Ooh, that's a hell of a goal.
They just hit 1.5 mil...
Their next (and last) goal is 1.75mil. If we make it to that level... They are going to include Physical Adepts.
... Probably should've been part of the base spec sheet, but hey. It does kinda break the game.
You mean in the tabletop or the CRPG? I doubt they've done any serious planning for class balance for the latter, so adding things at this point is literally just a case of throwing enough money at them so they can afford to work on it longer.
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Ninja Snarl PMy helmet is my burden.Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered Userregular
That's pretty rad that I keep hearing here about how folks want adepts, and hey, look at that! Next goalpost is to include adepts. It's also still pretty encouraging that the devs are keeping these goals within reason; adding another class is pretty great, but without the issue of scope creep screwing things up since adding a new skillset is a lot easier than, say, adding a PvP element.
Physical adepts weren't always in Shadowrun though, were they? I'm thinking that's why they've held off on putting them in. Probably wanted to get all the "standard" classes in before adding something newer.
Phys Ads showed up in the 1st edition Grimoire, but they've been a "core" archetype in every iteration of the game since then.
Ah. Well, I can still understand why they would hold off on putting them in; ninja-guy augmented with a special form of magic isn't quite as distinctly Shadowrun as, say, guys with plugs in their heads hacking computers side-by-side with orcs sporting cybernetic limbs and elves picking people off with sniper rifles, at least in a visual sense. An adept is going to look like pretty much anybody until they actually do something.
Either way, I'll be happy if they get in. More choice is always better.
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EshTending bar. FFXIV. Motorcycles.Portland, ORRegistered Userregular
edited April 2012
Well, 45k overnight. At this rate they'll hit the Adept goal. Anyone know what the PayPal total is sitting at?
EDIT: I wonder if we'll see bioware in the game.
EDIT 2: I'm just going to keep talking to myself here. With 35 hours to go, less than 100k away from 1.75million. Looks like Adepts are happening!
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
Bioware, to my knowledge, just wasn't a thing in 2050. Might've been, but I saw it emerging more in late 2nd/3rd.
A new video from the team was just released, showing their memories - And seeing Randall Bills there is a GOOD sign. Also, man.. Mike looks like the old grandfather gamer I wanna be someday.
Hearing the SNES Shadowrun music just sends a chill down my spine.
Bioware, to my knowledge, just wasn't a thing in 2050. Might've been, but I saw it emerging more in late 2nd/3rd.
The first Bioware (other than fanzine stuff) in a Shadowrun sourcebook was the awesome book Shadowtech. It had a great layout (one page per item, with good tables at the end), interesting science/medicine (although dumbed down for the layman, and in some cases, flat out wrong), and a whole lot of fun gadgets to shove into your body. It also sets up a lot of plot arcs that don't resolve for a decade or so. The shadowtalk in Shadowtech is mostly in 2052, so it would be a couple of years out from 2050.
Shadowtech reminds me of an "old school" campaign we ran that started at 2050. Every month, each player would get to choose which item just came out on the market, from any sourcebook post-2050. We would make news blurbs about how "Fuchi has released its new Crainial Cyberdeck interface!" or "Ares releases the new Predator III prototype with Smartlink II technology!" Some of these new R+D things chosen by the players would end up being future plot hooks for runs.
Personally, I think one of the better aspects of 4th edition is the tossing of the Bio Index crap and just making Bioware a lower essence cost than Cyberware. It's both less cheesy and better for book-keeping. Not to mention that a lot of cyberware prior to Shadowtech was functionally Bioware anyway (Muscle Replacement, Boosted Reflexes, etc.).
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
edited April 2012
Oh, god. Shadowtech. That's one of my "Holy grail" books. The complete silly goose (and I only use that term because of the rules around here, I'd say much stronger things to him) that I gamed with when I was just learning this universe had a copy. It was ripped to shreds, falling apart, the cover half ripped...
And I loved everything about it. The stuff they're putting out in PDF form these days is nice, but... yeah.
It also has one of my favorite pieces of art ever for Shadowrun as its cover:
it is sad that I looked at that art in the 20th Anniversary edition of SR4 and all I said was... ''cool''.
didnt know the pic was from such a book.
A large chunk of the art in the 20th edition book was from earlier releases. It was one of their ways of honoring the past. Dunno if the artists get commission for that or what, but...
One of my earliest Shadowrun purchases was "High Tech and Low Life: The Art of Shadowrun," 7701. One of the best parts about my attempt to push my book collection back is getting to see all that great art in context. Some of it is crude, to be sure, but still.
