Smooth Jazz -- OC (Shadowrun 4)

[Lost Demiurge]

This is the Out-of-Character thread for Smooth Jazz, a Shadowrun 4 game. This game will be limited to a single run. If this run is sufficiently entertaining and no one drops, we may play a few more and open up recruitment to new people.

Current roster stands as follows;
Krrth as Boric Cole, dwarven mage
SuperMuldoon as Arkady "The Answer" Sokolov, human rigger
Loopy as Eoin McGlaughlin, elvish face
Thanatos 51-50 as of Nikolai Alexandrovich Gogol, AKA "Preston", human gunbunny

Once you're finished with your sheet, please post it here.

Bookmark this thread and check it every weekday if you're playing, please. Same with the IC thread. Rules questions and OC discussion should go here.
Link to the IC thread is http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7546252#post7546252

Oh, and the opening theme song for this particular excursion shall be "Run Rabbit Junk", by Yoko Kanno. Link below;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l13RCQNUyI4

[loopy]

Just letting you know that I'm playing Eoin McGlaughlin (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=137790), not Arkady. :smallsmile:

[Lost Demiurge]

Grr, my mistake. Amended, and thanks for the successful perception check! :D

[Lost Demiurge]

Right! IC thread is live, post at will. Recommend that your first post be an introduction to the character... Maybe a small recap or flashback of the last few days, how your character got to the bar, and what other people see when they look at your character.

It's not necessary to go into a lot of detail, but I find that it helps set the mood and gives readers a good idea of WHO your guy happens to be.

[Krrth]

Borric Cole (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=173048).

I'll have an intro post up this evening, but as for now I have to get a crown put on.

[Lost Demiurge]

Ouch! My sympathies. Good luck at the dentist's...

Unless you're becoming king of somewhere or the other. Good luck with that too. :)

[SuperMuldoon]

Arkady "the Answer" Sokolov (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=172485)

Intro post should be up today!

[Lost Demiurge]

Breaking Bulletin!

A fellow with the username Thanatos 51-50 has a gunbunny character ready, and would greatly like to play. Normally I'd say no, we closed recruiting, but Lycan DID drop recently, we haven't really started yet, and hell, it's almost Christmas.

So I'll put it to a vote. PM me with yeas or nays, and we'll see what the verdict may be.

[SuperMuldoon]

Alright, IC post up, hope it is up to snuff.

Also, PM sent!

[loopy]

Holy hell that was a long first post! Hope it was alright, and that it established my character slightly.

[Lost Demiurge]

Holy hell that was a long first post! Hope it was alright, and that it established my character slightly.

Good thing the calvary was close. :)

Interesting to see how this plays out. Incidentally, Eoin's currently at a -1 penalty to all rolls while in the Banshee. The smell of Synthahol's a bit strong in here, and the vents are crappy.

[loopy]

Interesting to see how this plays out. Incidentally, Eoin's currently at a -1 penalty to all rolls while in the Banshee. The smell of Synthahol's a bit strong in here, and the vents are crappy.

Haha, well he did actually contact them, subtly calling them in while he was talking to the gang leader. Look closely and you'll see where he did it. :smallwink:

No problem, figured as much as far as the synthahol went. I might pick up Ami as a contact later, to represent his connections in the rave and club scenes.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Hey, guys!
Thanks for voting me in.
It's my first time playing Shadowrun of any edition, but I've always had a soft, squishy spot for cyberpunk and cyberpunk-ey things.
I'm bringing to the table a man by the name of Nikolai Alexandrovich Gogol, AKA "Preston" (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=138112) inspired, as you no doubt can tell, a little bit by Tetragrammaton Clerics. :smallredface:
I look forward to the show.

EDIT:
For those of you who speak less Nihon-go than I, "Konbanwa" means "Good evening".

[Lost Demiurge]

Alright! Money on hand for the last two in, is...

Eoin: 4000 nuyen! It's good to be living the high life, sometimes.
Nikolai: 500 nuyen. What is it with Russian humans? That's the exact same number...

We'll wait a bit for Krrth to post, then either tonight or tomorrow we'll move on.

[Thanatos 51-50]

I'd like to curse you, just a little bit, for putting GitS music up there.
I'm listening to "Rise" on repeat, now. Thanks.
"We are soldiers, stand or die."

[Lost Demiurge]

Curse accepted... What's one more? :)

Good intros, everyone!

Astral perception, hm? We'll put what Borric sees in the IC post, in a spoiler block, I think.

I don't particularly mind if the rest of you read'em, so long as you don't act on the knowledge.

Alright, here we go...

[Lost Demiurge]

Hey Loopy? Remember when I said that I was going to handle the dice rolls?

No harm no foul this time, but in the future I'll roll the dice.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Heh. I was just looking over the gunfighting rules again.
Is it just me or are they tweaked down to "Ridiculously Slow" (I'm more then capable of ejecting and reloading a magazine-based weapon and then double-tapping a man-sized target at 35 metres. I'd likely even hit around centre mass. I'm a bad shot.), and some of the modifiers don't make sense (You can't use laser sights if you're going akimbo, and get -1 for kneeling behind an overturned table).
Should be entertaining.

[loopy]

Hey Loopy? Remember when I said that I was going to handle the dice rolls?

No harm no foul this time, but in the future I'll roll the dice.

Ah right, sorry, forgot. That'll make things easier anyway. Plus it lets you decide... You know... What rolls are actually appropriate, heh. :smallsmile:

[Lost Demiurge]

Whew. Wall 'o text!

Sorry 'bout that, but it IS a mission brief. :)

The gunfighting rules actually work pretty well. Remember, firing at automated or still targets is different from keeping your s*** together during a serious firefight, keeping a cool head, and hitting moving people that are firing back.

The only unrealistic thing IMO is that people tend to be pretty accurate in SR4 compared to real life. Most gunfights you don't even push half your clip through, unless you're using automatics and doing a lot of bursts.

I DO like the fact that guns are freakin' lethal. A friend of mine compared shadowrun characters and enemies to eggshells armed with hammers. It's not quite that deadly, but getting shot is pretty hard to ignore in this edition...

