Writing: Michael Messmer Shadowrun Missions Developer: 05-05

Steven “Bull” Ratkovich

Art: David Dotson
Shadowrun Developer: Jason M. Hardy
Missions Logo: Jeff Laubenstein, Matt Heerdt
Layout & Design: Matt Heerdt
Art Director: Brent Evans, Kat Hardy

© 2014-15 The Topps Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Shadowrun and Matrix are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of The Topps Company, Inc.,
in the United States and/or other countries. Catalyst Game Labs and the Catalyst Game Labs logo are trademarks of InMediaRes Productions, LLC.
FIGHT NIGHT
The sharp ding of the bell signals the end of the fourth power. One of the men, a middle-aged human with grey-
COVER

FIGHT NIGHT
round, and Billy “The Beast” Barlow breathes a visible ing temples, glares at Sid with a stony look of disapproval.
sigh of relief. Looking dimly out of his bruised right eye, Obviously, someone has money riding on this fight and
he sees his opponent strut around the ring, raising his received a decent tip as to the nature of the outcome. INTRODUCTION
arms as if he were already victorious, despite a nasty cut The boxers are up again, meeting in the middle while
above a swollen shut left eye. Who was this Miguel Garza the referee keeps them separate.
guy anyway? Barlow had seen him around a few fights Dabbing his receding hairline with this blue cloth MISSION
BACKGROUND &
before, but never like this. Barlow knows the score; keep again, Sid visibly winces when the bell signaling the be-
SYNOPSIS
it exciting for a few rounds, then pound him to the mat in ginning of Round five is struck. Before the echo of the
the fifth. Sid said this guy knew what he was doing. The bell can leave his ears, Garza unleashes a ferocious com-
look in Garza’s eyes, that kind of crazed, bloodshot look bination that leaves Barlow on the mat. SCENE 1
of someone on a six-day novacoke bender, told Barlow Sid rushes to the ringside while the ref starts his
he was in for more than he bargained for. Garza looks like count, screaming at Barlow to get his ass up. The boxer
he was hit by a bus, but he may as well be a machine for moves, slowly at first, but eventually climbs the ropes to SCENE 2
all the shits he gives. the point he can stand, spitting out a gob of red that hits
Relieved at the chance for a rest, Barlow lets his guard the mat and splatters Sid’s shirt. The count reaches seven SCENE 3
down and moves to go back to his corner. Garza’s face before Barlow can stand on his own.
twists into a furious scowl as he throws a vicious punch Cursing, Sid pushes his way past several ringside staff
to the back of Barlow’s head, sending the house favorite to the other side of the ring. The bell sounds, the fight’s SCENE 4
to the mat face first. The outraged crowd flies into a fren- back on, and at that moment the house plunges into
zy, screaming for someone to control the fight. Garza’s darkness. The bloodthirsty cries of the crowd are swiftly
SCENE 4A
barely intelligible taunts are drowned out by the din of replaced by concerned chatter as the lights come back
the shocked crowd, as an obviously dazed Barlow can on from the momentary power failure.
only crawl back to his corner stool. Garza stands near the edge of the ring, his left glove SCENE 5
Barlow’s manager, an aging, bald ork with the scars of clutching his side. Barlow, seeing an opportunity, moves
a survivor, wipes down the boxer with a grim look on his in. Garza tries to move, but he’s sluggish and is caught by
SCENE 6
face, and then turns to Sid and shakes his head. Barlow a vicious hook that spins him around and into the mat,
can’t take another beating like that. collapsing into a convulsing heap.
Sid Gambetti furrows his brow and wipes the sweat Sid, looking shocked, removes his hands from his SCENE 7
off his face with a dirty blue cloth. He’s long since shed pockets, the slight glint of blued steel catching the light
his jacket, and his tie hangs loosely around his neck. His of the venue for a split second. The count is swift, and
paper-thin white shirt shows sweat stains under his arms the ref raises Barlow’s hand, declaring him the victor by SCENE 8
as he raises his finger to point at Barlow’s manager, the knockout in five rounds.
fake diamond on his pinky finger catching the light. Whispers of dissatisfied gamblers combined with few PICKING UP
“You get him back in there, or you finish the fight for boos raise from the crowd, and voices call foul on the THE PIECES
him!” Sid growls at the ork. He glances toward the other suspicious blackout, but they are silenced by the remain-
corner, where Garza sits, staring silently at Barlow as Gar- der of the audience, who quickly drowns them out with
za’s manager tries with frantic motions to get the rookie chatter as the venue begins to empty. LEGWORK
boxer’s attention. At least he had his boys search people Sid leans against the ring as he is approached by the
for recording equipment on the way in. No one needs to finely dressed man with greying temples. The man’s ex-
CAST OF
see this travesty again. pression is not one of joy, but he shakes Sid’s hand as he SHADOWS
With a sigh the ork turns to Barlow to deliver the news. receives an overstuffed envelope in the other. He leans in
Underground boxing was never easy, and never clean, no close to Sid to whisper in his ear, and Sid’s already shaken
matter what the so-called ref says. expression goes white, as the man and his bodyguards DEBRIEFING LOG
His orders delivered, Sid spares a glance to his left, move off toward the exit.
spying a group of observers too well dressed to be locals. Taking his cloth out, Sid wipes his face and nearly
The obvious goons stand bodyguard around several men falls into a chair at ringside, his shaking fingers searching
in sharp suits, and the brightly dressed women accompa- his discarded jacket for a steel flask. Taking a long draw
nying them stood out among the others as people who from the flask, he lets out a long breath. At least he’s still
had money, along with the means to turn that money into breathing.

FIGHT NIGHT 2
INTRODUCTION COVER

SRM 05-05: While the City Sleeps is a Shadowrun Mis- should usually only be used for home games, or FIGHT NIGHT
sions living campaign adventure. Full information on games where time is not a factor. At most con-
the Shadowrun Missions living campaign is available at vention and Open Play events, gamemasters
[Link]/missions and includes a should omit this information. It adds to the scene INTRODUCTION
guide to creating Missions characters and a regularly but does not contain important information.
updated FAQ. All maps, player handouts, and other • Debugging offers solutions to potential prob-
playing aids are found at the end of this document. lems that may crop up during the encounter. MISSION
While it’s impossible to foresee everything that BACKGROUND &
a group of player characters might do, this sec- SYNOPSIS
PREPARING THE tion tries to anticipate common problems and
ADVENTURE other suggestions for dealing with them.
SCENE 1
SRM 05-05: While the City Sleeps is intended for use with
Shadowrun, Fifth Edition, and all character and rules infor- RUNNING THE
SCENE 2
mation refers to the fifth edition of the Shadowrun rules.
ADVENTURE
Adventure Structure Gamemastering is more of an art than a science, and
every gamemaster does things a bit differently. Use
SCENE 3
SRM 05-05: While the City Sleeps consists of several your own style when it comes to preparing and run-
scenes. These scenes form the basis of the adventure, ning the adventure and do whatever you feel is best
which should be completed in approximately four SCENE 4
to provide the best Shadowrun game you can for your
hours. If you are running short on time, you should players. Shadowrun Missions adventures are designed
streamline each and be a little more generous with to run in a standard four-hour convention time slot. SCENE 4A
clues, target numbers, and other requirements to aid in Please keep this in mind when running the adventure.
guiding the players through the adventure. You should leave at least 15–20 minutes at the end of
Each scene outlines the most likely sequence of the time slot to complete any necessary paperwork and SCENE 5
events, as well as how to handle unexpected twists pass out the players’ Debriefing Logs. (Make sure that
and turns that inevitably crop up. Each one contains the you have enough copies of the Debriefing Log for this
following subsections, providing gamemasters with all adventure to give one copy to each player after running SCENE 6
the information necessary to run it. the adventure.) This section offers some guidelines you
may find useful in preparing to run SRM 05-05: While the
• Scan This provides a quick synopsis of the City Sleeps (or any Shadowrun Missions adventure). SCENE 7
scene’s action, allowing you to get a feel for the
encounter at a glance. Step 1: Read The Adventure SCENE 8
• Tell It to Them Straight is written to be read
aloud to the players, describing what their char- Carefully read the adventure from beginning to end. Get
acters experience upon entering the scene. You a feel for the overall plot and what happens in each scene.
That way, if something different happens, you won’t be PICKING UP
should feel free to modify the narrative as much THE PIECES
as desired to suit the group and the situation, caught off guard and you can adapt things smoothly.
since the characters may arrive at the scene by
different means or under different circumstanc- Step 2: Take Notes LEGWORK
es than the text assumes. Take notes for yourself while reading through the ad-
• Behind the Scenes covers the bulk of the venture that you can refer to later on. Possible things to
scene, describing what’s happening, what the note include: major plot points (so you can see them all
CAST OF
non-player characters are doing, how they will at a glance), the names of various non-player charac-
SHADOWS
react to the player characters’ actions, and so ters, possible problems you notice, situations where you
forth. It also covers the setting of the encounter, think a particular character can shine and other things
going over environmental conditions and other DEBRIEFING LOG
you’ll want to keep in mind while running the adventure.
properties of the location as well as providing
any descriptions of important items.
• Pushing the Envelope looks at ways to make the Step 3: Know The Characters
encounter more challenging for experienced or Prior to the start of the adventure, examine the PCs’
powerful characters and other ways you can add record sheets and Debriefing Logs for your reference
some extra spice to the scene. This subsection and have basic information about their important abil-

INTRODUCTION 3
ities handy so you can refer to it during play. Also go Major NPCs can be found in the Cast of Shadows COVER
over the characters and keep their previous events list- at the end of the adventure. They have more detailed
ed on the Debriefing Logs in mind when determining write ups and include most of the skills and the gear
non-player character actions in various scenes if such a they have access to. FIGHT NIGHT
dynamic has been included.
The NPCs in this adventure should generally stand
up to the average player character but may need some INTRODUCTION
Step 4: Don’t Panic!
adjustment to suit a particular group of characters,
Gamemastering involves juggling a lot of different especially a more experienced and powerful group. The
things. Sometimes you drop the ball and forget some- MISSION
scenes and NPC descriptions offer tips on adjusting the
thing or you just make a mistake. It happens, don’t BACKGROUND &
NPCs to suit the abilities of the characters in your group.
worry about it. Nobody is perfect all of the time and SYNOPSIS
To adjust the power level of an NPC, refer to Helps and
everybody makes mistakes. Just pick up from there Hindrances (p. 378, SR5). Take the player characters’
and move on. Your players will understand and forget abilities into consideration when assessing the NPCs in
about it once you get back into the action. SCENE 1
this adventure and modify them accordingly.

Step 5: Challenge the Players Mission Difficulty SCENE 2

Gamemasters should challenge the players but should Gamemasters are encouraged to use their own judg-
generally not overwhelm them. This is not to say that ment and to adjust the difficulty of the encounter to SCENE 3
games cannot be deadly. If the characters die through take into account the abilities of the players. If the
their own actions and repercussions of those actions, players have no magical support, replace magical de-
then so be it. But the idea is to challenge the players fenses with mundane ones. If the players are weak on SCENE 4
and their characters, not to bury them. If the enemies combat, reduce the number of enemies by one or two.
and challenges are too light for the characters present, Conversely, if they’re steamrolling the opposition, add
then increase them. On the other hand, if the charac- one or two enemies to the fight. Missions should be SCENE 4A
ters are badly outmatched by the enemies, then tone difficult and something of a challenge but should not
them down. Make things difficult but not impossible. be insurmountable.
A simple method for adjusting difficulty is to simply SCENE 5
increase the dice pools and Professional Ratings of the
GENERAL enemies. A simple +1 or +2 to all combat and defense
SCENE 6
ADVENTURE RULES tests gives enemies a minor boost in power, while a +3
or 4 will make them truly formidable. Adding to their
Shadowrun Missions adventures use the rules present- Professional Rating will give them a larger group Edge SCENE 7
ed in Shadowrun, Fifth Edition (SR5). Standard rules such pool to draw from, and gamemasters are encourage to
as success tests, limits, glitches, critical successes, and use this Edge when logical.
other common mechanics are described in SR5 and are Often a combat scene will tell you if it’s supposed SCENE 8
not repeated in this adventure. to be challenging or is simply there to serve as filler
Please keep in mind when preparing for the or a minor obstacle that the players should steamroll
adventure, that the PCs will not necessarily comprise a through. When possible, use this as a guide to know PICKING UP
balanced party. It’s entirely possible that the party will when to tweak the enemies and encounters. If it doesn’t THE PIECES
be made up entirely of technomancers or back-to-nature say, assume the scene should present a challenge to the
shamans. If the characters run into a brick wall because power levels of the players.
of such complications, show flexibility and use your best LEGWORK
judgment in how you lead them back to the plot. A Note on Loot and Looting
Gamemasters should be careful what they allow play- CAST OF
Non-Player Characters ers access to, because they can and will try to steal SHADOWS
Non-player characters (NPCs) are essential to any ad- everything not nailed down (and even then, they often
venture. They are the allies, antagonists, and background have pry bars and claw hammers to deal with those
characters in the adventure that interact with the player nails). Shadowrun Missions operate under the assump- DEBRIEFING LOG
characters. NPCs in this adventure have already been cre- tion that two players who have run the same missions
ated and can be found throughout the adventure. will have roughly the same amount of resources avail-
Minor NPCs are found in the individual scene that able to them (give or take some negotiation and a little
they appear in, and generally have a brief write up, bit of minor loot fenced), so when players are able to
noting only their important skills and the gear they are steal and fence a lot of gear or are able to get their
carrying. hands on high-priced vehicles, cyberdecks, or foci, it

