Potential MMO's. Dev's look here for ideas!

I'm not sure if anyone is currently working on this or not, but if they are not, then they should!

I'm talking about Shadowrun.

For those that have been blessed to play this Pen and Paper RPG, you know what I'm talking about.  For those that have never had the chance to play this game (a great GM is required, but it's like that in all P&P games), I really believe you've missed out on something.

If you would like to read more about it, please check out the website here:

http://www.shadowrunrpg.com/

Now, for why this should be an MMO...

Shadowrun is based in a future Earth, where Magic, after centuries of being absent, comes back.  With Magic coming back full force, comes what is referred to as the Goblinization of the Human race.  Basically this is where all the old fantasy races start coming back: Trolls, Orcs, Elves, Dwarves.  However, this also brings with it, the creatures of legend.  They are referred to as Critters.  These are your ghouls, vampires, dragons, etc.  Some have been sleeping, some are new.

Also, you have technology developed to the point where people literally "jack in" to the net (ala Johnny Neumonic or the Matrix).  These people are known as Deckers.  This is a whole other aspect of the game as these guys move around the web, hitting specific targets like large corporations, fighting various ICE with their "decks" (various offensive and defensive programs they carry on their hardware).  Very cool stuff!

Cybernetics has come a long way, with everything from wrist razors, to adrenaline pumps to new eyes, and everything in between.  To prevent people from going crazy on the cyber however, there is a thing called Essence.  You only have a small amount of it, and once you put cyber in, it's a permanent loss.  Once you hit 0 essence, you're officially "dead" (or undead I guess, as there are drugs that can keep you alive, but for a price......).

There is the typical world of Magic, with spells and buffs and the like.  This I'm sure most are familiar, however combine this with a world of Automatic weapons and body armor, and you've got an...interesting mix. 

There are no levels.  In fact, everyone has the same hit points!  It's all about skills and attributes.  As you complete missions, you get Karma at the end.  Now, Karma can be used two ways:

1) It can be used during a fight to help your rolls.  If you're facing a difficult task, you can bolster your rolls with Karma to help you get through it.

2) It can be used to increase your skills or attributes permanently.  This is NOT cheap, as Karma tends to be hard to come by.

Everyone has 10 blocks of life and 10 blocks of mind.  Stun damage uses the mind block.  Filling your 10 blocks of Mind generally gives you minus's, as well as knocks you out.  Should more than 10 blocks of damage be done, it rolls over into your physical damage.  This is realistic.  Should I start fighting with you and I knock you out, if I continue to pummel you, I could infact kill you doing so.

The physical blocks are for knives, guns, explosions (not concussion, but actual blast damage).  Other than the fact that filling these up will get you DEAD (or near dead), they follow the same rules as the mind blocks.

How do you avoid filling your blocks?  First you roll Dodge.  I won't go into details, but you can infact dodge the attacks.  Should anything get through, you can then roll your body to try and absorb some or all of the damage.  This is where higher skills come in handy.  If you try hitting someone, and your fist feels like it punched a wall, chances are you're out matched......bad day!

You can even purchase what's called a doc wagon contract.  It's a bracelet that you wear (it's damned expensive!), and should you fall in combat, the paramedics come.....guns blazing!  These guys are nuts! They will shoot anything and anyone (including group mates) to get to you, load you up in the "ambulance" (resembles an Armored Personnel Carrier), and get you out of there.  The amount of money you spend depends on the type of care you recieve.  No doubt about it, this is a world where money talks and.....well, money talks.

Speaking of money, there is only one type of currency: New Yen!  Money is now (for the most part) electronic, with people carrying personal "cred sticks".  You can get refillable sticks to intermediate use until you can transfer it to your account, but most people prefer to use their personal stick, as it's almost like a wallet (cash wise anyways).

Progressing through the game is all about amassing personal wealth and developing repuation and contacts.  Some of these contacts are various law enforcement agencies, corporations, the Yakuza, the Mob, or a "Mr. Johnson" (someone that gives you runs.  He's referred to as Mr. Johnson to protect who he is).  Some of these groups don't like each other, so you have to watch who you associate with.  It's also a good idea to keep these guys happy, as the happier they are, the better the runs they give you, which brings me up to the next point: Shadowruns.

As the name implies, a Shadowrun is a mission given to a group of people.  These missions can vary in magnitude and reward.  As you do more Shadowruns, other shadowrun groups will start to take notice as will other contacts.  Sometimes this attention will be positive (get into bars for free, lower prices on goods, etc), sometimes it's negative (other groups will try and gank you during a run, opposing contacts (IE: Yakuza vs. Mob) will often try and stop you).  Either way, it's a LOT of excitement.

I can only HOPE that someone is working on this one, as it is probably (imho anyways) the best P&P RPG ever made, just for the way it plays and how fast paced it is.

If it's not in development yet, then someone gotta jump on this!