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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: adam_carter@******.net (Adam Carter)
Subject: Shadowrun top 5?
Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 22:35:19 -0700
Hi. I just discovered this list today after some poking around on the web
for information about 4th edition.
I haven't played Shadowrun in 15 years, and that was using 1st edition
rules. I sold off all my books on eBay about 6 years ago, a lapse in
judgement I truly regret. My regular gaming group is looking for a change
from d20, and we're all excited about a new edition of Shadowrun, as none of
us has played in years.
I don't really know anything about books published in the past 12 years or
so, and I'd like to pick up a few sourcebooks that will still be useful.
My question for the list is this: If you were building a collection of
Shadowrun source materials, what 5 books would be at the top of your list?
thanks,
Adam
Message no. 2
From: korishinzo@*****.com (Ice Heart)
Subject: Shadowrun top 5?
Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 22:42:17 -0700 (PDT)
> My question for the list is this: If you were building a
> collection of
> Shadowrun source materials, what 5 books would be at the top of
> your list?
> thanks,
> Adam

If you are planning on going with SR4, the top five aren't even known
to the masses. :)

If you are going with SR3, I'd suggest Core Rules, Magic in the
Shadows, Man and Machine, Cannon Companion, and The Shadowrun
Companion or Rigger 3 (kind of a toss up on that last). Expand it to
a top 7, and Sprawl Survival Guide immediately jumps into the list.


======Korishinzo
--Dragons of the Sixth World is only necessary if your players like
playing hamburgers... :p


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Message no. 3
From: valeuj@*****.navy.mil (Valeu, John W. EM3(AS40 R-3))
Subject: Shadowrun top 5?
Date: Sat, 20 Aug 2005 15:46:33 +1000
Hi. I just discovered this list today after some poking around on the web
for information about 4th edition.
I haven't played Shadowrun in 15 years, and that was using 1st edition
rules. I sold off all my books on eBay about 6 years ago, a lapse in
judgement I truly regret. My regular gaming group is looking for a change
from d20, and we're all excited about a new edition of Shadowrun, as none of
us has played in years.
I don't really know anything about books published in the past 12 years or
so, and I'd like to pick up a few sourcebooks that will still be useful.
My question for the list is this: If you were building a collection of
Shadowrun source materials, what 5 books would be at the top of your list?
thanks,
Adam


Well, to use a cliche, you picked a hell of a time to jump in. Pretty much
4th ed is wiping away most of what we know of SR and giving us a bunch of
new drek to think about. Seeing as how you've been gone for 15 years, the
changes won't mean that much to you.

My advice (and probably the same as others), right now there is no "Top 5"
list.
Listen to what Kori said since she was quicker at typing then I was.
All this advice pertains to 4th ed and doing some history on what's happened
while you were out.

There's the basic BBB (Big Black Book) and that should be it. Rumors going
around that the focus has shifted from solely Seattle to adding in Hong Kong
as a new starting location (Seattle's still available though). Depending on
where you're group's going to play, maybe Shadows of North America, or
Shadows of Asia. Shadows of Europe is another one that's out there as well.

To fill in some of the back story, Year of the Comet is another book to read
through. What happened to the PCC/LA and CalFree and the Yucatan/Aztlan
boarder are started in that book.

Renraku Arcology: Shutdown => Brainscan => Threats 2 => System Shutdown is
another major arc that deals with AIs (and the last one isnt even out yet).


Portfolio of a Dragon details Dunklezhan's presidental election and
assasination and the fallout from that. Blood in the Boardroom closes some
of those major arcs.