[Thanatos 51-50]

"We need at least one believable scandal tied to this man's name. Loss of face is the minimum expected. However, it shouldn't be anything so terrible that would get him immediately arrested or incarcerated. In fact, this is a condition. If his corporation hands him over to Lone Star or another incarceration-capable authority, you will NOT be paid."

Well, there goes my first plan of "Frame him for the murder of his family".
Nikolai is not a nice person, anymore.

EDIT: ALSO: Disclaimer. Nikolai =/= me. I, personally, approve of Loopy's face. :smallbiggrin:

[Thanatos 51-50]

Yeah. Nikolai is not the sort to suggest a change of venue, but he has the job all accepted in his mind and is already working it.
Quick! Someone with more social skills then a wet sock! Let's get this show rolling!:smallbiggrin:

[SuperMuldoon]

Alright, I want to do some poking around in the Matrix, but don't want to mess everything up by getting caught because I don't really know the hacking rules. Would Arkady with his current setup be able to do some detective work in the 'trix?

[Lost Demiurge]

Anyone with a commlink can try to do detective work in the matrix. Having the Data Search skill helps a lot. Having a BROWSE program on your commlink helps even more. But even a plain Joe Schmo can try to use Giggle or WebBrawler to poke around.

I'll look at Arkady's setup a little later, but I don't recall you having the relevant skills, or that program. Still, you might get lucky.

Don't forget that you have contacts. Some of them might know something if it falls in their area. Or you could try to find a professional hacker to run a search for you... Probably cost some nuyen, but it might be worth it.

One thing I can tell you, is that the Banshee is partially shielded. You're getting crappy bandwidth from your current location, might be a good idea to move out if you want to do heavy matrix work.

[loopy]

Eoin actually has 2 points in both the Electronics and Cracking skillsets, so he's a somewhat competant hacker.

[Krrth]

Well, Borric doesn't have the skill, but his comlink does have browse 4 on it.....

[Thanatos 51-50]

Sweet. Um... Nikolai can help by...
Calling his cop buddy, I guess?

[Lost Demiurge]

Sweet. Um... Nikolai can help by...
Calling his cop buddy, I guess?

Patience, compadre. I've actually got something for you, just have to finish typing it up. :)

[Lost Demiurge]

Incidentally, Eoin's gonna be operating at -2 to all rolls for the next hour or so. He was in close proximity to fizzy, cheap beer fumes.

[SuperMuldoon]

Well Arkady has a Browse program of 4 and an electronics group skill of 3...I think that means he can find stuff pretty good, but since I don't have any hacking skils, he can't hack his way out of a paper bag.

[Lost Demiurge]

Well Arkady has a Browse program of 4 and an electronics group skill of 3...I think that means he can find stuff pretty good, but since I don't have any hacking skils, he can't hack his way out of a paper bag.

Yeah, that's about the size of it. Still, hacking's only essential in this kind of situation when going for info that's locked away, or trying to poke through a specific system. If you're just out trolling for matrix info, browse and data search'll be your best bet.

Oh! I just noticed something for Arkady. He doesn't have a Scan program. That's kind auseful for riggers...

Go ahead and take a free Scan 4 program. Sorry I didn't catch that earlier.

[SuperMuldoon]

Yeah, that's about the size of it. Still, hacking's only essential in this kind of situation when going for info that's locked away, or trying to poke through a specific system. If you're just out trolling for matrix info, browse and data search'll be your best bet.

Oh! I just noticed something for Arkady. He doesn't have a Scan program. That's kind auseful for riggers...

Go ahead and take a free Scan 4 program. Sorry I didn't catch that earlier.

Ok, took the scan, thanks! Theres so many programs its hard to keep track of what I should take

[Lost Demiurge]

Nah, it's all good.

Scan's useful for detecting electronic devices... For riggers, it's good for finding hostiles and regaining control of your own drones if someone manages to hack them.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Still here. No further stimuli have affected Nikolai. He's waiting for the rest of the party so they can roll out.

[Lost Demiurge]

It's good! Being that we're getting into Christmas Eve proper and Christmas day soon, I think we'll go ahead and relax for now. No posting necessary for the next few days, though I'll be on and off now and then, and if everyone posts I'll advance it a bit.

Good start, gang! Hopefully we can keep this up...

[loopy]

Eoin still here, though slightly splotchy-skinned and clammy now. Btw, Lost Demiurge, if we could figure out what the exact symptoms and etc of my allergy are, I could both RP it better and know what to avoid specifically. :smallsmile:

[Lost Demiurge]

Well, you took a severe allergy. So normally that's a -4 to all tests while in contact with Synthahol, and 1 point of physical damage per minute of exposure.

But I'm going to say that's only if you drink the stuff. If you touch or breathe in fumes, you're going to get a progressive -1 modifier for every 5-10 minutes of exposure, or an additional -1 for a severe exposure. (Max -4 cap). No damage from mere fumes, though you have a slight chance of vomiting every time the modifier goes up.

In this case, you entered a place where a bunch of the stuff is spilled on a nightly basis, so that's the beginning -1. Borric opened a beer can right next to you, and you got a big whiff of the stuff. That sent you to -2. If you spend another 15 minutes or so in this place you'll be at -3. Figure it wears off at the rate of -1 per ten minutes or so.

Sound good to you? If not, then we can talk further. It's only a real factor with fumes when you're in an enclosed space, or if some of the stuff gets opened or spilled within a few feet of you.

[loopy]

That sounds perfectly fine to me. Just wanted to clarify. :smallsmile:

[Thanatos 51-50]

This time tomorrow, I'll be in the air, en route to see my family in Boston.
Posting frequency will slow.

[Lost Demiurge]

Thanks for the notice! We're still in holiday posting mode, so it's all good.

Time to advance. Loopy, if you want to describe the inside of Eoin's apartment, that would be awesome.

Thanatos, the results of your searches will be up later today. Takes your character a little time to sort through this stuff anyway, so no worries there.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Thanks for the notice! We're still in holiday posting mode, so it's all good.

Time to advance. Loopy, if you want to describe the inside of Eoin's apartment, that would be awesome.

Thanatos, the results of your searches will be up later today. Takes your character a little time to sort through this stuff anyway, so no worries there.

