Shadowrun 4E: House of the Rising Son

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Eanwulf
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Re: Shadowrun 4E: House of the Rising Son

Post by Eanwulf » Sat Jan 19, 2013 6:18 am

Overall results of gameplay would ultimately and theoretically lead to the player's bloody lifestyle and course of actions leading to an impasse or breakthrough through Renraku's apparently "out-dated" way of thinking. Loyalty and Honor is one thing, but if the same meta-humans shed similar blood over said beliefs, why should they be overlooked just because they're not totally human? Enter our dilemma and motivation for gameplay. You would be (technically) betraying your own corporation in lieu of making the radical change needed to ensure long term survival of said corporation.

If it all works or not, it totally up to you...and the dice of course :P
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Re: Shadowrun 4E: House of the Rising Son

Post by Eanwulf » Sat Jan 19, 2013 6:54 pm

In retrospect, one could easily begin the game in Yokohama.
A ward of Neo-Tokyo, Yokohama was a vibrant metropolis before the Ring of Fire earthquake in 2061 killed more than 5,000 people, wrecked industrial sites and released toxic pollution into the air.

Emperor Yasuhito has struggled to rebuild the city, in part because the guardian kami spirits turned toxic in the quake's aftermath. The successful port has been rebuilt, however.

Most of Yokohama's residents are Imperial troops, foreigners and metahumans.
This would allow players the chance to create culturally and racially diverse runners who would then be used by members of Renraku in their attempt(s) to achieve a secret agenda mentioned previously.

This manner of game style would also allow a tad bit more flexibility when dealing with Japanese officials. I say this because of Japan's view on Metahumanity and the Awakening in general. Essentially treated as eta/burakumin (if not worse) most Japanese metahumans are denied legal citizenship/rights and forced to live in low income housing/work meager earning jobs – lest some corporate official decides to bank their payroll. Even then it is much like adopting a child. They damned well do your family proud or else the adopting family soon finds itself in dangerous waters.

Gaijin (in general/metahumans/core runners) however, are oddly enough treated like bizarre and/or unique pets aka the novel/film Shogun. If one does a good job being the tool they are needed to be in order to serve their masters' needs, they get fed (rewarded). Those that do so with respect and adherence to Japanese codes and standards get rewarded better than normal. Prolonged good behavior eventually turns into respect and as such, long-term employment within Renraku Corp.

Be warned however, that Japan is for the most part a "purist" state. They tend to look down upon other Asian cultures with much disdain, especially Filipinos.
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Re: Shadowrun 4E: House of the Rising Son

Post by Eanwulf » Sat Jan 19, 2013 7:16 pm

Outsiders (and a well concealed paper trail) were also the primary tools used within Japan as camouflage. Direct action from one house against another was rarely seen without a great deal of support before doing so. Outside operators usually the drug of choice in such matters. Another reason why loyalty to one's employeer(s) generally tends to be greatly rewarded. Especially in a society where plausible deniability, dirty little secrets and a whole lot of nuyen and backstabbing are predominant.

Food for Thought...
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Re: Shadowrun 4E: House of the Rising Son

Post by Muskrat » Sun Jan 20, 2013 12:49 am

The general set-up of trying to challenge prejudices within Renraku's establishment generally appeals to me. You're posting a lot of information though--it's a little hard to absorb it all.

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Re: Shadowrun 4E: House of the Rising Son

Post by Muskrat » Sun Jan 20, 2013 1:09 am

Looking through what you posted a second time, I really like the idea. It would give the game a little more idealism than your typical cyberpunk campaign has, while keeping it gritty.

I could see my character working as an adept or a combat mage. He would be someone who in many ways really values the old samurai traditions--he may aspire to become one of the Red Samurai of Renraku--but be disturbed by the prejudice that sometimes accompanies this valuing of the old ways, as at Renraku. Certainly, if he's magically awakened, he has every reason to dislike such prejudice, but I could also see him feeling that way if he was a street samurai.

