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View Full Version : Appropriate Punishment for Character



MaxMahem
2007-11-09, 01:30 AM
I've recently started up a Shadowrun 4th edition game again. Shadowrun has always been my favorite setting, and it was my first RPG ever, so it seems to be what I do best. As is seemingly typical for Shadowrun games the PCs get themselves into trouble. ALOT. This is to be expected when you play a game focused on braking and circumventing the law.

However, I never had a player go so far as to get his character arrested before he even got to the first meeting with the fixer. Until the first session of this new campaign. The PC in question is a VERY large troll by the street name of "Bubba" kind of a country boy who came to the big city for work and adventure. Were playing in a semi-hombrewed version of New York City.

Anyways, 'Bubba' gets a call from his contact and is told that a fixer wants to speak to him about possibly getting him some work. The meet is set in Central Park on Manhattan. In my setting (as in cannon) Manhattan is generally a very high security neighborhood. Ranging from AAA to A (in SR3 terms). I informed all the players of this.

Bubba decides that he needs to bring his horrendous STR Min 10 bow (It deals 12P, more damage than a Panther Cannon), and were his 'forest' pattern camouflage. I remind Bubba's player that this is only a meet with the fixer and that the huge bow, while technically legal, will probably get him some extra and unwanted police attention (this is a bow that can only be fired by the strongest unaugmented Trolls and so has got to be absolutely massive, again the damage it does is sick). Bubba decides to ignore this advice.

Next I query all the players on how they will get to Manhattan (access is semi-restricted, at least for most car traffic, need a special permit to drive on the island, fairly easy to get). Bubba decides to take the subway. I again point out to Bubba that the subway, especially in Manhattan is bound to have at least some police presence, and they will likely want to have a little talk with any persons trying to bring such a large and deadly weapon into the city. Bubba persist with his plan. As a last ditch attempt I have Bubba's player make a logic+intuition test, planning to force Bubba to leave the weapons behind (attributing this his character sense of common sense). Alas, Bubba is profoundly stupid, and rolls a critical failure. I sigh and tell him Bubba thinks it s a good idea.

The next set of events fall as you might expect. Even in the dangerous neighborhood Bubba lives in people are freaked out by the Troll in forest camo carrying a huge bow. I have Bubba make some perception checks, and tell him that he notices several people looking fearfully at him and speaking into their commlinks. Bubba ignores this subtle warning.

So, as Bubba changes station in a more upbeat crowded neighborhood, he finds himself surrounded by NYPD (who in my homebrew still run security in NYC). Who politely ask him if he wouldn't mind coming and having a word with him (hands on guns at the time). Miraculously, Bubba complies. A short walk later they wind up in a nearby security station, where they ask 'Bubba' to have a seat. He complies agian, and the Police politely inquire as to where Bubba is going and why he is carrying such a huge and lethal bow with him. Bubba, ever the charismatic one, responds that he is going 'squirrel hunting' in Central Park.

Concerned, the police ask to see his ID. At this point I should also point out that Bubba also has to massive obvious cyberlimbs. These limbs are augmented way beyond legal limits, and bubba (being a sinless shadowrunner) does not have permits for them, fake or otherwise. As well as the licenses for his cyberlimbs. Bubba's ID is a medicore rating 2 fake, and as I pointed out he has no permits for his limbs. Upon detecting Bubba's fake ID and absence of permits for the cyberlimbs, the police decide to put Bubba under arrest.

At this point Bubba objects, and makes to fight the police. Thankfully for Bubba, I roll well on the 4 cops initiative, and the 4 of them manage to tazer him down before he can get an action. So Bubba winds up in jail, before the mission has really even started.

----

Anyways to be the nice GM that am. Or at least to try and balance out the evil that I will certainly inflict later, I deiced to let Bubba of easy, _this time_. I mean we hadn't even started the mission yet and he was already not going to be able to participate. The fixer that wanted to employ him pulled a few strings and got Bubba of on some minor charges (unlicensed possession of cyberware, unlicensed deadly weapon (ironicly again the cyberlimbs), ect...). He winds up with the Criminal SIN disadvantage, along with a point of Notoriety. The Police also confiscate (I'm sorry, accidentally 'lose') the bow and armor. And the fixer picks him up in time to join in with the mission (after informing him that this run would be free, and that Bubba still owed her big time). The fixer does manage to get him back his limbs however.

---

Anyways the rest of the mission proceeded without to much incident, though there was another minor run in with the NYPD. Which got me to thinking, what exactly should be the extent of the punishement the city would inflict on him. I've already decided there should be a fine (not sure how big), and that Bubba would be on Parol. What I'm most interest in is what you guys think the terms of his Parol should be.

Obviously another consequence of his Criminal SIN is that the police now have a recored of his DNA and fingerprints and all that, so whenever he commits another crime...

Swordguy
2007-11-09, 01:44 AM
That's probably about right. Being SINless means whatever the cops (read: you) want to do to him is perfectly legal. However, I'm pretty sure that the bow may actually BE legal (or at least, possession is worth only a minor fine), ergot confiscating it may not be the best idea.

Up until he started to fight, he probably should have checked to see if he could pay for a "short-term permit (read: bribe).

Also, if he's a new player, give him a few breaks. If he's played SR for more than a dozen sessions (about the time when players start to "get it" on legality issues), then feel free. Nail him to the wall...

tyckspoon
2007-11-09, 01:46 AM
I would probably use it as an alternate in to events for Bubba to participate in. The city has a freakish strength-monster whose continued freedom is completely at their mercy.. in other words, a resource. Have them send Bubba along on raids and similar where they need a door-opener and a bullet absorber, or have the city pay Bubba's running team to do the job for them (they don't have to pay Bubba.) If Bubba survives (X) number of these jobs, he's completed his parole. If he did a really good job, the police might even 'forget' to investigate other minor crimes he does.

The rest of the team might be a little annoyed if they didn't want to do street-level action, but nuyen is nuyen and it can't hurt to have an in with the authorities.. if they're lucky, Bubba will get himself killed anyway and the next character will be a bit smarter.

Xuincherguixe
2007-11-09, 08:54 AM
At some point he's going to want to hire a hacker to eliminate his criminal records.

That's going to be pretty costly, and is probably an appropriate level of punishment.

At this point, he hasn't done anything TOO noteworthy, such as say standing on a pile of bodies and declaring himself Lord Thrognar, master of Central Park and then running around covered in fish. The cops themselves probably don't care enough about their jobs if information on him suddenly vanished. The Cyberlimbs are probably more a concern than the Bow. But you can be a bit forgiving and say they're especially apathetic cops.


If he draws too much attention in the future, it might not be so much of a possibility.


In the future, he might want to use the lie that he's a practitioner of martial arts archery, and he's going to class. If necessary, he could also be carrying a uniform on him. Who uses a bow these days? It's makes more sense than he's just randomly carrying a bow for no particular reason.

If he really feels a need to go around carrying weapons, tell him to use concealed ones. Maybe even give the guy a bow that can be taken apart so as to make it easier to hide if he really feels the need. Though throwing knives are probably the least likely to draw attention.

He should get some better fake ID too. You may want to go so far as to have some cop show up who's really working for the Mafia (they're still big in New York), who'll arrange to get him one if he pulls a few jobs. The Mafia is after all probably more trustworthy than the police :P