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From:	Nimster nimster@*********.net.il
Subject:	SOTA? [Was: Re: Gen Con Matrix - Initial Impressions]
Date:	Thu, 17 Aug 2000 16:29:51 +0200

Message no. 1 >
> I can give you the official "Mike-like Answer" and say "Maybe in
SOTA" :)
>

I read the FAQ, and I understand that SOTA is State of the Art, but it
sounds like people are simply shoving it in every other sentence like a
mantra to sound smart. Or - am I missing something? can someone explain??

-Nimster

From:	Lady Jestyr jestyr@*********.html.com
Subject:	SOTA? [Was: Re: Gen Con Matrix - Initial Impressions]
Date:	Thu, 17 Aug 2000 23:45:56 +1000

Message no. 2 >> I can give you the official "Mike-like Answer" and say "Maybe in
SOTA" :)
>>
>
>I read the FAQ, and I understand that SOTA is State of the Art, but it
>sounds like people are simply shoving it in every other sentence like a
>mantra to sound smart. Or - am I missing something? can someone explain??

SOTA 2061 is an upcoming SR book, designed to include lots of generic nifty
techy stuff, updates to the tech curve, new small rules sections -
basically lots of little crunchy bits to keep the SR tech curve and
timeline flowing nicely.

At least, that's my understanding of its purpose, anyway.

Lady Jestyr
~ Hell hath no fury like a geek with a whippersnipper ~

* jestyr@*****.com | URL: http://staff.dumpshock.com/jestyr *

From:	Aristotle antithesis@**********.com
Subject:	SOTA? [Was: Re: Gen Con Matrix - Initial Impressions]
Date:	Thu, 17 Aug 2000 12:01:15 -0400

Message no. 3 >>>Ken said:
"I can give you the official "Mike-like Answer" and say "Maybe in
SOTA"
:)"

>>>Nimster asked:
"I read the FAQ, and I understand that SOTA is State of the Art, but it
sounds like people are simply shoving it in every other sentence like a
mantra to sound smart. Or - am I missing something? can someone explain??"

>>>>Lady Jestyr explained:
"SOTA 2061 is an upcoming SR book, designed to include lots of generic
nifty techy stuff, updates to the tech curve, new small rules sections -
basically lots of little crunchy bits to keep the SR tech curve and
timeline flowing nicely.

At least, that's my understanding of its purpose, anyway."

.:Reply:.
I got the same impression. In the past the storyline has continued to grow
while technology and advances in magical research slowly aged. Then, when
enough hew stuff was compiled, we would get a large update (Fields of
Fire, Awakenings, Street Samurai's Catalog, Grimoire). That update would
bring us back into the present state of SR and the process would continue
on.

They are going to attempt to release one SOTA book for each year that
passes in SR (about 18 months in real time I believe). This gives them the
ability to update us with new guns, programs, technology, spells, and
metamagics immediately. Their may be more to it, but that's all I got out
of it.. it sort of reminds me of Palladium's "Rifter" only produced
annually instead of quarterly.

Thanks,
-- Travis "Aristotle" Heldibridle

From:	Gurth gurth@******.nl
Subject:	SOTA? [Was: Re: Gen Con Matrix - Initial Impressions]
Date:	Thu, 17 Aug 2000 19:20:39 +0200

Message no. 4 According to Aristotle, at 12:01 on 17 Aug 00, the word on the street
was...

> They are going to attempt to release one SOTA book for each year that
> passes in SR (about 18 months in real time I believe).

Every year in SR equals a year of work at FASA; the game started in 2050
when it was 1989 IRL, and it's is now around 2061 when it's 2000 for us.
It used to be virtually 1:1, though with the releases of the recent SR3
rulebooks and updates it seems to be slipping slightly.

> This gives them the ability to update us with new guns, programs,
> technology, spells, and metamagics immediately. Their may be more to it,
> but that's all I got out of it.. it sort of reminds me of Palladium's
> "Rifter" only produced annually instead of quarterly.

As I've never been interested in Rifts, the concept reminds me of
Talsorians Chromebooks (for CP2020), which have gear of every kind in
them, not just stuff limited to one type of character. It looks like
that's what FASA intends to do with the SOTA books (there's supposed to be
one every 18 months or so, IIRC, but somehow, I doubt that :) as well -- a
single book that has vehicles, weapons, spells, cyberdeck utilities, and
so on.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Imagine doing just what the Big Bang did
-> NAGEE Editor * ShadowRN GridSec * Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://plastic.dumpshock.com <-

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