The arcologies are the wave of the future-if you think the future holds only corporate-sucking zombies packed like sardines into cheap living conapts. As an an ArcoRunner, you're one of the children of this environment, someone who realizes the pointlessness and control that the arcologies symbolize. However, instead of rebelling and leaving, you have taken the other path; you've fully embraced the arcoology lifestyle and taken it one step further. You're one of the rats of the new city, the Artful Dodgers of 2027, the de-evoluntionary urban robots of tomorrow, and you love it. You're no longer the product of your environment, but the explorer of it. You are a consumate mega-urban warrior, who knows the arcologies even better than the authorities.

What You Look Like

You're always equipped for the pursuit of your passion, which is exploring the forbidden and restricted areas of the arcologies. Your exploration outfits are usually grimy, since you're always crawling through the accumalated grit and dust of forgotten areas. Typically you wear water-resistant jumpsuits, battered helmets, and jungle boots. Your utility rope probably holds some rope, picks, grapples, magnetopitons, night goggles, and other paraphernalia.

When possible, you'll wear clothing which carries the image of things long out of date and use old technology when practicable, even to the extent of recording your music onto analog audio cassette tapes. Flight suits are favorite garments, as are bomber jackets. Whatever you wear, it's not normal mall fare. You try very hard not to fit in with the sterile arcology environment promoted by the corporations that own and operate them. You do a very good job.

Subculture

As an ArcoRunner, you're not a criminal in the classic sense of the word, but you do break laws as often as you can-which to you means going into places where you're not supposed to be. You know virtually every inch of pipe and duct in the arcologies; you've wasws through the storm drains, checked out the sewer lines, crawled the electrical access tubes, and wriggled through air vents.

ArcoRunners are a culture within the culture of the arcology. You have your own style, your own grapevine, your own blackmarket. You live your lives as much as possible away from the culture of the arcology, preferring to let their society develop itself. To this end, you never practice sabotage, even though you are in a prime position to do so. Nothing is ever wasted in ArcoRunner subculture, because everything you have is too valuable, and everything you prize is too hard to get. Outgrown clothing is traded or sold, and trinkets and fetishes change hands regularly. The most valuable items, though, are maps, and you'll go to any lengths to copy or steal them. The more maps, the better, and with these maps the ArcoRunners further their knowledge of their universe.

Belonging

To join the ArcoRunners, first you had to make friends with one of the groups, express an interest in alternative entertainment and a distaste for modern society. Eventually you were taken upside and downside and shown the basics of ArcoRunner survival. You were expected to provide your own equipment, and if you complained about grit down your shorts, you weren't invited to return.

Once the ArcoRunners thought you were ready, you were taken on The Run - a long, grueling initiation obstacle course. It started in some public area, but you had to get into one of the pipes without attracting attention. That being done, you had to follow clues, dodge buckets of water and other traps, to get to the scaffolding built around the top of the dome. But you made it.

Your Allies and Enemies

As part of the total urban scene, ArcoRunners appreciat the Vidots and the Tinkertots. You also have an insincere appreciation and admiration for the MallBrats, GoldenKids, and GlitterKids. This is another manifestation of your tongue-in-cheek embrace of the Arco lifestyle, but only the MallBrats are aware enough to understand the sarcasm you and your goboys inflict so freely (MallBrats and ArcoRunners often get into fistfights).

Slang

Downside: in the sewers and rain drains beneath the Arcos.

Drop: to hide, to rappel, to leave.

Gallic: cigarette, joint, incense spliff.

Slicin': great, cool.

Spud: an ArcoRunner, or another yoganger who's cool.

Tilthead: anyone who is not an ArcoRunner.

Upside: in the airducts or above the ceilings.

Yogang Skill: Tunneling (INT)

Don't live in the Arcos-live through them! That means knowing how they work; where the best places to travel behind the scenes are, what to check out, and what to avoid. Tunneling skill is an implicit knowledge of any urban environment or structure: where pipes and power lines are (Average), how to locate secret access panels (Dificult), crawlways and ventilator ducts you can move safely through (Average), where alarms and monitors will be located (V. Dificult), where (and how) power lines can be tapped into (Dificult), and how to deactivate maintenance and guardian remotes (Dificult).

If You're an ArcoRunner

1) Tell me you name, age and sex.

2)Beside you V-trodes, pick four different things from the list below that you are currently carrying:

100 metres of SuperString climbing rope.

10m Flashtape (glow-in-the-dark lightsource).

Breather Mask with 10 minutes air.

Tech Tool Kit

Pack of 10 MicroFlashes (toothpick sized flashlights).

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