Yeah, Nikolai is doing alot of stuff right now because he's meticulous like that.
Also: I passed alot of my out-of-character ideas to Loopy earlier because it would be out of character for Nik to point them out.
Bullet Points:

Car accident is suspicious, especially with Grid Guide
ISOGI - who bought it, how much was the settlement for? Does part of it survive? Was it smart business to sell ISOGI?
Surviving Ex-Wife didn't get custody. What type of alimony does Corner pay her? How did the settlement in general go down? Can we write her up as a resource?
Any similarities (especially financial) between the time of the divorce and Tina's Death?
Move from the East Coast to Osaka to take charge of ISOGI? Smart business? Why would he leave his hometown?
Any ties between Tom's Church and Humanis Policlub or other supremacy groups?
Connection between Pharmadyne and Lone Star is interesting. any records of transaction should be investigated to see if they're not incognito bribes and kickbacks.

[loopy]

Time to advance. Loopy, if you want to describe the inside of Eoin's apartment, that would be awesome.

Alright, I'll just look up some info on what a "high class" apartment means in Shadowrun, then post something up today.

[loopy]

Hey GM, was my apartment description appropriate to my living standard?

[Lost Demiurge]

Yep! That's about what you can expect for 10K nuyen a month. Thanks, Loopy!

[Krrth]

Due to a rather inconsiderate criminal, I must unfortunately spend the next few days cleaning my office, cataloging anything missing, and trying to put the files scattered across two floors back in order.

Needless to say my posting will be rather erratic for the next few days. I should be back in force Saturday. Feel free to either fade my character into the background or make whatever rolls you feel are necessary.

See y'all in the new year!

[Lost Demiurge]

Owch, jeeze! Sorry to hear it.

But again, we're in the holidays so a few missed bits are not unexpected. Thanks for the notice, Krrth! We'll puppet you if your skillset comes up.

[SuperMuldoon]

Ow, major bummer Krrth :smallfrown:

Do what ya gotta do man, we'll be here!

[loopy]

Happy New Year everyone! Is anyone elses head hurting as bad as mine? :smallamused:

[Lost Demiurge]

Ow, keep it down....
:D

[Lost Demiurge]

At any rate...

You guys have both leads and ideas now. Don't be afraid to chase them down or act on them.

Also keep in mind you don't need to keep the party together at all times. PbP has an advantage that way, so if you want to divide up and try different things, that'll go just fine. Also you've got the means through commlink synching to stay in contact at all times, for the most part.

Think it over, and let me know what you want to do.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Nikolai's plans after his nap:
1) Case chemical plant's external security to the best of his knowledge
2) Find and interrogate FUNDIe priest.
3) Pretend to be useful
4) Gather intel from Eoin, use it to plan an attack
5) Gather intel on Ms Johnson if possible
6) ???
7) I'm not sure, but there are bullets involved
8) More bullets
9) Profit
10) Find new job.

Okay, so really only the first five points count for anything, really.

Also: Further blanket statement: Nikolai is kinda a jerk. Roleplaying a low-charisma character is difficult for me. Please don't take any of it personally.

[loopy]

Eoin will:

1) Wake.
2) Shower.
3) Check the news-sites and his various social-media pages, as usual.
4) Dress in wageslave gear.
5) Have a light breakfast.
6) Head out to pick up the ID.
7) Head to Pharmadyne.
8) ???

[Krrth]

Borric will:

1) Get cleaned up
2) See if there is anything in the magical community about this "Church".
3)Get a beer.



Oh, and thanks guys. The idiot that broke in didn't take anything other than my paycheck (which was promptly replaced), but they did empty the contents of our cabinets on the floor. It was time consuming to fix, but no actual harm done.

[Lost Demiurge]

Alright, it's the morning. Figure 4-6-ish hours of sleep for most of your characters...

By the way, I hope that you guys are okay with an investigative start, here. I know it's a lot of information, and that detective work isn't everyone's cuppa joe.

Remember, that you've got control of how this goes. Ms. Johnson's only paying you to put a scandal or two out there, so if you want to skip any part of the investigation, go ahead and make some plans, and figure out a way to make it look good.

On the other hand, if you want to keep digging, it probably won't be time wasted.

Your call.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Alright, it's the morning. Figure 4-6-ish hours of sleep for most of your characters...

By the way, I hope that you guys are okay with an investigative start, here. I know it's a lot of information, and that detective work isn't everyone's cuppa joe.

Remember, that you've got control of how this goes. Ms. Johnson's only paying you to put a scandal or two out there, so if you want to skip any part of the investigation, go ahead and make some plans, and figure out a way to make it look good.

On the other hand, if you want to keep digging, it probably won't be time wasted.

Your call.

Well, if we didn't have to keep him un-arrested. >.>

[SuperMuldoon]

Alright, it's the morning. Figure 4-6-ish hours of sleep for most of your characters...

By the way, I hope that you guys are okay with an investigative start, here. I know it's a lot of information, and that detective work isn't everyone's cuppa joe.

Remember, that you've got control of how this goes. Ms. Johnson's only paying you to put a scandal or two out there, so if you want to skip any part of the investigation, go ahead and make some plans, and figure out a way to make it look good.

On the other hand, if you want to keep digging, it probably won't be time wasted.

Your call.

I'm fine with an investigative start, the legwork makes the payoff all the sweeter if you ask me. I probably am not the best detective though :smalltongue:

Anyway, Arkady is going to head down and try to make an appointment to see the marks first wife, see if he can get contact info. I figure Arkady knows cars, she works with cars, I might be able to wing something. Maybe flirt with her, see if he can find out anything about the marriage and why it went in the tubes. Play it by ear I guess, though not let her on that anything is going to happen to her ex...unless it turns out that she hates his guts and wouldn't mind seeing him go down, maybe give her some ammo to get custody of her kids if thats something she wants.

[Krrth]

Investigate, definitely. After all, knowing is half the battle!

GI Joe!

[loopy]

Eoin will head to corporate office downtown. What information does the Pharmadyne ID have on it?

[Lost Demiurge]

Eoin will head to corporate office downtown. What information does the Pharmadyne ID have on it?

Eoin runs an analyze on the card, and finds that it acts as an RFID hub. Whenever he's on a Pharmadyne wireless grid, it'll broadcast the John Humphrey ID. Passive security will be able to watch and record wherever that ID goes in the building.