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Re: Shadowrun 4E: House of the Rising Son

Post by Eanwulf » Sun Jan 20, 2013 3:56 am

@ Muskrat

Starting as a mage, I could see your guy a former Renraku secruity team member with possibly some connection/capability to the spirits of man? Perhaps in the form of taking a Mentor Spirit Quality (Wise Warrior). Maybe you were unjustly shamed by a former team member and in turn forced to live in Yokohama. Your Mentor Spirit has grown restless and warns you of some kind of reckoning in the days to come? If so would you be pure human to prove the corporation wrong in their ways of thinking awakened subjects are tainted and in turn subject to being goblinized in some future manner? i.e. a pure soul gifted with magic trying to live a pure life.

Either way, I see the mage being a practitioner of:

The Shinto Tradition
Concept: Shinto magic originates in the relationship between the practitioner and the kami, spirits that invest every aspect of the world. It primarily concerns itself with ensuring that the practitioner acts in harmony with the kami spirits, with magic being a natural extension of this harmony.
Combat: Air
Detection: Water
Health: Plant
Illusion: Beasts
Manipulation: Man
Drain: Willpower + Charisma

Easily the most influential shamanic tradition in Asia, Shinto shares many similarities with Amerindian shamanism, though the two are distinct traditions. Unlike Amerindian traditions, Shinto kannushi (typically miko if female) do not follow the ideals of a particular totem, but instead try to reach a state of harmony with the collective body of kami spirits that inhabit all things. Respect for nature is a key concept of Shinto tradition, as is the idea of remaining physically and spiritually “clean” through careful attention to proper rituals. The kami are honored at hundreds of thousands of shrines that range in size and shape, though most include the iconic torii gate. Honoring the kami is necessary, since the kannushi typically ask many favors of them, including the use of magic.

Kami spirits come in all varieties, from elemental spirits to the ghosts of ancestors to strange and wonderful animals. They are so numerous that they are commonly referred to as the “Eight Million Kami.” Some are kindly and helpful, while others are mischievous or selfish. Shinto kannushi use many ritual tools in their magic, including haraigushi, a wand covered in paper streamers used to purify an area, and ofuda, paper prayer strips used for good luck or to deal with malicious spirits.

Shinto is the state religion of the modern Imperial Japan, which makes it the most common tradition found in that nation. It has spread wherever the Japanese Imperial State reaches, and the young Emperor has encouraged the Shinto tradition by making its practitioners an integral part of the rebuilding of Japan. And unlike most other shamanic traditions, Shinto is even found in the ranks of corporations, especially the Japanacorps.

Fuel for thought on character creation and backstory.
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Re: Shadowrun 4E: House of the Rising Son

Post by Zorbeltuss » Sun Jan 20, 2013 5:06 am

Hmmmm.

You sort of did a lot of copypaste from corporate guide (which I have read not too long ago), and then throw up a question about factions which doesn't seem to relate to any of it.

Anyhow, "hinder and redirect" sounds an awful lot like a scale shadowrun isn't really meant for. Expendable Assets is what runners are, mainly doing stuff to further somebody else's hidden agenda. Now, Renraku is known for liking to have runner teams "on retainer".

Me? I generally need a few bones thrown at me that I can start making the skeleton of the character and then attach meat to it. So it's hard to say exactly what I might come up with, and what sort of storyline would fit.

I have been tempted to make a Japanese Racial Supremacist, such a character would probably not work with the second option.

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Re: Shadowrun 4E: House of the Rising Son

Post by Eanwulf » Sun Jan 20, 2013 6:55 pm

Zorbeltuss wrote:Hmmmm. You sort of did a lot of copy-paste from corporate guide (which I have read not too long ago), and then throw up a question about factions which doesn't seem to relate to any of it.
Yes, Guilty as Charged! My main goal was simply to present information about the Renraku Corporation to others in lieu of them having no clue WTF it was. The inquiry after about players wanting to portray members of Renraku or their opposition was an “OSHI-“ afterthought from having posted so damned much information already. I say this because I didn't even ask you WTF you wanted to try and experience. After all, this is "our" game to enjoy.

Overall, I wanted this thread to be one of those sitdown over beer and pizza sessions where we all say “Ok, so we're playing Shadowrun. How do we want to play it and what the heck do we want to do as a group? Standard scum runs? Something “exotic” such as an all Medic/Cop/Corp oriented group? Try something new all together? etc. The first thoughts that popped into my mind were those of something revolving around the Renraku Corporation.