INTRODUCTION 4
can unbalance the game and make it unfair to players COVER
who didn’t have the opportunity to get those items.
Gamemasters should avoid letting the players get into
BACKGROUND COUNTS
a position to do high-value looting whenever possible. Background counts impose a negative dice pool penalty FIGHT NIGHT
equal to their rating for all tests that are linked to or utilize
Chicago, The CZ, Noise, and magic in any way (i.e., spellcasting, summoning, assensing,
INTRODUCTION
Background Counts any test made while astrally projecting, and any active skill
that benefits from active adept powers such as killing hands,
While for many the Chicago and the Bug City Contain-
critical strike, great leap, or improved skills, etc). Dual- MISSION
ment Zone are synonymous, the CZ comprises less
than one-third of the total landmass of the city of Chi-
natured creatures and spirits suffer this penalty to all actions. BACKGROUND &
cago proper, not counting suburban areas and farm- Aspected background counts grant a boost to any SYNOPSIS
lands connected to the city. But the CZ is still big, and limit that utilizes magic in any way (see above) to any
it is the rotted, gutted, feral heart of the Windy City. It metahuman, spirit, or dual-natured creature that matches
SCENE 1
starts at 115th Street to the south and runs nearly thir- the aspected domain. This includes spellcasting Force
ty kilometers north to Belmont Avenue, and reaches limits, so spellcasters need to be careful as it can be hard to
from the Lake Michigan on the east to an average of control the additional surge of mana. Any magically active SCENE 2
fifteen kilometers inland to Harlem Avenue on the being that does not match the aspected domain should treat
west. A mass of torn-down buildings and hastily erect- this as a normal background count and suffer penalties.
ed barricades were added to and reinforced over the Background counts above 12 are called either a flux (for SCENE 3
three-year period that the Containment Zone was in
aspected domains) or a void (for magically dead zones), and
effect, and even now nearly twenty years later this bar-
are very dangerous. Any being that is magically or astrally SCENE 4
rier stands as an imposing divide between the Zone
and the outside world. Anyone can supposedly freely active in any way (dual natured, astrally perceiving, casting
travel between the Zone and Chicago proper, but Lone a spell, has an active adept power, has an active foci, etc.)
Star watches those coming out and the gangs and war- takes background count – 12 unresisted Stun Damage each SCENE 4A
lords watch those going in very closely. turn that they are active and exposed to the flux or void.
Between the Cermak Blast, the bugs, the debilitating
SCENE 5
effects of FAB III, and years of death and metahuman
misery, astral space in and around the Zone is horrible. Paperwork
Unless otherwise noted in the scene, assume a default SCENE 6
background count of 2 anytime characters are within After running a Shadowrun Missions adventure, there
the Containment Zone. The count fluctuates wildly at are several important pieces of paperwork that need
times, so players should expect to encounter everything to be filled out.
SCENE 7
from high background counts and mana voids to The first is to make certain to distribute a copy of
various aspected backgrounds and mana warps. the adventure’s Debriefing Log to each player. As the
(See Background Count sidebar for full rules. Future gamemaster, please make certain to fill this out and SCENE 8
Shadowrun, Fifth Edition rulebooks may supersede these sign off on it for each character. In the interests of time,
rules). Areas of Chicago outside the CZ may also suffer you may have each player fill out the sections, with
background count bleed from the Zone. appropriate values that you give them. Please consider PICKING UP
Besides the background count, the CZ is a virtual the PCs’ actions in the scenario when providing THE PIECES
nightmare for deckers and technomancers. The Reputation modifiers, per those rules (p. 372, SR5).
persistent low-level background radiation coupled The second is to make sure that all players have
with a distinct lack of modern matrix broadcasting updated their character’s Mission Calendar. PCs are LEGWORK
equipment through the area results in a high level of allowed to go on one run per week. The calendar is
constant background Noise that makes even basic used to track the character’s monthly lifestyle expenses,
adventures, and their downtime exploits. CAST OF
matrix communication difficult. Noise levels will vary SHADOWS
from area to area, but unless otherwise specified in the Finally, once an adventure is completed gamemasters
scene, assume a default Noise level of 2 anytime the should head over to the official Shadowrun forums
characters are within the Containment Zone. at [Link] and look in the
Shadowrun Missions section. There will be a section to
DEBRIEFING LOG
post the outcome of the Missions adventure. Future
adventures will be affected by these results. Without
gamemaster feedback, the PCs’ exploits will be unable
to affect the larger campaign.

INTRODUCTION 5
MISSION BACKGROUND COVER

Sid is a guy with a checkered past. As a fight promoter because of the haze of combat drugs in his system, he
he has had his share of shady deals. This time, Sid’s couldn’t figure out what. At least, not until an anonymous
FIGHT NIGHT
past has finally come a-knocking. source came forward with some hi-res thermographic
A couple of months ago, Sid was taking bets on an footage of that night. INTRODUCTION
underground bare-knuckle fight between William “Billy Looking to cash in to the highest bidder, the source,
The Beast” Barlow and newcomer Miguel Garza. It a small-time mob hacker named Richard Bryson, sent
should have been a simple but brutal affair, with Garza a piece of the data Garza knowing that Garza and his MISSION
going down in the fifth. The problem was, Garza had people would be incensed—and possibly in the mood BACKGROUND &
pumped himself full of kamikaze in order give a better to pay big for something they could use to bury Sid. SYNOPSIS
show. By the time the fifth round rolled around, The Garza, who had missed his big chance, was now
Beast had beaten him to a bloody pulp. Garza didn’t given a reason to go after the guy who he blames for
even notice. As it became more and more apparent that his descent into the life of a broken, petty thug. He SCENE 1
the bets made would turn out against his prediction, plans on contacting his old promoters, a gang called the
Sid panicked. With visions of large men named Mario Chemical Boyz, who lost big on his fall. He will then use
chainsawing his legs off at the knee, Sid killed the power the data to blackmail Sid. SCENE 2
to the venue. Less than ten seconds later the lights Sid, on the other hand, wants to know where the
came on just in time for everyone to see The Beast land data came from, so he hires a team to get to Bryson
the knockout punch. The crisis was averted. and acquire or destroy his copies of the data and get SCENE 3
What Sid didn’t know was that several of Garza’s out without attracting too much attention. Hopefully
promoters lost a lot of money that night. Garza did too, they can get to him before he has a chance to make
SCENE 4
as he had bet on himself. Garza knew something fishy any more copies.
had happened in those ten seconds of darkness, but
SCENE 4A
MISSION SYNOPSIS
The team is contacted by a frantic Sid, who hires them Once the runners have found, one way or another, SCENE 5
to secure some sensitive information on a short time who the gang was working for, they find that the gang
table. Sid tells the runners that he’s being blackmailed was hired by none other than Miguel Garza himself to
over a fight gone bad a couple of months back. He also put pressure on Sid. The runners find out that Garza SCENE 6
tells them that threats have been made to release this hired the Boyz in order to put pressure on Sid to force
data to people who would very much want him dead if him to pay up, or he would sell the data publicly, ruining
they got their hands on the information. He has some Sid’s reputation and putting him in the crosshairs of SCENE 7
money but not a lot of time, and he hires the team to people who lost a lot of money.
go get the data before it is sold. Finding Garza is easy, as he is spending the rest of
He knows who contacted him, a small street gang his night in a drug-induced haze in his garden-level SCENE 8
known as the Chemical Boyz who are known to affiliate apartment. He is now firmly addicted to kamikaze. Forcing
themselves and pay tribute to The Raging Horde, but he the information out of a drug-addled and augmented
knows this kind of information brokering isn’t their style. boxer is another matter altogether. Once they deal with
PICKING UP
Suspecting the gangers were hired to lean on him, he Garza, they find that Garza came into possession of the
THE PIECES
suggests the team start by paying a visit to the Chemical information from the one who recorded it, a small-time
Boyz at a hangout that isn’t too far away from The Vault, decker named Richard Bryson who is on retainer to former LEGWORK
where Sid last did business with the team. Mafia Don Leo McCaskill as a live-in security agent.
The Chemical Boyz’ hangout is a biker bar and pool Some quick legwork can uncover the fact that
hall in the building that used to house The Hole. Several McCaskill’s residence is in an upscale gated community CAST OF
of the Boyz are present, including the group hired to with round-the-clock security and high-end alarm SHADOWS
put pressure on Sid. They aren’t willing to part with the systems. It’s up to the runners to penetrate the security
information about their employer, though, and they will around the house, get into McCaskill’s house to find
have to be convinced, one way or another, to give it up. Bryson, and get the information. DEBRIEFING LOG

MISSION BACKGROUND & SYNOPSIS 6

SCENE 1: COVER

VEGAS STAKES FIGHT NIGHT

when one of the combatants tried to bet on himself
Scan This against what was planned, Sid had to take measures to
The runners are contacted by a frantic Sid, who needs make sure the people who invested in his strategy didn’t INTRODUCTION
a job done right now. He’s willing to pay a price for the lose out (see Adventure Background).
short notice, but he hopes his new friends can do him Unfortunately for Sid, despite his best efforts, his
MISSION
a solid. actions were still caught on camera. Looking to make a
BACKGROUND &
cool payday on this, the whistleblower, Richard Bryson,
SYNOPSIS
sent out the information to Garza, looking to offer him
Tell It to Them Straight the data. Garza took the opportunity and has hired a gang
The dull roar of the crowd at the bar dies down as the of thugs to put pressure on Sid to cough up some cash in SCENE 1
announcer for the urban brawl game comes on the trid. exchange for the data. Sid has other plans, though, and
Tonight is the grudge match. The New York Slashers are as a low level Mr. Johnson, he decides on a pre-emptive
coming to town to take on the Chicago Exterminators. strike to get a hold of the data, and teach a lesson to the SCENE 2
Ever since the walls came down, there’s been demand guy making threats.
for urban brawl closer to old downtown. Last time the So far, Sid has been contacted by a member of
Exterminators took on the Slashers, it was two penalties the Chemical Boyz, who has threatened to release SCENE 3
for unsportsmanlike conduct and one for unnecessary the information to Sid’s enemies in the morning if he
destruction of property, when the second-string Blaster doesn’t pay up. They have demanded 150,000 nuyen
for the Exterminators decided it was a good idea to hose and provided the address of one of their hangouts SCENE 4
down a media van he thought two Slashers were hiding where the money should be sent. What the Chemical
behind. New York took the game 6 – 5, and the bet you Boyz didn’t count on was Sid hiring a team to get the
SCENE 4A
lost to Jerry, the night bartender down at Emmett’s, is data back by force on short notice.
something he won’t let you forget. Sid thinks, and is likely right, that the gang will take
This time it’s a real home-field advantage. The Slashers his money and anything else he happened to bring SCENE 5
are deep into injured reserve, and the Exterminators with him, and will probably beat him to death if he
are coming off a bye. It’s going to be glorious. You can shows anyway. He also knows that it is not the normal
already taste the free Soyweiser as the trid starts blaring operation of this gang to do this sort of thing, so he SCENE 6
the aggressive theme music amidst the rising volume of suspects a third party behind it.
cheers and excited talk. Once everyone is on the conference call, Sid takes
You feel a quick jolt as your commlink buzzes in your a deep breath and explains the job to them. He wants SCENE 7
pocket, and your heart sinks as you remember it’s the the team to go to the location of the drop off, find out
work number. You ignore it for a couple of seconds, who hired the gang, get to the original culprit and get
hoping whoever is calling you would end up contacting the data back.
SCENE 8
someone else. That’s when it hits your AR, a text in all
caps, “PICK UP IT’S IMPORTANT – SID.” “I’m glad you all are here. I’m not sure what I PICKING UP
With a sigh and a quick flick, the display pops into would have done if you didn’t pick up.” THE PIECES
AR, showing a disheveled Sid, a dull sheen of sweat Sid takes a moment to calm organize his thoughts then
covering his red face. His normally smirking façade speaks up. “I have some folks who are trying to lean on
cracks with lines of worry. me pretty hard. They say they have data on me regarding LEGWORK
“I’m glad you picked up. I need something done, and a fight I did a couple of months ago, and they are going
I need it done tonight,” he blurts abruptly, “I’m going to to release it unless I pay up. The thing is, the guys putting
patch in everyone else on a conference here.” the pressure on me are thugs, real Cro-Magnon types, if CAST OF
You look up regretfully at the trid screen one more you get my meaning. No way they had the contacts to SHADOWS
time as the bartender finally delivers you what was put this together this way. Shit, they probably don’t care
going to be the first of many cold ones. anyway and are just in it to make a buck. I need you to go
Looks like you’re missing the game after all. up there and find out who hired them. Then I need you to DEBRIEFING LOG
get to that person and get the data from him. Rough him
Behind the Scenes up a little if you want to. Make sure he doesn’t ever want
to screw with me again, see?”
Being an underground fight promoter, Sid has had his A grin crosses his face at this point, “I can pay you
share of shady dealings. This time, though, his fight fix- each ten large. I know its short notice, but I was hoping
ing has landed him in trouble. After a fight went south for a little help from my new friends.”

