Matrix and Magic
Shadowrun
is a game with many familiar concepts to the real modern world. Gun fights, crime, car chases and
corporations are all relevant to both modern times, and by extension the gritty
futuristic world of Shadowrun. While
these concepts are certainly expanded upon in the Sixth Age, they are easily
recognizable in smaller ways in today’s world.
However two concepts in Shadowrun can only be imagined by the players
and Gamemaster, and this can occasionally cause problems when handling Magical
actions, and the matrix at large.
Knowing
the Rules
The major
stumbling block for new GM's is the vast number of rules these sections of the
game have. While they are fairly simple,
they deal with situations that are much harder to grasp in a real way, making
the rules less representative of familiar actions. To this end there are several things you can
do to learn the rules quickly and correctly.
Books
of Use
Obviously
the base book is the place to start.
There is no substitute for reading the Magic and Matrix sections. Careful attention should be paid to any
examples in italic text. These examples
will often time answer any question a GM has, or highlight the most frequently
encountered situations for rules.
The
books, Magic in the Shadows and Matrix are incredible tools for letting player
characters grow and expand. As well
these books provide incredible plot hooks, security measures and NPC's for a
new GM. The rules in these books are,
however, extensive and a new GM may want to ignore them for the first few games
sessions to attempt to streamline the process as he learns the rules. Then as players wish to use things from the
books (such as initiation) or the GM wishes to add things to his game (such as
Ultraviolet Systems) they can be added to the game in pieces, allowing the
rules to be learned when the time is appropriate.
Mock
Runs and Solo Adventures
Another tool for learning the rules in a practical manner is
to use them. Meet with the Magician or
Decker player outside of your regular gaming session and give him a solo
mission. This could be as simple as
investigating a magical anomaly, or stealing some specific pay data from an
online host. Plan out the run in as much
detail as possible. Have security sheaves,
blueprints (astral and normal), NPC stats, whatever you really need for the
mini-run. It is important that one
treats this mock run as if it was a real Shadowrun, as the goal is to learn all
aspects of what a GM will likely encounter, including GM prep work.
Explain
to the player that you are doing this to cement your knowledge of the rules,
and that things may go a little slowly.
Don't worry about making everything smooth, just learn the rules as you
go, and feel free to check look things up in the book as often as is
required.
This solo
adventure can even tie into a gaming sessions seamlessly if the player simply
arrives an hour or two in advance of the game.
The player and the GM can run a small solo run where he learns something
for a Mr. Johnson, and then the Johnson, based on this new information, hires
the running group to deal with it. Some
examples are:
* The
magician is hired by a talismonger to deliver a powerful talisman to a Shaman
in a nearby wilderness area. In the
process the magician must fight a Wilderness Spirit and even do magical combat
with the Shaman's overly protective student.
Before the student can be killed the Shaman appears and puts an end to
the fight, the delivery is made. Upon
return to the talismonger for payment the player discovers he has been
kidnapped, his shop trashed. The players
are hired by the shops corporate backer to recover the talismonger.
*Mr.
Johnson needs some payroll data stolen from his company’s computer records so
he can see if anyone is stealing from the company coffers. He hires the groups Decker to hack into the
computer and recover the file. The
player must find a secure place to deck from, and log onto the host from the
LTG. After the player defeats the IC and
successfully downloads the data, Mr. Johnson discovers that someone indeed is
stealing from the company, and hires the runners to teach the soon to be former
employee a lesson.
Pre-Generated
Situations
One
helpful tool to have nearby during any game session is pre-generated matrix
security sheaves and throw away NPC's.
The "Ready Made Resources" chapter of this book has matrix
security sheaves, as well as sample NPC's that can be used when the players do
something unexpected.
Alone
Time
Often
during the course of a Shadowrun game one character will take actions that the
other players cannot follow during. In
the case of astral projection or decking, these actions can require that the
rest of the players wait for them to finish their actions. It is important for a GM to learn how to
handle this alone time properly without denying a specialized character their
abilities.
Pro's
and Con's to alone time
Alone
time is a double edged sword. It allows
specialized characters, especially deckers, a chance to make their skills
useful. Without proper time dedicated to
their skills a deckers trade and specialized abilities become down-played and the
player will likely feel useless, and it would a rare player who wants to feel
useless. By building your runs with the
right amount of alone time for each player planned, you can give each player a
sense of ability, validating their character archetype choices.
The
downside to alone time is typically how much time is spent on it. Some players will attempt to do more than the
GM prepared for, and will want to spend too much time on their alone time. This is easy to remedy, as a GM can usually
suggest that the player get help, or that they have found all the information
they can on their own. Few players will
press the issue if the GM politely suggests they take another course of
action. If for some reason they do
persist, a GM can listen to their plan, and adapt it, suggesting ways the plan
would work better if they enlisted the aid of other players. Telling the players what to do, however, is
usually a last resort.
