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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: "Steven A. Tinner" <bluewizard@*****.COM>
Subject: Re: Required Reading
Date: Wed, 23 Oct 1996 23:20:03 -0700
> It's a pity how many of today's cyberpunk fans have no idea who
> Shirley is, or have even read _Eclipse.

I agree, that was the point of my post.
It struck me as totally ludicrous that someone would first of all think
FASA "ripped off" the CP 2020 game for rocker's, and secondly that
rockers made poor cyberpunk characters! :-) <ROFLOL>

Eventually I'll get around to compiling a REAL reading list, but until
then, for anyone who wants a taste of genuine cyberpunk check out a few
of these.

SHORT & SWEET
"Burning Chrome" - a short story anthology by William Gibson.
"Mirrorshades" - a collection edited by Bruce Sterling

IMHO The "ORIGINAL" Cyber-Punk stories
"Count Zero" - Bill Gibson
"Neuromancer" - BG
"Mona Lisa Overdrive" - BG
There is a fourth book, but the name slips my mind. :-)

WHERE ROCKERS CAME FROM
Any of the Rickenharp or Eclipse stuff by Shirley
<Then again, you could always just rent "The Blues Brothers"! :-)

AI INSPIRATION
"When H.A.R.L.I.E. was One v2.0 - I can't recall the author, but a great
novel about AI's.

IF YOU HAVE NO FRPG BACKGROUND AT ALL!!
Please read something by J.R.R. Tolkein.
No, it has nothing to do with Shadowrun, other than the fact that
Trolls, Orcs, Elves, and Dwarves were all handled expertly by this man,
long before Gary Gygax ever thought of D&D, or FASA added Magic to
Technology <Two great tastes that taste great together.> :-)

DETECTIVE STUFF
Any "real" pulp fiction, or Sam Spade Flim Noir stuff.
The Maltese Falcon, etc.

There are plenty of other sources that all game companies ripoff to make
their materials.
If you like the game at all, take the time to see the source material,
it's worth the extra effort! :-)
Message no. 2
From: Adam Wise <dwise@****.STATE.IL.US>
Subject: Re: Required Reading
Date: Wed, 23 Oct 1996 23:31:45 -0500
At 11:20 PM 10/23/96 -0700, Steven A. Tinner wrote:
>IMHO The "ORIGINAL" Cyber-Punk stories
>"Count Zero" - Bill Gibson
>"Neuromancer" - BG
>"Mona Lisa Overdrive" - BG
>There is a fourth book, but the name slips my mind. :-)
>
I think "Virtual Light" is the title you're thinking of :)

>IF YOU HAVE NO FRPG BACKGROUND AT ALL!!
>Please read something by J.R.R. Tolkein.
>No, it has nothing to do with Shadowrun, other than the fact that
>Trolls, Orcs, Elves, and Dwarves were all handled expertly by this man,
>long before Gary Gygax ever thought of D&D, or FASA added Magic to
>Technology <Two great tastes that taste great together.> :-)
>

Hear Hear!!! If you haven't read Tolkien, read some, it's excellent. :)

And if you really want to blow your mind, do a little research into the
background that Tolkien made for his world. He created 13 (or thereabouts)
actual languages for his characters to converse in. Everything in his books
can be translated into an actual meaning. Frightening, ne?

Later,

Adam Wise (The Dodger)

42
Message no. 3
From: Michael Orion Jackson <orion@****.CC.UTEXAS.EDU>
Subject: Required Reading
Date: Thu, 24 Oct 1996 01:04:23 -0500
I haven't really been keeping up with this thread, but just to toss inmy
.02Y's worth: Snow Crash and Diamond Age, both by Neal Stephensen. Sorry
if they had already been mentioned. read SC first, it is easier reading
than DA, not that DA is less good, just 'denser.'
Also, the CP 2.0.2.0 handbook has a Bibliography of recommended reading
and a Filmography of recommended viewing. Just in case any of you
die-hard shadowrunners have never been exposed to the game that started it
all... :) No, I'm not saying FASA ripped off RTG, justthat CP was the
first game, that I know of, in the genre. The concepts as far as general
world type had been publiuc domain for quite some time by CP's debute. I
think the first cyberpunk fiction started appearing in the late seventies,
by 82-83 for sure. But I wasn't reading then, so pardon me for any
haziness... :) I was born in 78.

