[Interest Check] Shadowrun: The Caribbean League (Semi-Freeform)

[Ciosa]

The NatVat facility in Borinquen once provided the mycoproteins that filled every Stuffer Shack from New York to Seattle – until a hurricane and a rogue dragon tore the facility apart.  The largest employer in the League, it sent the islands sliding out of a respectable force in the world economy to a third world – and in the eyes of historians, turned the Caribbean League back four centuries.   Piracy – long tolerated in the Caribbean – became a way of life.  The difference between piracy and 2074 and 2075 was a simple one: desperation.  The pirates of 2074 were content to shear the sheep from time to time – stealing the odd cargo from an independent mariner, and usually demanding no more than a tax from the protected shipments of the ghost cartels and the Mafiosi who ruled the Miami ‘plex.  In 2075, the rules changed – the handful of captains loyal to the cartels and to the Mafia were the walking the plank, and the shipments of chips, stims, and hard drugs passing through the waters were robbed, repeatedly, and their vessels sunk. 

Naturally, they did not take this lying down.  With a fleet of new vessels paid for by Aztechnology, Miami and the ghost cartels set out into the waves intending to bring the sea of thieves to heel.  They expected to hunt and destroy a hundred independent vessels until the lesson had been learned –

They did not expect Misson.  The pirate captain had been unheard of before 2074 – but when the forces of the Mafia sailed into the Gulf, they met a motley band of vessels crewed by shadowrunners and pirates, united under an inverted Jolly Roger – white background and black bones.  What should have been a decisive victory quickly turned into ship to ship fighting, as guided torpedoes turned upon the ships firing them.  Misson sailed a three masted galleon into a battle fought by destroyers and submarines – a ship that miraculously emerged nearly unscathed, as the pirate crews seized control of the Mafia’s vessels.  The Battle of Drake’s Folly was a brutal embarrassment for the Mafia – and a rallying cry throughout the Caribbean.  Where two dozen ships had sailed under Misson’s flag against the Mafia, there were two hundred ready and waiting and flying the White Roger when the ghost cartel’s armada entered the Gulf.  Misson’s magical galleon was revealed to be an enormously skillful illusion – but as the battle ended, Misson had seized control of a state of the art Aztechnology super-carrier. 

They sailed within striking distance of Tenochtitlan – and in a matter of hours, a hundred vessels littered the ocean floor.  The fighting was long, and brutal, with no clear victor.  Misson’s impromptu league of pirates had fought Aztlan to a draw – and the Caribbean League had won its freedom from outside influence – for a time.  Port-au-Prince, La Habana, Kingston, Navassa – all of them braced, expecting a new warlord to make demands, to claim dominion over the League – but instead the pirates returned to the waters which were unquestionably theirs.  Spoils from the battles – and spoils from the ships which continued to pass through League waters – kept the nation afloat, and life has begun to return to a new normal. 

In the shadows, word spreads of Libertalia – the rechristened super carrier which has become a floating fortress of anarchy.  Everyone who sets foot upon it is a citizen of the fledgling shadow-nation, and it entered the world of the Matrix with it’s own hub, buying and selling and trading information on routes, plunder, and enemies.  It’s established friendly relations with the sysops of the Denver Data Haven and Shadowland – and continues to persist in the face of the efforts by the cartels, Mafia, and Aztechnology alike.  Shadowrunners, pirates, fugitives and convicts are welcome on its decks – as long as they’ve nuyen to spend, or work for its success.  Libertalia also serves as the clearing house for nearly half of the plundered goods in the League – and Misson watches over it all, his one-eyed gaze claiming a cut from ever ill-gotten sale. 

As for the rest of the Caribbean – the League continues on, nominally governed by President Ray Martinez.  Neo-Communism has all but collapsed – the black markets of the League provide most of the essentials for day to day life when the League flounders, and the notion that the legitimate government of the Caribbean League ‘controls’ it is laughable.  But neither do the pirates who infest the waters claim dominion over it – no rule unites them, not even Misson.  Instead they understand that their survival depends on being able to set aside their differences if outsiders threaten.  Pirate coalitions and factions grow across the League – some brutal butchers, others gentleman thieves.  They contend with one another like any gang – claiming small islands as fortresses to set forth across the waters. 


