Two bricks short of a full load Plot in Shadowland | World Anvil

Two bricks short of a full load

United Netherlands 2082 - Europort

  Temporarily located in the United Netherlands for various reasons, several runners are approached by a mysterious Meneer Jansen, for a rather light-hearted job: His employer is being pranked, and he wants the runners to return the favour. This leads the runners to the Docks area, where drones outnumber even the termites. Now they must figure out how the prank works.
Scene 1 - Batten Down the Hatches
At 10 in the morning, the runners receive calls on their commlinks from their Fixers. A Mr. Johnson needs some reliable runners to do an investigation for him, with some subtlety and as little force as possible. Said Mr. Johnson, who calls himself Moenen, would like to meet the runners in a Matrix club called The Triple Helix, at 3 PM.   The runners have a few hours to clean up, arrange any missing equipment for attending the meet in AR/VR, and maybe start planning what gear they may need on an investigation. Also, maybe decide on leaving heavy artillery at their safehouse for now.
Scene 2 - Port of Call
The Triple Helix is a Matrix club without a physical location. Those that log into it, either in AR or VR, arrive at the helicopter landing pad of a Triple-Helix curved tower. From there, stairs lead down past themed floors, varying from Wild West and Jungle, to Smoking Lounges and Noir. Clientele varies in their online appearances, some use default icons, some stylized shapes, others use customized figures that look either real or completely fictional. The waiting staff, actually Agent software, is dressed differently at each floor.   The runners are escorted to a luxury floor with massive lounge couches. At their table is a man in an immaculate suit, wielding a walking cane and with an eyepatch on his right eye. This is Moenen, who treats them to some good Simsense drinks before cutting to the chase.   Moenen is representing a client whose cargo was covertly swapped at the docks. This came at no actual harm, just some extra manhours, and the client knows who pulled the prank. As payback, the client wants the prank returned at the sender. For this, the runners must find out how the prank was pulled, and return the favour before midnight. Moenen offers a pay of ¥4,000 each. However, no matter what, nobody is allowed to be killed or severely harmed during the job.   If the runners negotiate and convince Moenen to pay more, he's willing to go up to ¥5,000 each, as well as a small favour: At any time the next year, they can request a safehouse anywhere within the United Netherlands, and he'll arrange one with the first three days rent-free. Additional services at the safehouse will come at a 5% discount.
Scene 3 - Stowaways
The first thing the runners must do, is sneak onto the docks. If they ask Moenen or contacts for tips, they're informed the shift-change is at 5 PM. Security employs a combination of camera surveillance, drone patrols, and metahuman patrols.   Players can be incredibly creative here: Sneak in, create a distraction, bluff their way in, hack systems or forge papers in a different way, pay a contact for false paperwork, etc. The only thing to remember is the no-kill clause: Fighting their way in, guaranteeing a manhunt at the docks, is definitely a bad idea. For the rest, "yes, and" is the way to go.
Scene 4 - Learning the Ropes
The Portoplex is a massive Gordian Knot mixed with an Escher painting, and that's putting it mildly. Massive moving parts keep changing its structure, drones constantly buzz about, metahumans try to figure out what they're doing, oh and the Matrix? Each Corp made their own Mesh network even before the Matrix 2.0 standards arrived, and the resulting mess is a nightmare to navigate and tap into. And just forget about making a call unless you have a really good commlink, chummer.   At this point, the runners need to find their way to the specific docks. Doesn't help that those move around occasionally. Proper searching in the Matrix, asking for directions, following archaic buildplans, all combined will help them get there eventually. This should be a puzzle that encourages clever use of knowledge skills and personal strengths, for example someone partially guiding them if they help move some cargo that trapped a lifting drone.
Scene 5 - Goods and Chattels
At the specific docks where the cargo prank has taken place, it won't take long for the runners to discover there's neither metahumans nor drones in sight, only a crane-system with many moving arms. If they pay attention, they'll realise the system appears to be watching them. If they try to mess with the cargo, it will even ask them not to.   The dock is operated by an AI, calling itself Tillerz. If the runners ask about the cargo switch, or say they're wanting to switch cargo back, Tillerz will mention it was bribed to switch the cargo. It will gladly pull the counter-prank, but only if the runners help it get some fancy new parts. The parts are currently in possession of a group of smugglers.
Scene 6 - Making Waves
The smugglers are two docks over, currently unloading a submarine filled with drugs. Stealing the drugs would definitely make some people pissed, but just stealing the crane will just make them annoyed and confused. The runners could theoretically circumvent this fight, but likely at this point people also want to try out their combat skills, so a fight it will become. Officially this is because they are on stimulants that make them so paranoid, that they immediately attack the runners.   The smugglers are with two groups of four grunts each, and will flee once some are severely wounded or downed. They also will be fighting from cover, not stay in the open. The runners too will have plenty of places available for taking cover. Of course they must remember not to kill anyone, or else they'll lose their pay.
Scene 7 - Pieces of Eight
Assuming the runners robbed the smugglers of their hardware, without leaving corpses, they can hand over the bribe to Tillerz. Tillerz will promptly cut open up two crates, switch some content, then weld them shut again. After which it asks if any of the runners want to be lifted. If anyone accepts, it will do so gently but still give them a real nice view of the Portoplex.   A few hours later, the runners their commlinks buzz with their payments for a job well done. Attached to the payment is a commcode to call whenever the runners need a safehouse. If the runners compare, they'll discover everyone received their own commcode.   With the payment received for a job well done, it is time to hit the bar. A real one, this time. Maybe even a fastfood place, and get some soywarma with fries.

