OK, chummers, let's fraggin' slot and run!
The Game: Shadowrun Third Edition
The Publisher: FASA Corporation
Degree of Familiarity: I've played Shadowrun once or twice. I think the last time I played it was 4th Edition, but I remember reading an earlier edition (which may have been 2nd) back in Toledo
Books Required: Just the one
Shadowrun is an odd duck. It's a mashup game - cyberpunk, heist, fantasy - and holy shit, the staying power. It's in its sixth edition, and it's been through some trials and tribulations (some of which I got to hear about from insiders, which is always fun), but I think it holds up. Mind, I haven't played the newer editions, so who knows.
In any case, my sweetie Jenn gave me this song for inspiration ("Beautiful People," Ed Sheeran):
This song actually fits a hooder (that is, a shadowrunner that does what they do out of social conscience rather than pure fiduciary gain). I think, too, that I want to play an elf, because they're traditionally seen as "beautiful" and elegant, and the in-character introduction to the race mentions that the pressure to be socially adept is something of an unfair stereotype.
So that's race chosen, then. Actually, this works on the Priority System: I need to choose priority rankings for five categories: Race, Magic, Attributes, Skills, and Resources. I've already slotted C into Race (because I need to in order to be an elf). So, the next question is, do I wish to do magic? I don't, I think, because I want to lean away from stereotypes for elves, so I'll put E into Magic.
I was thinking of making a decker (someone who logs into the Matrix and does computer shit), which means I probably want more more than putting D into Resource would give me, so I'll split the difference and put B there, I'll put D into Attributes, and that leaves A in Skills.
Attributes, ahoy. I get 21 points to split up, and I get a +1 to Quickness and +2 to Charisma for being an elf. Minimum 1, maximum 6 points on any one Attribute (but if I were to put, say, 6 into Quickness, I'd wind up with 7 and that's OK). Well, I think I need to check the Matrix rules real quick. Ugh, they're extensive, but it looks like it's mostly handled through Skills (which means I prioritized right). Also looks like Intelligence and Willpower and gonna be my go-tos. I'll put 3 into Body, 4 into Quickness (which gives me 5), 2 into Strength, 2 into Charisma (which gives me 4), and 5 each into Intelligence and Willpower.
Essence starts at 6 (which will decrease when I buy cyberware), Magic is 0, Reaction is 5 (average of Quickness and Intelligence, rounded down).
And now Skills! I have 50 points to spend on Active Skills, so let's list the ones I want:
Submachine Guns 4
Pistols 3
Whip 4
Athletics 4
Stealth 4
Etiquette 4 (Matrix 5)
Negotiation 4
Biotech 4
Computer 6 (Decking 7)
Electronics 5
Electronics B/R 4
Computers B/R 4
Cool. Concept taking shape a bit more. Obviously this elf has had some medical training in addition to being good with electronics. Elves live for several hundred years, so he's had time to learn different skill sets. I think that I'll actually go back and specialize Biotech in Cyberimplant Surgery, and say that he was trained as a surgeon and was working for a corp. So why'd he become a runner?
Well, this is the kind of thing I would normally solicit help from the group for, but since it's just me...I'll say that he got taken hostage by a group of runners when they hit his corp. The runners weren't really interested in hurting anyone (it was just a datasteal and shit got fucky), but then one of the runners got shot and my elf fixed her up so they could escape. He wound up getting fired for his trouble, and when asked why he didn't just let her bleed (or, like, kill her somehow), he was horrified - the data theft cooked down to money being stolen. It wasn't anything the corp couldn't recover or survive.
So that's him out on his ass, then (and probably the corp still bears a grudge). Moving on with the chargen, next step is Knowledge Skills. I get 25 points to throw around. These can be basically any field of study that my character has, so:
Medicine 5
Cybertechnology 5
Elven Society 3
Engineering 4 (Cybertech 6)
Background (Computer) 5
Philosophy 2
And now Language Skills! I get 7 points, so I'll take 3 in English, 3 in Japanese, and 1 in Sperenthiel (the "elf language"; my guy isn't from Seattle and didn't grow up speaking it, but he's trying to learn it now).
And now fucking Resources, AKA "let's go shopping." Oy. OK, so I've got 400,000 monies to throw around; my elf saved his pennies when he was gainfully employed. I'll go ahead and handle Lifestyle first. I'll buy a month of High lifestyle (10,000 nuyen), and then another month of Middle (5000), in case I need to cheese it.
I get two level 1 Contacts for free, and I could buy more, but eh, I think that's fine. I want one of them to be another surgeon who still works for my old corp. We were never friends, but he respected me for what I did (even though he'd never say it aloud), and he'll hook me up with info or a heads-up if the corp is gunning for runners. I'll figure out the other contact later.
OK, now let's buy some shit:
Monofilament whip (3000)
Ceska Black Scorpion (850)
Ingram Smartgun (950)
Ammo (1000; 250 rounds each gun)
Smart Goggles (6000, because I want the mirrored sunglasses setup)
Lined Coat (800)
Novatech Hyperdeck-6 (125000)
...ugh, y'know what, I'm bored already. This is the problem with this game, this fucking shopping list. I need to buy not only weapons, ammo, and so on, but cyber implants, decking setup (which has a bunch of its own sub-sections), software, and on and on.
Well, I'm gonna cop out and say that if I were actually going to play this elf, I'd take the time to make sure I have good gear. In real life, however, I'm gonna stop shopping now, and once again muse that I really love that later games in the genre abstract this step.
Anyway, my elf's name is Shiloh Drumm, but on the streets folks call him "Patch" (both for his medical skills and ability to "fix" misbehaving ICE programs). Patch is tall and willowy, like most elves, but has a weirdly avuncular quality about him that doesn't trip the same "wow, sexy" response that a lot of elves have. Patch is pretty new to running, and he's pretty new to having effective limits on what he can buy, but his savings is running out, and it's gonna be time to get his hands dirty pretty soon if he wants to keep up his lifestyle. Sooner or later his ethics and his need for luxury are going to collide, and that's gonna be an interesting day.
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