SCENE 1: VEGAS STAKES 7

 Once the runners agree to the job, Sid tells them that
the drop off point was a gang bar called The Hole up on
Debugging COVER

the North Side. The ganger who made the threat only Some runners won’t answer the call or may otherwise
identified himself as “The Ogre.” push Sid for more money. They may recognize they FIGHT NIGHT
have him over a barrel and point out that his options
are limited. Should this happen, Sid does what he can
Pushing the Envelope to meet their demands but will not agree to some INTRODUCTION
nebulous favor in the future or be able to get any gear
This scene is fairly simple, and Sid knows he may face
or extra cash beforehand. He is willing to pay a little
some negotiation from the team. He is willing to ne- MISSION
up front, up to 1,000 nuyen each, but any demands
gotiate, but does so reluctantly, as he feels if it gets BACKGROUND &
for supplies or other accommodation are met with a
too high he may as well pay the ransom and take his SYNOPSIS
brusque “I said this was short notice, didn’t I?” reply.
chances. On an opposed negotiation test, every net hit Should a runner team still push for more money or
scores will increase the total by 200 nuyen per runner, compensation, Sid will begrudgingly admit he has no
to a maximum of 1,000 nuyen extra.
SCENE 1
other options and pay up to 12,000 per runner. Should
Sid has a Negotiation + Charisma dice pool of 11. this happen, Sid will think twice about doing favors for
people who aren’t willing to stick their necks out for him SCENE 2
when he needs it, which will affect Sid’s Loyalty rating
at the end of the run. Favors work both ways, chummers.
SCENE 3
SCENE 2:

BAD DUDES SCENE 4

plastic booth from a McHugh’s and a few repurposed

Scan This cable spools set up as makeshift tables. Bullet holes
SCENE 4A
The team goes to check out the Chemical Boyz at The dot the inside in places, and old neon signs with let-
Hole and find out who hired them to lean on Sid. ters burnt out advertising beers brands that went de- SCENE 5
funct years ago. Behind the bar is a large smudged and
cracked mirror, but little is visible in its surface due to
Tell It to Them Straight the amount of grime present. The wood surfaces are SCENE 6
Traffic at this hour is usually no big deal, except that be- worn but kept mostly clean except for a few stains of
cause of the urban brawl game, that you happen to be vomit, blood, and possibly other fluids. Two full-size
missing, traffic has been re-routed throughout the area, pool tables with stained green felt dominate the mid- SCENE 7
causing chaos on the streets. The infuriating stop-and-go dle of the bar, and a few screens are hung in the corner,
traffic eventually subsides the further from downtown displaying the urban brawl game (Chicago Extermina-
you get, and eventually it altogether vanishes as you en- tors up 2 – 0 early on). Smokers are prevalent inside, SCENE 8
ter what could only be referred to as “the other side of and the whole place smells like stale cigarette smoke
the tracks.” AR is quiet, only displaying virtual gang tags and cheap beer, even when no one is inside.
PICKING UP
and the occasional still-operational road sign. Here and Out front, there are twelve decaying motorcycles of
THE PIECES
there, pieces of the old GridGuide system lay exposed varying quality lined up, all of them dented and beat up,
to the night sky, obviously dead. Pulling up to a curb two many with torn seats. Characters familiar with bikes or
blocks from The Hole, your vehicle groans in protest as mechanics can tell that only a four of them are in working LEGWORK
it skips in and out of half fixed and abandoned potholes. order as is; the others having holes in their gas tanks,
A loud, thumping beat can be heard not too far missing vital parts or otherwise disabled, and having
ahead, pulsing with the only life in the rundown area. been like that for some time (Automotive Mechanic or CAST OF
Bikes or appropriate Knowledge skill with a threshold SHADOWS
of 2). All of the bikes are painted in the Chemical Boyz’
Behind the Scenes colors, with stripes of orange and green.
The Hole lives up to its name. Situated in the lower Matrix access for The Hole is present, though it is DEBRIEFING LOG
level of what could only be a condemned three sto- fairly pathetic. Ambient Noise in the area operates at
ry brownstone brick building, The Hole has been the a Rating of 2, and the Hole itself is an old metal-and-
Chemical Boyz’ hangout since before the Horde rolled brick construction, causing further interference if trying
through and demanded tribute. It’s an old enough spot to penetrate the walls with a signal, adding another 2
to have actual wood floors and bar; most of the oth- points of Noise. What they do have is limited to a couple
er furniture is from obviously different sources, with a of closed-circuit security cameras and a channel to

SCENE 2: BAD DUDES 8

 COVER

FIGHT NIGHT

INTRODUCTION

MISSION
BACKGROUND &
SYNOPSIS

SCENE 1

SCENE 2

SCENE 3

SCENE 4

SCENE 4A

SCENE 5
stream music through the only part of The Hole that is attention of the few gangers at the bar, who will heckle
somewhat impressive: the speaker system. Augmented the runner for not being able to afford a measly ten bucks,
reality is present here, but mostly in the form of ARO or being too much of a wuss to just take the drink. SCENE 6
gang tags and a few lewd ARO images of dancing girls In the back of the bar, four more gangers are
and other mostly naked women. congregated around a table for poker night. The leader
As the runners approach, they see two people, an ork of the Chemical Boyz, the ganger known as The Ogre, is SCENE 7
and a human, outside smoking and talking about their here, a massive ork with a broken tusk on the left side of
bikes. They both are wearing colors for the Chemical his mouth. He was the one that Garza contacted, and he
Boyz and will not react as the runners get closer even is the one who made the call to Sid to demand money.
SCENE 8
if they spot them. These two guys are simply outside The data regarding who hired the gang is on The
trying to figure out what parts they can scavenge from Ogre’s commlink. It is not well protected but is run in PICKING UP
the derelict bikes in order to fix their own. If observed hidden mode. Pulling the records of the commcalls that THE PIECES
for some time, their conversation will shift to the ork were made can verify he was contacted by Garza just
complaining about his girlfriend getting too fat, and the before calling Sid. There is address information on the
human listening with obviously waning interest. They commlink as well for Garza (2419 N. Ridgeway Avenue, LEGWORK
will not stop anyone from entering The Hole, though Apartment 102).
they may eyeball people who look out of place for this The gangers are lightly armed, mostly with bar
kind of venue (people in suits, or fancily dressed, etc.) implements and knives, though there are a few CAST OF
Inside The Hole, two gangers (one dwarf, one human) firearms present. The Ogre has an Enfield AS-7 in the SHADOWS
circle the pool table engaged in what looks like a one- back room with him, and the bartender has a Defiance
sided win. Three others (two humans, one ork) sit at T-250 under the bar.
the bar either watching the game on the trid screens or DEBRIEFING LOG
heckling the losing pool player. The bartender, an older
ork in a stained, paper-thin white t-shirt pours drinks for Pushing the Envelope
people as they are ordered. If a runner orders a drink, Overall, there are twelve gangers inside The Hole. If
they will get it, but it will be served in a somewhat filthy combat breaks out in the bar area, the bartender will
glass, and it will cost ten nuyen, a ridiculous price. Any dive under the bar on the first round, then stand up with
complaints about the drink or the price will get the the shotgun hoping that holding a fairly large gun will

SCENE 2: BAD DUDES 9

 CHEMICAL BOYZ GANG MEMBERS
(PROFESSION RATING 2)
B A R S W L I C EDG ESS
4 4 3 4 3 2 3 3 3 6
deter anyone from breaking anything else. He COVER
isn’t afraid to use it if he has to, though. Those at Initiative: 6 + 1D6 (7 + 2D6 on cram)
the table will use their pool cues to beat up any Condition Monitor: 10
runners they can get the drop on. The Chemical Limits: Physical 5, Mental 4, Social 5 FIGHT NIGHT
Boyz aren’t afraid of trashing their own hangout, Armor: Armor jacket (12, Chemical Protection 5)
though, and will flip over tables to take cover from Skills: Blades 4, Clubs 4, Etiquette 4 (Street +2), Intimidation 5, Perception
gunfire, or use empty (or full, for that matter) li- INTRODUCTION
3, Pistols 4
quor bottles as missiles, clubs, or shivs once bro- Qualities: Toughness
ken. Once combat has started, The Ogre, (along Gear: Browning Ultra Power, Meta Link commlink (Device Rating 1), gas mask MISSION
with four human associates), will roll a timed gas Weapons: BACKGROUND &
grenade into the room, loaded with Neuro Stun Browning Ultra Power [Heavy Pistols, Acc 5 (6) DV 8P, AP –1, SA, RC — , SYNOPSIS
VIII. He will then emerge from the back room, 10(c)]
opening with bursts from his Enfield, looking to Knife [Blades, Acc 5 DV 5P, AP –1]
take down as many people as possible with it. He Pool Cue [Clubs, Acc 4, Reach 1, DV 7P AP —]
SCENE 1
will use other gang members as cover if need be
as well. Over all, this is a scene with a lot of cover
and places to hide. ED, BARTENDER AT THE HOLE SCENE 2
These guys may be a small-time gang, (PROFESSIONAL RATING 3)
but they are prideful and will use bluster and
posturing when interacting with runner teams, B A R S W L I C EDG ESS SCENE 3
especially making fun of any “Keeblers” (elves) 7 4 (6) 5 6 (8) 3 2 3 2 3 1.9
or “Pretty Boys/Glamor Girls” (runners who dress
flashily, or play their character as someone who Initiative: 8 + 1D6 SCENE 4
is physically attractive.) Condition Monitor: 11
Limits: Physical 8(10), Mental 4, Social 3
Armor: 16 [Armor jacket (12, w/ Chemical Protection 5), dermal plating 4] SCENE 4A
Debugging Skills: Blades 4, Clubs 4, Etiquette 4 (Street +2), Intimidation 5, Longarms 6,
As the grenade goes into the room, several Perception 3, Pistols 4, Unarmed Combat 5
SCENE 5
gang members may take an action to take cover Qualities: Toughness
and put their gas masks on instead of shooting Augmentations: Dermal plating 4, muscle replacement 2, smartlink
at runners. Any ganger that has been killed has Gear: Gas mask, Meta Link commlink (Device Rating 1) SCENE 6
a gas mask on their person as well. A gas mask Weapons:
can also be lifted from a living gang member if a Defiance T-250 [Shotgun, Acc 4 (6) DV 10P, AP –1, SA/SS, RC — , 5(m) ]
smart runner thinks about it. SCENE 7
If no runner thinks to check the commlinks of
the gang, Sid may be able to point them in that THE OGRE
direction if they call him, having come up with a SCENE 8
B A R S W L I C EDG ESS
dead end.
It is entirely possible to have this scene 7 (9) 5 (6) 5 (6) 6 (8) 4 2 5 4 4 0.9
happen with no combat, as a hacker character PICKING UP
may be able to lift the information from the Ogre’s Initiative: 11 + 2D6 (12 + 3D6 on cram) THE PIECES
commlink if they are careful. Unfortunately, due Condition Monitor (P/S): 12(13)/10
to the poor signal in the area, the hacker must Limits: Physical 8(11), Mental 5, Social 6
Armor: 14 (armor jacket [12], aluminum bone lacing) LEGWORK
at least be present in the bar area due to noise
and signal degradation for this to function, Skills: Blades 4, Clubs 4, Etiquette 4 (Street +2), Intimidation 4, Longarms 6
mainly because the device rating on The Ogre’s (Shotguns +2),Perception 3, Pistols 4, Unarmed Combat 5
Qualities: Natural Immunity (Neuro Stun VIII) CAST OF
commlink is so terrible. SHADOWS
Characters may also think to bribe the gang Augmentations: Aluminum bone lacing, muscle replacement 2, smartlink,
or even use a bet over a game of pool as a way wired reflexes 1
to get the information as well. If they do so, a Gear: Armor jacket (12, Chemical Protection 5), 2 doses cram, Meta Link
DEBRIEFING LOG
series of social checks, or Agility tests (with a low commlink (Device Rating 1)
accuracy limit for using the crooked cue) would Weapons:
Enfield AS-7 [Shotgun, Acc 4 (6), DV 13P, AP –1, SA/BF, RC —, 24(d), w/
be appropriate, augmenting any roll with similar
smartgun system]
knowledge skills if a runner has them. 2 gas grenades [Throwing Weapons, Radius 10m,w/ Neuro Stun VIII (p.
Overall, this can go a lot of ways, though 410, SR5)]
combat is the most likely. Knife [Blades, Acc 5 DV 5P, AP –1]