EshTending bar. FFXIV. Motorcycles.Portland, ORRegistered Userregular
I just ordered the 4th edition rulebook from Amazon. It'll be my first Shadowrun purchase in...14 years? Now I can sit flipping through it for the next year in anticipation. Maybe I'll even try to find a group here in town to play with.
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
I just ordered the 4th edition rulebook from Amazon. It'll be my first Shadowrun purchase in...14 years? Now I can sit flipping through it for the next year in anticipation. Maybe I'll even try to find a group here in town to play with.
4th or 20th anniversary? Because while I own both the regular and LE versions of both books, the 20th anniversary product is superior in almost every way... and they are both about at the same level when it comes to figuring out just -how- to play, due to it being a little odd in its layout.
(I highly recommend getting the Runner's Toolkit.)
I just ordered the 4th edition rulebook from Amazon. It'll be my first Shadowrun purchase in...14 years? Now I can sit flipping through it for the next year in anticipation. Maybe I'll even try to find a group here in town to play with.
4th or 20th anniversary? Because while I own both the regular and LE versions of both books, the 20th anniversary product is superior in almost every way... and they are both about at the same level when it comes to figuring out just -how- to play, due to it being a little odd in its layout.
(I highly recommend getting the Runner's Toolkit.)
20th Anniversary. Is it limited?
I've been playing RPGs long enough that the Runner's Toolkit isn't really a necessity for me. ; )
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
edited April 2012
not the main publication. My LE of the 20th anniversary came with a large cover and a year wait to get the product. But I paid more for it + a copy of the regular 20A + a PDF license for the book than I am for the kickstarter a few years back, so I can't complain.
And no, really, the Runner's Toolkit is completely and utterly badass. It has the GM screen, a book of contacts /adventures, some pre-made maps, a ton of really well put together cheat sheets, a book that breaks down a shadowrun into both fluff and crunch narratives, and a complete copy of the introductory adventure, "On The Run." All updated for 20th anniversary. Again, took them a year to get it out.. but it is amazing.
Edit: Here, you can see the differences (*snicker*) between the LE and regular versions of the 20th anniversary in this pic. ((Shameless plug to show off. ))
The Runner's Toolkit remains useful long after you run that adventure packed with it. It's kinda like Sprawl Sites in that regard (which I've used in every single edition of Shadowrun since it first came out). Completely worthless to me at the moment, though, since I only run Shadowrun on Maptools, but if I were to run it on an actual table rather than a virtual one I'd want a copy of it.
I own one of the first 1,000 hardcover SR4 core rules ever printed (since they were first released at Gen Con as a pre-print run), but it is sadly torn all the heck due to use and a couple of moves. The 20th Anniversary edition is superior in every way to the original SR4 core rulebook. It's easier to read, the layout is better, the art is better, the stories are better, it has more content, etc.
The book that was most useful to me in all of my years of playing Shadowrun, however, is Field of Fire. The back of that book had an equipment table with every single piece of equipment ever published up to that point in time. I used to have that book and 10 six sided dice in a ziplock bag for campouts (we played a lot of Shadowrun in my Boy Scout troop). We even took it river rafting, and the ziplock bag survived more than a couple of dunks in the river.
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
edited April 2012
@hahnsoo1 -- What's your number on that LE? mine's 625/1000 for 4 (unless you are talking about a different run), 603/1500 for 20A, and the Runner's Black Book LE is sadly not numbered.
(Also, in PMs can you let me know how Maptools is working out for you? I'd assume it makes mapmaking easier...)
@hahnsoo1 -- What's your number on that LE? mine's 625/1000 for 4 (unless you are talking about a different run), 603/1500 for 20A, and the Runner's Black Book LE is sadly not numbered.
It's at my parents' place, because I moved to California about 5 years ago and I couldn't fit it into my car (along with a ton of other stuff). Along with my copy of DMZ, most of my 2nd and 3rd edition stuff, etc. As much as I love having physical books, it's much easier gaming with searchable PDFs.
not the main publication. My LE of the 20th anniversary came with a large cover and a year wait to get the product. But I paid more for it + a copy of the regular 20A + a PDF license for the book than I am for the kickstarter a few years back, so I can't complain.
And no, really, the Runner's Toolkit is completely and utterly badass. It has the GM screen, a book of contacts /adventures, some pre-made maps, a ton of really well put together cheat sheets, a book that breaks down a shadowrun into both fluff and crunch narratives, and a complete copy of the introductory adventure, "On The Run." All updated for 20th anniversary. Again, took them a year to get it out.. but it is amazing.
