Mr. Black's Essential Shadowrun Trideography

The Essential Trideography is  home to Mr. Black's musing on movies and TV shows that can help a GM get more out of his game. Whether it is merely a cool quote, an interesting NPC to borrow, a look/fell to help inform your players of their location, or an overarching theme, each of these has something to offer. This listing is by no means exclusive; new items will be added from time to time, either in conjunction with a topic Mr. Black is angrily expounding upon, or as a grouping of items, or because Mr. Black finally watched that last episode and got it written up. The items will be listed in alphabetical order. Newly added items will listed in RED. Mr. Black also adds a link, normally to Amazon Smile, or Amazon Prime downloads, so you can find your copy. And yes, Mr. Black prefers an actual disc. They usually have extra feature that can help a GM. NetFlix, Hulu and the like usually do not. So read on, then go watch these, and startle your players with your new found brilliance.

*****  WARNING!! WARNING!! SPOILERS FOLLOW!! IF ONE CAN SPOIL OLD MOVIES AND TV SHOWS THAT IS!! BUT YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!! ENTER AT YOUR OWN PERIL!!  *****

He speaks Cityspeak, shouldn't you?

Blade Runner (1982) - The quintessential cyberpunk movie. But we aren't here to discuss who is a replicant. The main thing to take away from Blade Runner is the feel of the streets. Dark, rainy, dirty and violent. Everything is constantly wet and miserable. Convey this to your players, remind them of how awful day to day life is. Seattle in 2075 is not the wonderful place it is today. Constant acid rain, except when the rain clears and the acidic volcanic ash blows in from the southeast. Drab people in flats, shuffling to awful jobs just to keep their auto-cooker full of soy paste. Blade Runner's streets are also filled with vendors and noodle shops, crowds of people in raincoats and carrying umbrellas, speaking a polyglot of languages. All very, very Seattle 2075. With 12 to 15 languages in regular use in Seattle, including Edward James Olmos' Cityspeak (!), this constant babble is sure to wear on your players, and make them wish their characters had learned a few more languages. And don't forget the pyramid/arcology that is the Tyrell Corporation! Either add Tyrell to the corporate mix (perhaps as a cyberwear manufacturer), or keep it in mind when describing Renraku Arcology or Aztechnology's pyramid. Get your copy here, and watch all 3 or 4 versions,


Burn Notice (2007-2013) - To Mr. Black's mind, the premier "Shadowrun-like" show. A GM could spend his entire campaign just recreating all of the missions Micheal Westen and company engage in. However, let us look at 4 key points in the show. Thing One, Micheal's relationship with his mother and brother. He has to spend a lot of time helping mom, and occasionally comes to his brother's rescue. in return he gets some satisfaction, but more importantly game-wise, he gets new missions to run. They don't pay a lot, or any at all, but they give him more to do than hit back at the government. That is how to run the Dependents Negative Quality. Thing Two, Micheal and company's McGyver-esque use of electronics and cell phones (as well as explosives). So what a proficiency in Electronics, Hardware and Explosives can do for a player. Thing Three, the show runs an excellent mix of "run of the week" and ongoing theme/story. Watch how the writers blend the two; 10-15 minutes for ongoing plot, the rest for the current run. It is a good practice to get into. You are running an ongoing theme/story, right? Thing Four, everyone of the main characters on this show is a fast-talker. Micheal, Fi and Sam Axe can all talk their way out of (and into) anything. If Mr. Black had a nuyen for every character he has seen with no or a low Con skill, and for players who were even worse, he could take over a AA corporation. Seriously, every badass spy character is better at smooth-talking, conning, flirting, and lying than they are at all that shooting/punching/driving stuff. If you players are reading this, take the Con skill. You will thank me. One last thing: the villians. Tim Matheson's Larry "the undead spy" Sizemore is a gem. You hate him and you love him. Who can truly hate a villain who says these things?


Larry Sizemore: [while prepping his gun with a silencer] Well, I think we start with some ass-kicking and then some name-taking. I think we hit the fire alarm, slip past the metal detectors in the confusion, grab a guard to get into the computer room, and then, boom, one body to dump.  

