TEXT: © 2020 The Topps Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Shadowrun and Matrix are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of The Topps Company, Inc.,  
  in the United States and/or other countries. Catalyst Game Labs and the Catalyst Game Labs logo are trademarks of InMediaRes Productions, LLC.
  Writing: Cullen Erbacher, Jared Twing
  Art: Mike Yakovlev
  Missions Logo: Jeff Laubenstein, Matt Heerdt
  Shadowrun Missions Developer:  
  Jackson Brunsting
  Proofing: Aaron Dykstra, Hjal Nelson
  Shadowrun Developer: Jason M. Hardy
  Layout & Design: Matt Heerdt
  Art Director: Brent Evans, Kat Hardy
  0804
  
  A LITTLE TOO FAR
  2
  COVER
  A LITTLE  
  TOO FAR
  INTRODUCTION
  MISSION 
  SYNOPSIS
  SCENE 1
  SCENE 2
  SCENE 3
  SCENE 4
  SCENE 5
  SCENE 6
  PICKING UP 
  THE PIECES
  LEGWORK
  CAST OF 
  SHADOWS
  PLAYER 
  HANDOUTS
  DEBRIEFING  
  LOG
  A LITTLE TOO FAR
  “I needed all the files, you dumb trog!” Samuel shout-
  ed as he slammed the glass of scotch onto his desk. 
  He turned away from the image on the trid screen 
  that was the cause of his frustration. A troll’s face stared 
  back from the screen with a small smirk in the corner of 
  his mouth. Behind the troll was a middle-aged human 
  male strapped to a chair wearing only boxers and an un-
  dershirt. Foam dripped from the corner of the restrained 
  man’s slack jawed mouth. His eyes showed the red 
  veins of ruptured blood vessels. The t-shirt was stained 
  with sweat, vomit, and blood.
  “Sometimes the unexpected happens, Mr. Colling-
  sworth,” the troll offered in response. “You can never 
  know if a subject is going to have an unknown medical 
  condition. This one suffered an aneurism under stress. 
  Doc says probably a defect in a blood vessel in the 
  brain.”
  Samuel Collingsworth turned back to face the trid 
  screen.
  “Did you at least get the information I requested be-
  fore the piece of drek gave out?”
  The troll tapped a datapad he held.
  “All of the info you wanted is right here on this de-
  vice.”
  Samuel bent down so his face was as close to the trid 
  screen as possible. 
  “And you’re positive he was telling all the truth?”
  “Guaranteed, sir, my interrogation techniques are 
  one hundred percent reliable. But just to be on the safe 
  side, Mr. Gault was under the influence of Analyze Truth 
  and Mind Probe spells. I am sure we got everything.” 
  The troll smiled confidently.
  Samuel stood up straight and picked up his scotch. 
  He took a long sip, closing his eyes as he savored the 
  taste and felt the stress drain from his body. Finally, this 
  nightmare was over, and he no longer had cause for 
  concern. He called up one of his many accounts on his 
  datapad and tapped a few keys.
  “I have transferred half of your fee into the account 
  you provided. I will transfer the remaining balance when 
  you deliver the datapad to me. The usual drop point, 
  two hours.”
  The troll studied his datapad in front of him.
  “Funds received. As always, a pleasure doing busi-
  ness with you, Mr. Collingsworth. I will see you in two 
  hours.”
  Samuel took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He 
  turned to look back into the bedroom attached to his of-
  fice. The bare legs of two female orks were entwined to-
  gether with soft sounds of pleasure emanating from the 
  room. Two hours is plenty of time, he chuckled to himself. 
  He started walking toward the bedroom as he made the 
  move to disconnect the current call.
  “Oh, Mr. Collingsworth … one other thing you should 
  probably know. Mr. Gault mentioned that there was a 
  copy of the file on a non-Matrix-connected, isolated 
  computer terminal at his office at Truman Tech.”
  The troll watched as Samuel Collingsworth’s image 
  went to static as a glass of partially drunk scotch was 
  flung into the screen on the other side.
  
  INTRODUCTION
  3
  COVER
  A LITTLE  
  TOO FAR
  INTRODUCTION
  MISSION 
  SYNOPSIS
  SCENE 1
  SCENE 2
  SCENE 3
  SCENE 4
  SCENE 5
  SCENE 6
  PICKING UP 
  THE PIECES
  LEGWORK
  CAST OF 
  SHADOWS
  PLAYER 
  HANDOUTS
  DEBRIEFING  
  LOG
  Introduction
  SRM 08-04 Dirty Laundry is a Shadowrun Missions living 
  campaign adventure. Full information on the Shadowrun 
  Missions living campaign is available at https://www.
  facebook.com/SRMissions/ and includes a guide to cre-
  ating Missions characters and a regularly updated FAQ. 
  All maps, player handouts, and other playing aids are 
  found at the end of this document.
  Preparing the 
  Adventure
  SRM 08-04 Dirty Laundry is intended for use with Shad-
  owrun, Fifth Edition, and all character and rules informa-
  tion refers to the fifth edition of the Shadowrun rules.
  Adventure Structure
  SRM 08-04 Dirty Laundry consists of several scenes. 
  These scenes form the basis of the adventure, which 
  should be completed in approximately four hours. If 
  you are running short on time, you should streamline 
  each and be a little more generous with clues, target 
  numbers, and other requirements to aid in guiding the 
  players through the adventure. 
  Each scene outlines the most likely sequence of 
  events, as well as how to handle unexpected twists and 
  turns that inevitably crop up. Each one contains the fol-
  lowing subsections, providing gamemasters with all the 
  information necessary to run it.
  Scan This provides a quick synopsis of the scene’s ac-
  tion, allowing you to get a feel for the encounter at a glance.
  Tell It to Them Straight is written to be read aloud to 
  the players, describing what their characters experience 
  upon entering the scene. You should feel free to mod-
  ify the narrative as much as desired to suit the group 
  and the situation, since the characters may arrive at the 
  scene by different means or under different circum-
  stances than the text assumes.
  Behind the Scenes covers the bulk of the scene, de-
  scribing what’s happening, what the non-player charac-
  ters are doing, how they will react to the player char-
  acters’ actions and so forth. It also covers the setting 
  of the encounter, going over environmental conditions 
  and other properties of the location as well as providing 
  any descriptions of important items.
  Pushing the Envelope looks at ways to make the 
  encounter more challenging for experienced or power-
  ful characters and other ways you can add some “extra 
  spice” to the scene. This subsection should usually only 
  be used for home games, or games where time is not a 
  factor. At most convention and Open Play events, gam-
  emasters should omit this information. It adds to the 
  scene but does not contain important information.
  Debugging offers solutions to potential problems 
  that may crop up during the encounter. While it’s impos-
  sible to foresee everything that a group of player char-
  acters might do, this section tries to anticipate common 
  problems and other suggestions for dealing with them.
  Running the Adventure
  Gamemastering is more of an art than a science, and 
  every gamemaster does things a bit differently. Use 
  your own style when it comes to preparing and run-
  ning the adventure and do whatever you feel is best 
  to provide the best Shadowrun game you can for your 
  players. Shadowrun Missions adventures are designed 
  to run in a standard four-hour convention time slot.
  Please keep this in mind when running the adven-
  ture. You should leave at least 15–20 minutes at the end 
  of the time slot to complete any necessary paperwork 
  and pass out the players’ Debriefing Logs. (Make sure 
  that you have enough copies of the Debriefing Log for 
  this adventure to give one copy to each player after run-
  ning the adventure.) This section offers some guidelines 
  you may find useful in preparing to run SRM 08-04 Dirty 
  Laundry (or any Shadowrun Missions adventure).
  Step 1: Read the Adventure
  Carefully read the adventure from beginning to end. Get 
  a feel for the overall plot and what happens in each scene. 
  That way, if something different happens, you won’t be 
  caught off guard and you can adapt things smoothly.
  Step 2: Take Notes
  Take notes for yourself while reading through the ad-
  venture that you can refer to later. Possible things to 
  note include: major plot points (so you can see them 
  all at a glance), the names of various non-player char-
  acters, possible problems you notice, situations where 
  you think a character can shine and other things you’ll 
  want to keep in mind while running the adventure.
  Step 3: Know the Characters
  Prior to the start of the adventure, examine the PCs’ 
  record sheets and Debriefing Logs for your reference 
  and have basic information about their important abil-
  ities handy so you can refer to it during play. Also, go 
  over the characters and keep their previous events list-
  ed on the Debriefing Logs in mind when determining 
  non-player character actions in various scenes if such a 
  dynamic has been included.
  Step 4: Don’t Panic!
  Gamemastering involves juggling a lot of different 
  things. Sometimes you drop the ball and forget some-
  
  INTRODUCTION
  4
  COVER
  A LITTLE  
  TOO FAR
  INTRODUCTION
  MISSION 
  SYNOPSIS
  SCENE 1
  SCENE 2
  SCENE 3
  SCENE 4
  SCENE 5
  SCENE 6
  PICKING UP 
  THE PIECES
  LEGWORK
  CAST OF 
  SHADOWS
  PLAYER 
  HANDOUTS
  DEBRIEFING  
  LOG
  thing, or you just make a mistake. It happens, don’t 
  worry about it. Nobody is perfect all the time and 
  everybody makes mistakes. Just pick up from there 
  and move on. Your players will understand and forget 
  about it once you get back into the action.
  Step 5: Challenge the Players
  Gamemasters should challenge the players but should 
  not generally overwhelm them. This is not to say that 
  games cannot be deadly. If the characters die through 
  their own actions and repercussions of those actions, 
  then so be it. But the idea is to challenge the players and 
  their characters, not to overwhelm them. If the enemies 
  and challenges are too light for the characters present, 
  then increase them. On the other hand, if the characters 
  are badly outmatched by the enemies, then tone them 
  down. Make things difficult but not impossible.
  General  
  Adventure Rules
  Shadowrun Missions adventures use the rules present-
  ed in Shadowrun, Fifth Edition (SR5). Standard rules such 
  as success tests, glitches, critical successes, and other 
  common mechanics are described in SR5 and are not 
  repeated in this adventure.
  Please keep in mind when preparing for the adven-
  ture, that the PCs will not necessarily be comprised of a 
  balanced party. It’s entirely possible that the party will be 
  made up entirely of technomancers or back-to-nature 
  shamans. If the characters run into a brick wall because 
  of such complications, show flexibility and use your best 
  judgment in how you lead them back to the plot.
  Non-Player Characters
  Non-player characters (NPCs) are essential to any ad-
  venture. They are the allies, antagonists, and background 
  characters in the adventure that interact with the player 
  characters. NPCs in this adventure have already been cre-
  ated and can be found throughout the adventure.
  Minor NPCs are found in the individual scene that 
  they appear in, and generally have a brief write up, noting 
  only their important skills and the gear they are carrying.
  Major NPCs can be found in the Cast of Shadows at 
  the end of the adventure, and have more detailed write 
  ups, and include most of the skills and the gear they 
  have access to. 
  The NPCs in this adventure should generally stand 
  up to the average player character but may need some 
  adjustment to suit a group of characters, especially a 
  more experienced and powerful group. The scenes and 
  NPC descriptions offer tips on adjusting the NPCs to suit 
  the abilities of the characters in your group. To adjust 
  the power level of an NPC, refer to Helps and Hindranc-
  es (p. 378, SR5). Take the player characters’ abilities into 
  consideration when assessing the NPCs in this adven-
  ture and modify them accordingly.
  Mission Difficulty
  GMs are encouraged to use their own judgment, and to 
  adjust the difficulty of the encounter to take into account 
  the abilities of the players. If the players have no mag-
  ical support, replace magical defenses with mundane 
  ones. If the players are weak on combat, reduce the 
  number of enemies by one or two. Conversely, if they’re 
  steam-rolling the opposition, add one or two enemies 
  to the fight. Missions should be difficult and something 
  of a challenge but should not be insurmountable.
  A simple method for adjusting difficulty is to simply 
  increase the dice pools and Professional Ratings of the 
  enemies. A simple +1 or +2 to all combat and defense 
  tests gives enemies a minor boost in power, while a +3 
  or 4 will make them truly formidable. Adding to their 
  Professional Rating will give them a larger group Edge 
  pool to draw from, and gamemasters are encouraged to 
  use this Edge when logical.
  Often a combat scene will tell you if it’s supposed 
  to be challenging or is simply there to serve as filler 
  or a minor obstacle that the players should steamroll 
  through. When possible, use this as a guide to know 
  when to tweak the enemies and encounters. If it doesn’t 
  say, assume the scene should present a challenge to the 
  power levels of the players.
  A Note on Loot and Looting
  Gamemasters should be careful what they allow play-
  ers access to, because they can and will try to steal 
  everything not nailed down (and even then, they often 
  have pry bars and claw hammers to deal with those 
  nails). Shadowrun Missions operate under the assump-
  tion that two players who have run the same missions 
  will have roughly the same amount of resources avail-
  able to them (give or take some negotiation and a little 
  bit of minor loot fenced), so when players are able to 
  steal and fence a lot of gear or are able to get their 
  hands on high-priced vehicles, cyberdecks, or foci, it 
  can unbalance the game and make it unfair to players 
  who didn’t have the opportunity to get those items. 
  Gamemasters should avoid letting the players get into 
  a position to do high value looting whenever possible.
  Chicago, The CZ, Noise,  
  and Background Counts
  While for many the Chicago and the Bug City Contain-
  ment Zone are synonymous, the CZ comprises less than 
  1/3 of the total landmass of the city of Chicago proper, 
  not counting suburban areas and farmlands connected 
  to the city. But the CZ is still big, and it is the rotted, 
  
