VermillionStar

The programs that Thumper suggests, like this one are plentiful nowadays but I can almost guarentee that they won't give you the output you're looking for.

I don't remember coming across too much in the way of floor plans online in the detail you require.  Actual blueprints or floor plans are a great idea which never occured to me and I'm going to look into that for sure.

The essence of this is that "some tremendous advantage" is basically the same as saying the NPCs are smarter, work more effectively as a team, have access to information the PCs don't, etc.

I agree it is stupid and D&D-ish to increase the power of NPCs in direct line with the PCs - all the "regular" type of NPC they run into should be an easy take down as they move up the food chain.  But the scores the PCs will be going on will be significantly more dangerous; this is only natural.  It's a given that you don't buy $10,000 in ammo to take down a mom and pop shop on the corner, you buy it when you're going to kidnapp the mayor or something (yes I had them do this before, it was a lot of fun   ).

Also, as was stated above, by Bookwyrm I think, you can't give the guard at the front desk Metal Gear and a railgun, that's just silly; but what you can do is make him really switched on and thus still a challenge if the PCs need stealth.  If the challenge is gone, your combat sucks.  Period.  Not all combat is life threatening to a PC, but the important stuff should always be.

That just illustrates what I was getting at.  The NetRunner isn't doing anything that requires his attention, he's just waiting for someone to unplug a cable.

However, if he was evading a program or attacking a system the time that it takes to send the message out over the speaker, the other PC to respond, and to reply when he's done is about 10 actions while jacked in.  A lot can happen in 10 actions...

For my PCs, it seems the best balance comes from them all having the same skill set to choose from.  By me making SAs only available through experience awarded by me it serves several good purposes, not the least of which PC become special just because they have a couple of points in one or two SAs where most people they encounter have none at all.

Another good thing that it provides is that it makes PCs really strive to perfect and apply their specialties because the only way to gain SAs in my game is to do something spectacular with applicable skills first; ie - a fixer type who swindles the local Yak boss and comes out smelling like roses will get himself a point of StreetDeal.

Also, with SAs being so rare, those people that have them are "known" to have competence in that field.  Like that cat-like, deadly grace of movement a Solo gets after being up against everything and still living.

Some good points there.  What I was trying to express when I said they could multitask and were capable I just meant that the techie could operate the vehicle mounted railgun in a pinch or the fixer could hack past some low end security to open a locked door if whoever else was busy, dead, etc.

Oh certainly I can have them doing other things.  My whole point what that for someone to have a short conversation, or maybe walk across a room and pick something up and bring it back a NetRunner could perform his run three times in game-time.

The problem is when translating that into games mechanics IRL it takes sigificantly longer.  So without an inexplicable time lapse, not mcuh can happen with the PCs that aren't `Running.

Having nice, fat, juicy rounds available "somewhere" is important for any CP2020 game; the PCs swoon over getting it - or you should make it's availability such that they do.  Obviously as they grow and gain experience/quid/connections and the like, these types of ammo become much more readily available to them.  I've found the best way to counteract this phenomena is to make things even.

**incidentally this also ties into how I control called-shot junkies**

If the PCs are walked around packing HEAP in spades and carry only AP and INCI as spare then my NPCs need to be decked the same or have some tremendous advantage.  I prefer the latter - better games, makes PCs think a lot more, etc...

...actually, that doesn't really answer the question of what I have does it?

High Explosive, Armour Piercing (HEAP)

- 50% armour, 100% damage

High Explosive (HE)

- 150% damage

Armour Piercing (AP)

- you know the score...

Incindiary (INCI)

- must be "heavy" type or heavier weapon, including SHT

- regular damage

- +2d6 for 1d3 rounds - SP not applied in the successive rounds if the first shot overcomes it; if SP was not overcome in first round, -1 from the SP to that area for every round of burning

We like to keep it simple and don't really go beyond this unless for a specific application - a certain bullet for a certain man.

[hopes he's not starting a war]

One thing about the CP2020 system is that it's good.  Another thing is that you can change things to suit easily.  I found after playing and running CP2020 for awhile that I didn't like the way Roles made you conform to one sterotype.  I also didn't like Special Abilities, in terms of what could be done and how they effected the game.

Well, what I did to adapt to this was: a) make special abilities only available as a reward from the GM through experience, and take roles and throw them out the window.

The result?  Courageously dynamic PCs with identifiable strengths and weaknesses who weren't Mr. Solo, or Mr. Techie but who were skilled and experienced in such a fashion that you knew what they were about.  Over time, the PCs developed in a delicious manner - they were completely unique persons; formed the way their players had envisioned right from the beginning and not locked into one "profession".  They could run backup for other PCs in a pinch, multitask productively, and were highly capable operatives to say the least.

