Shadowruns
The easiest way to equalize group challenge across a layer of competition is to make them basically identical, with a similar set of goals, a similar distribution of players in casting and a similar amount of resources. As with characters, however, players like their groups to be unique in any and all of these aspects. One way to allow very different groups to compete on the same epic level is to pit them against the GMs instead of each other, allowing the GM team to create challenges that are geared specifically for the strengths and weaknesses of a group. Without having to juggle the multiplicity of variables in group-versus-group conflict, this can produce reliable estimates of a group’s expected completion time. GMs can also adjust the challenges facing a group if they prove to be too difficult or too easy without affecting the challenge for other groups.
Of course, this may lead to a lot of work on the GMs’ part. However, the Guild has a number of ways to streamline the process of providing individualized, multi-step goals that are a more complex than riddle trails. One of the more recent areas of innovation in the Guild is in the development of “shadowrun mechanics,� which allow characters to break into high-security compounds to steal or change important data or materials. The name “shadowrun � is borrowed from the title of a roleplaying game published by FASA Corporation, which has a strong emphasis on breaking and entering. Instead of placing dots for players to find all over campus, GMs place hidden printed sheets within a small space, often a basement corridor. When players find the sheets, they will then know that they will need to gather characters with certain skills or certain items that will allow them to bypass the GM-created defenses, which may also include tests of speed or puzzle-solving ability.
This gives opponents the opportunity to find out what they are doing and impede a group’s progress. However, unlike group-versus-group conflict, the bulk of the work involved in defeating a shadowrun is in finding ways to defeat the challenges presented by the GMs, which allows GMs to tailor the challenges to present a specific level of difficulty to any particular group. However, shadowrun mechanics can also be used for direct group-versus-group or character-versus-character conflicts by having multiple groups or characters seeking the prize at the end of an easily found shadowrun.
