First time playing Shadowrun (any addition) - pitfalls to avoid?

[bulbaquil]

So our gaming group is going to start up a Shadowrun 5e game, and I've never played. I know the basic premises/theme of the game (corporatocratic cyberpunk dystopia, have several buckets worth of d6's on hand, kick-in-the-door is not the best strategy, etc.), and I know that I intend to play a technomancer, but most of my experience is in Pathfinder and I'm not entirely sure where to begin.

Is there anything I should know ahead of time, before character creation? Any common newbie pitfalls I should strive to avoid?

[LibraryOgre]

1) Don't try to do everything. You've got meat, you've got wizards, you've got faces. Let them carry their weight. You don't have to have the biggest guns or the best negotiation skills. Specialize.

2) Don't be incompetent in basic skills. This sounds at odds with number 1, and it's a bit of a balance, but... be able to defend yourself. Be able to negotiate a little. Be able to duck. Have at least 1, and probably 2 fighting skills (Unarmed and Pistol are my go-to skills). Have a point in Dodge. Have some basic social skills. Even a 1 in those skills means you can use them and spend Edge doing so (assuming they kept that mechanic in 5e).

[Kaun]

The best piece of advice when it comes to Shadowrun IMHO is make sure everybody is on the same page about the game.

What type of game is your GM intending to run? Is it going to be a Pink Mohawks, chromed up, guns blazing kill fest. A intricately planed heist style game like the Oceans movies. Or some where in between. Or something else completely.

Shadowrun suffers immensely if everybody isn't sitting down to play the same type of Shadowrun. Before you start making characters get everybody together and have a talk about it.

[LibraryOgre]

The best piece of advice when it comes to Shadowrun IMHO is make sure everybody is on the same page about the game.

What type of game is your GM intending to run? Is it going to be a Pink Mohawks, chromed up, guns blazing kill fest. A intricately planed heist style game like the Oceans movies. Or some where in between. Or something else completely.

Shadowrun suffers immensely if everybody isn't sitting down to play the same type of Shadowrun. Before you start making characters get everybody together and have a talk about it.

This is very true. There's the Pink Mohawk style, then the Mirrorshades. Even one Pink Mohawk can really throw off a mirrorshades game...

[bulbaquil]

Thanks. So basically, make sure to know what's going on ahead of time, and not self-gimp in situations that are likely to come up a lot no matter what you're specializing in?

[Kaun]

Always have an exit strategy.

Always keep a couple slap patches handy.

Never start a fight if the enemy has a chance of winning.

If a fire fight has been going more then 3 rounds, get out of there.

and as always, never make a deal with a dragon.

[TimeWizard]

Never make a deal with a dragon. Trust me on this.

[LibraryOgre]

Thanks. So basically, make sure to know what's going on ahead of time, and not self-gimp in situations that are likely to come up a lot no matter what you're specializing in?

Right. Be specialized, but be able to tie your own shoes and buy your own beer.

And, since i'ts been brought up...

Watch your back. Shoot straight. Conserve ammo. And never, ever, cut a deal with a dragon.

[CombatOwl]

Never make a deal with a dragon. Trust me on this.

Totally a good idea to make a deal with an AI or rogue spirit though.

[Falcon X]

As said before, this largely depends on your GM. Some will try to make it look like D&D/Pathfinder. My shadowrun DM gets scary realistic, people die, we are always paranoid, it's high magic, and good roleplaying can save our butts quicker than good dice pools.

You aren't a one man team or else you would be hired out as one. When Mr. Johnson asks for a hacker, that's why you are recommended. If he asks for a face, he'll get a face.
If someone has a function on the team, trust them as a professional to do their job right, in game. The biggest crossover is in fighting. Every player should expect to have to fight at some point, no matter how good you are at sneaking.

Shadowrun can be brutal. The best fight is the one not fought.

Make sure you have some decent initiative. I'd try for at least 3d6 initiative dice. If you MUST trade that away, do it for high edge so that you can bump yourself to the head of initiative when you need to.

