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It uses an individuated (read each die separately for a "success") dice pool of d6s. So I was doomed to be a little unprepared.Īt its heart, Shadowrun is simple enough. I'm not against options (let the players do what they want is something most DMs will cringe at, but I want the players to have FUN, dammit), but its a LOT of game to learn. Fifth edition is almost 500 pages-and its to hold all those damn options and the spot rules for them.
#SHADOWRUN 3E MAGIC VINES PLUS#
Plus it has new rules for wireless networking to make your hacker even more crazy useful. The fifth edition book has technomancers (magic brain hackers), adepts (use magic to enhance their physical abilities as an alternative to the cybered-up street samurai), and drones (riggers can use these remote control buddies to participate in the run from the safety of the getaway van). The history muddles along, reading more like an alternate time line now than a future too near scenario. And unlike the un-history of Paranoia, Shadowrun's lore is deep and broad enough that its almost impossible to ret-con away like a failed comic book plot-line. In the 90s they did a storyline where Dunkelzahn, one of those newly returned dragons, ran for president and won (I'm pretty sure a certain orange-haired man would have asked to see THAT birth certificate), 2012 has come and gone with no goblinaztion (where normal people "turn into" orks and trolls) and no resurgence of magic, and since the 80s first the internet then the advent of wi-fi revolutionized computing. Needless to say, technology and history marching on have not been kind to Shadowrun's timeline.
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It mostly remains due to tradition and the fact that many gamers are Japanophiles) to kill the guards with guns, a decker (brain-to-computer hacker) to get past the electronic security, a hermetic mage or shaman (mages focus of spell-slinging, and shamans are better at dealing with spirits) to deal with the magic, a face to talk to the guards without guns, and a rigger (brain-to-vehicle hacker) to drive the get away van. And because corporations have multiple layers of security: electronic, guards without guns, magical wards, guards with guns, etc., a good team of Shadowrunners includes Street Samurai (warrior types-did I mention this game of from the 80s when everyone thought, incorrectly, Japan was going to economically conquer the world. They get these jobs because they don't have SINs (system identification numbers, the source of identity in the crapsack future), so they're the perfect deniable assets. In short, Shadowrunners are criminals for hire, and their job is to commit corporate espionage. The built-in excuse for a bunch of mercenaries with no real backstory or identity to team up to commit questionable moral acts is in the title: the Shadowrun.
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If put under a microscope, the setting makes no logical sense (the "Earth" of Shadowrun is called "the Sixth World" in honor of the old Mayan calendar thing), but it is a lot fun. A brief summary of the idea is that it mixes cyberpunk concepts (a future too-near ruled by corrupt corporations filled with cyborgs and direct brain-link hacking) with with fantasy ones (magic, dragons, dwarves, elves, orks, and trolls). Shadowrun isn't as old as D&D, but it is an 80s classic and much beloved. I didn't have long to gather players (and, as usual, that old jerk work schedules excluded some otherwise interested players), so there were only two: Joseph and Will from Encounters. So I put one on my schedule, and the first game was last night. I probed some players, and got some interest in Shadowrun. Let it not be said I'm not a man of my word. So sometime back, I promised to look at other games and occasionally do posts on other geeky insights.