Edit: Here, you can see the differences (*snicker*) between the LE and regular versions of the 20th anniversary in this pic. ((Shameless plug to show off. ))
What's in the LE that it's so much thicker than the normal one?
Edit: Here, you can see the differences (*snicker*) between the LE and regular versions of the 20th anniversary in this pic. ((Shameless plug to show off. ))
That shelf looks like my old Shadowrun/RPG shelf used to look like... a whole shelf of Shadowrun, with spillover, and a bottom shelf with "everything else". I might be missing it, but is "BattleRun: Best Ever! An Eighth World Adventure" on that shelf?
EDIT: Also, why two copies of Divided Assets? And is Sprawl Sites on that shelf?
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
Edit: Here, you can see the differences (*snicker*) between the LE and regular versions of the 20th anniversary in this pic. ((Shameless plug to show off. ))
That shelf looks like my old Shadowrun/RPG shelf used to look like... a whole shelf of Shadowrun, with spillover, and a bottom shelf with "everything else". I might be missing it, but is "BattleRun: Best Ever! An Eighth World Adventure" on that shelf?
EDIT: Also, why two copies of Divided Assets? And is Sprawl Sites on that shelf?
No, I never pulled the trigger on Battlerun. And if I did, it would be on the top shelf, with my Battletech/World of Darkness/L5R books.
And yeah.. two copies of Divided Assets. I wasn't keeping a list of which books I owned/didn't own, and so I bought a smoke-damaged one from a local store. I don't own a copy of Sprawl Sites, which makes me very sad. Again, very little in the way of 1st/early 2nd books, which is why I'm working my way back as I'm only missing 1 4th book at this point.
What's in the LE that it's so much thicker than the normal one?
Slipcover. Oh, and a poster of the "20th Anniversary Seattle" that they used for the inside of the 20A book, the Runner's Toolkit GM screen, and the cover of Seattle 2072.
EshTending bar. FFXIV. Motorcycles.Portland, ORRegistered Userregular
edited April 2012
This is all making me antsy to get my grubby hands on the book. I'm sure I'll end up buying more sourcebooks even if I don't have anyone to play with.
I wonder if they'll let us import character portraits ala Baldur's Gate? Though, I don't know how they'd handle that what with people being able to recruit other people's runners. I'm curious how customizable the avatars will be as well.
EDIT: Oh, quick question. In 4th, from what I'm reading, they cap stats and skills? I remember playing 2nd edition and our characters getting REALLY overpowered at certain points through the use of cyber/spell locks/whatnot.
This is all making me antsy to get my grubby hands on the book. I'm sure I'll end up buying more sourcebooks even if I don't have anyone to play with.
I wonder if they'll let us import character portraits ala Baldur's Gate? Though, I don't know how they'd handle that what with people being able to recruit other people's runners. I'm curious how customizable the avatars will be as well.
EDIT: Oh, quick question. In 4th, from what I'm reading, they cap stats and skills? I remember playing 2nd edition and our characters getting REALLY overpowered at certain points through the use of cyber/spell locks/whatnot.
Skills cap out at 6 (7 with a particular Positive Quality). Attribute caps are based on race, but the human cap is 6 (7 with a particular Positive Quality). There's a rule called "maximum Augmented Attribute/Skill" which puts a cap on how high of a bonus you can apply to a particular skill/attribute. For example, a Phys Ad with a Pistols of 6 can only add up to +3 dice from Magical Bonus Skill dice.
I actually played SR with Mulvihill - it did not cost ten grand at the time Really glad this got (way) funded, but I think I'll wait and see what this looks like when it comes out though, SR is great but what I'm picturing isn't grabbing me.
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EshTending bar. FFXIV. Motorcycles.Portland, ORRegistered Userregular
This is all making me antsy to get my grubby hands on the book. I'm sure I'll end up buying more sourcebooks even if I don't have anyone to play with.
I wonder if they'll let us import character portraits ala Baldur's Gate? Though, I don't know how they'd handle that what with people being able to recruit other people's runners. I'm curious how customizable the avatars will be as well.
EDIT: Oh, quick question. In 4th, from what I'm reading, they cap stats and skills? I remember playing 2nd edition and our characters getting REALLY overpowered at certain points through the use of cyber/spell locks/whatnot.
Skills cap out at 6 (7 with a particular Positive Quality). Attribute caps are based on race, but the human cap is 6 (7 with a particular Positive Quality). There's a rule called "maximum Augmented Attribute/Skill" which puts a cap on how high of a bonus you can apply to a particular skill/attribute. For example, a Phys Ad with a Pistols of 6 can only add up to +3 dice from Magical Bonus Skill dice.