SCENE 2: BAD DUDES 10

SCENE 3: COVER

ALTERED BEAST FIGHT NIGHT

and should be easy to find. The door is nondescript, but
Scan This sounds can be heard from the inside of a crying child
The runners now know that the Chemical Boyz were and someone watching the trid. INTRODUCTION
hired by Garza, and the team speeds off to his flat to If the runners decide to knock on the door, it will be
confront him about where he got the information answered slowly by a twenty-something ork girl holding
MISSION
a crying ork baby. It is obvious she was recently in some
BACKGROUND &
sort of fight, as she has bruises on the right side of her
Tell It to Them Straight face she is trying to hide with her hair, and her lip has
SYNOPSIS
Traffic has subsided some as you cruise to the address recently stopped bleeding from a cut.
you found on the commlink. This Garza guy better have This is Stephanie Malloy, Miguel Garza’s girlfriend, SCENE 1
what you need. Whoever he is, he’s not rich. Driving by and victim of his drug-induced raging. She will first ask
the building to take a first look, you see a three-story what the runners want, and if they say they are there for
brick building with a few garden-level apartments. The Garza, she will quickly say he isn’t there right now (after SCENE 2
glass door in front is closed and looks undamaged, but looking toward a back room room warily—Perception
the flickering light overhead tells you this place may + Intuition [Mental] (3) to notice) and try to push the
not be in the best repair. There is a small parking area runners out. If the runners push by her she will step SCENE 3
to the side of the building with several older-model ve- aside, holding her baby close to her as they enter the
hicles, all with some sort of rust or dent in them. apartment. She doesn’t want to admit it, but Garza is
Your commlink buzzes, and a text alert shoots into responsible for her appearance, as during one of his SCENE 4
AR. New York has tied it up. Maybe if you take care of recent rages, the crying baby put him over the edge.
this quick you can catch the end of the match? He attempted to get to the child so he could strangle
SCENE 4A
it but was stopped by a pleading and crying Stephanie,
who ended up taking the brunt of his anger. Stephanie
Behind the Scenes doesn’t know what to do with Garza and simply wants SCENE 5
Garza’s address they found on the commlink is 2419 him out until he cleans up. She is questioning her feelings
N. Ridgeway Avenue, an apartment building off of Ful- for him but doesn’t want to see him dead at this point,
lerton. The front door area is a small foyer with a buzz- though some runner teams will likely make him just that. SCENE 6
er to let people into the building itself. The outer front She can be convinced with a decent Leadership or Con
door is locked at this hour (maglock Rating 4), as is the roll (threshold 4) to let them in to deal with the issue.
inner one (also Rating 4). The listing for apartment 102 The apartment itself is a small two-bedroom flat, SCENE 7
is under the name of Malloy, though all of the listings with a kitchen area to one side. The living-room floor is
here look faded and old. littered with toys and stuffed animals around the trideo
set that is currently turned off. The noise of the loud set
SCENE 8
Matrix searches on the address will have it come
up under the name of Stephanie Malloy, but with an is coming from one of the bedrooms. In the bedroom, a
unlisted commcode. The Matrix access for the building shirtless Garza works out on a resistance band machine PICKING UP
is handled by a Rating 4 host that generally serves to (think bowflex) while the urban brawl game blares out THE PIECES
control door locks and cameras as well as having a of the trideo. Upon entering the room, he will stand up
public-facing site for prospective renters. AR in this area and question the runners with a quick, “Who the hell are
is largely in Spanish, as this is located in a large Hispanic you?” before sucker-punching one of them, using Edge LEGWORK
community, but advertisements for restaurants, car to modify his roll.
dealerships, and other establishments show up in large, A runner can make a Perception + Intuition [Mental]
loud, clashing colors. (3) Test to see that Garza is completely out of his mind CAST OF
Runners may approach this in several ways. One is to on some sort of drug and is in an unstable state of mind. SHADOWS
hack the node and unlock the doors. Another is to disable Garza’s commlink is currently discarded in the
the maglocks on the doors using Hardware. They could nightstand next to the bed along with his Ruger Super
also simply break the doors themselves, though damage Warhawk. The gun is loaded and ready to fire, but out of DEBRIEFING LOG
to the doors will result in an alarm being triggered on his immediate reach. In his state, he is unstoppable as
the node and an automatic call to Lone Star to send a long as he is conscious, and he will have to be subdued
patrol car. Should this happen, four minutes after the or killed before any meaningful search can begin. The
alarm is triggered, a Lone Star patrol car will pull up and commlink contains information regarding the paydata
investigate (use Police Patrol, p. 383, SR5). the runner team is looking for, along with a snippet
Apartment 102 is on the garden level of the building of a fight scene in which Garza looks to take a taser

SCENE 3: ALTERED BEAST 11

shot in the side, but it is hard to tell as it COVER
is thermographic footage. It also has a MIGUEL GARZA
record of a text conversation between
Garza and Richard Bryson, laying out B A R S W L I C EDG ESS FIGHT NIGHT
how to leverage the most money for this 5 (8) 4 (9) 5 (8) 6 (11) 3 (4) 2 4 3 5 1.5
information. Garza was supposed to drive
to meet Bryson tomorrow to pick up the INTRODUCTION
Initiative: 9 + 1D6 (12 + 3D6)
data and pay him off. Condition Monitor: 11
Garza was close to hitting it big in the Limits: Physical 10, Mental 5, Social 3 MISSION
boxing world, but it became known that he Armor: 4 (orthoskin 4) BACKGROUND &
was a user of combat drugs, as well as the Active Skills: Athletics skill group 5, Clubs 3, Intimidation 3, Perception 5, SYNOPSIS
possessor of several pieces of cyberware. Pistols 3, Unarmed Combat 8
Before the match with Billy the Beast, Knowledge Skills: Chicago Area Knowledge 4, Urban Brawl 4, Drug Dealers
Garza prepared for the fight by going into 3, Loan Sharks 2 SCENE 1
debt with several loan sharks in order to Languages: Spanish N, English 5
give himself an edge in terms of cyber Qualities: Addicted [Kamikaze: Severe], Toughness
and bioware. What was in the ring was a Augmentations: Aluminum bone lacing, muscle augmentation 3, muscle SCENE 2
monster compared to The Beast, and it toner 3, orthoskin 4, pain editor, reaction enhancers 3, reflex recorder
was a small wonder that Sid’s taser even (Unarmed Combat)
knocked him out. Now, out of work and no Gear: Shorts SCENE 3
longer fighting, he sees blackmailing Sid as Weapons:
his way to pay off the loan sharks. Unarmed Strike [Unarmed, Acc 10, Reach —, DV 13P, AP —, Reflex
Recorder] SCENE 4

Pushing the
Envelope HOST: APARTMENT BUILDING HOST SCENE 4A

If sounds of gunfire are heard, a Lone Star

patrol will be immediately dispatched to DATA SCENE 5
RATING ATTACK SLEAZE FIREWALL
the residence. The team has three min- PROCESSING
utes after the first gunshot until the patrol 5 (8) 4 (9) 5 (8) 6 (11) 3 (4)
arrives. When the patrol arrives, Lone Star
SCENE 6
will plan to arrest everyone and sort it all
Installed IC: Patrol, Probe, Track, Scramble
out at the station. If overwhelmed, the SCENE 7
Slaved Devices: Alarms, doors
cops will call for backup, which could lead
Spiders: None
to a chase as the runner team exits.
Sculpting: Front desk at a hotel
If the team pushed their way into SCENE 8
the apartment or otherwise broke in,
Stephanie Malloy will be able to identify
all of them and will do so if asked by the PICKING UP
police. If she was convinced otherwise, THE PIECES
she will not. This can potentially increase the information on Bryson. If for some reason the team
the Public Awareness or Notoriety of a runner team. gets arrested, obviously this could cause problems.
With the immediate threat of Garza selling the infor- LEGWORK
Debugging mation out of the way, they may have bought them-
selves a little time. Maybe even enough time and infor-
Should the team enter the room and simply kill Gar- mation for Sid to get another team to go after Bryson, CAST OF
za outright, they will have to search for the commlink. but at this point, this team is out of the picture if they SHADOWS
Once found, they will then have to break into it to find get arrested.
DEBRIEFING LOG

SCENE 3: ALTERED BEAST 12

SCENE 4: OPERATION WOLF COVER

Scan This FIGHT NIGHT

The information the runners have gathered has pointed
them finally at the source of the data, Richard Bryson, INTRODUCTION
security hacker for former don Leo McCaskill

Tell It to Them Straight MISSION

BACKGROUND &
As you leave the regular urban sprawl behind you, you SYNOPSIS
arrive at the North Side, which seems out of place in
Chicago. It seems the closer you get to Milwaukee,
the better the town looks, believe it or not. Rundown SCENE 1
buildings have been replaced with modern shopping
centers and amenities, and life here almost seems nor-
mal. Bright AROs advertising late-night activities such SCENE 2
as bars and restaurants litter the area, and Matrix ac-
cess is available nearly without a break. Few people are
out and about on a night like this, as most have gone
SCENE 3
to bed in this area of town. A slight burst of rain signals
a change in the weather, though, and there is still work SCENE 4
to be done.
The address you have been led to by Garza’s
commlink is a far cry from the dank little apartment SCENE 4A
you left just a while ago. A three-meter-high brick wall
surrounds a gated community ahead of you, and large
sewer grates can be seen on the streets adjacent to the SCENE 5
wall. A light is on in the guard kiosk at the front gate,
and a security guard stretches out in the booth while
perusing something in AR. One thing is for certain. If the SCENE 6
alarm goes off, the cops don’t need to be called. They
are already here.
SCENE 7

Behind the Scenes

SCENE 8
This neighborhood is a gated community for those
with the cash to enjoy it. This is an A-rated security
zone, and it will take some finesse to get into and out PICKING UP
of the house without triggering an alarm. The develop- THE PIECES
ment has twenty-five homes in it, and the streets are
patrolled by wheeled drones programmed to subdue
unauthorized individuals caught there. Once a drone LEGWORK
spots someone, it will send a signal to the guards in
the kiosk, who would then hit the PanicButton that is
in the booth, summoning a Lone Star patrol to inves- CAST OF
tigate. Several bushes and trees line the roads, which SHADOWS
can provide cover for the more creative types. Runners
will have to succeed at a Sneaking + Agility [Physical]
(4) Test to get past the drones. DEBRIEFING LOG
Astral security is also present on site, in the form
of a patrolling Force 5 air spirit. Opposed Sneaking
Tests may be necessary to get past the spirit. Should
the spirit be disrupted or destroyed, the guards in the
kiosk will be sent out in one minute to investigate. Since
the summoner is off site at this time, another spirit will

