Another Big List of Very Awesome Names: Hacker callsigns

 "Dade?"

"Yeah, Ma?"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm taking over a TV network."

"Finish up, honey, and get to sleep."

I just felt like putting another list together as a challenge. I thought maybe that this time I'd talk a little about the process and what passes for my naming philosophy here. Whether it's shadowrunning names, hacker callsigns, or secret agent pseudonyms, a name your character chose for themselves is prime real estate for expression. Even if it's one they earned from others, it's still far more meaningful than the name they were born with. So to me, this isn't an opportunity to pass up. 

I want to get it out of the way that I think edgy names detailing how dangerous someone is aren't exactly bad. However, their best use is probably to contrast to someone's physical appearance and/or demeanor. It's compelling when someone who's earned a name like "The Plague" or "Planet Cracker" isn't what you expected when you heard those names, and it's even better when you can prove why they got those names later on. I think that the more talented someone is, the more they trend toward a name that's descriptive, colorful or even just strange. After all, they don't feel like they have anything to prove.

It's also easier to express something about your character if you choose something personal instead of just something to make people think they're dangerous. If the fact that your character is super dangerous and skillful is the only thing you can think of? I urge you to re-think your character's personality and background. Normal people have hobbies, likes and dislikes, important events in their past, philosophies that could have inspired them, or a name that they could've earned by being good at a particular thing...or even just doing it a lot. Listen to a few songs by Tech N9ne and you can probably get why he earned a nickname comparing him to a sub-machine gun: his rapid-fire cadence. 

Double meanings are a lot of fun too. Our friend Planet Cracker might be a very dangerous hacker known for taking whole systems offline, or he could just be prolific in the world of software cracking. He could be both! Someone named Bloody Mary could be particularly violent...or a hopeless alcoholic. It can be really hard to come up with two aspects of your character that come together like this, so I'll let you in on my secret: Sometimes I come up with the name first. A name popping into my head has given me a shot of inspiration more than once. It's part of why I come up with these lists! We often hold our TTRPG characters to higher standards than real people. In the real world, people have weird stuff they're into and weird little quirks or events in their life that stick with them and create nicknames. I met a guy named Popcorn Tub once. Bucket of popcorn in their PFP and everything. Like I said, names come from everywhere. 

A special note about Shadowrunner handles: A lot of them trend toward multiple words. Orange Queen, Chromed Accountant, Cigar Chomper, Neon Wraith, The Smiling Bandit, etc. There are still plenty of single-word names, but in general don't be afraid to go pretty long in this setting. Just be aware that you are GOING to get a shortened version of your callsign used on you whether you want it or not, so it's best to consider that and build it into your name from the beginning. 

Finally, some hacker-related naming advice. Most of this was "common sense" enough that I almost didn't include it, but I felt bad. The stereotype of a hacker(data specialist, decker, etc) is a tech-oriented, often tech-obsessed person who relies on their intellect and cleverness to accomplish goals. They usually came up in a culture where reputation is extremely important: they might even be arrogant or dramatic because of it. Puns, especially puns on tech terms, are going to be very common. Names centered around secrecy, thievery or crime will also be common. Names which are extremely weird are pretty memorable too, and that's very important to them. If you're making a hacker(decker, data specialist, etc), I firmly believe that you can't skip this step. You need a cool name. You can't just be Bob the Hacker. 

Though, that name certainly works for Bob the Drag Queen, so. Do what you want.

Concrete Drinker

Redline Rider

Burnout Shaman

Graverobber

Muzzler

Blowtorch Surgeon

Matrix Mortician

Cruel Candy

Glacier Cowboy

Signal Thief

Habit

Sub Standard

Dance Hall Demon

Aphasic Firewall

Itchfinger

WIPcrack

Gumbreath

Cognitophage

Antisocial Engineer

Dataline Tramp

Squidpunk

Actual Hal

Rabid Child

Bad End

Have Mallet, Will Travel

Abberationist

Backdoor Spider

Laglurker

Poetry in Stasis

Scriptfather

--[~~~~\/~~~~]--

These are way harder to do, because they're more serious than my last drill. That's why you got thirty and not fifty. Doing these drills and actually working on my naming schemes is tough, but it's taught me that I'm probably a lot better at this than the average gamer. A lot of people struggle, and I've even known one or two who are confident but awful at it. I hope these posts help. 

