From:	jjvanp@*****.com (Jan Jaap van Poelgeest)
Subject:	SR4 Conversion
Date:	Tue, 26 Jul 2005 04:35:43 -0700 (PDT)

--- Gurth <gurth@******.nl> wrote:

> According to Jan Jaap van Poelgeest, on 25-7-05
> 23:15 the word on the
> street was...

[snip, snip, snip it all. why? because it's all very
reasonable]

I suppose the essential quandary is: does the move
from SR3 to SR4 make equipment function so differently
that what is SOTA (i.e.: effective in the shadows) in
SR3 is no longer so in SR4?

It seems to me that it will do. Going by previous
developments in the SR universe, 5 years of game time
is likely to involve the introduction of new body
modification tech, thereby leaving any character
reliant on the SOTA for an edge eating the dust of
newly generated SR4 characters. Since some of the
people on this list have actually played SR4, I
suppose I could be presuming too much, but it does
seem that I'm not entirely missing the mark. While the
basic cyber body mods might remain more or less the
same old, I'm guessing that the ways in which the
various parts can combine will have been reconceived
somewhat.

Given that we've been told that attributes will affect
the character's capabilities differently (i.e.:
reaction being an actual attribute now rather than the
amalgam of a combination of attributes) & that magic
will have utterly changed (I imagine converting
awakened characters could be an utter nightmare), I
should say that it might in fact be impossible to find
a decent method of converting to SR4 any existing SR3
character without losing an unacceptable amount of
effectiveness due to the changed rules system.

Perhaps it'll still be rather nice to play an SR3
character in SR4, but I do suppose anyone who wants to
be a SOTA-loving shadowrunner would be best off
regenerating their character under the new ruleset,
character history permitting. Seeing as how an
existing campaign is kept going, it might make sense
to award access to a similar amount of funds and
karma, as these will probably retain their value
reasonably well between editions. 5 years of game time
could be enough to change anything not related to
these basic valuations (so I suppose flaws and debts
would have to be balanced against benefits).

So I suppose the best conversion system I can come up
with is: "System Failure, everything in the setting
now functions differently but looks the same (except
for the new stuff :). Here's the new ruleset and your
accumulated benefits, go regenerate that PC to your
liking and don't make it too different or you'll lose
the latter. Don't spend it all either; those flaws are
still around and your liver remains pawned to the
triads to cover that mob loan whose interest is due
Real Soon. Now's you chance to pay it off, though."

cheers,

Jan Jaap



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