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Message no. 1
From: NEil Phillips <mikep@***.NET.AU>
Subject: [SR] I'm new. Very new. Very new indeed.... [long-ish..]
Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 19:08:14 GMT
OK, feel free to skip this post entirely, it's probably highly
irrelavant to you anyway..

Well, let me introduce myself..
I am new around these parts, as the title may suggest..
I just subscribed to the group yesterday, to find out about shadowrun.

I have never played shadowrun. I found out about shadowrun on ral
partha's web site (a miniatures manufacturer) and I have been checking
out some stuff on the net about it.. (shadowrun archive namely)
in fact, I have never played an RPG before in my life (at least, not
in the proper sense of the word.. I am sure ZELDA doesn't count :))
anyway, someone at school was showing me AD&D, and I thought it looked
cool..
exept it is set in a fantasy world ages ago.. bleagh!
so I found out all this stuff about shadowrun and all, and I rekon it
all sounds pretty cool..

I found this "timeline" thing and I am into about the late 2030's..

Anyway, what I really want to to is start up playing some small games,
(I geuss I would be the GM, as I know more than anyone else would :)),
against my friends..

I really want to start a campaign in the early 2050's, and work up
from there..
Iread somewhere it's simpler that way, and makes more sense, or is
better for new people to the game, or anything..
Also, I get the advantage here of the players not having the slightest
clue what is going to happen next in history..
neither do I, bar dunklezahn was elected and killed, but what the hey?

I explained the basics of the setting to my sister, (Hey, I belive we
whould be getting more girls into gaming! ok, so maby my sister is a
bad place to start, but it's a start nonetheless!) and she said she
would play as long as she could be an Orc and drive a big car..
I gave her this 50 questions thing I found somewhere, and she gave me
Zang the Orc who is severely psychologically damaged after being
abused by his uncle, and just really wants lots of friends.. and gets
really angry if someone won';t be his friend..
well, that was a pointless sentance, what the hey?

Anyways, after this rather l o n g post, what I ask any one of yu is
this..

What do I really need to get started?

What books should I get?
Idon't want anything fansy, just essentials..
Is there some way to set the campaign in australia? do I need a
special "source =book" thing?
I heard something about setting int in germany.. and setting it in
autralia would be more fun (hey, it's where I live, don't knock it :))

How many people would be required for a fun game?

yer, well, that's about it, what books should I get and how many
freinds should I get round to play..

sorry that took a while, I do have slight tebndancys to go on and on.
Just ask the jedi tree. (OK, you probly don;t know who he is, or why
he has such a strange name, but he gets the idea.. or something)

thanx anyway
N-ster
(mikep@***.net.au)
"N"
Message no. 2
From: "Faux Pas (Thomas)" <thomas@*******.COM>
Subject: Re: [SR] I'm new. Very new. Very new indeed.... [long-ish..]
Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 10:48:44 -0500
At 07:08 PM 5/15/97 GMT, NEil Phillips whispered:
>I have never played shadowrun. I found out about shadowrun on ral
>partha's web site (a miniatures manufacturer) and I have been checking
>out some stuff on the net about it.. (shadowrun archive namely)
>in fact, I have never played an RPG before in my life (at least, not
>in the proper sense of the word.. I am sure ZELDA doesn't count :))
>anyway, someone at school was showing me AD&D, and I thought it looked
>cool..
>exept it is set in a fantasy world ages ago.. bleagh!
>so I found out all this stuff about shadowrun and all, and I rekon it
>all sounds pretty cool..

As most people will tell you, Shadowrun is a great role-playing game.
Well, most people on this list.

>What do I really need to get started?
>
>What books should I get?
>Idon't want anything fansy, just essentials..
>Is there some way to set the campaign in australia? do I need a
>special "source =book" thing?
>I heard something about setting int in germany.. and setting it in
>autralia would be more fun (hey, it's where I live, don't knock it :))
>
>How many people would be required for a fun game?
>
>yer, well, that's about it, what books should I get and how many
>freinds should I get round to play..

The only book you need to get to play is the main rule book. The only
other sourcebook I'd get right away is the Grimoire - it expands on the
magic section a great deal. If you want a decker in the party, I'd suggest
getting the VR 2.0 sourcebook, it replaces most of what's in the Matrix
section of the main rule book.

If you can get ahold of the GM's screen, I'd grab that as well - most of
the charts you'll need to use for the game are printed on there. Just
remember the sheet with the matrix rules in the GM's screen is out of date.

Another good book to get if starting out in 2050 is the Street Samurai
Catalog (I know about two months ago I said not to get this book, but I've
reconsidered that). And at the end of summer, the Rigger's Black Book 2 is
coming out. You might want to check that out - it's one of the most
eagerly awaited sourcebooks that's actually coming out. Another most
eagerly awaited sourcebook is the Australia Sourcebook. But that's been
put on the back burner, turned on high, caught on fire, and we'll probably
never see it. Hope is not lost! Lady Jestyr (and others) are compiling an
Australian Sourcebook. It's at
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/1503/ausbook.html

Other books you might want to look at (if you're GMing) are Threats (a
synopsis is at http://www.arc.unm.edu/~james/shadowrun/Threats.html) -
which shows some forces that move in the background of the Shadowrun game
world - and the Underworld Sourcebook (a review of it is at my Mining
Company web site). Threats is IMHO a GM only book. It lists about 13
different movers and shakers that are powerful enough to change the face of
Shadowrun's game world. Underworld Sourcebook is a breakdown of the four
major criminal organizations in the 2050s.