So they did away with the +Attribute/+Skill spells? What do you spend "experience" (Karma when I played) on if they're capped that low?
EDIT: And Jesus Christ, why is the Runner's Companion apparently out of print and going for $70+ on Amazon???
I actually played SR with Mulvihill - it did not cost ten grand at the time Really glad this got (way) funded, but I think I'll wait and see what this looks like when it comes out though, SR is great but what I'm picturing isn't grabbing me.
What are you picturing and what is it that you want?
This is all making me antsy to get my grubby hands on the book. I'm sure I'll end up buying more sourcebooks even if I don't have anyone to play with.
I wonder if they'll let us import character portraits ala Baldur's Gate? Though, I don't know how they'd handle that what with people being able to recruit other people's runners. I'm curious how customizable the avatars will be as well.
EDIT: Oh, quick question. In 4th, from what I'm reading, they cap stats and skills? I remember playing 2nd edition and our characters getting REALLY overpowered at certain points through the use of cyber/spell locks/whatnot.
Skills cap out at 6 (7 with a particular Positive Quality). Attribute caps are based on race, but the human cap is 6 (7 with a particular Positive Quality). There's a rule called "maximum Augmented Attribute/Skill" which puts a cap on how high of a bonus you can apply to a particular skill/attribute. For example, a Phys Ad with a Pistols of 6 can only add up to +3 dice from Magical Bonus Skill dice.
So they did away with the +Attribute/+Skill spells? What do you spend "experience" (Karma when I played) on if they're capped that low?
There's a premium to have an Attribute at character creation at the maximum value. If it takes 10 points per point of Attribute, then it takes 25 points to bump that attribute up to its maximum level. This prevents a lot of folks from taking the maximum, as you won't have many points to put in other things. Skills at character creation are capped at one skill at 6 OR two skills at 5, with the rest capping at 4. It will take dozens of sessions before you will run out of things to raise with Karma. At minimum, you can always dump it into Edge (the new Karma Pool attribute, which is bought like any other attribute).
Increase Attribute is still in the game. I'm fairly certain that Increase Skill did not exist as a spell in 2nd, 3rd, or 4th edition (not sure about 1st, will have to check my 1st edition Grimoire). What the caps do is prevent people from getting a bonus above a certain amount. If you have a skill of 6, then the most you can augment the skill is a 9. Some bonus dice (like specializations) go above this, but the base skill can only be augmented up to x1.5 of the base value.
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EshTending bar. FFXIV. Motorcycles.Portland, ORRegistered Userregular
This is all making me antsy to get my grubby hands on the book. I'm sure I'll end up buying more sourcebooks even if I don't have anyone to play with.
I wonder if they'll let us import character portraits ala Baldur's Gate? Though, I don't know how they'd handle that what with people being able to recruit other people's runners. I'm curious how customizable the avatars will be as well.
EDIT: Oh, quick question. In 4th, from what I'm reading, they cap stats and skills? I remember playing 2nd edition and our characters getting REALLY overpowered at certain points through the use of cyber/spell locks/whatnot.
Skills cap out at 6 (7 with a particular Positive Quality). Attribute caps are based on race, but the human cap is 6 (7 with a particular Positive Quality). There's a rule called "maximum Augmented Attribute/Skill" which puts a cap on how high of a bonus you can apply to a particular skill/attribute. For example, a Phys Ad with a Pistols of 6 can only add up to +3 dice from Magical Bonus Skill dice.
So they did away with the +Attribute/+Skill spells? What do you spend "experience" (Karma when I played) on if they're capped that low?
There's a premium to have an Attribute at character creation at the maximum value. If it takes 10 points per point of Attribute, then it takes 25 points to bump that attribute up to its maximum level. This prevents a lot of folks from taking the maximum, as you won't have many points to put in other things. Skills at character creation are capped at one skill at 6 OR two skills at 5, with the rest capping at 4.
Increase Attribute is still in the game. I'm fairly certain that Increase Skill did not exist as a spell in 2nd, 3rd, or 4th edition (not sure about 1st, will have to check my 1st edition Grimoire). What the caps do is prevent people from getting a bonus above a certain amount. If you have a skill of 6, then the most you can augment the skill is a 9. Some bonus dice (like specializations) go above this, but the base skill can only be augmented up to x1.5 of the base value.
I'm probably wrong about the skill +, it's been a LONG time. Yeah, one of the first things the guys I played with would do is create spell locks of the +Attribute spells at character creation. It was pretty munchkiny. At one point, some of these guys were literally throwing 3 blocks of 6 siders at a time when attempting things.