Setting
Welcome to the Caribbean, runner.  Whether on the run from civilized nations, or you just have a penchant for rum, the Caribbean has a place for you.  The League is one of the hottest spots for shadow activity in the world right now – every bit the equal of Seattle at the height of the underworld wars, D.C. during the 2057 elections, or Berlin at the height of its anarchical independence.  The Caribbean League’s infrastructure has largely collapsed – Hurricane Donald wrecked much of the infrastructure of the Matrix, and mass starvation and a small outbreak of VITAS ensured the islands were forced into self-dependence while they rebuilt.  Humanitarian outreach from other nations was practically nonexistent; and the tumultuous pirate war which followed ensured that other nations were uninterested in providing relief when they feared it would simply ends up in the hands of unscrupulous bands of murderers. 

Despite that, some parts of the League continue to thrive – Port-au-Prince still draws considerable tourism every year, and has small private corporations providing security and services to the wealthier residents.  Small corporate enclaves built around remote research sites have largely been untouched – and despite the losses of numerous ships throughout the League, the majority of smuggles and merchant captains make it through unscathed – for triple the price they were paid a year before.  Numerous criminal factions vie for power – and the magical world has quietly been fighting a civil war for the last decade over leadership of the Voice of the Ogoun, one of the most powerful voodoo cults in the world.

Player Roles
What can you play in the League?  Nearly anything you like, within the limits of the character creation system.  A dashing pirate captain, an undercover Mafiosi infiltrator, a retired runner being drawn back into the game, a wanted fugitive looking to make ends meet.  The shadows of the League are a hotbed of activity – there is plenty of work for thieves, assassins, hackers, riggers, mages and shamans, and players are welcome to make themselves into a pirate crew, play as a solo operator or band into the newest team to hit the balmy shadows of the League. 

Where’s it at?
The game will be set in the Nonconsensual Exotic board – but all sexual activity will occur with the consent of the players.  It will be a semi-freeform game – there will be a ruleset, and character creation, but there won’t be dicerolls.  Player on player combat will need to be arbitrated before any post is written, and the results agreed upon.  (I expect to be included on any such DM chain.)  If you don’t want to fight another player – don’t!  I’m not intending PvP be a part of the core experience, but I wish to leave the option open to leave the realism of a dangerous, cut throat world intact.  Beyond that, the game will be semi-freeform. 
What does semi-freeform mean?  It means that much of the day to day business of being a shadowrunner will be up to the players.  I do not intend to create the entire world and play every character in it – I’ll be running a plot here and there, playing a character here and there, pushing a storyline here and there.  But not every player will be involved in every story thread.  Similarly, the majority of runs will not be GM’ed and arbitrated – not every run is a Grand Adventure.  The runs I DO run will be short – usually picking up in the middle of the action, after some setup, and usually only run until the point in which the player/party makes some choice critical to the ongoing storyline.  I’ll be including a sample banner to be used for all posts, to identify your own character, where they are, and anyone specifically they’re interacting with.

Who Can Play?
The RP is open to anyone – if you’re opposed to writing with people of different genders and sexualities, this is not the story for you.  I also have no objection to anyone writing cross-gender or a sexual persuasion other than their own.  The more the merrier!

Plot
The ongoing plot will be centered around those seeking to control the Caribbean League.  Numerous factions will be vying for its control – and players are welcome to align themselves with one, none, or all betray those factions at any time.  There will be a system designating the degree of trust given to players of a particular faction.  Runs will accumulate faction influence, and decrease faction influence. 

Character Creation
Character Creation rules will be linked.  I’m NOT using the rules from the books – they just don’t work very well, on Elliquiy, and in a freeform game.  LunarSage and Josietta wrote a very lovely system for the Shadowrun rules that I’ll be adopting, with their permission, and modifying for my own purposes.  The character creation system is simpler than the normal rules, but will require some work on the player’s part.