  MISSION SYNOPSIS
  5
  COVER
  A LITTLE  
  TOO FAR
  INTRODUCTION
  MISSION 
  SYNOPSIS
  SCENE 1
  SCENE 2
  SCENE 3
  SCENE 4
  SCENE 5
  SCENE 6
  PICKING UP 
  THE PIECES
  LEGWORK
  CAST OF 
  SHADOWS
  PLAYER 
  HANDOUTS
  DEBRIEFING  
  LOG
  gutted, feral heart of the Windy City. It starts at 115th 
  Street to the south and runs nearly 30 km North way 
  to Belmont Avenue to the north, and reaches from the 
  Lake Michigan an average of 15 km to Harlem Avenue 
  to the west. A mass of torn down buildings and hastily 
  erected barricades were added to and reinforced over 
  the three-year period that the Containment Zone was 
  in effect, and even now nearly 20 years later this barri-
  er stands as an imposing divide between the Zone and 
  the outside world. Anyone can supposedly freely travel 
  between the zone and Chicago proper, but Lone Star 
  watches those coming out and the gangs and warlords 
  watch those going in very closely.
  Over the last three years, the Astral Space Preser-
  vation Society in partnership with The Ash Union and 
  various megacorp thaumaturgical divisions have made 
  headway in cleaning up the background count within 
  the CZ and the surrounding area. Thanks to their work, 
  unless otherwise noted in the scene, assume a back-
  ground count of zero anytime characters are within 
  the Containment Zone. The count will fluctuate wildly 
  at times, so players should expect to encounter every-
  thing from high background counts and mana voids to 
  various aspected backgrounds and mana warps. (See 
  p. 30, Street Grimoire, for full rules). Areas of Chicago 
  outside the CZ may also suffer background count bleed 
  from the Zone.
  With the megacorps construction efforts moving 
  forward in the CZ and surrounding areas, matrix con-
  nectivity has improved dramatically. Noise levels will 
  vary from area to area, but unless otherwise specified in 
  the scene, assume a default Noise level of zero anytime 
  the characters are within the Containment Zone.
  Paperwork
  After running a Shadowrun Missions adventure, there 
  are several important pieces of paperwork that need 
  to be filled out.
  The first is to make certain to distribute a copy of the 
  adventure’s Debriefing Log to each player. As the GM, 
  please make certain to fill this out and sign off on it for 
  each character. In the interests of time, you may have 
  each player fill out the sections, with appropriate values 
  that you give them. Please consider the PCs actions in 
  the scenario when providing Reputation modifiers, per 
  those rules (p. 372, SR5).
  The second is to make sure that all players have up-
  dated their character’s Mission Calendar. PCs are al-
  lowed to go on one run per week. The calendar is used 
  to track the character’s monthly lifestyle expenses, ad-
  ventures, and their downtime exploits.
  Mission Synopsis
  Mr. Johnson, a.k.a. Samuel Collingsworth, hires the 
  runners. He is a mid-level executive with Aztechnolo-
  gy and a full-fledged member of the Humanis Policlub. 
  Samuel Collingsworth also has a metahuman fetish 
  that repels and enraptures him. A few months ago, he 
  learned that a long-time social rival, Robert Gault of 
  Truman Tech, had embarrassing photos of Samuel in 
  compromising situations with some metahuman es-
  corts. Robert was blackmailing Samuel for sensitive 
  corporate information at Aztechnology. 
  Just before the world lost contact with Truman Tech 
  in Chicago, Samuel finally became fed up with the 
  blackmail and hired runners to extract Robert and get 
  the files from him. The runners succeeded and were 
  able to successfully get most of the embarrassing data, 
  but they were a little too enthusiastic in the informa-
  tion extracting process and Robert died. Just before 
  he died and while under the effects of Analyze Truth 
  and Mind Probe spells, he revealed there was a final 
  copy of the data on an isolated computer at his office 
  at Truman Tech. He made sure the computer did not 
  have Matrix access and the only way to retrieve the 
  information was to be physically at the terminal. Before 
  Samuel could send another team to retrieve the com-
  puter, Truman Tech went dark. Not knowing the fate of 
  the computer and the data it contained, Samuel de-
  cided to hire a group of runners to go into the CZ and 
  retrieve the files.
  After the runners are hired, they must enter the CZ 
  and proceed to find the Truman Tech office housing 
  Robert’s computer. En route to the location, the run-
  ners come across a downed UCAS Hughes Stallion he-
  licopter. The Fraternitas Insectorum, a street gang that 
  worships insect spirits, brought it down. They demand 
  the runners pay a fee for passing through their territory. 
  Once the runners make it past this encounter, however 
  they manage it, they proceed deeper into the CZ and 
  hear gunfire and explosions.
  The runners encounter what is left of the UCAS team 
  that was aboard the downed helicopter engaged with a 
  large ghoul pack. A toxic shaman in league with the in-
  sect spirits in the CZ leads the ghouls. The runners have 
  some options at this point: watch the fight and take no 
  part, skirt around the fight, or help the UCAS military 
  team defeat the ghouls.
  However this encounter plays out, the runners’ next 
  step is to locate the structure that contains their objec-
  tive. The building in which the computer in question is 
  housed is one of the entrances to the underground hive 
  complex. Due to extensive tunneling by the bugs, sev-
  eral floors have collapsed into the ground making sev-
  eral sub-level areas. The computer the runners seek is 
  now three levels underground and insect spirits patrol 
  
  SCENE 1: DESIRE VERSUS DISGUST
  6
  COVER
  A LITTLE  
  TOO FAR
  INTRODUCTION
  MISSION 
  SYNOPSIS
  SCENE 1
  SCENE 2
  SCENE 3
  SCENE 4
  SCENE 5
  SCENE 6
  PICKING UP 
  THE PIECES
  LEGWORK
  CAST OF 
  SHADOWS
  PLAYER 
  HANDOUTS
  DEBRIEFING  
  LOG
  the area. The runners must find their way through the 
  denizens, get to the terminal, get the data, and get out 
  in order to receive their payout.
  Scene 1:
  Desire Versus 
  Disgust
  Scan This
  A fixer contacts the runners about a potential job and 
  Mr. Johnson wants to meet in a private VR room with-
  in the Matrix. Mr. Johnson is a human named Samuel 
  Collingsworth. He is a mid-level wage slave for Aztech-
  nology and is trying to end being blackmailed by a rival 
  at Truman Tech, Robert Gault. Samuel is a high-level 
  member of the Humanis Policlub but has a fetish for 
  female metahuman company. Robert Gault has files 
  and pictures of Samuel in delicate situations with said 
  metahuman company and has been blackmailing Sam-
  uel for corporate information about Aztechnology.
  The last bit of incriminating evidence is on an isolat-
  ed terminal at Truman Tech in the CZ. The job is to enter 
  the CZ, make it to the computer’s location, and retrieve 
  the files.
  Tell it to Them Straight
  Chicago’s made the news again. That city can catch 
  no breaks. If drek is flung anywhere in the universe, it 
  lands on Chicago. Whispers and weird vibes seem to 
  indicate something is getting ready to happen, like a 
  dam near bursting. Of course, musings like this don’t 
  pay for ammo or fill your belly. 
  As if on cue, your belly starts making caged animal 
  sounds. While you’re contemplating how to satiate the 
  beast, your comm starts chirping that you have an in-
  coming message. You bring it up and scan the contents, 
  a simple note and Matrix address. “Opportunity for a 
  full payday, if interested meet at the address at 2300 
  tonight.”
  Behind the Scenes
  Mr. Johnson, Samuel Collingsworth (see Cast of Shad-
  ows), set up a virtual meeting to offer his job to the 
  runners. The address supplied in the message is a one-
  use Matrix address to the meeting site. As the runners 
  arrive, they see a general, nondescript boardroom-type 
  space. There is a long table with a number of chairs 
  equal to the number of runners. At the head of the table 
  sits Samuel Collingsworth, whose avatar appears as a 
  hooded robed figure shrouded in a flickering darkness. 
  As the runners arrive, he gestures to the chairs indi-
  cating for them to have a seat. Each runner may make 
  a Perception + Intuition [Mental] (4) Test with a dice 
  pool penalty of –2 (interfering sight) to notice a sym-
  bol on Collingsworth’s wrist. Samuel Collingsworth is a 
  high-ranking member of the Humanis Policlub and has 
  the words written as a cross, Superiores Hominibus. The 
  runners may make an appropriate Street Knowledge + 
  Intuition [Mental] (2) Test to recognize this as a phrase 
  used by the Humanis Policlub.
  During the meet, Samuel always directs his attention 
  and conversations toward any humans in the group or, 
  if there are no humans, the most human-looking meta-
  human. If everyone is using non-standard icons, then 
  he addresses the person who talks first. Regardless, his 
  mannerisms should come off as if he feels superior and 
  they are inferior.
  He explains that he needs certain files retrieved from 
  a site located in the CZ. The files are on an isolated com-
  puter, so physically accessing the terminal is required 
  as it has no Matrix or wireless connectivity. Under no 
  circumstances are the runners to look at the contents 
  of the files. If he finds out they looked or if they try to 
  blackmail him using the file’s contents, he will unleash 
  a strike force of epic proportions on the runners. He of-
  fers 10,000 nuyen as a reward for successfully retrieving 
  and returning the files. Runners may attempt to negoti-
  ate a higher payout. A Negotiation + Charisma [Social] 
  (2) Test increases the payout by 500 nuyen for every hit 
  up to a total of 12,000 nuyen.
  If the runners accept, he agrees to pay one-quarter 
  of the amount up front and the remaining on success-
  ful completion of the objective. He also provides them 
  with the address of the building that houses the termi-
  nal. He also informs the runners to look for files associ-
  ated with the name Robert Gault. Any other data on the 
  terminal is free game for the runners. Horizon leases the 
  building, and it is located at the intersection of W 18th St 
  and S Wood St.
  HOST: VR MEET
  Rating
  Attack
  Sleaze
  Data Proc.
  Firewall
  7
  8
  10
  9
  11
  Installed IC: Track, Black Ice
  Slaved Devices: None
  Spiders: None
  Sculpting: Generic Corporate Board Meeting Room
  Security Procedures: At the first sign of intrusion, Track 
  activates. If Track fails to locate the intruder, Black Ice 
  activates.
  Pay Data: There are data files on the host which have 100 
  nuyen value per player on NooseNet.
  