So basically, what's the maximum amount of dice you're going to see thrown at once?
Also, looking at the core books, are Arsenal, Augementation, Companion, and Street Magic the ones I'll want to spring for?
This is all making me antsy to get my grubby hands on the book. I'm sure I'll end up buying more sourcebooks even if I don't have anyone to play with.
I wonder if they'll let us import character portraits ala Baldur's Gate? Though, I don't know how they'd handle that what with people being able to recruit other people's runners. I'm curious how customizable the avatars will be as well.
EDIT: Oh, quick question. In 4th, from what I'm reading, they cap stats and skills? I remember playing 2nd edition and our characters getting REALLY overpowered at certain points through the use of cyber/spell locks/whatnot.
Skills cap out at 6 (7 with a particular Positive Quality). Attribute caps are based on race, but the human cap is 6 (7 with a particular Positive Quality). There's a rule called "maximum Augmented Attribute/Skill" which puts a cap on how high of a bonus you can apply to a particular skill/attribute. For example, a Phys Ad with a Pistols of 6 can only add up to +3 dice from Magical Bonus Skill dice.
So they did away with the +Attribute/+Skill spells? What do you spend "experience" (Karma when I played) on if they're capped that low?
There's a premium to have an Attribute at character creation at the maximum value. If it takes 10 points per point of Attribute, then it takes 25 points to bump that attribute up to its maximum level. This prevents a lot of folks from taking the maximum, as you won't have many points to put in other things. Skills at character creation are capped at one skill at 6 OR two skills at 5, with the rest capping at 4.
Increase Attribute is still in the game. I'm fairly certain that Increase Skill did not exist as a spell in 2nd, 3rd, or 4th edition (not sure about 1st, will have to check my 1st edition Grimoire). What the caps do is prevent people from getting a bonus above a certain amount. If you have a skill of 6, then the most you can augment the skill is a 9. Some bonus dice (like specializations) go above this, but the base skill can only be augmented up to x1.5 of the base value.
I'm probably wrong about the skill +, it's been a LONG time. Yeah, one of the first things the guys I played with would do is create spell locks of the +Attribute spells at character creation. It was pretty munchkiny. At one point, some of these guys were literally throwing 3 blocks of 6 siders at a time when attempting things.
So basically, what's the maximum amount of dice you're going to see thrown at once?
Also, looking at the core books, are Arsenal, Augementation, Companion, and Street Magic the ones I'll want to spring for?
For a hyperspecialist, you are going to see a 9 Attribute + 6 skill + 2 Specialization and probably around 6 bonus dice. So... 23? Not including Edge, which can add 6 or 7 to that number (But that's like dumping Karma Pool into the roll... it's a limited resource that you won't have access to constantly). If you are playing with characters that aren't one-shot wonders, though, you are more likely looking at 5 Attribute + 4 Skill, so 9 dice for the average roll. I mean, I have a Bioware Clone of Chuck Norris character in my current campaign who rolls 19 dice for Unarmed Combat, with 25 dice if I dump Edge into it, but that's not "normal" by any means. He's also the group's backup face, but he rolls 9 dice for that (5 Charisma + 4 Social Skill).
You can skip Unwired, unless you want to add a bunch of terrible rules to your game OR you have a Technomancer in your campaign who wants more abilities and options. But the rest of those are good picks.
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EshTending bar. FFXIV. Motorcycles.Portland, ORRegistered Userregular
This is all making me antsy to get my grubby hands on the book. I'm sure I'll end up buying more sourcebooks even if I don't have anyone to play with.
I wonder if they'll let us import character portraits ala Baldur's Gate? Though, I don't know how they'd handle that what with people being able to recruit other people's runners. I'm curious how customizable the avatars will be as well.
EDIT: Oh, quick question. In 4th, from what I'm reading, they cap stats and skills? I remember playing 2nd edition and our characters getting REALLY overpowered at certain points through the use of cyber/spell locks/whatnot.
Skills cap out at 6 (7 with a particular Positive Quality). Attribute caps are based on race, but the human cap is 6 (7 with a particular Positive Quality). There's a rule called "maximum Augmented Attribute/Skill" which puts a cap on how high of a bonus you can apply to a particular skill/attribute. For example, a Phys Ad with a Pistols of 6 can only add up to +3 dice from Magical Bonus Skill dice.
So they did away with the +Attribute/+Skill spells? What do you spend "experience" (Karma when I played) on if they're capped that low?
