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Shadowrun | This Thread's got Black Ice, Chummer. Find the New One.

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Posts

  • PMAversPMAvers Registered User regular
    Docken wrote: »
    It does seem strange that they can't do Linux... Is it because they don't have the inhouse skill set? Or is it due to the way they are coding the game?

    Either way, this is a pretty simple cost/benefit analysis: they need to cost and time out what it would take to do a Linux version, then tell the market.

    I think additional information would help cool the debate a bit.

    One thing they might be considering is the difficulty of post launch support.

    Yeah, I figure they had to choose between supporting one of two charlie foxtrots to develop & support for: Either Android or Linux.

    persona4celestia.jpg
    COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
  • Ninja Snarl PNinja Snarl P My helmet is my burden. Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered User regular
    And in that case, the decision is pretty obvious since there are hundreds of millions of Android devices and, though certainly less than that many Linux-dedicated users, an unknown number of Linux users.

    Not to mention the fact that Android systems already have market system built in that allows for easy purchasing and download instead of the devs having to work something out for Linux, even if it's just a page to pay and download the code from.

  • AegeriAegeri Tiny wee bacteriums Plateau of LengRegistered User regular
    So are they doing an iOS version? I see Mac version, but does that mean iOS? Because they've sold me two copies if the have.

    The Roleplayer's Guild: My blog for roleplaying games, advice and adventuring.
  • piLpiL Registered User regular
    edited April 2012
    So what kind of mission are players put on to in Shadowrun? Is it all corporate espionage all the time or is there more variety than that?

    There's more variety than that. Some examples of different runs I've seen:

    Corporate:
    Extraction: Delivering personnel from one corporation to another. Not always voluntarily.
    Larceny: break in and steal a maguffin (prototype, matrix data, etc.)
    Sabotage: Break in and break something
    Distraction: Break in, be obvious about it to compromise security, but don't get caught.
    Secret Security: This one was a favorite! An Ares exec found out about a Renraku project that was nearing completion and Ares products were being manufactured that needed the Renraku product to make it to market (Like an app for the iPhone, for example). But the Ares exec didn't want Renraku to know about the spy he had. Meanwhile another entity hired Shadowrunners to sabotage the project, so our job was to stop the other Shadowrunners, but on someone else's property and to not alert Renraku in the process.

    There's also the street, where criminals and poor people live. There's a lot of jobs that can take place there.
    Ghoul/vampire hunt. Or a bug hunt (giant magical insects). Or [insert paracritter] hunt.
    Find someone's kidnapped friend. Or kidnap somebody's friend.
    Triad members seem to be being targeted by a strange paracritter. They clearly can't go to the police, so they look for outside help.
    Smuggle something somewhere, like weapons into Japan-occupied California, or porn-that-plugs-into-your-brain out of Japan-occupied California.
    Acting as security for a fixer meet.
    Technophillic gangs of children have discovered there are bigger fish to fry on the Matrix. But someone needs to scare the local orc gang from using their muscle advantage against them.
    Your rigger lost his chopper saving your life. It cost 400,000 nuyen. Time to steal a new one.
    A runner/fixer/johnson betrayed a team of runners and made the mistake of letting one of them survive. He's saved up enough nuyen to pay you to extract his revenge.

    Sometimes you need to travel to exotic locales
    Because a gulf pirate stole something an Ares researcher needs, and though he's happy to sell it off, pirates are intentionally difficult to find.
    Perhaps you need to convince locals in Central America to raise up and support the Yucatan rebels and fight the encroaching megacorps.
    There's a magical reagent a Seattle magical cartel needs supplied from Hong Kong, but they need someone to negotiate the transfer.
    There's a facility in the middle of radioactive bug city Chicago with some very useful data just get in there and don't get killed!
    An elf hates another elf and wants you to steal something of his in an elaborate face-slapping ritual.

    And wouldn't you know it, magic often rears it's ugly head.
    People are goblinizing in the streets! Massive riots! Are you a bad enough dude to protect the goblinization victims.
    or use the chaos to your advantage?
    Of course there's a chance that you broke down in a fairly standard smuggling operation but a trickster spirit who embodies the will of the forest and had befriended a madman tribal leader impedes your progress.
    Spirits have taken a liking to haunting a a certain old house in the barrens. This wouldn't normally be a problem, except they also took a liking to the kid who ran inside. A kid who is now awakening to magical power while under the tutelage of cruel twisted spirits. Her mom just wants her daughter back!
    An elf (who is kind of a dick) spikes your drinks with Astral MDMA and you go on a magical quest to delay a cyclical extraplanar invasion that may or may not have ruined ancient civilizations.


    Of course, there's others I'm forgetting, but there's a lot of different possible Shadowrun jobs. Any Guy Ritchie movie is just a Shadowrun without trolls.


    Edit: Once there was a mission where for some contrived reason we had to pose as doc wagon employees and primarily did several extractions. That was fun.

    piL on
  • EchoEcho ski-bap ba-dapModerator mod
    My favorite mission:

    "You've done lots of jobs for me lately, runners. Here, have a two-week vacation at Renraku Arcology, all expenses paid, on me."