The Humphrey ID is fairly simple... It lists the following things;

Assigned Facility: Pharmadyne Medical Plant 003
Clearance Level: Green 3
Date of Birth: October 3, 2047
Specialty: Production Mix Supervisor
Visual Confirmation: (This is an image file that shows a dark-haired human in his 20s, with a goatee and patchy mustache. It decidedly does NOT look like Eoin.)

From his skills at cracking, Eoin knows two things.
1. If he's in a Pharmadyne facility and this badge is up, he'll want to set his regular commlink to silent mode. Otherwise anyone checking his comm signal will see that his SIN identity doesn't match his Pharmadyne ID. Also, if he makes a call with his regular commlink while using the badge, security will be able to see that there's a mismatch. Whether or not they catch it, who knows, but it WILL be logged in the system.
2. Any or all of the five fields contained on the ID card can be edited, with enough skill and care. But it'd take a few hours for each one edited, and if he screwed up, the badge would be ruined. It's set to wipe and format in case it detects tampering.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Holy Nuggets, that's alot of intel!
It's almost like Nik is being USEFUL!

[Lost Demiurge]

Holy Nuggets, that's alot of intel!
It's almost like Nik is being USEFUL!

:) I'm glad to hear you say that!

(Gets out his soapbox)

See, a lot of first-time players miss the fact that they can contribute to the legwork phase. A single useful contact, or knowledge skills about the right thing, or even poking around in the right place... All of these bring in useful intel. And intel is gold in this game, at times more important than bullets.

You guys are going about it the right way, trying different things and seeing what works. And depending on how you go about it, even long shots can pay off. (Hell, Arkady's attempt to flirt and draw out the first ex-wife only had six dice in the pool. But of those, 4 were successes. 4!)

And if by some weird chance you've got absolutely no skills or contacts useful to the situation, you can always suggest ideas to the group. Someone else might have something useful that they didn't think of.

So yeah, don't ever think that you're not useful, dude. EVERYONE's useful. Some more so when the bullets start flying, but so it goes.
(Puts away soapbox)

[Thanatos 51-50]

And intel is gold in this game, at times more important than bullets.

*panics and hides his guns*
Don't let the bullets HEAR YOU! They'll be mad at Daddy!
Anyway:
Yeah, guys, we have a tonne of intel. We do need a plan of attack. Is my risky "Sabotage Jazz production" idea the only one out there so far?
The only other real plan I have is already effected (That's "Guide Lone Star into investigating Tina's CoD", in case you were wondering.)

[SuperMuldoon]

Yeah, guys, we have a tonne of intel. We do need a plan of attack. Is my risky "Sabotage Jazz production" idea the only one out there so far?
The only other real plan I have is already effected (That's "Guide Lone Star into investigating Tina's CoD", in case you were wondering.)

Well, so far I'm getting the idea that the guy loves hookers. I don't know if thats as frowned upon for a married high powered business man in the gritty future of shadowrun as it is in present day, but if it is, then I'm pretty sure if we can get some proof it will do as a nice scandal. As far as I know about the mission, the more things to ruin his reputation (but keep him out of jail) the better, yea?

As for the whole flirty thing, the whole time I was writing that post I was thinking how I should be a face to do this work! Anyway, I'm also glad that I can be useful in getting some info, but what I'm afraid of is I'm doing so well in this area, that when it comes to driving or something I'm going to smash into the only parked car in the parking lot :smallamused:

EDIT: Now I think Julie sounds like Harley Quinn :smalltongue: I think its now my duty to make enough nuyen to get her to stop being a hooker and start being my sidekick :smallbiggrin:

As for a real question, I believe my cybereyes came with camera function yeah? Now the strip club parking lot has jammers, but would I be able to get inside and snap some discreet shots with my eyes without being discovered? This is, of course, if he is going to be there tonight which I havent decided how I'm going to find out yet.

[Lost Demiurge]

As far as future culture goes, hookers aren't forbidden in Seattle. Unlicensed hookers are. But johns aren't prosecuted for frequenting unlicensed hookers, the Star sticks mainly to hauling in the unlicensed ones and pimps that run them. (On tax evasion and illegal business charges, usually. And also usually drug charges.)

However, in corporate culture (Which Eoin can tell you), visiting hookers while married is seriously frowned upon. And gets more frowned upon the higher you go up the chain. Doesn't look good, doesn't look family friendly if your CEO is seen doing lines of Nova off of a mistresses' thighs. Depending on the corp involved, they might frown on interracial relations, too.

(Doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Just that when it does, it's kept very quiet and handled discretely. Hell, most people expect a CEO to have a mistress on the side. As long as it doesn't draw public notice or get written up in the business tabloids, life goes on.)

(So in that aspect, it's a lot like today. :D )

EDIT: As far as the club goes, this is what Arkady's knowledges and relevant skills tell him;

Jamming cybereyes completely is illegal. So whatever they're using probably won't knock out your eyes. But cybereye cameras are common as dirt, so odds are good they've probably got a workaround there. Maybe a mix of AR and photonic scramblers to reduce detail to the point of uselessness.

But if they're only using jammers in the lot, then it's theoretically possible to get cybereye pictures of someone in the club. Of course if security's as on the ball as Julie says, odds are that they're doing something there to make things difficult, too. It might be doable, but without checking over the club, you've got no clue what obstacles they'll throw in your way. You're probably not the first guy to think of this approach for the club.

Then again, you DO have some spy drones. It's almost 100% certain that the place is AR shielded, but if you found a place to park yourself and got a hole or an access point, you might be able to drop a drone inside. Again, they might have thought of this too. No clue what kind of obstacles are in the way.

[SuperMuldoon]

However, in corporate culture (Which Eoin can tell you), visiting hookers while married is seriously frowned upon. And gets more frowned upon the higher you go up the chain. Doesn't look good, doesn't look family friendly if your CEO is seen doing lines of Nova off of a mistresses' thighs. Depending on the corp involved, they might frown on interracial relations, too.


Oh man, I have got to catch this guy doing that! Priceless! :smallbiggrin:

Oh, and I think I edited my above post right before you posted, so just check those questions :smallsmile:

[loopy]

Before Eoin heads to the Pharmadyne office, he cracks the ID card, substituting his picture for the one on the card, and replacing "Production Mix Supervisor" with whatever the futures equivalent of IT Network Administrator is.