Smuuuuuuuuuut
As far as level of sexual activity – I’m not expecting it will be a smut free game, but I’m also not expecting it will be smut driven.  I always enjoy some good smut in a game, but I prefer it happen within the framework of a larger story and character development – that it move the story and develop a character.  This is a PERSONAL PREFERENCE, you’re welcome to pursue sexual hijinks at whatever style and rate you prefer.

Help Wanted
I don’t have a co-GM at present, but I would like have some players who are willing to sub in and write an NPC or two as needed.  Bonus XP will be given for doing extra duty, and these NPC characters will not grow, get XP, or develop beyond in a story sense.  Only one character per player, please.  I’ll post NPCs I need, in loose descriptive terms – ‘A gorgeous barkeep,’ etc. 

I could also use assistance with things like banners, icons, and image editing.  I’m really rusty with my photoshopping, and I was never great at it to start.  Any volunteers here would be welcome!  Another assistant who would be happy to help with wiki development would be appreciated as well.  Both roles will provide an XP boost.  (Note that for both NPCs and the above roles, I will be providing some bonus XP, but it won’t be game unbalancing.  I consider it fair since the opportunities are open to everyone.)

Posting Expectations
I’m looking for a post rate of about three times a week.  I usually try to post at least once a day, with occasional exceptions.  I’m also expecting players to write in third person, past tense, and that italics will specifically be used to designate thoughts.  Please don’t use multiple colors in fonts, and glow will be used to designate electronic transmissions.  Having a uniform style is particularly helpful in a game where things like AR communication and telepathy are very real possibilities.  Bolding spoken words is optional; I prefer not to use it so I can use bold for emphatic declarations.

Expressing Interest

I’m looking for around ten players to get this rolling – I don’t think it’ll be a difficulty, given the general level of enthusiasm about Shadowrun, but I want to create a world filled with people and characters.  Please express your interest below – and if you have a character concept, go ahead and pitch it in the interest thread.  Also, you should check out the character creation page on the wiki

Character Sheet

Code Select Expand


[b]Character Sheet:[/b]

[code][b]Name:[/b]

[b]Street Name:[/b]

[b]Player Name:[/b]

[b]Race/Metatype:[/b]

[b]Sex:[/b]

[b]Essence:[/b]

[b]Magic Rating:[/b]

[b]Street Cred:[/b]

[b]Height:[/b]

[b]Weight:[/b]

[b]Hair:[/b]

[b]Eyes:[/b]

[b]Age:[/b]

[b]Sexual Orientation:[/b]

[b]Ons:[/b]

[b]Offs:[/b]

[b]Place of Birth:[/b]

[b]Current Nationality:[/b]

[b]SINless?:[/b]

[b]Current Place of Residence/Lifestyle Level:[/b] (Do you live in Auburn?  Tacoma?  Downtown?  Low Lifestyle?  High Lifestyle?  Squatter Lifestyle?)

[b]Living Arrangements:[/b] (Do you live alone?  If not, do your roommates or family know that you're a Shadowrunner?)

[b]Hobbies:[/b]

[b]Unusual Features:[/b]

[b]Appearance:[/b]

[b]Personality:[/b]

[b]Attribute Descriptors:[/b]  (Indicate what's natural and what is via cyberware or magic)

[b]Skills:[/b] 

[b]Knowledge Skills:[/b]

[b]Merits:[/b]

[b]Flaws:[/b]

[b]Contacts:[/b]

[b]Cyberware and/or Spells/Adept Powers:[/b]

[b]Nuyen[/b] ¥

[b]Gear (Weapons and Armor):[/b]

[b]Gear (Other):[/b]

[b]Vehicles:[/b]

[b]History:[/b] (Must be detailed and include at least three paragraphs)

20 Questions:

1. Where is your character from?
2. Does your character have a family?
3. Does you character have an ethnic background?
4. What does your character look like?
5. What does your character dress like?
6. Does your character have any physical quirks?
7. Where did your character learn their Skills?
8. Where did your character get their gear?
9. Where does your character live?
10. Who are your character's contacts?
11. Who are your character's enemies?
12. How did you character learn magic? (Adepts/Magicians Only)
13. What are your characters likes and dislikes?
14. What is your character's moral code?  Will the character kill?  Why?
15. Does your character have goals?
16. Does your character have personal beliefs?
17. Is your character religious?
18. Does your character have personality quirks?
19. Why does your character run the shadows?
20. How does your character view their role as a shadowrunner?
[/spoiler]

[TFcommando]

I'm curious about the character generation method and the freeform nature of the game.  I always thought of "Freeform" as "not using rules" while you seem to have laid out what I'd think of as a "sandbox" approach, apart from the negotiating PvP combat.  Just want to make sure I'm on the same page.  I don't mind the character creation system either. :)  I just want to make sure how much of the rules and system will be in use.

