Pork 5 Ways - Monster Hunting

In Frankfurt, Germany, Mr. Black enjoyed eating at The Singapore-a Chinese restaurant (the ONLY one in Frankfurt!) that served a dish called Pork Five Ways-3 types of pork and 2 types of ham in a mild sauce. This new column is similar-a single element or Run concept, served up multiple ways. So heads up chummer, Mr. Black promises you at least 5 ways to pork, but there may be more. Today we look at monster hunting. A group of Merrows attacked a ferry in Puget Sound (twice in a month!) and the Governor has called for action! A price has been put on their heads, and the Characters can collect! So look through the permutations, find the hook that works best for your players (and your dirty, evil plans for them), and let Mr. Johnson do the talking.

1. Straight Up Bounty Hunt-The Governor of Seattle has placed a 100,000 NuYen bounty on the destruction or capture of the Merrows. A good boat, maybe a submarine or a sea sled and a Crew comfortable with scuba gear are ideal for this. Head out to sea and whack some monster butt!
2. Perhaps Governor Brackhaven didn't put up the money - grieving family members did. Can crying children incentivize your players where Brackhaven's bounty failed? This can be a Mr. Johnson-led effort, or a committee-led affair (The Western Ferry Atrocity Families and Survivors Committee? WFAFSAC?!?)

   

   Merrow fishing, 2075-style

3. Or perhaps the Merrows attacked near the NAN side of the Sound. Does your Crew have ties across the Sound or in the Salish Tribe? No? Then are they ready to take on the Salish Sea Patrol for that bounty?
4. Does your Crew have close ties with the SSC? Instead of a bounty hunt, the Tribes wish to relocate the Merrow, to the western side of Salish territory. This is going to take more effort, and need more equipment than just sailing along and shooting things. But it should pay off big time with those tribal contacts.
5. Of course, any of the Big Ten (and quite a few of the A/AA firms) might want the Merrows for their own nefarious needs. And of course they are hiring your Crew to do it. They will be claiming the bounty of course, but that is why they are out-sourcing this. That, and they have the gear (like a boat) to loan to their bought team. That boat is just sitting there, accumulating maintenance cycle fees. Fees that bounty will cover. This is pure cost analysis for a big corp, just like it should be.
6. Need more shenanigans in any of the above? Add in protesters, ala Green Peace/PETA, trying to stop the hunts by driving their boats in the way. Are your players ready to sink some Sentience/Animal Rights Activists to make their payday?
7. Merrows aren't the only sea-going monster out in the Sound. Grab any sea-beastie or flying threat you like out of the creature section and sic 'em on the Crew. Can you say "Thunderbirds skimming low over the water, at our 5 O-Clock"? Mr. Black knew you could...
8. Of course, any GM worth their salt (sea salt in this case) will add some competitors to the mix. Rednecks in zodiac boats with hunting rifles, fishermen using nets, sport fishing boats loaded with weekend warriors, charter boats full of licensed hunters, yachts with dabbling playboys/grrls and their $5000 hunting express rifles, UCAS Navy Ensigns and Ratings out on pass from Everett Base, competing Runner teams with all their tricks, Salish tribesmen in war canoes, Vory mobsters riding the waves with AK-97's, Dwarf Surf crews on Jet Ski's, anyone and everyone should be getting in the Crew's way.

9. 

   This, but with guns...

   Of course rivals, beasties and well-intentioned but interfering activists are not the only spice in this dish. Perhaps the Corps want in. And they have such wonderful toys...
10. Or the Corp are looking for a bunch of blood-thirsty sea-going guards for one of the underwater projects/arcologies in Outremer. So they hire the Crew to relocate/kidnap the Merrows. Bonus pay if the Corp can collect that bounty as well as get new guardians.
11. And if you really want to step up the pain, make those Merrows beholden to the Sea Dragon. Nothing like a GREAT dragon to rain on the party's plans...
    

Getting out of the Van - White Collar Style

"It is really exciting in the Van." - Neal Caffrey, White Collar

Ahh, the Van. Notice that capital 'V'. The Van is a vital part of Shadowrun. It is how the Crew gets to and from the job. It is where they run surveillance from. It is part home, part smuggling rig, part camouflaged blind, and part escape option. The Van's armor is vital to its comfort for the less squishy characters. It storage capacity is vital to most characters who need lots of guns, drones, reagents, explosives, ammo, and breaching gear. The Van often serves as a rolling hospital, complete with advanced Medkits and auto-docs. Even magical characters benefit from the Van's protection, whether hiding from bullets or astral projecting. The need for a Van, any Van, makes Riggers an almost mandatory addition to any Crew. Sadly, most are trapped in that role, and never get more to do. And many characters simply stay in the Van, never getting out. As GM's, we need to play off of this.

"You guys should invest in some of those Christmas tree air fresheners."

"You don't like the Van. Noted." - Neal and Peter, White Collar

Of the many TV shows and movies Mr. Black has watched, White Collar has the most consistent Van life and the most real. Vans are often used by law enforcement organizations for surveillance. With proper camouflage (usually as municipal/utilities work vehicles) they can hide in plain sight. They are big enough to hold lots of vital electronics. But this come at a price. Imagine the result of half a dozen people spending rotating 12-hour shifts in a confined place for days (or weeks!) at a time. The resulting effuliva of humanity has to be pretty miserable. The 3 B's-Belching, B.O. and Butt Gas-are just stewing in the enclosed space. The occasionally door opening must be like cracking the hatch on a submarine about to run out of air. Remember this next time the party is doing Legwork. Do any of the characters have strange allergies? They are probably being exposed to them in the Van. Did any of them pick Plastic? Clobber them for it in the Van! And if any of them are harboring grudges against each other, it is your job as a GM to remind their players of their shared enmities. They should be bickering like children on a long car trip. And one more thing-they are no bathrooms in the van. If they want to pee in anything but an old soy-caf cup, they need to upgrade to a motor home. And definitively remember those many, many cups of stale urine, with nothing but a feeble McHughs' lid retaining those fluids in place, once the car chase starts...

"It's like a Kardashian. Not very refined, but it has a lot of cargo space. " - Mozzie, White Collar

However, the Van is very useful for any Crew. While we do not have a "Rigger Book" yet, a compassionate GM should allow his Crew to load it out with all the cool items in the "Electronics" section of the Gear. Let them bolt the gear down. Remember that the Van is their home away from home. Allow them to make themselves at home. useful items not in the gear section are soy cookers (hot food helps in cold Seattle), 5-gallon bucket toilets (no more soy-caf cups of piss!), stashes of munchies (Stuffer Shack run!), Gun rack (not "rifle rack"-all those extra weapons aren't going to stow themselves!), cots/racks (someone should be resting while the others are watching), and potpourri sprays. Advanced gear includes drone racks, smuggling compartments, outside spotlights (in both UV and IR), reinforced ram bars and chassis, and the ever-present engine work and handling packages. Many of these have not hit the rules yet, but they are sure to soon. A point of handling or speed should be well within a good rigger/mechanics skills. Just figure out a cost. Let the poor rigger get the most out of his rolling sanctuary. After all, someone has to drive the Crew around.

And the Van is most useful for its camouflage. Usually we are talking about the Bulldog Step Van. This makes it the 2075 version of a UPS truck. And if painted properly, with a properly outfitted crew, just like a UPS van, it is totally ubiquitous, can be parked anywhere, and no one really pays them any attention. And the Van can be repainted to match the mission. Delivery vans, laundry trucks, hazmat/emergency vehicles, swat vans, food trucks and more are possible, and can get the Crew close to their objectives without their targets suspecting anything. After making their escape, they can easily be repainted to hide them or confuse their enemies.

Peter: Jones, Diana, you'll be in the van.
Jones: Always.
Diana: I like the van.

