Looking for your teams - inspiration, cool ideas, stuff from your table - what have you got?

Hola amigos!

I run a 3e game playing once a week, for a few hours.. the curse of growing up and having families - it's been getting harder to get free time at mutually convenient points. We started in December '16, and occasionally miss weeks because of holidays and such like, but we're up to session 103 now, so we're making progress, and the team are coming along nicely. After every weeks game, I write up the action as a narrative - link if you're curious: https://www.dropbox.com/s/wpj9vw5v1i8ciqf/Smuggler%20master%20story.pdf?dl=0

My players in my smuggler game have just reached their first proper smuggler nexus, and are about to meet a bunch of other teams. I have a selection ready to go, but would love some inspiration - so who better to ask than you lot!

And then I thought - if I post up the details of my teams, from current game and previous, it might help some other GM who needs a quick drop of inspiration or a skeleton to build on.

So - our game is currently focussed on eastern Europe / the black sea and the 'Stans. The team have reached a smuggler base just north of Volgograd - so the Smugglers will mostly be working the New Silk Road. The teams I have in the smuggler base for initial meetings are:

The Paladin (team buzzed between Baku and the ranch, episode 86)

• Black T-bird with RAMS, ECM, ED. Has active countermeasures, and a pair of waist mounted miniguns, along with a forward mounted missile rack and autocannon. Cargo space is tight. They are a well known and regarded team, with good skills and firepower. Rep 4, Threat 4
• Eddie "Knight" Taggart - Captain, human male, average height, slightly overweight, long dank dark hair, decker with a R7 deck, Essence 2 (some wires, maths co-pro, skillwires, datajacks)
• Sharon "Potty" Cutts - Pilot, human female, very tall, very broad, pockmarked skin from acid splashes, beta VCR3, eyes, comms, remote deck 5
• Torth "Nuke" Smith - Mage, male troll, average size, essence 6, grade 4 (Masking, Anchoring, Improved Anchoring, Warding Specialist) - some high force combat spells, vehicle masks, improved reflexes
• Garzut "Red" - Ork, burly, street sam - wires 2, dermal armour, datajack, SL2, Tae Kwon Do (world class), Browning Pistol, Auto-rifle, Gunnery
• Gozara "Blue" - Ork, burly, street sam - wires 2, dermal armour, datajack, SL2, Tae Kwon Do (world class), Browning Pistol, Auto-rifle, Gunnery

The Zephyr (Episode 69 in Constantinople)

• The Zephyr - Heavily modified tilt wing kitted out for amphib operations, with a loading bay holding a number of jetskis in a drop bay. Equipped with Ruthpoly, extended fuel tanks, partial living amenities and the jetski, there is precious little cargo space left – mostly they courier information, 1-2 passengers or small high value cargo like software, bonds, stocks, gems etc. Team rep is ok, not well known, they work with only a few fixers on repeat jobs, building up good relationships with them. They are not particularly combat efficient and prefer to avoid trouble. Rep 2, Threat 1
• Mustafa Basem – Captain / Pilot, B3 S3, Q5, I6,W6,C5, Dark swarthy appearance, pearly white teeth, almost luminous green eyes (natural), hawk like vision, very perceptive. Pistol with gel rounds (8M, 8 rounds), rigger deck – SK Industries Dominator, R6, BF4, Flux 2, IVIS, 60MP, PEM4, Enc 6, Dec 4, Amp 2
• Farida Said – Engineer, B4, S5, Q4, I5,W4, C3, Also dark and swarthy, number of scars across face (acne) , strong mechanical skills and good with mechanics / electronics B/R
• Hakim Toth – EW and mage, B3, S2, Q3, I6, W6, C5. Quickened spells for Stealth (5), Vehicle Mask (5) and Absorb RADAR (2). G2 hermetic mage focussed on quickening, also with Translate (2), Mass Blindness (5),
• Business cards – They hand out small powered plastic cards that display a holographic zephyr that flows across the page.