If I can leave you with one piece of advice, it's this: Don't be afraid to be weird. Don't ever let anyone tell you that your character has to be more normal or that a name is too strange. The real world has amazingly wild people in it, and whether their name is one they were given or one they chose for themselves doesn't matter at all.

A Big List of Very Awesome Names

Merrily the feast I'll make
Toray I'll brew, tomorrow bake
Merrily I'll dance and sing
For next day will a stranger bring
Little does my lady dream: Rumpelstiltskin is my name!

I don't know why I made this list. These names just pop into my head sometimes. Honestly, I doubt any of them are even usable. Still, if I have to suffer, so do you. Feel free to use or even mix and match these names. Some are intended as Internet/Hacker names, some are normal(There aren't enough quotation marks for that word in this context so I won't try)...but most? I doubt you can tell the difference. Shoutout to Sugar Dunkerton, a real person whose name would fit seamlessly onto this list. 

Dolores Buttergun

Macklin Grote

Slapp Hammley

Fingal Crunchman

Wonderful Dennis

Stained Jenny

Tugwug Brown

Iaim Leavington

Stanch Harkins

The Wunch

Bananas Harrington

Amy Stocklette

Bevlette Stanford

Spink "Spank" Spunk

Ding Langley

Ring Dingley

Dong Dangly

Mediocre Dennis

Answer Dancer

Doctor Gun

Special Chills

Spectral Chimp

Species Chance

Dog Friend

Cat Enemy

Turtle Acquaintance

Coco Shame

Terrible Dennis

Slack Action (courtesy of the graffiti on the Warhol Bridge)

The Brunch Goblin

Randold Arnall

Actual Size

Whump Stumpington

The Blame Rancher

Vertical Betty

Dustin Debris

Wicked Short Ron

Ann Ville

Beau Dega

Hieronymous Ugrunt

Horkins

Rhonda Redundo

Chip Danger

Dullar Sharpe

Runsible Burbank

Ringo Tenspeed

"Argyle" Agnes Angus

Danny Convict

Pismo Blunt

Accidental Pete

Well, that's fifty names for you. Good for at least fifty characters, right? Because these are all gold, obviously. Thank you for sitting through my shitpost despite the growing horrible realization that I'm probably doing this again some day. To get real for a moment, this sort of brainstorming WORKS: if you write down everything you come up with, no matter how dumb, you'll at least end up with the building blocks in front of you to piece together what you really want. As evidenced, there's actually some decent ones in this list!

As a parting piece of advice: Life's too short for normal names. Give your characters something wild that'll spark a conversation. 

Compulsive, The World's Best Flaw

 The sun shines, not out of affection, but out of compulsion.

Something that SR5 distinctly improved upon compared to SR3 is flaws. SR3 just doesn't have a whole lot of them, and I pretty firmly believe the flaws you take are an important defining factor to your character. Lucky for us, SR3 outright tells you to come up with your own flaws, and even includes a "general category" of flaw called Compulsive. Today I'm gonna list some new compulsive behavior flaws I came up with. These are for SR3, but they can surely be easily adapted to other editions with a bit of care. For SR5, I'd place these somewhere between 5 and 20 karma. Just use your judgment. 

Fitness Fanatic (-2). The character is serious about all aspects of their fitness. Their lifestyle costs are increased by ten percent to account for fitness equipment, doctor's visits, better food, vitamin supplements, or anything else the GM and player deem appropriate. In addition, the character must succeed at a Willpower (6) test to consume anything with an addiction rating, or any other substance or food deemed particularly unhealthy. The target number may be adjusted at the GM's discretion for times of desperation or extremely harmful substances. 

