Greetings!

I'm looking to let my players take a quick break to learn the rules of vehicles by giving them ganger characters in the run down region of Hive Sibellus known as Arastas a bike race. Monaco is the race template. 20 or so bikes, heavily armed with possibly various obstacles. I don't seem to be to find any rules or guidance for bike modifications to give them a range of abilities. Any suggestions would be welcome on any of the above would be welcome. =][=

Ha! Just seen Hexetic's post:)

When you say "a range of abilities", do you mean something like smokescreens and turbos and such? I cannot say I have seen modifications like those, but applying modifications can just take a re-fluffed Repair Test. Race-oriented modifications can give a bonus to specific Tests (such as Evasive Manoeuvring), or to specific Characteristics (such as Cruising Speed or Integrity).

If you have access to [Only War - Shield of Humanity], the included vehicle modifications are the only written examples that I am aware of. All of the modifications apply a modifier to the Repair Test that applies them and are either added to an existing vehicle or must be included when the vehicle is first built.

I am no good with engines and modification, but I might be helpful with obstacles and NPC bikers.

Please tell me a little more about this race of yours, the general place it is going to happen (the track, so to speak), who has been organizing this event (everyone is a member from the same gang? Different gangs? If so, what keeps them from simply battling another?) and the rules for the race itself.

Cheers guys. I Was looking for turbo boost, smoke screens etc. I've had a look at the mods in Shield of Humanity but as you say, not so much relevant stuff. The players are quite low level still and so they'll be taking the part of the NPC Red Reavers or the rival White Skulls from "The Arastus Affair" scenario. The host of the race will be the Red Reavers leader Tana Umanga, who happens to be an undercover Inquisition Agent. The idea is that the White Skulls are trying to muscle in on the Red Reavers turf as there's still rich pickings in drug dealing and looting. Arastus is one of the mid hive sectors that suffered from the Reinholt Blackouts (mentioned in the handbook if I remember correctly). It is now being allowed to slowly fall apart with the aid of the acolytes Inquisitor. The acolytes have been tasked with setting up a huge low tech/quality weapons cache in a secret, secure location within the division. Unknown to them, this is to draw as many heretics, undesirables etc to the condemned sector only for the PDF to then wipe them out in the scenario, "Operation Clean Sweep". They have two months to raise the funds, circa 24,000 throne gelt and find the dealer who can provide these hundreds of weapons.

Anyhoo, as an interlude the this race is set next to a polluted river that pours into the Black Sea. The reason is to give it the coast of Monaco effect. As the track is the Monaco F1 there won't be too much room for obstacles. My thinking is the obstacles will be the other crashed bikes and dead ganger bodies. So there's a tunnel, hill, tight bends and the occasional straight. I'm thinking 20 competitors, considering having some with pillion support....possibly even a sidecar or two, fast nimble bikes, slow heavily armoured bikes, heavily armed bikes. The prize will possibly be territory, large amounts of obscura, gelt. I'm not sure yet. Anyway, any suggestions would welcome. =][=

Hmm. If the goal is for "[your players] [to] learn the rules of vehicles", I am not sure a full-on race is a good motivator. A race has many variables to juggle, namely the umpteen other racers trying to take the player characters down. Kind of a high/intimidating hurdle for players new to vehicles. I might start a little smaller, perhaps with a single high-speed chase. With just one target, the players would be more able to focus on their own performance. The speed and obstacle elements can still be there, but there is less perceived pressure. This is just my opinion though.

Hmm. If the goal is for "[your players] [to] learn the rules of vehicles", I am not sure a full-on race is a good motivator. A race has many variables to juggle, namely the umpteen other racers trying to take the player characters down.

Or you could handle most of the race narrativly and only roll if the players do something. Or as a GM you can engineer certain situations in which the rules are explained (Kinda like a tutorial in game in video games) Just assume that they'll know how to operate a vehicle (if they have the operate skill. If they don't have it, what the hell are they doing in a race?).

That way you can tell an interesting story around a race and let the players get to know the rules better, one at a time.