The Half-pint

• Urban cammo Eurocopter, with internal extended fuel tanks, limited cargo space, very fast (425+kph), smart materials+nox III, EDs+ECMs, ruthenium polymers, high signature, both seats modified small, *tiny* cargo area. Team rep is good, they handle very small and high value cargos with an emphasis on stealth. Rep 3, Threat 2
• Gordon "Gonzo" Wilberforce - Captain, Gnome male, vcr 1/face, strong home countries accents, biggles style, choppers 7, engineering 7
• Hiro "Stabby" Haroshoto - Street-Sam, phys-ad dwarf with ambidex machine pistols / cougar small blades

The Bandit

• Large articulated lorry, based on Conestega - reliable vehicle armour, plenty of room, comfy crew quarters, drone racks
• Rockets team, good rep for "misc jobs", they are more Shadowrunners rather than Smugglers, though they'll do whatever pays. Known to have strong affiliation with Ares. Rep 3, Threat 4
• Rocket, human, male, 29, face / sam, average face, good leadership, loves rocket launchers, skillwires+drivers, low reaction buff, blond, desert tan shirt and trousers, digger hat
• Spangles, dwarf, female, 33, concealment and defensive wizard, hermetic, g4, sorcery only, selection of R6-8 spells, some extended, mostly non-lethal, hippy tie dye outfits - hermetic Ex-area, Trid phantasm 6, Cure disease 6, Heal 8, Chaff 6,
• extended quickening for the trid phantasm, improved masking on the spell, spell specific power focus – trid phantasm – it’s ALL about the hiding
• Mamma-bear, ork, female, 23, rigger, drives the heavy transport fitted with off-road tyres, r2 rigger, general skills, mid quality deck and systems, work overalls, blue denim
• Topshot, elf, female, 45, sniper specialist, good concealment, has a macmillian 50 cal with apds and smartlink, good wires and all vision mods, ex-forces (france) now running as a merc – digimax cammo fatigues, ghillie suit, ruthenium R4, massaging liner
• Blaster, ork, male, 16, heavy set ork, with deluxe gyromount and hmg with max recoil comp and +2 from strength, heavy padded jumpsuit in
• Slapdash, human, 23, phys-add, g3 initiate, lots of great leap and fall, wall running and improved skill martial art – very high quickness and lightning fast movement, but not reactions
• (Geo, Wee-woo, Spotlight, Digger went back to Oz to work on another job, and are separated from Rocket at the moment)
• Geo, human, 25, female, decker, info support and comms specialist, also fixer, jeans and fleece, baseball cap –combat biker team
• Wee-woo, human aboriginal shaman, 18,female, conjurer, not initiated, headstrong and can be a little foolish, spirits to F7
• Spotlight, troll, male, rigger, drone specialist, good at surveillance and also doubles as HtH combat, has a bunch of aerial and ground support drones with up to LMG armed with ex-ex/HP, and one with AV for heavy use.
• Digger, dwarf, male, 50s, mining and construction expert – was semi-retired, called in for expert support, skills slipping and mostly here for knowledge, jeans, suede jacket

"69pp"

• These smugglers drive a converted tour bus. Hailing from Germany, they offer "tours" to Constantinople and various destinations in the Balkans - at least according to their matrix site. They often work with ID forgers, and move people (mostly voluntarily) as well as normal goods. Rep 2, Threat 2
• Grimvald - Captain, Troll, male, Bear Shamen, G2, Masking, Invoking. Has a fantastic singing voice (centering) and plays the accordian pretty well, often will entertain people when stopped.
• Karvak - japanese human male, VCR1 driver / gunner. Started life working on the bullet trains, and has taken their training to new levels of OCD. He now narrates most of his actions (which the other two have learnt to tune out), but drives others to distraction.
• Dirshuk - Female, Troll, Street Sam, LMG on gyromount, rear HMG turret in the bus. Moody and prone to bouts of anger, she is in charge of keeping order on the bus when people are moving around. She has a wide variety of languages learnt - but only enough to shout at people to sit down and shut up. She's a foodie though, and her angry demeanour can be redirected very easily by application of sauerkraut or chocolate eclairs.