The real challenge is getting the Crew out of the Van. With all that protection, the "squishier" characters are liable to never leave. This is a bad thing. Allowing half of the Crew to stay behind in safety, while the other half goes and faces death, is bound to cause friction and resentment among your players, and can derail a game. So don't let them hang out in the Van. 5th Edition Shadowrun allows hackers to work on the run. So get them out and about. Make them make hard decisions concerning where and when to go hot sim/cold sim, and AR/VR. And the same with the spell casters. Assessing should be a choice, not a default mode. And while having a getaway vehicle waiting and ready with the engine running is favorable, the rigger can do all that wirelessly. And running drones from inside and on-site can be more important that hanging around outside. Good GM's will set up Runs that require the van-hangers to get put and head inside. Not every run. but often enough to take them out of their comfort zone. Remember, never let your players take anything for granted!

Neal: But it's the van. The van's fun.
Peter: You hate the van.
Neal: I like the van when Diana's in it. You're the only thing that smells good in here.
Diana: Then take your last whiff, because I'm leaving.

So let them enjoy it while they can. The players and their characters should appreciate whomever is doing the driving. And next we will talk about tools to get them out and about, and some runs ideas.

10 in Ten, Seattle Olympic Bribapalooza Edition

So we have looked at the basics of the Brackhaven Machine (in Seattle Olympics 2076-The Bribapalooza Tour), and how construction and contracting firms get hired (hint: bribes, lots of bribes). So let us look at a few of these jobs you can have your players' Crew do:

1.  Mr. Johnson needs some muscle. He represents a firm up for a construction bid. Sadly, the competition has deeper pockets and a bigger bribery budget. So Mr. Johnson wants the Crew to disrupt, extort, and blackmail his opponents. And quickly, as the winning bid will be announced is just a couple of days. The Crew is going to have to hit hard and hit fast to pull this off.

   

   Just another day getting ready for the Olympics

2. Mr. Johnson needs some muscle. He represents a firm up for a construction bid. Fortunately, the firm he represents has deep pockets and greased all the right wheels. They are expecting to win this bid easily. However, some of the competing firms seem disgruntled. Looking to protect his firm and their bid, Mr. Johnson wants the Crew to disrupt, extort, and blackmail his opponents. And quickly, as the winning bid will be announced is just a couple of days. The Crew is going to have to hit hard and hit fast to pull this off.

   

   A typical business negotiation during the 2076 Olympics

3. Mr. Johnson needs some muscle. He represents a firm up for a construction bid. Fortunately, the firm he represents has deep pockets and greased all the right wheels. They are expecting to win this bid easily. However, some of the competing firms seem disgruntled. Looking to protect his firm and their bid, Mr. Johnson wants the Crew to protect his firm from disruption, extortion, and blackmail. And they will have to hit the ground running, as the winning bid will be announced is just a couple of days. The Crew is going to have to maintain excellent surveillance and anticipate trouble, as other shadow teams will be hitting hard and hitting fast to destroy the firms chances.

   

   Can you really resist adding a crazed Christopher Walken to your game?

4. And better yet, an astute Crew can play all sides against the other, ala Yojimbo/A Fist Full of Dollars/Last Man Standing (take your pick of movie sources, Mr. Black likes them all.) (Or go read the original, Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest.) 
5. With all the rampant bribery these Brackhaven Olympics have mustered, there is another side to it. As construction gets closer to kick-off, necessary infrastructure will be taking a hit. All that heavy machinery driving around, and all those citizens having to take detours. And a fix will be needed. And the Brackhaven administration surely won't want to pay for new roads when they can just have their kickback-paying construction firms do it, for free. After all, Brackhaven is not likely to get a third term, and him and his cronies need to feather their pockets now. And those firms may need some reminding about who is really in charge. So Mr. Johnson is paying Runners to put some fear into these builders. Whether it is classic strong arm extortion (you know, pictures of family members with cross hairs on them), or causing problems on work sites (to show how much more it will cost not to build roads/water lines/rail lines), it is all to the good, if you can call it that.
6. The above goes the other way sometimes. Once confronted with $300 million-nuyen bill for road upgrades that weren't included in the initial contract, some companies will push back. They don't need to strong arm Brackhaven himself, they can strike against members of Seattle's Olympic Planning Committee, and or members of the Seattle Direct Bank (SDB, a Brackhaven Investments hidden subsidiary that is handing out the official loans for Olympic construction) board. All that is needed is enough of a knife twist to get the OPC to put up funds, or better yet a SDB loan to cover the new expenses (which of course, can be renegotiated latter, or even forgiven).
7. "...(the builder) completed the job only to learn that the last tranche of money owed to him had gone to a number of other firms that he suspects were linked to certain officials overseeing the project. After complaining to his contacts at the (OPC), he was told to sit tight and not go to the police—the state would find lucrative work for him..." - Another version of the above is have Mr. Johnson hire the Runners to get some of that money back-either by hitting up the officials, or by hitting up their firms, hitting up the SOC, or better yet just straight hitting all three. This is a little tougher than number 6, as no one wants to give back their graft. But letting people within the Brackhaven SOC (Seattle Olympic Committee) steal the money the Brackhaven SOC promised you after you bribed the Brackhaven SOC to get the job that paid all the money in the first place (confused yet?) is bound to make someone angry enough to want retribution-or just their money.
   And sometimes you have to let everybody on the Bribapalooza carousel know they can't just push you around. Someone is going to pay this time. The GM can make this a straight Run, or the first act in a war.

   

   No one would go through all this for just $13 million!"

   Or this can go Payback*-style:"I can't pay you $300 million!" "We just want our $13 million." "No one would go through all this trouble for just for $13 million!"
8. There are of course many smaller companies that need help. Mr. Johnson represents one of these firms that has been shut out of the process. They don't have enough to bribe their way into a big contract. But maybe the Crew can harass a mid-tier contractor into hiring the small firm; sort of the opposite of 1-3. "Hire us or we will disrupt your operations to the point you can't get stuff done." This can easily turn into a mini-campaign as the Crew now has to protect them against retaliation, use their "influence" to expand operations and gain new contracts. Really, this would be like starting a new crime outfit. The crew starts by using threats and backs them up with violence and blackmail. They then work their (and the firm's) way up until they have gone legitimate. Of course, the end of the mini-campaign can be an old, deadly enemy coming back for revenge-a disgruntled opponent, an enemy runner team back with new members and upgrades, or the Ciarniello family showing to put everyone in their place.
9. Mr. Johnson has a job for a Crew that has the "proper touch". He represents a smaller firm that is being harassed out of bids. The opposition has strong ties to Humanis, and the firm hires lots of metahumans, and is tired of scut work and deadly jobs. They want a bigger place at the table, and need some muscle to get them there. Can the Crew put some racist in there place?
10. Mr. Johnson has a job for a top runner team. Jamie Rodriguez, reporter for KSAF, needs protection. She is investigating the Brackhaven SOC and all the bribery going on. Can the Crew keep her alive long enough to expose the truth? And does the Crew want to keep her alive long enough to expose their involvement in all this? Can they do the job and steer her away from their activities (which may be ongoing)? Or are they prepared to show Jamie the dirty nasty heart of the Seattle Olympics, by way of their own experiences? Somebody is going to be number one with a bullet-will it be the hottest news expose of the year, or a bullet in the head? Only the Crew's conscious and abilities will tell...

 *Mr. Black hasn't checked out the Straight Up cut yet.

Notes:

• Article on The New Yorker concerning Sochi Olympics and epic bribery levels
• this piece from Bloomberg.

Seattle Olympics 2076 - The Bribapalooza Tour

Mr. Black has more ideas for runs with an Olympic background. (We will get back to the genocidal Hell on Earth part soon...) But before we get into the fun stuff, let us explore the meat of the matter. Mr. Black is extrapolating that Kenneth Brackhaven and his administration are using the Olympics as a platform for massive bribery and corruption. He and his administration are also using the Olympics as a cover for all that bribery; the massive construction needed and the urgency of the deals (the deadline is pretty strict after all) allow Brackhaven to get away with almost any deal.  How does all of this work?

