| From: | korishinzo@*******.com (Ice Heart) |
|---|---|
| Subject: | ShadowRN Digest, Vol 28, Issue 1 |
| Date: | Wed, 25 Sep 2002 16:16:29 +0000 |
>So I read the first seven novels in preparation for GMing as I don't > have
>access to a gaming group to get into the "look and feel" of the > SR
world.
> They were mostly just okay writing (I liked Changeling a > lot) but the
>fiction adds a bit of fun that reading the sourcebooks > doesn't have.
>Anyway so the real question is: since the books are no > longer numbered
>after 'Into the Shadows' (which is numbered > incorrectly IMO) how
>will I ever figure out what order to read them > in? Is there a list
>somewhere? Also anybody have a favorite and > what did they like about
>it? Any real stinkers?
Find a later book, like Nosferatu, and it will have a list inside the back
cover of all books prior to it, in order. IIRC, most of the later books
have a list in the back cover. The newest books, like Burning Time, only go
back to Lone Wolf, so you need to get slightly older one to see the early
books in order.
As to favorites, hmmm...
Number one, I do not subscribe to the Gurth's dislike for the novels at all.
Just because a novel for a game setting foes not match all the rules dopes
not mean it is a bad story. I read the SR books for flavor, and they have
greatly enhanced my GMing over the years. They also are a great place to
get ideas for runs to throw at your players. You have a good
start-middle-end format to work with. You keep the main plot points,
discard the choices made by the protagonists, and you have a wonderful
non-linear adventure at your disposal. This requires a bit of imaination
and flexibility, but, ideally, we all have that anyway. ;)
That said, read Shadowplay. It is a great book for that "new runners
meeting old runners" mood. Picture a brand spankking newbie runner, fresh
from running with a small-time gang, thrown into a rough and tumble run with
an expienced runner dragged reluctantly out of retirement. All too often,
in my experience, players want to play experienced runners right from the
start. This is stupid, IMO, and I tend to punihs it. Mr. J cuts newbies
more slack, as do anyone experienced in the biz. New players, trying to
play old runners, ends up being a disaster. Even experienced players make
some really dumb mistakes as they learn how to work as a team with this
latest batch of team mates. I run NPCs who are very intolerant of stupid
mistakes made by experienced runners. They should know better. Shadowplay
gives every player and GM a great indicator of scale between old timers and
newies on the streets of SR.
Anything by Nyx Smith is a good read as well. His books are loaded with
characters I have borrowed as NPCs. The borderline psychotic, militant
water company employee in Who Hunts the Hunter has cropped up in many of my
games. Dirk Montgomery is a great character to read about, with his never
ending sarcastic commentary. Wolf, Raven, and company are always fun to
follow. Wolf is the first good example I encountered of a Shamanic Physical
Magician, and Kid Stealth is great example of how much chrome is almost too
much chrome. Psychotrope is loaded with flavor text for those Reality
Filters used by the deckers in your group. Dead Air has my favorite
representation of Lofwyr. He was just a little too gentle in Never Trust an
Elf. *grins* Streets of Blood and Nosferatu are not necessarily good SR
stories, but the characters are just the right amount of quirky. And the
plots are every GM's dream for punishing gullibile characters or irritating
players. "Congratulations on completing that difficult run and being a
hero, Mr. Shadowrunner. Your efforts just doomed a bunch of very nice,
innocent people, and made us, the real villains, richer and more powerful.
By the way, should you decide to try and undo the damage, we know where your
family lives. Good day." Pure, unadulterated mean...a real pleasure when
you have been sufferig through the annoyance of a munchkin or three.
>BTW: My vote is also for a 2m ceiling. The area above where all the >
>wires and ducts run is called the plenum and should be about 1m. >
>Above that, steel I beams run and support the additional height of a >
>concrete slab. The slab is really the only place I can see >
>futuretech helping much since presumably plasticrete is tougher than >
>regular cement.
A 6' 6" cieling. 2 meters? Do me a favor. Stand up wherever you are right
now. Reach up over your head. Can you touch the cieling? If you can, you
or others around you are very uncomfortable, at least subconsiously. You
likely have poor posture, as you unconsciously hunch down when walking,
especially through doors, since they are going to be at most 5' 8" high.
There is a very good reason why current building code for public office
space calls for 9' ceilings. If you are of average height, and possess an
average psyche, that is about the clearance you need to feel comfortable,
and hence productive. Building code for homes calls for 8' clearance, but
many home designers are designing main living areas with vaulted ceilings.
Human beings like space over their head, on average at least. While I agree
that office designers might not think of trolls in a Japanese corporation,
they would consider ergonomics. Employee comfort, with an eye towards
employee productivity, would be very important. Especially in a building
designed to be entirely self contained. I still think the Arcology should
have 4 meter stories. This gives you an adequate plenum, space for support
joists, and plenty of room for ergonomic working/living quarters.
Yes, the people of modern Japan are used to living in cramped quaters. But,
that is not a function of preferance, IMO, it is a function of restricted
space. There is just not a lot of space in the cities of Japan. If you are
building the largest structure in the world, why would you force yourself to
use those same restrictions? Luxury space is a sign of affluence, and no
can argue the fact that Japan is home to some very affluent companies in the
2060 of SR. I find it hard to believe they would build their crown jewel
architectural endeavor with cramped quarters.
Korishinzo
--how's that for two completely different topics in one email? ;)
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