From: earl@cco.caltech.edu (Earl A. Hubbell)
Subject: Re: Shadowrun: Economics of Running
Keywords: Shadowrun
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 05:35:53 GMT

ward1@husc8.harvard.edu (Lester Ward) writes:

>earl@cco.caltech.edu (Earl A. Hubbell) writes:
>[Stuff deleted.]

>I like this kind of analysis.  Interesting, and thourough.

	Thank you - it seems a lot of people have liked what started
out as just a 'back of the envelope' calculation :-)  You bring up some
good points I hadn't considered.  

>>>From the UCAS census estimates, we have approximately 1% of the population
>>having 'significant' cyber-enhancements (so called 'samurai', 'riggers'
>>or 'deckers') or significant magical enhancement ('physical adepts').

>This is the weak link in the argument.  First off, deckers only need
>a datajack (and maybe some head MPs), but just about all corp empoyees
>have that, so that is not 'significant'.  Secondly, 'significant' cyberware

	Actually, I was counting 'decks' as the 'significant' factor
for deckers (well, honestly - I was ignoring them nearly completely!).
Decks are heavy expenses, and have to be customized.  There might
easily be a much larger pool of deckers wandering around (leading
to corps beefing up security, leading to less profit/decker, leading
to fewer hot deckers being able to afford...anyone want to write
the paper? :-)
	I chose the number of nova-hot deckers to be about equal to
the number of mages, for no real reason except to keep it exclusive,
and to have about one decker/team.

>is hideously illegal is most parts of the world.  Corps are not likely to
>admit they use it if they don't have to, and freelancers are most likely
>not going to fill out a census form, if they can even be found.  In spite
>of the UCAS's best intentions and estimates, 1% is likely to be off by
>at least an order of magnitude.

	Really?  10% of the population having 'significant' cyberware?
(wired reflexes, smartguns, etc?)  Lone Star must be very worried!
	I can see 10% of the population having chip/datajacks, or
other cheap cyberware (maybe I >should< write up that Renraku report!),
but combat ware?  Different assumptions, I guess.

>This figure is also completely contra-factual to most capaigns I've seen.
>For the technology involved, cyberware is VERY cheap, and we populate
>our campaign with those who use it, not just as PC's or villians, but
>random stuffing as well.

	Different squids for different kids.  I agree - most campaigns
I've seen have incredible amounts of cyberware running around.  
	But I do like the idea of cyberware making a difference - why
are people hiring >these< teams, instead of that cheap poser-gang?  If
>everyone< has combat-ware, it stops making for interesting stories. 

>I guess your point was partly to inform us that campaigns like this are
>not to reality-based, for lack of a better term.  Wakarimasu yo.

	Well - not really.  Note that from all these runner teams
point of view, the most memorable opposition >are< the few, the elite.
No-one remembers the name of 'Manuel Caballero', security guard #4,
shot by Tex in passing.  Everyone remembers Morgan, Aztechnology
internal security, who calmly shot Orchid across a crowded bar while
a magical fight was in progress.  
	The number of heavily cybered and mages running around >seems<
larger than it is, because they're the ones you remember - all the
times Tex, Orchid, and Fingers get hired to find 'Neko', the corp
exec's wife's cat, and they slip 50 nY to some urchin for it aren't
remembered.  The whirling nightmares of betrayal, confusion, and 
combat >are< remembered ('If the Stalkers were wiped out by Aztechnology
>yesterday<, who were the mercs who helped us take out the AZ facility
>today< from?').  
	So in 'reality' there may be only about 100 runner teams,
and about 30,000 total wired - but in 'story' and 'memory' space,
they're the ones who stand out from the backdrop.

	If you don't like the statistics - adjust em!  I just used
FASA statements from various parts of the sourcebooks, but this
>is< Shadowrun - believe what you read in the corp screamsheets and
get screwed!  Maybe the corps and governments >are< covering up
the problem!  

	I thought it was interesting the way the figures came out.
Even makes for a good campaign background - not neccessarily the
'standard' over-cybered, over-magiced campaign, but certainly a fun
setting. (apologies for personal views on campaigns leaking in.)
	
>Wordman
-- 
Earl Hubbell - earl@tybalt.caltech.edu - Opinions solely mine.
"Talet a:r ta:nkandets bo:rjan och slut.  Med tanken fo:ddes talet.
Uto:fver talet na:r tanken icke." - Go:sta Mittag-Leffler.
"Number is the beginning and the end of Thought.  Number was born with Thought.
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