Brackhaven, as Seattle Governor, has staffed the Seattle Olympic Committee (SOC) with his cronies and yes men. They in turn (under Brackhaven's direction) have filled the Olympic Planning Committee (the OPC, charged with getting all the infrastructure and construction done) with more cronies and yes men.  Construction firms submit bids to the OPC; the OPC is under no obligation to accept the lowest bid- sometimes the "better" bid is the winning bid. This can be due to a bid allegedly being finished faster, being constructed with less distress to the neighborhood (traffic congestion is a big issue with homeowners), the bid being completed by a more reputable firm, said firm already having all the trucks and equipment in place, etc. The real truth is most likely that the Fix is in; simply the bigger bribe wins.

This is 1920's Chicago/Huey Long/Tammany Hall levels of corruption. The bidding firms either pay off Brackhaven directly (through "bagmen" of course), who funnels down money and directives, or they pay off OPC members, who funnel it up and the advise Brackhaven on who is playing ball the best. These firms are not immune to this either. While not even B-level corps, most construction firms are contracting firms; they hire other, smaller construction firms to do the jobs. These smaller firms are naturally paying off the contracting corp-how else can the contractors pay for the bribes they pay Brackhaven's machine? Of course, these firms must be hiring union labor (these unions kick back dues monies to Brackhaven's administration of course), except for the truly dangerous jobs-that's what metahumans are for after all.

"And what has been the Governor's reaction to these problems? He wants to fire Seattle's hard working police! Clean up starts at home, and Kenneth Brackhaven's the man for the job!" - an excerpt from one of Kenneth Brackhaven's Gubernatorial campaign speeches (from Runner Havens) 

Let us not think that this is all just construction scams. The "police" are in on this as well. How do you think Knight Errant got the policing job in Seattle? Remember that Brackhaven ran for Governor in 2070 as a supporter of Lone Star. He clashed with his opposition candidates on this support consistently. Then why the change? What, you actually think Lone Star was too racist for Kenneth Brackhaven?!? No. Lone Star wouldn't play ball. Even Clayton Wilson was uncomfortable with the amount of corruption Brackhaven was hinting at. So a hidden slush fund slid Brackhaven's way with KE on the cover. Why would Knight Errant and squeaky-clean Ares sully themselves this way? Money. Lots and lots of money. Knight Errant understood they would get the job, and still be in place during the Olympics. The Olympics contract will double the officers on the beat. That's something like 200,000 extra jobs. And their taking over Seattle would shake Lone Star's grip on law enforcement world-wide. Lots of contracts eventually went KE's way after 2072. Enough to make one wonder what KE and Ares may have to do with the Mayan Cutter cases and the Tempo crisis. But that is a theory for another day. All we need to understand right now is that Ares greased Brackhaven's wheels hard to put themselves in the catbird seat. The day-to-day officers won't be on the take, but they know who is buttering their bread. 

So Seattle passes new taxes to pay for the Olympics (this was done under the previous administration!). Brackhaven uses these taxes, along with Corporate sponsorship deals to fund the construction. The firms bidding to win construction work bribe either Brackhaven, the SOC or the OPC. They in turn take bribes from those hoping to get contracted work. And the unions (electrical, HVAC, carpentry, etc.) get all the labor contracts, and then kick money up. And keeping a cover on all of this is a modern efficient police force, which is also kicking money up. So the bribery train goes round and round. And Brackhaven's administration is getting a taste at every level. And all paid for by citizens and rival corps. That is how a political machine works.

Assuming the Crew is not just muscle for the Machine, how do they get in on this? The most likely answer is that one of the competing firms hires them. They will be hired to disrupt rivals (to show the OPC that the rival is not a competent firm), extort rivals (with the threat of disruption and all that that entails), blackmail rivals (with dirt that the Crew digs up), or to protect the firm from being disrupted, extorted or blackmailed. variations upon these themes are the basis for our next 10 in Ten. Stay tuned, same Bat-Time, same Bat-Channel.

10 in Ten, Country Fried Edition

"Country fried, baptized in gravy
Can't wash off what the good Lord made ya
No matter how far that highway goes
An old dirt road'll get you home..."

So the Crew has left the confines of whatever city they call home and are out and about in the fresh invigorating air of the countryside. Or a paranoid schizophrenic Children of the Corn horror fest. Or if they are lucky, something in between. The American Wilderness has always presented Europeans with a feeling of dread. And Native Americans have a long history of cannibalism, Big Foots, and little men in the woods. And damn near every one of Grimm's fairy tales takes place deep in the woods. For a reason, the woods are a creepy place. Dark, full of vision blocking trees, and viscous man-eating beasts (some of who are actual beasts and some of which are men) and far from any civilized help, there is a reason the Greek god of the woods in Pan. As in an unreasoning fear that overtakes one in the woods, AKA panic. And for city folks, the long horizons and lack of people is off-putting. Combine all that with American Midwestern and Southern values and culture and you have more than a Run, you can have a game. And based upon rednblack's query over on the Shadowgrid forum boards, what the hell is happening out there in the tulies is a question for many GM's. So Mr. Black is back with a 10 in Ten on backwoods adventures, the Country Fried Edition...

1. So the local Sheriff has been going power hungry. Well not power so much as money hungry. Sheriffs are not elected any more, they are part of a corporate law enforcement contract, AKA Knight Errant/Lone Star/Hard Corps. And those contracts specify civil forfeiture as part and parcel of the Sheriffs job. And the Sheriff is bucking for promotion/trying to save his job/just following orders. But the locals have had enough. And the Williams family has been hard hit, with both their trucks being impounded just for parking in their front yard. Now they want the Crew to get back their trucks and take the Sheriff down a peg...
2. The Crew is going cross-country, when they stop in Shelbyville to repair and refuel. The local yokels notice all the keen gear the Crew is driving/carrying, and makes the Crew an offer: free fuel and repairs in exchange for playing ringers in the annual Urban Brawl/Combat Biker homecoming extravaganza against next door neighbor and heated rival Springfield.
3. Things have gotten hot down in the backwoods.

   

   Worth killing for? Mr. Black says, "Hell yes!"

   The Likkle Splick, a diner in Shelbyville, has been feuding with Springfield's own Nadine's Diner for years. This time some out-of-town media has claimed Nadine's red-eye gravy is the best, and them is fightin' words 'round here. So the Likkle Splick is hiring their own out-of-towners, the Crew, to get the recipe so they can break it down and adopt it to their own. The pay won't be the best, but the Crew can count on all the chicken-fried steak and garbage plates of real meat they can stuff down their craws.
4. Or perhaps something is off in Shelbyville. Like drugs. Who know the backwoods would make a great distribution center for a drug empire. And the locals don't take kindly to strangers, especially those going back to the big city (and federal levels of law enforcement.) And now they want the Crew to stick around, permanent-like. You can run the locals as a small gang or Mafia soldiers. Or they could be country boys with hunting rifles, sniping from rooftops and from behind trees.Of go full Fury Road-monster trucks flying the Stars and Bars and full of freaks with guns, flying out of the trees to cut off the Crew.
5. Of course, the above could go the other way.

   

   Were you expecting a Charger jumping a creek?

   A crew could pick up a little smuggling job to enrich their cross-country run. If they are successful, this could become regular work. It is up to the GM whether this sideline is just paperwork or a full nights work. Or maybe after a few "milk" runs, the sheriff comes in. He is, of course, in the pocket of another drug cartel. This could end up Justified (the criminal element, not the Marshals department), Season 4 Archer, or just maybe, full Dukes of Hazzard mode. Just like most runners, the Dukes..

   Been in trouble with the law,

   Since the day they was born...

6. Mr. Johnson needs a bodyguard detail. Perhaps it is the Draco Foundation or the Atlantean Group that is hiring. Or the University of Washington, the University of Chicago or Marshall College is doing the hiring. Or perhaps the PCC or the Sioux Nation is paying. Whoever it is, the Crew is wanted for an expedition into the Great North American Wilderness looking for a "lost tribe" said to be living upon especially magical land. You can play this up as a "pinkskin" tribe hiding out, ala Amazonian tribal people, or the Sentinelese. Basically take any movie about explorers going up river, and put in in North America. Think Apocalypse Now/The Emerald Forest.