SCENE 4: OPERATION WOLF 13

not show up after the first is destroyed. Separate astral Should the team trigger a high-threat response from COVER
security exists in the McCaskill house. the police by using explosives, autofire, or some other
The house itself has a short driveway that leads off tactic that is similar, a SWAT team will show up (use Elite
the road through a well-kept lawn. Several trees provide Corporate Security, squad of six plus one Lieutenant in FIGHT NIGHT
a shady approach to the house. On the grounds are two an Ares Roadmaster equipped with medium machine
outbuildings, one that looks like an old barn and another guns and enhanced armor). Should the runners want to
that looks like a garden shed. The main house itself is fight this team, they get what they deserve. INTRODUCTION
an old two-story building, with an elaborate loop in the
driveway that passes in front of the door. Windows are
dark at this hour except for one on the bottom level and Debugging MISSION
BACKGROUND &
one on the top floor. Lights illuminate the immediate If for some reason the runner team cannot get to this SYNOPSIS
area around the house, set in shrubberies and planters. address due to whatever problems they had with con-
Several approaches present themselves: tacts, or an inability to pull the information from the
• Going through the front gate is risky because of commlink after subduing Garza, they can be led to SCENE 1
the guard on duty there. A camera records all this location by Stephanie Malloy, who knows Garza
incoming and outgoing traffic. was going to be dealing with “some hacker guy who
is working for an old mob boss up north.” She can pro- SCENE 2
• The walls are three meters high and have short
spikes on top to discourage climbers. It is feasi- vide some information regarding what Garza had writ-
ble that a troll runner may be able to boost ten down on a notepad in the kitchen.
SCENE 3
someone over more easily.
• Going though the wall with a vehicle or SECURITY GUARDS SCENE 4
explosives is an option, but not a great (PROFESSIONAL RATING 3)
one, as it will be noisy and easily detected.
• Sewers run through the area but are full of B A R S W L I C EDG ESS SCENE 4A
nasty things like devil rats. It is possible to 4 3 4 3 4 2 3 3 3 6
go in through the sewer (if they do, go to
Scene 4a). Initiative: 7 + 1D6 SCENE 5
Condition Monitor: 10
If an alarm is triggered, Lone Star will respond
Limits: Physical 5, Mental 4, Social 6
on scene with a patrol car within two minutes. SCENE 6
Armor: 12 (armor jacket)
Depending on the severity of the alarm triggered,
Skills: Clubs 3, Perception 3, Pistols 4, Running 3, Unarmed Combat 4
they will check in with the guard at the gate first,
Gear: Armor jacket, 2 doses of jazz, sunglasses (Capacity 2, w/ image link,
then assess the situation with a rotodrone that is SCENE 7
smartlink)
automatically launched when the alarm sounds.
Weapons:
If the threat is determined to be larger than can
Ares Predator V [Heavy Pistol, Acc 5(7), DV 8P AP —, SA, RC —, 15(c)] SCENE 8
be handled by a single patrol car, Lone Star will
Defiance EX Shocker [Taser, Acc 4 DV 11S(e) AP –5, SS, RC —, 4(m)]
radio for backup, which will arrive in three more Stun baton [Club, Acc 4, Reach 1, DV 9S(e), AP –5]
minutes. This backup will be much more heavily
PICKING UP
armed.
THE PIECES
MCT-NISSAN ROTODRONE
Pushing the Envelope HANDLE SPEED ACCEL BODY ARMOR PILOT SENSOR LEGWORK
Should the runners decide to sneak in, either over 4 3 4 3 4 2 3
the wall or through the sewers, the patrolling
drones are still a threat. A pair of GM-Nissan Do- Programs: Clearsight 4, Taser Targeting 4 CAST OF
bermans, these drones are equipped with search- Gear: Spotlight SHADOWS
lights as well as Yamaha Pulsars. If someone fails Weapons: Yamaha Pulsar [Taser, Acc 4 DV 9S(e) AP –5, SA, 4(m)]
a sneaking roll, they will shine their spotlight in
the direction of the movement and make anoth- DEBRIEFING LOG
er sensor roll. An automated voice will query the GM NISSAN DOBERMAN
intruder for a password (which happens to be “Ar-
madillo” at the moment); if the password is not HANDLE SPEED ACCEL BODY ARMOR PILOT SENSOR
received within fifteen seconds, the drone will fire 5 3 1 4 8 3 3
the Pulsar taser, while signaling the guard kiosk
for assistance. Modifications: Extra Armor
Programs: Clearsight 4, Taser Targeting 4
Gear: Spotlight
SCENE 4: OPERATION WOLF Weapons: Yamaha Pulsar [Taser, Acc 4 DV 9S(e) AP –5, SA, 4(m)]
14
SCENE 4A: COVER

SEWER SHARK FIGHT NIGHT

Scan This
INTRODUCTION
The team has decided to infiltrate the
area through the sewers. How pleasant.
DEVIL RAT
B A R S W L I C EDG ESS M
MISSION
2 5 5 1 3 2 5 5 2 6.0 4
Tell It to BACKGROUND &
SYNOPSIS
Them Straight Limits: Physical 3, Mental 4, Social 7
Skills: Climbing 5, Perception 4, Running 2, Sneaking 6, Unarmed Combat 5
The stench of the sewers gets stronger Powers: Animal Control (Ordinary Rats), Concealment (Self Only), Immunity SCENE 1
as you descend the ladder. Hopping (Toxins), Natural Weapon (Bite DV 2P, Reach –1), Weaknesses: Allergy
off, you land with a squishy thud on a (Sunlight, Mild)
pile of what you hope is just old trash. SCENE 2
Whoever’s idea this was, you need to
be reminded to pistol whip them later.
The dark sewers stretch out before you. A flow of god- There are other inhabitants of the sewers in the area. SCENE 3
knows-what makes its way slowly out away from the A colony of devil rats waits for unsuspecting passers-by
development, bound for the lake. Not far from where to drop something to eat. Their den is very close to the
you are, you see a door bearing the same sunrise-over- ascent to the surface inside the walls SCENE 4
a-cityscape design as the gated community above. At
least it wasn’t difficult to find.
A steel grate bridges the gap over the central sewer Pushing the Envelope SCENE 4A
flow, right to the edge of the water. A red light blinks The number of devil rats here is variable, but they gen-
rhythmically on and off on the covered keypad next to erally will not attack anything unless their numbers are SCENE 5
the door. Looks like it’s locked. fairly high. Several can easily attack the runner team
here if they take their time. Determine the number of
Behind the Scenes devil rats based on the ease the team has had up to this
point. Interestingly enough, if the runners decided to
SCENE 6
The sewers in the area are of a much older construc- take a swim in the sewage, the devil rats want nothing
tion than the development above. Needless to say, to do with them, so the sewage has some kind of ad- SCENE 7
the sewer stinks, and Matrix access is spotty. The only vantage other than being an amazing social repellant.
security active in the sewer beyond the locked door
are a few AROs reading “No Trespassing,” and, “Private SCENE 8
Property.” Debugging
Runners are free to wade through the sewage, but in Should the alarm be set off here when a guard comes
order to get under the grate, they will have to submerge PICKING UP
to investigate, the team could feasibly take out the
themselves in the sewage flow completely. THE PIECES
guards one at a time. If the team takes out both guards,
The door is a standard metal security door. It is they only have to worry about the drones spotting
locked, but it can be hacked or electronically bypassed. them. Unacknowledged alarms, though, could cause LEGWORK
The door itself is tied to the guard kiosk on the surface. issues in the guard kiosk and send an automatic signal
If it goes into an alert status, the standard procedure is to Lone Star after five minutes if not responded to.
to have a guard go check on it, then call for Lone Star CAST OF
reinforcements if it is found to be forced open. SHADOWS

DEBRIEFING LOG

SCENE 4A: SEWER SHARK 15

SCENE 5: ALPHA MISSION COVER

Runners who appear on the surveillance cameras

Scan This will not immediately trigger an alarm, as these cameras
FIGHT NIGHT
The team has reached the house where Bryson is. Now are simply recording information. Any pictures taken
they have to get in, get the data, and get out before here could be used to increase their Public Awareness INTRODUCTION
anyone finds out they are there. Matrix security for the house has been set up by
Bryson. He knows his way around a few tricks, but by no
means is he drek-hot.
Tell It to Them Straight Astral security for the house exists in the form of a
MISSION
BACKGROUND &
The guy that lives here must be rolling in nuyen. Not Force 6 spirit of air. Should an alarm be triggered, it will SYNOPSIS
only does he live in a gated and guarded communi- immediately alert its summoner. The mage will project
ty, he also has a huge house, complete with the pillars to the astral and work with Bryson via manifestation to
around the front door. Sure it may be a little gaudy, but deal with threats. SCENE 1
who cares when you’re a retired Mafia don? The idea here is to get inside the house and not
As you get closer to the house, a light in the lower trigger an alarm. Should any door be opened, it will
story goes dark. Seems like someone decided to hit the start an entry delay countdown, giving someone who SCENE 2
sack. That should make things easier. is entering time to disarm the alarm system. If the code
is not entered (or the system not hacked) within one
minute, the alarm will go off and signal Lone Star and SCENE 3
Behind the Scenes the security guards at the gate.
The house itself is a big two-story manor with high SCENE 4
vaulted ceilings in the living areas, and great views of
a nearby golf course. At this time of night, the house
Pushing the Envelope
is locked up, and its inhabitants have mostly gone to Teams looking for some extra challenge may try to SCENE 4A
sleep. The only remaining light on in the house is one send in a stealthy character into the window above.
on the upper level belonging to Bryson. This still presents the problem of the dog, who will
Security for the house seems sparse. There is a wake up and start barking if the runner fails at a Sneak- SCENE 5
surveillance camera hidden in the motif above the front ing + Agility [Physical] (5) Test. Remember that there is
door that is visible with a Perception + Intuition [Mental] medical equipment and wiring all over the floor of this
(4) Test. It monitors the front loop area near the front room for the equipment, so if necessary, subtract a few SCENE 6
door. There is another security camera that monitors dice from the pool of anyone trying to sneak through
the end of the driveway. Runners must succeed at a all that. Should the runner fail the test, the dog will
Sneaking + Agility [Physical] (3) Test to remain unseen wake up, raise its head, and start barking in a very loud SCENE 7
by the cameras in this area. and deep manner. It is possible to find a place to hide
The windows on the lower floor are locked and armed (closet, etc.), as Loretta the live-in caregiver will come
SCENE 8
with glass break detectors. A window on the back side of upstairs to calm Zeus down. It will take some time for
the house on the second floor is open to the night air and the dog to go back to sleep, but at least the alarm will
leads into a dark room. This room is actually the bedroom not be triggered. PICKING UP
of McCaskill, who is on biomonitors as his health has been If a team is detected by Bryson or the alarm system, THE PIECES
failing for months. Should the team decide to go this route Bryson will go into the Security Room, which is attached
and climb into the window, they will have to contend to his room, seal the door (Barrier Rating 8, Armor 12,
with McCaskill’s ancient Great Dane named Zeus, who is equipped with a Maglock Rating 5), and enter VR in an LEGWORK
sleeping next to his bed. He may be an old dog, but he can attempt to assess the threat from the node. Characters
cause quite a racket should he be awakened by intruders. with active communications, online cyberware, online
The door locks are a combination of a deadbolt and optics, and the like may find their devices tampered CAST OF
a keypad (Rating 5). The keypad can be bypassed with with or even bricked. Bryson will do what he can to gain SHADOWS
hardware, or hacked. The deadbolt can be picked with marks on the intruders’ devices in order to take over or
lockpicks or an autopicker (Lockpicking (4)). data spike them.
There are no patrols on the premises, as the security If the spirit of air has alerted its master, a mage DEBRIEFING LOG
is largely dependent on the guards for the community will be present in astral space. He will attempt to shut
along with Lone Star backup. down any active Sustaining foci or active spells held
Bryson is very tired but is an insomniac, and he has in concentration in order to force them to be recast.
decided to remain up to perform tweaks on the security He will also wait in the astral for anyone to perceive
system. As the team approaches, the light they can see astrally, and will hit them with a manabolt or employ
in the upper floor is his room. astral combat.