He takes his time to do a careful job, but he'd really like to be in the building before lunch time.

[Krrth]

Just as an aside, the equipment book does have alternate means of controlling drones as long as you have line of sight. It involves a laser link, but it's there.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Hey, I just relised - we haven't established how dirty Whyte is. He's obviously dirty enough to help me out even after I left the corp, but are we talking "Kid playing in the sandbox" or "Passionate love affair with an Earth Elemental"?

[Lost Demiurge]

Hey, I just relised - we haven't established how dirty Whyte is. He's obviously dirty enough to help me out even after I left the corp, but are we talking "Kid playing in the sandbox" or "Passionate love affair with an Earth Elemental"?

Ha! I like those comparisons...

Figure... It's more of a loyalty thing with Whyte. He's basically good police, but he'll break the rules to help people he likes. And since you guys were pretty much a tag-team while you were in, you were both in some stuff that you don't want getting back to IA. Which is why he keeps on good terms with you, the stuff you could spill would hurt him. And vice-versa.

That work for you?

[Thanatos 51-50]

Ha! I like those comparisons...

Figure... It's more of a loyalty thing with Whyte. He's basically good police, but he'll break the rules to help people he likes. And since you guys were pretty much a tag-team while you were in, you were both in some stuff that you don't want getting back to IA. Which is why he keeps on good terms with you, the stuff you could spill would hurt him. And vice-versa.

That work for you?

Shiney! Works for me.
Also - I speak in metaphors. It bothers most people and I try to not let it through too much in RP'ing. Glad you liked this one, though. :smallbiggrin:

[SuperMuldoon]

Ok, well after some pondering, I think I have the semblance of a plan. Now, I need to find out if Thomas is going to actually be at the champaign room tonight, since this whole plan hinges on that. I was thinking of just either camping out near the club and see if I see his vehicle go in, or tail him from his place of residence...I'm still working on this part so any ideas are welcome :smallsmile:

Now if he is going to be there tonight, then I want to get inside, most likely legit by paying the rediculous cover - but if Eoin comes with me maybe he can work is social-fu and get us in. I don't really want to be turned away, plus Eoin has the nice fancy clothes and knows how to act, so Arkady can just follow his lead. Also I don't mind heading into this place 4 deep so we can all go and check out the show yea? Anyway, I plan on smuggling in my fly-spy drone inside my internal smuggling compartment, then heading into the bathroom in a stall and lock the door, sit down and let the drone go and 'jump in'. Then fly out into the club, get some footage of Thomas doing Nova off of hookers naked bodies, get the drone back inside my compartment, party it up, and then head home job well done. What do you think guys?

[Krrth]

It has possibilities.

I'm working on the angle that if he's been paying this much to the church, there has to be a reason. That, and he's been a bad boy. If we can find out what sins he's been paying for, we can narrow down our search for dirt.

[loopy]

Posting my sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=137790).

[Lost Demiurge]

SM, bear in mind that you've got two nights to finish the job, and three if you want to forgo any bonus. So if you want to catch him in the Champaign room, you've got a larger window than you assume.

Also, since you guys are beginners, I'll throw this out for consideration.

If you want him in the club, and he might not necessarily be going there within your available window, how can you rig things so that he goes there during your window?

[SuperMuldoon]

SM, bear in mind that you've got two nights to finish the job, and three if you want to forgo any bonus. So if you want to catch him in the Champaign room, you've got a larger window than you assume.

Also, since you guys are beginners, I'll throw this out for consideration.

If you want him in the club, and he might not necessarily be going there within your available window, how can you rig things so that he goes there during your window?

Ack, for some reason I thought that this was the last night we had for the first part of the job to be finished! Sorry about the confusion. Still gotta think about how to get him into the club without it leading back to me :smallcool:

[Lost Demiurge]

Alright, folks. It's been quiet for a day.

Are we still cool?

You've set two reputation-tarnishing tactics into motion. If you want, you could phone it in now and tell Lojack to set up a meet and see if that's enough.

Or you could follow up on some of the other stuff you uncovered, like the Champaign Room or the church. Or do something else, if you wanted.

Ball's in your court, compadres.

[SuperMuldoon]

Well I want to go forward with the champaign room tactic if I can figure out how to get the guy there, but if we already have two solid reputation tarnishing tactics going already, it might be a good idea to save it in case we can use it for the bonus mission? What do you guys think?

[loopy]

Well I want to go forward with the champaign room tactic if I can figure out how to get the guy there, but if we already have two solid reputation tarnishing tactics going already, it might be a good idea to save it in case we can use it for the bonus mission? What do you guys think?

Well Eoin was just heading back to his apartment to wait until the rest of you guys were finished with your things for the day, seeing as we were all on different times.

Eoin could almost definitely get himself in the Champaign room, but getting Corner there... Well, I haven't thought of anything yet.

And while we have two ideas set up, I don't really feel like either of them are as life-crushing as they could be.

Any ideas?

[SuperMuldoon]

Yeah, I think if we got him at the champaign room it would really put the screws to him. Just have to think "what would make me go to the champaign room" and then get that to happen to Corner :smallamused: Maybe get that other hooker chick to invite him out, or buy a free pass for him good only for the one night we want him there? (gift certificate for a lapdance? :smalltongue:)

[loopy]

If we could slip him some Leal in one of his drinks, we could have compromising pictures taken with some of the help (I'm thinking a male troll or two, personally). Added bonus, the drug makes you forget the last 2 hours, so we'd pretty much be golden as far as him remembering the night and trying to limit the damage.

[Krrth]

Either way is good with me. We can continue with the church if we'd like to, but it's going to require skill Borric doesn't have.

[loopy]

Either way is good with me. We can continue with the church if we'd like to, but it's going to require skill Borric doesn't have.

Whats been happening at the church? What did you find?

[Lost Demiurge]

Either way is good with me. We can continue with the church if we'd like to, but it's going to require skill Borric doesn't have.

Speaking of skill...

Don't forget that Borric can astrally scout locations. If you're trying to safely get a look at various places... Like, f'r instance, the Champaign club, or that pharma plant that Nikolai was eyeing, an astral fly-through is quick and usually not too dangerous. It won't provide all the information that a drone infiltration or physical entry might, but it's relatively easy for a mage to do.