  SCENE 2: WE'RE IN THE PIKE, 5X5
  7
  COVER
  A LITTLE  
  TOO FAR
  INTRODUCTION
  MISSION 
  SYNOPSIS
  SCENE 1
  SCENE 2
  SCENE 3
  SCENE 4
  SCENE 5
  SCENE 6
  PICKING UP 
  THE PIECES
  LEGWORK
  CAST OF 
  SHADOWS
  PLAYER 
  HANDOUTS
  DEBRIEFING  
  LOG
  Pushing the Envelope
  Runners that try to trace Collingsworth could be in for 
  a rude surprise. Add 2 to all host ratings.
  Debugging
  The runners might try to run a trace on Collingsworth 
  (or some other drek-headed action). In order to do so, 
  they need two marks on him. For the purposes of this 
  attempt, he has a Willpower of 6 and uses the hosts 
  Sleaze of 10. Good luck with that, decker. Remember, 
  failing a hack on the fly usually means detection. Gon-
  na be a short run, as Collingsworth is alerted, and pulls 
  the plug on the round, preferring to hire runners less 
  interested in him and more interested in his nuyen. 
  Scene 2:
  We’re in the  
  Pike, 5x5
  Scan This
  In this scene, the runners cross into the CZ. How the 
  runners make it into the CZ is up to them. They have 
  the coordinates they need to get to from Mr. Johnson. 
  Once they cross the barrier into the CZ, two events take 
  place: they see a Hughes Stallion helicopter fly over go-
  ing in roughly the direction as the runners and members 
  of the Fraternitas Insectorum looking to charge a fee to 
  pass through their territory harass them. 
  Tell it to Them Straight
  It’s night and day difference between parts of Chicago, 
  all depending on what side of the wall you are on. Your 
  team is now in the CZ. First step, figure out a route to 
  the destination that hopefully is the quickest. As you 
  contemplate this question, you hear a steady whump-
  whump sound getting louder. A few seconds later the 
  source of the sound reveals itself as a helicopter flying 
  low over the wall and heading deeper into the CZ. The 
  sound of its rotors gradually attenuates until you no 
  longer hear it.
  With that excitement over, you return to planning 
  and establishing your route. Your team heads deeper 
  into the CZ on the way to your destination.
  If runners are walking, after about twenty minutes of 
  travel they hear a voice call out from some ruins. If the runners 
  are in vehicles, after about ten minutes they encounter a 
  dilapidated Roadmaster blocking the street. Once the runners 
  stop, a voice calls out from behind the Roadmaster. Either 
  way they hear: 
  “Hoi Chummers, welcome to the Contain-
  ment Zone. We would love to expedite your 
  travels … for a small fee.”
  Behind the Scenes
  The beginning of this scene has the runners entering 
  the CZ. Regardless of how they enter the CZ, as soon 
  as they are in, have the helicopter fly over them. If the 
  runners choose, they can make a Perception + Intuition 
  [Mental] (1) Test to notice the UCAS insignia on the 
  helicopter. A runner who would like to make a rele-
  vant Knowledge Test (e.g. military experience, politi-
  cal knowledge, mechanics) can determine the make of 
  the helicopter (Hughes Stallion) and the fact that this 
  is a military version. This helicopter and crew feature 
  prominently in the next two scenes.
  The next part of this scene occurs after the runners 
  travel further into the CZ. A street gang that worships 
  the insect spirits tracks and follows them. If the runners 
  travel by foot, they can make an opposed Perception + 
  Intuition [Mental] Test versus the gangers’ Sneaking + 
  Agility [Physical] Test to notice the tail. If travelling by 
  vehicle, the runners do not notice they have picked up a 
  tail because the gang uses fixed relay points to track the 
  runners’ movements.
  Regardless of how the runners travel, at some point 
  they encounter a four-way intersection with barriers 
  blocking their movement down any street besides the 
  way they came. The barriers to the left and right are 
  composed of piles of building debris approximately 
  three meters tall. The forward barrier is like the previ-
  FRATERNITAS INSECTORUM
  The Fraternitas Insectorum is one of the dominant 
  gangs in the CZ. They began as a small gang called the 
  Chi-Town Fixers. With the re-emergence of the insects in 
  the CZ, the leader of the Chi-Town Fixers made a deal with 
  the insect shamans. The gang would funnel whatever the 
  insect shamans needed from outside the CZ in exchange for 
  keeping profits and having protection from the insects. Over 
  the years, the gang developed into a cult who worships the 
  insect overlords resulting in the name change of the gang.
  The Fraternitas Insectorum runs drugs, weapons, and 
  metahuman trafficking rackets. Everything they do is related 
  to supporting the insect shamans and spirits.
  
  SCENE 2: WE'RE IN THE PIKE, 5X5
  8
  COVER
  A LITTLE  
  TOO FAR
  INTRODUCTION
  MISSION 
  SYNOPSIS
  SCENE 1
  SCENE 2
  SCENE 3
  SCENE 4
  SCENE 5
  SCENE 6
  PICKING UP 
  THE PIECES
  LEGWORK
  CAST OF 
  SHADOWS
  PLAYER 
  HANDOUTS
  DEBRIEFING  
  LOG
  ous two but has a gate section in the middle that can be 
  moved to allow passage. Behind the runners, anti-ve-
  hicle poles spring up from hidden slots in the road to 
  block the rear. The left and right barriers have structure 
  8 and armor 12 ratings, but the forward section with the 
  gate and the rear with the poles have structure 6 and 
  armor 8.
  Hidden on top of the barriers are gang members. 
  They have good cover (+4 dice pool modifier to their 
  defense pool). The barriers are erected fifteen meters 
  from the center of the intersection. There are two gang 
  members for each runner and a lieutenant. All the gang 
  members are armed with AK-97s and the lieutenant 
  also has an Aztechnology Striker with one anti-vehi-
  cle missile and one fragmentation missile. Each ganger 
  wears a bug mask that hides their features.
  At this point, there are several options available to 
  the runners. The gang is ready go into combat, but only 
  as a final option. They would prefer to be paid off; if the 
  runners choose to negotiate, the starting price is 5,000 
  nuyen worth of goods or credsticks. The runners can 
  make an opposed Intimidation + Charisma [Social] ver-
  sus Intimidation + Willpower [Social] Test or Con + Cha-
  risma [Social] versus Con + Charisma [Social] Test, with 
  each net hit decreasing the fee by 500 nuyen. This test 
  can reduce the fee to 0 nuyen.
  Another option is that the lieutenant’s commlink 
  controls the gate in the front barrier. This commlink 
  can be hacked to open the gate to allow the runners 
  to escape that way. The lieutenant’s commlink is not 
  running silent, so a hacker automatically spots it.  To 
  gain a mark on the commlink, the hacker must suc-
  ceed at a Cybercombat + Logic [Attack] Test versus 
  Willpower + Firewall or Hacking + Logic [Sleaze] Test 
  versus Intuition + Firewall.  Once the hacker has two 
  marks on the commlink, he must make an Electron-
  ic Warfare + Intuition [Sleaze] Test versus Intuition + 
  Firewall to open the gate. Physically opening the gate 
  is a Complex Action. If the runners open the gate, 
  combat initiates. The gate opens enough for a vehi-
  cle to pass at the end of the first combat pass of the 
  second round.
  If the situation devolves to combat, the gangers 
  open fire from their covered positions. The lieu-
  tenant either fires the AV missile (if the runners have 
  a vehicle) or the fragmentation missile (if they do not 
  have a vehicle). The gangers fight until they are re-
  duced to fifty percent strength, then they flee the 
  scene.
  Regardless of how the runners manage to resolve 
  this scene, they notice the gangers wear masks that 
  make them look like various bugs.
  
  SCENE 2: WE'RE IN THE PIKE, 5X5
  9
  COVER
  A LITTLE  
  TOO FAR
  INTRODUCTION
  MISSION 
  SYNOPSIS
  SCENE 1
  SCENE 2
  SCENE 3
  SCENE 4
  SCENE 5
  SCENE 6
  PICKING UP 
  THE PIECES
  LEGWORK
  CAST OF 
  SHADOWS
  PLAYER 
  HANDOUTS
  DEBRIEFING  
  LOG
  If the runners manage to capture a gang member, 
  they do not get much information. These gangers are 
  zealots to the insect spirits. What the runners can learn 
  from a captured gang member is based on an Intimida-
  tion + Charisma [Social] versus Intimidation + Willpower 
  [Social] Opposed Test. If successful, the runners find out 
  the name of the gang, that they worship the insects, and 
  that the world needs to get ready for the insects’ revenge.
  Pushing the Envelope
  If the situation needs to be a little tougher, increase the 
  number of gangers to three per runner and increase 
  the lieutenant’s commlink to DR3. 
  If you want to have a little role-playing action, have 
  the Lone Star officers at the wall harass the runners, but 
  don’t let it devolve into a combat situation. A Lone Star 
  cop is having a bad day, is all.
  FRATERNITAS INSECTORUM
  (2 PER RUNNER, PROFESSIONAL RATING 1)
  B
  A
  R
  S
  W
  L
  I
  C
  ESS
  4
  4
  3
  4
  3
  2
  3
  3
  6
  Initiative: 6 + 1D6
  Condition Monitor: 10
  Limits: Physical 5, Mental 3, Social 4
  Armor: 9
  Skills: Automatics 3, Blades 4, Clubs 3, Etiquette 3 (Street +2), 
  Intimidation 4, Pistols 4, Unarmed Combat 3, Sneak 3
  Qualities: Toughness
  Gear: Armor vest, Meta Link commlink [Device Rating 1]
  Weapons: 
  AK-97 [Assault Rifle, Acc 5, DV 10P, AP –2, SA/BF/FA, 
  RC —, 38(c), w/ 2 spare clips, 114 rounds of regular 
  ammo]
  Browning Ultra-Power [Heavy Pistol, Acc 5 (6), DV 8P, AP 
  –1, SA, RC —, 10(c), w/ laser sight, 2 spare clips, 30 
  rounds of regular ammo]
  Combat Knife [Blades, Acc 6, Reach —, DV 6P, AP –3]
  FRATERNITAS INSECTORUM 
  LIEUTENANT
  (1, PROFESSIONAL RATING 1)
  B
  A
  R
  S
  W
  L
  I
  C
  ESS
  4
  4
  4
  4
  4
  3
  4
  4
  5.7
  Initiative: 8 + 1D6
  Condition Monitor: 10
  Limits: Physical 6, Mental 4, Social 5
  Armor: 12
  Skills: Automatics 3, Blades 3, Pistols 3 (Semi-Automatics +2), 
  Etiquette 3 (Street +2), Heavy Weapons 2, Leadership 1, 
  Unarmed Combat 3 (Cyberimplants +2)
  Qualities: Toughness
  Augmentations: Retractable spur [Acc 6, DV 7P, AP –2]
  Gear: Armor jacket, Sony Emperor commlink [Device Rating 2]
  Weapons: 
  AK-97 [Assault Rifle, Acc 5, DV 10P, AP –2, SA/BF/FA, 
  RC —, 38(c), w/ 2 spare clips, 114 rounds of regular 
  ammo]
  Browning Ultra-Power [Heavy Pistol, Acc 5 (6), DV 8P, AP 
  –1, SA, RC —, 10(c), w/ laser sight, 2 spare clips, 30 
  rounds of regular ammo]
  Aztechnology Striker [Missile Launcher, Acc 5, DV missile 
  type, AP missile type, SS, RC —, 1 (ml), loaded with 
  either: 1 AV missile (Missile, DV 24P, AP –4/–10, Blast 
  –4/m) or 1 fragmentation missile (Missile, DV 23P(f), 
  AP +5, Blast –1/m)]
  Combat Knife [Blades, Acc 6, Reach —, DV 6P, AP –3]
  LONE STAR PATROLMEN
  (4, PROFESSIONAL RATING 3)
  B
  A
  R
  S
  W
  L
  I
  C
  ESS
  4
  3
  4
  3
  3
  2
  3
  3
  6
  Initiative: 7 + 1D6
  Condition Monitor: 10
  Limits: Physical 5, Mental 4, Social 5
  Armor: 12
  Skills: Clubs 3, Law Enforcement Knowledge 4, Local 
  Crime Knowledge 3, Perception 3, Pistols 4, Running 3, 
  Unarmed Combat 4
  Gear: Armor jacket, jazz (2 doses) 2, Renraku Sensei 
  commlink [Device Rating 3], sunglasses [Rating 2, w/ 
  image link, smartlink]
  Weapons: 
  Ares Predator V [Heavy Pistol, Acc 7, DV 8P, AP –1, SA, 
  15(c) w/ smartgun system, internal, 15 rounds of 
  regular ammo]
  Defiance EX Shocker [Taser, Acc 4, DV 9S(e), AP –5, SS, 
  4(m)]
  Stun Baton [Club, Reach 1, Acc 4, DV 9S(e), AP –5 w/ 
  internal battery]
  