<plug>
I have some information on gamemastering and roleplaying games on my new
web site at The Mining Company. It's over at http://shadowrun.miningco.com
. Head to Previous Features (and ignore the header and silly viking -
we're getting that changed) for the articles I've written. Each week (on
Wednesday) I'm putting a new column up. One of the articles is (once
again, IMO) the best description on the web of what a role-playing game is.
</plug>

Also, Blackjack also has several good columns about GMing and gaming. He's
over at http://www.interware.it/users/blackjack/index.html , and from there
you can get to Blackjack's Corner - another complilation of columns by BJ.

Buy lots of six-sided dice. Be able to roll a dozen in one hand (more if
you're playing a decker) - most gaming stores have these small plastic
boxes with 36 dice in them. Almost made just for Shadowrun.

People in the group - I've found that the size I'm comfortable with is
three to five players. Any more and the game slows down - especially with
new to rpging players. I'd also suggest getting a published adventure to
run for the first time. Most of FASA's adventures tell the GM what skill
tests should be made and when to make them (things like "Have the
characters make a Perception (8) test and check the successes on the
following chart").

Other bits of advice - have the other players read over the Plus la Change
story in the main book before picking out a character. It illustrates
several of the PC archetypes (including a Physical Adept, who isn't listed
in the Archetypes section, but can be found in the Magic section). Also
have them read over the So It Came To Pass... section. And when the
characters are creating thier characters, make sure they write down the
answers to the 20 Questions. Personally, I'd disallow any character that
is either an orphan or hates all corporations.

And welcome to ShadowRN mailing list!


-Thomas Deeny
Your Guide to Shadowrun - http://shadowrun.miningco.com
Thomas's World is http://telltale.hart.org - come visit!

"... what character deserves to be left alone more at the end of the world
than that idiot Ash?"
-Bruce Campbell on the dropped ending for _Army of Darkness_
Message no. 3
From: tom Cone <Brother-1@*****.NET>
Subject: Re: [SR] I'm new. Very new. Very new indeed.... [long-ish..]
Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 06:12:17 -1000
>I'm new
Welcome on board!
>Is there anything I need?
The core book, VR2.0 (a personal favorite), the Grimoire, and Shadowtech
will set you up nicely, I think. AFAIK there isn't an "Australia"
sourcebook for SR _yet_.
>Don't knock it.
Why would I? I'm from Alabama :)

Brother-1. Decker for hire.
>Visit Dot's Deck Technologies! Just north of the Sea-TAC!
Message no. 4
From: Caric <caric@********.COM>
Subject: Re: [SR] I'm new. Very new. Very new indeed.... [long-ish..]
Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 09:21:11 -0700
"N" wrote:

| Well, let me introduce myself..
| I am new around these parts, as the title may suggest..
| I just subscribed to the group yesterday, to find out about shadowrun.

First off...welcome to the list Bull shall be by soon. =)

| I have never played shadowrun. I found out about shadowrun on ral
| partha's web site (a miniatures manufacturer) and I have been checking
| out some stuff on the net about it.. (shadowrun archive namely)
| in fact, I have never played an RPG before in my life (at least, not
| in the proper sense of the word.. I am sure ZELDA doesn't count :))
| anyway, someone at school was showing me AD&D, and I thought it looked
| cool..
| exept it is set in a fantasy world ages ago.. bleagh!
| so I found out all this stuff about shadowrun and all, and I rekon it
| all sounds pretty cool..

It is very cool...just ask us. ;)

| I found this "timeline" thing and I am into about the late 2030's..

Good place to start here as it will give you a flavor for the world and
your players place in it.

| Anyway, what I really want to to is start up playing some small games,
| (I geuss I would be the GM, as I know more than anyone else would :)),
| against my friends..

Again this is a good place to start, but don't think of the GM as being
against the players...the GM has supreme power over his or her world, and
if (s)he flexes his/her all powerful muscles too much (s)he will find that
all the players have run away.

| I really want to start a campaign in the early 2050's, and work up
| from there..

Again...a good place to start, this will limit the books you will need to
have in order to play as well as give you time to see where you want to
take the world.

<snipped the part about your sister>
I would advise giving all of your players the fifty questions and encourage
them to develope rich backgrounds for their characters...it will make life
much better in the long run.

| What do I really need to get started?

If you are starting in 2050 I would recommend: SR2 (the main rule book);
the Street Samurai Catalog (SSC); the Grimoire (grimmy); and depending on
finances Virtual Realities 2. These will give the basics for the
characters and some world background. Alot of the feel of the world will
have to come from you here especially if you are playing in Australia.


| Is there some way to set the campaign in australia? do I need a
| special "source =book" thing?
| I heard something about setting int in germany.. and setting it in
| autralia would be more fun (hey, it's where I live, don't knock it :))

You can set the game anywhere you want, but there aren't any "official"
Australian scourcebooks AFAIK. You may want to ask Lady Jestyr or one of
her chummers if they're lurking around here somewhere. There are some
scourcebooks out there for Germany and Seattle and London and others, but
that doesn't mean that you have to set your campaign in any of those. You
know the area you live in better than any one else so you can use your
imagination to make it come alive in 2050.

| How many people would be required for a fun game?

I would try to get three plus yourself for a starter game, but use less if
you cannot find people who really want to Role-play not just make big
characters who get to kill stuff. Make the characters have substance from
the get go and it will save headaches later on. You can play with fewer
people, but I think that too many more than that will stress you out at
first until you get used to being GM.


| sorry that took a while, I do have slight tebndancys to go on and on.

Don't worry about it we can all be long winded at times...it's good to see
that you are interested in what has brought us all here.

| thanx anyway

Null Persp Chummer,


-Caric


Word to the wise... Never anger a dragon, for you are crunchy, and would
be good with brie!!!