[SuperMuldoon]

Speaking of skill...

Don't forget that Borric can astrally scout locations. If you're trying to safely get a look at various places... Like, f'r instance, the Champaign club, or that pharma plant that Nikolai was eyeing, an astral fly-through is quick and usually not too dangerous. It won't provide all the information that a drone infiltration or physical entry might, but it's relatively easy for a mage to do.

That...that's really smart :smallredface:

[Lost Demiurge]

That...that's really smart :smallredface:

Eh, you guys are beginners. S'why I bring it up, a lot of starting magician players miss the whole Astral angle.

So, is Arkady putting a drone up, or doing something else to investigate the club? If so, post it in the IG thread. If not, we'll move on.

[Krrth]

Eh, you guys are beginners. S'why I bring it up, a lot of starting magician players miss the whole Astral angle.

So, is Arkady putting a drone up, or doing something else to investigate the club? If so, post it in the IG thread. If not, we'll move on.

Heh. I keep forgetting about that.

Maybe because the first time I tried it my character got jumped by a shaman sitting in the next building with a bound earth spirit.

The second time involved two mages sitting and doing nothing but playing lookout for just that.

If it's ok. Borric will tag along and astrally scout while the rigger does hit thing.

Loopy: Borric didn't find anything specific, just a lead towards a frame job. Sins have a specific cost (and price list!). If we can get his financial records and match them with the church's, we can pinpoint just what he's be do ing.

[Lost Demiurge]

Heh. I keep forgetting about that.

Maybe because the first time I tried it my character got jumped by a shaman sitting in the next building with a bound earth spirit.

The second time involved two mages sitting and doing nothing but playing lookout for just that.

If it's ok. Borric will tag along and astrally scout while the rigger does hit thing.

Loopy: Borric didn't find anything specific, just a lead towards a frame job. Sins have a specific cost (and price list!). If we can get his financial records and match them with the church's, we can pinpoint just what he's be do ing.

Ouch! Sounds like you had an over-controlling GM. 2 Mages playing lookout? That's a very big investment to just have sitting around. Mages are uncommon at best, and not cheap to use for most corps, syndicates, or gangs.

Anyway, no worries. In the interests of keeping things moving, I'll assume you and Arkady coordinated this.

[SuperMuldoon]

Ouch! Sounds like you had an over-controlling GM. 2 Mages playing lookout? That's a very big investment to just have sitting around. Mages are uncommon at best, and not cheap to use for most corps, syndicates, or gangs.

Anyway, no worries. In the interests of keeping things moving, I'll assume you and Arkady coordinated this.

Yeah, I could have picked him up in my van (want some candy? :smallamused:) and taken him to the club before or after my drone recon.

[Krrth]

Ouch! Sounds like you had an over-controlling GM. 2 Mages playing lookout? That's a very big investment to just have sitting around. Mages are uncommon at best, and not cheap to use for most corps, syndicates, or gangs.

Anyway, no worries. In the interests of keeping things moving, I'll assume you and Arkady coordinated this.

Heh. Considering I wasn't allowed to buy a sustaining fetish during character creation (for the extra init pass without penalties) because it was too powerful....but the troll street sam had three init passes...I suspect they just don't like mages.

[SuperMuldoon]

Hey guys, just letting you know I'm going on a spontaneous trip to Atlantic City so I won't be back until Sunday. If you need Arkady to do anything, he's basically gonna share the info he go from his drone with everyone and then go on the date with Sara and try to find out anything else he can.

[loopy]

So... What do I know about faking ident-cards?

[Thanatos 51-50]

Well, we have a working ID card, and it's basically a RFID tag emitting certain signals, right? Shouldn't be too difficult with a blank tag, right?
Plus, blank RFID tags are like, one nuyen.

[Lost Demiurge]

Apologies for the delay in response... Ill as a dog right now. Will try to post tomorrow or Monday.

[Lost Demiurge]

Thanatos has the right of it... For something like duplicating the card you've got, it's not going to be too difficult. Just time consuming. Figure you'll need 10 successes over time for each card, with each roll of hacking plus the Encryption program taking an hour.

Ooh, wait. You don't have the encryption program. Well, no worries... That's common use. Drop 400 nuyen and download a deluxe encryption program, and it's doable.

Mind you, if you just counterfeit up a bunch of cards and fill them with made-up information, then the information that you use to fill in the fields on those cards won't be tied to anything else. So they'll be good for looking like you belong in a Pharmadyne facility.... They won't be good for getting through secure doors or through guard checkpoints unless you back up the false cards with good information.

[Lost Demiurge]

Alright, looks like we've stalled a bit.

Anyone got anything they want to do over nightfall?

[SuperMuldoon]

You know what I'm doin :smallwink:

giggity giggity?

Ok sorry...:smalltongue:

[loopy]

Alright, looks like we've stalled a bit.

Anyone got anything they want to do over nightfall?

Well, I guess I'll go over and see Ami. :smallsmile:

[Krrth]

Alright, looks like we've stalled a bit.

Anyone got anything they want to do over nightfall?

Get a beer and call it a night?

[Lost Demiurge]

Roger. Crawling to an early bed now, will post tomorrow. Will also advance the time to the morning of the second day, IG.

I DO highly recommend that y'all talk about what you'd like to do, work out a few plans. Y'know, without me. :D

[Thanatos 51-50]

Alright, looks like we've stalled a bit.

Anyone got anything they want to do over nightfall?

Um, send my father his Christmas gift, veg out and watch some trids, and maybe clean mah guns.

[loopy]

Oh nice finds, Arkady!

[SuperMuldoon]

hehe I totally didn't realize I wrote book, now I feel silly:smallredface: But now we got some good photo dirt! And Great Books Inc.! :smallbiggrin:

So guys, think this is enough dirt? Part of me still wants to do some stuff at the Champaign room, but we've been at this a while and I also kinda want to move on with this job. What's the consensus? Anybody got any other ideas?

[Krrth]

hehe I totally didn't realize I wrote book, now I feel silly:smallredface: But now we got some good photo dirt! And Great Books Inc.! :smallbiggrin:

So guys, think this is enough dirt? Part of me still wants to do some stuff at the Champaign room, but we've been at this a while and I also kinda want to move on with this job. What's the consensus? Anybody got any other ideas?

