Man, I'm bad at light weeks. Maybe I should just try to make every week a light one since that seems to get me going on topics to write. Anyhow, with two posts yesterday today is going to be a short one, but it is one that is near and dear to my heart.
Why? Well, because later today I'm going to be running my Shadowrun game. I love the game a lot, and I'm having a blast, even though it is proving challenging to me, especially with my self-assertion that I would run it more in a gamist way than my usual narrative/story way. Even with that though I am nervous about this session in particular because the last session, which was nearly a month ago due to sickness and a missed game, ended with the PCs in a particularly bad spot and with how I am thinking things I may be twisting the knife a little bit further.
The Situation
When the last session ended one PC was out cold and almost everyone else was injured in some way. Some of it was just bad luck of the dice. Some of it was the power of stick-n'shock rounds being a lot rougher. Finally, some of it was just a side effect from desperate measures (one of the PCs was in the blast radius of a stunball when it went off.)
What this means is there is a lot of injured PCs trying to load up bags full of heavy product into a van and time is running out. Security forces are on the way and the PCs have only managed to load about half the haul so far.
Where It Goes....
This is where my initial nervousness comes in. There is a chance for this to go bad and very bad indeed. It is also very important for me to be on top of my game for this session. It is very likely that this will be the groups first "loss." Not in the sense of a fight, but in not actually completing all the objectives they set out to do. I am ok with that possibility, and I can only assume my players are ok with that possibility, but if it isn't done right it could cause other problems in the game. Basically, I want it done right and that is important.
However, there is also a chance that it works out well. It wouldn't be the first time my players have completely surprised me with strange tactics that have ways of working I didn't foresee. It isn't like it is impossible for them to still come out ahead on this. In fact, more than almost any other session everything rides on what my players do with what they have.
Saving Graces
That said I do have some saving graces. The security forces, and the PCs, have thus far stuck to completely non-lethal rounds. The Security Forces have used Stick-n-Shock rounds (which are a little ridiculous, as I recently found out) and the PCs have been using Gel Rounds and one stun ball from there mage. This means no matter what, odds are the PCs won't be dying and maybe we get to have a "ransom job" or something work out. Which could be a lot of fun. At the same time, the non-lethality could be just what the PCs need in order to get out unscathed.
What I'm Preparing
I am preparing for as many possibilities as I can. I already know what I will do if the PCs get caught. I know what I will do if the PCs cut their losses and run. I am unsure what to do if the PCs choose to fight it out, or what I should do about other potential options - including some that just popped into my head that could work. I am also preparing a couple of get out of jail free options that are believable to be there and that I may employ depending on the situation.
The hardest part is going to be getting the feel back after nearly a month away from game. Hopefully that will take care of itself though.
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