From:	00DNA mcmanus@******.albany.edu
Subject:	role of novels in SR universe
Date:	Fri, 16 Jul 1999 13:55:12 -0400

>Jak asked:
>- - -
>So my question is, finally, what role do you believe the SR novels
>should
>play in the larger plots of the SR Universe?

Well, I wrote a big long reply to this and it never showed up on the
list...so I'll try it yet again, I'll cut to the point because I'm sure
most of it has been said by now.

I personally like the books. Pretty much all of them. Some were better
than others, some have been disappointing, but only one I think (to me) was
really bad. And that had to do with the writing of the book and not the
worldliness of it.

I find the books great for my players. I have some people who are new to
SR and roleplaying and basically they really suck. (: They can't figure
out anything. Now some of them are reading the books and the lights are
going off. And it doesn't matter what books either. One person finished
Wolf & Raven along with Terminus Experiment and the other read the first
trilogy. I think that they can now see the world of SR a little bit better
and can switch into "SR Mode" when playing now.

I've run a few different campaigns and I've run them completely against
what a sourcebook or novel said and I've never had any problem. I think
it's kind of silly to complain that a book gives something away or
whatever...however, I'd like to basically counter that with this.

I think that before we used to find that a novel would hint at something
and then we'd get a sourcebook or Adventure that gave us more information
about it.
Examples...
2xS --> Universal Brotherhood
Burning Bright --> Bug City

I think maybe some of the complaints might be because the trend has seemed
to reverse itself.
UCAS Election & The Big D's Secrets --> Dragonheart Trilogy

I agree with the whole power level of some books in a way. I don't hand
someone a copy of the Dragonheart Trilogy and say "OK, if you want to know
how to play Shadowrun read these books" That would just be stupid of me,
but I don't think that's what the books are for. I started a campaign
recently set right after the assassination and one of my players read the
DragonHeart Trilogy because he wanted to know what had happened. And he
enjoyed the series.
If someone does want to know about Shadowrun, I tend to have them read
either Into The Shadows or the first SR Trilogy.

I thought the first Trilogy did good. It's a good intro to the shadowrun
world and it starts off small and works its way into bigger stuff.

I think a new Trilogy, something based on the current timeline but not a
new plot would be nice. Something to reacquaint the readers with the
changed world of shadowrun again. Something touching on the new corps in
the east perhaps. Something that starts off small...something we can show
our players and say "there look that's how a shadowrun team should be and
also there is a realistic corporate target". Then perhaps gets up steam
and covers a bigger plot at the end.

Also another shortstory collection...that way maybe I could get in
there...hahaha. (:


--00DNA
"...user connection terminated."