Anyone else got any major history events?
Message no. 4
From: llwybyr@*****.com (Adam Brown)
Subject: Shadowrun top 5?
Date: Sat, 20 Aug 2005 00:52:48 -0500
On 8/20/05, Ice Heart <korishinzo@*****.com> wrote:
> > My question for the list is this: If you were building a
> > collection of
> > Shadowrun source materials, what 5 books would be at the top of
> > your list?
> > thanks,
> > Adam
>
> If you are planning on going with SR4, the top five aren't even known
> to the masses. :)
>
> If you are going with SR3, I'd suggest Core Rules, Magic in the
> Shadows, Man and Machine, Cannon Companion, and The Shadowrun
> Companion or Rigger 3 (kind of a toss up on that last). Expand it to
> a top 7, and Sprawl Survival Guide immediately jumps into the list.
>
>
> =======
> Korishinzo

Well, he could always pick up some setting books to get him caught up
on world events.

I'd suggest all of the Shadows of... books, perhaps Dragons of the
Sixth World, Loose Alliances, Threats 2, Year of the Comet might be
handy. Sprawl Survival Guide wouldn't be too bad either. Oh, and
Renraku Arcology: Shutdown. For the first round of the new matrix
story line...

Except for Year of the Comet those books are pretty much pure world
info, which will still be compatible with SR4 and give some good
backstory to what's going on with things.

--
Adam Brown
llwybyr@*****.com
Message no. 5
From: sfeley@*****.com (Stephen Eley)
Subject: Shadowrun top 5?
Date: Sat, 20 Aug 2005 01:54:33 -0400
On 8/20/05, Adam Carter <adam_carter@******.net> wrote:
> My question for the list is this: If you were building a collection of
> Shadowrun source materials, what 5 books would be at the top of your list?

What Ice Heart said. SR4 not only makes all the old rules mechanics
obsolete, it also jumps the setting forward five years so place books
will be partially outdated as well. (And which part is anybody's
guess.)

So if you're planning on starting fresh with the new edition, your
best bet may be just to get *that*, and then pick up new books as they
appear. If you're hard up for adventure ideas, then pick up some old
adventures on the cheap and convert the stats yourself, and pretend
they're happening in 2070. There are lots of fun ones that would
serve; _Harlequin_'s my favorite, and can keep runners busy for a good
while. (Not the monstrosity that was _Harlequin's Back_, however.
That one almost broke my group up!)

--
Have Fun,
Steve Eley (sfeley@*****.com)
ESCAPE POD - the SF podcast magazine
http://escape.extraneous.org
Message no. 6
From: adam_carter@******.net (Adam Carter)
Subject: Shadowrun top 5?
Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 22:58:14 -0700
<<If you are planning on going with SR4, the top five aren't even known to
the masses. :)
>>

Right. I know that the new rules will break a lot of stuff, but I'm guessing
that there's some good stuff in the current books. With minor conversion,
they'd still be serviceable.
Thinking back to my playing days, I'm guessing that things like the Street
Samurai Catalog and Sprawl Sites sourcebooks would still have some use. Most
of the adventures (since none of us has played them) would still be useable
after conversion. Sorry I didn't make that more clear.
Thanks for the responses so far!

Message no. 7
From: gurth@******.nl (Gurth)
Subject: Shadowrun top 5?
Date: Sat, 20 Aug 2005 10:55:46 +0200
According to Adam Carter, on 20-8-05 07:35 the word on the street was...

> Hi. I just discovered this list today after some poking around on the web
> for information about 4th edition.

Welcome :)

> I don't really know anything about books published in the past 12 years or
> so, and I'd like to pick up a few sourcebooks that will still be useful.
> My question for the list is this: If you were building a collection of
> Shadowrun source materials, what 5 books would be at the top of your list?

For third edition? In no particular order: SR3 main rules, Cannon
Companion, Magic in the Shadows, Man & Machine, and Rigger 3.