Geek the mage first.
And on the other hand, never have a team without magical protection (unless your GM just likes playing low magic). Counterspelling and banishing will keep you alive, not to mention everything else they do.

Never make a deal with a dragon.

[sleepyphoenixx]

Most things have already been said. Just be aware that technomancers are inferior in pretty much all aspects to a standard decker in SR 5, in the matrix as well as in meatspace.
They're not unplayable but the difference is noticable.

[DigoDragon]

Any common newbie pitfalls I should strive to avoid?

Try not to kill people if you can avoid it. Even when I'm playing the Street Sam I carry gel rounds as my primary ammo (Do carry some regular rounds in case you have to shoot down a drone. Robots are fair game). Leaving unconscious victims behind means they'll get sent to the hospital and police take a statement for an assault investigation that they can take their time on. Leaving dead bodies means they go to the morgue and the police have to fill out a 10-page report for a homicide investigation that will make the news.

Nothing will upset the police more than giving them a stack of paperwork to fill out.

[Lord Torath]

And when the drek hits the turbofan, concussion grenades are your friends.

[Thanatos 51-50]

On the "don't kill people if you don't have to" train: remember: stick and shock rounds are your friends.
Love those little bundles of winning fights.
Despite the bad rep it gets, I tend to find stun damage more useful than physical damage.
An unconscious guard can be interrogated or mind probed. Dead ones just smell bad.

[LibraryOgre]

Yeah, electricity is your friend. It does stun damage, AND carries a chance that they'll get stunned.

[sleepyphoenixx]

Yeah, electricity is your friend. It does stun damage, AND carries a chance that they'll get stunned.

It also targets impact armor instead of ballistic, reduces armor by half and does assault rifle damage even in a holdout pistol. As written it's pretty much the best ammo available for every weapon below heavy.

[LibraryOgre]

It also targets impact armor instead of ballistic, reduces armor by half and does assault rifle damage even in a holdout pistol. As written it's pretty much the best ammo available for every weapon below heavy.

Was it ever officially the winner of Dunklezahn's "non-lethal ammo" prize in his will?

[comicshorse]

Was it ever officially the winner of Dunklezahn's "non-lethal ammo" prize in his will?

If it wasn't I'd love to see what was

[Thanatos 51-50]

It also targets impact armor instead of ballistic, reduces armor by half and does assault rifle damage even in a holdout pistol. As written it's pretty much the best ammo available for every weapon below heavy.

In 5e, it's less ridiculous. Just -1 and Stun instead of physical and -5 AP (there's only one armour type in 5e)

[DigoDragon]

If it wasn't I'd love to see what was

I'd love not to be hit by what was.

Stick-n-Shocks are so good they're too good. It's the reason I always encourage my teammates to invest in some protective armor against electrical attacks. That way I'm not the last one standing and have to ask the water elemental to drive the car again.

[comicshorse]

I'd love not to be hit by what was.

Stick-n-Shocks are so good they're too good. It's the reason I always encourage my teammates to invest in some protective armor against electrical attacks. That way I'm not the last one standing and have to ask the water elemental to drive the car again.

Good point. For the OP whatever armour you buy, buy insulation against electrical attacks for it

[TheCountAlucard]

I'd like to chip in with the advice that no matter what rules about bricking equipment they've introduced, it's not the decker's job to "blow **** up with hacking."

It's your job to both search systems for weaknesses and mercilessly exploit them, and keep the same from happening to your team.

[bulbaquil]

Thanks, everyone. First session went well, at least so far (we hit a real-world time crunch after "phase 1" of the mission).

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

In 5e the main benefit of a technomancer over a decker is compiling and registering sprites. It's going to be a pain in the ass, and you might even want some NPC TMs for help, but they're worth the effort. When the drek hits the fan and you need to do something fast before GOD shows up, it's nice to have 5 powerful, versatile matrix allies suddenly show up and have your back.

[Telwar]

That way I'm not the last one standing and have to ask the water elemental to drive the car again.

...damn, that's funny.