  • GlalGlal AiredaleRegistered User regular
    But the Mac/Android/Microsoft device market dwarfs the Linux market...
    Again, if the HiB sales are any indication, Mac market most definitely does not dwarf the Linux market, they seem to be about on par. And I'd imagine there would be a lot more dedicated Shadowrun fans in the Linux community than the Mac community.

  • AthenorAthenor Battle Hardened Optimist The Skies of HiigaraRegistered User regular
    Echo wrote: »
    My favorite mission:

    "You've done lots of jobs for me lately, runners. Here, have a two-week vacation at Renraku Arcology, all expenses paid, on me."

    Have you read what 4th edition has done with the Arcology? It might even be WORSE.

    It's called the Arcology Housing and <C-Something> Enclosure, or the ACHE. It's basically HUD/Projects on steroids, where all the homeless and SINLess in downtown seattle were stuck in the lowest 30-40 floors. Military guards the upper floors, that they are still cleaning out of Deus's mindless drones, and the basement, where the fusion plant is.

    Seattle 2072 doesn't paint a very pretty picture of the situation.

    He/Him | "A boat is always safest in the harbor, but that’s not why we build boats." | "If you run, you gain one. If you move forward, you gain two." - Suletta Mercury, G-Witch
  • Igpx407Igpx407 Registered User regular
    I want to give to this game, but I've given so much to Double Fine, Wasteland 2, and the Banner Saga. I only have so much love(money) to give!

  • piLpiL Registered User regular
    edited April 2012
    Echo wrote: »
    My favorite mission:

    "You've done lots of jobs for me lately, runners. Here, have a two-week vacation at Renraku Arcology, all expenses paid, on me."

    I thankfully missed the first attempt at that run which resulted in a near total party kill, so we were hired to infiltrate the already locked down arcology. We used to have big groups of runners, because it was a popular game at the local comic book shop and we never said no to new runners. We went in with 12 on this second try--two groups of six. Three of us and two runners from the original group that we went in to rescue made it back out. Climactic.

    Edit: you're welcome OP

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GPGQoR6f6w

    piL on
  • ArchsorcererArchsorcerer Registered User regular
    edited April 2012
    Igpx407 wrote: »
    I want to give to this game, but I've given so much to Double Fine, Wasteland 2, and the Banner Saga. I only have so much love(money) to give!

    Then just get a copy when it comes out. The sequel will need support too.

    Archsorcerer on
    XBL - ArchSilversmith

    "We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
  • Igpx407Igpx407 Registered User regular
    Igpx407 wrote: »
    I want to give to this game, but I've given so much to Double Fine, Wasteland 2, and the Banner Saga. I only have so much love(money) to give!

    Then just get a copy when it comes out. The sequel will need support too.

    I think I will do just that. Now I just need to send a reminder on my phone for 18 months from now.

  • Hahnsoo1Hahnsoo1 Make Ready. We Hunt.Registered User regular
    piL wrote: »
    <snip big list of Shadowruns>
    An elf hates another elf and wants you to steal something of his in an elaborate face-slapping ritual.

    <snip big list of Shadowruns>
    An elf (who is kind of a dick) spikes your drinks with Astral MDMA and you go on a magical quest to delay a cyclical extraplanar invasion that may or may not have ruined ancient civilizations.
    The "An elf" in question is the same elf in both of these adventures. He's also immortal. And has no stats and is effectively unkillable. The pair of adventures are pretty iconic "high level" Shadowrun adventures. Assuming that list has several published adventures, I think I recognize most of them.

    8i1dt37buh2m.png
  • piLpiL Registered User regular
    edited April 2012
    Hahnsoo1 wrote: »
    piL wrote: »
    <snip big list of Shadowruns>
    An elf hates another elf and wants you to steal something of his in an elaborate face-slapping ritual.

    <snip big list of Shadowruns>
    An elf (who is kind of a dick) spikes your drinks with Astral MDMA and you go on a magical quest to delay a cyclical extraplanar invasion that may or may not have ruined ancient civilizations.
    The "An elf" in question is the same elf in both of these adventures. He's also immortal. And has no stats and is effectively unkillable. The pair of adventures are pretty iconic "high level" Shadowrun adventures. Assuming that list has several published adventures, I think I recognize most of them.

    I was wondering who would pick up on that :)

    But yeah, there's a few published adventures in there! Some of them I said we, even though I was the GM for them, although I haven't ran very many published adventures, I've played in quite a few. When they put out the level editor, the first run I'm making is "You and your buds get hungry, so you go to the convenience store. Violence ensues."
    Food fight!

    I also wanted to include Imago, but now that I think about it, I have no idea what happened during that run.

    piL on
  • chiasaur11chiasaur11 Never doubt a raccoon. Do you think it's trademarked?Registered User regular
    Hahnsoo1 wrote: »
    piL wrote: »
    <snip big list of Shadowruns>
    An elf hates another elf and wants you to steal something of his in an elaborate face-slapping ritual.

    <snip big list of Shadowruns>
    An elf (who is kind of a dick) spikes your drinks with Astral MDMA and you go on a magical quest to delay a cyclical extraplanar invasion that may or may not have ruined ancient civilizations.
    The "An elf" in question is the same elf in both of these adventures. He's also immortal. And has no stats and is effectively unkillable. The pair of adventures are pretty iconic "high level" Shadowrun adventures. Assuming that list has several published adventures, I think I recognize most of them.