  SCENE 3: UCAS DOWN
  10
  COVER
  A LITTLE  
  TOO FAR
  INTRODUCTION
  MISSION 
  SYNOPSIS
  SCENE 1
  SCENE 2
  SCENE 3
  SCENE 4
  SCENE 5
  SCENE 6
  PICKING UP 
  THE PIECES
  LEGWORK
  CAST OF 
  SHADOWS
  PLAYER 
  HANDOUTS
  DEBRIEFING  
  LOG
  Debugging
  The gangers are not looking to wipe the runners out. If 
  the runners are defeated, the gangers take their equip-
  ment and leave them with their lives. If the runners sur-
  render, the gang takes their equipment and leaves the 
  runners their lives. If the runners choose to retreat from 
  the situation, nothing bad happens, but they miss the 
  opportunity to gain some equipment. 
  Scene 3:
  UCAS Down
  Scan This
  In this scene, the runners encounter wreckage of the 
  UCAS marine helicopter seen in the previous scene. 
  When the runners stumble across the wreckage, they 
  interrupt the looting of the gang members responsible 
  for shooting it down. Once the runners deal with the 
  looters, they discover the pilot is alive but injured, and 
  there is useful equipment aboard the downed aircraft. 
  Tell it to Them Straight
  As your journey into one of the circles of Dante’s Hell 
  continues, you notice a plume of black smoke rising 
  into the air above the shells of buildings, a few hundred 
  meters ahead. As you approach, you come across the 
  tail section of a helicopter, with the rear prop still slow-
  ly spinning.
  As you clear the next section of city in front of you, 
  the burning wreck of a helicopter greets your eyes. Col-
  umns of black smoke rise from the engine section. The 
  acrid stench of fuel, burnt metal, and melting plastic 
  permeates the air. Debris is scattered all around, but the 
  main body of the aircraft seems intact, which hints at 
  the pilot’s skills. You begin to hear whispered voices as 
  you approach.
  “The boss wants to make sure we strip everything we 
  can off this wreck. We need to make it quick so we can 
  join the hunt to capture the ones that got away.”
  A second voice answers the first, “What about the 
  pilot over there? It seems he still has some life in him.”
  “Ventilate his brain pan so we can get a move on. 
  Well … cave his skull in. No sense is wasting the bullets.”
  Behind the Scenes
  In this scene, the runners come across the downed 
  UCAS helicopter they saw in Scene 2: We’re in the 
  Pike, 5x5. The same gang the runners just encoun-
  tered took down the helicopter. A Perception + Intu-
  ition [Mental] (3) Test or a relevant Knowledge Test 
  (2) (e.g. military experience, aircraft, etc) when the 
  runners find the tail section reveals a direct missile 
  strike caused the damage.
  When the runners move up to the bulk of the wreck, 
  it lays twisted and broken at the base of the building 
  it crashed into. There is one gang member per runner 
  looting the wreckage and debris scattered around. A 
  gang member stands over the pilot. A successful Per-
  ception + Intuition [Mental] (3) Test allows a runner to 
  detect movement from the pilot, who is still alive.
  The runners can surprise the gang because the gang 
  is so focused on the victory of shooting down a helicop-
  ter and salvaging the wreckage. A Surprise Test is a Re-
  action + Intuition (3) Test. Success means the character 
  gets to act as normal; failure means the character loses 
  10 from their Initiative Score, and they are considered 
  surprised until their next action phase (see p. 192, SR5). 
  Being distracted, the gangers are at –2 penalty for the 
  Surprise Test.
  How it proceeds from this point is up to the runners. 
  The gang will not get into a drawn-out combat and runs 
  away at any opportunity to do so if confronted with an 
  obviously superior force. The pilot has two boxes of 
  overflow damage. If the runners can get to him, stabi-
  lize, and treat him, he can be a source of some informa-
  tion. A First Aid + Logic [Mental] (3) or Medicine + Logic 
  [Mental] (3) Test with a –3 modifier (bad conditions) sta-
  bilizes the pilot. Magical means of healing work as well. 
  The pilot offers the following information:
  • 
  His team was sent to locate entrances to the 
  hive network under Chicago.
  • 
  There were six team members including him.
  • 
  His team thought him dead and were involved 
  in a running firefight with the gang.
  • 
  The location of the first site (also the location to 
  which the runners are heading).
  If the runners do not make it to the pilot in time, most 
  of this information is available on the pilot’s commlink. 
  The commlink has a Device Rating of 5. 
  
  SCENE 3: UCAS DOWN
  11
  COVER
  A LITTLE  
  TOO FAR
  INTRODUCTION
  MISSION 
  SYNOPSIS
  SCENE 1
  SCENE 2
  SCENE 3
  SCENE 4
  SCENE 5
  SCENE 6
  PICKING UP 
  THE PIECES
  LEGWORK
  CAST OF 
  SHADOWS
  PLAYER 
  HANDOUTS
  DEBRIEFING  
  LOG
  The runners can also recover material from the helicop-
  ter. If they spend about five minutes searching, they find:
  • 
  2 functional Ares Alphas
  • 
  A broken Ingram Valiant
  • 
  2 100 round belts of regular light  
  machine gun ammo 
  • 
  200 rounds of APDS assault rifle ammo
  • 
  100 rounds of APDS heavy pistol ammo
  • 
  A Rating 3 medkit
  • 
  5 KE-V gas grenades
  This scene should not be a tough one for the runners. 
  The main point is to get some information and gear into 
  their hands for later scenes.
  Lastly, if the runners save the pilot, they will need 
  to determine what to do with him. If they bring him 
  along, this will be a big bonus into getting the rest of 
  the UCAS team to help the runners. If they leave him, 
  there is little chance of him making it out of the CZ 
  alive. If they divert from their current mission, they risk 
  angering their employer.
  FRATERNITAS INSECTORUM
  (1 PER RUNNER) (PROFESSIONAL RATING 1)
  B
  A
  R
  S
  W
  L
  I
  C
  ESS
  4
  4
  3
  4
  3
  2
  3
  3
  6
  Initiative: 6 + 1d6
  Condition Monitor: 10
  Limits: Physical 5, Mental 3, Social 4
  Armor: 9
  Skills: Automatics 3, Blades 4, Clubs 3, Etiquette 3 (Street +2), 
  Intimidation 4, Pistols 4, Unarmed Combat 3
  Qualities: Toughness
  Gear: Armor vest, Meta Link commlink [Device Rating 1]
  Weapons: 
  AK-97 [Assault Rifle, Acc 5, DV 10P, AP –2, SA/BF/FA, RC —, 
  38(c), regular ammo, 2 extra clips]
  Browning Ultra-Power [Heavy Pistol, Acc 5 (6), DV 8P, AP 
  –1, SA, RC —, 10(c), laser sight, regular ammo, 2 extra 
  clips]
  Combat Knife [Blades, Acc 6, Reach —, DV 6P, AP –3]
  WARRANT OFFICER  
  CHRIS JENKINS
  DWARF U.C.A.S. MARINE PILOT
  An accomplished rigger, Chris Jenkins has received many 
  awards and commendations for service in hot spots across the 
  globe. He grew up in the suburbs of Seattle, and after the UCAS 
  military academy, he went to flight school. His feet have barely 
  touched the ground since. He is most at home in his rigger 
  cocoon or harness, and when he is not flying for a mission likes 
  to spend his time in flight sims and playing the latest trid games 
  (usually space combat sims). He is quiet and a bit gruff, but 
  extremely loyal to his country and especially the UCAS Marines.
  B
  A
  R
  S
  W
  L
  I
  C
  ESS
  ESS
  4
  3
  5(7)
  3
  4
  5
  2
  2
  2
  3.2
  Initiative: 7 + 1D6
  Matrix Initiative: 8 + 3D6 (hot sim 8 + 4D6)
  Condition Monitor: 10/10
  Limits: Physical 6, Mental 5, Social 4
  Armor: 18
  Skills: Armorer 5, Electronics Skill Group 2, Engineering skill 
  group 3, Etiquette 3, Gunnery 5, Perception 3, Pilot Aircraft 
  6, Pistols 3
  Augmentations: Implanted Transys Avalon commlink [Device 
  Rating 6, w/ hot-sim module], control rig 2, reaction 
  enhancers 2
  Gear: Full body armor, helmet
  Weapons: 
  Ares Predator V [Heavy Pistol, Acc 5(7), DV 8P, AP –1, SA, 
  RC —, 15(c), w/ 15 rounds of regular ammo]
  KE-V
  Cost: 20¥ per dose
  Availability: 10
  Vector: Contact
  Speed: Immediate
  Penetration: 0
  Power: 8
  Effect: Acid Damage, Berserk (see below)
  With the advent of insect spirits and various deadly 
  Awakened insects such as the wyrd mantis, chemists 
  have been working on a more potent insecticide than 
  commercially available produces. KE-V (or KEV) is a 
  combination of concentrated insecticides; their combined 
  effects on insect physiology produce internal acids (treat 
  as Acid damage) that dissolve the critter from within. KEV 
  is also toxic to metahumans if ingested (but not on contact). 
  Insect spirits hit with KEV may go berserk in the same 
  manner as those who follow Bear (see p. 321, SR5).
  Insect spirits receive a – 3 dice pool penalty to their 
  damage resistance tests due to their severe allergies to 
  insecticides.
  BERSERK
  (P. 321, SR5)
  You might go berserk when you take Physical damage 
  in combat or if someone under your care is badly injured. 
  Make a Simple Charisma + Willpower Test (wound modifiers 
  apply). You go berserk for 3 turns minus 1 turn per hit, so 3 or 
  more hits averts the berserk rage entirely. If you’re already 
  going berserk, increase the duration. When you’re berserk, 
  you go after your attacker(s) without regard for your own 
  safety. If you incapacitate the target(s) before the time is up, 
  the berserk fury dissipates.
  