Reading about how long Renraku had been quiet in the corporate world and its essential breakdown intrigued me. I then went on to formulate a basic idea in my head about some kind of internal struggle breaking out within the corporation. Enter my scenario about a secret order dedicated to trying to further “modernize” the Japanese conglomerate by ridding it of a long-term history of racial prejudice. Once again merely a series of ideas. We could very well play the game in some other location of the world. I just wanted to try and see what your thoughts upon the matter were. Sorry if I didn't clarify this sooner.
Zorbeltuss wrote:Anyhow, "hinder and redirect" sounds an awful lot like a scale shadowrun isn't really meant for. Expendable Assets is what runners are, mainly doing stuff to further somebody else's hidden agenda. Now, Renraku is known for liking to have runner teams "on retainer".
True. I got ahead of myself on this one. The basic component of any Shadowrun game are the Shadowrunners themselves. Hired experts to do a job that a company would not want to themselves normally (openly) due to the consequences of doing so. It's even pre-established already that these companies go out of their way to secretly contact their employees through “go-to” personnel known as Mr. Johnsons.

What I was "trying" to do here was hint at and describe the basic core elements of our campaign, long-term, without leaking too many details of what to expect. In summary, should we go through with the Japanese Renraku idea, I could easily see our fellow runners earning the respect of their employers through whatever premable missions that they go through. Once enough respect is earned, they would in turn, be introduced to some top players within Renraku - or at least their Mr. Johnsons. The next series of adventures would be those of trying to uncover evidence of specific events that would (in theory) help to break down the walls of Japanese prejudice against the Awakening and Metahumans. Hopefully this makes more sense now?
Zorbeltuss wrote:Me? I generally need a few bones thrown at me that I can start making the skeleton of the character and then attach meat to it. So it's hard to say exactly what I might come up with, and what sort of storyline would fit. I have been tempted to make a Japanese Racial Supremacist, such a character would probably not work with the second option.
I'm merely eating the chicken my friend. It's up to all of us which bones get thrown around and what type of chicken (campaign story setting) I eat for that matter.

Personal Thoughts? A Japanese Racial Supremacist and Human Mage with resentment towards the way things are in Japan could very well be the beginnings of an awesome sibling combo if you ask me. Torn between honor/duty and family, etc. Then again, this is based on the assumption of us going through with the initial proposal.

We could, just as easily, generalize our starting campaign to that of Pan-Asian Japan. Whatever adventures and mishaps that occur along the way, merely the result of taking one job and refusing another.

We could also just as easily relocate the campaign setting to another part of the globe. Hong Kong is a great place to cheat death on a daily basis as is parts of Africa. I just wanted to try something other than the atypical "I start in Seattle and live on the streets" type of setting. Those have been overplayed in the past three editions of this game.

So if you would be so kind, consider this the true "Start" of our gaming experience and enjoy your proverbial "Beer and Pizza" as we further discuss what we would like to play and where we would like to play it.

I leave the floor open to you all...
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Re: Shadowrun 4E: House of the Rising Son

Post by Zorbeltuss » Sun Jan 20, 2013 9:27 pm

Beer tastes like piss :P

Can't say I have read much about Hong Kong though I've heard it's good, I know Lagos and Seattle fairly well, Lagos is kinda awesome, but going there is sort of wasted if you don't actually intend to go in deep, because Redmond is paradise compared to Lagos.

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Re: Shadowrun 4E: House of the Rising Son

Post by Muskrat » Sun Jan 20, 2013 11:00 pm

I like pizza, but don't drink alcohol. I guess I'll have to settle for virtual soda instead. :D

I suspect my character would not get along well with a racist (he frowns on prejudice against not only the awakened, but metahumans), but if we're thrown together by chance and forced to work together, that might be interesting. Or we could be siblings--people often put up with family members whom they would have nothing to do with if they weren't related.

I was actually leaning for more towards an adept (maybe something based on the gun adept archetype, maybe a more traditional sword wielder) than a mage. I was just indicating that I could be flexible, depending on what the team needed. He could even be a non-awakened hacker specializing in security or a street samurai, but an awakened character seems like it would fit better.

The idea of a medic team sounds interesting. What would they do? Rescue people from disaster situations? A 'hooder campaign would also appeal to me. But, like I said, I'm happy to go with what you've already proposed, Eanwulf--just putting my five cents in as long as you're throwing out other campaign models.

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