SCENE 5: ALPHA MISSION 16

Debugging patrol arrives, and three more minutes before the SWAT
team shows up.
COVER

Should the alarm go off, this puts the team on a timeta- If they make the scene about getting away, they will
ble immediately. This means that Bryson will be up and be pursued by Lone Star in what could be a high-speed FIGHT NIGHT
about, actively trying to use the cameras and security chase. Losing the Lone Star cars will take some doing,
systems to find evidence of an intruder. Loretta will go but as they get further south, it will be easier to do so,
immediately to McCaskill’s room. Lone Star may not like since the security closer to downtown is worse. Don’t INTRODUCTION
protecting the old mob boss, but they will show up hop- be afraid to chase the runners out if they are making
ing for some action in the area. As soon as the alarm too many mistakes.
is triggered, the runners have two minutes before the MISSION
BACKGROUND &
SYNOPSIS

MCCASKILL SECURITY MAGE RICHARD BRYSON SCENE 1

(PROFESSIONAL RATING 3) B A R S W L I C EDG ESS R
B A R S W L I C EDG ESS M 3 2 3 2 5 6 (8) 5 2 5 4.81 0 SCENE 2
2 3 2 2 6 5 5 5 6 6 4
Initiative: 8 + 1D6 (Matrix 9 + 3D6 <cold sim>, 9 + 4D6 <hot
sim>) SCENE 3
Initiative: 7 + 1D6 (Astral: 10 + 2D6)
Condition Monitor: 11 Condition Monitor (P/S): 10/11
Limits: Physical 3, Mental 7, Social 8 Limits: Physical 4, Mental 8(9), Social 5
Armor: 9 (armor vest) SCENE 4
Skills: Assensing 4, Astral Combat 6, Banishing 4,
Counterspelling 5, Spellcasting 6, Summoning 4 Active Skills: Athletics skill group 2, Automatics 2, Computer
Qualities: Focused Concentration 5 (sustaining 5 hits on Force 5, Cybercombat 6, Electronic Warfare 5, Hacking
SCENE 4A
5 Combat Sense) (Devices) 6(8), Hardware 4, Software 3, Unarmed Combat
Gear: Katana (Rating 3 weapon focus) 2
Spells: Agony, Combat Sense, Control Actions, Mass Knowledge Skills: Boxing 4, Chicago Area Knowledge 5, SCENE 5
Confusion, Manabolt, Mind Probe Decker Hangouts 4, Security Procedures 5, Surveillance
Bound Spirits: Spirit of air (Force 5, 4 services), spirit of earth Techniques 5
(Force 6, 3 services), spirit of fire (Force 5, 2 services) Languages: English (N) SCENE 6
Weapons: Qualities: Codeslinger (Hack on the Fly), Home Ground
Katana [Blades, Acc 7, Reach 1, DV 5P, AP –3, Rating 3 (McCaskill Host), Insomnia (15), Spirit Bane (Beasts)
weapon focus] Augmentations: Cerebral booster 2, cranial cyberdeck SCENE 7
Note: This mage is astrally projected, so he will primarily use [Shiawase Cyber 5 (DR 5 Atts 8 7 6 5, Prog 5)], cybereyes
astral combat rules as he is not physically at the house. [Rating 3, w/ flare compensation, image link, low-light
vision, smartlink, thermographic vision], datajack, internal SCENE 8
air tank (Rating 1), fingertip compartment
Gear: Ingram Smartgun, lined coat, optical chips (3),
Programs: Armor, Baby Monitor, Biofeedback, Biofeedback
PICKING UP
Filter, Browse, Configurator, Decryption, Edit, Encryption,
THE PIECES
Exploit, Fork, Hammer, Signal Scrubber, Sneak, Stealth,
Toolbox, Track, Virtual Machine LEGWORK
Weapons:
Ingram Smartgun X [Submachine Gun, Acc 6, DV 8P, AP
–4, Modes: BF/FA, RC 2, 32(c), w/ APDS ammo] CAST OF
SHADOWS

DEBRIEFING LOG

SCENE 5: ALPHA MISSION 17

SCENE 6: COVER

ALPHA MISSION II FIGHT NIGHT

If the alarm goes off, the door and window to Mc-
Scan This Caskill’s room slams shut and seals, and an indepen-
Now inside, the team has to get to Bryson and get the dent environmental system engages, separating that INTRODUCTION
information from him. room from the remainder of the house until McCaskill
disarms the system or his caregiver does so in case of
MISSION
his incapacitation. Once the door is sealed, emitters on
Tell It to Them Straight the lower level of the house bombard the remainder of
BACKGROUND &
SYNOPSIS
The house is dark and quiet inside. Your footfalls on the house with nausea gas (p. 410, SR5) in an attempt to
the creaking wooden floor are muffled by the elabo- take out whoever has broken into the home. Every four
rate rugs laid out across the rooms. Now to find this Combat Turns that someone remains in the house, they SCENE 1
security hacker; he’s in here somewhere. are exposed to another dose. Since the gas is an inhala-
tion vector toxin, gas masks provide complete immuni-
ty, as do internal air tanks, such as Bryson’s. SCENE 2
Behind the Scenes During an alarm, if Bryson has had time to contact
Inside the house, there are a few motion detectors in the Security Mage or the air spirit has alerted its master,
certain traffic areas, such as the bottom of the stairs. the Security Mage will show up with his spirits, com- SCENE 3
These are normally armed when the last person goes manding them to attack. The mage is listed as having
to bed. three bound spirits. The ease the runners have had up
McCaskill, who owns the house, has an ancient until this point should determine how many spirits the SCENE 4
Great Dane who sleeps in his room. If the team choos- mage calls to repel intruders.
es to go in through the window, the dog could make a Inventive runners, or those without a hacker, may
SCENE 4A
ruckus (see Scene 5). Further, the dog may be old but decide to electronically bypass the security system or
can steal hear people moving around the house if they disable it. Runners with knowledge of Security Systems
aren’t careful. Sneaking (3) checks will be necessary. can make a roll (Security Systems + Logic [Mental] (2)) SCENE 5
Bryson’s room is upstairs. He has just recently begun to know that the system will have a physical panel,
watching the highlights from the urban brawl game. Any several mobile AR panels, as well as a physical battery
alarms triggered on the grounds of the house alerts him backup on site that powers the system in the event of a SCENE 6
with a Matrix alarm. power outage or a power cut to the home. It also pow-
Two other people—Loretta, a live-in caregiver and ers the siren. It is possible for a runner team to get into
Jim, a groundskeeper—also live in the house. They both the home, and the successful Security Systems Test can SCENE 7
know the code to disarm the security system. help them make educated guesses about several places
Loretta will not endanger her client under any cir- where a battery box may be placed. These places in-
cumstances, but if it is made clear the target is not him, clude a closet in the master bedroom, a basement utility
SCENE 8
she may be persuaded to turn over the code. room, a kitchen pantry attached to the ceiling, or a cel-
Jim spends his time on the premises when not work- lar. These locations are unobtrusive and chosen because PICKING UP
ing, usually drinking and playing adult sim-games in if the security office or panel is compromised, a signal THE PIECES
his room. Should the team find him, he will give up the can still be sent. However, if the box is found and the
code and Bryson for a bribe. battery removed, the system is rendered inert except
Analysis of the file will show thermographic footage for its Matrix presence, which will send out messages to LEGWORK
of a fight, where as soon as the lights go down, a white- its administrator alerting him that it has been disabled.
hot electrical pulse is seen on one of the boxers, who is These messages will show up as a low priority, though,
then floored by the next punch. and Bryson is not actively checking his email, as these CAST OF
messages are normal for maintenance cycles. SHADOWS
Pushing the Envelope Once the team finds Bryson, they have to get the
file from him. Deckers and technomancers can hack
Should the entry delay be triggered by opening a door, Bryson’s commlink for the file. Cursory browsing for the DEBRIEFING LOG
the team will have one minute to hack into the secu- file will turn up a hit. If analyzed properly, they will find
rity system and provide it with a code to validate the the file protected by a Data Bomb. If the Data Bomb is
entry, otherwise the alarm will sound, complete with a set off, the system will automatically go into alert and
blaring siren. The security system exists on a Rating 5 tip off Bryson.
node and is controlled by Bryson’s deck on an admin- The file is actually a decoy. The actual file itself is stored
istrator level. in Bryson’s headware memory, behind a Data Lock.

SCENE 6: ALPHA MISSION II 18

 If the team finds Bryson, he will do his best to try to COVER
weasel out of being hurt. He will talk loud and stomp
around, trying to get anyone else’s attention within the
MCCASKILL SECURITY NODE
house. If confronted about other copies of the file the HOST: MCCASKILL HOUSE NODE FIGHT NIGHT
runners are looking for, he will lie, saying that the only
other copy of the file exists in a nexus kept off site. DATA
RATING ATTACK SLEAZE FIREWALL
INTRODUCTION
In telling the team about the file being kept offsite, PROCESSING
Bryson is trying to buy himself time to figure out how 5 5 7 6 8
to get out his predicament with his skin intact. The site
MISSION
he spoke of is a warehouse owned by the syndicate he Installed IC: Patrol, Probe, Track, Scramble, Killer, Sparky BACKGROUND &
works for. He hopes to be able to call for some form Slaved Devices: Alarms, cameras, doors, environmental controls, gas SYNOPSIS
of backup. system
Above all, Bryson doesn’t want to be killed. If pressed Sculpting: Replica of McCaskill’s estate
hard enough, he will give up the file in his headware SCENE 1
memory. If told to disarm the security system, he will
do so using the duress code, turning off the alarm siren McCaskill himself is in no shape to spring out of bed
and signaling the guard station to contact Lone Star. and confront the runners, but if given enough time with SCENE 2
the alarm going off, he will contact some of his Mafia
Debugging associates via the matrix and alert them to come to his
aid. This will take much more time than a Lone Star dis- SCENE 3
Again, should the alarm go off here, this will put the patch, but it is still a possibility. Failing everything else,
runners on a timetable and make Bryson aware of a the aging Mafioso has a hunting rifle he is pretty good
SCENE 4
breach in security. Should the team decide they need with on days where he doesn’t have to be in a wheel-
to do something drastic, like burn the house down or chair. Zeus himself is no threat, and won’t even attempt
set a fire, this will immediately trigger a safety alarm, to attack any runner unless they openly threaten Mc- SCENE 4A
such as fire or chemical detection, and will alert the Caskill. Even then, his days as a guard dog are long over,
guard kiosk as well as the proper authorities (fire de- and any attempt by Zeus to damage a runner will be
partment, poison control, etc.) Should one of these more sad than threatening. SCENE 5
types of alarm be set off, it will effectively disable the Should you be running short of time, Scene 7 is op-
security system. However, it will also create loud sirens tional. In this case, Bryson will give up as much infor-
in the home that Zeus will happily howl along with, mation as the tam needs to save his skin (assuming the SCENE 6
making an awful noise and waking everyone up. team provides a credible threat).

SCENE 7: SCENE 7

MOUSE TRAP SCENE 8

Scan This Behind the Scenes

PICKING UP
Bryson said the data exists offsite. He said he will take Should the team take Bryson at his word and head to THE PIECES
the team there, right into a trap. the warehouse, he hopes to be able to ambush them.
The warehouse is on the north side of town, near the
waterfront. The area has several abandoned and rusty LEGWORK
Tell It to Them Straight metal buildings. The one Bryson brings the team to has
So the little weasel is smarter than you thought. He ac- old rusted out signs advertising engine parts.
tually kept the data in an offsite location in case some-
Inside the warehouse, six Mafia goons go about CAST OF
unpacking drugs from crates and weighing them. They SHADOWS
one came gunning for him. He grunts and leans right.
all have weapons in reach.
Apparently giving directions with a gun barrel in his
As they pull up to the warehouse, Bryson insists
mouth is working out. he has to tell the people there that he has arrived. If DEBRIEFING LOG
You enter a warehouse district near the lake, and he escorted up to doing so, or if forced to call, he will speak
signals to stop near a rusty metal building with faded in code about the team, setting them up in front of them.
and peeling wood signs advertising some sort of Runners with a Mafia procedures-type knowledge
ancient engine parts for agricultural equipment. skill may be allowed a roll to detect his duplicity as he
speaks to one of the goons (the test has a threshold of
2). A successful Judge Intentions test may be used as

