Part IV: Character Info Contacts

  At it's heart, Shadowrun is a bit of a mystery game: you never quite know what you're getting into. As a result, half or more of a run usually centers around you trying to gather enough information to actually pull the run off. There are two ways to gather information: look for it on the Matrix (which might draw attention, depending on how good you are) or talk to your contacts.
  Now there are different kinds of contacts. Most contacts are just people that you know; you interact with them occasionally and normally don't deal with them. One thing to remember is that no matter how close you are with your contact, each one is a person with their own life to live. In other words, if you call them at 3:00 am and they have to work the next day, they're going to be pissed. If your contact suspects your criminal nature, they may be less inclined to deal with you over the phone and there may be another way that you meet (at a park bench, in a restraunt, using the Stranger want ads, etc). How this occurs is largely up to you, but you consider other ideas than simple vidphone calls.
  You should also remember that some contacts you may want to keep in the dark on what your real profession is. How do you juggle this and still have them give you the information you need? How do you explain the money you get without a "real" job? What do you tell your contact you do and what do they believe?
  Contacts come at different levels, ranging from a simple contact to a friend for life. Contacts are purchased during character creation (see table below for costs) and they're justifiably expensive. After the game has started, you can still make contacts, but it's a slow process and is a lot of give and take. Like real life, you have to give a little to get a little. You have to maintain contact with this person so they don't forget about you. It can be a full-time job in and of itself.
  Here's the chart. Dig it:

  So here's what all your hard-earned starting cash gets you. A Contact is just someone you know. You both would recognize each other if you were on the street, you might even nod in recognition, but that's about it. A contact is the guy who works the cash register at the 7-11 who you shoot the morning drek with while you sip your soycaf. You might say, "Hey, do you know about _______?" And they might answer with: "I think so. Isn't that _________ who ___________ with ______________?" And that might be the lead you need to finish your run. A contact may be the guy that gets you your guns for you. Keep in mind that if someone kicks down a contact's door and asks them where you are, they may blab (provided they know - yet another reason to meet contacts instead of handing out your LTG number). When you ask a contact a question, they may not tell you everything they know. To find out how much they do tell you, roll the appropriate Etiquette skill. The GM will tell you what the number of successes gets you. Asking a question more than once imposes a cumulative +2 to the target number.
  A Buddy is a bit more loyal. This is a friend, someone you regularly hang out with or do things with. They're a great source of information as they'll generally tell you anything they know. In this case, the GM rolls the Buddy's intelligence to see what they know. Based on that, he will tell you what they know. You can be confident that this is all they know (unless there's an unseen gun to their head, of course). Buddies will look out for you and you should be looking out for your buddies. Keep in mind that if you ever get deep into the drek, your buddies are often going to be the ones that are easier to find (at least, easier than you) and may be used against you. This is why there are so few friends in the shadows. If you have a buddy, you will need to make an effort to retain them as such or they will eventually lower themselves to aquaintances (read: regular contacts).
  A Friend-for-life is someone who would give their life for you. Pure and simple, this is a person that absolutely dedicates themselves to you...and you to them. While the relationship may not be mutual (this may be a fan of yours), typically this is someone that your character cares for. Friends for life are persnickety, however, and you have to work to maintain them at this level. Contacts at this level will always tell you everything they know and may get in touch with people they know to track down info. Protecting this valuable resource from harm should be a high priority of yours and, ironically, you might stem the use of them to protect them from the life you lead.
  Contacts can also move up and down the scale. If you saved a buddy's life, for example, or took a bullet for them, they may become a friend for life. Likewise, if you were to get them into trouble, they may degrade to a simple contact (or even cease to talk to you at all). Spurning a friend for life could turn them into an enemy; one that knows your habits and your hides. Not good, chummer. Not good at all.
  Treat your contacts with respect and maintain your relationships with them and you should be fine.
  Out on the web, there are many lists of contacts. I've taken what looks to be the most popular one and broken it into the following chart:

  And that ought to hold you guys for a while. If you can't find a contact you like in the massive list above, you can use it as an idea. Frankly, there is no limit to the type of contact you can have (subject to GM approval, of course).
  The next section will pull everything together and provide a link for character sheets. This section will be relatively short as it will simply tell you what information you must have on a character sheet to speed up game play.