  SCENE 4: THERE WAS A FIREFIGHT!
  12
  COVER
  A LITTLE  
  TOO FAR
  INTRODUCTION
  MISSION 
  SYNOPSIS
  SCENE 1
  SCENE 2
  SCENE 3
  SCENE 4
  SCENE 5
  SCENE 6
  PICKING UP 
  THE PIECES
  LEGWORK
  CAST OF 
  SHADOWS
  PLAYER 
  HANDOUTS
  DEBRIEFING  
  LOG
  Pushing the Envelope
  Increase the number of gang members to two per run-
  ner. The helicopter could be in the process of getting 
  ready to explode. From the time after the gang mem-
  bers are dealt with, the helicopter explodes in five min-
  utes. The explosion has a DV 16P, –2 per meter, AP –6.
  Debugging
  The fight with the gangers should be relatively low 
  risk for the runners. If the runners decide to go around 
  this scene instead of taking part in it, that is okay. They 
  lose out on some information and equipment that could 
  aid them, but it does not mean failure of the mission. 
  Scene 4:
  There Was  
  a Firefight!
  Scan This
  This scene is quite pivotal to the runners’ success. If they 
  play it right, they can earn some effective assistance in 
  the final scene of this mission. As the runners get closer 
  to their destination, they encounter what is left of the 
  UCAS marine force from the downed helicopter. The 
  runners meet them as they are engaged in a massive 
  firefight with ghouls on kamikaze led by a toxic shaman 
  in league with the bugs. The outcome of this scene hing-
  es on what the runners decide to do: help or walk away.
  Tell it to Them Straight
  You are finally nearing your destination. Get in. Get out. 
  Should be quick and easy. A sudden report of an ex-
  plosion echoes through the broken city. Shortly after, 
  you hear gunfire. Lots of gunfire. If a bunch of armed 
  individuals were shooting thousands of rounds into a 
  jungle, that would pale in comparison to the sounds 
  you hear now. Unfortunately, the sounds of this fire-
  fight are right in your path.
  As you ease your way to a better vantage point, the first 
  thing that draws your attention is five figures dressed in mil-
  itary armor in a ring in the center of an intersection. They 
  appear to be shooting in all directions. As you scan the area 
  for their targets, you notice pale, hairless humanoids mak-
  ing runs at the ring of soldiers. Many of these pale creatures 
  are piled up on the ground in front of the soldiers. 
  If they know about the strike team from the pilot, add:
  You’ve located the UCAS strike team.
  Behind the Scenes
  This scene has the runners encounter the rest of the 
  UCAS military strike team. They made it to within a few 
  blocks of their mission objective when ghouls being 
  led by a toxic shaman ambushed them. The ghouls are 
  tough opponents because they were given doses of Ka-
  mikaze. The toxic shaman made a deal with the insects 
  to serve as guard and lookout for the hive in exchange 
  to be allowed to live there to conduct her research.
  As the runners arrive on the scene, they see a ma-
  rine go down while two MCT-Nissan Roto-drones go 
  inactive. The rigger on the team was just killed. The four 
  remaining marines are: one human combat mage, two 
  humans firing Ares Alphas, and a troll unloading with a 
  Stoner-Ares M202. 
  A Perception + Intuition [Mental] (2) Test detects a 
  figure in the shadows of a second floor looking down 
  upon the combat. Magic-using characters can also 
  make an Assensing + Intuition [Mental] (1) Test to see 
  the domed Physical Barrier surrounding the figure in 
  the second story. If any runners have experience with 
  ghouls or knowledge of critters, they can identify the 
  pale hairless assailants as ghouls.
  The magically active figure is the toxic shaman, 
  Melek. She provides cover for the ghouls and is con-
  tent to let the ghouls deal with the marines. The shaman 
  has a domed Physical Barrier spell around herself with 
  Armor 4 and Structure 4. She actively takes part in com-
  bat if the runners decided to enter the fray. One of the 
  marines, Private Roe, is on the verge of melting down.
  The runners have a decision to make at this point. 
  They can either help the UCAS team or because of the 
  noise and confusion of the combat, they can slip past 
  this exchange without drawing attention to themselves. 
  If they decide to leave, the next scene is more difficult. 
  If the runners decide to help the marines, begin an ini-
  tiative and roll for the marines to add them to the order. 
  If Warrant Officer Jenkins is with them, he will refuse to 
  leave the UCAS team behind, even going so far as to 
  abandon the runners to try and help his team mates out.
  The formation the marines have set up gives them 
  partial cover by utilizing debris around the fight area. 
  (+2 modifier to defense tests). With the death of the rig-
  ger, the two roto-drones are available for the runners to 
  access and take control of for the fight. 
  The remaining ghouls available for this fight total 12 
  + 3 for each runner on the team. Being doped up on 
  Kamikaze, the ghouls fight to the death. The toxic sha-
  man casts spells and summon spirits from the second 
  floor of the building she occupies. If the ghouls are de-
  stroyed, the shaman flees. 
  
  SCENE 4: THERE WAS A FIREFIGHT!
  13
  COVER
  A LITTLE  
  TOO FAR
  INTRODUCTION
  MISSION 
  SYNOPSIS
  SCENE 1
  SCENE 2
  SCENE 3
  SCENE 4
  SCENE 5
  SCENE 6
  PICKING UP 
  THE PIECES
  LEGWORK
  CAST OF 
  SHADOWS
  PLAYER 
  HANDOUTS
  DEBRIEFING  
  LOG
  GHOULS
  (12 + 3 PER RUNNER) 
  B
  A
  R
  S
  W
  L
  I
  C
  EDG
  ESS
  M
  7 (8)
  3 (4)
  5
  6 (8)
  5 (6)
  2
  4
  1
  3
  5
  1
  Initiative: 9 + 3D6
  Condition Monitor: 12/11
  Limits: Physical 8 (10), Mental 5, Social 5
  Armor: 1
  Skills: Assensing 4, Perception 5, Running 3, Sneaking 6, 
  Unarmed Combat 6
  Qualities: High Pain Tolerance 3
  Powers: Armor 1, Dual Natured, Enhanced Senses (hearing, 
  smell), Natural Weapon (Claws: DV 9P, AP –1), Sapience
  Weaknesses: Allergy (sunlight, moderate), Dietary 
  Requirement (metahuman flesh), Reduced Senses (blind)
  MELEK, ELVEN  
  TOXIC SHAMAN
  (PROFESSIONAL RATING 2)
  B
  A
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  ESS
  M
  3
  4
  4
  3
  4
  4
  4
  3
  6
  3
  Initiative: 8 + 1D6
  Condition Monitor: 10
  Limits: Physical 5, Mental 6, Social 6
  Armor: 12
  Skills: Assensing 4, Astral Combat 3, Conjuring skill group 3, 
  Counterspelling 4, Leadership 3, Pistols 2, Spellcasting 4
  Qualities: Magician 
  (Gear: Armor jacket, mage sight goggles (10m), Renraki 
  Sensei commlink [Device Rating 3], spellcasting focus 
  [Force 2, combat], reagents (15 drams)
  Spells: Physical Barrier, Corrode, Radiation Beam, Radiation 
  Burst, Turn to Goo 
  Weapons: 
  Fichetti Security 600 [Light Pistol, Acc 6(7), DV 7P, AP —, 
  SA, RC 1, 30(c), w/ 30 rounds of regular ammo]
  UCAS MCT-NISSAN  
  ROTO-DRONE (2)
  HAND
  SPEED
  ACCEL
  BODY
  ARM
  PILOT
  SENS
  SEATS
  4
  4
  2
  4
  4
  3
  3
  0
  Upgrades: Rigger interface, heavy weapon mounts, autosofts 
  (Clearsight, Targeting)
  Weapons: 
  Ingram Valiant [Light Machine Gun, Acc 5(6), DV 9P, AP –6, 
  BF/FA, RC 2(3), 500(belt), w/ 500 rounds of APDS ammo]
  PRIVATES ERIN MENKAS  
  AND PHILIP ROE
  HUMAN UCAS MARINES
  (2, PROFESSIONAL RATING 5)
  B
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  ESS
  6
  5(7)
  5(7)
  4(6)
  4
  4
  5
  3
  1.9
  Initiative: 10(12) + 3D6
  Condition Monitor: 11
  Limits: Physical 7(9), Mental 6, Social 4
  Armor: 21
  Skills: Athletics skill group 6, Close Combat skill group 7, 
  Demolitions 7, Firearms skill group 9, Perception 7, Small 
  Unit Tactics 3, Stealth skill group 6
  Augmentations: Cybereyes [Rating 2, w/ flare compensation, 
  image link, low-light vision, smartlink, thermographic 
  vision], muscle augmentation 2, muscle toner 2, wired 
  reflexes 2
  Gear: Medium hardened mil-spec battle armor with helmet, 
  grapple gun, Hermes Ikon commlink [Device Rating 3]
  Weapons: 
  Ares Alpha [Assault Rifle, Acc 5(7), DV 11P, AP –6, SA/BF/FA, RC 
  2, 42(c), w/ 8 spare clips and 378 rounds of APDS ammo]
  Ares Predator V [Heavy Pistol, Acc 5(7), DV 8P, AP –5, 
  SA, RC —, 15(c), w/ 4 spare clips, 75 rounds of APDS 
  ammo]
  Long Cougar Fineblade [Blades, Acc 6, Reach —, DV 9P, 
  AP –1]
  SPECIALIST THOMAS WYNN
  ORK UCAS COMBAT MAGE 
  (PROFESSIONAL RATING 5)
  B
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  4
  5
  5
  3
  6
  5
  5
  4
  6
  7
  Initiative: 10 + 1D6
  Condition Monitor: 10
  Limits: Physical 5, Mental 7, Social 7
  Armor: 18
  Skills: Assensing 6, Astral Combat 7, Sorcery skill group 7, 
  Leadership 7, Pistols 7, Banishing 5, Small Unit Tactics 3, 
  Stealth skill group 5
  Qualities: Magician 
  Gear: Full body armor with helmet, grapple gun, Hermes 
  Ikon commlink [Device Rating 3], reagents (8 drams), 
  spellcasting focus [Force 1, combat]
  Spells: Powerbolt, Stunball, Physical Barrier, Heal, Increase 
  Reflexes
  Initiate Grade: 1 
  Weapons: 
  Ares Predator V [Heavy Pistol, Acc 5(7), DV 8P, AP –5, 
  SA, RC —, 15(c), w/ 4 spare clips, 75 rounds of APDS 
  ammo]
  
  SCENE 5: THEY MOSTLY COME OUT AT NIGHT, MOSTLY...
  14
  COVER
  A LITTLE  
  TOO FAR
  INTRODUCTION
  MISSION 
  SYNOPSIS
  SCENE 1
  SCENE 2
  SCENE 3
  SCENE 4
  SCENE 5
  SCENE 6
  PICKING UP 
  THE PIECES
  LEGWORK
  CAST OF 
  SHADOWS
  PLAYER 
  HANDOUTS
  DEBRIEFING  
  LOG
  Pushing the Envelope
  Toss in a few troll ghouls (half the number of runners). 
  Alternately, you can increase the number of regular 
  ghouls, or drop any number of the survivors to in-
  crease the difficulty.
  Debugging
  This fight should be tough. If the runners choose not to 
  aid the UCAS team then, off-screen, the UCAS team is 
  eliminated.
  Scene 5:
  They Mostly 
  Come Out at 
  Night, Mostly…
  Scan This
  The scene takes place as the runners arrive at their 
  destination. As they explore the shattered building, 
  they discover the object of their mission collapsed into 
  tunnels the bugs excavated. While searching for the 
  terminal, they encounter bugs. 
  Tell it to Them Straight
  You finally arrive at your destination. As you scan the 
  surroundings, two things pop out immediately. First is 
  an algae-covered small lake is across the street from 
  your destination. The water you can see has a yel-
  low-greenish tinge and bubbles break the surface. The 
  water’s odor makes those without any kind of olfactory 
  filter grimace. The second, and probably more import-
  ant, item you notice, is that approximately two-thirds 
  of the building that is your goal has collapsed into a 
  large sinkhole. The data terminal you are looking for 
  now resides somewhere underground. 
  Behind the Scenes
  The Horizon building is now one of the entrances to 
  the hives under Chicago. The building’s collapse was 
  LT. FRANCOIS 
  “STEREOTYPE” ABELLARD
  TROLL UCAS WEAPON SPECIALIST 
  (PROFESSIONAL RATING 5)
  B
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  ESS
  9
  4 (7)
  3 (5)
  10 (13)
  4
  3
  3
  4
  2
  1.9
  Initiative: 8 + 3D6
  Condition Monitor: 13/10
  Limits: Physical 14, Mental 5, Social 5
  Armor: 23
  Active Skills: Athletics skill group 6, Close Combat 
  skill group 7, Leadership 7, Firearms skill group 9, 
  Perception 7, Small Unit Tactics 4, Stealth skill group 6
  Knowledge Skills: Voodoo 2, Military Tactics 4, History 3
  Languages: Cityspeak 2, Creole 3, Milspeak 3
  Qualities: Toughness
  Augmentations: Cybereyes [Rating 3, w/ flare 
  compensation, image link, low-light vision, smartlink, 
  and vision magnification], muscle augmentation 3, 
  muscle toner 3, wired reflexes 2
  Gear: Heavy hardened mil-spec armor with helmet [w/ 
  chemseal, grapple gun] Hermes Ikon commlink [Device 
  Rating 3]
  Weapons: 
  GE Vindicator Mini-gun [Light Machine Gun, Acc 4(6), 
  DV 9P, AP –8, FA, RC 14, 200 (belt), w/ gyro mount, 2 
  spare belts, 600 rounds of APDS ammo]
  Ruger Super Warhawk [Heavy Pistol, Acc 5, DV 9P, AP 
  –6, SS, RC 6, 6 (cy), w/ 6 speed loaders, 42 rounds of 
  APDS ammo]
  Combat Axe [Blades, Acc 4, Reach 2(3), DV 18P, AP –3]
  TROLL GHOUL
  B
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  11 (12)
  3 (4)
  5
  10 (12)
  5 (6)
  2
  4
  1
  3
  5
  1
  Initiative: 9 + 3D6
  Condition Monitor: 14/11
  Limits: Physical 12 (14), Mental 5, Social 5
  Armor: 1
  Skills: Assensing 4, Perception 5, Running 3, Sneaking 6, 
  Unarmed Combat 6
  Qualities: High Pain Tolerance 3
  Powers: Armor 1, Dual Natured, Enhanced Senses 
  (hearing, smell), Natural Weapon (Claws: DV 13P,  
  AP –1), Sapience
  Weaknesses: Allergy (sunlight, moderate), Dietary 
  Requirement (metahuman flesh), Reduced Senses (blind)
  