There's a premium to have an Attribute at character creation at the maximum value. If it takes 10 points per point of Attribute, then it takes 25 points to bump that attribute up to its maximum level. This prevents a lot of folks from taking the maximum, as you won't have many points to put in other things. Skills at character creation are capped at one skill at 6 OR two skills at 5, with the rest capping at 4.
Increase Attribute is still in the game. I'm fairly certain that Increase Skill did not exist as a spell in 2nd, 3rd, or 4th edition (not sure about 1st, will have to check my 1st edition Grimoire). What the caps do is prevent people from getting a bonus above a certain amount. If you have a skill of 6, then the most you can augment the skill is a 9. Some bonus dice (like specializations) go above this, but the base skill can only be augmented up to x1.5 of the base value.
I'm probably wrong about the skill +, it's been a LONG time. Yeah, one of the first things the guys I played with would do is create spell locks of the +Attribute spells at character creation. It was pretty munchkiny. At one point, some of these guys were literally throwing 3 blocks of 6 siders at a time when attempting things.
So basically, what's the maximum amount of dice you're going to see thrown at once?
Also, looking at the core books, are Arsenal, Augementation, Companion, and Street Magic the ones I'll want to spring for?
For a hyperspecialist, you are going to see a 9 Attribute + 6 skill + 2 Specialization and probably around 6 bonus dice. So... 23? Not including Edge, which can add 6 or 7 to that number (But that's like dumping Karma Pool into the roll... it's a limited resource that you won't have access to constantly). If you are playing with characters that aren't one-shot wonders, though, you are more likely looking at 5 Attribute + 4 Skill, so 9 dice for the average roll. I mean, I have a Bioware Clone of Chuck Norris character in my current campaign who rolls 19 dice for Unarmed Combat, with 25 dice if I dump Edge into it, but that's not "normal" by any means. He's also the group's backup face, but he rolls 9 dice for that (5 Charisma + 4 Social Skill).
You can skip Unwired, unless you want to add a bunch of terrible rules to your game OR you have a Technomancer in your campaign who wants more abilities and options. But the rest of those are good picks.
Where do the "bonus dice" come from? I'm probably going to roll up an Elvish Street Sam as usual. Fuck it, I'm ordering Arsenal and Augmentation right now...
Where do the "bonus dice" come from? I'm probably going to roll up an Elvish Street Sam as usual. Fuck it, I'm ordering Arsenal and Augmentation right now...
Various sources. A smartgun link adds +2 to any Firearms Skill Group tests, for example. Visual Enhancement can add up to +3 to Perception tests (but only when using sight). It varies greatly depending on what skill you are using.
Dear Shadowrun thread,
I am playing the one on Genesis. I want to do tougher runs to get lots of money so I can buy nice things, but it seems like I need to have the nice things already to do those runs in the first place. I just got the invisibility spell recently and that is making the simple corp runs a bit easier, but I understand corps are domesticating hell hounds or something and they have infravision.. I've already invested the karma into electronics at this point, because there's no way I'm going to get the money for a maglock passkey in a reasonable amount of time by doing Gunderson's runs for peanuts. I have 6 charisma, but I know the guy who forges corp badges so I can get those if I really need to.
Any advice?
(I am loath to try matrix runs again; I hired a guy for one run to see what they were like and it made my eyes hurt.)
e: nevermind, invisibility and electronics are sufficient for all corp runs.
Dear Shadowrun thread,
I am playing the one on Genesis. I want to do tougher runs to get lots of money so I can buy nice things, but it seems like I need to have the nice things already to do those runs in the first place. I just got the invisibility spell recently and that is making the simple corp runs a bit easier, but I understand corps are domesticating hell hounds or something and they have infravision.. I've already invested the karma into electronics at this point, because there's no way I'm going to get the money for a maglock passkey in a reasonable amount of time by doing Gunderson's runs for peanuts. I have 6 charisma, but I know the guy who forges corp badges so I can get those if I really need to.
Any advice?
(I am loath to try matrix runs again; I hired a guy for one run to see what they were like and it made my eyes hurt.)
What has been stated on Dumpshock is that the pdf source of that one is just missing, and they'd have to scan it from print and create a new pdf version, which apparently is never going to happen, it being SR3 and all.
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
The PDF source? Can't they reverse engineer that? Or.. you know, make nice with Adam Jury and see if he has it stored somewhere?
If I remember Shadowtech right, it had one commenter-guy in it named the Smiling Bandit, whose timestamp was <strikes again!/ha-ha-ha>. One of my first character concepts was based around that guy...
