Running ''In the Shadows''

So chummer, you want to run *In the Shadows*?

## Introduction

First of all, a few words about the nature of the campaign. *In the Shadows* is intended as a mass campaign for the 5th edition of Shadowrun, with three different Gamemasters and a whole lot of players. There are no set tables or groups- characters will be able to join up on missions as they wish, teaming up with other players according to the needs of the mission and their own whims- though when you're strapped for Nuyen, or worse, beggars can't be choosers.

Each of the Gamemasters runs his own storyline in the campaign world, but all three are linked together into a major arcing plotline, and even though their sessions might differ in regularity, a strict calendar is kept so players and GMs alike know when their characters are occupied- and when not. The reason for this meticulous time-keeping (mostly a GM job, but players are encouraged to help!) is so that there's no overlap when players change GMs for missions, as well as to plan downtimes for players and of course something only our format can provide, social interaction.

## Social Interaction & Time Keeping

One of the issues with Shadowrun is that as other RPGs focus on dungeon crawling to the exclusion of every other activity, Shadowrun campaigns tend to focus on the run exclusively and they overlook the many and varied social interactions available to Shadowrun characters of all colours and stripes, including among the players themselves. So, one of the foci of *In the Shadows* is socializing, primarily among the players themselves as well as between players and NPCs.

In order to avoid cluttering the tabletop with personal socializing, players are encouraged to contact a Gamemaster to arrange either time for themselves to chat up with an NPC, or with other PCs (for obvious reasons, a GM must be present unless otherwise arranged). Such interactions can happen before or after a session, or electronically- as a matter of fact, forums are available in this wiki for players who wish to roleplay in a relaxed manner and don't have the time to spare for real-time or face-to-face roleplaying.

Finally, once in a while a GM will run a tabletop session intended solely for social interaction, with each GM picking up a different venue to portray- one GM might run a tight-neck VIP club while another a beaten up bar for the downtrodden. Any players not currently occupied are welcome to join in (and yes, it counts as a session and there will be karma rewards).

## Multiple Characters

As a byproduct of the strict time-keeping and three different GMs available, as well as the fact that with a double-digit number of players it's not viable to synchronize downtimes so that players can play together, players are allowed to have multiple characters, with the obvious restriction that they can only play one at a time, and interaction between them is prohibited, to avoid odd situations.

### Gamemaster Characters

Also, since it would be a shame for the Gamemasters to not enjoy the rich and diverse world they create along with the players, gamemasters are allowed to have one main character that can only play in storyline missions of one other GM. The reason for this is that each GM knows only his own storyline and one other GMs, in such a way that he can play normally without metagame knowledge interfering (the main plotline arc is loose enough to allow creativity for the GMs) but at the same time none of the three GMs can run wild with his storyline as there's another one looking over his shoulder.