...thoughts?

To make shotguns realistic but fun to use, they just need to be changed around a little.  Some basic things to know when using a SHT is that in a combat situation where everybody is running around in armour, etc. it would make sense that the user is employing the full choke - meaning that the pellets aren't spraying out like a mist, the barrel focuses them straight forward as much as it can.

This would only make sense if you're trying to put down and armoured or cybered assailant.  Some may ask why that must be; the smartass answer is physics.    A better answer is to ask how effective shooting a rapid fire pellet rifle at the cyberpsycho is... or maybe I have those reversed.

Anyways, needless to say when shooting the SHT at anyone, you want the most lead into the smallest area possible in order to make the biggest hole and apply the most knockback force - I think we can all agree there.

Having done some duck and target work with a 12 gauge, a reasonable effective range with full choke is 20 - 25 metres.  After that, things begin to spread out pretty quickly, so I like to tack on another 10 metres that would cause 1/2 damage.  In order to simulate the the "cloud" effect I consider anyone directly adjacent to the intended target to be affected at 1/2 damage as well.

After 35 metres or so I say that a SHT is ineffective - IN REGARD TO RPG COMBAT MECHANICS.  SHT are specifically designed for close up, room-to-room work only.

This changes a bit with solid slug SHT, and the ranges can be adapted accordingly.  Solid slug, is a nice idea but was developed for a specific purpose like removing hinges from door frames or delivering some type of payload (incindiary rounds anyone?) to a target.  It's a relatively slow moving projectile and shouldn't be that effective against hard armours.

As for PCs favouring one or the other, there is a psychological factor that goes along with the familar "chu-chunk!" of a pump action and the look of any SHT itself.  If this is played correctly and you think about it, you'll be more inclined to respect the man with the SHT then the man with a Handgun.  Then again, a full SHT isn't all that concealable like a handgun, and can't be used 1-handed.  Sawed-off SHT have no choke, spray pellets everywhere and should have the initial range shortened to 15 - 20 metres at the most.

For me, punk doesn't necessarily = revolution.

To me, punk is a way of life.  It's anarchy, but in Cyberpunk it's warped to deep hedonism; not pure in the least.  I've found that the majority of PCs, while myriad in their appearances and specialties, all have that "look out for #1" attitude, whether focal or subconscious.  A good Cyberpunk N/PC knows what they want and will work towards that always.

And a GM's best friend is always the PC that's looking for that little extra payoff ahead of the rest of the group... god, I love dissention sometimes.

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Ooh - can I have a look?

For sure.    I've just started compiling the final (ver 1.0) draft right now.  Should have it available in a week or so, RL permitting.

I do like the idea of constant communication; however, things happen so rapidly "game-time-wise" (can I say that and sound intelligent? ) while jacked into the net that actions in the outside world seem to be slow motion.  A NetRunner can't really be doing anything that requires his attention if he's having a conversation with other PCs.  According to the rulebook anyway; so without bending the rules a bunch or not making things mesh well the `Runner typically cannot interact regularly with the other PCs.

A way that I've worked around this is not to make NetRunning a completely immersive experience, for the most part.  This problem was actually what drove me to create a NetRunning rules mod because I couldn't find a way around it that kept up smooth but "realistic" (yes I know...) gameplay.

I've been running CP2020 for quite some time now and I've always run into the same sort of problem.  True NetRunning, while great (especially with my rules mod ), isn't all that special for the rest of the group.

Case in point: recently, while running a game my PCs had a job where the only way to extract the data they needed to steal was to be physically at the server and hack inside from there.  It was fantastic, with covert takedowns and some quick gunplay to get in but once the NetRunner jacked in the urgency just melted away from the rest of the group as the computer jock made this very hard run to get the data.  Too much time passed, and while in game time it's short, IRL it's boring for other PCs to sit around and watch while not really being able to do anything.

So, should NetRunners be in exclusive or solo PC adventures or is there a nice way to integrate the PCs together that I'm not finding?

What I've found useful for my games is to help push the "style over substance" rule in this sense:

Due to an over-saturated market of 'typical' consumer goods, prices there are low and everybody can get what is cheaply available.  Meaning, everyone has reasonable access to almost all things; but only the 'basic' model or last year's edition.

Rampant commercialization and inundation by media will just be a fact of life but what it will be pushing 99.9% of the time are the products that regular people must strive for.

Obviously the pricing scheme in the CP2020 rulebook shows it's age poorly so that needs to be modified in order for this to fit but I think that's at the heart of any good RPG - adaptation.

I make it imperative for my PCs to look the part before they can play it - it's kinda like my level system but not so limiting as that.  Basically, they won't get the high paying, high profile work by default if they don't look like highly capable and well financed EdgeRunners.