  SCENE 5: THEY MOSTLY COME OUT AT NIGHT, MOSTLY...
  15
  COVER
  A LITTLE  
  TOO FAR
  INTRODUCTION
  MISSION 
  SYNOPSIS
  SCENE 1
  SCENE 2
  SCENE 3
  SCENE 4
  SCENE 5
  SCENE 6
  PICKING UP 
  THE PIECES
  LEGWORK
  CAST OF 
  SHADOWS
  PLAYER 
  HANDOUTS
  DEBRIEFING  
  LOG
  intentional. If any runners have Knowledge Geology, 
  Engineering, or any knowledge skill along those lines, 
  they may make an appropriate Knowledge + Logic 
  [Mental] Test (4) to recognize the collapse happened 
  within the last few weeks.
  Fortunately for the runners, their target is in a secure 
  vault in the building’s basement, so the vault room is 
  intact and accessible with some work. Unfortunately, 
  the bugs tunneled and moved things around, so finding 
  the vault requires some subterranean exploration. The 
  entrance to the underground is what is left of a stairwell 
  that once linked the basement to the first floor. The en-
  trance is not hidden, and the runners find it easily. The 
  runners may also make a Perception + Intuition [Mental] 
  (2) Test to find pieces of shed chiton and other insect ev-
  idence all around the structure. Right before the runners 
  start descending, there is a flash of lightning and a crack 
  of thunder, and a downpour begins. Depending on the 
  number of marines left at this point, one volunteers to 
  guard the entrance to keep it clear for exfiltration. The 
  remaining marines travel with the runners, concentrat-
  ing on finding evidence for the hive entrance and aiding 
  the runners once the bugs awake.
  Once the runners descend into the underground, 
  the following environmental conditions come into play. 
  There is no light source (–6), and there is a persistent 
  light fog (–1) in the tunnel system. The Background 
  Count is 2 inside the tunnel system. Play up these factors 
  to enhance the environment’s creepiness. The tunnels 
  average about five meters wide with a ceiling height of 
  about three meters. The vault the runners seek is two 
  hundred meters from the entrance into the tunnels, but 
  the tunnels are a maze of passageways.
  The runners do not encounter any bugs until they 
  open the vault. Plenty of disturbing evidence should be 
  found in the tunnels as they explore—articles of clothing 
  from victims, pieces of desiccated husks and bodies, 
  and whatever else the gamemaster feels to add to the 
  creepiness. When the runners finally find the vault, they 
  need to open it. The bugs have no interest in the vault, 
  so it is relatively intact. 
  Once the runners reach the vault, they must open it. 
  The magical protections that once existed on the vault 
  are gone, but there is still physical security in the form of 
  a maglock. Due to the vault’s internal power source, the 
  maglock is still active. It can be overridden with a Lock-
  smith + Agility [Physical] (12, 1 Combat Turn) Extended 
  Test or hacked (it is Device Rating 3).
  Once the maglock is dealt with, the door to the vault 
  can be opened. It is an extremely heavy door (though 
  no test is required), and as it opens, vibrations shudder 
  through the rubble tunnel. The vault is a five meter by 
  
  SCENE 6: DENOUEMENT
  16
  COVER
  A LITTLE  
  TOO FAR
  INTRODUCTION
  MISSION 
  SYNOPSIS
  SCENE 1
  SCENE 2
  SCENE 3
  SCENE 4
  SCENE 5
  SCENE 6
  PICKING UP 
  THE PIECES
  LEGWORK
  CAST OF 
  SHADOWS
  PLAYER 
  HANDOUTS
  DEBRIEFING  
  LOG
  ten meter room. Inside are banks of storage servers 
  with two terminals that allow access. The room has its 
  own still functioning power source and when the door 
  opens, the lights flicker on automatically. Obtaining the 
  information is relatively easy since this system was not 
  connected to the Matrix; there is no digital security. The 
  runners must make a Computer + Logic [Mental] (2) 
  Test to locate the target files. This test takes thirty sec-
  onds. Any hits over the two required allow the runners 
  to acquire extra files that can be sold for 500 nuyen per 
  hit (up to a maximum of 3,000 nuyen) or those hits can 
  speed up the time of the test by a Combat Turn (see 
  below, to a minimum of 1 Combat Turn).
  When the runners open the vault, the vibrations alert 
  the tunnel denizens to the runners’ presence. The run-
  ners have 20 Combat Turns in the vault before the guard-
  ians arrive. It will take 4 Combat Turns to finish getting 
  the door open, locate the server, activate the systems, 
  and start the search and up to 10 Combat Turns for the 
  search. All the while, they hear insectoid buzzing get-
  ting louder and louder in the tunnels. If they don’t leave 
  before the insects arrive, the firefight starts there. For 
  every Combat Turn of the 20 remaining, the runners are 
  ahead of the ants by 24 meters (the rate the ants run).
  From there it is a foot race. If Lt. Abellard, Pvt. Roe, 
  or Pvt. Menkas are with the group they will likely be the 
  slowest at 14m per round. There are other things the 
  runners can do to slow the ants down, such as trying 
  to collapse the tunnel with an explosion, cast some 
  form of barrier, etc. This will buy them two more combat 
  turns, as the ants have to divert to a side passage and 
  back again. 
  This should be a tense scene where the runners try 
  to outrun the ants, but with the slower marines with 
  them, it will likely turn into a running firefight to make it 
  out of the tunnels. The insect spirits use their Conceal-
  ment power whenever possible. The insects pursue the 
  runners on the surface until the runners have made it 
  twenty-five meters from the entrance. 
  There are more waves of ants behind the first. They 
  are each 2 Combat Turns (or 48m) behind the previous 
  wave, though there should never be more than two ant 
  soldiers per runner at any point in the escape.
  Pushing the Envelope
  This fight is challenging because the number of ant 
  spirits remains constant until the runners make it out 
  of the tunnel system. The runners should realize this is 
  not a stand-up fight and if they choose this route, they 
  will be overwhelmed. The fighting will be easier if the 
  runners gained the aid of the surviving UCAS marines, 
  but the marines will slow the runners down. 
  If you wish to make the encounter more difficult, in-
  crease the soldier ants to three or even four per runner.
  Debugging
  The runners may die. The runners may need to burn 
  through serious amounts of Edge to survive this en-
  counter. If the runners seem to be floundering or the 
  dice are just not going their way, judiciously use the 
  marines to help. If the marines were not rescued and 
  the runners get in over their head here, have a few of 
  the marines (see p. XX) show up, having followed the 
  runners hoping to hitch a ride out with them.
  Scene 6:
  Denouement
  Scan This
  The runners exit the CZ and contact the Johnson to de-
  liver the files and receive the rest of their pay.
  Tell it to Them Straight
  You finally make it to the barrier between the CZ and 
  the rest of Chicago. As you cross into relative safety, 
  you make the call to Mr. Johnson to arrange delivery 
  and receive the rest of your pay. After that, it’s time to 
  get drek-faced.
  Behind the Scenes
  The runners contact Mr. Johnson at the number given 
  in the beginning, and they receive an invite into the 
  same VR room they met in originally. The runners can 
  ANT SOLDIER
  (FORCE 5, 2 PER RUNNER A 
  T ANY ONE TIME)
  B
  A
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  EDG
  ESS
  M
  8
  6
  6
  8
  5
  5
  5
  5
  3
  5
  5
  Physical Initiative: 11 + 2D6
  Astral Initiative: 10 + 3D6
  Condition Monitor (P/S): 12/11
  Limits: Mental 7, Physical 10, Social 7
  Skills: Assensing, Astral Combat, Counterspelling, Exotic 
  Ranged Weapons, Gymnastics, Perception, Unarmed 
  Combat
  Powers: Animal Control (ants), Astral Form, Fear, Hive 
  Mind, Inhabitation, Natural Weapon (DV 7P, AP –1, Acid 
  Damage), Sapience, Concealment
  Weaknesses: Allergy (insecticides, light), Evanescence
  
  SCENE 6: DENOUEMENT
  17
  COVER
  A LITTLE  
  TOO FAR
  INTRODUCTION
  MISSION 
  SYNOPSIS
  SCENE 1
  SCENE 2
  SCENE 3
  SCENE 4
  SCENE 5
  SCENE 6
  PICKING UP 
  THE PIECES
  LEGWORK
  CAST OF 
  SHADOWS
  PLAYER 
  HANDOUTS
  DEBRIEFING  
  LOG
  deliver the file and the Johnson transmits the rest of the 
  agreed upon pay.
  The runners may try to squeeze more money from 
  the Johnson if they happen to scan the files they recov-
  ered and see what they contain. The Johnson will obvi-
  ously be extremely angered, and likely blow up at them, 
  but will then quickly back down. This allows the runners 
  another shot at the original negotiation roll from Scene 
  1, now capping out at a total of 14,000 nuyen. If the 
  runners do not accept this, the Johnson leaves the VR 
  room and very quickly decides for the runners to meet 
  untimely demises.
  Pushing the Envelope
  The runners may be heavily depleted at this point, so 
  no need to push the envelope at this point. If you want, 
  you can have the Lone Star harassment occur as the 
  runners leave the CZ instead of when they enter. Once 
  again, this shouldn’t turn into a conflict, but if it does, 
  proceed with a fight.
  Debugging
  If the runners decide to extort Mr. Johnson or demand 
  more compensation and then don’t take his final offer, 
  Mr. Johnson sends a team in to eliminate the runners. 
  He reports up the AZT chain of command that a group 
  of runners has extracted a top-level bug spirit out of 
  the CZ, and the only thing to be done about it is com-
  plete eradication. He is convincing, and an AZT Spec 
  Ops team is soon dispatched. This can go down imme-
  diately, or in a longer campaign, at a point when the 
  players aren’t expecting it.
  The runners might also give Mr. Johnson the data 
  while keeping a copy for themselves. It could be sold on 
  the black market for up to 6,000 nuyen (see the Fencing 
  Gear rules for selling on the Black Market, SR5, p. 418), 
  but this too will eventually lead back to the runners, trig-
  gering the above spec ops attack above. 
  For the purposes of mission play, the spec ops en-
  counter is part of the danger of this mission and will oc-
  cur within hours of crossing Mr. Johnson (if they don’t 
  give him the data) or within the next two days (if they 
  choose to sell it on the black market).
  AZTECHNOLOGY  
  SPEC OPS TEAM MEMBER
  B
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  ESS
  6
  6 (9)
  5 (8)
  5 (8)
  5
  4
  6
  4
  6
  2.3
  Initiative: 14 + 4D6
  Condition Monitor: 11
  Limits: Physical 7 (10), Mental 7, Social 6
  Armor: 18
  Skills: Athletics skill group 7 (10), Stealth skill group 6, 
  Close Combat skill group 8, Demolitions 7, Firearms skill 
  group 9, Perception 7
  Gear: Full body armor with helmet [w/chemical seal], 
  grapple gun, Hermes Ikon commlink [Device Rating 5], 
  smoke grenades (x2), thermal smoke grenades (x2)
  Weapons:
  HK 227 [Submachine Gun, Acc 5 (7), DV 7P, AP -4, SA/
  BF/FA, RC(1), 28 (c), w/ 28 rounds of APDS ammo]
  Smoke grenade [Grenade, DV —, AP —, Blast 10m 
  Radius]
  Thermal smoke grenades [Grenade, DV —, AP —, 
  Blast 10m Radius]
  