Shopaholic(-1 to -5). The character loves to shop. It doesn't matter what they're buying, they're addicted to the rush of joy that comes along buying something new. Every month, the character must spend at least 1000¥ per level of this flaw. This must be in objects, equipment, food, or anything else the character owns: bribes and services do not count, but experiences like concerts or a spa trip do.  If this is not done by the time lifestyle payment is due, the character loses their cool and blows the entire amount on anything with an availability of "always", and it doesn't count against this month's shopping, either. 

Fashionista(-2 or -3). Whether an aspirational poser or they came from real money and status, the character can't stand to be seen wearing pedestrian clothing. At -2, the character takes a +1 to all mental and social target numbers when dirty, unkempt, or wearing less than fine clothing. At -3, the character must wear tres chic clothing and an additional 1000¥ in wearables such as jewelry, electronics or weapons with a custom finish or engraving. 

Armor clothing costs can be increased by 50% to match appropriately with the character's fine clothing, or doubled to match with a tres chic outfit. The armored clothing must still be paired with an appropriate set of clothing. Security or mil-spec armor violates this flaw regardless of how well it's tailored. 

Gang Pride(-2). The character is proud to be a member(or former member) of a street gang. The character represents the gang's colors or uniform at all times, regardless of what else they're wearing. In addition, they must succeed at a Willpower (6) test when asked about their gang membership or clothing, or else directly and firmly state their affiliation. 

These sorts of actions aren't popular with high society or corporate types, and the character may face social penalties when dealing with them, at the GM's discretion. 

Child of the Street(-1). The opposite of Fashionista, the character can't stand to wear expensive clothing or live in comfort, finding both stifling and uncomfortable. The character takes a +1 to all target numbers while wearing anything "fine" or "tres chic". They may wear armor, but not any armor clothing that counts as fine or tres chic. In addition, when faced with a living situation better than Squatter(13 points or higher in the expanded lifestyles optional rule) they must succeed at a Willpower(8) test to stay the night, or else leave to stay outside. 

Needless to say, this flaw is incompatible with Fashionista. 

I like doing this a lot, so expect more in the future. A final note: Remember to check with the GM for the final value of these flaws. After all, they may disagree with how much they're worth at face value, or they could be running a game where they'll be more or less of a hassle. Gang Pride in a campaign where the characters are all members in a go-gang is liable to get you in a lot of trouble, for example.

I Hate the Steyr AUG-CSL

 I don't like warriors. Too narrow-minded, no subtlety. And worse, they fight for hopeless causes. Honor? Huh! Honor's killed millions of people, it hasn't saved a single one. 

Equipment lists often have sub-standard or even useless gear in them from the player's point of view. I mean, that's fine. The biggest culprit is probably the D&D 3.X/PF armor list, but these things would logically exist in the world. Not everyone is going to have access to the best stuff, and they'd have to make due with brigandine, chain mail, half-plate, or what have you. It's helpful for the GM too: they can give enemies worse gear to soften an encounter. Shadowrun is no different, and has lots of gear a runner might not have much use for, but an NPC might. 

This sub-standard gear usually has some justification for its existence, even if it's nothing a PC would touch. Corporate execs might want a light or hold-out pistol because of the weight or style, or because they can just directly get APDS ammo from their corporation's armory. A ganger might buy a vibro knife instead of a cougar fineblade for its intimidating thrum when it's turned on, or they might carry around a rattan stick because their daily itinerary is mostly filled with harassing shop clerks for protection money.

But I do have a limit. I understand that Shadowrun may even have its fill of dumb hipster shit in it, but it's really rare that you find a piece of gear that utterly can't justify its existence beyond the consumer being pretty stupid. This is where the AUG-CSL comes in. 

Real life does have modular weaponry that uses the same pieces to build weapons with multiple functionalities. Shadowrun isn't really set up for this in its mechanics, so we have this thing. It's a weapon "system" that can be rearranged into four different configurations: an assault rifle, a carbine rifle, an SMG and an LMG. My issues are numerous and my rage is immeasurable, but I'll try to list them here in no order. 

