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Message no. 1
From: Jak Koke <jkoke@****.EDU>
Subject: Re: Knocking the Novels
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 1997 23:36:38 -0700
Just thought I'd chime in and give my 2 cents.

First of all, everyone should know that the novels are vigorously edited for
adherence to the rules. Nowadays, Mike reads them all and makes sure that
everything (or as much as he can catch) will work in the SR universe. Donna
Ippolito, the novel editor, does a thorough edit as well. I've gotten to
where I include a long list of notes with each novel, notes which explain
what's happening according to the rules. These have page references for
sourcebooks and / or explanations from me when I believe something should be
possible but it hasn't been specifically stated in one of the books.

If FASA doesn't like it, they veto it and I think of some other way to do
what I need to have happen in the novel.

With that said, some mistakes get through. One thing to understand is that
novels are primarily written by one person, and the editing is fairly light
compared to game material. FASA's game book editors do a lot of rewriting,
and the rules are all written by Mike.

The other thing to note is that there are many different SR novelists and
since the editing is not as heavy, they are given a little more leeway as to
their interpretation of the universe. As a novelist I like to explore the
edge of the envelope, pushing against what is possible as long as I can
still make it work within the universe.

The problem that I see with taking the novels as "canon" is that there is
often only a description of something happening, but that description is not
pitched toward the rules of the game. Perhaps the author was thinking one
thing, but the description may read as something else to the reader. I can
think of a good example from Stranger Souls, but I shouldn't talk about it.

Nevermind, here goes: In the first version of SS I had a blood spirit
casting spells, doing a mindprobe. FASA said I couldn't do that, which
according to the rules, I can't. What I failed to convey in the book was
that this was an ally spirit, which also happened to be a blood spirit. An
ally spirit can cast spells, blood spirit or other.

I had one concept, but according to what I had written, it looked to be a
violation of the rules.

The other thing to realize is that novels are sometimes contracted to
professional writers who are less than fully briefed on the SR universe.
Thus you get things like a mage reading labelling from astral space, which
is of course impossible, though I just had an idea. What if tubes of FAB
were arranged in a pattern to form letters? It'd be sort of like an astral
neon sign.

Well, I'm rambling again. I don't know if I've been helpful, but...

Adios,

--Jak

Jak Koke | "Though I am not naturally honest,
jkoke@****.edu | I am so sometimes by chance."
La Jolla, CA | --Shakespeare (The Winter's Tale)
--------------------------------------------------------
Stranger Souls chapters are now online at
http://www.fasa.com/NEW%20FICTION/MAIN/NewFiction.html
Message no. 2
From: Benjamin Pflugmann
Subject: Re: Knocking the Novels
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 1997 14:18:57 +0100
Hello.

> Just thought I'd chime in and give my 2 cents.
>
> First of all, everyone should know that the novels are vigorously edited for
> adherence to the rules. Nowadays, Mike reads them all and makes sure that
> everything (or as much as he can catch) will work in the SR universe. Donna
> Ippolito, the novel editor, does a thorough edit as well. I've gotten to
> where I include a long list of notes with each novel, notes which explain
> what's happening according to the rules. These have page references for
> sourcebooks and / or explanations from me when I believe something should be
> possible but it hasn't been specifically stated in one of the books.
>
> If FASA doesn't like it, they veto it and I think of some other way to do
> what I need to have happen in the novel.
>
> With that said, some mistakes get through. One thing to understand is that
> novels are primarily written by one person, and the editing is fairly light
> compared to game material. FASA's game book editors do a lot of rewriting,
> and the rules are all written by Mike.
>
> The other thing to note is that there are many different SR novelists and
> since the editing is not as heavy, they are given a little more leeway as to
> their interpretation of the universe. As a novelist I like to explore the
> edge of the envelope, pushing against what is possible as long as I can
> still make it work within the universe.

Sorry, if I offended someone. I did not want to talk bad about novels. Most of
them I like. And most time I have no problems with the "differences" to some
rules.

I only wanted to make clear, that _I_ think that one should not use ALL
events in the novels as if they were written with the intention to
expand the rules and the universe of SR.

> The problem that I see with taking the novels as "canon" is that there is
> often only a description of something happening, but that description is not
> pitched toward the rules of the game. Perhaps the author was thinking one
> thing, but the description may read as something else to the reader. I can

This was exaclty was I wanted to say.

> think of a good example from Stranger Souls, but I shouldn't talk about it.

[...]

> The other thing to realize is that novels are sometimes contracted to
> professional writers who are less than fully briefed on the SR universe.
> Thus you get things like a mage reading labelling from astral space, which
> is of course impossible, though I just had an idea. What if tubes of FAB

This, too. But as I already said: I did not want to offend someone, just
wanted to say that the above could happen. It is ok for me (nobody is
perfekt), but one should not start screaming "Hey! In ... there was someone
who could read the labels, so it MUST be possible." Sure. It may be that the
author was thinking of a cool idea like the one that is follwing in the next
paragraph, that would make such a thing possible. But as long as the author
does not explain, what the background to an event is, one should not bang his
head against a wall to get some rules out of it :-)

> were arranged in a pattern to form letters? It'd be sort of like an astral
> neon sign.

> Well, I'm rambling again. I don't know if I've been helpful, but...

Yes, you were, thanks.

Again: I did not want to offend someone if I did so. What I am talking about
is just my humble opinion.

Bye,

Benjamin.

--
pfb08188@*****.physik.uni-regensburg.de
benjamin@*****.leibniz.in-passau.de
Message no. 3
From: "Steven A. Tinner" <bluewizard@*****.COM>
Subject: Re: Knocking the Novels
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 1997 12:41:24 -0400
> What if tubes of FAB were arranged in a pattern to form letters? It'd be
sort of like an astral
> neon sign.

EXCELENT!
Must use this one!
Thanks Jak!

Steven A. Tinner
bluewizard@*****.com
http://www.ncweb.com/users/bluewizard
"It was the suit that got me the job ..."
Message no. 4
From: David Buehrer <dbuehrer@****.ORG>
Subject: Re: Knocking the Novels
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 1997 07:40:52 -0600
Steven A. Tinner wrote:
|
| <rant/on>
|
| This is something that has bothered me since I joined this list.
| What is the big deal about the novels?
| I have heard countless people say that the novels are not SR canon.
|
| Canon, not canon ... what's the big deal here?

A few problems occurs when a rules debate is going on and someone
quotes an event in a novel as fact. A: the other person doesn't view
the novel as fact, the quoter won't change his stance, and a flame
war errupts. B: As Jak has stated we don't really know what was
going through the writer's mind when he wrote that. C: as you
mentioned that event occured in the writer's world, which is like me
saying that if such is so in my campaign then it is law (because I am
playing Shadowrun after all). D: the event might be an exception.
E: the event might be something that was missed by the editors.

Nobody has any problem saying the novels are great, or an idea was
really cool and I want to use that in my campaign. Or, when a rule
problem comes up and someone says that such and such happened in a
novel and worked fine, try that. But when someone says that a novel
said it and it is so, then the flames erupt.

-David
--
/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\ dbuehrer@****.org /^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\
"His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking
alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free."
~~~http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/1068/homepage.htm~~~~

Further Reading

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