  PICKING UP THE PIECES
  18
  COVER
  A LITTLE  
  TOO FAR
  INTRODUCTION
  MISSION 
  SYNOPSIS
  SCENE 1
  SCENE 2
  SCENE 3
  SCENE 4
  SCENE 5
  SCENE 6
  PICKING UP 
  THE PIECES
  LEGWORK
  CAST OF 
  SHADOWS
  PLAYER 
  HANDOUTS
  DEBRIEFING  
  LOG
  Picking Up  
  the Pieces
  Money
  • 
  Initial Negotiations: 10,000 nuyen. Negotiation 
  + Charisma [Social] (2) Test increases the pay-
  out by 500 nuyen for every hit up to a maxi-
  mum of 12,000 nuyen. 25 percent up front/75 
  percent on completion. 
  • 
  Added data from the terminal: 500 nuyen per 
  net success applied to finding pay data up to 
  3,000 nuyen.
  • 
  Strong-arming Collingsworth for more at the 
  end: Negotiation + Charisma [Social] (2) Test 
  increases the original payout by 500 nuyen 
  for every hit up to a maximum of 14,000 
  nuyen
  • 
  Selling the information: Replaces the 75 per-
  cent upon completion. Up to 6,000 nuyen. 
  • 
  Max reward: 17,000 nuyen (14,000 nuyen from 
  Mr. Johnson, 3,000 nuyen from pay data)
  Karma
  • 
  1-2 Karma: 1 Karma if the files are recovered. 
  2 Karma if recovered files are returned to the 
  Johnson.
  • 
  2 Karma: Surviving the adventure
  • 
  1 Karma – Aiding the UCAS team and gaining 
  Lt. Abellard as a contact.
  • 
  2 Karma – Overall Adventure Challenge
  Gamemaster Reward
  When running this adventure, you may choose to 
  count the Missions as “played” for their personal Shad-
  owrun Missions character. You must choose to do this 
  the first time your run this Mission only and take the 
  optional results to match those the team you game-
  mastered for earned. You may not choose to wait for a 
  “better” attempt to choose your rewards. You’re on the 
  honor system here, so please don’t skew the adventure 
  to help the players gain extra rewards just so that you 
  can get better results.
  You will earn a flat amount of karma and nuyen, re-
  gardless of how well (or poorly) the players do, listed 
  below. For other missions’ results and rewards that you 
  track on the Debriefing Log (Objectives completed, rep-
  utation and contacts earned, etc.), take the average re-
  sults of the group you’re gamemastering for. So, if four 
  out of six players earned a point of notoriety, you will 
  earn one as well. If only two players out of five earn a 
  +1 Loyalty with a contact, you would not get that +1 
  Loyalty.
  Karma Earned: 7
  Nuyen Earned: 13,000
  Reputation
  During the adventure, runners may perform actions 
  that will add to their Street Cred, Notoriety, or Public 
  Awareness (p. 372, SR5). Besides the scenario specific 
  gains listed below, gamemasters should consider the 
  characters’ actions throughout the game and award 
  additional points as appropriate. If a player earns Pub-
  lic Awareness or Notoriety, don’t be afraid to give them 
  extra points.
  • 
  +1 Street Cred if the players defeat the 
  encountered members of Fraternitas 
  Insectorum
  • 
  +1 Notoriety if the team fails to deliver  
  the files to the Johnson
  • 
  +1 Notoriety if the team attempts to  
  blackmail the Johnson
  • 
  +1 Public Awareness for saving the  
  entire UCAS Team
  • 
  +1 Public Awareness if the team has an 
  altercation with Lone Star either entering or 
  leaving the CZ
  Contacts
  Successfully completing objectives or performing the 
  actions listed below will earn characters specific Mis-
  sions contacts at a Loyalty of 1, and should be given 
  the Contact Sheet included with this Mission. If they 
  already have that contact, they gain a +1 loyalty to that 
  contact (up to a maximum of 4). 
  Characters might interact with NPCs not specified by 
  the Mission, and may earn these NPCs as a contact at 
  Loyalty 1. They may also work with non-Mission specif-
  ic contacts that they have already earned or that they 
  bought at character creation, and gain a +1 Loyalty to 
  these contacts, with a maximum Loyalty of 4. Gam-
  emasters should not grant these lightly, and players 
  should have to work to earn these contacts by going 
  the extra mile to impress the NPC, offering up favors, or 
  paying them well above the standard rates for informa-
  tion or services.
  • 
  Lt. Francois Abellard, Troll UCAS Weapon Spe-
  cialist
  • 
  Warrant Officer Chris Jenkins, Dwarven UCAS 
  Marine Pilot 
  
  LEGWORK
  19
  COVER
  A LITTLE  
  TOO FAR
  INTRODUCTION
  MISSION 
  SYNOPSIS
  SCENE 1
  SCENE 2
  SCENE 3
  SCENE 4
  SCENE 5
  SCENE 6
  PICKING UP 
  THE PIECES
  LEGWORK
  CAST OF 
  SHADOWS
  PLAYER 
  HANDOUTS
  DEBRIEFING  
  LOG
  Legwork
  When a PC gets in touch with a contact, make an unop-
  posed Connection + Connection test for the contact. 
  The results of this test determine how many ranks of 
  information the contact knows about the question. If 
  the relevance of the subject is a specialty of the con-
  tact, they get +3 to this test. The player then makes 
  an unopposed Charisma + Etiquette + Loyalty test, the 
  results of which determine how many ranks of infor-
  mation the contact is willing to divulge for free, up to 
  the max ranks of information they know. If the con-
  tact knows more, they will require a payment of 500¥ 
  – (Loyalty x 100¥, minimum 100¥) per rank of informa-
  tion they still know.
  If the PCs have worked all their contacts, and are still 
  missing important information, they may request that 
  a contact ask around. If they do so, have the Contact 
  make an extended (Connection + Connection (1 hour)) 
  test. Additional information will be available at a cost of 
  1000¥ – (Loyalty x 100¥, minimum 200¥).
  A Matrix Search action (p. 241, SR5) may also be 
  utilized to gather information from the following charts, 
  using the appropriate thresholds and search times.
  Robert Gault
  Contacts to Ask: Corporate Contacts, Humanis Poli-
  club, Metahuman Rights Activists
   Contacts Matrix Search 
  Information
   
  0 
  0 
  Robert Gault was a mid-level 
  executive of Truman Tech.
   
  1 
  1 
  He disappeared in the recent 
  resurgence of insect activity.
   
  2 
  3 
  He was a high-level member of 
  the local Humanis Policlub.
   
  3 
  — 
  He lived well above his means.
   
  4 
  6 
  He was known to have a rivalry 
  with Samuel Collingsworth.
   
  5 
  — 
  He had dirt on other Policlub 
  members and wasn’t afraid to use it.
  Truman Tech
  Contacts to Ask: Corporate Contacts
   Contacts Matrix Search 
  Information
   
  0 
  0 
  An A-rating megacorp based out 
  of Chicago before the disasters.
   
  1 
  1 
  Had rivalries with most of the 
  other megacorps, but most 
  recently with Aztechnology.
   
  2 
  3 
  Was led by Daniel Truman at the 
  time of its destruction.
   
  3 
  — 
  Had several unmarked buildings 
  within the area now made up by 
  the Containment Zone.
   
  4 
  6 
  Rumored to have an offsite data 
  store facility in the heart of what is 
  now the CZ
   
  5 
  — 
  Rumored to have a secret weapon 
  facility in the heart of the CZ 
  that may have contributed to the 
  disaster
  Fraternitas Insectorum
  Contacts to Ask: Gangers, Law Enforcement, other 
  street level contacts
   Contacts Matrix Search 
  Information
   
  0 
  0 
  The Fraternitas Insectorum is one 
  of the dominant gangs in the CZ. 
  They wear bug masks at all times 
  and are fascinated by the insects 
  of the CZ.
   
  1 
  1 
  The Fraternitas Insectorum runs 
  drugs, weapons, and metahuman 
  trafficking rackets.
   
  2 
  3 
  They began as a small gang called 
  the Chi-Town Fixers. 
   
  3 
  — 
  Over the years, the gang 
  developed into a cult who 
  worships the insect overlords 
  resulting in the name change of 
  the gang.
   
  4 
  6 
  Everything they do is related to 
  supporting the insect shamans 
  and spirits.
   
  5 
  — 
  With the reemergence of the 
  insects in the CZ, the leader of the 
  Chi-Town Fixers made a deal with 
  the insect shamans. The gang 
  would funnel whatever the insect 
  shamans needed from outside the 
  CZ in exchange for keeping profits 
  and having protection from the 
  insects.
  
  CAST OF SHADOWS
  20
  COVER
  A LITTLE  
  TOO FAR
  INTRODUCTION
  MISSION 
  SYNOPSIS
  SCENE 1
  SCENE 2
  SCENE 3
  SCENE 4
  SCENE 5
  SCENE 6
  PICKING UP 
  THE PIECES
  LEGWORK
  CAST OF 
  SHADOWS
  PLAYER 
  HANDOUTS
  DEBRIEFING  
  LOG
  Cast of Shadows
  Warrant Officer  
  Chris Jenkins
  Dwarven U.C.A.S. Marine Pilot
  An accomplished rigger, Chris Jenkins has received 
  many awards and commendations for service in hot 
  spots across the globe. He grew up in the suburbs of 
  Seattle, and after the UCAS military academy, went to 
  flight school. His feet have barely touched the ground 
  since. He is most at home in his rigger cocoon or har-
  ness, and when he is not flying for a mission likes to 
  spend his time in flight sims and playing the latest trid 
  games (usually space combat sims). He is quiet and a 
  bit gruff, but extremely loyal to his country and espe-
  cially the UCAS Marines.
  B
  A
  R
  S
  W
  L
  I
  C
  EDG
  ESS
  4
  3
  5(7)
  3
  4
  5
  2
  2
  2
  3.2
  Initiative: 7 + 1D6
  Matrix Initiative: 8 + 3D6 (hot sim 8 + 4D6)
  Condition Monitor: 10/10
  Limits: Physical 6, Mental 5, Social 4
  Armor: 18
  Skills: Armorer 5, Electronics skill group 2, Engineering skill 
  group 3, Etiquette 3, Gunnery 5, Perception 3, Pilot Aircraft 6, 
  Pistols 3
  Augmentations: Commlink [Transys Avalon (Device rating 6) w/ 
  hot-sim module], control rig 2, reaction enhancers 2
  Gear: Full body armor and helmet
  Weapons: 
  Ares Predator V [Heavy Pistol, Acc 5(7), DV 8P, AP –1, SA, RC 
  —, 15(c), w/mods and ammo]
  Lt. Francois 
  “Stereotype” Abellard
  Troll UCAS Weapon Specialist 
  (Professional Rating 5)
  Francois Abellard was born in the Louisiana bayou. His 
  aunt, a powerful voodoo shaman, raised him. When he 
  was eight, his aunt refused to perform her craft for a 
  local gang. His aunt and he fled the CAS to the UCAS. 
  When Francois was eighteen, he went to college and 
  majored in history. While in college, he opted to join 
  the ROTC. Upon graduating, he was commissioned as 
  an officer in the UCAS marines.
  He went through jump school, airborne school, and 
  finally special operations warfare (SpecOps). He was 
  given the nickname Stereotype because he likes heavy 
  weapons and the combat axe.
  B
  A
  R
  S
  W
  L
  I
  C
  EDG
  ESS
  9
  4 (7)
  3 (5)
  10 (13)
  4
  3
  3
  4
  2
  1.9
  Initiative: 8 + 3D6
  Condition Monitor: 13/10
  Limits: Physical 14, Mental 5, Social 5
  Armor: 23
  Active Skills: Athletics skill group 6, Close Combat skill group 7, 
  Leadership 7, Firearms skill group 9, Perception 7, Small Unit 
  Tactics 4, Stealth skill group 6
  Knowledge Skills: Voodoo 2, Military Tactics 4, Louisiana 
  History 3
  Languages: Cityspeak 2, Creole 3, Milspeak 3
  Qualities: Toughness
  Augmentations: Cybereyes [Rating 3 w/ flare compensation, 
  image link, low-light vision, smartlink, vision magnification], 
  muscle augmentation 3, muscle toner 3, wired reflexes 2
  Gear: Heavy hardened mil-spec armor with helmet w/ chemseal, 
  grapple gun, Hermes Ikon commlink [Device Rating 3]
  Weapons: 
  GE Vindicator Mini-gun [Machine Gun, Acc 4(6), DV 9P, AP –8, 
  FA, RC 14, 200 (belt), w/ gyro mount, APDS, 2 spare belts]
  Ruger Super Warhawk [Heavy Pistol, Acc 5, DV 9P, AP –6, SS, 
  RC 6, 6 (cy), w/ speed loader, APDS,6 spare clips]
  Combat Axe [Blades, Acc 4, Reach 2(3), DV 18P, AP –3]
  
