I waited till I got home to answer this cause I need the laptop to fully respond (without taking several years typing on my iPad).
1st you are correct, if you are using the Shadowrun Companion to come up with racial architypes (the Oni) that is WAY broken.
2nd - I would guarantee the gunbunny could be brought low by the minorest of mages because he has absolutely no defenses to magic of any kind. 30d attack or not, any magic-using creature is going to eat his lunch.
3rd - 15/15 armor? Sounds like someone is layering (a big no-no in SR) the only armor allowed to layer is FFBA (form-fitting body armor) 6/2 combined with an Armored Jacket 8/6 for a total 14/8. Now I guess you could go obnoxious and buy a helmet 1/2 and riot shield 2/6 which would give you better than those numbers (17/16 to be exact) but then you'd have to carry all this stuff wherever you go (guards/cops/security look dimly at people who look like they're coming to start a war).
4th - 23 stun, I'm guessing, was from the sniper rifle? Well if the players can use it, so can the GM. And I gotta tell you, taking a headshot from a sniper you can't see is an awful sucky way to have your character die...
5th - regarding the sniper rifle and a lot of other stuff which is boardering on the rediculous. Is your GM enforcing the availability maximum? Many of the sniper rifles (and the awesome bullets that go with it) have availability ratings higher than 12. That means your character can't have it. (and we haven't even gotten to all the chem-sniffers, MAD scanners, and security checkpoints, I get the giggles every time some runner thinks they can just waltz across a security checkpoint with a ton of restricted gear).
6th - lets not forget the resistance and soak rolls. 23 stun may sound bad initially, but a combat-oriented runner might avoid the hit entirely or just take a few stun from that.
In sum, the game is "broken" when you have a few characters who are playing with all the optional rules (which are, btw, illegal in Missions) and several 1st time characters.
Both Dave and Laura are correct, its best to focus on one aspect of the game IF you like large dice pools (and like to have your moment in the spotlight)
Sister Sonya wrote:I managed to bring an unconscious 13-Body Troll, w/3 stun left, almost completely back, so that he was down just 2 stun for the next round.
And that's why it pays to focus.
Sister Sonya wrote:The events yesterday had more style; my favorite was moving a 40,000 gal. fishtank twice.
I liked the actual execution of this adventure, I just found the railroady "hey the bad guys know exactly what you are doing and where you are at all times PLUS they know your communit # to be a bit off-putting. So am I correct in assuming you played through 00, and 01?
Sister Sonya wrote:Much of the technology has about as much sense, or less, than that of 7th Sea- which makes few pretenses.
Hate to tell you Luddites this, but SR is where technology is going. Many of the things that SR-technology takes for granted, are things which we are hearing hints of today. If you want a bunch of examples, head over to the Dumpshock forums (
http://forums.dumpshock.com/) they can tell you all about it.
Sister Sonya wrote:I can see why you like the game,Mark! Ideas, backed up by dice, can make plausibility a reality. I've even found a Shadowrun novel in our public library system! My new and improved character will be ready for Seattle at Origins!
I am glad to hear you like it too. It's got a very methodical feel to it. You're given a problem, and within some restrictions are free to solve the problem in whichever way you want (or have the skills to solve). There are always multiple ways to solve it given the makeup of your team.
As for books, I have a bunch of them, I can probably point you toward some of the better adventures (and away from the truly awful books).
Oh yea, one last thing, regarding Dave's comment about the SR GM. His full name is Stephen "Bull" Ratkovich (he might just put "Bull" as GM). He is now also the SR:M Coordinator so the whole Seattle Campaign is his baby and it will most definitely have his stamp on the games. The ones you are playing through now (NYC) were Coordinated by John Dunn, Aaron Pavao, and Steven McQuillin (at various times). All the latter are gone from SR now (just like me, they were owed money and not paid). Bull however, seems loyal to the thief and his cronies (and continues to put his own personal spin* on SR).
Mark
*He'd very much like to return SR to the days of cyberdecks and jacking in (aka SR 1-2) rather than letting the game evolve with the technology around it.