   

   In the ruins of Old Detroit...

7. You could also slide the above run. Here Mr. Johnson is planning a jaunt into country for telesma. He needs the Crew to watch his back while he goes through some old growth areas. He is not too worried about rival corporations, rival telesma hunters, local constabulary or meta-flora/fauna. Nope, he informs the Crew, there is a much bigger danger out there. The remnants. Those who just stayed behind after civilization moved on. This is a much darker version of the above, with dread, lots of perception checks and jump scares. For flavor, try Southern Comfort/Deliverance, or you can go the whole The Hills Have Eyes/Cannibal Holocaust/House of 1000 Corpses/any Rob Zombie movie route. Or Mr. Black assumes Green Inferno...
8. Speaking of rural horror, the Crew could always pull up in a deserted small town. They need gas/electricity to keep going. But the pumps are dry/the power is off. They keep catching glimpses of movement. As you build the paranoia, darkness starts to fall. And then the locals come out. Maybe they're ghouls. Maybe they're vampires. Maybe they're cannibalistic clowns. Or maybe they are good old boys, out to make someone squeal...
9. Need more horror? What is Mr. Black saying, of course you do!* So the locals are scared. And eventually the Crew notices that there aren't a lot of kids about. Finally the locals muster up the courage to ask the Crew for help. Their kids are going missing. and just last week a brother and sister went into the woods and haven't been seen since.

   

   Yum, yum get me some...

   When the Crew goes out to the woods, they find something terrible. Bones, lots of kids bones. Is it a Wendigo? More cannibalistic clowns? Better yet, they find a house, deep in the woods. And it appears to be made of pastry. Specifically, gingerbread. Is the Crew in time to save the siblings from an insane mage/hag/Black Annis who is fattening them up?
10. Use the above as a template for converting any fairy tale/Disney cartoon into something dark in the hinterlands. "Please help me! My daughter left this morning to take food to her grandmother and hasn't returned!" "Please help us! The mayor's daughter has magical powers and has turned the whole town into ice!" "Help me! My daughter married last year and I haven't heard from her since. Why yes, her husband's beard is so black it appears blue in certain light." "Please help us! Our town is being terrorized by a huge dark lion and packs of hyenas! They have destroyed everything in the area and now are hunting us in our homes!" "Please help us! A strange man came into town, played a strange tune, and all of our children followed him out of town! Please save them!" "Please help me! My son won't leave the local lake. Why yes, it is full of mermaids and giant were-squids!" 
11. EXTRA BONUS!! Does number 10 not sound scary/fun/scary fun enough? Lets go through the examples. The first is Red Riding Hood. This is your chance to throw a metric buttload of werewolves at your players. Throw The Howling/The Village/Skinwalkers/Wild Country/Dog Soldiers into a blender and enjoy.And remember the An American Werewolf in London starts in the sticks...do you dare to run a game where one of the characters is bitten, returns to the big city and slowly transformed into a form-changing serial killer? Not a shapeshifter, but a missing-time, waking up in sheets covered in blood and crapping out body parts murderous wolfen cannibal? Look at AAWIL of course, but also The Wolf. And who could miss a chance to rip on Frozen? Throw that chick-flick stuff to the curb, and think teen-aged blood mage uncontrollably manifesting ice spells and summoning ice spirits. Does your Crew have the mojo and the magic to stop her? And do it before her even more powerful repressed sister shows up? The third is of course Bluebeard, a classic tale based on a real person who murdered hundreds of children and enacted months-long miracle plays to gain satanic wealth and power, and maybe the love of Joan of Arc. Yes, really. It is perhaps the primogenitor of castle/house/cabin in the woods where people go and don't come out. Need a hook? One of the character's Dependent's sister/aunt has gone missing. "Honey, I am really worried about my sister. Can you get your little band of friends to go and take a look?" The fourth is everyone's favorite, Hamlet..err, Simba the White Lion...err, The Lion King. What group of players can resist saving a small town from a pack of carnivores? And bring a little The Ghost and the Darkness to it, which is based again on reality(loosely, because, Hollywood), and a little The Brotherhood of the Wolf, which is also based on real events (loosely, because cool narrative/conspiracy trumps reality**). And read Peter Capstick's Death in the Long Grass, which has a chapter on wolf packs attacking entire Russian villages (and is one of Mr. Black's favorite books ever), or here, here, here, or here. And of course the Pied Piper of Hamelin is really a wizard/shaman using spells (or an Adept with social powers and a flute foci) to steal children (perhaps to sell to the hag of Hansel and Gretel?) for his own sick purposes. Being Shadowrun, he is extorting towns for cash and needs to be stopped. Hope the crew brought ear plugs. And lastly, Disney's Little Mermaid, in reverse. Mr. Black double dares you to fill a large lake with selkies, mermaids, sirens and/or merrows, along with krakens/werekrakens, and have Mr. Johnson hire your crew to exterminate them all to save local menfolk from the evil beasts. Mr. Black triple-dog dares you!

* As the great Kenneth Hite says, it is not if your campaign is a horror campaign, but when it becomes a horror campaign.
** Any movie based on real events that somehow combines secret history, conspiracy, Kung Fu, Native American badasses, super sexy French women and Monica Bellucci, wild crazy gypsies, flintlocks, a deadly monster, bits of Sherlock Holmes, and is filmed with bravura style and great cinematography is bound to be one of Mr. Black's favorites, and is consumed in a yearly viewing ritual. 

Seattle Olympics 2076, Hell on Earth, Part 3 - Running in the Shade of Brackhaven

So how do you get your players involved in all of this? Let us break Brackhaven's Campaign of Evil into easier to digest bits. Thing One, the 2057 election cycle. Thing Two, Brackhaven's buying up of the Barrens. Thing Three, the 2070 election. And Thing Four, Olympic shenanigans. And lastly, Thing Five, the aftermath and repercussions of the Temporary Housing Facilities (THF's).

So first up, you could run through the elections, either Kennie's run for UCAS President, or his run for Governor. The first was covered in Super Tuesday, and is still an excellent book for covering unethical elections. The second was talked about in Runner Havens and Emergence. If you or your players never played through Super Tuesday, then grab it up, scrub the names clean, and serve it up for the Party. Perhaps in your campaign, Brackhaven's hidden past (and racist present) never came out. And 2070 is the time to discover it. Or the 2074 election. Choose the one that fits best for your players and your campaign. In any of these scenarios, a political contact may call up a character for a favor. Or perhaps MoM (or ORC, or Sons of Sauron if the players are a bit more hard-core) get in touch. Give those characters who have more than a street doc and an armorer contact some love. Remember that if the Crew exposes Brackhaven, they will be in his Book of Grudges. This could lead to Runs to Nowhere (runs where the Crew is not supposed to succeed, but either provide a distraction, or just plain get frakked), opposing teams showing up at Meets/Runs/Swaps (especially Swaps), or approaches from really shady Fixers/Mr. Johnsons. And of course, if your Crew is full of racists, perhaps they get hired by Brackhaven to Run the opposition.

Gittes: A memorial service was held at the Mar Vista Inn today for Jasper Lamar Crabb. He passed away two weeks ago. 
Mrs. Mulwray: Why is that unusual?
Gittes: He passed away two weeks ago and one week ago he bought the land. That's unusual.