    Just another reason to kill all elves.

  • ElvenshaeElvenshae Registered User regular
    We're already getting Seattle, that's the primary location.

    See, that's what I get for not reading through the whole thing and just shouting "SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!"

  • Ninja Snarl PNinja Snarl P My helmet is my burden. Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered User regular
    Glal wrote: »
    But the Mac/Android/Microsoft device market dwarfs the Linux market...
    Again, if the HiB sales are any indication, Mac market most definitely does not dwarf the Linux market, they seem to be about on par. And I'd imagine there would be a lot more dedicated Shadowrun fans in the Linux community than the Mac community.

    I really don't think those indie bundles are a good indicator of the relative size of those markets. There are more iPads sold out there than Linux users. Android devices are are around the 200 million mark. Those Humble Indie bundles are great deals, but they're great deals for small-time devs and small-time games in sales that are themselves pretty small-time. Less than 110k bundles sold (from the last indie bundle) isn't exactly setting records. Any of those devs is looking at about 35 grand from a given game for Linux sales; not bad at all when you've got a few people building a game on a small budget, but the Shadowrun game is already running with a bigger team and budget than probably the combined devs and project cash from the entire last indie bundle.

    Not to mention that it's a lot easier to port a small, simple game to Linux than it would be to code something Harebrained is already proposing for Shadowrun Returns.

    I'm not saying Linux users shouldn't ask for a port of the game or want one, but I just don't think the profitability is there, especially since there are already ways Linux users could buy and play the game without having to make a Linux-specific version.

  • GlalGlal AiredaleRegistered User regular
    edited April 2012
    The size of the market is irrelevant when you're catering to the niche and Shadowrun most certainly falls in there. You think people who mainly play Angry Birds will be interested? People who pay real money on Farmsville? They are the ones who spend the most money on those platforms, not people most of us would consider gamers. Also, I'm not sure where the sneer at 110k bundles sold comes from; Shadowrun is currently sitting on 17k backers, Double Fine had 87k and Wasteland 2 at 46k. We'd count ourselves lucky if as many Linux people chipped into Shadowrun Returns as they did into some of the more popular HiBs.

    [edit] End of the day though, their tools, the developers know better than us how much time and money would be spent on it. I doubt they're flipping coins about this, so I guess we'll see.

    Glal on
  • DedwrekkaDedwrekka Metal Hell adjacentRegistered User regular
    Aegeri wrote: »
    So are they doing an iOS version? I see Mac version, but does that mean iOS? Because they've sold me two copies if the have.

    They're doing PC and MAC computer versions, and iOS and Android tablet versions
    piL wrote: »
    Hahnsoo1 wrote: »
    piL wrote: »
    <snip big list of Shadowruns>
    An elf hates another elf and wants you to steal something of his in an elaborate face-slapping ritual.

    <snip big list of Shadowruns>
    An elf (who is kind of a dick) spikes your drinks with Astral MDMA and you go on a magical quest to delay a cyclical extraplanar invasion that may or may not have ruined ancient civilizations.
    The "An elf" in question is the same elf in both of these adventures. He's also immortal. And has no stats and is effectively unkillable. The pair of adventures are pretty iconic "high level" Shadowrun adventures. Assuming that list has several published adventures, I think I recognize most of them.

    I was wondering who would pick up on that :)

    But yeah, there's a few published adventures in there! Some of them I said we, even though I was the GM for them, although I haven't ran very many published adventures, I've played in quite a few. When they put out the level editor, the first run I'm making is "You and your buds get hungry, so you go to the convenience store. Violence ensues."
    Food fight!

    I also wanted to include Imago, but now that I think about it, I have no idea what happened during that run.

    That bit reminded me of my favorite bit of Shadowrun.
    So we have a pretty typical group set up:
    The Dwarf Rigger
    Troll heavy weapons guy ("Krunch")
    The Face/Street Sam ("Black")
    and our pocket Native American Shaman ("two dogs fucking" - he had a serious name, that's just what we called him)

    So Krunch the Troll and Black the move-by-wire twitch-a-thon walk into an expensive mafia bar in Seattle and settle into a booth seat and meal to scope out our target. When the target leaves, Black excuses himself from the booth and sneaks out the front door...leaving the penniless Krunch with the check. Krunch, being fairly unoriginal, grabs the guy in the booth next to him, gives him an almost lethal punch, places the guy next to him, and gets up telling the waiter "He'll get the check". The workers at the bar, not being idiots, tell the manager who comes out with a shotgun, just as Krunch is walking out the building, shouting and screaming. Krunch feels a shove as he's leaving and gives whoever was behind him the finger.
    Well, the two finally make it back to the meet up at their ride, the only Winnebago that could take down a small country. Krunch, having discovered that the "shove" was the feeling of 12ga buckshot being fired through an armored trenchcoat, armored clothing and dermal plating, gets into an argument with Black that quickly turns into a brawl in the back of the van. Black is firing flechettes into Krunch (who shrugs it off) and Krunch is throwing those just-less-than-lethal punches at Black (who dodges them). The Shaman, thinking he'll end the fight somehow, throws a low level ice sheet in the van to make it harder for them to fight. Both combatants stop, stare at the shaman, Black fires a flechette round in his leg and they go back to fighting.

    That one just sticks with me more than the awesome runs we did.