--
Gurth@******.nl - Stone Age: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
de limme
-> Possibly NAGEE Editor & ShadowRN GridSec * Triangle Virtuoso <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Site: http://plastic.dumpshock.com <-

GC3.12: GAT/! d- s:- !a>? C++(---) UB+ P(+) L++ E W++(--) N o? K w-- O
M+ PS+ PE@ Y PGP- t- 5++ X(+) R+++$ tv+(++) b++@ DI- D G+ e h! !r y?
Incubated into the First Church of the Sqooshy Ball, 21-05-1998
Message no. 8
From: l-hansen@*****.tele.dk (Lars Wagner Hansen)
Subject: Shadowrun top 5?
Date: Sat, 20 Aug 2005 12:53:36 +0200
From: "Adam Carter" <adam_carter@******.net>
><<If you are planning on going with SR4, the top five aren't even known to
>the masses. :)
>>>
>
>Right. I know that the new rules will break a lot of stuff, but I'm
>guessing that there's some good stuff in the current books. With minor
>conversion, they'd still be serviceable.

Most rule books would proberly not be very serviceable. Sourcebooks (with
world info and pure storylines) would be very usable.

>Thinking back to my playing days, I'm guessing that things like the Street
>Samurai Catalog and Sprawl Sites sourcebooks would still have some use.

SSC would proberly not be very usefull for SR4, since most of the stats and
mechanich has changed dramatically.

Sprawl Sites has been updated/replaced by Sprawl Survival Guide, which would
still be usable in SR4 (with minor conversions).

>Most of the adventures (since none of us has played them) would still be
>useable after conversion. Sorry I didn't make that more clear.

FanPro har promised to publish a free (PDF) conversion guide. I would wait
and see befor buying any of the old adventures, unless you just want them
for inspiration.

Lars
Message no. 9
From: weberm@*******.net (Ubiquitous)
Subject: Shadowrun top 5?
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 04:54:14 -0400
At 01:54 AM 8/20/2005 -0400, you wrote:

>(Not the monstrosity that was _Harlequin's Back_, however.
>That one almost broke my group up!)

How so?
--
"Ted, sweetheart...somebody's left a wicker basket with a little baby in it
on our front doorstep."
"Just leave it out there on the stoop, honey. The cats'll get it."
- Red Meat http://www.redmeat.com/redmeat/
Message no. 10
From: weberm@*******.net (Ubiquitous)
Subject: Shadowrun top 5?
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 05:07:50 -0400
At 10:35 PM 8/19/2005 -0700, you wrote:

>Hi. I just discovered this list today after some poking around on the web
>for information about 4th edition.
>I haven't played Shadowrun in 15 years, and that was using 1st edition
>rules. I sold off all my books on eBay about 6 years ago, a lapse in
>judgement I truly regret. My regular gaming group is looking for a change
>from d20, and we're all excited about a new edition of Shadowrun, as none of
>us has played in years.
>I don't really know anything about books published in the past 12 years or
>so, and I'd like to pick up a few sourcebooks that will still be useful.
>My question for the list is this: If you were building a collection of
>Shadowrun source materials, what 5 books would be at the top of your list?
>thanks,
>Adam

Arew you going to be playing 4th edition or an earlier one? I plan to stick
with 2nd (but am implementing some 3rd edition rules).
--
"Ted, sweetheart...somebody's left a wicker basket with a little baby in it
on our front doorstep."
"Just leave it out there on the stoop, honey. The cats'll get it."
- Red Meat http://www.redmeat.com/redmeat/
Message no. 11
From: gurth@******.nl (Gurth)
Subject: Shadowrun top 5?
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 11:16:11 +0200
According to Ubiquitous, on 13-9-05 11:07 the word on the street was...

> Arew you going to be playing 4th edition or an earlier one? I plan to stick
> with 2nd (but am implementing some 3rd edition rules).

So _that_'s why your replies are always so far behind the times ;P

--
Gurth@******.nl - Stone Age: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
de limme
-> Possibly NAGEE Editor & ShadowRN GridSec * Triangle Virtuoso <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Site: http://plastic.dumpshock.com <-

GC3.12: GAT/! d- s:- !a>? C++(---) UB+ P(+) L++ E W++(--) N o? K w-- O
M+ PS+ PE@ Y PGP- t- 5++ X(+) R+++$ tv+(++) b++@ DI- D G+ e h! !r y?
Incubated into the First Church of the Sqooshy Ball, 21-05-1998

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These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.