Sandstorm

• A mid sized chopper with massive external fuel tanks, capable of shifting moderate cargo at slow speeds over massive distances. The crew hail from Iberia, but range all up and down the med normally, but will go further afield as needed. The craft is lightly armoured and has countermeasures, but no offensive weapons. Rep 2, Threat 1
• Pedro "Storm" - Human, male, pilot, not magically active but has no cyberware - just a very skilled and experienced pilot. Heavy pistol for self defence
• Isabella "Dear" - Human, female, EW / face / operations - the wife certainly wears the trousers in this relationship, and she runs "the business"
• "Magnifico" - an ally spirit of the teams former mage who went free and decided to stay - for reasons not fully understood by the other two. Helps with concealment of the craft, and has some moderate offensive spells. Manifests in a robe with *all* the trimmings. His former master died in a magical attack over Italy while he was running an errand, and he has massive guilt issues, so has decided to stay for a period of time to work off his debt. He has a pact with Pedro and Isabella, who share Karma with him as well.

Bogbuster

• A large ex-military hovercraft, the team operates only half a year - in poor weather, where their mobility is a real advantage. The craft is heavily armed and armoured, with a large cargo capacity - but needs a large crew to operate. It's not stealthy unless the shaman is on duty, in the slightest. Multiple HMGs and autocannons dot the craft, and at least one missile battery, and supposedly a torpedo launcher - all with somewhat nebulous permits from the captains KGB contacts. Rep 2, Threat 4
• Ramius "Ivan" Gorbichek - human, male, headware comms, datajack and a little bioware, ex-KGB officer who decided to retire with a bunch of equipment and some men and give a capitalist business a go. Very thuggish, he is not a good negotiator, only average in a fight, but rules with a ruthless iron fist.
• Grishar - shaman, grade 4, metamagics in invocation, chanelling, additional conjuring, sacrificial magic - follows dire-tiger and considered borderline toxic, he uses the spirits to help conceal the craft, and is a competent caster on his own - but uses his magic to drain "volunteers" to help with drain.
• A dozen random ex soldiers - trained for engineering, cargo handling, combat - both HtH, small arms and larger weapons.

Mondrian

• A high-performance tilt wing, moving small-mid sized cargo around Europe as far as the mid-russian steppes. They have moderate EW capability, light armaments and mostly rely on a very extensive set of contacts and forged beacons for easy access to airspace. Rep 4, Threat 2
• Peter "Stripes" Mondrian - male elf rigger, VCR2, ex-commercial pilot who was an acrobatics pilot in his off time. Very charismatic, and well connected on the "grand tour" scene as a result of his promo work from the air races.
• Nelly "Noodles" Van Hoost - human shaman, follower of Bacchus, has very high force create food / wine spells, as well as more expected items like vehicle mask / armour
• Gem "Gemini" Romanov - female orc (human looking) bodyguard, actually very pretty, has been with Peter for several years, after he helped her escape from the Moscow sprawl to get her away from her KGB handler after a drugs deal went wrong. Titanium bone lacing, twin spurs with poison delivery channels. Expert in HtH with her spurs, she's also a crack shot with a shotgun that tends to have a wicked looking 50cm dikoted bayonet on the front when the going gets tough.

Swarm

• A group of 5 small choppers that operate as courier team, splitting appropriate cargos throughout their holds. They fly a collection of upgraded / converted news choppers, and frequently masquerade as the press to confuse customs / enforcement. No two craft are alike, but all are armed with lightweight missile systems disguised as "cameras". Rep 2, Threat 3
• Ace - dwarf pilot, vcr1, team face/ captain, from France
• Loop - human female, vcr 1, main team mechanic
• Tacky - male orc, vcr 1, chief scrounger and fabricator, load master
• Dolly - male human voodoo shaman, from New Orleans, dresses for the role, but often breaks character when he doesn't think outsiders are listening.
• Fusion - troll female, the designated street sam, expert with chemicals and fuel systems but a massive pyromaniac, her chosen weapons are Shiawase Blazers. Two of em, strapped together. Because who doesn't like more fire?