Legwork

Trying to find information can be done in 3 ways:
    • Performing a Memory Test (Logic + Intuition) connected to a Knowledge Skill
    • Asking a Contact to check for you (Connection + Connection)
    • Running a Matrix Search (Electronics + Intuition, Extended)
Moenen
Relevant Knowledge Skill: <Any major UNL city> Johnsons/Streets, UNL Shadowrunners
Relevant Contact Archetype: Bartender, Fixer, Johnson, Shadowrunner
 
Contact Matrix Result
00Isn't that slang for exposing your butt?
11A fixer that primarily deals in favours, who only meets people in the Matrix. They say he's a bartender in a bar he owns.
23He's got his name from an old myth, where the devil calls himself Moenen and offers a young girl a deal.
35He's loose-lipped when it comes to other people's secrets, but never tattles on his employers, customers, and hired runners.
5-Never ask him for a favour. If he offers you one, great. But if you hire him in return for favours, he will never let you off the hook!
Portoplex
Relevant Knowledge Skill: Corporate Security Tactics, Europort Streets, Node Security Design
Relevant Contact Archetype: Beat Cop, Dock Worker, Mechanic
 
Contact Matrix Result
00Is that someone with a kink for ports?
11The docks-part of the Europort region, where all the cargo is handled. Biggest port of the world.
23Near-everything is automated inside, and it's a Matrix nightmare. Everything is either real expensive, or slaved to RCCs for Noise Reduction. Forget about your wireless in there.
35Some patrols got in trouble for only patrolling outside, and messing around during shift-change. Lesson didn't stick though, they're still lazy.
58Due to the Matrix density, it's lured in several AIs. Generally they make themselves useful, so the Corps don't care.

United Netherlands

The United Netherlands consists of the former Netherlands and Flanders, unified in 2043 as a result of the economic damage of the EuroWars.   Officially the UNL are a constitutional monarchy, though Queen Amalia's authority is mainly symbolic. Every member of Parliament is in the pocket of the Megacorps, some of multiple at a time.

The Black Tide

In 2011, the country lost its northern provinces to the Black Tide, a wave of toxic sludge pushed onto land by a force 13 storm. The Black Tide also rushed up the rivers, damaging many cities, including Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Arnhem, and Nijmegen.   Reconstruction of Rotterdam led to the creation of Europort, the largest seaport by far. Half of it consists of the Portoplex, a mechanised infrastructure that runs like clockwork.

Relevant Stats

Scene 2
Moenen resists any Negotiation attempts with 15 dice, but will act as if the players scored 2 extra hits if they're being polite and reasonable.
Scene 3
Any patrol features 5 individuals, giving them a group bonus on any relevant tests. Each group has 8 dice both on Perception, and against any attempts to convince or trick them.
Scene 4
The massive wireless activity comes with Noise Rating 5. The drones are all slaved to RCC-like hardware, allowing them to function. On the other hand, players can just about forget about any wireless bonuses, and only decent commlinks can properly place calls.
Scene 5
Tillerz is in full control of the crane-system, and an excellent multitasker. If anyone picks a fight with Tillerz, up to six arms can attack at any given time, with a 5m range, 14 attack dice, and an Attack Rating of 10. Defensewise the arms have a Structure Rating of 17 and require significant damage to disable.   To damage the pneumatic tubes requires a Called Shot - Vitals attack, facing a defense pool of 13 dice, a Defense Rating of 23, and requiring a base weapon DV of 6 (before the +3 from the Called Shot).   Matrix-wise the system counts as a Rating 5 Host (Attack 6, Sleaze 5, Data Processing 7, Firewall 8), and Tillerz counts as an active defender with all mental stats on 8. Tillerz also is permanently running Black IC, Tar Baby, and Sparky.
Scene 6
Remember that gruntgroups attack as one entity. Each extra member adds 1 Attack Rating, and at 3-4 members the group gains +1 die.

PR3 Smuggler

BARSWLICESS
333(4)332326
DRI/IDACCMMOVE
66(7)/1(2)A1,I31010/15/+1
Skills: Close Combat 4 (7d), Firearms 4 (7d), Perception 4 (7d)
Gear: Armor vest (+3), commlink (Device Rating 3), 2 Cram Inhalers (1 used, in statblock)
Weapons: RJI Standard [Heavy Pistol, DV 3P, SA, Attack Ratings 10/8/6/-/-, 12(c)]
Dicepools: Offense 7, Defense 7, Soak 31
Scene 7
+1 Reputation: Not leaving significant traces
-1 Reputation: Killing anyone

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