    Oh, and the recurring joke of trying to find a Pacifist Mage Convention to rob.

  • RiemannLivesRiemannLives Registered User regular
    PMAvers wrote: »
    Docken wrote: »
    It does seem strange that they can't do Linux... Is it because they don't have the inhouse skill set? Or is it due to the way they are coding the game?

    Either way, this is a pretty simple cost/benefit analysis: they need to cost and time out what it would take to do a Linux version, then tell the market.

    I think additional information would help cool the debate a bit.

    One thing they might be considering is the difficulty of post launch support.

    Yeah, I figure they had to choose between supporting one of two charlie foxtrots to develop & support for: Either Android or Linux.

    Most games that have tried to support "linux" (but which distro?) have found it to take up the overwhelming majority of their support costs in exchange for a tiny percentage of their revenue.

    Attacked by tweeeeeeees!
  • EshEsh Tending bar. FFXIV. Motorcycles. Portland, ORRegistered User regular
    Dedwrekka wrote: »
    Aegeri wrote: »
    So are they doing an iOS version? I see Mac version, but does that mean iOS? Because they've sold me two copies if the have.

    They're doing PC and MAC computer versions, and iOS and Android tablet versions
    piL wrote: »
    Hahnsoo1 wrote: »
    piL wrote: »
    <snip big list of Shadowruns>
    An elf hates another elf and wants you to steal something of his in an elaborate face-slapping ritual.

    <snip big list of Shadowruns>
    An elf (who is kind of a dick) spikes your drinks with Astral MDMA and you go on a magical quest to delay a cyclical extraplanar invasion that may or may not have ruined ancient civilizations.
    The "An elf" in question is the same elf in both of these adventures. He's also immortal. And has no stats and is effectively unkillable. The pair of adventures are pretty iconic "high level" Shadowrun adventures. Assuming that list has several published adventures, I think I recognize most of them.

    I was wondering who would pick up on that :)

    But yeah, there's a few published adventures in there! Some of them I said we, even though I was the GM for them, although I haven't ran very many published adventures, I've played in quite a few. When they put out the level editor, the first run I'm making is "You and your buds get hungry, so you go to the convenience store. Violence ensues."
    Food fight!

    I also wanted to include Imago, but now that I think about it, I have no idea what happened during that run.

    That bit reminded me of my favorite bit of Shadowrun.
    So we have a pretty typical group set up:
    The Dwarf Rigger
    Troll heavy weapons guy ("Krunch")
    The Face/Street Sam ("Black")
    and our pocket Native American Shaman ("two dogs fucking" - he had a serious name, that's just what we called him)

    So Krunch the Troll and Black the move-by-wire twitch-a-thon walk into an expensive mafia bar in Seattle and settle into a booth seat and meal to scope out our target. When the target leaves, Black excuses himself from the booth and sneaks out the front door...leaving the penniless Krunch with the check. Krunch, being fairly unoriginal, grabs the guy in the booth next to him, gives him an almost lethal punch, places the guy next to him, and gets up telling the waiter "He'll get the check". The workers at the bar, not being idiots, tell the manager who comes out with a shotgun, just as Krunch is walking out the building, shouting and screaming. Krunch feels a shove as he's leaving and gives whoever was behind him the finger.
    Well, the two finally make it back to the meet up at their ride, the only Winnebago that could take down a small country. Krunch, having discovered that the "shove" was the feeling of 12ga buckshot being fired through an armored trenchcoat, armored clothing and dermal plating, gets into an argument with Black that quickly turns into a brawl in the back of the van. Black is firing flechettes into Krunch (who shrugs it off) and Krunch is throwing those just-less-than-lethal punches at Black (who dodges them). The Shaman, thinking he'll end the fight somehow, throws a low level ice sheet in the van to make it harder for them to fight. Both combatants stop, stare at the shaman, Black fires a flechette round in his leg and they go back to fighting.

    That one just sticks with me more than the awesome runs we did.

    Oh, and the recurring joke of trying to find a Pacifist Mage Convention to rob.

    For those who have never played Shadowrun, the game is typically not Three Stooges'esque. Think more William Gibson with Elves than Abbot & Costello with Trolls.

  • Hahnsoo1Hahnsoo1 Make Ready. We Hunt.Registered User regular
    edited April 2012
    Esh wrote: »
    For those who have never played Shadowrun, the game is typically not Three Stooges'esque. Think more William Gibson with Elves than Abbot & Costello with Trolls.
    The game is whatever you want to make it. I don't think there's really a "typical" game of any Pen and Paper RPG. I prefer not playing in groups that focus on interpersonal conflict over completing the mission, but some folks get off on that shit. Some groups love to plan out every little aspect of the run, but my gaming group finds that to be a chore (we prefer to have a general plan, and then wing it from there). Every gaming group is a little different (relevant PA comic).

    Also, telling stories about your own game, no matter how cool it sounds to you, typically sounds dumb to pretty much everyone else. Each group has their own dynamic, and it's hard to convey this dynamic in a manner that is appealing and entertaining.

    Hahnsoo1 on
    8i1dt37buh2m.png
  • Ninja Snarl PNinja Snarl P My helmet is my burden. Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered User regular
    Yeah, a lot of the best PnP experiences tend to be along the lines of "you had to be there" when it comes to explaining them.

