Was sagt mir der Eigenschaftswert einer Figur? (Shadowrun und Risus)

Entgegen der ursprünglichen Absicht, habe ich die deutsche Ausgabe von Shadowrun 5, trotz des ansprechenden Preises, nicht gekauft. Das liegt nur daran, dass ich Shadowrun nicht spielen bzw. nicht leiten werde. Für die zwanzig Euro kaufe ich mir dann lieber andere Bücher, die ich dann tatsächlich lese und noch was dazu lerne.
Als ich kürzlich die Shadowrun 20th Anniversary Edition durchblätterte und mit Chummer spaßenshalber eine Figur erstellen wollte (wie bei dem Technomancer), ging mir das ewige Charaktergebastle mal wieder auf den Keks.

Die Worte einer Spielerin hallten in meinem Ohr wider (und es waren sogar zwei, die ähnliches beschrieben): dass man sich mit den Klischees bei Risus die Figur viel besser vorstellen und ihre Möglichkeiten im Spiel begreifen kann.

Und dann schuf ich diese Figur:

Egon-Marvin 'EMP' Presley
Dämonenboxender Ki-Adept [4]
Unbekannter Slapstick Stuntman (3)
Elvis-imitierender Konditor (1)

Egon-Marvin besitzt magische Fähigkeiten, die es ihm erlauben, in die Geisterwelt (Astralwelt) zu blicken und mit seinen Händen Geister und Dämonen zu verprügeln. Das kennt man ja vom typischen Shadowrunkiadepten. Das Klischee wird als Double-Pump-Klischee gekauft (4x2 Würfel), um die wirklich übermenschlichen Kräfte zu beschreiben. Er verdient sein Geld als unbekannter Stuntman für eine billige Lebende-Kanonenkugel-Zirkusnummer, Showkämpfe und gelegentliche Internetfilmaufnahmen. Außerdem arbeitet er versessen an einer Konditornummer für die Bühne, bei der er Torten backt und Elvis imitiert.

Er wäre ein geselliger Typ, wenn da die Sache mit den Dämonen nicht wäre, die ihn regelmäßig heimsuchen und belästigen (und des Öfteren schon herausragende Dates gestört haben.) Manche der jüngeren und hitzköpfigen Dämonen machen sich eine Mutprobe daraus, ihm aufzulauern und sich ihm zu stellen, andere der älteren fürchten, dass er eine alte Prophezeiung erfüllen könnte und die Hierarchie der Dämonen auf den Kopf stellen wird. Und ihm selbst wäre es wirklich lieber, wenn er diese Elvis-Torten-Nummer hinbekäme.

10 Standardwürfel, +1 Hintergrundgeschichte, +1 Schwierigkeit.

Wie lange dauerte es, die Figur zu erstellen? Etwa 3 Minuten. (Ich musste noch überlegen, ob es ein dämonenschlachtender oder -boxender Ki-Adept wird, ob er nur ein Stuntman oder eben ein unbekannter Slapstick Stuntman wird - und dann der Name, der schließlich noch dazu führte, dass er zu einem Elvis-imitierenden Konditor wird, wasdannnochdiehintergrundgeschichtebeeinflussteuswusf.)

Mit Chummer und Shadowrun 4 dauerte es dann mehr als zehn Mal so lang...
Schon klar, was die Eigenschaftswerte sagen, was? Nämlich, welches System ich lieber leiten und spielen würde. ;-)

Egon-Marvin Presley

== Attributes ==
BOD: 3
AGI: 4
REA: 4
STR: 4
CHA: 3
INT: 4
LOG: 2
WIL: 4
EDG: 2
MAG: 6

== Active Skills ==
Assensing: 2
Astral Combat: 4 [Demons]
Climbing: 3
Con: 1
Escape Artist: 2
Etiquette: 1 
First Aid: 1
Gymnastics: 3
Pilot Aircraft: 2   
Pilot Ground Craft: 4 [Car]
Pilot Watercraft: 2
Running: 3  
Swimming: 3 
Unarmed Combat: 6 [Boxing]

== Knowledge Skills ==
Baking Recipes: 1
Bars and Clubs: 2 
Demon History: 4 
Elvis Facts: 5 
Movie History Stunts: 3 
Spirits : 3 

== Qualities ==
Adept
Double Jointed
Elvis Poser
Gremlins (Rating 1)
Guts
Spirit Bane (Demons)