So on to Thing Two. Brackhaven starts forming dummy corporations and begins to buy up the Barrens. This is all a bit more subtle, but there is plenty of room for player interaction, especially if the Crew is more of the Hooding bent. This all starts small. Perhaps a finance contact mentions that someone is creating a full hosts of shell companies. For a more concrete lead, have that contact turn up dead, with the proverbial Dead Letter drop for the character. Okay, a Dead Disc drop. But the characters end up with the tropey "I'm dead and find out who killed me" disc and an incentive to go do it. Or go a little closer. One of the characters (who lives in the Barrens) is approached by his landlord, who informs the character that next months rent is to be paid to Universal Properties LLC. And the rent (and his lifestyle) is going up 10%. Or the gang that watches the neighborhood and informs the character about strangers asking for him (you know, the one the character has as a contact? He does have one as a contact, right?) tells him that they are leaving, as they can't afford to pay both the next gang up and Universal Properties LLC. Maybe the character can do them a favor and check this new company out? Have some paranoid players? What is Mr. Black saying, of course you have paranoid players. So the above landlord comes in and tells the above character that no more rent is needed, as the landlord just came into money and is leaving. Whether the power and water stays on is of course up to you. (Mr. Black says turn that stuff off, and have the characters Lifestyle drop to Street level or lower. Maybe his neighbors start OD-ing at a frightful rate (they're blowing all that extra money on drugs) or getting robbed at a frightful rate (the above gang realizes that they all have extra money to steal.) Perhaps, they will start checking around to find out what is going on.

The key here is to start things small. Give the players a taste of something wrong. An appetizer of Evil. The main course is still to come. Let the Crew invite themselves to the upcoming banquet. You want them to do the inviting. Then when the dinner turns full-Red Wedding, they have only themselves to blame.

"But my players have no social conscious!" you say. "They would never go hooding!" Well, then make them. You heard Mr. Black, force them to get involved. Someone took the Dependent Negative Quality right? Or Day Job? Put those Qualities to work for you and not the Crew. So Night Striker has an aunt/sister/etc. he helps out. Now is the time for old Aunt May-san to move to the Barrens so she can have the above problems. Or their Day Job moves. The bar they are a bouncer at moves to take advantage of the great real estate deals. And now they are on the front line. Does someone have Wanted/Enemy? Then turn up the heat every where but the Barrens. Give them one place to hide out, other than the Ice Caves of Snohomish.

Or just hire them. This could be a "find my sister/brother who has disappeared in the Barrens", or a more social-oriented hire. Perhaps the Plastics Gardens needs help. And what Crew couldn't use a healing hide out? Or maybe their ganger contact needs some help. With the streets starting to run red, who couldn't use a little Runner muscle? Better yet, if the Crew helped MoM/ORC/Sons of Sauron etc. out on one of the elections, that organization is calling again. Too many meta-humans are being dispossessed. And they want eyes on the ground to find out what is happening. And search for the many missing people. Or maybe the Crew has a contact in the banking/construction/real estate businesses who wants to know what is going on, or why they didn't get a government contract. Or a reporter checking into all the above. Better yet, a reporter that needs bodyguards while investigating the Barrens. This way a combat-oriented Crew can get in on the action, and a sneaky-sneaky Crew will have real headaches trying to keep the reporter alive.

Just remember that this is a low key stage of Kennie's Evil Plan. This part is perfect for investigative, Matrix and Face types. There will be lots of record checking and following up and questioning of people. It is not for every Crew. But even if the players don't want to get involved, you can start to lay in the groundwork for the next part of the Plan. So start now, and prepare your players for Armageddon.

Next time we look at Things 4 and 5, Olympic Shenanigans and the THF's.

New Additions to the Essential Trideography, The J.J. Gittes Edition

Mr. Black has added 2 titles to the Essential Trideography. While he was reflecting on the 2076 Olympics, both Chinatown and The Two Jakes kept springing to mind, as both films are about corruption and land grabs. So be a great GM, watch 2 good movies and steal the crap out of both of them. As usual, these new additions are in RED. Titles are listed alphabetically however. And spoilers abound, as usual. If one can spoil 20+ year-old movies, that is.

Mr. Black's Essential Shadowrun Trideography is Live!

Just a small update. Mr. Black has finally posted Mr. Black's Essential Shadowrun Trideography. This page is where you will find movies and TV shows dissected for what they can add to your game. It is not about how good or bad or cyberpunk the show is. It is solely a discussion about memorable characters a GM can drop in, examinations of themes (intended or not), or the feel and look of a scene a GM can use to illustrate a location to his players, or kick-ass quotes to unleash upon them. It is also not definitive, exclusive, or finished. Mr. Black will add to it when he is ready. Mr. Black is also not here to wordfight over: what films/TV shows are in the list; films/TV shows should be in the list; what he thinks about them; or what GM's can take away from them. Mr. Black is willing to listen to suggestions of what to add next; leave your suggestions in the comments. Mr. Black is also willing to discuss the works in general and perhaps what else can be gained by watching them; again, feel free to add to the comments. Did you take away something else entirely from the work? Send it to Mr.Black via e-mail; perhaps he will publish it. Then again, perhaps not; he is old and cranky. Nonetheless, we start with Blade Runner, Burn Notice and Robocop. Yes, the original. What, did you think Mr. Black has time to waste watching trashy unneeded remakes? (And has there been a more criminal use of an up-coming foreign director on his first American film? Mr. Black thinks not.) Now go read up, then re-watch and go stun your players.

Seattle Olympics 2076, Hell on Earth, Part 2, Timeline of Evil

 "You see, Mr. Gittes, most people never have to face the fact that at the right time and right place, they’re capable of anything.” - Noah Cross, Chinatown.

Why Kenneth Brackhaven? He seems like a nice chap. He didn't actually run the Humanis Policub after all. Mr. Black chooses Kennie because he is in power, and because he fits. Let us remember, that as powerful racists come, he is to the purple born. Sort of. His "father", like a true scion of Noah Cross, eliminated his 12-year old son who goblinized as an Ork and replaced him with Kenneth. That's right, good old Charles whacked his flesh and blood and replaced him with an orphaned street urchin, to get the pure-bred child he wanted. When you start from that kind of evil, you have no place to go but up.

So Mr. Black has laid out a scenario for evil in Seattle, disguised by the 2076 Olympics. This time we go more in depth. Once again, let's start simply. Here is a rough timeline for these events:

• 2040's - Brackhaven creates, funds and runs several Citizen's Committees for Security (CCFS), thinly veiled political action groups fronting for the Humanis Policlub.
• 2057 - Kenneth Brackhaven loses his bid for the UCAS Presidential suite. His new plan starts to simmer...
• 2058-2069 - The Road to Purgatory Phase. Brackhaven starts politicizing his money, supporting candidates throughout the Seattle Metroplex government and within Seattle's districts. His support, both covert and overt, of various Policlubs (and through them, terrorist organizations) grows.
• 2064 - Dr. Klaus Uwe Heiden, famed geneticist, winner of Moms of Metahumans' Humane Scientist of the Year award, enters the leadership of Alamos 20,000. Yes, that Alamos 20,000. According to Grima at ShadowSEA, his experiments "Make Josef Mengele look like Albert Schweitzer."
• 2065 - Karl Brackhaven, Kenneth's uncle and head of the Seattle branch of the Humanis Policlub, passes away. Kenneth quietly puts in a proxy leader, one clean enough to keep Kenneth's name out of things. Ties to Alamos 20,000 and the Human Nation terrorist organizations are hidden even deeper.
• 2069 - The Olympic Organizing Committee confirms Seattle for the 2076 Summer Olympic Games.
• 2069 onward - Brackhaven Investments, through many, many shell companies, begins buying official titles throughout Seattle, but focusing on the Redmond Barrens.
• 2069 onward - Totally unrelated, the CCFS's, Humanis, Ministry of Mankind and other policlubs and religious groups trumpet "Jobs for Seattle" campaigns, tying the Olympics with construction and hospitality jobs. Support for the Olympic movement grows.
• 2069 - Crowning the Prince of Darkness Phase. Kenneth Brackhaven joins the Republican party, leaving the Archconservative party. 
• 2070-He defeats UCAS Ellen Danquist in the Republican Primaries for the Seattle Gubernatorial Republican ticket.
• 2070 - Kenneth Brackhaven wins election for Seattle Governor, during a heated election full of dirty tricks and shadowruns.
• 2070 - 
• 2071 - Governor Brackhaven replaces the Director of the Seattle Olympic Organizing Committee (SOOC) with William Roper. Firms throughout Seattle scramble to get on (or stay on) a new "Approved Vendors" list.
• 2071 - The SOOC Director releases amended list of approved firms and construction sites for the Olympics. Additionally, many properties in Redmond are purchased by the Metroplex.
• 2071 - Unemployment drops 2% in Seattle. While many policlubs champion this metric, KSAF and others notice the discrepancies between employment numbers for humans (a huge drop) and those for metahumans and immigrants.
• 2071 - Various shell companies start construction of  "Temporary Citizen Housing" (TCH's) in Snohomish and outer Everett. Additionally, the Metagenics Research Consortium opens a research facility in Snohomish.
• 2071 - Governor Brackhaven announces Redmond Reclamation Project", highlighting upgrades to property and infrastructure, and many jobs the Project will bring to the Metroplex.
• 2072 - Roger Soaring Owl resigns as CEO of Knight Errant.
• 2072 - Governor Brackhaven replaces Lone Star's policing contract and brings in Knight Errant. Bounties on Redmond Ghouls peg out at 500 nuyen.
• 2072 onward - Knight Errant "escorts" Barrens residents to Snohomish TCH's.
• 2072 - Various grass-roots groups protest the TCH's and the transportation of citizens. The Brackhaven administration counters with ads of happy citizens excited about better housing and jobs involving the Olympics.
• 2073 - February 7th - Seattle's annual Night of Rage rally turns violent as unprecedented numbers turn out to protest. 12 people, including a Knight Errant officer are killed, and hundreds hurt as bricks, bottle and tear gas fly.
• 2073 - The Razing of Redmond. 17 People are injured when a building collapses on an Olympic construction site. The SOOC condemns the loss of life, but notes that the original residents had been moved out of the building 34 days before. None of the dead have SINs, and 14 are metahumans. Protests of the "Redmond Reclamation Project" begin in earnest, with picketers at construction sites and outside SOOC headquarters and Seattle city hall. Push back by Humanis and others. KSAF and other news media make note of "Shock Squads" using high-end weaponry against gang members of the Crimson Crush in the Redmond Barrens.
• 2073 - Salish-Shidhe protests incidents with armed teams along northern Seattle border.
• 2074 - Night of Rage II Phase. MoM denounces TCH's "as nothing more than concentration camps..."
• 2074 - February 7th - This year's Night of Rage Remembrance Rally is even more brutal. Knight Errant turns out in force, but 46 are killed when a magician releases several spirits upon the crowd. Both KE and protesters blame the other, but no arrests are made. MoM cautions for peace, but asks why is is no progress on the "Spirit Slaughterer". ORC also asks for calm, but the SOS denounces both KE and the Brackhaven administration. "Spirit Slaughterer" graffiti starts appearing around Seattle.
• 2074 - Construction accidents on Olympics sites grow to Qatar World Cup levels. KSAF and MoM note that immigrant and metahuman workers make up over 70% of all killed, and 65% of wounded, and 85% of all hospitalized. Both call for review of Olympic labor. The Governor responds by implying that both groups lack the education for the jobs they hold, and that is the reason for higher injury/death rates. Various policlubs flood media, accusing KSAF and MoM as unpatriotic and anti-labor.
• 2075 - February 5th - Governor Brackhaven declares martial law for the next 4 days and mobilizes the Metroplex Guard on the night of the 6th. However, the Barrens is left open, and only a coalition of the Crimson Crush, the 162's, and the Rusted Stilettos(!), along with Barrens residents stops the Plastic Gardens from burning down.
• 2075 - The Sons of Sauron torch an Olympic construction site in Redmond Barrens. The Governor, Knight Errant Chief of Station and various civil and political organizations denounce the act as terrorism. Attacks, verbal and physical, on metahumans mount. Governor Brackhaven openly discusses mobilizing the Metroplex Guard to protect construction sites. "The activities of these thugs cannot be tolerated. They seek to besmirch all Seattleites. But we will not bow down. We will not give in to their insidious threats. Rise up Seattle, and show the world what
• 2075 - November 1st - The Desolation Angels engage in strike upon the Frank T. Black TCH. Rumors abound that the TCH has been taken over by insect spirits. 4 days later a Red Cross investigation lodges a protest, as over 40% of the original inhabitants are gone...
• 2075- Now...

Whetted your appetite? In Parts 3 and more, we will discuss how your crew fits into all of this.

10 in Ten - The Olympics Bluebacks Edition

Hershe - "Oh, yeah? A million greenbacks? I got 10 million of them in the next room."

Snake - "Un-uh. Bluebacks."

Hershe - "Oh, come on, Snake."

Snake - "Bluebacks. I swear to God..." - Snake Plissken negotiating with Hershe Las Palmas, Escape from LA

So several members of the ShadowGrid forums have been talking about the upcoming 2076 Seattle Summer Olympics, especially Geekman047. With that in mind, Mr. Black presents the following 10 in Ten - The Olympics Bluebacks Edition. This 10 in Ten is a little looser than normal, more of a primer of ideas as opposed to 10 concrete ideas. Mr. Black will be blogging more about the evil of these Olympics, but thought you GM's could all use something more "generic". And all of these ideas can be used along side the Horror of the 2076 Olympics. So use, abuse, and enjoy. And make sure you get paid in Bluebacks, not that Seattle Olympic Committee Greenback script.