-Karl Teranssen av Drakkar
Message no. 5
From: David Buehrer <dbuehrer@****.ORG>
Subject: Re: [SR] I'm new. Very new. Very new indeed.... [long-ish..]
Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 11:55:49 -0600
NEil Phillips wrote:
|
[snip]
|
| I explained the basics of the setting to my sister, (Hey, I belive we
| whould be getting more girls into gaming! ok, so maby my sister is a
| bad place to start, but it's a start nonetheless!) and she said she
| would play as long as she could be an Orc and drive a big car..
| I gave her this 50 questions thing I found somewhere, and she gave me
| Zang the Orc who is severely psychologically damaged after being
| abused by his uncle, and just really wants lots of friends.. and gets
| really angry if someone won';t be his friend..
| well, that was a pointless sentance, what the hey?

Cool. A lot of experienced players have a hard time answering the basic 20
questions (no one on this list of course :)

| What do I really need to get started?

The core Shadowrun II rulebook. That's all you need. Everything else is
iceing on the cake and is dependant on the style of your campaign.

| How many people would be required for a fun game?

You only need on other person. However, the fun interaction really begins
with 3 players and a GM. Anything over 7 players is my personal limit.

| sorry that took a while, I do have slight tebndancys to go on and on.
| Just ask the jedi tree. (OK, you probly don;t know who he is, or why
| he has such a strange name, but he gets the idea.. or something)

Welcome! :)

-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~~~~
Message no. 6
From: Lars Fucking Olsen <larsols@***.UIO.NO>
Subject: Re: [SR] I'm new. Very new. Very new indeed.... [long-ish..]
Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 23:00:42 +0200
> OK, feel free to skip this post entirely, it's probably highly
> irrelavant to you anyway..

Hehehe.. no way. I found this post to be amusing and refreshing.

> Well, let me introduce myself..
> I am new around these parts, as the title may suggest..
> I just subscribed to the group yesterday, to find out about shadowrun.

Good idea. It's here the cream of the cream hang out :)
Questions get answered (and often turned into Off Topic (OT) ramblings,
but as you say, what the hey!)

> I really want to start a campaign in the early 2050's, and work up
> from there..
> Iread somewhere it's simpler that way, and makes more sense, or is
> better for new people to the game, or anything..
> Also, I get the advantage here of the players not having the slightest
> clue what is going to happen next in history..
> neither do I, bar dunklezahn was elected and killed, but what the hey?

Sounds like a good idea. I'd love my players to not know anything
about the Shadowrun World. Ah.. I remember myself when it was all
new. Pretty cool back then. ...*sig* :)

> I explained the basics of the setting to my sister, (Hey, I belive we
> whould be getting more girls into gaming! ok, so maby my sister is a
> bad place to start, but it's a start nonetheless!) and she said she
> would play as long as she could be an Orc and drive a big car..
> I gave her this 50 questions thing I found somewhere, and she gave me
> Zang the Orc who is severely psychologically damaged after being
> abused by his uncle, and just really wants lots of friends.. and gets
> really anbut what the hey :)

> What do I really need to get started?

You need the main book. Shadowrun Second Edition. Perhaps the Grimoire,
and the Street Samurai Catalogue. Anything else than that you don't need
in the beginning. Reading a novel wouldn't be a waste, and perhaps buy a
premade adventure.

Setting the whole thing in Australia might be a problem..but buy the main
book at least, and go from ther...


-lars
Message no. 7
From: GRANITE <granite@**.NET>
Subject: Re: [SR] I'm new. Very new. Very new indeed.... [long-ish..]
Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 15:53:48 -0700
First off...[echo generator on]WELCOME....TO...THE FUTURE[echo
generator off]....er..sorry about that...I just had a Firesign flashback...

> N-ster said:
> OK, feel free to skip this post entirely, it's probably highly
> irrelavant to you anyway..

Now..that will be enough of that...Be civil..be courtous..be proud of
you contributions!

> I just subscribed to the group yesterday, to find out about shadowrun.

Cool...Smart man...

> I have never played shadowrun.

Well..you are about to find out way more than you bargained
for...Folks on this list can be...generous..if a bit overzealous...

> What do I really need to get started?

And he can cut to the chase..I am starting to like this guy...
Basically all you need is:
The basic core rule book "Shadowrun second edition"
[no other books are needed to get started-desired perhaps but not
needed][however the decking rules really are drek so I would not
allow decker player characters]
A big handful of 6 sided dice perferably in at least 2 colors
A group of from 3-6 of your friends [I perfer to keep the group max
at 6]
Oh yea..you also need some sort of story to run you r players
through..You can go for the FASA brand stories..or make something up
of your own..and there are a few adventures out there and web sites..

There is also quite a bit of source material out there on the
net..sorry web..I'm old what can I say..and here are a few web sites
for you to crawl through:

http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/1503/
http://jestyr.home.ml.org/
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/3604/home.h
http://www.teleport.com/~adamczak/Shadowrun/.
http://members.aol.com/canthros1/
http://www.interware.it/shadowrun/
http://www.interware.it/users/paolo/sr2/
http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html
http://box.pcnetinc.com/hedley/shadowrun/downloads
'http:/www.geocities.com/area51/6112'
http://www.discountgames.com
http://vax1.mankato.msus.edu/~zombie/web/Srun.html
http://www.interware.it/shadowrun/
http://zappa.interware.it/shadowrun/
http://www.ciaccess.com/~jhyatt/sr/homepage.html
http://members.aol.com/SwrdKnght/sok.htm
http://members.tripod.com/~runrig

I do not vouch for any of the above sites..they [mostly] are places I
plan to go to when I have the time...My machine is extremely
slow..Not all of them will have stuff you want or can use..But good
luck...