My older teams from my Seattle based game are:Scav's crew - driving an extended Landrover 2046:

• Scav the captain, Ork street sam with a vindictive side, a fear of magic and daddy issue
• Nails, a street sam toting an LMG on a troll sized gyro harness, - Called Nails not because she's tough, but for her day job as a troll beauty therapist
• Tommy Wu - Human mage/decker who follows Wujen, always has an enigmatic fortune cookie saying to hand
• Teppic - Elf mage from Egypt, very traditional mage outlook / outfits, big into Apophis
• Tex - Human Adept CQB, has a shotgun hidden in a guitar case a la Antonio Banderas, and finally
• Skidmark - Ork demo / electronics guy, very random, uses C4 as chewing gum. Tends to be underpowered compared to the rest of the team because he never spent *any* Karma ever, but always can buy a gazillion successes when the chips are down as a result.

The Blackeyes - an all Female Elf group in an Ares Citymaster.

• Blackeye the rigger (she's into being punched in the face - has the "masochism" flaw and frequents BDSM bars - but won't talk to strangers about it),
• Grouch the street sam (twitchy wires), normally a sour face and lives up to her handle, even with the rest of the team - but absolutly solid.
• Pixie the eagle shaman (traditional Sioux dress / culture) - unashamedly optimistic and "good", drags the team into jobs helping people out, but has a solid rep on the street as a result
• Angel - medic/drone rigger (glowing green cybereyes and black jumpsuit with el-wire) - retired army Captain and runs now for spice and adventure - adrenaline junky

The Dukes - driving a Red Ranger hovercraft:

• Duke, human male sniper (dresses like a chav - bling jewellery and a shell suit, aviator shades),
• Duchess - his wife and a fellow street sam, dresses the same way,
• Jester - female ork rigger (cyberarms with pop out auto-pistols, vcr 2 and wears a jesters costume) and
• Riptide- male troll Leviathan shaman who carries a taser-trident and has his hair dyed green/blue

The Redlines - flying an Osprey II Tilt Wing, with

• Redline the captain, female dwarf rigger, tends to redline her engines a lot (actually all the time),
• Blackout - male ork decker (wears a flight suit and bone dome nearly all the time, gets vertigo/gloc a lot),
• Thunder - male troll street sam, carries a 2 handed mace and a riot shield painted with blue electro-lightning)
• Lighning - partner of Thunder, a female troll mage, blue white flowing robes over armoured plates and carries a stick with a knob on the end.... and
• Pipp - female human medic / tech, very obese and nearly always eating something, with a very whiny voice (but very good at her jobs)

The Hammerheads - flying an Ares TR55-C, led by

• Hammerhead, a human male mage, very ugly and covered in scars and missing his right hand, high grade initiate and morbid fear of cyberware,
• Floss - male ork phys-ad, your typical monk with a bo-staff for kick ass melee, also high grade initiate,
• Dental - a female dwarf street sam with full set of titanium teeth and a big chip on her shoulder,
• Wiseguy - the team face, a male elf with tailored pheromones (in my game he was also gay and came on to the straightest of my players for about 3 months without him realising), and last of all
• Vortex, a female ork rigger with one cyberleg, normally carries a flamethrower

The Vikings - piloting a Rivermaster Patrol Boat. Led by

• Odin, a male human face, with
• Jarl - male ork decker, Hunstman - male troll mage, Helga - female dwarf rigger,
• Hilda - female troll shaman (norse pantheon, obviously), and
• Frost - male orc adept. They take the whole viking thing seriously, are massive drinkers, very loud and love the loud and noisy jobs.

So - there's some of my crews - I'd love to see a description of either your team, teams you've encountered or npc teams / gangs from your game!

Obviously some of the stuff I've listed here clearly displays its 3rd edition heritage - I'm sure some of the stuff either doesn't exist or works very differently in 4/5/6e. But the concepts should still be workable, I assume, and the feel / attitude of the teams or their vehicles should be fairly generic across the timeline. At least, that's what I'm hoping...

Submitted August 15, 2019 at 02:53PM by Neralet https://ift.tt/2KydKR2