Shadowrun Horror

[Murtak]

Looks very good to me.

Ambergel Can
<b>Encounters:</b> Discard while you are at Cross Biomedical to make a Logic (+0) test and gain 1 Clue for every hit.

Is "at" better than "in" here?

Med Kit
If successful, one Runner at your location (including potentially yourself) regains 1 Stamina.

"Potentially" is not needed here.

Also I see both "Discretion" and "Caution" checks. Is that intentional?

[Username17]

Discretion checks are the Caution subskill. Like Horror Checks out of Arkham Horror's Will skill.

-Username17

[Username17]

Contraband Cards:

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A Daring Plan
<h1>Shadow Run</h1>
<b>Parkalot</b>
<b>Signal Island</b>
<b>Lonestar Police Franchise</b>
<b>Pier 11</b>
You must spend one Problem Trophy at each location to advance this Run. Upon completion, all Problems and Enemies on the board are discarded.
3$

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Area Jammer
No Problem tokens may be placed at your location.

"<i>I don't care what you say, what you mean,
I don't care. I don't care.</i>"
5$

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Black Hammer
<h1>Hacking Program</h1>
<b>Running Modifier:</b> -2
<b>Signature:</b> 2
<b>Any Phase:</b> Hack to add +9 to a <b>combat</b> test against an Enemy who is not a <b>drone</b> or a <b>spirit</b>.
7$ - 2H

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Brain Scan
<h1>Hacking Program</h1>
<b>Running Modifier:</b> -2
<b>Signature:</b> 2
<b>Any Phase:</b> Hack when you have defeated an Enemy to discard Brain Scan and Solve a Problem with the same symbol as the Enemy you defeated. You may spend clues to Expose the Problem.
5$

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BTL
<h1>Data Chip, Drug</h1>
<b>Any Phase:</b> Discard to pay 1 ID to regain 1 Stamina.
<b>Any Phase:</b> Discard to pay 1 Stamina to regain 1 ID.

When using BTL, you may make a Hacking (-2) test to avoid discarding it.
2$

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Bug Hunt
<h1>Shadowrun</h1>
<b>Taco Temple</b>
<b>El Mortuorio</b>
<b>Cross Biomedical</b>
At each location, you are <i>surprised</i> by an Enemy from the cup. Upon completion, take all Enemies in the Outskirts as trophies. For the rest of the game, all Enemies placed in the Outskirts are returned to the Cup.
2$

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Combat Shotgun
<h1>Ranged Weapon</h1>
<b>Any Phase:</b> Exhaust to set your Fight/Caution slider all the way towards "Fight" and add +7 to one <b>combat</b> check.
7$ - 2H

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Crash
<h1>Hacking Program</h1>
<b>Running Modifier:</b> +0
<b>Signature:</b> 1
<b>Any Phase:</b> Hack to add +4 to a <b>combat</b> test against an Enemy who is not a <b>critter</b> or a <b>spirit</b>.
4$ - 1H

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The Data Steal
<h1>Shadow Run</h1>
<b>Signal Island:</b> Logic (-1)
<b>R&D Department:</b> Hacking (-1)
<b>The Seawall:</b> Discretion (-2)
Upon completion, you gain 10 clues.
2$

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Denial of Service
<h1>Hacking Program</h1>
<b>Running Modifier:</b> -1
<b>Signature:</b> 1
<b>Any Phase:</b> Hack to prevent any amount of ID loss to yourself or another Runner at your location.
4$

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Digital Grimoire
<h1>Data Chip</h1>
<b>Movement:</b> Exhaust and spend 2 Movement points to make a Logic (-2) test. If successful, search through the Talismans for a <b>Magical Spell</b>.
7$

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EMP Device
<b>Karma:</b> Discard to discard the Karma card without effect. It is not replaced. Raise the Terror level by 1.
6$

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Escort Service
<h1>Shadow Run</h1>
<b>Studio 23</b>
<b>The Drowning Narcissus</b>
<b>New Venice</b>
Upon reaching New Venice with 2 tokens, all Enemies move to New Venice. Upon completion, you may select one Problem and Expose it free.
2$

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Fabrication
<h1>Hacking Program</h1>
<b>Running Modifier:</b> -2
<b>Signature:</b> 1
<b>Karma:</b> Hack to switch the movement icons from Black to White and vice versa.
3$

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Hand Grenade
<h1>Ranged Weapon</h1>
Discard to get +6 to a Combat check.