One. While my local game has adapted skill groups that soften this problem, it's really super rare for people to take many weapon skills. It just doesn't come up. The Rifles skill is often useful for extreme range combat or assassination, but it's pretty rare someone has more than one of SMGs, Assault Rifles, and Heavy Weapons: They all do the same thing. They makes the bullet go super fast. The three weapon types do have differences I'm not going to go into here, but suffice to say that skill points are at a premium. Nobody has the room to learn a bunch of gun skills. 

Two. Only one of the forms really has any value. The Carbine Rifle configuration is a rifle that can burst fire: It(and the HK G38, a virtually identical weapon to the AUG-CSL) is the only source of this capability outside of building your own weapon. The other three are just lackluster, common weapons in their category with no decent accessories. Their damage codes are competitive, thank god. In fact, they only differ in the following ways: their concealability rating, the skill it takes to use them, and their range. Basically, this means all you're doing is bolting more parts on to progressively increase the range of your weapon, something that's got a limited usefulness to begin with: a lot of your encounters are probably taking place inside fifty meters. That is, after all, about half a football field.  

Three. It's expensive and hard to find. Not much to say here, it's twice the cost and harder to find than weapons which are far better than it. You also can't start the game with this piece of shit, despite it being a (almost) completely pointless weapon. Obviously this is to imply that this thing is some sort of rare proof of concept build or limited release, and that probably is what they were going for. That doesn't mean I have to be happy about it. 

Four. Reconfiguring the weapon requires an assault rifles B/R check. It's a simple TN, four, but it still means this stupid thing has yet another skill requirement to get any use out of it. Of course, you can probably ask your fixer to configure it to Carbine Rifle then throw all the other parts away. The fact that you can take it apart probably has some level of use, but for that you have the SA Puzzler and the WW Infiltrator, which are even better at this purpose, cheaper, and easier to find. 

So technically, this weapon might have an edge use case. If your GM is a real jerk and likes making custom firearms hard to get(I don't see the point) then it's your only source of a rifle that can burst. Even that's of an extremely limited use: This isn't a weapon you can start with, so by the time you can get this you can just get a sniper rifle. It's arguable which damage code would be better(14S sniper rifle vs. the 10D burst) but I lean toward the sniper rifle reflexively. Higher damage codes are usually better, and it's a third of the bullets fired: those special APDS assassinatin' bullets add up. 

Oh, and the HK-G38 sucks too. 

10,000,000 Channels And Nothing On

"I am gross and perverted,

I'm obsessed and deranged

I have existed for years,

But very little has changed"

I almost put this together in the style of an in-universe channel guide, but that's a daunting task and a daunting task means I'd probably never actually write this article. Television still exists in the future, obviously, but popular culture in the real world has changed. Anyway, SR3 doesn't give a whole lot of great examples for what's on to begin with. SR5 and 6 probably make great strides in updating and filling out what trideo entertainment is like. However, instead of doing boring research then regurgitating all of that, I figured I'd just make up my own stuff. Consider this a set of examples to help you come up with your own world details, whether you're a player or a GM. 

--=[~~~~~]=--

Taking It Like a Man [Mitsuhama, 3 Seasons]

Synopsis: The show follows Daniel Fullerton, a 35 year old wageslave who works in a Mitsuhama receiving center. At random times during his day, Daniel is struck in the genitals. This occurs more and more frequently and in increasingly bizarre situations as seasons continue, with Mitsuhama contriving more and more elaborate stunts that Daniel is (initially) unaware of.