> Is there some way to set the campaign in australia? do I need a
> special "source =book" thing?

I perfer the tried and true setting of Seattle...but your gsme is
your own..I personally would avoid setting a campeign up in
Austrailia..As the magic there is supposed to be quite different..And
since there is no source material on it..When it does come out..Well
there you have it..it could radically change the way you have been
doing things...But you could always simply ignore the new info...

--------------------------------GRANITE "Rock Steady"
=====================================================
Lord, Grant Me The Serenity To Accept The Things I Cannot Change,
The Courage To Change The Things I Can,
And The Wisdom To Hide The Bodies Of Those People I Had To Kill
Because They Pissed Me Off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ShadowRunner's Serenity Prayer
Message no. 8
From: Kevin Roberts <krst0023@****.NET>
Subject: Re: [SR] I'm new. Very new. Very new indeed.... [long-ish..]
Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 17:01:58 -0500
snip snip...
> If you are starting in 2050 I would recommend: SR2 (the main rule book);
> the Street Samurai Catalog (SSC); the Grimoire (grimmy); and depending on
> finances Virtual Realities 2. These will give the basics for the
> characters and some world background. Alot of the feel of the world will
> have to come from you here especially if you are playing in Australia.
>
>
> | Is there some way to set the campaign in australia? do I need a
> | special "source =book" thing?
> | I heard something about setting int in germany.. and setting it in
> | autralia would be more fun (hey, it's where I live, don't knock it :))
>
There is official stuff out for Australia.
It is in the KAGA mag. An out of print shadowrun source of information.

It is in KA-GE issue #7. It contains the NEO Anarchist guide for down
under, and
some info on a company baced there.
Message no. 9
From: Adam J <fro@***.AB.CA>
Subject: Re: [SR] I'm new. Very new. Very new indeed.... [long-ish..]
Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 19:26:59 -0600
At 19:08 5/15/97 GMT, you wrote:
>OK, feel free to skip this post entirely, it's probably highly
>irrelavant to you anyway..

Naw. I think as Assistant Fearless Leader, I should talk on the list at
least once a day..

>in fact, I have never played an RPG before in my life (at least, not
>in the proper sense of the word.. I am sure ZELDA doesn't count :))

Hrm.. I loved Zelda. I think it was the first NES game I ever played.

>so I found out all this stuff about shadowrun and all, and I rekon it
>all sounds pretty cool.

Yup yup. That it is.

>Anyway, what I really want to to is start up playing some small games,
>(I geuss I would be the GM, as I know more than anyone else would :)),
>against my friends..

First word of advice, you're playing With them, not against em :)
(Although listening to the chatter here lately, it may not seem that way)

>What do I really need to get started?
>
>What books should I get?

You'll need the Shadowrun Second Edition book for sure. Its a big black
book (Hence the slang Big Black or Black Book on the list)
My advice is to buy it, and read it all the way through.. find what
interests you and the players most, be in magic, matrix, cyber, whatever.
Then pick up the books that focus on that -- Virtual Realities 2.0,
Grimoire 2, Street Samurai Catalog, etc. Another book I rather like is
Sprawl Sites (I think its OOP, you probably won't be able to find it..) It
was some maps, short scenarios, and NPCs.
Now that you have a few books that are official, time to hit the net. You
may have already downloaded stuff for it, and I recommend if you haven't,
Start Now :)
Grab the NERPS books, The Plastic Warriors stuff, the NAGEE's, anything
that looks interesting on Paolo's archive. Oh yes, I should live up to my
reputation, download The Shadowrun Supplemental, too (Address in my sig file:)

Still with me? I think I'm rambling. Anyways, now you should have some
ideas *what* you want to do, and you players what they want to be. Spend
an afternoon/evening making characters, and then stage 'mock' battles, to
get used to the gaming system. Make notes of the things you have trouble
with, and the pages you refer too most. You may want to make photocopies
of those things, and paste them a sheet of cardboard, making your own GM's
screen. Its probably also worth it to buy the official GM's screen, as its
really nice, although parts of it are out of date now.

This isn't spam, this is useful. TSS-01 had full reviews of almost every
SR sourcebook, courtesy of Gurth. Http://shadowrun.home.ml.org :)

>Is there some way to set the campaign in australia? do I need a
>special "source =book" thing?

There is no 'official' Australia Sourcebook. Lady Jestyr and some of her
buds are working on one that should become part of NERPS: Neo Anarchists
Guide to The Rest of The World
I'm not sure the exact web address.. poke around at http://jestyr.home.ml.org

>How many people would be required for a fun game?

Enough so that its fun.. Well, I would say at least 2 other people. Since
you're new to RPG's in general, anymore than 3 or 4 would likely overwhelm
and discourage you.

>sorry that took a while, I do have slight tebndancys to go on and on.

Most of us on the list do...

One little note, you don't need the [SR] in front of the subject heading,
unles it makes you feel better. No rules against it, and I'm not trying to
be rude, its just a bit..well...unessessary :)

-Adam

--
http://shadowrun.home.ml.org -- fro@***.ab.ca
"Do you know how many times I have said something that ends up in
someone's .sig?" -Dvixen, a phone call that turned out to be bloody cheap.
-
"Leading by example" in Target:UCAS
Message no. 10
From: Bull <chaos@*****.COM>
Subject: Re: [SR] I'm new. Very new. Very new indeed.... [long-ish..]
Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 02:39:04 -0400
At 07:08 PM 5/15/97 GMT, NEil Phillips wrote these timeless words:
>OK, feel free to skip this post entirely, it's probably highly
>irrelavant to you anyway..
>
>Well, let me introduce myself..
>I am new around these parts, as the title may suggest..
>I just subscribed to the group yesterday, to find out about shadowrun.
>
Ok... That's my cue, I believe! :]

+++++ BULL-BOT ACTIVATED
+++++ AUTO GREET INITIATED

Hello there, new list-member N-ster! Welcome to the Shadowrn Mailing List!