SCENE 7: MOUSE TRAP 19

 COVER

FIGHT NIGHT

INTRODUCTION

MISSION
BACKGROUND &
SYNOPSIS

SCENE 1

SCENE 2

SCENE 3

SCENE 4

SCENE 4A

SCENE 5

well against Bryson’s bluff, but it will be slightly more

difficult (threshold of 4)
Pushing the Envelope SCENE 6
Upon speaking to the door goon from outside, The amount of goons inside the warehouse can be vari-
Bryson will tell the team to wait, at which point they able. They are all inside, processing their drug shipment SCENE 7
will be attacked. If the team takes off quickly, the goons for eventual distribution to their dealers. One man watch-
will shoot Bryson for the mistake of leading outsiders to es the door, while the others work inside under fluores-
their operation. cent lamps. They may have additional men on hand to SCENE 8
Should the runners kill most of the goons, the re- help with keeping the operation safe. Although this
mainder will try to buy them off with drugs. Failing that, warehouse has lots of drugs and firearms within it, the
they will set the building on fire with the pre-existing drugs are not ready for use, and if taken and used, could PICKING UP
system in place for it. cause unplanned side effects on characters such as in- THE PIECES
On the second floor of the warehouse, three mostly creased crash times, temporary loss of magic, or chem-
abandoned offices line the walkway. In the corner of- ical instabilities that interfere with skinlink or cyberware.
LEGWORK
fice, a desktop nexus sits unattended. This computer is Cover is widely available within the building behind
unprotected and is largely used as a glorified calculator several large shipping crates.
for the scales in the warehouse. It has some incrimi- CAST OF
nating information on it. Data regarding inbound ship-
ments that have come in, and which cargo container
Debugging SHADOWS

the shipments are contained in, are present. This data Some runner teams may smell a rat immediately and
is one of the files available on the computer along with insist that they break into the building themselves. DEBRIEFING LOG
the weights that have been logged. This data may be This is entirely possible, and is overall not too difficult.
valuable to several contacts, should the runners decide If this is the case, Bryson says the information is on
to fence it. the second floor of the warehouse in the office on the
This scene is largely a red herring. Bryson has all the desktop nexus. Of course, the data is not present.
information with him, and he is just trying to save his If the team does not wish to infiltrate the building,
own skin. they may also call the local police. The Lone Star cops

SCENE 7: MOUSE TRAP 20

 COVER
MAFIA GOONS CROOKED LONE STAR COPS
(ORGANIZED CRIME GANG, P. 383 SR5) (POLICE PATROL, P. 383 SR5; FIGHT NIGHT
B A R S W L I C ESS PROFESSIONAL RATING 3)
4 5 4 4 4 3 4 3 6
B A R S W L I C ESS INTRODUCTION

Initiative: 8 + 1D6 4 3 4 3 4 2 3 3 6
Condition Monitor: 10 MISSION
Limits: Physical 6, Mental 5, Social 6 Initiative: 7 + 1D6 BACKGROUND &
Armor: 9 (lined coat) Condition Monitor: 10 SYNOPSIS
Skills: Automatics 5, Blades 5, Intimidation 6, Perception 2, Limits: Physical 5, Mental 4, Social 6
Pistols 4, Unarmed Combat 2 Armor: 12 (armor jacket)
Gear: Lined coat, commlink (Renraku Sensei, Device Rating 3) Skills: Clubs 3, Perception 3, Pistols 4, Running 3, Unarmed SCENE 1
Weapons: Combat 4
Ceska Black Scorpion [Machine Pistol, Acc 5, DV 6P AP Gear: Armor jacket, 2 doses of jazz, sunglasses [Capacity 2,
–5, SA/BF, RC 1, 35(c), w/ APDS ammo] w/ image link, smartlink) SCENE 2
Knife [Blades, Acc 5, Reach —, DV 5P, AP –1] Weapons:
Ares Predator V [Heavy Pistol, Acc 5(7), DV 8P AP —, SA,
15(c)] SCENE 3
Defiance EX Shocker [Taser, Acc 4, DV 11S(e) AP –5, SS,
4(m)]
Stun baton [Club, Acc 4, Reach 1, DV 9S(e), AP –5] SCENE 4

SCENE 4A
that initially show up, however, are on the take from
this operation and don’t want anyone messing with it. SCENE 5
They will do their best to make any interlopers try on
cement shoes.
SCENE 6
SCENE 8:

PUNCH OUT SCENE 7

scored during a power play when Sam Lewis, one of

Scan This the Slashers’ bangers, decided to “mistakenly” shoot SCENE 8
The team contacts Sid to tell him the news about the an official, allowing Chicago blaster Ramsey to save
data and get their money. the say. Apparently you won the bet—and weren’t even
PICKING UP
there to collect.
THE PIECES
“Hey, didn’t I sends you out to go get that
Tell It to Them Straight information? Did ya finds it yet? Tell me you fraggin’
Your notifications have been buzzing for the past two found it?” His slurring is audible, and despite this only LEGWORK
hours with updates on the urban brawl match. Decid- being a video call, you swear you can smell the whisky
ing not to look, you think maybe when you get home through the image link.
you can watch the highlights. At least someone got to have a good time drinking CAST OF
The sky has taken on a brighter hue in the east as the tonight. SHADOWS
sun has started to rise. There are still a couple of hours
left before it gets too bright outside, though. You ring
up Sid. After only half of a ring, Sid picks up. In his video
Behind the Scenes DEBRIEFING LOG
feed, he looks terrible, despite the crooked smile on his Sid has been a nervous wreck since sending the run-
face. His normally buttoned-up shirt is undone, and his ners to get the data back. He’s been spending the last
undershirt is spotted with brownish stains. He squints at few hours trying to take the edge off by breaking into
his commlink. some cheap whisky he had laying around. By the time
Behind him the news shifts to coverage of the the team contacts him again, he’s pretty wasted, but
match. Chicago over New York, 5–4, the last point he still can’t stop thinking about what will happen if

SCENE 8: PUNCH OUT 21

he doesn’t hear back. If the runners have the data the
following will occur.
Debugging COVER

A visible sigh of relief will pass through Sid as he gets If the team decides they want more money out of Sid
the data in hand. or want to turn the screws on him themselves, he will FIGHT NIGHT
“Well son of a bitch. You did come through,” he slurs. curse and rave, but eventually he will be forced to pay,
“I appreciate you doing this on short notice. I won’t for- coming up to an additional 1,000 nuyen per runner. If
get it.” the team does this, Sid’s Loyalty rating decreases by INTRODUCTION
An alert passes your commlink in a secondary win- 1; if his Loyalty is 1, they lose him as a contact. If they
dow. Apparently you just got paid. don’t have him as a contact, they don’t get him, but
there are not other repercussions. MISSION
“This is the only copy, right?” Sid’s drunken demean-
Additionally, the team may want to sell the data BACKGROUND &
or suddenly flips to sounding stone cold sober.
found in the system at the warehouse. This data is of SYNOPSIS
use to many contacts, but those that would be most in-
Pushing the Envelope terested in it would be Sara, Juan, Becky 99, or Nick. Ne-
SCENE 1
If confronted about the footage, Sid will say he felt he gotiating with these characters should be simple, and
had no choice. He killed the power and hit Garza with the initial offering price will be 5,000 nuyen. This can be
a hold-out pistol loaded with Stick ‘n’ Shock ammuni- negotiated, with each net hit by either side increasing SCENE 2
tion. It was enough to stun Garza, and quiet enough or decreasing the total by 200 nuyen, to a maximum of
against the background of the assembled crowd. He 1,000 nuyen in either direction. This is a chance for the
doesn’t feel good about doing it, but he’s not sorry contact to flex their negotiating muscle and really make SCENE 3
either, because “that bastard Garza wasn’t doing his an impression if necessary.
goddamn job.”
SCENE 4

PICKING UP THE PIECES SCENE 4A

Money Gamemaster Reward
• 10,000¥ per runner for completing the mission, When running this adventure you may choose to count SCENE 5
plus a possible 200¥ per net hit scored during the Missions as “played” for their personal Shadowrun
negotiation, to a maximum bonus of 1,000¥. Missions character. You must choose to do this the first
SCENE 6
• 1,000¥ if the runners find out all the details and time your run this Mission only and take the optional
push Sid at the end of the mission for more cash. results matching those earned by the team you game-
• If the runners found the data on the computer mastered for. You may not choose to wait for a better SCENE 7
and decide to fence it, it can be sold to one of attempt to choose your rewards. You’re on the honor
several contacts. This data will be priced as a system here, so please don’t skew the adventure to
lump sum and will not be divided at the start. help the players gain extra rewards just so that you can SCENE 8
The starting price is 5,000¥, which can be ne- get better results.
gotiated up or down, each net hit moving the You will earn a flat amount of Karma and nuyen,
price 200¥ to a maximum of 1,000¥ in either regardless of how well (or poorly) the players do, as PICKING UP
direction. listed below. For other missions results and rewards that THE PIECES
you track on the Debriefing Log (objectives completed,
reputation and contacts earned, etc.), take the average
Karma results of the group you’re gamemastering for. So if four LEGWORK
• 1—Retrieving the data and handing it over to Sid out of six players earned a point of notoriety, you will
as promised earn one as well. If only two players out of five earn a
• 1—Making sure the data is the only copy avail- +1 Loyalty with Sid, you would not get that +1 Loyalty. CAST OF
able
SHADOWS
• 1—Taking out the Chemical Boyz and finding out • Karma Earned: 7
who hired them • Nuyen Earned: 10,400 DEBRIEFING LOG
• 2—Survival
• 2—Overall adventure challenge

PICKING UP THE PIECES 22

Reputation given the Contact Sheet included with this Mission. If
they already have that contact, they gain a +1 Loyalty
COVER

During the adventure, runners may perform actions to that contact (up to a maximum of 4).
that will add to their Street Cred, Notoriety, or Public Characters might interact with NPCs not specified FIGHT NIGHT
Awareness (p. 372, SR5). Besides the scenario-specific by the Mission and may earn these NPCs as a contact
gains listed below, gamemasters should consider the at Loyalty 1. They may also work with non-Mission
characters’ actions throughout the game and award specific contacts that they have already earned or INTRODUCTION
additional points as appropriate. that they bought at character creation, and gain a +1
Loyalty to these contacts, with a maximum Loyalty of
• +1 Street Cred if the players beat up Garza but MISSION
4. Gamemasters should not grant these lightly, and
leave him alive and turn him over to the cops BACKGROUND &
players should have to work to earn these contacts by
• +1 Notoriety for any player who kills Garza SYNOPSIS
going the extra mile to impress the NPC, offering up
• +1 Public Awareness if the team is caught on se- favors, or paying them well above the standard rates for
curity cameras causing disturbances information or services. SCENE 1
• +1 Loyalty with Sid, to a maximum of 4, if they
Contacts took the job with a minimum of negotiation. SCENE 2
Successfully completing objectives or performing the • –1 Loyalty with Sid if they try to blackmail him
actions listed below will earn characters specific Mis- for more nuyen at the end of the adventure
sions contacts at a Loyalty of 1, and they should be SCENE 3

LEGWORK SCENE 4
When a PC gets in touch with a contact, make an unop- 2 3 Couple of those guys are pretty good
posed Connection + Connection Test for the contact. at pool. Lost two grand once to one.
The results of this test determine how many ranks of Good thing I had the money, they SCENE 4A
information the contact knows about the question. If were lookin’ to beat it out of me.
the relevance of the subject is a specialty of the con- 3 — Just a gang of small-time crooks.
tact, they get +3 to this test. The player then makes SCENE 5
They tucked their tail between
an unopposed Charisma + Etiquette + Loyalty test, the their legs when Alexeij and the
results of which determine how many ranks of infor- Horde rolled in. Now they pay him SCENE 6
mation the contact is willing to divulge for free, up to tribute. Don’t remind them, though,
the maximum ranks of information they know. If the they don’t like it
contact knows more, they will require a payment of SCENE 7
4 6 Rough group of thugs. Not afraid
(500 –(Loyalty * 100) nuyen, with a minimum of 100
to take any job for the money, as
nuyen) per rank of information they still know.
long as they don’t have to leave
If the PCs have worked all of their contacts and are SCENE 8
their turf.
still missing important information, they may request
that a contact ask around. If they do so, have the Contact 5 — That Ogre guy they have leading
make an extended Connection + Connection (1 hour) them is a verified psychopath. PICKING UP
Test. Additional information will be available at a cost of He got his hands on some gas THE PIECES
(1,000 – (Loyalty x 100) nuyen, minimum 200 nuyen). grenades recently and he’s not
A Matrix Search action (p. 241, SR5) may also be afraid to use ’em, even on his
utilized to gather information from the following charts, own guys. LEGWORK
using the appropriate thresholds and search times.

Miguel Garza CAST OF

The Chemical Boyz Contacts to Ask: Bartender, Reporter, Sports Fans,
SHADOWS
Contacts to Ask: Gang Member, Gang Leader, Squat- Gamblers
ter, Bartender DEBRIEFING LOG
Contacts Matrix Search Information
Contacts Matrix Search Information 0 0 Doesn’t he play for the
0 0 Frag off, I ain’t got no drugs for ya. Screamers?
1 1 Bunch o’ punks up north. They 1 1 Former boxer in Sid’s promotion.
hang out at this dive called The Lost his shit when he was KO’d by
Hole. Billy the Beast.