Highlights: In season one, Daniel is unaware of the show until the season finale, wherein he is assaulted by "ninjas" who have broken into his house for the sole purpose of repeatedly punching him in the testicles. The cameras follow him to the hospital, where a troll orderly "accidentally" runs into his crotch with a wheelchair. In season two, Daniel becomes aware of the cameras and the show and begins trying to evade them both. Because of this, he is assigned an armored camera drone to follow him continuously. Fans of the first season begin to recognize Daniel and "join in on the fun". Daniel suffers a mental breakdown in the season two finale when the therapist he hired to cope with his time on the show punches him in the crotch. In the premiere of the third season, Daniel murders an actor with a pen knife once he realizes he's in another contrived situation. The rest of the season continues with Daniel occasionally having to evade the law and show "employees" now being armed. The latest season is the most popular yet and the show is signed for three more.

Fishbone's House [Shadowlands, 10 Seasons]

Synopsis: Papa Fishbone is a retired veteran of running and Houngan of Ghede. He uploads a structured show to the Shadowlands node which provides amusing but useful commentary and advice for new runners. He reviews footage from various sources such as opticams, gun-cams and stolen security footage. His "reviews" are often requests, but not always. Other personalities on the show include a plastic Halloween skeleton poorly rigged into a puppet which acts sarcastic and mean to Papa, and a former running mate of his named Snow Fairy who provides expert advice whenever the Matrix or computer technology is concerned. 

Highlights: Papa's show was raided at some point during season seven. Papa channels a great form spirit of Ghede on camera and kills the Wuxing strike team sent after him while mocking them with heavy criticism. Afterward, Papa sits down while still possessed by Ghede and finishes the show while puppeting the corpse of a Wuxing secmage to provide a foil to his run commentary. The entire double-length episode is uploaded as a "Halloween Special". 

Heartblips [Renraku, 2 Seasons]

Synopsis: Heartblips is a serious relationship drama set solely on the Matrix. The show's main gimmick is its POV selection mode, where viewers can follow several of the show's characters at any given moment. Watching the show while on the Matrix has proven wildly popular thanks to this gimmick and the many re-watches an average viewer can expect to find easter eggs and hidden details. 

Highlights: In Season One, Slicer and Hair Trigger's relationship proves rocky when Slicer accidentally finds information on Hair Trigger's real identity. In an unexpected twist, Slicer is unbothered by Hair Trigger's gender, but their real job as a Renraku security decker spells trouble for the pair's future. A popular B-plot in both seasons consists of the programmer Slowish trying to design an Agent that can act as a digital version of his late dog. Copies of the Agent were sold by Renraku following the plot's resolution. In the Season Two finale, Stained Glass Angel is revealed to be an AI with no physical presence at all: a fact that dedicated fans of the show have been collecting evidence of since the first episode.

Midtown Mike's Fun with Guns[ARES, 15 Seasons]

Synopsis: Modeled ironically after a daytime television show, hosts and experts review, test and showcase weapon technology. "Midtown Mike" has been recast several times, with in-jokes and subtle references being the only way this is acknowledged at all. The current Mike is a slightly overweight troll prone to excitement and yelling, especially when a guest brings him a troll-modified version of the weapon being showcased that episode. The show essentially only exists as ARES propaganda, with only ARES products receiving positive reviews. Every show features several structured segments, such as Wuss Watch, wherein nonlethal technology is "reviewed", mocked, and given a score of  "zero" regardless of merit. The current Mike frequently demands nonlethal technology be used directly on him. 

Highlights: Several Midtown Mikes have been seriously injured on-screen, and frequently these accidents are the host's final episode. One Midtown Mike died on-screen thanks to a malfunction with an Ares Longbow Light Anti-Tank Weapon. The footage was edited out of re-runs, but still exists on the Matrix. Several former hosts returned for the show's tenth anniversary reunion, and a recent "Behind the Scenes" special episode revealed that Midtown Mikey, the show's only female host, has stayed on in a behind-the-camera expert role. 

Midnight Makeover[Independent, 6 Seasons]

Synopsis: A team of five explicitly LGBT experts (including former runners) perform style makeovers on both the willing and unwilling. The show alternates between two styles of episode. The first and most common focuses on "shadow" fashion and helping runners and posers alike stay fashionable and avoid "edgelord" style while wearing body armor. One of the hosts(a retired combat decker) has a particular grudge against black leather aesthetic. Twice per season there is a special double-length episode where a corporate executive is kidnapped then publicly humiliated, usually by forcing or locking them into a ridiculous costume. These episodes are commonly thought to be runs that Midnight Makeover is explicitly being paid to perform, but this has never been stated on-camera. 