== Powers ==
Astral Perception
Combat Sense Rating: 1
Critical Strike Rating: 6
Killing Hands
Mystic Armor Rating: 5

== Lifestyles ==
Low  5 months

== Armor ==
Clothing                  0/0
Helmet                    1/2
Leather Jacket            2/2

== Weapons ==
Unarmed Attack
   Pool: 10   DV: 8P   AP: -   RC: 0

== Commlink ==
Meta Link (1, 0, 0, 2)

== Gear ==
Binoculars Rating 1
   +Vision Magnification
Biomonitor
Datachip
Diving Gear
Flashlight
GPS
Light Stick
Medkit Rating 1
Survival Kit
Virtual Pet

== Vehicles ==
Yamaha Growler (Off-Road Bike)
   +Off-Road Suspension
   +Vehicle Sensor

2 clips and an Ares Predator

After the previous post images of survival knives, and guns in the Shadowrun game flashed before my inner eye.
Shadowrun has catalogs full of equipment, although the differences between the several heavy pistols are rather minor the fluff has its charm (and its price).

Buying equipment for the characters was a part-time job for Shadowrun gamers, and we used to browse through the books, stare at the simple silhouettes of the pieces and compare game stats, just as if browsing through any other catalog with pictures, short descriptions and prices - say a guitar shop's catalog.
Equipment lists raise attention, grab it, bind it, torture it. Even with short lists as in the Basic Fantasy game. I'm glad my players yet didn't stumble over the magic item section in their rule books...

Did anybody write a Shadowrun equipment app for smartphones, or pcs? Would be much nicer to scroll through the stuff, and have an option for side by side comparison.

2 Clips And An Ares Predator

When I was game-mastering Shadowrun (2nd Edition) I used to design the runs so that it was possible to get through them (presuming wits on the side of the players) with one heavy pistol and 2 clips of ammo. We had serious firefights street-wars with some GMs, and while that cinematic-over-the-top-style was good fun, I also liked a different approach. At least, I planned so the players had an option of doing stealth runs.

'When it comes to Shadowrunning nothing ever goes according to plan.'

Why pick up a light pistol, anyway?

In rp games conflicts often (and very quickly) escalate to deadly combat. I find that even with inexperienced gamers: as soon as they play their character they start to roam, and pick fights as if most of the inhabitants of the game world were enemies placed there for combat experience.
This might be true for a series of computer rpgs - and I've yet to find one with reasonable character interaction options. However, when it comes to encounter design, which implies thinking about those options, conflict, and physical conflict is just one of them. (Read: there are other options, too!)
I know that monster descriptions say 'monster will attack PCs on sight', and 'fight to the death', and so on, and so on.

Back to those light pistols. And the intimidation skill. Have you ever noticed that intimidation skill? Have you ever used it? Because I can't recall a situation when we did.

Intimidation Skill

'So, how does a Shadowrun character draw a light pistol on his opponent, and tell him to leave him alone? Yeah, he does so while his other hand levels that modified Ares Predator with his opponent's crotch and pulls the trigger.'

Intimidation with a light pistol alone does not work, because the opponent is likely to have a bigger gun. (Think of that meme-worthy Crocodile Dundee scene.) And the players know the stat blocks. A light pistol within SR2 was a joke, and if it wasn't our GM would have made it one. It could hurt, do some damage, but that damage would be shrugged off, and even if it hurt so much as to cause a wound, the characters would heal and bounce on. (I read SR 20th Anniversary Edition, and light pistols seem to be a little more dangerous here.)

'Shadowrun simulates the gunfire exchange by the clunk and clutter of those many six-sided dice. Otherwise its matrix-style slow-motion.' (That's out of context, but I like it.)

Intimidation (in rpgs) is a bit of acting, skill display, maybe weapon display, and mostly communication. If characters want to tell somebody to leave them alone, they could just ask them, and that somebody may consider the request. If that somebody is smart he'd observe the situation. He might feel intimidated even if no intimidation effort is made on the side of the characters.
The Intimidation Skill becomes necessary if that somebody is feeling lucky in that situaiton, but the characters want to convince him that leaving is the better option.

The reason why I designed the runs according to the 2C/1AP principle was that I wanted the players to explore those other options of interaction, communication, and sometimes intimidation. In a way it's kind of old school. You get XP for resolving the encounter - stealing the treasure from the dragon, or defeating him, or tricking him into giving you its treasure, (as if that would ever work,) or by getting away alive.