Making
Alone time run smooth
A key
element to making alone time quick without removing the players usefulness, is preparation. Having matrix security sheaves or astral
defenses outlined in advance is typically a GM's best course of action. Using simple pre-made security sheaves or
just jotting down a few notes on the astral protection of an area can really
hurry things along without making things feel rushed. When running adventures on the fly, it is
important to have generic pre-generated material available to you.
Spicing
up the situations with something unusual will also add flavor to the encounter,
making it more satisfying without prolonging the scene. An unusual spirit, an interesting them on a
hosted system or even a noteworthy NPC can make a short scene stand out in the
players mind without taking up a large amount of the game session.
Entertaining
the Group
The rest
of the group should not be ignored at the expense of one player, even during
alone time. One way to handle this is to
take breaks in the decking/projecting characters scene to describe what the
player characters body is doing. During
astral projection or decking actions, the meat body of a character will flinch,
shudder or even sustain real world injuries from combat. Describing these effects to the players will
keep them alert to changes in their comrade’s state, and allows them to take
action if he is becoming badly injured.
A more
difficult option is to run multiple separate scenes at once. While this is not difficult in non-combat
situations, once violence erupts it is inadvisable to run other scenes while
the combat is resolved. If these options
aren't available to you, allow the other players to go into a separate room and
plan the rest of the run, or just chat about other things, while you resolve
the current situation.
Deckers
Deckers
often cause problems for new GM's, as they require some work to integrate into
a group properly. A Gamemaster must put
some effort into making a Decker worth playing by building the adventures by
properly planning for an appropriate amount of matrix activity.
Preparation
Proper
planning will make the computer networks of the Sixth Age a breeze to deal
with. Simply by placing a network into
the run somewhere, and creating a security sheaf for it, most decking in a game
can be handled quickly. The difficulty
comes in the more freeform aspects of computer systems, as they are integrated
into every day life.
Legwork
gives many new Gamemasters have trouble.
A Decker will often attempt to use the matrix while planning a run. The character may be attempting to find
anything from security guard rotations to blueprints. These tasks are not typically difficult and
with a few nearby pre-generated security sheaves the entire matrix run can be
handled in a few minutes with a few skill checks.
When a
player begins to re-use the same tactics to often, a little creativity can be
used to throw a wrench into the works.
Corporations with extra-territoriality would rarely file blueprints with
the city planning office; as well many buildings pre-date the matrix. While you may want players to usually get
this information, occasional bumps in the "usual" plan can force a
player to find new solutions.
Appropriate
Difficulty
There are
two ways to design the difficulty of a matrix host. The first is by judging the deckers skill,
and the second is by appropriate realism.
Balancing these two factors is a matter of personal taste. A realistic game may abandon the need for a
"challenge" entirely, assuming that a challenge will make itself
available when the Decker eventually attempts to tackle harder and harder
systems. The challenge lies in bridging
the two styles.
While a
cookie factory may not realistically have a Red-9 host operating their cookie
making machines, it may be required to give the player character a
challenge. If something isn't realistic
a little creativity can go a long way.
Perhaps the factory has had several accidents in the past year, and has
recently upgraded its host, believing digital pranksters are the culprit. This can be the entire reason the runners are
needed. Hiring a Decker to hack a
location is a simple matter for a corporation, but if the node is offline, and
harder than usual they would need a Shadowrunning team.
So what
creates a challenge? This is a little
more difficult to judge. An
"easy" roll has a target number of 3 or 4, moderate
Greg
is trying to design a host that will give his Decker, Slider, a tough
time. The characters are attempting to
replace the recipe for a new brand of cookies, causing thousands of people to
get food poisoning, and thus bankrupt the company. Greg decides that the host with this recipe
is fairly sturdy, because it controls so much machinery, he gives it a rating
of
Repeat
Hosts and Nodes
Often
times a character will attempt to use the same host for different activities
game after game. Possible examples are
hacking the Department of Transportation repeatedly for license plate numbers
or Lonestar computers for police commlink frequencies.
While
deciding the difficulty for these tasks is up to the individual GM, it will
often be necessary to keep records to create a realistic network. One way is to generate a series of security sheaves
(or use those in the back of this book) in advance and simply label each common
host as "easy" or "tough" by the ratings provided. A more detailed approach could give each
host its own section in the GM's notebook.
Deckers
Outside the Matrix
When a
desired plotline does not have a realistic reason to have a matrix host, there
are still many ways to involve a deckers unique skill in the game. This keeps the player from feeling useless,
and can guide the character along a "well rounded" path of
development.
By
developing the "matrix underworld" with a few interesting NPC's, a
deckers contacts and "Netiquette" can generate important leads for the
group. While the players may not have a
"BTL Dealer" as a contact, a deckers associates are very likely to
know who is cooking BTL's in town and can point the characters in the right
direction.
