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From: "Richard C. Osterhout" <rcoster@*****.NET>
Subject: Re: Gencon Fasa Update...
Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1993 15:18:11 -0400
not a bad summation, but i did have a few comments...

On Wed, 25 Aug 1993, ArkAngel wrote:

> WARNING: LONG POST. This is lots of info about upcoming SR2 projects.
> If your interested read on. If not, delete it now!
>
> Well now, from whats been sent out, I gather no one has given you guys
> a GenCon report just yet. I'll take that burden on my own shoulders. I'm not
> entirely certain if you guys have chatted/BSed about Earthdawn yet, but I'll
> start there. ED is FASA's new FRP. It's set in the SR universe lots of
> thousands of years ago before recorded history. It's a pretty dark world, but
> it looks like a very well developed one. The basic rule book goes for $30, and
> about one every 6 weeks. Earthdawn is NOT compatible with SR2, but some of the
> same characters in SR2 are also in ED. (Certain Dragons and Elves... I'm not
> naming names, I'll just let you guess... ;-)

just remember that this is a group for SHADOWRUN, not
EARTHDAWN...basically, a lot of discussion i have seen on this product is
that if someone wants to play a fantasy type game, they'll play D&D with
the books they already own rather than shuck out more money for a whole
new system...as far as the rulebook goes, true to FA$A tradition, it has
errata already...i got the 1st errata sheet at the FA$A booth, and upon
reading the rulebook up to page 66, i have already found more errors
(which i duly pointed out to the game's creator) i sat within a chair or
two of FA$A's senior editor during a couple of seminars, and it was hard
for me to resist smackin' her in the head and screaming "WHAT THE BLEEDIN'
HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU???!!!?? DONTCHA DO ANYTHING?!!!???" :)


>
> Next on the list are the things that will be coming out for SR2. In
> general, I didn't make note of the adventures. I just took down the
> sourcebooks. I also found out some stuff that was cancelled, etc.
> First off, on the cancelled list: Sprawl maps. Tom made some vague
> reference to it, saying that it was lost somewhere. Basically, this looks like
> a case of Don't expect it any time soon. It's still in production, but as
> seems typical at FASA something went wrong. I don't exactly know what.

nothing went wrong, just the production priority changed...tom said it
should be out sometime around november


> Next cancelled is City of Angels. Tom said it struck too close to what

got this one right...

>
> Alright, now onto the actual products that ARE Coming out. THe first
> of these will be Tir Na Nog. Ireland will coming in October. Tom said that

> Next, in December, look for the German Sourcebook. This is going to be
> a seriously hacked version of the one released in Germany. Tom won the Origins
> Chainsaw editing award on this one. I believe the German version is well over
> 300 pages, the US version will be significantly shorter. We're talking 100+
> pages shorter. He did make vague references to some of this data appearing in
> later European sourcebooks, however, these later books do not have a definitive
> date yet. The German sourcebook will include a new form of magic also. It's

this will be the Neo-Anarchists' Guide to Europe.....

> going to be something vaguely witch like. Sort of a totemic magic, but with
> totems completely different from anything Shamans have. (Somebody more
> familiar with German myths might recognize the names, I personally don't
> remember them... and neither does my notebook :-(

it is the WICCA method of magic...some other new totems are The Horned
One, The Shining One, etc.....getting kinda close to real world religions
with this one...

> Six weeks after that, and adventure called Eyewitness comes out. I
> know nothing about it..
> Next on the list is Fields of Fire. THis sounds funky. It's going to
> be a complete Mercenary sourcebook. Everything you need to know on small group
> military tactics... Who should go where, how they should be armed, and what
> maneuvers to be used will be detailed here. There will also be some new toys
> in this book. Tom mentioned that there might be a flamethrower, however, he
> also mentioned that carrying a flamethrower into the magically active streets
> of 2050 is an altogether bad idea. (SO, I tell my Force 1 fire elemental to
> manifest in that cylinder on his back and...)

> After this, I think the next project is the Adventure Celtic Double
> Cross. I could be wrong on the timing of this one... The name says it all.

it is slated for release right after Tir Na Nog...and the sourcebook will
be needed for the module (or so says the advanced literature i've seen)

> Next is the Hawaiian Sourcebook/adventure. The tentative title is
> "Surf's UP!" but, that will probably be changed. (They wanted a cover with
a
> troll surfing in carrying his HMG blasting at a bunch of gangers in black
> leather on the coast... but once they added the laias some people just didn't
> go for it...)

i believe what tom said was that this was the WORKING title, and kind of a
joke, around the office...they had no intentions of releasing it with that
title...

> 6 weeks after that comes the Denver Campaign boxed set. This one
> sounds pretty wild. A full poster sized map of Denver and similarly sized maps

the point system will be useful for any city...it basically tells you the
threat level of that city...

>
> After Denver, things get pretty vague. Harlequin's Back is slated for
> sometime in the not too distant future. Tom said that if you've been following
> FASA products closely you'll be able to tell something about it. Sounds like
> the conversation in the back of Tir Tairgire is what he's referring to here.

remember, he said FA$A products, not shadowrun specific...don't forget
about EARTHDAWN...


> Rumors were spread about Paramormal animal totems, in response to the
> stuff in Striper Assassin. (I haven't read it, somebody said somethinb about a
> Gargoyle totem?) However, Tom said this isn't coming anytime soon.

isnt this stuff going to be in the Shamanic Sourcebook that will be coming
out i believe sometime next summer???

> They are currently working on an entire book detailing corporate
> security. This one could be released in '95, and it sounds positively EVIL.
> THe guy who's doing it works for the Feds now, and he's got good sources. When
> this comes out, the Running community is going to be VERY unhappy. I believe
> this will also include some info on magical security.

yes, it will include magical security...i talked with mike colton after
one of the seminars and he explained to me about the product and what it
will include...


> Several people asked about Vehicle design rules. He said that he was
> unable to do this personally, and wasn't certain if such a project would ever
> be released. Instead, he said that they might come out with more books of
> vehicles with optional mods for them. He mentioned that design rules might be
> a good project for internet... I spoke up about Kage-Car, and about how we got
> stuck after doing the Engines... If we actually finish that project, they might
> be interested in seeing it...

i got the impression that he didnt like the detailed rules, and that they
were thinking of publishing more books on vehicles with just the pictures
and some option packages to simplify things...


> One other thing which might be done is a complete revision of the
> decking rules. While the same numbers, etc would remain, a high speed system
> to run it may appear. A lot of people seemed in favor of it, but Tom said not
> to expect it before Fall of '94. Basically, he wanted something that would run
> decking like a video game. He also talked about a GMs assistant that would
> allow for the matrix to be setup on a PC or Mac. The GM could then program the
> matrix in, give it to the decker and tell him to go sit in a corner with it.
> When he finished it, he would simply return to the table with whatever info he
> was able to secure... Tom said 3 people had started this project separately,
> saying that it would be no problem. He hasn't heard back from any of them
> since they started it... ;-)

the point was if the new decking system is done, then the thing with the
pc's wouldnt be needed...the quick resolution system would be done at the
table....the pc's thing with sending the decker off by himself is for the
current system...



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| rcoster@*****.net Currently in Baltimore, MD |
| Richard C. Osterhout but hope to be home in |
| Orlando, FL soon!!! |
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