Anyway, this was meant to be a follow-up on the magic weapons post. But there are few magic weapons in Shadowrun. There are plenty of cool fluff weapons with fancy names and few differences.

I'd like to play SR4 (or the upcoming SR5) to see how it feels today. The last runs I GM-ed were done using the Saga System.

Do something different today - The Shadowrun Technomancer

Chris Gonnerman wrote an article called The Single Creator Syndrome in which he pinpoints one serious issue of gamemastering and playing roleplaying games. I picked the thought up and applied it to my single character type syndrome with the Shadowrun game. I played one gang member who gained some kind of underground fame, and switched to physical adepts after that. When I rolled up a character after purchasing the Shadowrun 20th Anniversary Edition I came up with the grand idea of a physical adept troll - named Cookiemonster. Single character type syndrome.
I always disliked street samurais, although I created several and used them as NPCs. I never got around to playing a magician, and the idea of the technomancer that I encountered with SR4 didn't grip my interest, either.
So, then it happened that I read of the Shadowrun character creation software Chummer, which I then downloaded. And last night after reading the Single Creator Syndrome I created a character using Chummer - a technomancer.

I'm not used to the concept of the Technomancer within the Shadowrun Universe, but I know the Matrix (movies), and studied my William Gibson. As mentioned elsewhere Shadowrun character generation can take a while with all the page-flipping if you haven't memorised the book.
The Chummer software gives you a mouse-over index for all entries, so it is quite easy to navigate the creation process with one hand on the mouse, and the other browsing through the Core Rules. What's a Sprite? Ah, right, look up page 88. And what kind of sprites can I choose? Page 242. Nice!

Concept

So, here's my technomancer. I still cling to some concepts like the martial arts, and the squatter lifestyle, but I can try something different from that another day.
He's a rather average runner, has yet to make use of his potential, and thus a lot to learn. His Mandarin is excellent (something I am far from), and he knows Hong Kong quite well, albeit by browsing through maps in the matrix. He grew up in Seattle, awakened in his teens, and dropped out in his early twenties and onto the streets where he joined a community of squatters. With his gift he managed to escape the concrete walls, and wide corridors of abandoned buildings by entering the matrix.
He hides his technomancy, though, and carries a cheap standard commlink for everyday use. Being a loner he shuns contacts, works some night jobs occasionally, helps with translation, and practices his technomancy skills.
Still looking for a purpose in life. Likes VR games.

I like to think of him as a wandering novice technomancer who is being harassed by Watcher spirits for reasons unknown to him. He dislikes magic, and is a little unsure as to what to think of his own gift.

Weather Sans

human (male), 24, 1,73m, 69kg, brown hair, blue eyes, squatter lifestyle.

BODY 3; AGILITY 4; REACTION 4; STRENGTH 3
CHARISMA 4; INTUITION 4; LOGIC 3; WILLPOWER 3
EDGE 3; ESSENCE 6; INITIATIVE 8; RESONANCE 6
MATRIC INIT 9; INIT PASSES (MATRIX) 3

Qualities: Guts, Photographic Memory, Resistance to Pathogens and Toxins, Technomancer; Sensitive System, SINner (Standard), Mild Addiction (Alcohol), Spirit Bane (Watcher).

Skills: Blades 2 (Swords), Unarmed Combat 1 (Martial Arts), Pistols 3 (Semi-Automatics), Dodge 2, First Aid 1, Perception 2, Shadowing 1 (Tail Evasion), Survival 2 (Urban).
Skill Groups: Influence 1, Athletics 1, Electronics 1, Cracking 1, Tasking 2,

Knowledge Skills: English (N); Mandarin 6 (Read/Write), Alcohol 1, Area Knowledge Hong Kong 2, Area Knowledge Seattle 3, Chinese Philosophy 3.

Living Persona: Response 4 (5), System 3, Firewall 3, Signal 3.
Biofeedback Filter 4.
Complex Forms: Reality Filter 2.

Armor: clothing (x3), lined coat.
Weapons: survival knife, katana, Colt Manhunter (quick-draw holster); Remington 990, shock glove.
Gear: 10 shotgun rounds (flechette); 40 regular rounds, 4 spare clips (Colt Manhunter), biomonitor, certified credstick, datachip (x2), flashlight, GPS, holo projector, medkit (2), stim patch (2), survival kit, VR games, Meta Link.