One idea is a hermetic mage, or a tantric sex mage (Similar to hermetic but with Cha as the drain stat), an archaeologist who accidentally turned pirate.  She's pursuing artifacts and information from North American Theran colonies, which naturally Aztechnology and others are interested in too.  Something powerful and evil was uncovered on her dig/dive, was taken from her by a corp and she rounded up a crew and a ship to get it back.  One thing lead to another and now she's an independent pirate captain.  Could be Dragonslayer mentor spirit.

Side note there... air pirates.  Use an airship or Tundra amphibious jet to drop off some Zodiacs full of pirates to make a raid, then return and fly off.

Depending on character generation, a Smuggler rigger could be fun.

Less specific and more visual is an adept sniper with a bikini and big rifle. :)

[Ciosa]

In general, players will have liberty to create storefronts, businesses, contacts, etc and role play them.  There will be rules; they won’t be the whole crate of rules present in the shadowrun books.  The idea is to create balance in character generation - equal but different is my mantra.  In actual play and interaction they’ll be a guide post; don’t play a character built for speed and agility as slapping a troll down with raw strength.  It’s basically a prohibition against god moding and a way to keep out the power creep I see in most long term free form games.

LunarSage and Josietta’s rules are here. I don’t yet have permission to use them, and if given permission I intend to modify them.  But you can look them over to get an idea.  I intend to convert to a points buy system, and I’m going to base the amount of points on the average of the concepts I’m seeing.  In general I’m aiming for characters with a moderate amount of experience; they’ve survived a few runs but they’re by no means known quantities or infamous runners.

[Crash]

Yeah I am in.  I can certainly help if you need it.  Time permitting of course.  I am thinking Dolphin Shaman.

[Crash]

Ciosa - One thing I noticed when I started running using Lunar and Josietta’s rules was a real lack of skill points for the priorities.  I would recommend boosting them all by two at minimum.

[Ciosa]

Ciosa - One thing I noticed when I started running using Lunar and Josietta’s rules was a real lack of skill points for the priorities.  I would recommend boosting them all by two at minimum.

I'm actually planning on overhauling that, too.  LunarSage/Josi wrote those rules to skew towards neophyte runners. 

[Crash]

Yeah.  That they did.  I was working on some more involved rules that I pm’ed to you if you want to check them out.

[Ciosa]

I've checked those out!  And it's very involved, which is generally the ... opposite direction of where I want to go.  XD  I like what you were doing, I think it's just against the grain of what I wanted to put together.

[Crash]

I've checked those out!  And it's very involved, which is generally the ... opposite direction of where I want to go.  XD  I like what you were doing, I think it's just against the grain of what I wanted to put together.

No worries.  If you are looking at bumping up some of Lunar and Josi’s stuff you should be fine.

[Dhi]

Hey, this looks like fun. Deckers are the biggest draw for me, so that's what I would be interested in. Is the Matrix going to be fully AR?

[Ciosa]

DHIIIIIIIIII!

The Matrix is going to be patchwork - some places will be fully AR, some are going to be full VR only, some are going to be near nonexistant.  It's going to be location dependent, as recovery from Hurricane Donald has been haphazard.  I also need a clever name for the League's Shadowland Node.  I'm imagining it as the prototypical skull island filled with booty and undead skeletons running around as bots.  With a bar, of course. 

[Crash]

I know they brought back cyber decks again.  It seems to be a bit of both in 2075.  I think the average joe runs around with an AR commlink to interact with stuff while a Decker uses a Cyberdeck and AR to hack as I recall though Ciosa has final say for sure.