Well, it would really depend on the metatype. Elf and Dwarf types aren't really that "bad". Orcs might get a raised eyebrow, and trolls would be a little odd.

If it were a Ghoul his career is gone.

[SuperMuldoon]

Well, it would really depend on the metatype. Elf and Dwarf types aren't really that "bad". Orcs might get a raised eyebrow, and trolls would be a little odd.

If it were a Ghoul his career is gone.

Yeah, thats why I'm thinking of still hitting up the Champaign Room, as sort of the icing on the cake

[Lost Demiurge]

Well, it would really depend on the metatype. Elf and Dwarf types aren't really that "bad". Orcs might get a raised eyebrow, and trolls would be a little odd.

If it were a Ghoul his career is gone.

There's orcs, trolls, and dwarves. Less elves, but there's a couple there. No ghouls. Sleazy as the bar looks, it doesn't look THAT low.

[Krrth]

There's orcs, trolls, and dwarves. Less elves, but there's a couple there. No ghouls. Sleazy as the bar looks, it doesn't look THAT low.

Heh. I would have been surprised if it was. Now, if we're really lucky, some of those pics have a time stamp....which corresponds to a time in which he was married.

If we're really, really lucky, he had a child with one of them.

[Lost Demiurge]

You're not that lucky.

Arkady DOES notice that there are no time stamps. He also notices that the photos are... Weird. There's no digital integration at all visible on them, even with his cybereyes at highest resolution. They're also much lower quality than he's used to seeing.

EDIT: Also, the Thomas in the photos looks about as old as he is today, assuming his file's picture is accurate.

[Lost Demiurge]

Alright, guys. Now what?

[SuperMuldoon]

Well, now that I have Thomas Corners phone number, maybe we can call him up and pretend to be the champaign room giving him a free ticket for the night, or something along those lines to ensure that he will be there. After the scouting, I was thinking I could get my fly spy drone in through the fireplace vent (as long as fire doesn't hurt them) or we can infiltrate and sneak in through the door that leads to the mall. Once there we get him WASTED and take pictures of him doing nova off of naked women. Oh and record him saying something dumb like "IM THOMAS CORNER AND I SUUUUUUUUUUUCK!" :smallbiggrin:

[Krrth]

Heh. Assuming those pics are shown to Borric, the first question he'll ask is "How old are those? Is it possible those belong to his father?".

[SuperMuldoon]

haha yeah those pics are shown to everyone. There was something odd about them though, probably should do some work on them, but I still think our best shot is to get actual proof ourselves and just use the rest of the info as support for it.

maybe corner is really, really old and uses that gene therapy stuff to keep himself looking how he does now? maybe its A CLONE?!?! Could he have multiple him's running around?

[Thanatos 51-50]

Idea regarding champagin room.
If it's possible to get Nik hired as a bouncer for the night as a temporary measure, he could let the rest of the team in under whatever guise they wanna work.
It's going to require A) The CR needing an extra pair of hands that night, whether it's their current guy calling in sick that day or whatever, and B) Somebody to sell Nik as a good bouncer-type who'll work for relatively little pay for a night. Since it's a one-off job and a means to an end, Nik could undercut any other hired gun's prices for the job.
Not sure how feasible it is with the CR's staff, but a thought I'm throwing out there.

[SuperMuldoon]

Thats not a bad idea, it would get us in and if neccessary give us an out if things get crazy or it hits the fan. We'd have to make sure one of the regular bouncers get sick and then present you in a way that wouldn't make them suspicious.

[loopy]

Might have been a go last night, but not any more. He won't come to the Champaign Room during the day, not as an exec.

Anyway, looks like we've hit a bit of a roadbump. Come on guys, lets keep this game alive!

[Lost Demiurge]

Amen. I put a fair chunk of work into this one, hate to see it go quietly into that good night. But we're already blowing the posting rate that I set...

Look. If no one has any ideas, then all 4 of you say so NOW, and we'll move on. If you DO have something to follow up on, post what you're doing IC. If you're not sure of it, discuss it here.

C'mon, people. One of the glorious things about Shadowrun is that the GM doesn't do all the heavy lifting. Your turn now!

[SuperMuldoon]

Yeah I definitely don't want the game to die :smallfrown:

My only other idea is to get in touch with Great Books Inc. and see if we can get some info out of them about the pictures.

[Krrth]

As an ooc aside (Borric wouldn't really think of it), there are a few things to look at: The "age" of the pictures. If our mark has a ork or troll as one parent it's embarrassing. Same as if he had a child with one of his "pick-ups".

If he's taken credit for any good works though his church, and he really payed someone else to do it for him, it's embarrassing.

We could also "funnel" money in his name and have someone use his ID and do something very embarrassing.

[Thanatos 51-50]

One vote for calling up Lojak and arranging a meet. Part one is done, theres nothing else we can do with the time limits.

[SuperMuldoon]

This is why I had you call Loopy, I would have totally bombed the call...but I know you can salvage it! Social-fu...GO! :smallbiggrin:

If we can't get anything out of great books, then I'm tapped for ideas...at least ones that can be done within the time limit.

[Krrth]

Same here. Although, if we can show he left his Ex destitute, it might be worth something...

[Lost Demiurge]

Alright, we'll give it one more day real-time for Loopy to respond. If he doesn't, then we'll skip to the meet.

No worries gang! Hang in there, we'll pick up shortly, I think.

[Krrth]

Alright, we'll give it one more day real-time for Loopy to respond. If he doesn't, then we'll skip to the meet.

No worries gang! Hang in there, we'll pick up shortly, I think.

It's all good. With any luck, this weekend won't end with me getting snowed home.

Having only one access point for the 'net sucks, especially when the wife wants to use it.....

[loopy]

Sorry guys, I started a new job this week. 14 hour days and a stomach bug isn't a good combination.

[Lost Demiurge]

Sorry guys, I started a new job this week. 14 hour days and a stomach bug isn't a good combination.

Sorry to hear it. Do you wish to drop or take a leave of absence?

[SuperMuldoon]

:smalleek: Feel better loopy!

[Krrth]

Sorry guys, I started a new job this week. 14 hour days and a stomach bug isn't a good combination.