"<i>Magic powers? I don't need them. </i>I<i> have a Hand Grenade.</i>"
4$ - 1H

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Iced Organs
<b>Movement:</b> Exhaust and make a Logic (-1) check to look at the top card of the Augmentation deck.

<b>Encounters:</b> Discard and pay 1$ while at Bill's Body Shop or Docwagon Contract Hospital to draw an Augmentation.
4$

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Impersonate
<h1>Hacking Program</h1>
<b>Running Modifier:</b> -2
<b>Signature:</b> 1
<b>Any Phase:</b> Hack to succeed at an Evade test against an Enemy who is not a <b>critter</b> or a <b>spirit</b>.
4$

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Intercept Transmission
<h1>Hacking Program</h1>
<b>Running Modifier:</b> -1
<b>Signature:</b> 1
<b>Karma:</b> Hack and exhaust to change one location named on the Karma card to another location in the same neighborhood. This can place a Problem in a stable location.
4$

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Military Commlink
+2 to Hacking tests.

"<i>I finally got the response I've been looking for.</i>"
6$

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Mono Whip
<h1>Melee Weapon</h1>
+2 to <b>Combat</b> checks.
+2 to <b>Discretion</b> checks.
<b>Any Phase:</b> Exhaust to add your Sneak to your <b>Combat</b> check.
7$ - 2H

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Nanopaste Disguise
Discard to pass an Evade test or an Investigation.

<i>The Man is watching all the time. But the electric eye doesn't care. The electric eye just records. They don't start paying attention until they have reason. And even then they only see what you want them to see.</i>
3$

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Nova Coke
<h1>Drug</h1>

<b>Any Phase:</b> Discard Nova Coke. Regardless of how much ID or Stamina you have, you do not go <i>Unconscious</i> and are not <i>Discovered</i> until the end of the turn.

<i>Seemed like a good idea. I was on nova coke.</i>
1$

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Objectonable Materials
<h1>Data Chip</h1>
<b>Encounters:</b> Discard while at the Hilton to gain 5$.

<b>Encounters:</b> Discard while at Larry's Mansion to gain 3 clues.
3$

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Persona Chip
<h1>Data Chip</h1>
<b>Encounters:</b> Discard while at a Problem location to gain 2 clues. Draw and discard Problem Encounters until you get an encounter specific to the Problem type.
5$

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Rescue the Hostages
<h1>Shadow Run</h1>
<b>Observatory:</b> Logic (-1)
<b>Haven Penitentiary:</b> Will (+0)
<b>The Factory*</b>
*: At The Factory, you must make a Combat (-5) test or a Caution (-2) test.
Upon completion, the Combat Modifier of the Threat is improved by 3.
2$

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Rocket
<h1>Ranged Weapon</h1>
Discard for +11 to a combat check.

<i>Why do you even have this?</i>
6$ - 2H

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Seven-7
<h1>Drug</h1>
<b>Any Phase:</b> Discard and choose a number between 1 and 3. You lose that much Stamina from <i>Poison</i>, and all Enemies at your location have their Toughness decreased by the same number until the end of the turn unless they are <b>Spirits</b> or <b>Drones</b>. Enemies reduced to zero are claimed as Trophies.
4$

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Sutcase Nuke
<b>Any Phase:</b> You may automatically pass any Evade or Escape tests against Enemies who do not have <b>Ambush</b> or <b>Elusive</b> and are not <b>Critters</b>.

If you discard the Suitcase Nuke while it is in your possession, add advance the Doom and Terror track by 1.
7$

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Tempo
<h1>Drug</h1>
<b>Movement:</b> Discard to gain 1 Movement point.

<b>Any Phase:</b> Discard to add 1 die to any test.
1$

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Tranq Patch
<h1>Drug, Melee Weapon</h1>
<b>Any Phase:</b> Discard to go Unconscious. Roll a die. Pn a success, you lose no items or clues.

<b>Any Phase:</b> Discard to reduce the toughness of an Enemy by 1 unless they are a <b>spirit</b> or a <b>drone</b>.
2H - 1H

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Valkyr
<h1>Drug</h1>
<b>Any Phase:</b> Discard and pay 1 Stamina to gain +1 Fight and ignore all further Stamina losses until the end of the turn.

<i>Fight like it's the end of the world.</i>
4$

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Zen
<h1>Drug</h1>
<b>Upkeep:</b> Set your sliders to maximum Sneak and maximum Will. Regain 1 Stamina.

