Shadowruns

Shadowruns are randomly generated- each follows a basic template, to which certain variables are then generated. The resulting Shadowrun will earn Karma depending on the difficulty of the job, and nuyen depending on the Negotiation skill and difficulty of the job.

 

Courier

The easiest of all the Runs. Only two variables exist in this type of Run. Where to pick up the package, and where to deliver it. You will be paid upon delivery of the package. For a Courier Run from Gunderson, you'll get 1 Karma. A Courier Run from Mortimer or Julius, which often requires a Taxi ride or two, offers 2 Karma.

 

Bodyguard

A slightly more difficult Run. But not very. You'll pick up someone at one location, then escort them to another. If attacked on the streets, they'll target you, not your client. In fact, the client is not even a consideration, unless you cut loose with a grenade. The client will pay you upon safe delivery. Karmic compensation is the same as for Courier Runs.

 

Ghoul Bounty

A real money maker, for the low level Shadowrunner with a decent combat skill. Not much for Karmic compensation, but a high enough Negotiation skill can get you as much as 200¥ a head, up to a total of 20 ghouls. Basically, you find an abandoned building, walk around inside it, and wait for Ghouls to attack you. Ghouls are the bright blue humanoids- other creatures killed will not earn you a reward. 1 Karma for the Run. WARNING: A glitch sometimes causes the Johnson to think you haven't fulfilled your objectives, no matter how many Ghouls you've killed. It can be... irritating, sometimes...

 

Enforcement

The simplest of the Runs- only one variable. Who do you have to go rough up? You'll be sent to one of the three gangs within the city, and make a humble request. The response- an inevitable showdown against four street toughs at once. Take them all down, then return to the Johnson for 2 Karma and your payment.

 

Acquisition

This Run is reminiscient of a fantasy game dungeon crawl. It's you and possibly your friends, against a skyscraper filled with heavily armed guards, security systems, and even Hell Hound guard dogs. And as any dungeon crawler can attest, it's suicide to go on this kind of a Run without sufficiently advanced skills and equipment- and I'm not just talking about guns and how to use them. First, let's look at the security systems. These come in three parts. The first, the cameras, scan back and forth, and if they see you when you're in their path, they'll trigger the second part- the alarm. The alarm causes the elevators to lockdown, preventing you from changing floors, as Corps security (read: heavily armed thugs) come searching for you, guns blazing. How to avoid? Three ways. The first, when first entering a building, is to wait until the camera looks away, then pass, or to walk directly underneath the camera. The second is to locate a pair of monitors, kept side by side. These terminals may be hacked into, shutting down the security cameras, as well as any active alarms. Doing so requires the Electronics skill. The third is to find a single monitor, which will connect you to the Matrix system for that Corps. Shut down the CPU, and the whole alarm system goes out with them. The third electronic security measure is the electronic locks on many of the doors. These can be shut down the same way that the Cameras are shut down, with Electronics skill. You can also open them with a Maglock Passkey(sort of like a magic key from a Fantasy game), or an Electronic Kit in conjuction with Electronics skill to pick the lock. Or you could just use a Frag grenade and set off a general alarm... The second problem, the guards, can be avoided- either by hiding, a la Metal Gear, or through use of the Invisibility spell. If you're feeling fairly bloodthirsty, you can kill them- but take care. If you use an unsilenced gun, you'll set off an immediate alert. And if you don't take them out with the FIRST shot, they'll sound the alarm themselves. To kill a guard, walk behind them- as with Metal Gear, they only see what's in front of them; then punch their clocks. You can also use a faked Corps I.D. badge to breeze your way past the guards- though this requires a high Charisma. And if they stop to verify that badge, it might not pass muster. Or you could fast talk your way past them anyway- but that takes even higher Charisma and a LOT of luck. Now for the problem of finding the package! There's two ways. Way one is to search every floor, opening every safe you see, until you finally find the package. This is time consuming and difficult. The second, better way, is to find those paired monitors, and use a HIGH Electronics skill to find files that tell you what floor the package is on, then go to that floor and open wall safes. This requires higher Electronics skill than for simply shutting down the security systems- sort of like getting a critical hit on a successful roll, with the chances increasing with the skill level. In addition, you'll face random encounters, same as on the street. Possible encounters include a "company man," or fast rising executive, flicking a toothpick at you to demonstrate his superiority, and you being given a choice of how to respond; a pretty young secretary tapping you on the shoulder and demanding to know what you're doing- you either knock her out and hide her, or she runs away and sounds the alarm; a worker who may be asked for information on your target; and if you're in Renraku, then Renraku security might round the corner, then scream, "it's Joshua! Don't let him get away!" and an immediate alert sounds. Once you find the package, make your way out the entrance. Run ends when you hand the package to your Johnson. Simple Runs against "ordinary" corps will net you 3 Karma, while the hard ones against Renraku will earn you 6 Karma for a successful mission.

 

Extraction

Same as an Acquisition. Only the Acquisitions are comparable to delving into a dungeon to find the Magic Sword/Mystic Key/Rat's Tail, whereas Extractions are more in the nature of "rescue the princess trapped in the dungeon." Except that this princess is a hotshot employee, who wants to switch employers- and the Corps doesn't look kindly on this. Corps actually train many employees from childhood in the Shadowrun universe- a child will attend a Corporate school (no public schools anymore), and even attend college at a prestigious university at Corps expense, in return for automatic employment upon graduation. Sometimes this employment turns out to be virtual slavery- complete with armed guards watching their every move; other times it's more of a middle ground- guards to keep you from straying, but good pay and attractive Playfems (or Playmales) to keep you loyal. Either way, the highly qualified Princess-of-sorts wants to be the captive of some other Dark Lord with a more sumptuous prison cell, and you've been called in to get him out of there. You locate the client exactly as you would a package, save that he'll be waiting in one of the rooms of the floor indicated by the double monitors. Walk into him to talk to him (this can be a little tricky, you have to walk straight into his center mass), and then he'll follow you, just like with a Bodyguard Run. Once you exit, a tiny helicopter built for two zooms down, the pilot straps your client in, gives you a thumbs up, and zooms off. Talk to your Johnson for the reward.

 

Matrix Runs

These are the REAL monemakers, the Runs that will earn you the most money. See the Matrix section for a detailed description. The Matrix is enough to be a seperate game in and of itself- and not just a "minigame," either. Simple Matrix Runs are 2 Karma, intermediate Runs are 3, and the Red Light Matrix Runs are 5 Karma.

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