It's a great place, with good people and great discussion! hope ya like mail!

+++++ AUTO OFF TOPIC RANDOM GENERATOR v2.1 INITIATED
+++++ TOPIC #410

Where oh where has my little ork gone?
Where oh where could he be?

+++++ END AUTO GREET

>I have never played shadowrun. I found out about shadowrun on ral
>partha's web site (a miniatures manufacturer) and I have been checking
>out some stuff on the net about it.. (shadowrun archive namely)
>in fact, I have never played an RPG before in my life (at least, not
>in the proper sense of the word.. I am sure ZELDA doesn't count :))
>anyway, someone at school was showing me AD&D, and I thought it looked
>cool..
>exept it is set in a fantasy world ages ago.. bleagh!
>so I found out all this stuff about shadowrun and all, and I rekon it
>all sounds pretty cool..
>
<grin>

Guys, we have hooked another one! :]

I love SR, personally. great game, and the people on this list are terrific.

And Zelda only partially counts as an RPG. Pretty limited, as far as these
things go, but everyone has to start somewhere!

See, I told you guys not to knock the Video Games! :]

<There is a Sega and Super NES version of SR out there. They aren't really
a good judge of the game, but they do give you a vague idea of the world.>

>I found this "timeline" thing and I am into about the late 2030's..
>
Hmmm... Careful with the Timeline... Some of the stuff in it is...
subject to disagreement. It's not all official, but should give you a
good idea of some historical events that take place before SR actually
starts. It takes place around 2050 to 2058.

>Anyway, what I really want to to is start up playing some small games,
>(I geuss I would be the GM, as I know more than anyone else would :)),
>against my friends..
>
That's usually what happens, though sometimes you can talk your friends
into taking over for a while...;]

>I really want to start a campaign in the early 2050's, and work up
>from there..
>Iread somewhere it's simpler that way, and makes more sense, or is
>better for new people to the game, or anything..
>Also, I get the advantage here of the players not having the slightest
>clue what is going to happen next in history..
>neither do I, bar dunklezahn was elected and killed, but what the hey?
>
Cool deal. That's prob the best way to do it. Start with the basics and
build from there. And it's cheaper that way...:]

A suggestion, especially if you're starting from 2050 or so...

Get the Main Rulebook, followed by the Grimoire, the Street Samurai
Catalog, and teh Rigger Black Book (If you can still find it. The updated
version is coming out in August/September) as well as Virtual Realities,
and build from tehre. Those five books give you the basic source material
for all the major character types.

However, all the basics are in the Main Book. Buy it first and try it,
then buy the rest of the books...:]

>I explained the basics of the setting to my sister, (Hey, I belive we
>whould be getting more girls into gaming! ok, so maby my sister is a
>bad place to start, but it's a start nonetheless!) and she said she
>would play as long as she could be an Orc and drive a big car..
>I gave her this 50 questions thing I found somewhere, and she gave me
>Zang the Orc who is severely psychologically damaged after being
>abused by his uncle, and just really wants lots of friends.. and gets
>really angry if someone won';t be his friend..
>well, that was a pointless sentance, what the hey?
>
Cool! Orks of the world, unite! :] <I'm really an Ork, ask anyone! :]>

BTW: Where is that on Paolo's Archive? I need to get a copy of that, as I
lost the original... (I wrote them, originally, with the help of the list:))

And for all those of you asking about the 50+ questions, there you go.
They're somewhere on paolo's Site...:]

>Anyways, after this rather l o n g post, what I ask any one of yu is
>this..
>
That's ok... It happens... Wait till Pete gets fired up about something! :]

>What do I really need to get started?
>
>What books should I get?
>Idon't want anything fansy, just essentials..
>
See my above comments...

But here's a run down:

SR Rnd Edition -- This is the main rulebook, and all you really need.

Street Samurai Catalog (SSC) -- Guns, Cyber, and big toys...
Fields of Fire (FoF) -- A newer version of the SSC. Even more guns and
such.

Depending on when you want to set things, SSC comes first (2050) and FoF
comes later (2053 I think).

Shadowtech -- Introduces Bioware and some additional Cyberware. Circa 2052
or so.
Cybertechnology -- Lots more cyber, and more cyber rules. Circa 2057.

In a basic game, I wouldn't advise using either until you are comforatable
with the system and world. Once you're ready for more toys, use Shadowtech
first, then Cybertech, as some of the stuff from Cybertech is kinda
complicated and nasty.

Grimiore -- The Magicians Handbook. Once you've become familiar with the
magic system, this book is a must. Circa 2050.
Awakenings -- More magic stuff, and some new types of magic. Save this for
later, not truly necessary, though has some good stuff. Circa 2056)

Virtual Realities -- The original Deckers handbook, now out of print and
obsolete, though possibly worth getting if you can find for basic decking.
Virtual Realities 2.0 -- The new Deckers Handbook. Cmpletely redoes the
Decking system.

If you have a decker in the group, these are a must, though it can be done
with just the main book. However, the rules in VR 2.0 are different then
the basic rules in the book.

Rigger Black Book (RBB) -- Lots of vehicles, and some expansion of Rigging
rules. Now Out of print, I believe, and the new book is coming soon.
Rigger Black Book 2.0 (RBB 2.0) -- Coming in September, will make rigging
MUCH easier, supposedly.

