| From: | Hahns Shin Hahns_Shin@*******.com |
|---|---|
| Subject: | The Dark Side of the SR (was FASA trademarks) |
| Date: | Mon, 26 Jun 2000 11:54:33 -0500 |
I think you mean Cyberpunk 2020 (the RPG). Cyberpunk 2020 isn't about
Cyberpunk as it is about Munchkin weapons. :-) Anyone who has ever looked at
some of the gear in Cyberpunk 2020 sourcebooks can probably agree with me.
And I can't vouch for the popularity of SR over Cyberpunk 2020.
>contains many different game genre's within it. When I run a Sr game
>there is no way anyone watching would think it was a cyberpunk setting
>because I don't like Cyberpunk settings. I don't like dark there is no
>hope settings and Sr can certainly encompass a lighter feel within it
Personally, I would never want to play in your campaign (too light for me...
sounds like a frickin' fantasy. You'll have to e-mail me specifics on how
you play), though there is a truth to what you say. I tend to GM games as an
Illuminated campaign (evil conspiracies rule the world, and you can't do
anything about it MWA HA HA... oh, and before you ask, megacorps are mere
pawns in MY games.<evil grin>), while my friend tends to GM like a John Woo
movie (the SR world makes John Woo a reality, if you think about it,
especially with the high ammo capacities, evil target numbers to hit moving
targets, a "Dodge" roll, and hyped-up sammies and adepts). Another friend
GMs like a cheap Technothriller a la Clancy (not that this is a bad thing).
It's always an IMC ("In MY Campaign...") thing, but I wouldn't be so quick
to discount the influence of Cyberpunk on the Shadowrun world. It's all
about dystopia and man's inhumanity to man, which has been happening
throughout all written history. The SR world is no better or worse then our
world today; the rich get richer, the poor get poorer. People starve to
death in the US every day. Our so-called civilization is merely a
continuation of the status quo.
Actually, I don't think Gibson ever explicitly states that "corporations are
evil". He implies that corporations in general are evil because they take
away a person's individuality and humanity. But there are no "Evilcorps,
Inc." per se (except in my game world. :-) They are a soap manufacturer)...
mostly evil people that heap an unbelievable amount of shit on each other in
the name of nuyen. All I have to say is that when you live in the darkness,
you tend to only see the darkness. The way I think of it is that in SR, you
are playing the BAD GUY. It doesn't matter if you have any good intention or
if you are a moral person (HA!), you are still considered "evil" by society.
You are Klebold, Mitnick, and Oswald. The corps hire you because they have
the cash and you are the scum of society. You are willing to do evil things
for money. There is really no way to morally justify the actions of a
shadowrunner... but is there really any way to morally justify the society
that glorifies violence and theft as a means to an end? I'm not talking
about the SR world, I'm talking about our own...
BTW, I'm a fan of Gibson and Sterling (especially "The Difference Engine", a
novel set in the 1800's), but I can't stand most of Heinlein and Asimov (not
all, though... I do play favorites). I'm not really a depressing or cynical
guy either... I'm just a rambler and babbler.
Hahns