LEGWORK 23
 2 3 He’s been looking for a new 4 6 Apparently working security for COVER
promoter ever since, but has yet an old man on life support isn’t
to find one. I hear he got a crap very interesting. He spends a lot
job washing cars. of time attending underground FIGHT NIGHT
3 — The bastard beats his girlfriend in fights when he can. The guy never
front of their kid, he’s so ’roided sleeps anyway, being a severe
insomniac. INTRODUCTION
out
4 6 It was a little fishy how he lost that 5 — Word on the street is that this
fight with the Beast. He may be guy has some info as to what MISSION
gunning for Sid after that. happened when Garza was KO’ed BACKGROUND &
by The Beast. Some say he’s SYNOPSIS
5 — Good thing he got kicked from the
trying to get Sid’s rivals all riled
circuit. I hear he got all kinds of
up, but he’s probably in it just to
modifications done. Where’d he
get that kind of cash, and how’s he
make a nice chunk of change. Biz SCENE 1
is biz, right?
gonna pay it back? He better have
something more up his sleeve SCENE 2
than chrome and combat drugs, or
he can expect a visit from several
Leo McCaskill
large men in suits who want their Contacts to Ask: Reporter, Mafia Enforcer, Mafia Lieu- SCENE 3
cyberware back. tenant, Hacker, Criminals, Anyone who pays attention
to the news about organized crime
SCENE 4
Richard Bryson Contacts Matrix Search Information
0 0 Car salesman out of Joliet. Bought
Contacts to Ask: Hacker, Mafia Enforcer, Mafia Lieu-
myself a brand new Jackrabbit SCENE 4A
tenant, Reporter
from him cheap!
Contacts Matrix Search Information 1 1 McCaskill? He’s the don of
Milwaukee still, I think. SCENE 5
0 0 Isn’t he some dead British
millionaire? 2 3 This guy is old school. Former
1 1 Bryson? Isn’t that some old mob capo of Milwaukee, called in to SCENE 6
hacker? handle part of Chicago after the
CZ went up.
2 3 An old security spider for the mob.
3 4 He retired not too long ago. SCENE 7
Rumor has it he retired.
Something about health issues.
3 — He’s working security on retainer
for old Leo McCaskill up north SCENE 8

PICKING UP
THE PIECES

LEGWORK

CAST OF
SHADOWS

DEBRIEFING LOG

LEGWORK 24
CAST OF SHADOWS COVER

Richard Bryson Sid Gambetti FIGHT NIGHT

A small time security hacker on retainer to retired
Mafia Don Leo McCaskill, Bryson spends most of his INTRODUCTION
time watching old sports events, he does sometimes
get out to see an event live. After seeing in thermo-
graphic what happened at the Barlow vs. Garza fight, MISSION
he decided to clean up the image and sell the data to BACKGROUND &
make a quick buck on the return. While he is decent SYNOPSIS
with the security he provides for McCaskill, he wants
out of the job and is actively looking for a way to find
a replacement for himself, without insulting any Mafia SCENE 1
traditions.
SCENE 2
B A R S W L I C EDG ESS
3 2 3 2 5 6 (8) 5 2 5 4.81
SCENE 3
Initiative: 8+1D6 (Matrix 9 + 3D6 <cold sim>, 9+4D6 <hot sim>)
Condition Monitor (P/S): 9/11 SCENE 4
Limits: Physical 4, Mental 8(9), Social 5
Armor: 9 (armor vest)
Active Skills: Athletics skill group 2, Automatics 2, Computer 5, SCENE 4A
Cybercombat 6, Electronic Warfare 5, Hacking 6 (Devices
+2), Hardware 4, Software 3, Unarmed Combat 2
Knowledge Skills: Boxing 4, Chicago Area Knowledge 5, SCENE 5
Decker Hangouts 4, Security Procedures 5, Surveillance
Techniques 5 Sid is a small time fight promoter who represents Matt
Wrath, but who wants to make his name as a fixer. He SCENE 6
Languages: English (N)
Qualities: Codeslinger (Hack on the Fly), Home Ground has a lot of contacts in the city, but not a lot of pull, yet.
(McCaskill Host), Insomnia (15), Spirit Bane (Beasts) He’s hoping that if the Shadowrunners he sets up on
jobs are successful, it’ll make his name. He’s a sleazy, SCENE 7
Augmentations: Cerebral booster 2, cranial cyberdeck
[Shiawase Cyber 5 (DR 5, Atts 8 7 6 5, Prog 5)], cybereyes greasy weasel of a man, but he’s smart and a survivor.
[Rating 3, w/ flare compensation, image link, low-light Short, starting to go bald and hiding it poorly by SCENE 8
vision, thermographic vision, smartlink], datajack, fingertip wearing a ponytail, with a taste for cheap suits, cheap
compartment, internal air tank (Rating 1) whiskey and cheaper cigars, Sid is the avatar of sleazy
Gear: Lined coat, optical chips (3) managers everywhere. Sid has a chrome datajack in his PICKING UP
Programs: Armor, Baby Monitor, Browse, Configurator, Edit, temple, a large, fake diamond stud earring, his commlink THE PIECES
in one hand and an obnoxious lit cigar in the other.
Encryption, Signal Scrubber, Toolbox, Virtual Machine,
Biofeedback, Biofeedback Filter, Decryption, Exploit, Fork,
Connection: 3 LEGWORK
Hammer, Sneak, Stealth, Track
Loyalty: Max Starting 4
Weapons:
Ingram Smartgun X [Submachine Gun, Acc 6, DV 8P, AP –4, CAST OF
Quote: “Gentlemen, I’m sure we can come to an ac-
BF/FA, RC 2, 32(c), w/ APDS ammo] SHADOWS
commodation here. Know what I’m sayin’?”

B A R S W L I C EDG ESS DEBRIEFING LOG

3 3 3 2 5 3 5 4 4 5.5

Initiative: 8 + 1D6
Condition Monitor (P/S): 10/11
Limits: Physical 4, Mental 6, Social 7
Armor: 6

CAST OF SHADOWS 25
Active Skills: Computer 3, Con 5, Etiquette 5 (Street +2), First has since shacked up with his girlfriend on the West COVER
Aid 4, Forgery 4, Intimidation 5, Lockpicking 4, Negotiation Side and has been looking for a shot to get back at Sid
6 (Bargaining +2), Palming 6, Pilot Ground Vehicle 1, ever since
Sneaking 3 FIGHT NIGHT
Knowledge Skills: Law 4 (Contracts +2), Gambling 7 (Sports +2), B A R S W L I C EDG ESS
Sports 7 (Underground Fighting +2), Street Rumors 4
5 (8) 4 (9) 5 (8) 6 (11) 3 (4) 2 3 3 4 1.5 INTRODUCTION
Augmentations: Commlink (DR 6), datajack, image link, sound link
Gear: Armor clothing, Doc Wagon Gold contract, Renraku Sensei
Initiative: 11 + 1D6 (11 + 3D6)
commlink (DR3, used to hide his implanted commlink),
Condition Monitor (P/S): 11/10 MISSION
Limits: Physical 7(11), Mental 4, Social 5 BACKGROUND &
Miguel Garza Armor: Orthoskin 4 SYNOPSIS
Active Skills: Athletics skill group 5, Clubs 3, Intimidation 3,
Former underground boxer and pit fighter, Garza
Pistols 3, Perception 2, Unarmed Combat 6(7) (Striking +2)
missed his shot at the big time after he took a dive in a SCENE 1
Knowledge Skills: Chicago Area Knowledge 4, Drug Dealers 3,
fight that Sid promoted. Since then he’s been acting as
Loan Sharks 2, Urban Brawl 4
the fall guy until the Barlow fight. This one he decided
Languages: Spanish N, English 5
he wasn’t going to lose, and in preparation, he took SCENE 2
Qualities: Addicted [Kamikaze, Severe], Toughness
out some cash from loan sharks to augment himself.
Augmentations: Aluminum bone lacing, muscle toner 3, pain
He figured his dream of the pro circuit had dried up, so
editor, reaction enhancers 3, reflex recorder (Unarmed
he took some less-invasive-looking cyber and bioware SCENE 3
Combat), Muscle Augmentation 3, Orthoskin 4
and began training. Looking for an edge, he became
Gear: Shorts
addicted to combat drugs, as they made him feel in-
Weapons: SCENE 4
vincible. Drugs or no, he wasn’t invincible to Sid’s taser
Unarmed Strike [Unarmed, Acc 10, Reach —, DV 13P, AP —,
after getting beat on for several rounds.
Reflex Recorder]
After the fight, Sid admonished Garza, paid him
what he owed him, and kicked him to the curb. Garza
SCENE 4A

SCENE 5

SCENE 6

SCENE 7

SCENE 8

PICKING UP
THE PIECES

LEGWORK

CAST OF
SHADOWS

DEBRIEFING LOG

CAST OF SHADOWS 26
 Sid is a small-time fight promoter who Sid is a small-time fight promoter who Sid is a small-time fight promoter who
represents Matt Wrath, but who wants to represents Matt Wrath, but who wants to represents Matt Wrath, but who wants to
make his name as a fixer. He has a lot of make his name as a fixer. He has a lot of make his name as a fixer. He has a lot of
contacts in the city, but not a lot of pull, yet. contacts in the city, but not a lot of pull, yet. contacts in the city, but not a lot of pull, yet.
He’s hoping that if the shadowrunners He’s hoping that if the shadowrunners He’s hoping that if the shadowrunners
he sets up on jobs are successful, it’ll make he sets up on jobs are successful, it’ll make he sets up on jobs are successful, it’ll make
his name. He’s a sleazy, greasy weasel of a his name. He’s a sleazy, greasy weasel of a his name. He’s a sleazy, greasy weasel of a
man, but he’s smart and a survivor. man, but he’s smart and a survivor. man, but he’s smart and a survivor.
Short, starting to go bald and hiding it Short, starting to go bald and hiding it Short, starting to go bald and hiding it
poorly by wearing a ponytail, with a taste poorly by wearing a ponytail, with a taste poorly by wearing a ponytail, with a taste
for cheap suits, cheap whiskey and cheaper for cheap suits, cheap whiskey and cheaper for cheap suits, cheap whiskey and cheaper
cigars, Sid is the avatar of sleazy managers cigars, Sid is the avatar of sleazy managers cigars, Sid is the avatar of sleazy managers
everywhere. everywhere. everywhere.

Sid has a chrome datajack in his temple, Sid has a chrome datajack in his temple, Sid has a chrome datajack in his temple,
a large, fake diamond stud earring, his com- a large, fake diamond stud earring, his com- a large, fake diamond stud earring, his com-
mlink in one hand, and an obnoxious lit cigar mlink in one hand, and an obnoxious lit cigar mlink in one hand, and an obnoxious lit cigar
in the other. in the other. in the other.

SID GAMBETTI SID GAMBETTI SID GAMBETTI

Underground Boxing Promoter Underground Boxing Promoter Underground Boxing Promoter
Male Human Male Human Male Human

Connection Rating: 3 Connection Rating: 3 Connection Rating: 3

Loyalty: Loyalty: Loyalty:

Key Active Skills: Con, Etiquette, Negotia- Key Active Skills: Con, Etiquette, Negotia- Key Active Skills: Con, Etiquette, Negotia-
tion, Palming tion, Palming tion, Palming

Knowledge Skills: Contract Law, Sports Knowledge Skills: Contract Law, Sports Knowledge Skills: Contract Law, Sports
Gambling, Underground Fighting, Street Gambling, Underground Fighting, Street Gambling, Underground Fighting, Street
Rumors Rumors Rumors
DEBRIEFING LOG

PLAYER DATE / /

CHARACTER LOCATION
PERSONAL INFO

SRM 05-05 WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS Recover the data for Sid
Sid contacts the runners for a rush job, one night only. Follow the Ensure no other copies exist
trail, find the data, and get it done before the sun comes up. Take care of Miguel Garza
Take out the Chemical Boyz
Survived!

SYNOPSIS MISSION RESULTS

Names Character Improvement Karma Cost

TEAM MEMBERS ADVANCEMENT

Previous Available Sid

Street Cred
Earned
Spent Notoriety
Remaining Available
New Career Total Public Awareness

KARMA REPUTATION

Previous Available ¥ GM’s Name

Earned ¥
Spent ¥ GM’s Signature
Remaining ¥

NUYEN VALIDATION CONTACTS/SPECIAL ITEMS GAINED OR LOST/NOTES

DEBRIEFING LOG . . . . .
© 2013 The Topps Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Shadowrun is a registered trademark of The Topps Company, Inc., in the U.S. and other countries. Permission given to copy for personal use.