His
knowledge of what companies make what programs can also be invaluable. Perhaps a Mr. Johnson hires the runners for a
job, and the Decker knows something is wrong because the company they are
running against doesn't make the right kind of programs.
To
Much Matrix
For
whatever reason it is very possible for the matrix, and by extension the
Decker, to get out of hand and monopolize a game. To that end here are some guidelines to judge
when action is necessary, and what to do about it.
Over-Specialization
(aka Power Gaming)
Deckers
tend to over-specialize when they either deck too little or allowed to do too
much with their decking skills. It is
important to set guidelines as to what decking can and cannot accomplish. If a player is allowed to find out everything
about his target or ruin a targets life purely through decking one or two
hosts, they will get the impression that decking skills can accomplish
anything.
Allowing
a Decker to attempt preposterous things (such as killing someone with their
household cleaning drones) purely through the matrix, may push them to
overspecialize, believing any failure is due not to the nature of the
technology, but rather their skills as a Decker. A Decker who overspecializes will find
himself bored during non-decking activities.
He may attempt to solve too many situations with cyberterminal, which
can require far too much of a game session.
Pre-emptive
action
The most
important tool in a Gamemasters bag is pre-emptive action. Creating situations where the characters
unique abilities make him a valued character outside of the matrix the easiest
way to handle things. By planting
evidence that only a Decker would understand at a location like binary code or
parts from a computer, the characters unique skill set can be played up,
without requiring actual scenes in the matrix.
Stopping
the character from building a cyberdeck that is to powerful can also avoid
problems. By enforcing the SOTA rules on
page XX of Matrix, a GM can keep deckers in check, by forcing them to spend
money and time keeping their deck up to date.
Making
the Player Weaker
Once decking
get out of hand it is time to pull in the big guns and just make decking harder
to do. Players should be aware that the
difficulty of actions is based on the PC's abilities, and that the players will
be given runs that are appropriate for their skill level. If a GM wants something to be a challenge, it
will be, gaining more power will not make everything easier, just some
things. With that being said, there are
plenty of tools available in both SR3 and Matrix for making a deckers job
harder.
Luckily
for the gamemaster, cyberdecks are vulnerable to real world damage. If a cyberdeck is just too powerful for the
game, a stray bullet can blow it to pieces, or just damage its Storage Memory
beyond repair. For a more select
approach, a wickedly strong Acid-IC can corrupt or destroy a single program deemed
to powerful for a game. This last
approach should be utilized after the Decker gets a few chances to use his new
toy, after all he did spend time or money to get it, and it would be far to
blatant a trick to take it away immediately.
Playing
up the Deckers Flaws
Forcing a
Decker to go on location can be a traumatic experience for someone who spent too
much time firing up programs, and not enough time firing bullets. By playing up the characters flaws and making
the penalties harsher, a GM can curb the desire to become "the worlds
greatest Decker", sometimes fatally.
If a Decker
is abusing a few choice nodes to often, the owners of those nodes may upgrade
security, or worse, hire a security Decker armed with some very nasty
tools. Letting a player get away with
something incredible a few times is fine, but when it's gone to far a GM should
remember that there is always someone better than the Decker. Reminding a player of this can sometimes give
him perspective, but it can also send them on a vendetta. The "someone better than you"
tactic should only be used when appropriate, because if the player isn't
careful it will most likely lead to his death.
Magicians
While
magically active characters often interact with non-magical scenes better than
other specialized characters, astral space and the interaction of magic with
“reality” often require special care. Magic
and in particular astral space and spirits, can complicate any situation, or
trivialize it. Preparing for as many
eventualities as possible is advisable.
Preparing
for Magic
There are
two easy ways to handle magic. The first
is to design your game with magic in mind; the second is to take care during magical
activities.
When
designing a location or non-player character, the interaction of magic should
be taken into account. If a building is
meant to be secure, some magical means should be taken to prevent intrusion. There are many options available to a GM in
both Magic in the Shadows and SR3. By
making use of wards, bound elementals and astral bacteria a location can be
secured against magical attack without the necessity of an on sight magician. If the location would not realistically have
magical defenses, a clever GM must get creative, or simply allow a location to
be naked in astral space. Leaving a
place without magical defenses is not always a bad decision, and often can make
an adventure even more interesting.
To avoid
problems during game play, magical actions should be taken methodically. This is especially important during astral
combat and the summoning of elementals.
When an elemental is summoned quick notes should be written down as the
number or services it owes, and it’s relevant statistics. Take time to explain what the elemental is
doing when it is issued a command, treating it as another player character.