Highlights: During the latest season, a Transgressive Makeover victim was proving especially slippery. The team breaks into their house, replaces every stitch of clothing in the building and disables their matrix access. Then, the show's decker manufactures an emergency at the exec's facility so the victim is forced to arrive at work in an oversized neon green suit which strobes randomly and plays sound effects. He is subsequently fired and the team spends the final five minutes of the episode celebrating.

--=[~~~~~]=--

These were fun to write, I might even do more in the future.  As you can see, I've got a lot to say about entertainment in the world of Shadowrun, particularly "Shadow Entertainment". I can imagine an enormous underbelly of Shadow Shows uploaded to the matrix, or even whole pirated stations. Papa Fishbone's show is an idea I had a long, long time ago and is even partly validated by Shadowrun's canon: There's a sponsored corporate show listed in the Sprawl Survival Guide examples which contains outtakes and accidents from Desert Wars. If that exists, it means a lot of other shit does too. I also especially like the idea of runners helping other runners, which is something that kind of already happens as canon via the in-universe comments the books are littered with. 

A final thought: if you thought these shows were especially ridiculous, violent or even cruel: Congratulations. You understand Shadowrun. 

Great Places to Live in 2065

"Wait, does Batman live in Bruce Wayne's basement?"

"No, Bruce Wayne lives in Batman's attic. "

Every once in a while, I decide to be helpful. As a companion piece to the last post, I decided to do just that and work up some housing situations for Shadowrun 3e that the average player might not have thought of. Unlike the previous post, these are going to be complete lifestyles that are reasonably within the rules. I want players to be able to take them without having to convert or decide anything. 

Ranch Home. While a lot of cities in Shadowrun are megaplexes with sprawls so big that the wilderness has been all but swallowed up, there are plenty of places that still have housing like this. This is especially common in places like the NAN or PCC. A true ranch home is often on the outskirts of a city and owns a lot of flat, sprawling land. The cops often don't bother showing up this far out, but that's perfect for a shadowrunner trying to lay low. 

Area: Low-Equivalent(2). While not run-down, places like this often aren't even zoned for residential living, and police are only going to show up if they're called. If that.

Comforts: Middle(3). Self-sufficiency is required when you live fifteen minutes out of town. 

Entertainment: Low(2). While they ship the Matrix out by pack mule, at least you've still got it. Anyway, people live on ranches to work, not to sit around watching the trideo. 

Furnishings: Low(2). You should be happy the furniture even matches. People who live so far from the city only care that they're comfortable after a hard day, not that their furniture is expensive. 

Security: High(4). You're on your own in terms of security, and that's how you like it. Your grid doesn't rely on public services to keep people out. 

Space: High(4). Land out here is cheap and unspoiled. You may as well enjoy it. 

Subtotal: 4,350¥

Edges: Defensive Setup, No More Neighbors, Quiet Neighborhood

Flaws:  Middle of Nowhere, Underpaid Security

Total: 5,220¥

Crime Hotel. When tourism fades or when an area gets bought out and leaves dozens of hotels empty, they aren't always torn down. Demolition takes money, and when the land they're built on is suddenly useless to begin with, it's virtually impossible to sell. Sometimes these mammoth, decaying buildings are taken over by criminals, street gangs, shadowrunners...or even just the SINless looking for a place to live. 

Area: Squatter-equivalent(1). This used to be a bustling business district, but now it's a ghost town full of closed shops and abandoned tourist attractions. 

Comforts: Low(2). Your room is a converted hotel room, and facilities represent that. Washing is communal, but at least someone's decided to run the cafeteria. 

Entertainment: Low(2). At least the trideo and matrix access node left in the room still work. 