Niether is really necessary, even if you have a rigger, but the vehicle
selection in the main book is sparse. Lots of cool vehicles and Drones in
here.

Shadowbeat -- This covers Sports, Music, And Movies. Rules for playing a
Rocker charactwer and a Reporter. Useful and informative, but truely
necessary.

>Is there some way to set the campaign in australia? do I need a
>special "source =book" thing?
>I heard something about setting int in germany.. and setting it in
>autralia would be more fun (hey, it's where I live, don't knock it :))
>
There was reportedly an Australian Sourcebook in teh works, but it has been
put on hold indefinately. The "rough draft" of this is reportedly on the
net somewhere, as well as several homebrew settings for Australia. Also,
the NERPS list has several people slowly putting together a NERPS Australia.

>How many people would be required for a fun game?
>
At least 2, but preferably around 5, one GM and 4 players. Since you've
been to Paolo's Website, I suggest finding Black Jacks Corner, and
downloading an Article called "For the Good of the group." This is a great
article that discusses how to put together a good group of players that can
work well together.

>yer, well, that's about it, what books should I get and how many
>freinds should I get round to play..
>
Umm, see my lengthy discussion above...;]

>sorry that took a while, I do have slight tebndancys to go on and on.
>Just ask the jedi tree. (OK, you probly don;t know who he is, or why
>he has such a strange name, but he gets the idea.. or something)
>
<grin>

See ya!

Bull-the-rambling-Ork-Decker
--
Now the Offical Celebrity Shadowrn Mailing List Welcome Ork Decker!
Fearless Leader of the Star Wars Mailing List
NEW HOME PAGE!: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/3604/home.html

Bull, aka Steven Ratkovich, aka Rak, aka a lot of others! :]

"The best Ork Decker you never met"
-Me, in the upcoming "Target: UCAS" Shadowrun Sourcebook!
Message no. 11
From: Spike <u5a77@*****.CS.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: [SR] I'm new. Very new. Very new indeed.... [long-ish..]
Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 11:12:45 +0100
|
|At 07:08 PM 5/15/97 GMT, NEil Phillips wrote these timeless words:
|>OK, feel free to skip this post entirely, it's probably highly
|>irrelavant to you anyway..
|>
|>Well, let me introduce myself..
|>I am new around these parts, as the title may suggest..
|>I just subscribed to the group yesterday, to find out about shadowrun.
|>
|Ok... That's my cue, I believe! :]
|
|+++++ BULL-BOT ACTIVATED
|+++++ AUTO GREET INITIATED

FRO! Can you give the Bull-bot another tweek. It seems to be suffering from
some serious lag...

:)
--
______________________________________________________________________________
|u5a77@*****.cs.keele.ac.uk| "Are you pondering what I'm pondering Pinky?" |
|Andrew Halliwell | |
|Principal subjects in:- | "I think so brain, but this time, you control |
|Comp Sci & Electronics | the Encounter suit, and I'll do the voice..." |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|GCv3.1 GCS/EL>$ d---(dpu) s+/- a- C++ U N++ o+ K- w-- M+/++ PS+++ PE- Y t+ |
|5++ X+/++ R+ tv+ b+ D G e>PhD h/h+ !r! !y-|I can't say F**K either now! :( |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Message no. 12
From: Neil Phillips <mikep@***.NET.AU>
Subject: Re: [SR] I'm new. Very new. Very new indeed.... [long-ish..]
Date: Sat, 17 May 1997 11:44:00 +0900
HHello everyone.
Thankyou for all you help..
I would thank everyone individually, but I only have so much time per
day, y'see?
so here is a general Thankyou.
Fisher, Victor
Thomas Deeny
Tom Cone
Caric
David Buehrer
Rune Fostervoll
Kevin Roberts
GRANITE
and Adam J
(As you names appear in the "from" bit)
Consider yourselves personally thanked.
Ahem.
Well, it seems as though I should pick up the "Black Book", Grimore
(SP?), and the Street samouri Catalouge, plus a pre-written adventure.
So I am starting Saving- NOW :)
then work my way from there..
I will start the first campaign in Seattle, me thinks..
easier that way..
oh, and dice are not a problem. I have come from the land of 40k, I have
plenty :)
Again, thanx, you have all been a great help..

--
N-ster
(mikep@***.net.au)
"N"
Message no. 13
From: Caric <caric@********.COM>
Subject: Re: [SR] I'm new. Very new. Very new indeed.... [long-ish..]
Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 09:11:28 -0700
| HHello everyone.
| Thankyou for all you help..
| I would thank everyone individually, but I only have so much time per
| day, y'see?
| so here is a general Thankyou.
|
<snip a list of us kind souls>

I think I can speak for us all when I say

Null sheen chummer.

-Caric


Word to the wise... Never anger a dragon, for you are crunchy, and would
be good with brie!!!

-Karl Teranssen av Drakkar
Message no. 14
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: [SR] I'm new. Very new. Very new indeed.... [long-ish..]
Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 12:03:16 +0100
NEil Phillips said on 19:08/15 May 97...

> OK, feel free to skip this post entirely, it's probably highly
> irrelavant to you anyway..

Not at all...

> Well, let me introduce myself..
> I am new around these parts, as the title may suggest..
> I just subscribed to the group yesterday, to find out about shadowrun.

You've come to the right place, I would say -- Shadowrun should be the
main area of discussion on this list (it's not always, but we try :)

> anyway, someone at school was showing me AD&D, and I thought it looked
> cool..
> exept it is set in a fantasy world ages ago.. bleagh!