    Which is a lot like any experience with a group of friends that you try to explain to somebody else, really. If they don't know the background, they won't really get it. And in PnP stuff, that background can easily be dozens of hours of time spent in a given gameworld with given group of players and characters. Pretty much impossible to convey all of that because people would really just have had to be there to understand.

  • peterdevorepeterdevore Registered User regular
    But if we hit a stretch funding goal of $1m we will be able to add the following:

    A second city to explore. Which city? Well, that will be for Backers to decide! We’ll create a list of cool places for you to vote on. More on that later!

    They threw in Berlin as one of the preliminary options. I'm not too familiar with the actual shadowrun fluff on Berlin(detailed german version). Apparently the city was split into an anarchist walled east and a corporate west.

    But I happen to have visited Berlin just this weekend and it was amazing. It's like an irresistibly charming hipster disneyland right now and I'd like to see the shadowrun version of a city where an urban, very cultured anarchist distopia and a highly engineered, gruendlich corporate distopia collide. And they could tap one of the best music scenes on the planet for some video game music.

  • StollsStolls Brave Corporate Logo Chicago, ILRegistered User regular
    Late to the party on this one. Gonna have to call Visa and explain that these multiple charges for Kickstarters are, in fact, legit. And I couldn't care less because fuck yes Shadowrun is going to be a real thing again

    Like so many others, the SNES and Genesis games (in that order) were my introduction to Shadowrun. Love them both, for different reasons, but it was years later that I actually dug into the source material and saw how crazy complicated it was. Never could round up enough dudes for a PnP session, but I couldn't get enough of the lore and backstory; it was unique then and it's still unique now. Needless to say, quite stoked for this.

    2013 is going to be very interesting.

    kstolls on Twitch, streaming weekends at 9pm CST!
    Now playing: Teardown and Baldur's Gate 3 (co-op)
    Sunday Spotlight: Horror Tales: The Wine
  • Ninja Snarl PNinja Snarl P My helmet is my burden. Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered User regular
    But if we hit a stretch funding goal of $1m we will be able to add the following:

    A second city to explore. Which city? Well, that will be for Backers to decide! We’ll create a list of cool places for you to vote on. More on that later!

    They threw in Berlin as one of the preliminary options. I'm not too familiar with the actual shadowrun fluff on Berlin(detailed german version). Apparently the city was split into an anarchist walled east and a corporate west.

    But I happen to have visited Berlin just this weekend and it was amazing. It's like an irresistibly charming hipster disneyland right now and I'd like to see the shadowrun version of a city where an urban, very cultured anarchist distopia and a highly engineered, gruendlich corporate distopia collide. And they could tap one of the best music scenes on the planet for some video game music.

    German... hipsters? I just can't seem to reconcile those two things. You are clearly making this up.

  • ElvenshaeElvenshae Registered User regular
    But if we hit a stretch funding goal of $1m we will be able to add the following:

    A second city to explore. Which city? Well, that will be for Backers to decide! We’ll create a list of cool places for you to vote on. More on that later!

    They threw in Berlin as one of the preliminary options. I'm not too familiar with the actual shadowrun fluff on Berlin(detailed german version). Apparently the city was split into an anarchist walled east and a corporate west.

    But I happen to have visited Berlin just this weekend and it was amazing. It's like an irresistibly charming hipster disneyland right now and I'd like to see the shadowrun version of a city where an urban, very cultured anarchist distopia and a highly engineered, gruendlich corporate distopia collide. And they could tap one of the best music scenes on the planet for some video game music.

    German... hipsters? I just can't seem to reconcile those two things. You are clearly making this up.

    They were into Sprockets before it was a thing; now they just like it ironically.

  • ArchsorcererArchsorcerer Registered User regular
    edited April 2012
    How is Hong Kong for Shadowrun?

    Archsorcerer on
    XBL - ArchSilversmith

    "We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
  • Hahnsoo1Hahnsoo1 Make Ready. We Hunt.Registered User regular
    edited April 2012
    How is Hong Kong for Shadowrun?
    Hong Kong is a great Shadowrun setting. It's a free city, just like Seattle, and it's home to Wuxing (one of the AAA Megacorps on the council in 2060, although Wuxing wouldn't be a major player in 2050). Instead of Yakuza, you have the Triads. It's fairly well-supported in the literature (basically every book that covers the Triads mentions Hong Kong, and it's the focus of the first section of Runner Havens as a campaign setting). It's very much a "Eastern culture meets Western culture" setting and is probably an easier setting to have metahumans as party members than anywhere in Japan (which is ultra-conservative and ultra-racist... at one point, the Japanese shipped off most of their metahumans to die on Yomi Island). You have exposure to piracy, Japanacorps, other Megacorps, political intrigue, the underworld, the Kowloon slums, etc. The city rests on several strong ley lines, so magic is affected heavily by geomancy and Feng Shui.