<i>It still hurts, I just don't care.</i>
1$

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Zip Gun
<h1>Ranged Weapon</h1>
+2 to combat checks.
You cannot be forced to discard the Zip Gun, you only discard it if you choose to do so. The Zip Gun does not count as an item when determining how many you have.
3$ - 1H

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-Username17

[Murtak]

I take you you uppercased all keywords, even the verbs? That looks weird to me, but I probably wouldn't notice after playing a few times.

The Data Steal

I assume the default requirement is just to visit all locations?

Fabrication
Hack to switch the movement icons from Black to White and vice versa.

Is this a permanent change?

Rescue the Hostages
Upon completion, the Combat Modifier of the Threat is improved by 3.

Improved should probably be changed to "lowered".

Sutcase Nuke

Suitcase.

Tranq Patch
Pn a success, you lose no items or clues.

On.

[Username17]

I assume the default requirement is just to visit all locations?

And have an encounter there, yeah. So if you show up and get eaten by an Enemy, it doesn't count.

Is this a permanent change?

It took me a bit to understand this question, and I'm not sure I really understand what it's getting at. The Movement Icons are these things in the lower right hand corner of the card:



So if you switch them black for white it is both permanent and instantaneous, because that card's movement icons are only applied one time.

Improved should probably be changed to "lowered".

Should it? The Threat almost always has a negative modifier. That makes it linguistically confusing. Both "larger" and "smaller" could mean both that it has become more negative and more positive in different interpretations. It makes me sad.

So moving from -2 to +1, is that "lowered?" I don't think there is a good English verb for that. Even "improved" - the verb I have now is problematic because it could be taken as improving it from the Threat's perspective in which case it would become more negative.

-Username17

[Bigode]

"Atenuated"/"mitigated" and "worsened"?

[Murtak]

Is this a permanent change?

It took me a bit to understand this question, and I'm not sure I really understand what it's getting at. The Movement Icons are these things in the lower right hand corner of the card:

Aah, that works fine then. I assumed it meant the black and white arrows on the board itself.

[Gelare]

Re: Improved/Lowered
I would use "reduced", myself. I tend to think of that as a reduction in absolute value. Still somewhat ambiguous, sure, but possibly less so.

"If you discard the Suitcase Nuke while it is in your possession, add advance the Doom and Terror track by 1."

Huh?

Also, is "Valkyr" the name of the drug? I don't know, I'm asking, figured it might be Valkyrie or something.

[Username17]

Also, is "Valkyr" the name of the drug? I don't know, I'm asking, figured it might be Valkyrie or something.

It's the combat drug from Max Payne. I'm using i instead of Kamikaze because it has a cooler name.

-Username17

[Manxome]

Improved should probably be changed to "lowered".

Should it? The Threat almost always has a negative modifier. That makes it linguistically confusing. Both "larger" and "smaller" could mean both that it has become more negative and more positive in different interpretations. It makes me sad.

So moving from -2 to +1, is that "lowered?" I don't think there is a good English verb for that. Even "improved" - the verb I have now is problematic because it could be taken as improving it from the Threat's perspective in which case it would become more negative.

Since everything in this system is really a modifier rather than a threshold--including the target's combat modifier--I'd be inclined to say something like "all runners get +3 to combat checks against the Threat" rather than "the Threat's combat modifier is changed by 3," unless the combat modifier has some other effect.

But if you keep this as a change to the combat modifier, I'd be inclined to say that it is increased by 3, or that you add 3 to it. That's potentially confusing, because people aren't used to dealing with negative numbers, but at least it unambiguously means what you want on a strict literal reading. If the player's going to be confused no matter what you say, you might as well say something that's technically correct. (Actually, I will vehemently argue that you say something technically correct and unambiguous even if you think it's more confusing, but especially if it's not.)

[cthulhu]

All runners get +3 to combat checks against the threat is much better yeah.

[Username17]

IMAGE REMOVED BY REQUEST OF FANTASY FLIGHT

OK, legibility question. This is a Problem Token. Note that it needs to have the Problem color icons on the token itself because there is not a separate "problem area."

The question is: what kind of titling does this need? It is going to be labeled "Gang War." Options include:

• Off-White Text Box with stark horizontal lettering.
• Bright Text with no Text Box.
• SR-styled "busy" text box with glowing text.
• Text "rounded" along the outside rim of the token.

Also: does it look clunky to have the picture go all the way to the end? I can throw in a milky or flaming border like the AH gate tokens if that would be helpful.

-Username17

[Username17]

For example, here's what it would look like with black funky SR-ish text:

IMAGE REMOVED BY REQUEST OF FANTASY FLIGHT

-Username17

[Judging__Eagle]

The last option, Text "rounded" around the edges.