Sam Axe: Uh, Mikey, that's a Santa Muerte tattoo. Six tears: the guy's a pro with a half a dozen kills.
Larry Sizemore: "Pro"? That's kind of generous. Six is a promising start, I guess.

Larry Sizemore: [to Michael] Jesus, every time I come back here, there is *less* of you in there. You're bottling up all your darkness, a-all the *rage*, all the good stuff that *makes* you who you are! That son of a bitch - he helped *burn* you. He deserved to *die*! Are you gonna *tell* me different? Huh? There it is. There's the look. They took your life away. I know what you want to do. Give yourself permission!

Michael Westen: You know, I've been thinking, if we're going to do this, I want to be thorough: leave no trace, leave no teeth.
Larry Sizemore: Oh, that's good. That's a bumper sticker. I love that.

Go ahead, put that bumper sticker in your game, it's in Mr. Black's. Additionally we have the always fabulous Jere Burns. He always plays such a great and fascinating villain. At first Mr. Black always wants to punch his characters, then he can't stop watching them. His Wynn Duffy may be the best part of Justified too. We also have Carla, played by Tricia Helfer. She plays Micheal's handler, and as he tries to escape her grasp, you just want to shot her. That is the feeling you want in your players hearts when they confront your villains. Start it all here.

Chinatown (1974) - This film stands out for its look at corruption and Robert Towne's crackling dialogue. If you ever need an evil old rich guy/corporate officer, then look no further than John Huston's portrayal of Noah Cross. What doesn't he do? Bribes politicians, buys cops, steals water (and look how important that is right now in California), steals the land the water was supposed to

The REAL Face of Evil

go to, sells it at inflated prices, commits incest, murders people, murders his best friend and son-in-law, murders his daughter, and gets away with it all, with considerable brio. He is one of two sources for Mr. Black's vision of Kenneth Brackhaven and his plans for the 2076 Olympics. Just look at Noah's lines and use them on your players: 
Jake Gittes: How much are you worth? 
Noah Cross: I've no idea. How much do you want?

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Noah Cross: 'Course I'm respectable. I'm old. Politicians, ugly buildings, and whores all get respectable if they last long enough. 

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Noah Cross: You may think you know what you're dealing with, but, believe me, you don't.

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Noah Cross: You've got a nasty reputation, Mr. Gits. I like that. 

Jake Gittes: Thanks. 

Noah Cross: If you were a bank president, that would be one thing. But in your business it's admirable and it's good advertising.

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Noah Cross: That's what I am doing. If the bond issue passes Tuesday, there'll be eight million dollars to build an aqueduct and reservoir. I'm doing it. 

Jake Gittes: Gonna be a lot of irate citizens when they find out that they're paying for water that they're not gonna get. 

Noah Cross: Oh, that's all taken care of. You see, Mr. Gittes. Either you bring the water to LA or you bring LA to the water. 

Jake Gittes: How you gonna do that? 

Noah Cross: By incorporating the valley into the city. Simple as that.

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Cross: I don't blame myself. You see, Mr. Gittes, most people never have to face the fact that at the right time, the right place, they're capable of anything.

That is all evil, with a smile! And we aren't even looking at the other characters lines! 

Next look at his plan and how it unfolds. He steals the water for the San Fernando valley, which was farmland at the time. When the head of the Water Board (and husband to Noah Cross' daughter!) starts to poke around, Noah Cross has him killed. As the farms dry up he buys the land cheap, or forces the farmers off. Then he uses his paid-for politicians to incorporate the area into LA city, so that he can sell the land to LA, at premium prices, making a killing financially, and dunning the taxpayers for it. And he has the police department in his hip pocket to cover up anything that gets loose or threatens his plan. Need an evil plan for some corporate raider? That's how you do it. Now go an unleash something vile on your players, and tell them Noah Cross sent 'em... Get your copy here.

