Behind the Scenes
[!log]SecTunnel
N: “There is no bravado, anymore.”
E: “Ironic that your opening move is so cautious, considering your complaint.”
N: “And a timid counter, proving my point. The city is quiet, stable, boring. We used to have excitement to drive us forward, not caution.”
E: “So you would have us return to the frontier age again? Waging war across multiple fronts at once, between a harsh environment, interference from Earth, the meddlings of Darkwire…”
N: “Ahh, the Darkwire of old. When cunning was just as valuable as ruthlessness.”
E: “And now we are all equals in ruthlessness. A consequence of good business, no?”
N: “Good business is good in peace and war, or else it was never good in the first place. The pioneer spirit, the ruthless force to plant one’s flag or tear another’s down — what remains of it is a souvenir. Packaged, sold, consumed. To the victor go the spoils, and oh how we have spoiled indeed.”
E: “A bit early in the game to be claiming victory, don’t you think? Let’s suppose victory is still assured, but there is still a player on the board. Why not play with them a little bit?”
N: “A waste of time if its assured. I’m not talking about the game–when was the last time you heard of a wire going dark?”
E: “Pardon?”
N: “Coyness is not becoming of you.”
E: “I concede–Darkwire has been quiet for a long time. The city gave them nothing left to consolidate. However, I wouldn’t say that they’ve finished playing the game.”
N: “…oh?”
E: “Suppose they think just as you, nostalgic about the past because they’ve won everything. They must be bored out of their minds, waiting for a player to make an unexpected move.”
N: “Hmm. An eccentric strategy you’ve deployed, I don’t see the logic behind it.”
E: “I’m sure you remember Quaser Starlad, yes?”
N: “I do.”
E: “He had a knack for game making, and a real twisted way of getting participants onboard with whatever hair brained scheme he had in mind for his show. A delightfully deranged mind.”
N: “I don’t see how he is relevant here.”
E: “Exactly! An artifact irrelevant to the present, waiting to be thawed as the perfect cover for a touch of entertainment. You love pioneers so much, and revel in the chaos of what Shadowrunning used to be. He’s the perfect catalyst for both.”
N: “I think I am beginning to see the moves you are making…”
E: “By the end of the week, you’ll have some mementos in your collection, and a fresh breath of entertainment, old friend. Might want to look at the board, do you see it now?”
N: “…indeed I do, and normally I would concede, but–I think I would rather play, now.”
[!silkscreen]
Easy Moh at the Artemis Galleria.
Grand Re-Opening of Quaser Starlad’s Radio Station.
First time in 20 years. Suitcases of cash in prize money.
It’s a corporate money laundering operation.
Enter the contest, get the cash, and trace the currency back to source.
Feel free to keep what you find, but finding the source is your mission.
More to follow on site.
The last hour you’ve spent in this mall has been a joke. Most messages that came through Silkscreen were authored by the so-called “Storyteller” these days, but on occasion a different “fixer” would spin a yarn for Shadowrunners to chase into the night; you suspect this one might be less about pulling strings and more about pulling your leg, as this contest consisted of random citizens milling about and collecting tokens stuck on gaudy advertisements, or more absurdly, guessing trivia on old corporate slogans, all for coupons or lunch money prizes. Maybe the money would impress an office drone, but to operators like you it was insulting. You were on the verge of ditching this farcical job before something changed…
“Congratulations to our winning contestants so far, and if you haven’t won big yet, worry not little Starlads, your Quaser is just 'round the corner! This will be our last contest, and our most challenging yet, so be prepared–to go beyond! Distributed throughout this fabulous galleria, are suitcases encoded with the median annual salary of the Helios Circuit. You have 15 minutes to find a suitcase, and keep it until time is up, all locks will open at the same time, and not only will you win the prize, you’ll have the opportunity to be featured in a special interview segment on our next show! Best of luck contestants, your time starts–now!”
Properly motivated now, you ran into action. Immediately, you pegged something slightly off. You had no expectations that these suitcases would be just left out in the open for some random Joe Shmoe to grab off the street, but it quickly became apparent that there was no way any corporate mall would sign off on the waivers they would require for these placements. One of them was stuck to the ceiling of the atrium sky window with no obvious means of getting there, another prominently displayed inside of a barred closed novelty shop, and one of them was even encased behind a glass box just beneath a waterfall display; they were everywhere and all equally absurd. A standard civilian with no criminal history nor exceptional talent would ever get any of these, let alone in 15 minutes. Nonetheless, you don’t really care about the rest of the contestants, you just need your hands on the cash, and you do eventually manage to get one. The timer runs down on the giant holographic in the atrium, and after a brief ten second count down over the PA, your case opens just as advertised. What wasn’t advertised is what was actually inside.
“Congratulations!” A small holographic figure displays inside of the opened case, its audio synced with the announcement over the PA system, but their messages immediately diverge from that point on, ambient audio drowned out by the private message in the case. As the PA system announces that the contest is over, the holographic suitcase gives you a rundown that makes your heart race with adrenaline.
“You have been selected for an exclusive opportunity which you’ve proven you have the skills for, but do you have the mettle? Three blocks to the east of the Galleria is the Museum of Celeste Progress. It will shortly be experiencing a shift changeover for the guards on duty, and your window is closing quickly. Get to the Museum by any means necessary, further details to follow on arrival. Best of luck, and if you get caught, make it memorable!”
The message begins to play on a loop, but you’ve already dropped the case and started running. Time (and money) was short!
OOC Instructions:
Your character is racing to the Museum! Choose Grit, Savvy, or Muscle as according to your character sheet, and then roll 2d6+stat to determine your overall success before you begin posting.
Rolling above an 8 is considered a full success for your intent, but rolling below an 8 just means you achieve your objective very poorly or with consequence.
Where to roll? Please use the Dice-Pile Discord Channel for everyone’s visibility.
The race is three phases, as described in the thread discussion post. The posting rounds will alternate between Rolls that you choose the stat for, and Rolls that I will call for before the phase changes.
Happy racing!