Are you sure about the Monacco Race Circuit thing? You could have soooo many obstacles (and complete scenes!) if your race is a „no real course“-thing between two points separated by a section of the underhive (or equally lawless and run-down surrounding) . Think about „Cannon Ball“ or „Death Race“. In addition, I suggest that the race is either organized by one of the gangs to give potential new members a chance to proof themselves (so, no rival gangs) -or- to have it organized by a third party. Gangs that are short of a turf far seem unlikely to have a sport competition instead of just slugging it out (even if it a death sport event).

Talking about the different bikes: having “heavy combat bikes” and race bikes mixed is not really making sense in a regular circuit race: the “combat bikes” only chance to win is to shoot the race bikes down before they are out of reach. Then, they are gone.

If it goes multiple turns, the faster bikes will come up from behind then, stay behind till the finishing line, take one additional daring move for a “sprint to victory” (so to speak).

Anyway, here are some gang bikers you could use

Inspired by “Insta-NPCs_1_Motivation_Attitude_and_Appearance” from Moebius Adventures”
www.drivethrurpg.com

Hershy [Glory / Reflective / Lithe]
The young ganger does not stand out when you see him, neither among his peers nor would he in the streets of the hive if he would wear a workers overall. Same when talks or laughs, there does not seem to be anything special about him. But that stops when he moves. He glides. Every movement of his is one fluid affair those who do not know him take a pause and note. “Well, you just noted the reason why I am with the gang and still about: I am slick as oil and smooth as blade between the rips” he will say to the one looking at him... the linkish smile either meant to be friendly or a thread.

The blond young stubjack rides a bike modified for agility and acceleration. He can get out of pinch or go ahead. If fire upon he “ducks & weaves” just like he would do if assaulted on the streets. But in turn, his bike is a more fragile then the others are and the breaks don´t have the grip to stop.

He sees the race as great chance to make himself a name and carries himself like he thinks he should to do so: his bike is cleaned and polished and so is his gear and clothing. He got himself some brand new chains around his neck and go himself a fancy new girl (so a tat young) to look good next to him. He has plans, plans he talks about to his pretty young things, plans he mumbles under his breath when he thinks nobody pays attention to him.

(More to come...)

Siel [Recognition / Offensive / Shaved]
Siel is easily recognized for he is completely hairless. Bald, no brows, nothing. His skin clean, but not in healthy, attractive way. It looks a little like rubber and the pours are...notable. If somebody looks to long at him Siel will try to nail him down with a stare or start pushing him around if he thinks he can get away with it. That means: not an enforcer, not a hive gang member, nobody in liege to any of the major crime syndicates. Especially not the later two, for Siel tries to find a way inside one or the other. For it is the only way that will allow him to rise to any position where he is not the at wrong end of the stick.

Siel was born with a minor mutation. The doctors and the Ministorum certified that the mutation IS minor and tolerable (after his father and mother did penance and made donations). But together with the letter of sanction comes an entry in his cognomen. He could never rise to his fathers position as a Technomant, he could never get a proper wage, could never marry or have children. He would always be listed a “technomants aid” no matter how much of the trade of his father he had learned. Life was miserable for Siel as it had became for his family from the point of his birth. When his father was drunk (and that was often) he beat him mercilessly, cursing the day he was born. But he had to teach him how things are done because nobody else would work for a Technomant that was father of a mutant.
About a year ago, Siel stole valuable tools from his father and ran away. He fled to the lower hives and tried to start a new. Tried to get himself a LIFE. He sees the race as his chance to earn himself a place in the underworld. Currently, the gangs pay him for tending to their bikes when they cannot fix them themselves. What they pay is pretty meager, but their protection helped him to do business. He fixes a lot of things for the right coin and was able to salvage a wrecked bike and re-build it.

That little Frankenstein of his earns him a lot of scorn and mockery from the hive gangs and he has a hard time to bite his tongue about that. He HATES it that everbody is STILL picking on him, still treading him like junk. The bike is armed now and he is ready. Or so he thinks. Truth is, he isn´t skilled enough for what is to come and the gangers have order to take him out without killing him outright. After all, he is too useful. They would have simply bared him from the race but he had the guts to claim that the are just afraid of him beating them. So, the race needs to be had... and the other gangers keep mocking him. Siel is at boiling point right now. His knuckles grow white when they taunt him....