    Hahnsoo1 on
    8i1dt37buh2m.png
  • DedwrekkaDedwrekka Metal Hell adjacentRegistered User regular
    edited April 2012
    But I happen to have visited Berlin just this weekend and it was amazing. It's like an irresistibly charming hipster disneyland right now and I'd like to see the shadowrun version of a city where an urban, very cultured anarchist distopia and a highly engineered, gruendlich corporate distopia collide. And they could tap one of the best music scenes on the planet for some video game music.
    That pretty much describes the Seattle geography (except the cultured anarchists). On one side of the tracks is the corporate play-land with it's tall buildings, flashing lights and arcologies, and on the other side of the tracks is the Puyallup Barrens and the Redmond Barrens which are massive unpoliced slums home to gangs, ghouls, and every kind of bad thing that moves in when the authorities look away.

    For a runner, breaking into or out of east Berlin would be about as difficult as breaking into a corp, considering that they have the anarchist area completely walled off and secured by corp security.

    Dedwrekka on
  • ArchsorcererArchsorcerer Registered User regular
    @Hanhsoo1 It would be a good place to develop martial arts skills and meet cool NPCs like dragons.

    XBL - ArchSilversmith

    "We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
  • Ninja Snarl PNinja Snarl P My helmet is my burden. Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered User regular
    How is Hong Kong for Shadowrun?

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    Crowded.

  • EshEsh Tending bar. FFXIV. Motorcycles. Portland, ORRegistered User regular
    edited April 2012
    Hahnsoo1 wrote: »
    Esh wrote: »
    For those who have never played Shadowrun, the game is typically not Three Stooges'esque. Think more William Gibson with Elves than Abbot & Costello with Trolls.
    The game is whatever you want to make it. I don't think there's really a "typical" game of any Pen and Paper RPG. I prefer not playing in groups that focus on interpersonal conflict over completing the mission, but some folks get off on that shit. Some groups love to plan out every little aspect of the run, but my gaming group finds that to be a chore (we prefer to have a general plan, and then wing it from there). Every gaming group is a little different (relevant PA comic).

    Also, telling stories about your own game, no matter how cool it sounds to you, typically sounds dumb to pretty much everyone else. Each group has their own dynamic, and it's hard to convey this dynamic in a manner that is appealing and entertaining.

    I was more referring to the mood created by the designers and the writers and put forth in the source material.

    Esh on
  • Hahnsoo1Hahnsoo1 Make Ready. We Hunt.Registered User regular
    Esh wrote: »
    Hahnsoo1 wrote: »
    Esh wrote: »
    For those who have never played Shadowrun, the game is typically not Three Stooges'esque. Think more William Gibson with Elves than Abbot & Costello with Trolls.
    The game is whatever you want to make it. I don't think there's really a "typical" game of any Pen and Paper RPG. I prefer not playing in groups that focus on interpersonal conflict over completing the mission, but some folks get off on that shit. Some groups love to plan out every little aspect of the run, but my gaming group finds that to be a chore (we prefer to have a general plan, and then wing it from there). Every gaming group is a little different (relevant PA comic).

    Also, telling stories about your own game, no matter how cool it sounds to you, typically sounds dumb to pretty much everyone else. Each group has their own dynamic, and it's hard to convey this dynamic in a manner that is appealing and entertaining.

    I was more referring to the mood created by the designers and the writers and put forth in the source material.
    Well, the designers and writers acknowledge two ends of a continuum of typical Shadowrun play, which they affectionately label as "Black Trenchcoat" (the srs bzness professional criminal end) and "Pink Mohawk" (the over-the-top crazy power fantasy end). You see these terms used all the time to describe the tone of Shadowrun campaigns. Both styles are fully endorsed by the writers and have in-game character personas in the Shadowtalk that reflect the styles. You have Fastjack, Captain Chaos, Hatchetman, and other serious professionals on the Black Trenchcoat end. Then you have Slamm-0!, Kane, Bull, and other silly guys on the Pink Mohawk end. The Abbot & Costello with Trolls is definitely within the Pink Mohawk style.

    The art also reflects both ends of the continuum. Look at the cover art for Cyberpirates (Pink Mohawk):
    51EMW3ZS7XL.jpg

    Or Cannon Companion (also Pink Mohawk style):
    51D1HM7EYVL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

    Compared to, say, the cover of Street Magic (more Black Trenchcoat style):
    CAT26001_StreetMagic.jpg

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  • ArthArth Registered User regular
    I'd really like Miami as another city, but that's because Shadowboxer is probably my favorite Shadowrun novel.

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  • EshEsh Tending bar. FFXIV. Motorcycles. Portland, ORRegistered User regular
    edited April 2012
    Hahnsoo1 wrote: »
    Esh wrote: »
    Hahnsoo1 wrote: »
    Esh wrote: »
    For those who have never played Shadowrun, the game is typically not Three Stooges'esque. Think more William Gibson with Elves than Abbot & Costello with Trolls.
    The game is whatever you want to make it. I don't think there's really a "typical" game of any Pen and Paper RPG. I prefer not playing in groups that focus on interpersonal conflict over completing the mission, but some folks get off on that shit. Some groups love to plan out every little aspect of the run, but my gaming group finds that to be a chore (we prefer to have a general plan, and then wing it from there). Every gaming group is a little different (relevant PA comic).

    Also, telling stories about your own game, no matter how cool it sounds to you, typically sounds dumb to pretty much everyone else. Each group has their own dynamic, and it's hard to convey this dynamic in a manner that is appealing and entertaining.

