Executive Summary: Please, let's make +noms only give cash, not karma. It doesn't make sense for people who rp barmaids/strippers or even runners who rarely go on runs for 4+ years to become super-hero like runners from +noms (which I've seen happen over and over again).


Long Version: I've been thinking about this a lot, having now nearly 15 years of mushing experience, including in staff and chief roles in various mushes, including SR Seattle.

I've come to believe that a really important factor in the accelerated life-cycle of mushes (an elephant-like gestation period, followed by a blockbuster-premier-like year or 2, then into Cher-like middle years and then usually to a it's-dead-but-we-don't-want-to-let-it-die sunset a la Liz Taylor (or sometimes curtains!, depending on speed), with the occasional Downey, Jr.-like rebirth, is the fact that +nom/+vote (etc.) gives karma/exp and not just cash.

I'm not talking about 'realism' (we've had that conversatino a million times) and I'm not even talking about power lever or campaign level (we all have a range of preferences there), I'm more in mind of playability: look at other sites where people regularly run around with hundreds of karma earnerd--they are no longer playing shadowrunners but superheroes, which is great, on a superhero mush, not on a shadowrun mush. Why? Because, among other things, it makes it really hard to spontaneously challenge uber-players. We already have so little ICA=ICC type fall out because GMing is so distributed, and if one wants to throw down a spontaneous PrP or scene, it becomes trickier and trickier (also less fun) to deal with players who can roll their way out of anything, have nothing to fear and, even worse, don't even really have to think about a plan: just steam roll ahead (and yes, I realize with Karma Pool gone that's a lot less of a problem, but it's still going to be an issue).

NB: +nom cash would in any case be more significant in SR4 than in other versions, since everything has become substantially cheaper, so PCs won't be stagnating--they'll still continue to gain power, just not from ridiculously frequent karma.

Looking forward to your thoughts.

Let's look at the flipside of your Executive Summary: Should  barmaid/stripper characters who rarely if ever go on runs accumulate mega-rich wealth? How will it look when there are expensive exotic sports cars prowling through the barrens?  Then there are characters for whom money is useless. If you're the same Kage I remember, what would your mage do with buckets of inexpensive SR4 foci that he cannot bond?

I think it would be better to let a player decide what his or her noms should go to.

There aren't going to be noms in New Seattle.  The system we're planning to use is called +awards.  I think players can nominate for +awards, but staff are in control of who earns them.  They certainly won't be like the +nom system where all you have to do is hang out in a bar and pose reasonably well to become more powerful.  Character progression will be regulated by plot arc, for each plot arc there will be a maximum karma award, and each +award will be worth progressively less, asymptotically coming closer and closer to the cap but not reaching it.  So the longer you're around and the more you do, the stronger you'll get.  But you won't be able to leave everyone behind just by TSing 10 hours a day.  At least that's my understanding of the system we're planning to use.

Tear has it mostly right. Karma will be the exclusive territory of the +award. +nom will exist in a form, but we'll be using it for alternate means, unique and "special" rewards. This may be contacts, unique modifications, and occasionally something unbalancing and reeking of favoritism...

... was that my outside voice?

Cool. Even better than my suggestion, I think. Sweet.

Go NS:SE Go!

PS Absinthe baby, I am the same troll you know and love. (And on more than one week I got 10+ karma from noms

PPS Tear, I think I love you.

I love you all. Seriously.

-Hades, completely drunk, yet able to spell. (or at least able to see the little red squiggle)

I love this. In my experience, all previous award systems end up having proprietary usefulness to cliques. People winding up with skills like GM Control level 9 because they are really good at sipping their drinks with a mysterious air in well-populated areas. However, I understand the argument for award systems - mods can't be everywhere at once. This feels like a solution to the abuse.
Yay!

We intend to create new abuses, so don't worry.