Ok. So this is a lot of experience-based opinions. BUT, someone I gamed with who is awesome (you know who you are, but I won’t put your name, in case this post is received negatively š) said this could be useful to people and that I should post here:
“These are things Iāve learned mostly through play, and through positive and negative player feedback. Do what is right for you and your group, but here is a halfway decent jumping-off point.
IMHO : Doās and Dontās for The Sprawl.
Donāt:
Make a complicated mission map, or a Mission with a series of required āSteps.ā Rather, have a series of potential complications in mind before the session, and build them up and sub in pertinent NPCās fictionally during play.
Worry about statting run of the mill security. In fact, only the toughest of enemies should have protective tags and harm clocks. The way the move āMix it upā works has less to do with ENEMY harm clocks than you might imagine.
Feel super obligated to stick to the 1 mission per session format. (It is often best that way, BUT it can be freeing to not force the mission to an abrupt, fictionally unsatisfying close if you feel there is not enough time in the session to tie up all loose ends.)
Necessarily wait for failed moves to move the mission clock up. Just follow the fiction. If the action is stale, amp it up, and pull out the stops anyway.
Forget about the āConduct an Operation moveā It is super versatile as a āLove Letterā template, and as a potential part of the legwork phase.
Necessarily make the legwork phase actionless. Stuff can go sideways and people can pick up tails when trying to gather intel.
Ever NOT pay your players post mission. Cred is so hard to come by, and the punishment is frustrating in a non-fun way.
Obsess over corporate clocks/politics unless that is your particular storyline. It is easier on prep, and more fun, to create and deal with threats, typically.
Skimp on scene details, ESPECIALLY when it comes to location and positioning. Do not move forward in the scene if the characters are not sure where they are.
Do:
Create some space for downtime, especially in campaign play. Ask loaded questions and let the characters establish organic bonds. If you donāt care about the characters, it doesnāt matter how awesome the action is. (I mean, look at every boring āAction Movieā ever made!)
This is controversial: Dissuade your players from picking āThe employer is identifiableā in the āGet the jobā move. I donāt know why they give the option to take away my MC secrets, which I have specifically put in place to make this more fun for the players!
Use āAct Under Pressureā when you arenāt 100% sure of which move is triggered. This is because it is easiest as the GM to make a fictionally appropriate consequence than for a move with more specific results. (such as mix it up, fast talk, or play hardball)
Also use āAct Under Pressureā for incredibly crucial, singular, risky, actions, including violent ones. Examples: Firing a Sniper Shot into the head of a moving far away target, Hacking a door lock while soldiers are approaching from the hall, knocking out a guard while staying quiet enough so that others donāt hear you.
Feel free to breadcrumb information as a āsoft moveā to keep the fiction moving. Itās the other thing moving the game forward aside from the various dangers.
Have a problem or two that cannot be solved by rolling dice. This is general advice from Robert Nolan, but I find it especially valuable in the Sprawl, which calls for a tone which typically vacillates between stylish awesomeness and desperation. The emotional impact of the mission going perfectly, BUT something out of your control going awry can be emotionally difficult in a good way.
Keep track of NPCās alliances on the surface, and underneath the surface as well. It is so easy to lose track of the intrigue. Write that stuff down!
The best way to “run” the missions, imho, is to decide where the biggest points of action are in the mission phase, give substantial details, and frame the scenes appropriately.
Feel free to come up with your own rules on how to acquire cyberwear. The way it is in the book, it just takes too long, costs too much cred, and is too risky. I realize this is by design, but we want to have cyberpunky fun, right?
Give your characters exactly what they want, and more, during the legwork phase. Whatever the PC is trying to get, they want it to complete the mission. But more importantly, it is the way in which the player has decided to make their character useful in a way that makes sense to them…. Donāt snuff out their awesome ideas! Still make them pay for it and roll for it, However. Anti material rifles are not cheapā¦.. But, yes,even on a 6-, give it to them, but make your hard move along with it.ļ»æ”
