are major issues at the Rig.

Water: The place gets enough rain that rainwater's a major source. Doesn't generate enough for everyone though... The platform relies on rainwater that's been well-processed by a couple of factions, and whatever freshwater supplies are brought in pirates and smugglers. The Underside usually has to settle for getting their supplies from local water barons, who run home built distillation plants and process seawater. It tastes foul, the cheaper stuff might make you sick, and even a ration of the most pricey clear stuff is barely enough for a day's needs.

Food: With so many boats, it comes as no surprise that fishermen are the lifeblood of the rig. They have to range at least a mile or two out to get past the toxic band surrounding the Rig, but they usually pull in a good haul. Every once in a while a whaling boat will score, and then it's good times for the folks who can afford blubber.

A lot of refugees brought livestock with them... Chickens are actually pretty common in the better parts of the rig, with goats not far behind. Dogs are good eating, too. Pigs are rarer, and cattle are damn near priceless.

On the platform, most food is imported. Smugglers do brisk business bringing the stuff in.

Still, it's rare to be a glutton on the Rig. Most everyone there is thin, and a lot of people have bad bones, or shortened statures because of poor diet during the formative years.

Alejandro: Actually, the ultimate joke is that the oil's never been touched. No one ever finished building the Rig to the point where it had an operational drill.

Lost Demiurge
2009-07-24, 01:01 PM
Actually, it'd be a great place for a data haven. I remember when The Pirate Bay was planning to buy that extraterritorial abandoned oil rig out near Jutland - similar concept here.

Yeah, wouldn't it though? Of course, if someone did that, they'd probably keep it very, very quiet...

Alejandro
2009-07-24, 01:11 PM
Alejandro: Actually, the ultimate joke is that the oil's never been touched. No one ever finished building the Rig to the point where it had an operational drill.

My PC would try :)

BRC
2009-07-24, 01:58 PM
Ooh, here's a question. What do they use for Currency on the Rig? Considering the way things are, I have a feeling Credstick readers wouldn't be especially available. Does it just all work on the Barter system, or has some entrepreneurial Platform-Dweller started up a bank...

Which actually makes sense. Considering the nature of the platform as a haven for smugglers, pirates, people who don't want to be found, and people doing buisness that dosn't want to be tracked, I wouldn't be surprised if "The First Rig Bank" opened up. It asks almost no questions, and is trustworthy due to the simple fact that, with their clients, being otherwise would be very very unhealthy for them.

Lost Demiurge
2009-07-24, 02:09 PM
Ooh, here's a question. What do they use for Currency on the Rig? Considering the way things are, I have a feeling Credstick readers wouldn't be especially available. Does it just all work on the Barter system, or has some entrepreneurial Platform-Dweller started up a bank...

Which actually makes sense. Considering the nature of the platform as a haven for smugglers, pirates, people who don't want to be found, and people doing buisness that dosn't want to be tracked, I wouldn't be surprised if "The First Rig Bank" opened up. It asks almost no questions, and is trustworthy due to the simple fact that, with their clients, being otherwise would be very very unhealthy for them.

Barter dominates most of the rig. However, remember that dish that the technos set up? They've since cut a deal with a corrupt Singapore-based bank, and are technically a minimal-service branch of the franchise. End result? You can do commlink transactions while you're on the platform, up to 5K or so. Anything more within a short period of time gets noticed, and you'll have to bribe or hack your way through, or risk tainting your SIN and having your accounts frozen and/or confiscated.

On the Underside, comms don't work so well and transactions are at risk of being hacked, or being mugged for your comm. It's pretty much all barter down there.

BRC
2009-07-24, 02:32 PM
Hmm, an idea for a form of semi-currency for the undertown (Sorry if I'm intruding into your setting, but I love world-building), Water Tabs.

Water Tabs are small bits of metal stamped with logo or name of the Water Baron that issued them, and the amount of water it is worth. They started out as a simple expedient, people would often barter for more water than they could carry, or simply because the things they brought to trade were worth more than one bucket of water, so there was no deal, and with no form of ID, it was useless to merely put names in a book to see how much water somebody was allowed to take.
So some clever water baron had an idea. He would stamp his logo and an amount, say 2 litres or so, on a little piece of metal. If somebody came to barter for his water, he would determine how much what they brought was worth, and give them an appropriate amount of tabs. If they wanted water, all they had to do was go to one of his distilleries, and hand over an equivalent number of tabs to the water they were going to take. As a result, this Baron got nicer stuff, as people came to buy a weeks worth of water at a time. Soon other Barons took notice, and everybody started making these tabs. It was a simple step to go from there to people using these tabs in their bartering deals with one another.


Now, that Tabs are not a universal currency, as each Baron only accepts their own tabs. And tabs are worth different amounts depending on whose they are. For example, A two liter tab from Greasy Joe, who boils seawater and then runs it through a mesh screen, is not worth nearly as much as two liters from The Azure Cartel, who managed to get their hands on an Ares Clearstream(Tm) brand Water Purification system. In fact, it's less like Currency, and more like Gift Certificates.

Lost Demiurge
2009-07-24, 02:37 PM
BRC: I LIKE it! Consider it stolen. *YOINK*

Course, barter's still good anywhere. But Water Tabs are easier to carry...

comicshorse
2009-07-24, 06:57 PM
Hmmm... the water tabs are a nice idea but how do they stop people forging them ?( apart from killing any forgers in truely horrific ways)

Speaking of horrific things with so many desperate people around why do I see Corporations setting up, undercover labs for the truely horrific testing they don't dare do in countries with any form of media

BRC
2009-07-24, 08:05 PM
Hmmm... the water tabs are a nice idea but how do they stop people forging them ?( apart from killing any forgers in truely horrific ways)

Speaking of horrific things with so many desperate people around why do I see Corporations setting up, undercover labs for the truely horrific testing they don't dare do in countries with any form of media
Pretty much the Horrible Death method. I believe Drowning them would be a suitably ironic death...

comicshorse
2009-07-24, 08:18 PM
Pretty much the Horrible Death method. I believe Drowning them would be a suitably ironic death...

Far to nice IMHO, particularly on a place overflowing with people killing each other every day. Now chaining them up and letting them die slowly of thirst where every one who comes to buy water from that water baron can see them and they can see the people constantly walking away with all that water. That would send a message

BRC
2009-07-24, 08:20 PM
Far to nice IMHO, particularly on a place overflowing with people killing each other every day. Now chaining them up and letting them die slowly of thirst where every one who comes to buy water from that water baron can see them and they can see the people constantly walking away with all that water. That would send a message

Ooh, I like it...

only1doug
2009-07-25, 02:59 AM
Far to nice IMHO, particularly on a place overflowing with people killing each other every day. Now chaining them up and letting them die slowly of thirst where every one who comes to buy water from that water baron can see them and they can see the people constantly walking away with all that water. That would send a message

Fill their cages with bottles of untreated water, they get to drink the water they made tokens for...

What stops a successful (large and dangerous) water gang from driving out its competitors by producing conterfeit tokens for weaker gangs? we steal their water and sell it as our own.

comicshorse
2009-07-25, 09:07 AM
What stops a successful (large and dangerous) water gang from driving out its competitors by producing conterfeit tokens for weaker gangs? we steal their water and sell it as our own.

I'd imagine the same thing that stops them simply shooting the other gang and taking the water. NOTHING
In a dog eat dog world like the Rig if you have the strength to do it, you do it. Lesser water sellers would have to form a group or hire muscle from some of the other gangs. Then if the big boys try to copy your tags you hit them back hard enough to amke it more trouble than its worth or you go under.
Water wars, I love it :smallsmile: