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RANT ABOUT SPANT
I am now only going to be running one Shadowrun campaign with
these people because the other group I was running just plain
out disgusted me. (The rest of this is just going to be bashing
of that group and what a group should not resemble, so if you
don't want to read this, now is your chance to leave).
OK, first of all, the main problem of that group was an immature
person who has no concept of roleplaying. We will call this person
SPANT
! He basically made up all the characters for the group. Then
he gave everyone a character to play. Here are the following
problems I had with this group:
#1. There was no concept for the characters prior to there creation,
SPANT
just took things that he believed "every" runner needed.
So then, the people who would play these characters had no way
to tell what they were like, no backgrounds made, NO CONCEPT!
#2.
SPANT
gave all the characters the exact same skills, weapons, gear,
vehicles, skills, and almost attributes. Then, when they
could not roll enough successes to find pertinant information,
he blamed me for making it "too" difficult. I merely replied
that if one person makes all the characters clones, then of
course your group would be lacking in some skill categories.
For example, every character in the group could use almost any
weapon unbelievable well, but the highest etiquette in the
group was 3 (and it was a specialization).
#3. Also, when
SPANT
made the characters he believed that equipment and gear was
a shadowrunners salvation. Not true, I will never kill any
character who has a background and a clear, good concept.
So all of their characters had the exact same contacts, only
2 level one contacts throughout the group. And guess what?
Every character had a fixer and an arms dealer as a contact.
Not my fault guys, I said information is a powerful tool in
Shadowrun.
#4.
SPANT
also gave ever character an encephelon, which in third edition
is extremely powerful. It basically adds half its level to
the characters knowledge skills. So
SPANT
would take the characters intelligence times 5 (the normal
alotted amount of skill points) in level 1 skills + the
encephelon of course. So each character had an average of
30 skills at level 3. But,
SPANT
still gave all the characters all the same skills, and his
justification for this is the fact that at least everyone
has a chance if one of the group members fail. But once
again, the skill levels were too low to be of any effect
because they were not able to get enough successes. =P
#5. No one in the group wanted to take notes, so they ended up
"making" a young player take notes with their instructions to
write down all important information. Unfortunately, the fact
they were relying on a young player to record all information
for the group ended up in them not having a complete (or even
remotely useful) set of notes. Every player should be taking
notes because that way some players might pick up or interpret
something someone else did not.
#6. After running the group through a bought adventure (Dragon Hunt)
some of the characters decided to take there main weapons to
the Seattle General Hospital for the meet (from HP to well over
SMG class weapons). Well Lonestar immediately arrested the
characters who had the obvious weapons and confiscated all of
their equipment. One character lost his customized HP and
decided that he no longer wanted to play his character because
he lost a gun, poor baby. The players were doing stupid little
things like this all night long. Then when I asked whose vehicle
they were going to be using
SPANT
said that they were taking his truck (all modified of course).
The plot ends up destroying the vehicle they are using that
night and when it happened,
SPANT
said, "Nope it wasn't my truck we were taking it was Ryan's".
Then the group decided to fight over which vehicle they were
taking (after the event happened). So I ended up saying I
would be fair and destroy ALL of there vehicles. They were
all unhappy, but that shut them the hell up. =)
#7. The blatant cheating involving dice rolls made in plain view
of me also pissed me off. After I would determine their target
numbers they would then take the modified number I gave them
and then add in all beneficial modifiers they had. Another
event was when a brand new character use his karma pool three
times in one initiative phase. Now correct me if I am wrong
but don't starting characters only have 1 karma pool?
#8. After only being done about half of the adventure and group
had lost over 200,000 nuyen worth of equipment,
SPANT
said he was retiring his character and bringing in a orc with
20 armored vehicles with 5 ares alpha combat guns in the trunks.
He said that way if I destroy one he still has alot left. So I
told him that is ridiculous and he wasn't bringing in another
character until I get a background. So he grabbed the 2nd
Edition and started going through the 20 questions. But I heard
such responses to the questions as "Penis, Impudent, etc.". Then
He said he had his characters background down and was ready to
play. I told him not to bother. Then when one of the players
figure out a lead,
SPANT
suddenly said he was there. I told him he wasn't there, and that
I vito'd his character. He said he was playing his original
character. Ok, now that is the shortest retirement I have ever
seen.
#9. Once the characters had minimal options for the adventure, due
to the fact that they were all clones and no one took notes,
the characters decided to go to a bar they could not get into
previously. But they took 8 LAW rockets with them, to intimidate
the bouncers. So I conviently placed a watch of Lonstar cops in
front of the bar to try to get the characters to give up their
futile plan and try another method, I did mention speak to your
contacts many times, but they never seemed to ask important
questions. So, what did they do you ask? They ended up shooting
the Lonstar patrol cruiser with 4 LAW rockets, destroying it and
giving them a clear path to the bar. Once they were at the main
doors they were still not allowed to enter and that is when they
used up their other 4 LAW rockets. Once the rockets hit the
ward (barrier 20) and nothing happened the characters decided
to leave, one player saying he is keeping his LAW to reload it.
(Keep in mind that they were "negotiating" for near 3 minutes.
So by the time that they got back to the street, just beside the
wreckage of the Lonestar car, an Ares CityMaster pulls up and
8 High Threat Response Team jumped out carrying Ares High
Velocity Assault Rifles, and wearing Light Military Grade Armor.
Needless to say, they believed the response time was to low and
that they did not do anything to warrant this type of reaction
by the Metroplex Guard. I merely laughed and preceeded to KILL
every character, including
SPANT
, that was there, total confirmed kills of 5. Then they said
that they were all permanently buring their karma pool to
survive. I said, that is an optional rule, and they Metroplex
Guards were emptying their clips in all the runners heads.
After the results of the run, the players continued to bitch, whine,
cry, and try to point out errors. Then
SPANT
said that they are all gonna bring in Oni physical mages, and that he
needed to borrow my Awakening book for next time. I politely said
I needed it and left.
Now it appears that they did not learn their lesson, and I will no
longer be in ANY association with any of them. If you think I over
or under reacted to this situation please feel free to email me and
give me your thoughts. And if your group resembles the one above,
RUN... run hard... run fast... and run long.
If you have any comments disagreements or praises about this
incident please feel free to email me them and I will put them
on this page.
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Shadowrun is copyrighted by the FASA Corporation and is protected
by law from any and all duplication. All rights reserved. So make
up your own damn system! Shadowrun is just a roleplaying game and
is not to be taken seriously.
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