Furnishings: Middle(3). Hotels live and breathe on how nice their rooms look, and this one was no exception. 

Security: Low(2). Hey, at least the lock on your flimsy door still works. 

Space: Low(2). Hotel rooms aren't built very big, unless you have the luck to be living in a suite or penthouse. 

Subtotal: 1,000¥

Edges: Inconspicuous Housing, Helpful Neighbors, Privacy Screen 2

Flaws: Bad Reputation, Annoying Neighbors, Rough Neighborhood

Total: 1,100¥

Planned Community. The suburbs were all but destroyed to make way for city sprawl and cheap apartments in most cities. However, some big-time executives and rich 1%ers aren't satisfied with penthouses. They pine for the anachronistic, family-centric living of the fifties. A former corporate wageslave turned runner may be living here in the midst of insufferable retirees and "upwardly mobile" middle managers.

Area: High-Equivalent(4). This is a planned community, after all: a sea of similar houses with similar yards that have similar barbecue grills so they can have similar cookouts.

Comforts: High(4). Each of these prefabricated homes are designed for high-paid corporate personnel who have families, and are filled with the latest tech as a result: all branded by whichever of the Big Eight built this community. 

Entertainment: Middle(3). Your family is supposed to be your entertainment...but things like premium matrix access, corporate-sponsored trideo, and simsense decks help. The community even has a pool and several tennis courts.

Furnishings: Middle(3). Every one of these prefab homes has the same art on the same walls, and the same furniture in the same rooms...unless you've taken it upon yourself to rearrange it, anyway.

Security: Luxury(5). Guard patrols, security camera nets, rigger support and discrete security checkpoints? The Big Eight like to protect their investments.

Space: Luxury(5). A big house is seen as a reward for "making it" and these are no exception. They are performatively huge, and almost more space than a family of four can use.

Subtotal: 10,000¥

Edges: Bribed Security, Concerned Neighbors, Motivated Service, Quiet Neighborhood, Terrific View

Flaws: Intolerant Neighbors x2, No Privacy 2, Trigger-Happy Landlord

Total:  12,500¥

Broke-Down Kingdom. Whether it's a tent city, reclaimed building or ruined mall, you live in a collective of homeless and transients. Food and resources are shared, and problematic people are kicked out. No one person is in charge, which sometimes leads to bickering. You share resources with a large, constantly shifting collection of people. 

Area: Street-Equivalent(0). The only place you and your homeless brothers could find space to permanently settle down is in cast-off, ruined or abandoned buildings. 

Comforts: Squatter(1). Rain barrels, propane burners, electric lanterns and scavenged food are the most common comfort for you. Every once in a while, someone will score something really nice like a portable generator or a van full of snacks intended for a stuffer shack.

Entertainment: Squatter(1). Live music and card games are popular. Mostly because they're cheap. Sometimes hot-shot filmmakers show up trying to get you and your friends to fight each other for food or nuyen. Beating the hell out of those guys and stealing their cameras usually makes your night.

Furnishings: Squatter(1). All you've got is what you or someone else could steal or find discarded in the trash. 

Security: Low(2). There are people in the collective who take it upon themselves to protect the rest. Sometimes, there's even a guard rotation.

Space: Squatter(1). You don't have much. It could be a room shared by several others, it could be a tiny hut of your own. You have what you were able to find and build with your own two hands.

Subtotal:  100¥

Edges:  Concerned Neighbors 2, Helpful Neighbors 2, Escape Tunnel, Hasty Access, Roommate From Heaven 2 

Flaws: Bad Reputation, Annoying Neighbors 2, Bad Insulation, Living By Committee, No Hazard Alarm, Crashpad

Total: 120¥

I hope you don't mind that two of these are a little similar, and one(the Broke-down Kingdom) takes a few liberties with what a space of "squatter", a "roommate" and a "neighbor" are. I think it works out nicely for those of us who are buying karma with literally every scrap of nuyen they come across. Living situation being a mechanic in Shadowrun is one I find fascinating, because it forces you to make a decision that can impact your mechanics(your nuyen) and the situations you're placed in, but it's motivated solely by roleplay. There's not much of that out there, so expect me to talk more about it and other cultural aspects of the Shadowrun world. 

