BASH-Run! (or How I Finally Ran a Shadowrun Game)

Dustland · Post by **Dustland** » Sun May 16, 2010 7:50 pm

Well I've always loved the idea of Shadowrun, but I've never been a fan of the (ever changing) rules, but with my purchase of BASH a few days ago, I was finally able to run a Shadowrun game!

The game was set in the year 2050, 38 years following a celestial alignment and series of events that returned magic to the world of man, with all the promise and danger that implied. The world is dominated by megacorps, criminal orginizations, and supernatural forces, though I left most nation-states alone. The adventure was based heavily off of Parliament of Thieves.

The story took place on the Texas/Mexican border at Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras, a sorry pair of dusty border towns that are firmly in the grip of a number of criminal enterprises, namely the Triad, the Yakuza, and the Castillo and Chaves families. The Koshari Tribe rounds out the list of players.

Dustland · Post by **Dustland** » Sun May 16, 2010 8:11 pm

I brought a few pregens for my players to choose from. They picked Ronin, a street samurai looking for honor in the shadows, and Zeus, a mage that wants to be a god!

Ronin (20pts, 12 stats, 8 powers)

Ronin has lived too long in the shadows and rellies on a bottle of whiskey to quiet the pangs of guilt he feels for his work. This has led him to financial ruin but he is ever hopeful that he will one day find an honorable master to serve so that he might redeem himself. But until then, he has the rent to pay...

B2 A3 M1 (x2 Soak, x5 defense, x3 mental defense)

Skills: Athletics/Acrobatics, Stealth/Hiding, Drive/Steering, Deception/Detect Deception

Powers: Attack Weak Point (2pts), Weapon Technique (2pts) katana, +2 hit, Danger Sense (2pts), Boost (1pt) +1 Brawl for melee damage only, Mind Shield (1pt)

Equipment: Katana (x5 to hit, x3+15 dmg)
Uzi (x3 to hit, x4 dmg, full auto)

Advantages: Contacts, Never Surrender
Disadvantages: Destitute, Addiction-Alcoholic

Dustland · Post by **Dustland** » Sun May 16, 2010 8:41 pm

Zeus (20 pts, 10 stats, 10 powers)

B1 A1 M3 (x1 Soak, x1 defense, x3 mental defense)

Zeus witnessed an epic fight between a cabal of magi and a titanic dragon. When the smoke cleared the magi were slain, half of downtown Houston was in ruins, the dragon had fled, and Zeus was in possession of a grimoire. A quick learner, Zeus quickly mastered a few interesting spells but at the cost of being hunted by a dragon! The dragon sends his minions throughout the lands to track Zeus and his stolen tomb of magic.

Skills: Perform/Singing, Occultism (x1)/Artifacts, Monsters

Powers: Lightning Bolt (5pts) x3 to hit, x2 dmg, Damage Aura (3pts) electricity, Weather Mastery (2pts)

Advantages: Frightening Presence
Disadvantages: Arch-Enemy (Dragon)

Throw Lightning Bolt (x4 to hit, x5 damage)

Dustland · Post by **Dustland** » Sun May 16, 2010 9:51 pm

In retrospect, I should have changed/added a few rules to better reflect the feel of the Shadowrun setting but since I'd owned BASH for less than 48 hours at game time, I think I did ok. Ronin turned out pretty well, but I left Zeus woefully undefended.

I will introduce the Limitation: Casting as a requirement for all Arcane magics and will offer the Grimoire advantage as well now that I understand what it is.

So Zeus and Ronin were a pair of 'runners who met up in San Antonio a few months back; Ronin had been working his contacts, desperate for work when he got the call: be at the Rio Vista Tavern in Eagle Pass that afternoon at 4:30pm sharp! The pair grabbed their gear and set off on the highway in Zeus's ten year old gas guzzler.

The sun was baking the run down town of Eagle Pass when they arrived and it didn't take them long to find the meetup point. They walked inside and introduced themselves to the bartender, saying they had a meeting with Johnson (the universal name for a 'runner's employer). they were a bit early and were made to wait in the empty bar for a few minutes.

Ronin got the impression that they were being watched and a strange breeze kept blowing through the room; Zeus speculated that it might be an elemental but he lacked the time and inclination to investigate any further.

Post by **BASHMAN** » Sun May 16, 2010 9:59 pm

Very cool, and creative use of the game! Running it at "Mystery Men" level should work good!

AslanC · Post by **AslanC** » Sun May 16, 2010 10:05 pm

Nice!

I like when people adapt systems to other genres and it works so well

Well done mate!

Dustland · Post by **Dustland** » Mon May 17, 2010 5:34 pm

Thanks! I think it made a good impression on my players, so hopefully i will be able to continue the Bash-Run campaign! Anywho, on with the story...

After a few minutes passed, the bartender, a pretty woman with a thick Russian accent, hit a button and a portion of the wall slid away, revealing a wood pannelled hallway leading to another door. Zeus and Ronin made their way down the hall (with the obligatory closing of the secret wall behind them with an ominous clink) and through the reinforced door.