    I was more referring to the mood created by the designers and the writers and put forth in the source material.
    Well, the designers and writers acknowledge two ends of a continuum of typical Shadowrun play, which they affectionately label as "Black Trenchcoat" (the srs bzness professional criminal end) and "Pink Mohawk" (the over-the-top crazy power fantasy end). You see these terms used all the time to describe the tone of Shadowrun campaigns. Both styles are fully endorsed by the writers and have in-game character personas in the Shadowtalk that reflect the styles. You have Fastjack, Captain Chaos, Hatchetman, and other serious professionals on the Black Trenchcoat end. Then you have Slamm-0!, Kane, Bull, and other silly guys on the Pink Mohawk end. The Abbot & Costello with Trolls is definitely within the Pink Mohawk style.

    And none of that reflects anything that was being described in the "adventure" that I commented on. There is silliness, sure, but not to the level that was put forth. Not quite sure what you're trying to convince me of. The actions described by that player would have had those characters killed faster than they could blink even in a "pink mohawk" campaign. Besides, I don't think they generally let giant, uncouth, trolls and street same just saunter into nice restaurants like that and get tables. Also, if you can afford Move By Wire (and Deltaed to the point of not destroying all your essence), you can certainly afford a meal.

    I was just trying to point out that it's VERY atypical of the game in general to people who are new to it and might be wondering what the general and more pervasive atmosphere play is like. From all the supplements and novels that I've read (and granted, it's been about 12 years) I don't remember anything like what was described above. I mean, I can pull out a copy of Castle Greyhawk, but that doesn't mean much.

    Did they ever perfect Move By Wire in game? Didn't it have terrible long term effects? I remember it being pretty munchkiny.

    Esh on
  • Hahnsoo1Hahnsoo1 Make Ready. We Hunt.Registered User regular
    Esh wrote: »
    And none of that reflects anything that was being described in the "adventure" that I commented on. There is silliness, sure, but not to the level that was put forth. Not quite sure what you're trying to convince me of. The actions described by that player would have had those characters killed faster than they could blink even in a "pink mohawk" campaign. Besides, I don't think they generally let giant, uncouth, trolls and street same just saunter into nice restaurants like that and get tables. Also, if you can afford Move By Wire (and Deltaed to the point of not destroying all your essence), you can certainly afford a meal.

    I was just trying to point out that it's VERY atypical of the game in general to people who are new to it and might be wondering what the general and more pervasive atmosphere play is like. From all the supplements and novels that I've read (and granted, it's been about 12 years) I don't remember anything like what was described above. I mean, I can pull out a copy of Castle Greyhawk, but that doesn't mean much.
    I'm saying that it is not that atypical. His description is spot-on for a Pink Mohawk campaign, and a lot of people play Shadowrun in this manner (enough that it's given a subgenre label by the designers and community). You somehow carry around Panther Cannons and Ares Firelance lasers into fine restaurants, pick fights with each other, and have trolls which consider 12 ga shotguns a "gentle shove". It's a style of play that is more cartoony than realistic, with a healthy dose of cognitive dissonance (Your body is worth 6 million nuyen, but you have a Low Lifestyle? Why haven't you retired yet?). These are the campaigns where you take down Great Dragons with railguns, shoot Richard Villiers in the head with a Savalette Guardian (modded with APDS EX Explosive rounds), and generally make a mess of things without much repercussion (like playing Grand Theft Auto).
    Did they ever perfect Move By Wire in game? Didn't it have terrible long term effects? I remember it being pretty munchkiny.
    In 4th edition, the side effects are minor. The deleterious effects were rolled into more generic "cyber psychosis"-type syndromes. The implication is that at the time of "Man and Machine" in 3rd edition, it was state of the art technology (with many "bugs"), but by 2070, it's one of many reflex enhancements available (a very efficient one, at that, since in 4th edition you get a free set of skillwires with it). In 3rd edition, the side effects were pretty manageable anyway. The main problem I had with Move By Wire was that it was so expensive that any reasonable shadowrunner would take that money and retire instead. Or start their own small business. Or buy a controlling interest in a corporation.

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  • AthenorAthenor Battle Hardened Optimist The Skies of HiigaraRegistered User regular
    All this talk about Shadowrun coming back is kinda sad. :(

    Then again, I've been looking through my growing collection of 1st/2nd ed books, and comparing them to now.. and it's insane how much the game has changed/matured.

    He/Him | "A boat is always safest in the harbor, but that’s not why we build boats." | "If you run, you gain one. If you move forward, you gain two." - Suletta Mercury, G-Witch
  • EshEsh Tending bar. FFXIV. Motorcycles. Portland, ORRegistered User regular
    Hahnsoo1 wrote: »
    Esh wrote: »
    And none of that reflects anything that was being described in the "adventure" that I commented on. There is silliness, sure, but not to the level that was put forth. Not quite sure what you're trying to convince me of. The actions described by that player would have had those characters killed faster than they could blink even in a "pink mohawk" campaign. Besides, I don't think they generally let giant, uncouth, trolls and street same just saunter into nice restaurants like that and get tables. Also, if you can afford Move By Wire (and Deltaed to the point of not destroying all your essence), you can certainly afford a meal.