1. Drug testing is always a part of the Olympics. Whether Mr. Johnson wants you to plant a tainted sample (to disqualify another athlete), plant a pure but counterfeit sample (to protect his athlete from being exposed for a drug cheat), or just corrupt/rig the drug testing equipment itself (hack your way in and then do either or both!), you are sure to be handling piss and/or blood this summer. Just be careful who pees in the bottle; for some runners taking drugs is more than a lifestyle-it is a job require. Part of said drug testing is the actual taking of drugs. Whether the Crew gets drugs for his client, or to plant drugs on/in his client's competition is up to you and Mr. Johnson. Actual performance enhancers (like Bliss, Cram, Jazz, Kamikaze, steroids, etc.,) and dubious performance enhancers (like weed, coffee, etc,) are all on the menu. Heck, just spiking an athlete's cola with extra caffeine could be enough get them disqualified. Can the crew smuggle in some Mega-Jolt Super-Caff soda, disguised in Omega Fizz cans? Or alter all the soda dispensers to switch to Mega-Jolt as needed? The last will require work on the dispensers and keeping 24-hour watch on them; a good job for a hacker heavy Crew.
2. Your Crew may be doing so many drug runs that they threaten to quit. "That's 20 runs on the testing facility in 3 days! We need a break!" Which will impact their Street Cred of course. And maybe more. Mr. Johnson, desperate for one more medalist, decides that blackmail/extortion is the way to go. He doesn't care about repercussions, as he will be out of North America in a day or so. And if the Crew decides to hunt him down in whatever piss-hole Eastern European Bloc country/African hell-hole/Middle Eastern waste-war-land he is hiding in, then you just got two Runs for the price of one. And the extra one involves international travel and a whole new hyper-corrupt landscape.
3. Depending on what year it is in your game will dictate the amount of construction that is taking place. The OOC usually nominates the winning city 8 years ahead of time to allow time for planning and financing all that construction. So you can have your Crew do runs involving construction plots from about 2069 onward. Putting pressure on bidding firms to drop out of said bidding (classic extortion/blackmail here, nothing fancy), conducting runs on their construction sites to make them look disreputable (destroying work so it can't be done on time), altering construction materials to make them weaker (Concrete is key here. What do the runners care about how many people die when the building collapses?**), falsifying work documents to show the firm's racial make-up isn't up to snuff to qualify for government work (not enough metahumans for UCAS regulations, or too many metahumans for Kennie's Big Plans), organizing demonstrations outside of current projects to make firms look bad, there is lots of work for Crews. And all these different types of jobs allow work based on the Crew's skills, a big bonus for GM's.
4. Mr. Johnson has a problem. His client never thought he would get the bid for constructing the Paul Schell Badminton Facility*. The client's bid was waaay under the others, and now he is running out of money to continue. So Mr. Johnson wants a simple arson, one that will pass an arson investigation. His client hopes to collect the insurance money and then bow out. You know, if the Runners don't blackmail him first...
5. Just as the 2016 Rio Olympics resulted in a toxic waste site/sailing venue, and the Sydney Olympics before them, the hurried state of construction is sure to do the same in Seattle. And where you find toxic sites, you find toxic spirits, and toxic shamans. And now Mr. Johnson needs you to clear the Harry White Soccer Grounds* of such a shaman. The Grounds are huge, with 3 full-sized pitches being built. The crew is on a clock, as the Seattle Olympic Committee is sending an inspection team to the site to check on the progress. And this all needs to be kept quiet, big explosions and running street fights are out. Publicity of such an event would cost millions...
6. Or maybe the city just gives in. And the Crew gets hired as one of many off-the-book teams to keep an eye out for pissed of toxic spirits. Too bad they got hired to sit on a boat in Lake Washington and patrol the sailboat races. Mr. Black knows he hates facing angry water spirits while sitting in the water. Or worse, they could be watching the rowing events (those little boats splinter quickly, hard to save those folks, and there goes the bonus money!) or kayaking events (pissed off toxic spirits AND white water rafting? Sounds like fun, right?)
7. While the UCAS national team is guaranteed a spot in the Soccer competition, spots on the team have to be earned. Or bought. Mr. Johnson needs the Crew to thin down the competition for his client. This may take several runs, injuring some athletes, buying out others, and smearing the rest (drug use is a good way to go.) The Crew has to be careful, as key players are still needed so that the team doesn't suck. The client is looking for a medal, not just participation. Mr. Johnson is looking at bench players here. But mistakes happen, and they may lead to bitter repercussions...
8. The previous run idea could be applied to any of the lesser team sports (field hockey, volley ball, etc.) However Basketball is big time. While the UCAS team is not what it once was (with the UCAS losing much of it's territory and all) it is still a favorite for a medal. And lots of star power in this sport.So trying to manipulate the roster is going to be "Win Big/Lose Big". Either the players succeed and get a huge payout, or they screw it up and get found out nationally. You can bet the teams of the players they messed over will want revenge, not to mention the very rich players themselves, and possibly the Players Union. Hell, if they hurt the wrong players the Mafia will come after them for screwing up the betting odds...
9. Becoming an officer of the Seattle Olympic Committee is quite the resume-maker. One is sure to get amazing job offers from any of the Big Ten; some will want the ex-officer just for publicity reasons. So getting appointed is quite the hurdle. Thus Mr. Johnson needs to make his client sparkle so that a contender looks dirty. The Crew will need to find some dirt or just plain make some up. If you are running Kennie's Big Plans, just being anti-Humanis may be enough. Unless he needs a "token" on the Committee, that is.
10. Anytime world-class sporting events are held in Western countries, someone is sure to seek asylum. And the Olympics are no exception. Generally the athletes just walk out into the street and ask for it. However this extraction is semi-Hostile; the target wants out but their country is against it, and is providing extra security for it's athletes and staff. Compounding the extraction is Knight Errant's on-site security; they are the security providers for the Seattle Olympics (why do you think the Brackhaven administration choose them? Kennie gets two jobs for the price of one...) And current Olympic security is no joke. The threat of terrorism is higher than ever, making the Olympic Village extremely well-guarded. And the stadiums are no joke either. They are sure to have intrusive searches and sensors at the entrances. Can the crew grab the athlete and get him/her to a UCAS government building all while dodging foreign security teams and Knight Errant? Need to step this up a peg? Make the country Lagos and the athlete a Ghoul to increase the moral dilemmas for your players and Crew.

*All facilities described here are named after Seattle mayors, as found here.
**Causing guilt among your players (after the building they altered concrete collapses, killing hundreds of innocent women and children) is just pure bonus fun! You can decide what to do with the character with the Street Samurai Honor Code....

Seattle Olympics 2076 - Hell on Earth, Part 1

"You tell them I'm coming, and Hell's coming with me, you hear? Hell's coming with me!" - Wyatt Earp, Tombstone.

Looking for a grand theme to hang your campaign on? One that has the feel of those great and terrible revelations from the 1st/2nd Edition days (you know, Universal Brotherhood, Threats, Atzlan blood magic, etc.,) but is up to date, current (2070-ish) and unknown to your players (as long as they aren't reading this!)? Then sit down, grab some soycaf, and prepare to challenge your players. Because the Seattle Olympics are coming to town, and Hell is coming with them.

While Hell is not the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks about the Olympics (bad mascots, rampant bribery, and rampant Jingoism are, however.) But there is something darker at the heart of the 2076 Olympics. Darker than bankrupting Third World countries in the name of social progress and a world stage. Darker than unknowingly taking transgenic drugs falsely prescribed as "vitamin supplements" in the belief they will gain you two-tenths of a second. Darker than "amateur" athletes being genetically modified and abused since they were 3-year-olds.We are talking about human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!

But let's start slow. Facility construction is where this all starts. Depending on what year it is in your game will dictate the amount of construction that is taking place. The OOC usually nominates the winning city 15 years ahead of time to allow time for planning and financing all that construction. And depending on who is your Governor (currently and officially that Arch-Conservative, arch-racist, Kenneth Brackhaven, CEO and COB of Brackhaven Investments) will dictate how much corruption, civil unrest and how dystopian this period goes. In a city like Seattle, there is not a lot of desirable land just sitting around to build stadiums on. So where is all going? Puyallup? Maybe for indoor sports, but all that ash and lava fall won't do it for outdoor endeavors. That leaves us with parts of Tacoma and Renton, Snohomish and the Barrens. Yes, the Barrens. Where else is a cold-hearted slitch like Kennie Brackhaven going to steal enough land to build on, all while skimming millions off the top? And you know that bastinge is doing just that, all behind a tightly woven web of shell companies. Heck, he probably decided to run for Governor to help with all that land he bought on the DL, and no one is the wiser. And no one votes in the Barrens. Heck they ain't even citizens! This will make the displacement of all those undesirables so much easier politically, and make the Razing of Chavez Ravine look like a cake walk.

Is that KSAF down on the right?

Or not. Depending on the GM's needs, those SINless hordes may go quietly to "temporary internment camps", or they may rise up and fight. It will start with simple unrest, become demonstrations against construction sites, and then riots when the displacement teams come to usher the soon-to-be homeless out. It can then grow to full-blown insurrection. Which was probably Kennie's evil plan all along. Buy the land through proxies using his company's money. Work with Uncle Karl (Kennie's Uncle Karl Brackhaven is the head of the Seattle branch of Humanis. See where this is going?) to promote a "Jobs for Seattleites" political campaign to get the Humans on board. Sell said land to Seattle, guided by his political muscle and title. Throw the SINless (and non-human) off that land and into concentration camps. When said less-than-humans fight back, use it to show how inhuman, uncivilized and dangerous they are, allowing Kennie to throw even more into concentration camps, all against the backdrop of "Saving the Olympics" from the barbarians. And skim lots of money from building permits, construction bids, and every other kind of dirty financial trick he can. Cause someone has to live rich and fund Humanis.

The Seattle Metroplex Guard escort former Barrens inhabitants to "Temporary Housing Facilities"

Whether this is all Battle of Chavez Ravine levels, Rodney King riots level, or Warsaw vs the Nazis level of all-out genocidal racial war, is all up to the GM and how bad/dystopian he wants it to be. And this can be very, very dark. Kicked out of your home, forced into a concentration camp, but taking the only job you can find, 16 hours-a-day of hard, physical construction work in the "company store" building structures you will never be allowed to see, let alone allowed to enter, sorts of dark. This can be "build the death camps you are sentenced to" kind of dark. And only the Crew stands between Brackhaven and the Seattle Olympic Holocaust. Can the Crew expose Kennie's web of lies? Can they break the silence and drag Kennie, Brackhaven Investments, and good old Uncle Karl into the gutter, where they belong? And do it while dodging ghoul hunting packs, angry street riots, volatile gangs, Humanis goon squads, Seattle Metroplex Guard peacekeepers/riot breakers, and Kennie's shadowy hit squads? Good luck, chummer, good luck.