[Ciosa]

I know they brought back cyber decks again.  It seems to be a bit of both in 2075.  I think the average joe runs around with an AR commlink to interact with stuff while a Decker uses a Cyberdeck and AR to hack as I recall though Ciosa has final say for sure.

I loved decks.  XD  I spent hours in the old rules building custom decks and suck, when they released the rules.  I'm loathe to even introduce 'commercial' decks, as I don't imagine any decker worth their salt doesn't use a custom deck. 

The way I view it, an AR based decker is going to be an intrusion specialist - basically the cat burglar of the shadowrun community, more expert in getting local security systems to ignore them and open doors.  The VR decker (full immersion) is considered the true hacker - and they're going to be offsite, communicating via AR but mucking things up remotely.  The AR hacker is almost never running hot - and so they're immune to black IC and the like.  The VR decker antes up their brain as the stakes and risks it being melted, but such is the price of glory. 

[Crash]

DHIIIIIIIIII!

The Matrix is going to be patchwork - some places will be fully AR, some are going to be full VR only, some are going to be near nonexistant.  It's going to be location dependent, as recovery from Hurricane Donald has been haphazard.  I also need a clever name for the League's Shadowland Node.  I'm imagining it as the prototypical skull island filled with booty and undead skeletons running around as bots.  With a bar, of course.

Guinee is the Voodoo Spirit World.  So something their might work for your shadowlands.
Davvy Jones’s Locker
Baron’s Rest
Bermuda Triangle BBS

[Ciosa]

Guinee is the Voodoo Spirit World.  So something their might work for your shadowlands.
Davvy Jones’s Locker
Baron’s Rest
Bermuda Triangle BBS

Actually, 'the Locker' jumps out at me - it brings to mind a VR world of sunken underwater ships and shafts of light streaming from a distance surface, and neon jellyfish occasionally swimming through waters.  Outsiders who attack the Locker have had their avatars crushed to a pulp by an enormous Kraken. 

[Crash]

Actually, 'the Locker' jumps out at me - it brings to mind a VR world of sunken underwater ships and shafts of light streaming from a distance surface, and neon jellyfish occasionally swimming through waters.  Outsiders who attack the Locker have had their avatars crushed to a pulp by an enormous Kraken.

I like it.

[Remiel]

I used to be a huge Shadowrun fan back in the 90s--when the Internet was still a collection of tubes.  I imagine the decking/hacking must have advanced considerably since then, particularly with the advent of wireless technology--I'm picturing something like Overwatch's Sombra.

[Crash]

You could also give it an official name but everyone just calls it The Locker.

Remial- Yeah it has change a lot in canon though I don’t think Ciosa is going full time line. In 4th Edition it went full AR no

[Ciosa]

I used to be a huge Shadowrun fan back in the 90s--when the Internet was still a collection of tubes.  I imagine the decking/hacking must have advanced considerably since then, particularly with the advent of wireless technology--I'm picturing something like Overwatch's Sombra.

I have only a passing familiarity with Overwatch. 

For a picture perfect representation of how AR looks to the average citizen of the Shadowrun world, take a look at this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjF9GgrY9c0

There's a few sections where they're walking around where the constant barrage of advertisements and overlays and the like is what 2075's Matrix looks like to most.  More important/wealthy sites have virtual worlds sculpted within them. 

[Crash]

Remial - A lot changed.  In 4th Edition they went full AR and dropped cyberdecks (which a lot of people were not thrilled with).  In 5th Edition they brought back cyberdecks in a more compact form for added hacking ability.

Heck in 5th Edition Riggers could actually protect runners equipment from being hacked by jacking it into their rigger deck.

I don’t think Ciosa is running full SR canon though so we shall see.

Coisa - Yeah that is how I picture AR too.

[Ciosa]

Remial - A lot changed.  In 4th Edition they went full AR and dropped cyberdecks (which a lot of people were not thrilled with).  In 5th Edition they brought back cyberdecks in a more compact form for added hacking ability.

Heck in 5th Edition Riggers could actually protect runners equipment from being hacked by jacking it into their rigger deck.

I don’t think Ciosa is running full SR canon though so we shall see.

