This article is meant to inspire GMs with ideas for using DocWagon in their campaigns, and to give players a better idea about the services DocWagon offers.

Lying in a pool of blood, dying from a few gunshot wounds or a powerful combat spell, often a shadowrunner will find himself pinning his last hopes on a DocWagon trauma team. Will they get there in time? Will they be able to fight their way through the people who took the 'runner down in the first place? Once they get through, will they be able to save the 'runner's life thanks to the wonders of modern medical technology and healing magic? None of these things are ever guaranteed, and a shadowrunner should be cautious about placing too many of his bets on DocWagon being able to pull his hoop out of trouble. Still, DocWagon has acquired a reputation for doing just that.

Since its inception, DocWagon has made a fortune selling its services to individuals who dwell in the shadier side of society. Gamemasters should always keep in mind, however, that DocWagon is a legitimate corporation. Most of their clients are corporate VIPs and upper-middle-class businessmen, and only a small percentage of them are shadowrunners. While DocWagon is more lenient in the depth of their background and credit-rating checks (enabling many 'runners to get a contract with them in the first place), they do perform those checks. The average SIN-less 'runner of the street isn't going to be able to waltz into an office, flash a certified credstick full of nuyen, and ask for DocWagon coverage. It's just not that easy.

In order to qualify for a DocWagon contract of any sort, the 'runner must have a SIN. Of course, it doesn't have to be his real one (and rarely is), but it is required. This means that to some extent, a character with DocWagon coverage is leaving himself vulnerable if he ever leaves evidence behind on a Shadowrun. As part of their medical files, DocWagon holds tissue samples, DNA records and other detailed information about all of their clients, even their shadowy ones. For the Platinum coverage program, they begin forming a vat-grown clone of the patient to have on hand in case an emergency transplant is needed.

Most tissue samples are not kept magically preserved, so their usefulness in rituals to track down a character is limited. However, the opportunity does still exist if the 'runner is somehow linked to his DocWagon identity. On the other hand, having tissue samples on file can be useful in case the 'runner ever disappears and is believed kidnapped or harmed. For a small additional fee, DocWagon will magically preserve a client's tissue samples for use by specified individuals (usually family or fellow 'runners) in a magical casting to locate the client. The authorities are also allowed to use these samples if a warrant is obtained. DocWagon goes out of its way to protect the privacy of its clients, but they usually find it in their best interests to cooperate with the police.

DocWagon and the police sometimes come into conflict on other occasions, such as when one of their clients ends up in a shoot-out with Lone Star. The medical service dispatches one of their High-Threat Response teams, only to find out that the firefight is with the cops. In such situations, the DocWagon team usually negotiates with the cops to allow them to extract their client and give him medical attention before returning him to police custody.

It takes a certain type of person to be a member of one of DocWagon's High-Threat Response teams. The typical DocWagon employee spends most of his time driving around in an ambulance and taking care of some corporate VP who had a few too many to drink and wrapped his car around a phone pole. The HTRTs, on the other hand, fly in armored combat helicopters and end up with the fun cases of corporate assassinations, downed police officers, victims of gang violence, and, of course, shadowrunners.

By far, 'runners are Docwagon's least favorite clients. Shadowrunners rarely have "normal" accidents. When one of them goes down, it's usually in one of those troublesome spots, such as a corp's private facility or in the middle of the Barrens somewhere. Often, this causes a mess that involves the HTRT having to make arrangements with a private corporation or with the police to extract their client. Not wanting to step on any toes, DocWagon has made it a policy to always wait for permission before sending a trauma team into restricted corporate areas.

This can be an added hassle for shadowrunners. If one of them gets taken down within a corp facility, and their DocWagon bracelet sends out the alert, the medics will immediately ask the corp for permission to make the extraction. It isn't going to take the corp security forces long to figure out that "John Smith" doesn't actually work for them, and isn't supposed to be on the grounds. Once that happens, they then have the convenient DocWagon homing signal to use for tracking down the intruders. Even after the trauma team has extracted their client, the corporation will no doubt go to DocWagon and press charges against whoever is registered under that contract. Hopefully the shadowrunner will not have used any information which will lead the corp to his doorstep, but at the very least he will lose the effective use of his DocWagon contract and whatever fake ID went along with it.

Such situations are not always the case, of course. If a shadowrunner finds himself in a fight with a corp team outside of the corporation's territory, or perhaps has decided to take on the entire Halloweeners gang single-handedly, a DocWagon HTRT will indeed come charging to the rescue. Keep in mind, of course, that DocWagon might not always know that it's a high-threat situation. Certain geographic areas are red-tagged as high-threat, and there's always the option of using the wrist-phone portion of the DocWagon bracelet to call in for heavy firepower. Usually, though, the service's first response will be a normal trauma team. If that team determines that a high-threat response is needed, there will be an additional delay while the HTRT is called.

HTRT services almost always have a high price tag attached, especially if DocWagon employees get hurt or killed in the rescue. The price is well-deserved, however. Trauma teams have a reputation for getting the job done.. and deservedly so. In their line of work, if they aren't good they usually end up dead. It probably doesn't hurt that as a legitimate security force, DocWagon has legal access to all the latest and deadliest hardware. Most opponents on the street will think twice before taking on a DocWagon team intent on getting to their client... especially since they don't take too kindly to being fired upon in the performance of their duties.

On the flip side of things, however, DocWagon's only concern in those cases is their client. They have no interest in taking care of the other members of the 'runner's team. In fact, if anyone gets in their way they are going to deal with them ruthlessly, regardless of whose side the person is actually on. Gamemasters can use this to their advantage in a situation. How will the 'runners react when suddenly there's a third party fighting their way in, trying to rescue one of their comrades?

Also, it isn't always the shadowrunners who find themselves making use of DocWagon's services. Many corporations have contracts with the medical service, and issue DocWagon bracelets to their security forces. This provides two interesting options for ruthless GMs. Not only do the shadowunners now have to deal with a DocWagon HTRT coming in response to their 'run, but they also have alerted the corp every time they seriously injure or kill a security guard.

While DocWagon isn't the only corporation to offer its services to independent clients, it is by far the biggest competitor in the field. When smaller companies arise, DocWagon tends to buy them out quickly, before they have a chance to flourish. Their most notable competitor was Crashcart Medical Services Corporation. Crashcart did well against DocWagon in Seattle before going out of business a few years ago due to some legal trouble and some apparent ties with the Universal Brotherhood scandal. Since then, no other medical services have even come close to challenging DocWagon's monopoly. Yet.