Indeed, that seems to be going around here as well. Get well, drink lots of liquids, and try to get some sleep.

[loopy]

Sorry to hear it. Do you wish to drop or take a leave of absence?

Well the only problem is that I'm only going to be available on weekends until the 18th, due to all my Mon-Fri time being taken up by work. After the 18th, I'll have moved down to a place closer to work, and will actually be able to have some time to relax during the week.

Ah, the joys of ones first full time job. Sorry for holding the game up!

(Btw, finally kicked the stomach bug) :smallsmile:

[Lost Demiurge]

Well the only problem is that I'm only going to be available on weekends until the 18th, due to all my Mon-Fri time being taken up by work. After the 18th, I'll have moved down to a place closer to work, and will actually be able to have some time to relax during the week.

Ah, the joys of ones first full time job. Sorry for holding the game up!

(Btw, finally kicked the stomach bug) :smallsmile:

Glad to hear you're feeling better!

Alright. As you're going to be busy until the 18th, let's put the game on pause until 19 February.

Anyone opposed?

[SuperMuldoon]

its fine with me!

[Thanatos 51-50]

Busyweek, which is busy, causes me to approve, in all my business.

[Krrth]

'Tis fine with me.

[loopy]

Well, its the 20th, but I'm about to post again, provided we are all cool with that?

[Krrth]

Well, its the 20th, but I'm about to post again, provided we are all cool with that?

I'm good with it. Welcome back!

[Lost Demiurge]

Yep. Let's roll!

[Krrth]

Yep. Let's roll!

Heh. Judging by the IC thread, it looks like we forgot to do something.....Ah well.

[SuperMuldoon]

oops...:smallredface:

Maybe I should excuse myself to the bathroom and quickly post them up on some relevant message boards...

edit: well, thats probably not the best idea I've ever come up with...:smallredface:

[Thanatos 51-50]

Nikolai is like a talking textbook.
I guess that's what happens when you memorise textbooks by looking at them and have a computer in your head. :smallsigh:

[Thanatos 51-50]

Urm... Can I check ya aulde in-game watch?
Specifically, how close is it to Christmas and how much is it going to cost to hire a babysitter to take care of Whyte's kid?

[Lost Demiurge]

S' the night of the 23rd, I believe. One more shopping day to go!

You might be able to find a babysitter for cheap. Probably wouldn't cost you more than 10 nuyen.

[Lost Demiurge]

Alright! Congrats on completing the first part. Little rougher than I thought, but I'll know that for the next time.

Everyone gain 4 karma.

You have probably a day or two. Is there anything that you wish to attempt to purchase? Any follow-up work you'd like to do? Anything you'd like to hit your contacts up for?

Give it some thought and let me know. I'll put the intro post for part 2 up on the weekend.

At this juncture, does anyone have any questions, issues, discussions, ideas, or criticisms for the game? Don't be afraid to sound off, I'm more or less a professional and very hard to offend.

[Krrth]

Alright! Congrats on completing the first part. Little rougher than I thought, but I'll know that for the next time.

Everyone gain 4 karma.

You have probably a day or two. Is there anything that you wish to attempt to purchase? Any follow-up work you'd like to do? Anything you'd like to hit your contacts up for?

Give it some thought and let me know. I'll put the intro post for part 2 up on the weekend.

At this juncture, does anyone have any questions, issues, discussions, ideas, or criticisms for the game? Don't be afraid to sound off, I'm more or less a professional and very hard to offend.

No issues I can think of. The biggest thing for me is personal, in that I really need to sit down and go back through the magic system.

As for contacts, gear, or follow up work I'll think about that when I get home and see what I come up with.

I'm having fun, so no worries on that score.

[SuperMuldoon]

Alright! Congrats on completing the first part. Little rougher than I thought, but I'll know that for the next time.

Everyone gain 4 karma.

You have probably a day or two. Is there anything that you wish to attempt to purchase? Any follow-up work you'd like to do? Anything you'd like to hit your contacts up for?

Give it some thought and let me know. I'll put the intro post for part 2 up on the weekend.

At this juncture, does anyone have any questions, issues, discussions, ideas, or criticisms for the game? Don't be afraid to sound off, I'm more or less a professional and very hard to offend.

I think the only thing Arkady is going to do is hang out with Julie and celebrate a job well done and maybe hit the town, and then stop by Dillon's garage to tune up the van and the drones, just make sure everything is in working order, in tip top shape for part 2 of the mission.

As for the whole game, I'm having a good time! I think I'm just getting used to how the game works so I'm still indecisive about a lot of actions I should be taking, I'm always afraid I'm missing something obvious.

[Lost Demiurge]

And, we are go!

Last chance to spend any of that karma you just got... If you'd rather hang onto it, that's fine as well.

Figure that since this is a PbP, I'll be handing out a bit more karma than I would normally. This helps alleviate the fact that PbP's take a long-arse time to get through sessions.

[SuperMuldoon]

I'll probably hang on to the karma...I'm not sure what I would want to spend it on right now, so maybe I'll have a better idea after part 2 :smallsmile:

[Thanatos 51-50]

My availability will become a bit shotty in the near future.
In depth explanation should you desire it here. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=8006835#post8006835)

[Lost Demiurge]

Ah! I understand. Thank you for letting us know...

I wish you luck with the road ahead. And those times you can show, we'll be thankful for your presence.

[Krrth]

My availability will become a bit shotty in the near future.
In depth explanation should you desire it here. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=8006835#post8006835)

Good luck. Hope to see you back in the near future.

[SuperMuldoon]

I got the best plan guys! All we do is go up to Mr & Mrs. Corner and "Hi, excuse me, but...does this smell like chloroform to you?"

MISSION COMPLETE

:smallbiggrin:

[Krrth]

I got the best plan guys! All we do is go up to Mr & Mrs. Corner and "Hi, excuse me, but...does this smell like chloroform to you?"

MISSION COMPLETE

:smallbiggrin:

That's rather funny.

Seriously though, we should look at luring her out of the house. I doubt she's as heavily protected as he is.

[SuperMuldoon]

Yeah, luring out the wife is probably the best idea, then we can just grab her and run. Thomas however, is going to be a little tougher with his bodyguard. We gotta grab him when the guard isn't expecting it...this requires some pondering!