10 in Ten, The Rigger Triumphant Edition

One of the members over at the ShadowGrid forums, captduck, asked for help with giving his player's Rigger character more to do. After offering some suggestions, Mr. Black gave it some long thought. The problem was not so much about what else the character could do, but that most GM's and players tend to pigeonhole the Rigger into not much more than a glorified chauffeur. (Mr.Black knows, he has done it too!) This is very wrong, but may require a paradigm shift for most players and GM's. Really, we GM's should try Runs where different members of the Crew get to shine, especially the Rigger. The trick is to make the Rigger the reason the Run is going on-he needs to drive something away for Mr. Johnson. As a starting point Mr. Black offers the following 10-in-Ten, the Rigger Triumphant Edition, to help push that gear-shift. Enjoy, and use at your Rigger's grace and your Crew's peril.

1. Let's start simple. The Crew needs to get into a very tall building. From the top. Perhaps the elevators don't go all the way to the roof, or maybe the top 30 floors are not accessible by Wi-Fi. And the other 100 floors are a bitch of a security nightmare. Whatever. Time for the Crew to get out of the Van, and into a helicopter, which our poor benighted Rigger gets to drive. And maybe fire machinegun shots into those top 30 floors. And then make a high speed aerial chase across the skies of Seattle. Bring extra shenanigans by having the Crew make an high-speed emergency evac off that roof. You know the one, where that last member of the crew has to make a jump off the 130th floor onto a skid or a dangling rope. Don't make it to hard for the jumpee; you want him dangling when the chase starts. You know, for that extra-cinematic feel. And the grin on your face as the Crew's spends all their Edge to keep him from falling off...
2. Mr. Johnson wants the Crew to recover a large shipment. It is loaded on 3 freight cars, and Mr. Johnson wants the Crew to steal the whole train. Which is where the Rigger comes in. While the Hacker goes in and changes the routing, the Rigger is going to play engineer! Again, someone else will have to drive the Van. The rest of the Crew can provide security, and really, who doesn't want to have a fight on top of a train?
3. One of the Big Ten has a new prototype. Only this time it is not some little piece of electronics. It is a frakkin' tank (or a Riot Control Vehicle, or an APC. Something big, armored and armed.) And Mr. Johnson wants it driven to the Swap point. Try Ash City/Glow City, or maybe the stolen train above. Anyways, the Crew needs to get into the testing grounds, get the Rigger into it (only Riggers can drive this advanced prototype), and then jander off into the night. And somebody else will have to drive the Van this time; hope somebody has Pilot: Ground Vehicles above Rating 1. Oh, and throw in an awesome chase, perhaps with attack helicopters firing AP missiles, and lots of car crunching fun.
4. Try the above Run differently. Mr. Johnson is perhaps a collector of expensive, high-speed automobiles. And one of the major corporations is testing their new prototype $500,000+ sports car. Once again, the Crew needs to get into the testing facility and have the Rigger drive it away. Which should lead to a high-speed, high octane (should that be high ozone in 2075?) chase across the city. Channel all your Fast 'n' Furious 1-7 into this; stealth should not be an option. Heck, go super-stupid and have the Crew helo insert into the top of the above Very Tall Building and then go full Furious 7 on them! If you are wizzer lucky, then maybe the rest of the Crew will also be able to drive and have some fast vehicles. 'Cause that stodgy Van just won't be able to keep up this time. For extra shenanigans, ensure Mr. Johnson puts a "no damage" clause in the contract.
5. You could change up #4 by making Mr. Johnson a very vindictive person, who has a beef with Jackson Pedley. Seems Ol' Jackson should have paid his gambling debts/kept his hands off someones wife/etc. And Jackson is driving the Number 37 Omega Fizz car in the Seattle 300 this weekend. And Mr. Johnson wants that number 37 car retrieved during the race on national TV. Once again, make sure there is a big chase, lots of fireworks, and lots of embarrassment for Ol' Jackson.
6. Mr. Johnson needs a job done on Lake Washington. The bottom of Lake Washington. Seems he lost a clandestine shipment on a boat that sunk and he wants the Crew to recover it. Whether they use a mini submarine or a Lamprey is up to you and your Rigger. The rest of the crew will probably need to take scuba lessons, a good way to get them to spend Karma on something other than guns, spells, and Matrixy stuff. Need to add shenanigans? Toss in pirates or sea-beasties. Better yet, throw in a rival Crew and recreate the end of Thunderball. Hell, go all out and make them a HTR team that parachutes in. You can amp up the fun by having Mr. Johnson work for one of the OCO's (Organized Crime Organization) and the shipment, well, drugs and let you players take a walk on the Dark Side.
7. And why fight on top of a train when you can fight on top of a high speed monorail? Think Wolverine or Mission Impossible: I. Mr. Johnson wants a diplomatic extraction (or Elimination!) on the LA to Seattle monorail. Once again our Rigger takes center stage and hijacks the monorail while the crew goes to work. Or reverse MI:1 this, and have the Rigger drop the team on the train. If you thought have a Crew member jump off a 130-story building was crazy, deploying on top of an object going 200+ miles per hour is even more nuts.
8. Nothing says alternate history like a Zeppelin. Just ask Kenneth Hite. Or these. So it is now time for your Crew to join the future and hijack a Zeppelin. Perhaps there is an item in the hold, or a person that must be extracted, but whatever it is, there is not enough time to get on, grab it/him/her, and get off. Just enough time to get aboard and then start doing Legwork. Oh sure, the crew could just wait for it to land, but that item is too big to just walk with, or the target is too well protected, or more likely, the original destination is someplace the Crew definitely doesn't want to be. So hijacking is the better option. Now the Rigger has to engage in a low speed chase, and maybe fire some ordnance,  all while the rest of the Crew sits around monitoring the hostages and babysitting the MacGuffin. And make sure the Crew channels their inner Archer!
9. Mr. Johnson desires protection. Oh, and an escorted trip to the western shore of Salish lands. Has a place to be, and people to meet. Nothing more than a day trip, he says. Well, in a regular boat, and it must be a boat to stay off of radar, it is a day or 2 trip. Which is why Mr. Johnson has acquired the services of a high-speed weaponized boat. Maybe it is just super-high performance cigarette boat (Think Black Lagoon), maybe it is a hydrofoil. But it will take a Rigger with nerves of steel to drive Mr. Johnson out to that shore, cutting through all the little islands in Puget Sound, in the dark and/or fog, while staying out of the reach of Salish patrol boats/helicopters, startled smugglers, large sea beasties, and the guards at all those strange, unknown, uncharted research facilities the Big Ten have hiding out there. Good luck and good sailing!
10. While we have talked about many many large vehicles, maybe it is time for the Rigger to go small. Like flying ultralights into facilities. Or racing motorcycles through Seattle. Or scooting Jackrabbits through the sewers loaded with gold. Or cutting through the woods in ATV's or those armed dune buggy things special forces love so much. Something small enough that the entire Crew can't fit in, so the Rigger-driven vehicle is the Alpha vehicle, and the rest of the Crew is another vehicle praying and spending Edge to keep up with him. Let him be the star for the night, so he doesn't go suicidal the next time he just sits in the Van.

So to repeat, make the Rigger the reason for the run, or give him more to do than wait in the Van again. Give him a chance to shine, and make him the star of the Run every now and then. Even if your Crew decides not to hijack the MacGuffin in say #3, maybe using a cargo helicopter to steal the tank, the Rigger is still doing the heavy lifting. And you may get lucky and have the rest of the Crew riding on the back of a tank dangling from a cargo helicopter 500 meters above the ground, all while a small attack wing of Wasps/large attack wing of drones show up and start spraying everyone down. Now go and enjoy!