Shadowrun tries to be the best of two worls (fantasy and
sci-fi/cyberpunk), and for the most part it succeeds rather well, IMHO.

> Anyway, what I really want to to is start up playing some small games,
> (I geuss I would be the GM, as I know more than anyone else would :)),
> against my friends..

Gurth's Rule #1 of playing an RPG: if you buy the books, then _you_ are
the GM :)

Oh BTW, you play an RPG _with_ your friends, rather than against them.

> I really want to start a campaign in the early 2050's, and work up
> from there..
> Iread somewhere it's simpler that way, and makes more sense, or is
> better for new people to the game, or anything..

Not sure if it's simpler, but one thing that's certain is that you
wouldn't have to worry about the important, world-shattering events we've
had in the timeline over the past few years (like the president of the
UCAS (follow-up to the USA) getting assassinated, or the Chicago bug
problem and Cermak nuke). Starting in 2050 or so might be a good idea for
an uncomplicated setting with new players, yes.

> Also, I get the advantage here of the players not having the slightest
> clue what is going to happen next in history..
> neither do I, bar dunklezahn was elected and killed, but what the hey?

For the first games, you don't need to; hell, if you want to you can just
go on playing such adventures forever even though FASA is trying to steer
the game toward really big events. However, if (once) you find out you and
the other players like SR, I'd say the GM should read up on the history of
the world, at least to the point in time where your campaign is set. But
keep the other players in the dark about major events -- to compare this
to the comics my brother reads, he's always telling me about events in
[insert comic] that will happen in the _next_ issues. I don't see how it
can be fun if you know (at least globally) what will happen before you
read it. the Big D (Dunkelzahn) getting killed was major news in early
August last year, because all we knew/expected was that he'd won the
elections -- I don't know anyone who suspected he was going to be blown
up.

The point of this rather lengthy paragraph is that, in a game world like
SR's, you _should_ keep the players in the dark about what's going to
happen. If they want to read a sourcebook, ask them not to do so until
you've read it first, so you can see if there are any potential spoilers
in it.

> I explained the basics of the setting to my sister, (Hey, I belive we
> whould be getting more girls into gaming! ok, so maby my sister is a
> bad place to start, but it's a start nonetheless!) and she said she
> would play as long as she could be an Orc and drive a big car..
> I gave her this 50 questions thing I found somewhere, and she gave me
> Zang the Orc who is severely psychologically damaged after being
> abused by his uncle, and just really wants lots of friends.. and gets
> really angry if someone won';t be his friend..
> well, that was a pointless sentance, what the hey?

Not pointless at all; it's good to see your sister is this interested in
the game, in fact. Most first-time players come up with a character like
an ork with a car, but don't give him/her any background beyond "He grew
up far from civilization. All his relatives were killed by corp X, and he
hates everyone because of that." (More likely it's an elf magician -- be
wary of players who take elves "because elves are cool.")

Encourage the players to come up with an interesting background to the
character, preferably before or while they're creating the character's
game statistics. Also encourage them to play the character according to
the background, of course.

> What do I really need to get started?

Nothing much:
* the main rulebook
* two or three players (in addition to yourself)
* a load of six-sided dice, preferably in two colors (at least 10 to 15;
get some cheap ones from a toy store rather than the more expensive
ones made for gamers. I myself have something like 55 in 3 colors)
* a pencil, an erasers, and a photocopy of the character sheet for each
player
* something to eat and/or drink :)

For the first time you play, I suggest you also pick up a FASA-published
adventure, as this will help you get a feel for how the designers think
the game should go. It will also help you start up quickly, and have
everything you need in one book.

> What books should I get?

There have been various recommendations for sourcebooks flying over the
list, but IMHO it's best to ignore those until you've decided you and
the other players like the game and want to continue playing it. I doubt
you'll be pleased to spend a few hundreds dollars on books only to find
you're not using them anymore after a week.

On the WWW (and some FTP sites, for those who have been around since
before the WWW "became" the internet) you can find loads of net stuff;
Granite gave a good listing of Shadowrun sites; I suggest you go to
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/1503/ and play around with the
Shadowrun web ring to get to a lot of SR web pages. <plug>Also mine
(http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html) for well-formatted
net.sourcebooks with loads of stuff in them.</plug>. BTW, as a general
notice, they'll soon be available in RTF format instead of Word for
Windows.

> Idon't want anything fansy, just essentials..
> Is there some way to set the campaign in australia? do I need a
> special "source =book" thing?

There is no sourcebook about Australia yet; someone is/was supposed to be
writing one for FASA, but it's either been postponed or cancelled by now.
Martin E. Gotthard <s457033@*******.GU.EDU.AU>, Calvin Hsieh
<u2172778@*******.acsu.unsw.edu.au>, and Lady Jestyr
<jestyr@*******.dialix.com.au> are writing an article about Australia for
an upcoming NERPS book, though. (NERPS is a mailing list like ShadowRN,
but we write net.sourcebooks there rather than discuss the game.)

> How many people would be required for a fun game?

You'll need at least one player, plus yourself of course. However, from
years of experience of having only one player, I can definitely say that
with two or three you're much better off. Don't take on too many players,
since you've never GMed before -- I'd advise a limit of four, at least
until you've found out what GMing is like.

Other advise I can give you is not be afraid to make mistakes. Everyone
does, and it's no big deal. Especially when you're still learning a system
you'll find you're looking through the rulebook every couple of minutes
trying to find a rule that covers the current situation, and that's okay.
After a few sessions it'll go much smoother.