You want communication to be clear (one of the things hammered into us is that communication goes hand in hand with creativity when making art). Both the image and the text need to be visible.

Also, I'm thinking that the SR-style font needs to be rethought. It looks like "Gong Wor" when first read. That is a result of having a poor font designer who wanted things to look cool, and forgot that they needed to communicate.

[cthulhu]

How big is it going to be?

[Gelare]

I don't know about the rest of the stuff, but that black funky SR-ish text looks godawful. The "a" looks like an "o", and really the overall style doesn't work for me.

Also, question: Shadowrun has actual Horrors. So why is the BBEG Winternight?

[CatharzGodfoot]

Also, question: Shadowrun has actual Horrors. So why is the BBEG Winternight?

Winternight is one of the BBEGs in SR cannon, and presumably one of the BBEGs you can fight against in SR horror.

[Edit] Also, IIRC, in SR cannon the horrors have been banished and won't be coming back for millennia. [/Edit]

[Username17]

There are indeed other Threat cards. Here's one:

IMAGE REMOVED BY REQUEST OF FANTASY FLIGHT

-Username17

[Username17]

And here's the mark 2 Gang War Text box:

IMAGE REMOVED BY REQUEST OF FANTASY FLIGHT

-Username17

[Murtak]

Looks much better. How about arranging the icons in a semi-circle around the lower edge? Also the title background seems a little off for Shadowrun. How about a black or dark grey area, with a very thin lighter border? Like a recessed lcd display. That is, if that is feasible with your program and resources.

[Judging__Eagle]

Much clearer.

Would it be possible to make the "background" part of the card desccription look like some sort of a technical looking or digital display?

Maybe something like very pale (almost white) green text on a black background, with a grey "screen-like" border?

Just a though, since while the scroll works, it doesn't exactly emphasize techno-future.

[Gelare]

Concur with JE, that the scroll on the gang war card looks more "medieval fantasy" and less "futuristic dystopia". Maybe Matrix-style green on black, or something.

EDIT: Also, thanks for the clarification on the Threat question. Never having played Arkham Horror, I didn't realize there were multiple possibilities. I must say, I'm excited to actually try out this game.

[Username17]

The Threat List is:

• Blood Magic
  The Daieng Probang
  Dr. Tanis
  Ghost Cartel
  The Hive
  Mamon Strain
  New Revolution
  Poisoners
  The Vampires
  Winternight
  Yggdrasil
  Zombie Uprising

In other news, here is how the Astral Rift marker looks with the same setup as the Gang War Mark 2:



-Username17

[cthulhu]

Is suitcase nuke as awesome as it seems?

[DrPraetor]

The Threat List is:

• Blood Magic
  The Daieng Probang
  Dr. Tanis
  Ghost Cartel
  The Hive
  Mamon Strain
  New Revolution
  Poisoners
  The Vampires
  Winternight
  Yggdrasil
  Zombie Uprising

-Username17

"Blood Magic"
and
"The Vampires"

are both boring names. I suggest:
"Satanic Ritualists"
or
"The Believers"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanic_ritual_abuse
http://www.geocities.com/kidhistory/ra.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Believers

During the late 80s the LA county commission actually did a report on satanic ritual abuse, so it's local. In addition to their usual tricks (yes, blood magic), they brainwash people into forgetting about what they did. This means that when fighting the "Satanic Ritualists", every problem is a coverup.
Furthermore, they pollute the cosmos with blood magic, penalizing spellcasting or whatever it is that blood magic does.

and
"The Lost Boys"
"Ordo Maximus"
or some thinly disguised reference to V:TLA.

Another Jonhson Suggestion:
The Pack
LA's premier dog-headed cyborg immortality cult needs your help - whatever is happening in LA, it is interfering with Anubis' plan to gain worshippers and ascend to Godhood. Help him out.

Start of Game: Place a problm counter and an enemy on Parkalot. Advance the doom track as normal.

Bark if you love Cyberware: During upkeep, show the first card of the augmentation deck to all players. Starting with the first player, each player has the option of buying the augmentation at cost. If the augmentation is not purchased, discard it.

Enemies of the Cosmic Order: The Pack's plans are disruptive to celestial harmony and the music of the spheres and all that drek. All <b>spirits</b> are +1 toughness and <b>Tagged</b>.

Alternatively, it could be their designs on godhood stirring up the astral plane... or you could recycle this mechanic for another jonson or threat.