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
If I remember Shadowtech right, it had one commenter-guy in it named the Smiling Bandit, whose timestamp was <strikes again!/ha-ha-ha>. One of my first character concepts was based around that guy...
I always got The Smiling Bandit and The Laughing Man mixed up back when I was younger... and when I didn't realize who The Laughing Man was.
I get why they did it, but having Jackpoint be a ton smaller than Shadowland and invite-only means that it is far less likely to have random characters just show up. Of course, it also means the characters we do get are much more fleshed out.
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Ah. Well, I can still understand why they would hold off on putting them in; ninja-guy augmented with a special form of magic isn't quite as distinctly Shadowrun as, say, guys with plugs in their heads hacking computers side-by-side with orcs sporting cybernetic limbs and elves picking people off with sniper rifles, at least in a visual sense. An adept is going to look like pretty much anybody until they actually do something.
Either way, I'll be happy if they get in. More choice is always better.
EDIT: I wonder if we'll see bioware in the game.
EDIT 2: I'm just going to keep talking to myself here. With 35 hours to go, less than 100k away from 1.75million. Looks like Adepts are happening!
A new video from the team was just released, showing their memories - And seeing Randall Bills there is a GOOD sign. Also, man.. Mike looks like the old grandfather gamer I wanna be someday.
Hearing the SNES Shadowrun music just sends a chill down my spine.
Shadowtech reminds me of an "old school" campaign we ran that started at 2050. Every month, each player would get to choose which item just came out on the market, from any sourcebook post-2050. We would make news blurbs about how "Fuchi has released its new Crainial Cyberdeck interface!" or "Ares releases the new Predator III prototype with Smartlink II technology!" Some of these new R+D things chosen by the players would end up being future plot hooks for runs.
Personally, I think one of the better aspects of 4th edition is the tossing of the Bio Index crap and just making Bioware a lower essence cost than Cyberware. It's both less cheesy and better for book-keeping. Not to mention that a lot of cyberware prior to Shadowtech was functionally Bioware anyway (Muscle Replacement, Boosted Reflexes, etc.).
And I loved everything about it. The stuff they're putting out in PDF form these days is nice, but... yeah.
It also has one of my favorite pieces of art ever for Shadowrun as its cover:
didnt know the pic was from such a book.
Steam - NotoriusBEN | Uplay - notoriusben | Xbox,Windows Live - ThatBEN
A large chunk of the art in the 20th edition book was from earlier releases. It was one of their ways of honoring the past. Dunno if the artists get commission for that or what, but...
One of my earliest Shadowrun purchases was "High Tech and Low Life: The Art of Shadowrun," 7701. One of the best parts about my attempt to push my book collection back is getting to see all that great art in context. Some of it is crude, to be sure, but still.
4th or 20th anniversary? Because while I own both the regular and LE versions of both books, the 20th anniversary product is superior in almost every way... and they are both about at the same level when it comes to figuring out just -how- to play, due to it being a little odd in its layout.
(I highly recommend getting the Runner's Toolkit.)
20th Anniversary. Is it limited?
I've been playing RPGs long enough that the Runner's Toolkit isn't really a necessity for me. ; )
And no, really, the Runner's Toolkit is completely and utterly badass. It has the GM screen, a book of contacts /adventures, some pre-made maps, a ton of really well put together cheat sheets, a book that breaks down a shadowrun into both fluff and crunch narratives, and a complete copy of the introductory adventure, "On The Run." All updated for 20th anniversary. Again, took them a year to get it out.. but it is amazing.
Edit: Here, you can see the differences (*snicker*) between the LE and regular versions of the 20th anniversary in this pic. ((Shameless plug to show off. ))
I own one of the first 1,000 hardcover SR4 core rules ever printed (since they were first released at Gen Con as a pre-print run), but it is sadly torn all the heck due to use and a couple of moves. The 20th Anniversary edition is superior in every way to the original SR4 core rulebook. It's easier to read, the layout is better, the art is better, the stories are better, it has more content, etc.
The book that was most useful to me in all of my years of playing Shadowrun, however, is Field of Fire. The back of that book had an equipment table with every single piece of equipment ever published up to that point in time. I used to have that book and 10 six sided dice in a ziplock bag for campouts (we played a lot of Shadowrun in my Boy Scout troop). We even took it river rafting, and the ziplock bag survived more than a couple of dunks in the river.
(Also, in PMs can you let me know how Maptools is working out for you? I'd assume it makes mapmaking easier...)
But I digress.