    I was just trying to point out that it's VERY atypical of the game in general to people who are new to it and might be wondering what the general and more pervasive atmosphere play is like. From all the supplements and novels that I've read (and granted, it's been about 12 years) I don't remember anything like what was described above. I mean, I can pull out a copy of Castle Greyhawk, but that doesn't mean much.
    I'm saying that it is not that atypical. His description is spot-on for a Pink Mohawk campaign, and a lot of people play Shadowrun in this manner (enough that it's given a subgenre label by the designers and community). You somehow carry around Panther Cannons and Ares Firelance lasers into fine restaurants, pick fights with each other, and have trolls which consider 12 ga shotguns a "gentle shove". It's a style of play that is more cartoony than realistic, with a healthy dose of cognitive dissonance (Your body is worth 6 million nuyen, but you have a Low Lifestyle? Why haven't you retired yet?). These are the campaigns where you take down Great Dragons with railguns, shoot Richard Villiers in the head with a Savalette Guardian (modded with APDS EX Explosive rounds), and generally make a mess of things without much repercussion (like playing Grand Theft Auto).
    Did they ever perfect Move By Wire in game? Didn't it have terrible long term effects? I remember it being pretty munchkiny.
    In 4th edition, the side effects are minor. The deleterious effects were rolled into more generic "cyber psychosis"-type syndromes. The implication is that at the time of "Man and Machine" in 3rd edition, it was state of the art technology (with many "bugs"), but by 2070, it's one of many reflex enhancements available (a very efficient one, at that, since in 4th edition you get a free set of skillwires with it). In 3rd edition, the side effects were pretty manageable anyway. The main problem I had with Move By Wire was that it was so expensive that any reasonable shadowrunner would take that money and retire instead. Or start their own small business. Or buy a controlling interest in a corporation.

    It's atypical of the designers general mood for the game. Yes, they inject humor, but by the canon universe, that kinda stuff doesn't happen. Yes, a lot of people play it that way, but that's not how this game is going to be presented (and if it is, I want my money back). That's all I'm saying.

    Silly discussion. ; )

  • Hahnsoo1Hahnsoo1 Make Ready. We Hunt.Registered User regular
    Athenor wrote: »
    All this talk about Shadowrun coming back is kinda sad. :(

    Then again, I've been looking through my growing collection of 1st/2nd ed books, and comparing them to now.. and it's insane how much the game has changed/matured.
    It's a bit strange for me, since in my mind, Shadowrun never left. But I've played Shadowrun almost continuously since 1st edition, and have seen through all of the changes in various campaigns over the years. I don't feel any nostalgia for Phat Cyberdecks the Size of Keyboards, for example, because those rules were so infamously complicated and bad. You had to calculate the exact amount of storage space used by all of your programs, for God's sake. There are things I really hate about 4th edition (Extended tests are the worst), but the simplification of the rules (boiling things down to a Device rating) and reboot of the technology end (Wireless that makes sense) makes for a better game overall. I'm surprised at how little the Magic rules have changed over the years. You can no longer ground a manifestation through foci, and the magic traditions are more generic, but it works pretty much the same as when the Grimoire was first published.

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  • Hahnsoo1Hahnsoo1 Make Ready. We Hunt.Registered User regular
    Esh wrote: »
    It's atypical of the designers general mood for the game. Yes, they inject humor, but by the canon universe, that kinda stuff doesn't happen. Yes, a lot of people play it that way, but that's not how this game is going to be presented (and if it is, I want my money back). That's all I'm saying.

    Silly discussion. ; )
    Michael Stackpole's Wolf and Raven/Into the Shadows (It's All Done With Mirrors): Kid Stealth has digitigrade legs (Raptor legs, complete with claws). How the FUCK does he get around without anyone noticing (I guess that's why he's called Kid Stealth, hur hur)? He got those legs because he was given some concrete shoes, and he just happened to have C4 on his person, so he blew up his feet. Yeah. Not to mention the misadventures of the two sammies that Wolf calls Zig and Zag.

    Night's Pawn: The main character was a former Bodyguard for Richard Villiers. He just happens to know a rigger with a T-bird, and just happens to know how to use the weaponry on the T-bird (despite not having a vehicle control rig and having out-of-date cyberware). At the end, he takes down Alamais (a Great Dragon) with an orbital laser and survives the blast.

    Dragonheart Trilogy: The main character was personally tutored by Dunkelzahn. He is fucking Nadja Daviar. He gets mindwiped to become the fleshpawn of a guy who is essentially a Jabba-the-Hutt-like blob of goo in a jar. He has a dwarf mercenary who has a third mechanical arm sticking out of his chest, and NO ONE notices. A cyberzombie chases him around, which then gets possessed by a free spirit named Lethe, who just happens to be the reincarnation of Dunkelzahn, and stands forever at the threshold between the Horrors and the Sixth World until the end of time.

    The various adventures of Kane (throughout the Sourcebooks) are also pretty typical of Pink Mohawk. As is anything involving Harlequin. Anything involving Immortal Elves. The Orxploitation era. Almost anything involving the mage Talon. Most of the stuff involving the Year of the Comet metagenetics (people turn into literal cat-people and centaurs and shit).

    There's a lot of silliness in Shadowrun. It's likely that the actual game that they are Kickstarting is going to be more serious than that, but I wouldn't put Saint's Row or Just Cause 2-style mayhem beyond the developers. After all, many folks are going to want to just mess around and shoot things with Panther Cannons.

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