Waiting inside was Mr Johnson (actually Chief Longfeather, head of the Koshari tribe) who was dressed in the mix of Native American and contemporary clothing that tribesmen generally wear. The one item on his person that stood out was an ornate silver and turquoise necklace; Zeus made a decent roll on his Occultism/Artifacts check so I revealed that it was most likely a ward against mental attacks that shamans are known to create(and sell for steep prices to weary/paranoid business men).

Dustland · Post by **Dustland** » Mon May 17, 2010 5:47 pm

The players didn't ask a lot of questions and the run was simple; deliver a package (a high quality sealed envelope thick with papers it appeared) across the border to Omar Chavez at his mansion. The hitch was that it had to be completed by 7pm (2.5 hours) and with the evening rush hour coming, the players could not suffer any delays crossing the border.

Mr Johnson asked if the runners had means of getting across the border without having to deal with the hassles of Lone Star Security that manned the bridge; they told him to not worry about how they would cross the border and wished him a good evening. I was curious what they had in mind, but it turns out subtlety was not part of the plan...

Pleased with the self assured demeanor of the runners, he wished them well and reminded them of the time frame.

(Sorry I'm typing so little at a time, my computer starts freaking out when I reach the bottom of the text box)

Dustland · Post by **Dustland** » Mon May 17, 2010 5:58 pm

The runners left the bar the way they came in and unfortunately made no effort to see if they were being watched or hide their business (ie act like a couple fo drunks leaving the bar, etc), so I planned to throw all the interested parties at them over the course of the next few hours!

Ronin rolled his Driving skill but rolled poorly; within a few blocks of the bar they were in heavy traffic approaching downtown Eagle Pass. I was a little suprised they didn't attempt to dodge traffic or use Ronin's contacts to figure out the best route, but they didn't, so things began to get bumpy for them.

2 Hours to Drop:
The runners were hitting every light it seemed passing through town; they grew increasingly paranoid both of the surrounding traffic and the numerous pedestrians that were going about their business near their car. Just as it looked like they were going to clear the final intersection before getting on the freeway the signal lights malfunctioned, causing a terrible collision as all lights turned green at the same time!

Dustland · Post by **Dustland** » Tue May 18, 2010 5:12 pm

The car's radio suddenly crackled to life and scrolled through the channels while the characters prepared themselves for combat. The voice of a young latino man came over the speakers; "Gentlemen, it appears that you will be held up for a bit, perhaps you will join me for a glass of tea and a brief talk about your assignment."

The two runners quickly looked about and saw a young, well dressed man at a cafe 20ft from their car with all the signs of a technomage adorning his body: a data jack in the base of his neck, numerous silver pathways etched in his skin, and a slim frame unused to physical labor. They warily stepped out of their car amid numerous honks and shouts and made their way over to him.

He smiled and gestured for a few more drinks to be served, then stood and greated the two runners. "Gentlemen, I am Dean Castillo," he said as he smiled charmingly and gestured for the two to have a seat. They could not help but notice his left hand twitching at his side as though typing at a keyboard and his constant glazed expression as he reached into the network for moment, returning to the real world without missing a beat.

Dustland · Post by **Dustland** » Tue May 18, 2010 5:24 pm

"I understand you are under contract with the Koshari tribe to transport some documents across the border, yes?" The runners simply looked about, fully expecting to get jumped any minute. Ronin shook his head no, "Don't know about any Koshari tribe, just a Johnson, mister."

"Listen, the contract that you are carrying is not worth getting killed over. I am not here to take it from you, and I'm sure you two are quite capable of ending my rather enjoyable life with little effort. All I want is a peak at the documents. In return I can expedite your trip across the border; no more red lights and a wave through by the Lone Star border agents. What do you say?"

"And the good will of the Castillo family I'm sure. But Mr Castillo, my contract states that the package gets delivered, untouched and unread. I can't go burnin' Johnsons just because someone else offers a bit more incentive," Ronin replied as his hand slipped to his blade's well worn hilt as a means of emphasizing his point.

Dustland · Post by **Dustland** » Tue May 18, 2010 5:34 pm

Seeing Ronin's gesture and a crakle of electricity snap between Zeus's fingers, the technomancer held his hands up in a gesture of apology, "No need for that my friends, I..."

Dean Castillo's words fell off as the sound of a dozen motorcycles came whining around the corner, weaving between cars as they made their way through the stalled traffic towards the runners. Ronin's blade was in his hand and at Dean's throat before the young man could even react.

"Please sir! Those are Yakuza, not my family's men. I told you that contract is not worth getting killed over. Please, I can't be here when they get here, and you shouldn't be here either!"

The runners argued for a moment about the merrits of killing him, but Ronin simply tossed him onto the side walk and steadied himself for battle while Zeus looked about desperately for a way to get around the traffic jam and back onto the run. Dean Castillo made himself scarce in a hurry, slipping back down a side street and away from the coming battle.

ykfdf · Post by **ykfdf** » Thu Dec 20, 2012 4:04 am

Pleased with the self assured demeanor of the runners, he wished them well and reminded them of the time frame.

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