Berry Gordy’s THE LAST DRAGON is a crazy Kung-Fu musical Blaxplotation 80’s masterpiece. As it is gonzo over the top, in a good way. It is your typical hero’s journey, but it also has some key elements for Shadowrun GM’s. Thing One: Costume design in The Last Dragon is as if a swap meet, an 80’s style fetishist and a cheap martial arts store got tossed by a tornado. Great for those strange gang members!

Now that is a gang!

Thing Two: Sho’nuff. The “Shogun of Harlem”, played by Julius Carey with aplombible brio. He is an amazing villain - confident, deadly and wants only one thing, the recognition of his status and capabilities. Rather fortunately, Carey knew no martial arts and it shows. No flashy moves, just hard core well telegraphed (and thus easy to see for the audience) blows. Every strike has gravity and presence. Thing three: the final showdown. When the synth rock starts up like a Greek chorus, and the rotoscope starts glowing, you are in for a final fight like none other. 

WHO’S THE MASTER?

This is what two physical adepts fighting should look like. Remember it when you need to scare the crap out of your players, the ones who think they know it all. 

Mr. Johnson and posse.

Robocop (1987) - While many will point to Gibson's cyberpunk as the bricks upon which Shadowrun is built. Mr. Black will argue that Paul Verhoeven may have formed the kiln those bricks were baked in, with Robocop. Mega-corporations valuing profits over human life? Check. Privatization of the police, hospitals, prisons, and space travel? Check. Gain of cyberwear equals loss of humanity? Check. Families so jaded that nuclear war is an evening's fun repast? Check! And Robocop does it all with  gusto. Want to know what a 2075 boardroom sounds like? Watch Robocop. The initial boardroom scene in which Dick Jones demonstrates ED209 for the first time is pure unadulterated Big Ten stuff. The movie wraps itself in unbridled American Big Capitalism, and that feeling can be copied into your game. After all, that is what the Shadowrun world is like outside of those little holes players like to hide their characters in.
What to know what real villains sound and act like? Keep tuned for Dick Jones, Bob Morton and Clarence Boddicker.

This is the Face of the Big Ten.

A GM could do so much worse than to rename them and place them in his campaign. Both feel more human and real than 97% of most villains, either than in film or books. And check those names again. So white bread. And yet with awesome lines and excellent portrayals, so evil. Dick Jones is our main heavy. He just wants to make the company money, and place himself as the successor of The Old Man. So he backs a project that will involve creating a city of vice, and billions in a military overrun boondoggle. That's all. And a couple of dead bodies here and there. Just to make The Old Man happy. Very Shakespearean. Need a basis for a Mr. Johnson? Bob Morton is your man. Aggressive, driven, and willing to do what must be done to get promoted in the company. But charming enough to con a Crew into doing that job for him. And ready to cut them loose as needed; His "Lose the arm!" tells you all of that.

Could this be the face of your greatest villain?

Need inspiration for an OCO leader? Tired of racial stereotypes? Choose Clarence Boddicker.
In one of the greatest villain portrayals of all time, you meet the crimelord of Old Detroit, and Dick Jones' right-hand man. Charming, quotable, and utterly ruthless, Clarence fills the screen every time. Unlike any heavy before or since, Clarence is a blessing to over-worked GM's everywhere. Place him in your game and watch your players scramble to stay away from his clutches, and scatter when he comes for revenge. All in a package that most of your players only know from That 70's Show. Director's Cut here.

The Two Jakes (1990) - A sequel 16 years later takes some doing, but this is done well. Once again we have land manipulation and more crackling dialogue, again done by Robert Towne. Our hero is once again Jake Gittes, private detective. But this time our "villain" is Jake Berman, Mr. Black's other source for Kennie Brackhaven. He is no Noah Cross, but then who is. He also has gotten his land cheap, but this time it is oil instead of water he is manipulating and murdering to get. And instead of corrupt politicians and bought cops, he has LA's biggest gangster to back him up. Ruben Blades does a great job playing a version of Mickey Cohen with his "Mickey Nice" Weisskopf. A good choice if you are looking for a threatening NPC with charm and loyalty. Eli Wallach does a great lawyer in his last role, if you need one. His scene on the phone with Gittes is what lawyering is all about. Check it closely to see what I mean. And Frederic Forrest's Chuck Newty is the other side of the coin, giving you two good lawyer roles for the price of one. But Jake Berman played by Harvey Keitel is our charming ne'er-do-well, and his lines reflect it:

Jake Berman: Where were we?
Jake Gittes: Well, I was accusing you of murder, Mr. Berman.
Jake Berman: Call me Jake. 
Just imagine Brackhaven or your Big Bad saying that to the players when they confront him about his evil doings! 
Brackhaven: Where were we, gentlemen?
Players: Well, we were accusing you of corruption, murder, and genocide, Mr. Brackhaven.
Brackhaven: Call me Kenneth. 
That should stop them in their tracks!

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He even riffs on Noah Cross:

Jake Berman: You know something, Jake, you might think you know what's going on around here but... you don't. 

The plan this time is for Berman to build homes on land he got off his wife for free. He murders his business partner to get complete control of the land. What he doesn't know is that oil baron Earl Rawley is trying to "steal his milkshake" and grab all the oil under the land:

Earl Rawley: Without my oil, you got no automobiles. Without automobiles, you got no road construction, no sidewalks, no city lights, no gas stations, no automotive service, and no Berman subdivision stuck out in the tules, because nobody can get there. Then Mr. Berman's out of business, before he even gets in business. The name of the game is oil, John. 

In the film Gittes somehow wraps this all up with a lot of investigating, cheating and lying. But this would be a good low level plan for Mr. Johnson, with the plot complication that a major corporation is also gunning for the land/MacGuffin. If you or your crew aren't up for the true evil of Noah Cross, this is the one to get started on. Or go the other way, and have the Corp hire the Crew to stop Berman, Gittes, and Weisskopf, and get that land (or at least the mineral rights!) Have them shake down Gittes, rub out Weisskopf, and run off Berman. That should be good for a couple of runs.

Oh, and Mr. Black always has the Crew's first-ever Meet take place at the Green Parrot Bar (though he changes the name to the Blue Parrot.) And so should you, it tends to shake players up. Get a copy here.

White Collar (2009-2014) - At first White Collar does not appear to be a Shadowrun Trideo. It is a glamorous police procedural drama about an  art thief/forger who teams up with a FBI agent to solve crimes. But there is much more below the surface. Thing One, it is a good primer on art crimes. Looking to expand your party's Runs beyond the ordinary? Almost every episode is good for a run. Thing Two, again we see what modern day electronic surveillance can do in the hands of the Government. The FBI agents on the show constantly pull up security camera footage, run it through facial recognition programs, and then pull records-phone records including GPS, vehicle records including GPS, bank records, credit history including shopping history, tax records including addresses and rental history. Bought a pink rain slicker this morning? Their agents will start boxing you in, and look through every camera available for for you.Thing Three, "Van Life". Much of the main characters time is spent in a surveillance van. You know, like the Crew in their Bulldog. There is so much to say about this, Mr. Black has an entire column about it. Thing Four is the wonderful character, Willie Garson's portrayal of paranoid grifter and forgery specialist Mozzie. Mozzie is that special sort of crazy-full of conspiracy theories, afraid of the Government, but smart, wise, and full of criminal knowledge. If you can put up with his nuttiness, he can help you achieve the impossible. And he knows everyone in both the paranoia and criminal underground. Not the mobsters or the "hard" men, but all the specialists, fences and such for the clever con men and thieves. He would make a wonderful NPC for any campaign. Thing Five is Neal Caffrey, the main character. He is a great example of what a Face does. He charms his way into everywhere, and charms all the information he can get. Thing Six is Sara Ellis. She is a great example for a non-standard NPC fixer. She works for an insurance company, and is tasked with getting all that stolen art back. She knows all the above ground people Mozzie doesn't, and many of the people he does know. And she is a mean hand with a collapsible baton. And lastly, Thing Seven, the Sub story arc. If your players aren't up for Running and hunting for a sunken Nazi submarine full of plundered art worth billions on the bottom of Puget Sound, they really should find another game.