Also, when you can't find a rule, make one up that feels right. If you
later find out that the book _does_ have a rule for the same thing, but it
would have been more beneficial to the players than what you made up
yourself, they may whine about that a bit. Simply tell them that this
time, the rule came out in their disadvantage, but next time you make up a
rule on the spot it may benefit them (however, don't go out of your way to
make sure it does later on -- go by what feels right at all times).

Furthermore, rules discussions are for _after_ the game. Should someone
disagree with the GM, tell them that after the session you'll get back to
it, but for now let's keep the game moving. If they still want to bring it
up after the game, try and picture what would have happened if you'd done
things the way the player suggests, and adjust tings accordingly if
necessary. Still, don't make major changes that would have affected the
overall story.

Above all, the object of the game is to have fun. If you find you're not
having fun, do something else and try again later on.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
In another place, in another time, I'd be driving trucks
-> NERPS Project Leader & Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html <-

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Message no. 15
From: Bull <chaos@*****.COM>
Subject: Re: [SR] I'm new. Very new. Very new indeed.... [long-ish..]
Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 16:52:32 -0400
At 11:12 AM 5/16/97 +0100, Spike wrote these timeless words:
>|
>|At 07:08 PM 5/15/97 GMT, NEil Phillips wrote these timeless words:
>|>OK, feel free to skip this post entirely, it's probably highly
>|>irrelavant to you anyway..
>|>
>|>Well, let me introduce myself..
>|>I am new around these parts, as the title may suggest..
>|>I just subscribed to the group yesterday, to find out about shadowrun.
>|>
>|Ok... That's my cue, I believe! :]
>|
>|+++++ BULL-BOT ACTIVATED
>|+++++ AUTO GREET INITIATED
>
>FRO! Can you give the Bull-bot another tweek. It seems to be suffering from
>some serious lag...
>
>:)
>
Hey! I can only answer my mail when I check it! :]

I didn't get home till late last night.

C'mon, give me at least 24 hours to answer these mails, all right? :]

Bull
--
Now the Offical Celebrity Shadowrn Mailing List Welcome Ork Decker!
Fearless Leader of the Star Wars Mailing List
NEW HOME PAGE!: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/3604/home.html

Bull, aka Steven Ratkovich, aka Rak, aka a lot of others! :]

"The best Ork Decker you never met"
-Me, in the upcoming "Target: UCAS" Shadowrun Sourcebook!
Message no. 16
From: Caric <caric@********.COM>
Subject: Re: [SR] I'm new. Very new. Very new indeed.... [long-ish..]
Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 13:58:54 -0700
| Hey! I can only answer my mail when I check it! :]
|
| I didn't get home till late last night.

Ohhh so galavanting around with your friends is more important than us
huh!?!?!?!?!

<sounds of weeping as Caric runs away shattered to his core>

| C'mon, give me at least 24 hours to answer these mails, all right? :]

nonono just do whatever YOU want then.

-Caric


Word to the wise... Never anger a dragon, for you are crunchy, and would
be good with brie!!!

-Karl Teranssen av Drakkar
Message no. 17
From: Spike <u5a77@*****.CS.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: [SR] I'm new. Very new. Very new indeed.... [long-ish..]
Date: Sat, 17 May 1997 11:52:31 +0100
|>|+++++ AUTO GREET INITIATED
|>
|>FRO! Can you give the Bull-bot another tweek. It seems to be suffering from
|>some serious lag...
|>
|>:)
|>
|Hey! I can only answer my mail when I check it! :]
|
|I didn't get home till late last night.
|
|C'mon, give me at least 24 hours to answer these mails, all right? :]

But.... You're a BOT...
BOTs don't leave home.....

:]
<Evil grin mimicking Bulls>
--
______________________________________________________________________________
|u5a77@*****.cs.keele.ac.uk| "Are you pondering what I'm pondering Pinky?" |
|Andrew Halliwell | |
|Principal subjects in:- | "I think so brain, but this time, you control |
|Comp Sci & Electronics | the Encounter suit, and I'll do the voice..." |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|GCv3.1 GCS/EL>$ d---(dpu) s+/- a- C++ U N++ o+ K- w-- M+/++ PS+++ PE- Y t+ |
|5++ X+/++ R+ tv+ b+ D G e>PhD h/h+ !r! !y-|I can't say F**K either now! :( |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Message no. 18
From: Ray & Tamara <macey@*******.COM.AU>
Subject: Re: [SR] I'm new. Very new. Very new indeed.... [long-ish..]
Date: Tue, 20 May 1997 10:28:17 +1000
> What books should I get?
> Idon't want anything fansy, just essentials..
> Is there some way to set the campaign in australia? do I need a
> special "source =book" thing?
> I heard something about setting int in germany.. and setting it in
> autralia would be more fun (hey, it's where I live, don't knock it :))

Where abouts are you in Australia? There are quite a few of us spread
around the country. I'm in Brisbane, as are quite a few others, there are
a couple from Sydney I think.

Also, the Australian sourcebook is on it's way. Next year I think is when
it's meant to be released. Good news is, it was written by an Australian.

Really, in my opinion, the essential sourcebooks are Shadowrun 2nd Edition
- This is the main rule book. It contains everything you need. You can
play a game from this alone. All of the other sourcebooks just expand and
increase your options.

The Grimoire - An book that advances on the magic rules a bit

VR2.0 - This is very good, but only useful if you want to have a Decker
surfing the Matrix.

Street Sam Catalogue and Shadowtech (hard to find though) expands on the
available cyberware. Useful for anyone that likes their cyberware gadgets.

Ray.

-----------------------------------------------------
| The universe is a big place, and whatever happens,|
| You will not be missed |
-----------------------------------------------------

EMAIL: macey@*******.com.au

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Thwap!