Terrible Places to Live in 2065

 "Please don't tell anyone how I live."

I'm fond of putting together sets of edges and flaws that turn out ridiculous. I can't help it. In Shadowrun it was always things like someone with Sea Legs and Sea Madness, doomed to forever spend their life on a house boat which never leaves the coast. Another idea I often had was an Elf with Human Looking and Elf Poser, overcompensating for their looks by being so proud of their heritage that it comes off as fake. I know in my heart that you shouldn't play these characters, just like you shouldn't live in these detailed lifestyles I'm about to present. Most of them even break the rules of maximum allowable edges and flaws, anyway. May as well beg your GM anyway, though. 

The Dollhouse. In 2054, an experimental art collective on Renraku payroll set up a performance designed to last an entire year. The collective was to live in a zoo-like enclosure, a "house" set up in the middle of a Renraku-owned casino with hardened plexiglass for walls. The only room with any privacy is the bathroom, every other location in the dollhouse can easily be seen from the casino floor surrounding it. Renraku valued the relatively cheap advertising its casino was receiving through the stunt, and also saw it as an opportunity to advertise cutting-edge living technology. 

It's now 2065. The enclosure is still standing, but the casino surrounding it is nowhere near as popular as it once was. Demolishing the enclosure to make way for another attraction is wildly out of budget, so the management had another idea: Renting it out to anyone foolish enough to stay there. 

Edges: Bribed Security, One Step Away from Everything, Vigilant Security

Flaws: Annoying Neighbors x 10, Cacophonous Neighborhood, No Privacy 6

Total: -0.50 

The Disappointments Room. In Victorian times, a house would sometimes have a secret, converted area to house a child that the parents wanted to keep secret. Disabled or otherwise non-conforming children were seen as shameful and hidden away in secret living spaces hidden in otherwise normal Victorian homes. Access is often a convoluted affair involving secret passages behind bookcases. Whether this area is being rented out or you're an actual disappointment, one of these rooms is where you live. 

Edges: Privacy Screen 4, Inconspicuous Housing, Quiet Neighborhood

Flaws: Difficult Access, Intolerant Neighbors 2, Trigger Happy Landlord, No Hazard Alarm

Total: +0.40

The Run for Love House, Season XXXIV. Similar to living in co-op housing, you live with seven other people. Unlike co-op housing, you and your vapid but beautiful housemates are filmed by a CCSS rigger and the footage is edited down to an hour long weekly television show. This show's theme is showcasing the home lives of so-called shadowrunners, but you're starting to suspect you're the only one who isn't a poser. The flaw Day Job should be used to represent the various interviews and contests your character has to endure. 

Edges: Roommate from Heaven 2, Good Reputation, No More Neighbors, Terrific View

Flaws: Ambush Friendly, Living By Committee, Roommate from Hell 5, Middle of Nowhere, This Isn't Sam's Pizza

Total: -0.10

Fairy Tale Adventureland. This amusement park has been abandoned for decades following budget cuts, and remains standing since demolishing it to reclaim the land would be too much money. Whether you're desperate or fancy yourself a supervillain, you've decided to rent the location. The park remains filled with decayed animatronics, "festive" drones that still wander the grounds, and barely-functioning rides that turn on in the middle of the night. There may be someone(or something) else living here, but it could just be glitches in the camera system. 

Edges: No More Neighbors, Astral Repellent

Flaws: Background Count, Haunted, Infestation 2, Mail leftovers, Portal in the Closet 2

Total: -0.30, -0.40 for Awakened Characters

If your GM allows you to live in any of these places, consider them really brave, really stupid, or really devious. Possibly some combination of all three. Don't blame me if the ghost of a clown murders you in your sleep. More stupid places to live will follow some day, along with some actual useable and realistic examples. If you're good.