I had a few issues with the idea that AR could be used to shutdown people's guns and cyberlimbs - largely because I work in a field related to electronic security, and the possible benefits of having your gun connected to the matrix (Software updates?  Really?  What would be the point?) and the drawbacks (It now doesn't shoot in a firefight until rebooted) mean that no self-respecting shadowrunner would ever run with their weapon wirelessly accessible.  It just makes no sense.  So my view of Matrix technology is that there AR hackers, VR deckers, and riggers all have very compartmentalized equipment.  An AR decker is more likely to be boosted by equipment which makes their role easier than having their brain loaded up with math SPUs and encephalon enhancements - while a VR decker is going to view those as critical.  Also, in combat in the AR, an immersed VR decker is going to *trounce* an AR hacker operating with just a commlink - their brain is moving at nanosecond increments, while the AR hacker has to remain awake and aware enough to respond to the world around them.  If they immerse into the VR world, they do so without the backing of a sturdy deck and all the hardware power that implies.  If you'd like to see how that goes, watch someone play Fortnite on their phone and try to take on someone playing from their PC. 

That doesn't mean VR hackers get to be invalids sitting in wheelchairs and make it into the big leagues; sometimes the system they need access to deliberately has limited access points, such as a corporate stronghold's private Matrix.  You need to be on site - and you're a limp corpse waiting to happen while you're jacked in.  Both the AR role and the VR role are extremely useful for runners - and some deckers do their best to straddle the line. 

And as far as full canon goes - no, the history I made up above for the Caribbean League is my own creation post the destruction of the NatVat facility, but I was striving for the realism I generally see the Shadowrun world working towards.  Is the anarchical state of the League destined to last?  Unlikely.  Like Berlin, it's a bubble - one that will pop eventually, and something magical will be lost. 

[Crash]

My current idea is a shaman who lives on an old beat up Evo Waterking that docks at Port au Prince.  She fishes and works as a part time smuggler and shadowrunner but usually to help the poor people of her home.  She also does underwater salvage (treasure hunting).  Big on summoning and the environment.  Probably knows her sea lanes and what pirates to stay away from and what pirates to trade with.

[Ciosa]

One idea is a hermetic mage, or a tantric sex mage (Similar to hermetic but with Cha as the drain stat), an archaeologist who accidentally turned pirate.  She's pursuing artifacts and information from North American Theran colonies, which naturally Aztechnology and others are interested in too.  Something powerful and evil was uncovered on her dig/dive, was taken from her by a corp and she rounded up a crew and a ship to get it back.  One thing lead to another and now she's an independent pirate captain.  Could be Dragonslayer mentor spirit.

Side note there... air pirates.  Use an airship or Tundra amphibious jet to drop off some Zodiacs full of pirates to make a raid, then return and fly off.

Depending on character generation, a Smuggler rigger could be fun.

Less specific and more visual is an adept sniper with a bikini and big rifle. :)

Sounds like you're most interested in the first one, and it definitely fits with the League as I'm imagining it - a patchwork of people with colorful histories and their own agendas, and I like it. 

My current idea is a shaman who lives on an old beat up Evo Waterking that docks at Port au Prince.  She fishes and works as a part time smuggler and shadowrunner but usually to help the poor people of her home.  She also does underwater salvage (treasure hunting).  Big on summoning and the environment.  Probably knows her sea lanes and what pirates to stay away from and what pirates to trade with.

I like it!  I'm going to be adding some more points of interest - information on each of the islands is a little sparse, but I'll be adding detail about some of the major gangs/pirate factions as well. 

[Sain]

This sounds really cool. I never even thought of pirates and SR, but the combination makes perfect sense. A less involved chargen sounds also very interesting for exploring some concepts that mechanics of the regular game might not support so well maybe, hopefully? Some kinda macgyver engineer/mechanic with a bit of conman on the side could be fun.

[Crash]

This sounds really cool. I never even thought of pirates and SR, but the combination makes perfect sense. A less involved chargen sounds also very interesting for exploring some concepts that mechanics of the regular game might not support so well maybe, hopefully? Some kinda macgyver engineer/mechanic with a bit of conman on the side could be fun.

The rules he is basing this off of worked pretty good.  The game was mostly all freeform.