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CRMcNeill
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 18, 2018 10:48 pm    Post subject: Shadowrun Reply with quote

Does anyone have any recommendations as to which edition of Shadowrun is the best, and which books to look for? I've seen the D6 conversions over on the Holocron, but I'd like to get a look at the source material.
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Pel
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 19, 2018 12:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I played a lot of SR2, and loved it. Later editions are mostly easier, but I thought they left out a lot of what made Shadowrun unique. Having said that, I hear they're doing neat things in SR5, but haven't tried that one yet. As far as must have books for SR2, try:
  • Shadowrun 2nd Edition (SR2)

The core book is all you really need to play. Now if you enjoy the system and want to delve a bit deeper, try the following:
  • Fields of Fire - full of weapons, gear, and vehicles. A+ bang bang!
  • Cybertechnology - great compendium of cyber and bioware
  • Rigger 2 - rules and gear for vehicle and security riggers
  • Grimoire 2nd - Mages and Shamans!
  • Virtual Realities 2.0 - The Decker book
  • Bug City - my favorite adventure hook and sourcebook in which extraplanar insect spirits take over Chicago

Each edition has their own versions of the above (except 1st), but to me SR2 is where they really fleshed out the Awakened World for the first time.
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Whill
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 19, 2018 12:38 am    Post subject: Re: Shadowrun Reply with quote

I've only played it once, and it was second edition, which was the current edition of the time. It was in college and I vaguely remember the dorm room we played it in and who played, but I have no other memories of the adventure, my character, or the game system.

I'm still friends with the GM and he only lives a couple counties away from me, but he is mostly into fantasy and superhero gaming these days (I did play a Firefly game with him a couple years ago). I've played a handful of games ran by him one time, and he was one of my Star Wars players in my college (the Blue Vader years). He played a really well-developed Horansi student of the Force.

But I digress. So what is Shadowrun? A science fantasy game? Magical cyborgs, maybe? Would the 2e core book have any possible inspirations for Star Wars?
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CRMcNeill
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 19, 2018 12:42 am    Post subject: Re: Shadowrun Reply with quote

Whill wrote:
So what is Shadowrun? A science fantasy game? Magical cyborgs, maybe? Would the 2e core book have any possible inspirations for Star Wars?

That's the main reason I'm asking. It's, as you say, science fantasy, a mix of fantasy creatures, magic and cyberpunk set in the mid 21st century on Earth. I first became aware of it because of a pretty extensive D6 conversion of Shadowrun cybernetic parts (most of which can be found in the crossover section of the Holocron).
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garhkal
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 19, 2018 12:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ive played 2e mostly, and read the main book three times now, for 4e. I actually Liked how 4e did the character builds, but disliked how they made everything wireless..
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Mamatried
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 19, 2018 2:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am having a great time with Shadowrun 5e.
some scoursebooks are 4e/5e copatible

I have not tried the previous editions much other than 1st ed and that was like back in the early jurassic, long before the asteroid.

But i can recomend 5e, it is very fun and i do get the shadowrun feeling from it
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MrNexx
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 19, 2018 7:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have played or run every edition except 5th. Mechanically, I liked 4 the best, but all of them tend to be very modifier heavy, with a lot of subsystems.
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Pel
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 19, 2018 12:18 pm    Post subject: Re: Shadowrun Reply with quote

Whill wrote:


But I digress. So what is Shadowrun? A science fantasy game? Magical cyborgs, maybe? Would the 2e core book have any possible inspirations for Star Wars?


Lots of inspirations, oh Fearless Leader! The cyberware list alone sparks the imagination (What if Luke had a blaster or taser concealed in his mechanical hand?) not to mention the bioware and nanotech listed in later versions. The drugs lists is interesting too for GMs looking to add more spice to the um, spice list.

The Decker books can give ideas to Slicers everywhere and the vehicles and modifications lists (both quite extensive) are a gold mine for any hot shot pilots or engineers.

You could also adapt the magic spells and rules to act as an alternative Force system (e.g. Sorcerers of Tund) with unique applications.
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CRMcNeill
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 19, 2018 1:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There was at least one adventure in the AJ - Enemies for Life - that took place in a city that was specifically described as "cyber-punk." And while I can't really speak on garhkal's criticism of Shadowrun going wireless, I think a wired cyber-punk is much more consistent with crossing over to the SWU, where wireless systems (read: Lobot) are few and far between.
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thedemonapostle
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 19, 2018 1:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well I did the conversions for Shadowrun over on the Holocron. I used mostly 5th edition for a lot of it for simplicity sake. The stuff converted over easier without trying to calculate in that light, moderate, severe, deadly damage characteristic from the 1st 3 editions.