Arsenal
Augmentation
Street Magic
Unwired
Runner's Companion
Steam - NotoriusBEN | Uplay - notoriusben | Xbox,Windows Live - ThatBEN
Now if only the Compiled Tables were indexed... or the GM screen had tables from the expansion core books...
But again, I digress.
What's in the LE that it's so much thicker than the normal one?
EDIT: Also, why two copies of Divided Assets? And is Sprawl Sites on that shelf?
No, I never pulled the trigger on Battlerun. And if I did, it would be on the top shelf, with my Battletech/World of Darkness/L5R books.
And yeah.. two copies of Divided Assets. I wasn't keeping a list of which books I owned/didn't own, and so I bought a smoke-damaged one from a local store. I don't own a copy of Sprawl Sites, which makes me very sad. Again, very little in the way of 1st/early 2nd books, which is why I'm working my way back as I'm only missing 1 4th book at this point.
Slipcover. Oh, and a poster of the "20th Anniversary Seattle" that they used for the inside of the 20A book, the Runner's Toolkit GM screen, and the cover of Seattle 2072.
I wonder if they'll let us import character portraits ala Baldur's Gate? Though, I don't know how they'd handle that what with people being able to recruit other people's runners. I'm curious how customizable the avatars will be as well.
EDIT: Oh, quick question. In 4th, from what I'm reading, they cap stats and skills? I remember playing 2nd edition and our characters getting REALLY overpowered at certain points through the use of cyber/spell locks/whatnot.
So they did away with the +Attribute/+Skill spells? What do you spend "experience" (Karma when I played) on if they're capped that low?
EDIT: And Jesus Christ, why is the Runner's Companion apparently out of print and going for $70+ on Amazon???
EDIT2: Oh, reprint in May. Phew.
What are you picturing and what is it that you want?
Increase Attribute is still in the game. I'm fairly certain that Increase Skill did not exist as a spell in 2nd, 3rd, or 4th edition (not sure about 1st, will have to check my 1st edition Grimoire). What the caps do is prevent people from getting a bonus above a certain amount. If you have a skill of 6, then the most you can augment the skill is a 9. Some bonus dice (like specializations) go above this, but the base skill can only be augmented up to x1.5 of the base value.
I'm probably wrong about the skill +, it's been a LONG time. Yeah, one of the first things the guys I played with would do is create spell locks of the +Attribute spells at character creation. It was pretty munchkiny. At one point, some of these guys were literally throwing 3 blocks of 6 siders at a time when attempting things.
So basically, what's the maximum amount of dice you're going to see thrown at once?
Also, looking at the core books, are Arsenal, Augementation, Companion, and Street Magic the ones I'll want to spring for?
You can skip Unwired, unless you want to add a bunch of terrible rules to your game OR you have a Technomancer in your campaign who wants more abilities and options. But the rest of those are good picks.
Where do the "bonus dice" come from? I'm probably going to roll up an Elvish Street Sam as usual. Fuck it, I'm ordering Arsenal and Augmentation right now...
EDIT: AND Street Magic. God Dammit.
I still waffle over how much to finalize my pledge at. Only about 20 hours to decide. Hnng not nearly long enough.
$125 is the best bet unless you're rolling in cash.
Also, there's no way we're not hitting 1.75 million now. Yay.
EDIT: According to their newest update we hit it? Must be the PayPal donations.
Wow. You're right. Despite it coming out during Fanpro's tenure, Battlecorps doesn't list it, and Drive Thru RPG only has the original R3.
I am playing the one on Genesis. I want to do tougher runs to get lots of money so I can buy nice things, but it seems like I need to have the nice things already to do those runs in the first place. I just got the invisibility spell recently and that is making the simple corp runs a bit easier, but I understand corps are domesticating hell hounds or something and they have infravision.. I've already invested the karma into electronics at this point, because there's no way I'm going to get the money for a maglock passkey in a reasonable amount of time by doing Gunderson's runs for peanuts. I have 6 charisma, but I know the guy who forges corp badges so I can get those if I really need to.
Any advice?
(I am loath to try matrix runs again; I hired a guy for one run to see what they were like and it made my eyes hurt.)
e: nevermind, invisibility and electronics are sufficient for all corp runs.
What has been stated on Dumpshock is that the pdf source of that one is just missing, and they'd have to scan it from print and create a new pdf version, which apparently is never going to happen, it being SR3 and all.
I always got The Smiling Bandit and The Laughing Man mixed up back when I was younger... and when I didn't realize who The Laughing Man was.
I get why they did it, but having Jackpoint be a ton smaller than Shadowland and invite-only means that it is far less likely to have random characters just show up. Of course, it also means the characters we do get are much more fleshed out.