God, I wish I'd taped all the Max Headroom stuff when I was a kid. Talk
about truly classic cyberpunk stuff. But then, I was only about 6, so I
had yet to reach my current pinnicle of discriminating taste in television
media ("Yeah! G.I.Joe! *bouonce**bounce**bounce*"). :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Michael Orion Jackson~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~TAMS Class of 1996/UT Class of 199?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~2112 Guadalupe, Rm. 502; Austin, Tx 78705 (The Goodall-Wooten)~~~~~~~
"Goddamn creatures of the night, they never learn." ~Gideon, _The Crow_
Message no. 4
From: Forbidden Delirium <fdelirum@****.NET>
Subject: Re: Required Reading
Date: Thu, 24 Oct 1996 07:02:07 -0400
> I haven't really been keeping up with this thread, but just to toss inmy
> .02Y's worth: Snow Crash and Diamond Age, both by Neal Stephensen. Sorry

Indeed, I'll have to side with you there. Snow Crash is one of the best
books, Diamond Age was a worthy addition, and Neal Stephensen is god.

fd
Message no. 5
From: NightLife <habenir@******.SAN.UC.EDU>
Subject: Re: Required Reading
Date: Wed, 23 Oct 1996 09:13:27 -0700
>
>SHORT & SWEET
>"Burning Chrome" - a short story anthology by William Gibson.
>"Mirrorshades" - a collection edited by Bruce Sterling
>
>IMHO The "ORIGINAL" Cyber-Punk stories
>"Count Zero" - Bill Gibson
>"Neuromancer" - BG
>"Mona Lisa Overdrive" - BG
>There is a fourth book, but the name slips my mind. :-)


Its called Virtual Light. Didn't care much for it myself it was extremely
dry reading.



>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Nightlife Inc.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

If you have to ask then it's probably classified.
Which means that I have to follow protocol.
But if you ask nicely I might forget that you asked.
Then again maybe not.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Document Classified
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Message no. 6
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Required Reading
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 1996 12:11:58 +0100
Forbidden Delirium said on 7:02/24 Oct 96...

> Indeed, I'll have to side with you there. Snow Crash is one of the best
> books, Diamond Age was a worthy addition, and Neal Stephensen is god.

I wouldn't go that far, but I suggest reading Snow Crash if you play SR.
The Diamond Age, well, it's not really SR-like at all, is it? The
technology level is too high, the world is split into little nation-states
instead of megacorps, there is no world-spanning computer network... (no,
I don't call the drummers a computer network :)

Still it was a good read, even though the story sometimes leaps several
years forward (one moment Nell is 12 years old, the next she's 16, that
sort of thing).

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
...but I don't know...
-> NERPS Project Leader & Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html <-

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Message no. 7
From: Forbidden Delirium <fdelirum@****.NET>
Subject: Re: Required Reading
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 1996 06:41:42 -0400
> I wouldn't go that far, but I suggest reading Snow Crash if you play SR.
> The Diamond Age, well, it's not really SR-like at all, is it? The
> technology level is too high, the world is split into little
nation-states
> instead of megacorps, there is no world-spanning computer network... (no,
> I don't call the drummers a computer network :)

Yes, but the Diamond Age is still something everyone should read. At the
very least the book might give you some plot ideas..

> Still it was a good read, even though the story sometimes leaps several
> years forward (one moment Nell is 12 years old, the next she's 16, that
> sort of thing).

Yes yes.. but that doesn't change the fact that Neal Stephenson is god :)
Besides, I didn't really want to read about Nell's ENTIRE life, it wasn't a
biography.

fd
Message no. 8
From: John Pederson <Canthros@***.COM>
Subject: Re: Required Reading
Date: Sun, 27 Oct 1996 19:12:21 -0500
In a message dated 96-10-24 00:31:14 EDT, you write:

> He created 13 (or thereabouts)
>actual languages for his characters to converse in. Everything in his books
>can be translated into an actual meaning. Frightening, ne?
>
>

Yeah...think of all the time he must have had on his hands to do
that...still, I'd love to get a hold on a Sindarin/Quenyan/Goldodogrin to
English dictionary:)

John Pederson
canthros@***.com
http://members.gnn.com/lenoj/johns.htm
Message no. 9
From: Adam Wise <dwise@****.STATE.IL.US>
Subject: Re: Required Reading
Date: Sun, 27 Oct 1996 21:02:30 -0600
At 07:12 PM 10/27/96 -0500, John Pederson wrote:
>
>Yeah...think of all the time he must have had on his hands to do
>that...still, I'd love to get a hold on a Sindarin/Quenyan/Goldodogrin to
>English dictionary:)
>

There is one. Its called "The Languages of Tolkien's Middle-earth". It's
by Ruth S. Noel. I think its way out of print, tho, so you might have some
troubles finding it.

Later,

Adam Wise (The Dodger)

42

Further Reading

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