Here are my thoughts of editions I have played:

3rd edition: It has the most setting and game material for the system. More than 4th and 5th editions combined. IIRC it was backwards compatible with 1st and 2nd editions. Combat was brutal but realistic. Magic was overpowered, think Emperor Palpatine vs starting non-force sensitive character. The dice mechanic in the game was annoying. I really enjoyed playing the games, more so later on when I played mages, because wow are they overpowered at start. Combat was extremely unforgiving, but felt realistic.

4th edition Anniversary edition: Is not compatible with older editions and IIRC no conversion was available. There are 2 editions here, 4th edition and 4th edition Anniversary edition. 4th edition seemed as though it was rushed to get it to the printer and the rules and typos show it. 4th edition anniversary edition corrected a lot of the mistakes and contained most of the errata but was oftentimes sold missing several chapters from the book. No refund or exchange was offered to correct this mistake. The only fix was a .pdf file containing the missing pages for those that preordered the book. Everyone else that bought it off the shelf had to pay to get that .pdf legally. The rules didn’t flow as smoothly as 3rd edition. Combat didn’t feel like Shadowrun and everyone in our group said it felt more like D&D. It caused a lot of anger problems in the group because shooting an unarmed, unconscious, non-magic-user human at point blank range in the face wouldn’t kill him. The troll imbedding his axe into the guys head didn’t entirely kill the guy either. (When the game was done we found out the guy was no one special and he was just a random low ranking lackey.) The only real thing I liked about 4th over 3rd was the dice mechanic. Look at the older editions to see what I’m talking about, then you’ll understand. To try and balance magic a weak attempt was made which, IIRC, was easily gotten around and overall some parts of magic were made more powerful. Setting material was adjusted slightly as it felt the new publishers of the game wanted to change the setting slightly and rewrote some of the material to fit their desires.

5th edition: Is not compatible with 1st – 4th editions. The rules seemed better thought out. Magic is still overpowered but rules that made sense balance it out much better than 4th editions. Combat feels more like the first 3 editions since it was more deadly than 4th edition but less than 3rd edition. As shooting an unarmored human in the face with a sniper rifle at point blank range would kill them unlike 4th edition where it would just make them angry. Still has less setting material than 3rd edition but tries to build on what’s happened in previous editions.

Summary. Overall I like 3rd edition the best as there was just a literal ton of material available and the game played better. getting shot was always a bad experience and mages were like gods. Next I would say 5th edition would be my 2nd favorite edition. It didn't use that strange D6 mechanic from 1st -3rd and simplified the dice system better. which is why my group uses the basic rules of 5th edition mixed with the setting and feel of 3rd edition. My group tends to stay away from 4th edition as each time any of us looks at the rules we come across a contradiction.
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Ray
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 19, 2018 1:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I write for Shadowrun. My group Playtested 5th Edition.

Ask me anything. Very Happy
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CRMcNeill
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2018 12:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ray wrote:
I write for Shadowrun. My group Playtested 5th Edition.

Ask me anything. Very Happy

Very cool. I'm mostly looking at it for equipment conversion for cybernetics. I've seen some pretty extensive previous versions, but all I have at the moment are hardcopies.

I did once come across a copy of California Free State, though. It was pretty fun to read descriptions of my home town, as well as another city I lived in for three years, as futuristic locations in an RPG. Redding doesn't get a lot of recognition unless something goes badly wrong (see the Carr Fire).
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Ray
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2018 2:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

CRMcNeill wrote:
Ray wrote:
I write for Shadowrun. My group Playtested 5th Edition.

Ask me anything. Very Happy

Very cool. I'm mostly looking at it for equipment conversion for cybernetics. I've seen some pretty extensive previous versions, but all I have at the moment are hardcopies.
Depending on how "High Tech/Low Fidelity" you want your Star Wars Cybernetics, the older books are the way to go. Chrome was King, baby, back in the 2050s and 2060s.

If you want more bioware and cloned replacements (and cloning, period), you'd be better off with SR4 (if you can get hardcopy books used cheap) or SR5 (on PDF.). Note that those systems do still have old skool cybernetics as well, however, for Gutterpunk games or just to give a character more options with their limited starting funds.
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Ray
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2018 2:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Additional Note: I literally wrote the book on Safehouses, which a Rebellion-era game, or hunting after people gone to ground, might find useful indeed.
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CRMcNeill
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2018 4:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Back in the days of yore, a guy named Floyd Wesel did a pretty extensive conversion of Shadowrun cybernetics, under the in-universe name of Wolveshead Cybernetics. I've got it printed out in hard copy, but I lost the e-copy a long time ago. Does anyone still have any copies of this sitting around? I may see about getting it scanned up as a pdf if I can't track it down...
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