  LT. FRANCOIS ABELLARD
  UCAS Marine Weapon Specialist 
  Male Troll
  Connection Rating: 3
  Loyalty:
  Key Active Skills: Close Combat, 
  Leadership, Firearms, Perception
  Knowledge Skills: Voodoo, Military 
  Tactics, Louisiana History
  Francois Abellard was born in the Louisi-
  ana bayou. His aunt, a powerful voodoo 
  shaman, raised him. When he was eight, 
  his aunt refused to perform her craft for a 
  local gang. His aunt and he fled the CAS 
  to the UCAS. When Francois was eighteen, 
  he went to college and majored in histo-
  ry. While in college, he opted to join the 
  ROTC. Upon graduating, he was commis-
  sioned as an officer in the UCAS marines.
  He went through jump school, airborne 
  school, and finally special operations 
  warfare (SpecOps). He was given the nick-
  name Stereotype because he likes heavy 
  weapons and the combat axe.
  Francois Abellard was born in the Louisi-
  ana bayou. His aunt, a powerful voodoo 
  shaman, raised him. When he was eight, 
  his aunt refused to perform her craft for a 
  local gang. His aunt and he fled the CAS 
  to the UCAS. When Francois was eighteen, 
  he went to college and majored in histo-
  ry. While in college, he opted to join the 
  ROTC. Upon graduating, he was commis-
  sioned as an officer in the UCAS marines.
  He went through jump school, airborne 
  school, and finally special operations 
  warfare (SpecOps). He was given the nick-
  name Stereotype because he likes heavy 
  weapons and the combat axe.
  Francois Abellard was born in the Louisi-
  ana bayou. His aunt, a powerful voodoo 
  shaman, raised him. When he was eight, 
  his aunt refused to perform her craft for a 
  local gang. His aunt and he fled the CAS 
  to the UCAS. When Francois was eighteen, 
  he went to college and majored in histo-
  ry. While in college, he opted to join the 
  ROTC. Upon graduating, he was commis-
  sioned as an officer in the UCAS marines.
  He went through jump school, airborne 
  school, and finally special operations 
  warfare (SpecOps). He was given the nick-
  name Stereotype because he likes heavy 
  weapons and the combat axe.
  LT. FRANCOIS ABELLARD
  UCAS Marine Weapon Specialist 
  Male Troll
  Connection Rating: 3
  Loyalty:
  Key Active Skills: Close Combat, 
  Leadership, Firearms, Perception
  Knowledge Skills: Voodoo, Military 
  Tactics, Louisiana History
  LT. FRANCOIS ABELLARD
  UCAS Marine Weapon Specialist 
  Male Troll
  Connection Rating: 3
  Loyalty:
  Key Active Skills: Close Combat, 
  Leadership, Firearms, Perception
  Knowledge Skills: Voodoo, Military 
  Tactics, Louisiana History
  Abellard is a massive troll in a full suit of 
  military spec armor. He has a standard 
  military crew cut, accent by swept back 
  horns that are unadorned. He wears 
  sunglasses when his helmet isn’t on. He 
  totes around both a mini-gun and a war 
  axe. He looks like something out of an 
  ’80s Schwarzenegger film, all muscle and 
  military precision. 
  He recently went through a crash, so his 
  armor should be banged up, but his hair 
  and sunglasses should still be perfectly 
  aligned.
  Abellard is a massive troll in a full suit of 
  military spec armor. He has a standard 
  military crew cut, accent by swept back 
  horns that are unadorned. He wears 
  sunglasses when his helmet isn’t on. He 
  totes around both a mini-gun and a war 
  axe. He looks like something out of an 
  ’80s Schwarzenegger film, all muscle and 
  military precision. 
  He recently went through a crash, so his 
  armor should be banged up, but his hair 
  and sunglasses should still be perfectly 
  aligned.
  Abellard is a massive troll in a full suit of 
  military spec armor. He has a standard 
  military crew cut, accent by swept back 
  horns that are unadorned. He wears 
  sunglasses when his helmet isn’t on. He 
  totes around both a mini-gun and a war 
  axe. He looks like something out of an 
  ’80s Schwarzenegger film, all muscle and 
  military precision. 
  He recently went through a crash, so his 
  armor should be banged up, but his hair 
  and sunglasses should still be perfectly 
  aligned.
  
  WARRANT OFFICER CHRIS JENKINS
  UCAS Marine Pilot
  Male Dwarf
  Connection Rating: 2
  Loyalty:
  Key Active Skills: Armorer, Gunnery, Pilot 
  Aircraft 
  Knowledge Skills: UCAS History, UCAS 
  Marines, Seattle History, Flight Operations, 
  Air Tactics
  An accomplished rigger, Chris Jenkins has 
  received many awards and commenda-
  tions for service in hot spots across the 
  globe. He grew up in the suburbs of Seat-
  tle; after the UCAS military academy, he 
  went to flight school. His feet have barely 
  touched the ground since. He is most at 
  home in his rigger cocoon or harness, and 
  when he is not flying for a mission likes to 
  spend his time in flight sims and playing 
  the latest trid games (usually space com-
  bat sims). 
  He is quiet and a bit gruff, but extremely 
  loyal to his country and especially the 
  UCAS Marines.
  An accomplished rigger, Chris Jenkins has 
  received many awards and commenda-
  tions for service in hot spots across the 
  globe. He grew up in the suburbs of Seat-
  tle; after the UCAS military academy, he 
  went to flight school. His feet have barely 
  touched the ground since. He is most at 
  home in his rigger cocoon or harness, and 
  when he is not flying for a mission likes to 
  spend his time in flight sims and playing 
  the latest trid games (usually space com-
  bat sims). 
  He is quiet and a bit gruff, but extremely 
  loyal to his country and especially the 
  UCAS Marines.
  An accomplished rigger, Chris Jenkins has 
  received many awards and commenda-
  tions for service in hot spots across the 
  globe. He grew up in the suburbs of Seat-
  tle; after the UCAS military academy, he 
  went to flight school. His feet have barely 
  touched the ground since. He is most at 
  home in his rigger cocoon or harness, and 
  when he is not flying for a mission likes to 
  spend his time in flight sims and playing 
  the latest trid games (usually space com-
  bat sims). 
  He is quiet and a bit gruff, but extremely 
  loyal to his country and especially the 
  UCAS Marines.
  WARRANT OFFICER CHRIS JENKINS
  UCAS Marine Pilot
  Male Dwarf
  Connection Rating: 2
  Loyalty:
  Key Active Skills: Armorer, Gunnery, Pilot 
  Aircraft 
  Knowledge Skills: UCAS History, UCAS 
  Marines, Seattle History, Flight Operations, 
  Air Tactics
  WARRANT OFFICER CHRIS JENKINS
  UCAS Marine Pilot
  Male Dwarf
  Connection Rating: 2
  Loyalty:
  Key Active Skills: Armorer, Gunnery, Pilot 
  Aircraft 
  Knowledge Skills: UCAS History, UCAS 
  Marines, Seattle History, Flight Operations, 
  Air Tactics
  Jenkins is a dwarf with only the barest hint 
  of military precision. He spends all of his 
  time in a cockpit and doesn’t care how he 
  looks. His hair, while cut with a military 
  cut is not washed or combed regularly. He 
  never looks anyone in the eye and should 
  be looking ‘off camera’ in any pictures of 
  him. 
  He wears a suit of full body armor, but it 
  is not the hardened military grade stuff, 
  but more security grade, since he spends 
  his time in a cockpit, and not on a battle-
  field. He’s recently been through a crash, 
  so should look beat up, and tattered with 
  damage to his face and his armor. 
  Jenkins is a dwarf with only the barest hint 
  of military precision. He spends all of his 
  time in a cockpit and doesn’t care how he 
  looks. His hair, while cut with a military 
  cut is not washed or combed regularly. He 
  never looks anyone in the eye and should 
  be looking ‘off camera’ in any pictures of 
  him. 
  He wears a suit of full body armor, but it 
  is not the hardened military grade stuff, 
  but more security grade, since he spends 
  his time in a cockpit, and not on a battle-
  field. He’s recently been through a crash, 
  so should look beat up, and tattered with 
  damage to his face and his armor. 
  Jenkins is a dwarf with only the barest hint 
  of military precision. He spends all of his 
  time in a cockpit and doesn’t care how he 
  looks. His hair, while cut with a military 
  cut is not washed or combed regularly. He 
  never looks anyone in the eye and should 
  be looking ‘off camera’ in any pictures of 
  him. 
  He wears a suit of full body armor, but it 
  is not the hardened military grade stuff, 
  but more security grade, since he spends 
  his time in a cockpit, and not on a battle-
  field. He’s recently been through a crash, 
  so should look beat up, and tattered with 
  damage to his face and his armor. 
  
  DEBRIEFING LOG . . . . .
  © 2018 The Topps Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Shadowrun is a registered trademark of The Topps Company, Inc., in the U.S. and other countries. Permission given to copy for personal use.
  PERSONAL INFO
  SYNOPSIS
  MISSION RESULTS
  TEAM MEMBERS
  KARMA
  NUYEN
  REPUTATION
  VALIDATION
  ADVANCEMENT
  CONTACTS/SPECIAL ITEMS GAINED OR LOST/NOTES
  GM’s Name 
          
  GM’s Signature         
  Previous Available
  Earned
  Spent
  Remaining
  Previous Available
  Earned
  Spent
  Remaining Available
  New Career Total
  Street Cred
  Notoriety
  Public Awareness
  Character Improvement 
   
   
   Karma Cost
  Names
  PLAYER
  CHARACTER                                                                                                     LOCATION
    DATE      /        /
  ¥
  ¥
  ¥
  ¥
  DEBRIEFING LOG
  SRM 08-04: DIRTY LAUNDRY
  Pulling data out of the middle of a hive in Chicago’s Containment 
  Zone, downed helicopters, and bug gangers. Whatever hap-
  pened to milk runs?
  Retrieved the files
  Turned the files over to Mr. Johnson
  Saved some or all of the UCAS Team
  Attempted to blackmail Mr. Johnson/Sell his data
  Lt. Francois Abellard
  Chris Jenkins
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Shadowrun [multi]/5th Edition/Missions/E-CAT27M0804 Shadowrun 5e - Missions 08-04 Dirty Laundry [OEF][2020].pdf