From:	David Buehrer <dbuehrer@******.CARL.ORG>
Subject:	Re: FASA's On/Off Course?
Date:	Thu, 7 May 1998 09:46:24 -0600

Ojaste,James [NCR] wrote:
/
/ Katt Freyson wrote:
/ >|> Adam, I respect your work on this list greatly, but that
/ >|> has got to be
/ >|> the most moronic phrase in the entire English Language, and
/ >|> likely quite a
/ >|> few others. X would still be X if it didn't have Y, it would just be
/ >|> different.
/ >
/ > Phew, I was hesitant in answering Adam's post due to my recent history,
/ >but was hoping someone else had caught this. If someone had given this
/ >phrase to my teacher when I was taking Critical Thinking, they would have
/ >flunked. Basically he is saying P= !P which is not possible.
/
/ Err, maybe you should talk to your teacher again... That's not what
/ he's saying. X and Y are *different*. X != Y. Or do you deny that
/ Shadowrun would still be Shadowrun without, say, DocWagon? Sure,
/ DocWagon plays *a part* in the world, but it isn't really necessary.
/ The world would feel the same 99% of the time, because DocWagon isn't
/ a requirement for Shadowrun. Now, whether magic is a requirement
/ for Shadowrun is another question...

This is starting to remind of of the "is Shadowrun Cyberpunk debate".
Please, let's not go there.

/ > So I'd say that to state that Shadowrun would be basically the same
/ >without the magic is being incorrect. But that is my opinion.
/
/ Oh, I agree. I don't think that SR without magic would be the same.

But would it be Shadowrun?

The answer depends on how one defines Shadowrun. And being
individuals we each define it differently.

In my definition of Shadowrun, magic is an integral factor. In
someone else's definition that might not be the case. And neither
one of us would be right or wrong.

-David
--
"Truth, like a torch, the more it's shook it shines."
- Sir William Hamilton
--
email: dbuehrer@******.carl.org
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/1068/homepage.htm