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<blockquote data-quote="D'karr" data-source="post: 6571653" data-attributes="member: 336">Except that Shadowrun definitely makes PCs different than NPCs by the use of different dice pools (Karma Pool, and in early editions the Combat Pool, and other different pools) that only PCs get preferential access to (higher number of dice).&nbsp; When you talk about equipment you also talk about PCs being able to select top notch equipment from the start of the build process.&nbsp; Wired reflexes 3, some of the high-end armor, and some of the weapons (miniguns, sniper rifles, etc.) or high-end cyberdecks (Fuchis, Fairlights, etc.) are definitely not something that every NPC is going to have.&nbsp; However, you'd be hard pressed to find any PC (Street Sam, Rigger, or Decker) without them or their equivalent.&nbsp; In addition, SR is not a level advancement game.&nbsp; Most NPCs, except for the extraordinary (those that you find in the SR novels or Dragons), will have average stats in relevant skills whereas PCs usually have exceptional stats in their relevant skills.&nbsp; PCs routinely face off against a larger number (ratio of NPCs to PCs) of forces that are nothing more than mooks when the PCs deploy their weapons and equipment.&nbsp; Yes the PCs can die from random fire from a street punk, but it is not an usual occurrence.&nbsp; And how many mooks do you find with DocWagon contracts to save their butts in the middle of a fire-fight?In D&amp;D the ratio of PCs to NPCs is also skewed.&nbsp; From the very first editions you would usually find combats where NPCs/Monsters easily outnumbered the PCs (remember Number Appearing 5-20 (avg 15)?).&nbsp; In games like this you did not have NPCs that have the same build rules because the odds become overwhelming.&nbsp; As the PCs level up they become even more extraordinary (HP, equipment, To Hit Probability, etc.).In 3.x the build rules forced the DM to build NPCs the same way as PCs.&nbsp; All that added to my game was time wasted for a monster that would last at best 3 rounds.&nbsp; In the end I just skipped over the NPC build rules because they were, in practice, a complete waste of time.In 4e you can decide to build NPCs in the same way as PCs, but thankfully the game does not force that on the DM, and the game preparation is much better for it.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="D'karr, post: 6571653, member: 336"] Except that Shadowrun definitely makes PCs different than NPCs by the use of different dice pools (Karma Pool, and in early editions the Combat Pool, and other different pools) that only PCs get preferential access to (higher number of dice). When you talk about equipment you also talk about PCs being able to select top notch equipment from the start of the build process. Wired reflexes 3, some of the high-end armor, and some of the weapons (miniguns, sniper rifles, etc.) or high-end cyberdecks (Fuchis, Fairlights, etc.) are definitely not something that every NPC is going to have. However, you'd be hard pressed to find any PC (Street Sam, Rigger, or Decker) without them or their equivalent. In addition, SR is not a level advancement game. Most NPCs, except for the extraordinary (those that you find in the SR novels or Dragons), will have average stats in relevant skills whereas PCs usually have exceptional stats in their relevant skills. PCs routinely face off against a larger number (ratio of NPCs to PCs) of forces that are nothing more than mooks when the PCs deploy their weapons and equipment. Yes the PCs can die from random fire from a street punk, but it is not an usual occurrence. And how many mooks do you find with DocWagon contracts to save their butts in the middle of a fire-fight? In D&D the ratio of PCs to NPCs is also skewed. From the very first editions you would usually find combats where NPCs/Monsters easily outnumbered the PCs (remember Number Appearing 5-20 (avg 15)?). In games like this you did not have NPCs that have the same build rules because the odds become overwhelming. As the PCs level up they become even more extraordinary (HP, equipment, To Hit Probability, etc.). In 3.x the build rules forced the DM to build NPCs the same way as PCs. All that added to my game was time wasted for a monster that would last at best 3 rounds. In the end I just skipped over the NPC build rules because they were, in practice, a complete waste of time. In 4e you can decide to build NPCs in the same way as PCs, but thankfully the game does not force that on the DM, and the game preparation is much better for it. [/QUOTE]

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