Difficulty
Knowing
how difficult to make a magical encounter is a complex task. Often times it is best to base magical opposition
off the player characters statistics. If
the player has a sorcery skill of 7, two levels of initiation and a level 2
power focuses, then the magician he is facing should have similar stats to give
the player a “challenge”. If a more
difficult task is desired a minor increase in the abilities of the enemy mages
is needed. However these changes need
not be in the form of increases to their numbers. A Sorcery Adept may find himself in trouble
facing a Conjuring Adept with a pair of force 5 bound Fire Elementals. Any adept would have a more difficult time
dealing with a full magicians array of abilities. Even full magicians may find themselves in a
tough spot when confronting a lesser mage on his home turf.
Special
care can be taken to creatively apply realistic abilities to combat
situations. An aspect shaman without
access to combat spells can still be deadly in combat with the proper
application of manipulation and illusion spells. Selecting off-beat powers can keep a player
magician on his toes, or surprise a player who has become accustomed to
ball/bolt combat spells.
Sorcery
The
cardinal rule of dealing with sorcery both in and out of combat is "know
the player characters." Know what
spells they have available to them, and how they typically use them. While the latter requires time observing the
players, knowing what spells players have access to be a simple matter.
Proper
research into the effects and limitations of each spell the players can cast
will save a lot of time during game play, and will also afford ideas on how to
thwart players when it becomes necessary.
Conjuring
Elementals
can cause a lot of grief if not handled properly. Each elemental should be represented in some
depth with at least a basic stat line and a brief description. This avoids lengthy research into the powers
of each spirit or elemental.
If an
opposing conjurer has several spirits bound to him, take special care to write
down every required statistic and power.
In time this will not be necessary, but to begin an ounce of prevention
is worth a pound of cure.
To
Much Magic
Over-Specialization
(aka Power Gaming)
Magicians
overspecialize when they put to much emphasis on one area of their magical
talents. While many magically active
characters are sorcery or conjuring adepts, this does not mean they must over
specialize. A player will often
over-specialize his character for the same reason a Decker would, things are to
difficult, or they are made to easy through magic.
This type
of magician can summon gigantic elementals, or cast spells large enough to kill
groups of opponents at a time.
Metamagical abilities and focus items can exacerbate this problem, and
often threaten to break a game. When a
magician is able to single handedly decimate an entire group of NPC's or in
some other way trivializes an encounter, it may be time to deal with the
situation.
Foci
Abuse
The most
common instance of overpowered magically active characters comes from Foci
abuse. The simplest way to prevent a
magician from abusing too many foci is to show him how dangerous they can be to
him. One of the major drawbacks to
active foci is the link they create between the character and astral
space. While a character is usually safe
from astral harm when they are not sensing or projecting themselves, a
character with an active focus becomes susceptible to harm from astral
attackers that they may not be aware of.
Demonstrating
this flaw can be a highly enjoyable experience for a GM. By creating an NPC who uses many foci, and
then letting the player defeat him through astral space, the player will
quickly understand the dangers of abusing focus items. An alternate approach is to create have a
magical foe killed by a rogue spirit who attacked him through his foci.
If the
character continues to use too many focus items, or gets out of hand despite
this warning, all the above problems can befall him. In addition astral wards can create many an
issue for the character whose magical equipment exists on two planes of
reality.
Spirit
and Elementals
If a
character is summoning too many elementals, it may be necessary to initiate
some sanctions on conjuring. When an
abundance of conjured spirits or elementals find their way into a game, chaos
can ensue. The engulf power can quickly
kill or incapacitate a target, and multiple elementals all engulfing multiple
targets on a regular basis can cause any GM to take action. Even without special powers, elementals and
spirits are formidable opponents in combat, each one able to hold it's own against
a typical security guard or gang member.
The
easiest of which are wards and astral barriers.
All elementals and spirits are dual natured, and hindering their
movement in the real world is a simple matter of hindering it in astral
space. Spirits of Nature cannot leave
their home domains; a clever GM can build locations with several different
domains, thus limiting spirits range of motion.
Dispelling
a spirit is also a simple matter for any character with a conjuration
skill. Hermetic Mages must spend money
to summon their elementals, so the dispelling of these creatures can be a blow
to any magician’s wallet.
Metamagic
With a
plethora of metamagical abilities available to player characters who initiate
no two magical characters are identical.
Abilities such as Anchoring and Invocation may not seem to powerful, but
when applied correctly they can drastically alter the nature of magic in a
game.
Luckily a
metamagical ability must be learned, making it easy to restrict. Limiting the numbers of teachers for an
ability forces a character to either go to great lengths to learn a skill or
give up. While out right declaring a
skill off limits is possible, making it tough to come by can create a great
reward for hard fought effort.
Metamagic
can be self balancing as well. If a
player uses a specific metamagical ability on a regular basis, simply give
every magician he encounters that metamagical ability. Two mages with reflection can spend hours staring
each other down, waiting for the other to make the first move.