Right, so as it turns out even after extensive proof reading some things get left behind in a manuscript. The upside is that some of it can be placed here for you to get a taste of what is contained in the book.

Here is a review of Shadowrun, 5th edition, in the format that all of the games are reviewed in the book.

Title: Shadowrun 5th edition

Author: Catalyst Game Labs

Publication: Catalyst Game Labs: 2013

Introduction

Shadowrun is a cyberpunk setting successfully combined with an urban fantasy setting. In this game the characters are shadowrunners, deniable assets used but corporations, governments and other groups to conduct operations that should not be linked back to their employer.

System

Characters can be of various metatypes that are drawn from traditional fantasy archetypes with a twist to each one. Dwarfs resemble the typical fantasy dwarf in physical appearance and are known for their strong work ethic and ability to adapt to new technologies. Elves are also typical in appearance, tall and beautiful, and are generally looked on with either admiration, especially those in the entertainment industry, or with contempt and fear due to an assumption of an elven conspiracy to take over the world. Orks are larger and stronger than humans and being one of the “ugly” metatypes they have been socially marginalized. The trolls are huge and have a fairly bestial appearance and being much larger than most other metahumans they tends to live together in troll only neighborhoods.

Characters are created in Shadowrun using a variation on the point buy system. Instead of having a single pool of points, there are five categories that a player must prioritize, e.g. attributes, skills, money, etc. with the higher priority gaining more points to use. Numerically characters in Shadowrun are defined by four physical and four mental attributes that determine their inherent abilities. These attributes are added to various skills which represent specific training a character has. These scores can be increased by spending experience points earned by conducting various missions.

The basic system for Shadowrun is a dice pool of d6s. The pool is based on the scores of a specific attribute and ability. Successes are determined on each die, and a certain number of successes are needed for a character to succeed at an action. In this edition limits are introduced, which are a number associated with a die roll limiting the number of successes a character can count towards an action. Each character inherently has a physical, mental, and social limit; additional limits are used and are typically set by the quality of the equipment a character uses. The system rewards specialized characters rather than generalists granting a certain level of niche protection for each character. Combat is divided into rounds with each player having a number of actions they can perform based on the equipment they are carrying. The order of actions is decided each round by all participants making Initiative tests.

Setting

The Shadowrun setting is the game’s most compelling feature as it has convincingly combined cyberpunk with urban fantasy. The actual setting of Shadowrun is divided three ways. The first setting is that of the physical world in 2076. Here is where the majority of the action takes place in a world of extraterritorial megacorporations, corrupt politicians, urban decay and other problems that plague this dystopic setting. The second setting is the Matrix. This is what the Internet of today has evolved into, a worldwide ad hoc mesh network of not only computers but of many other devices that use wireless networking. Most characters interact with the Matrix using augmented reality which is projected onto some type of optic device, others, known as hackers, use virtual reality to directly interface with the network without needing to imput commands. The last setting is that of astral space a spiritual reflection of the physical world. This setting is accessible by Awakened, magically active, characters.

It is set in alternate Earth where in 2011; magic returned and set in motion events that changed the world. When magic returned to the world human mothers began giving birth to elves and dwarves and these were met with some trepidation. A decade later other people began to spontaneously change into orks and trolls and this was greeted with fear worldwide and eventually led to racially inspired riot and act of terrorism. Now the metatypes interact, for the most part, peacefully but social and economic inequalities still exist. Unlike many games that begin at a fixed date and do not progress forward, Shadowrun does do this as the game’s timeline advances forward, staying 63 years ahead of our current date.

Evaluation

Complexity: 4

Popularity: 4

Support: 4

Completeness: 5 (only the core rule book is needed for play, all of the supplements add more rules or expand on the setting)

Versatility: 4

Emulation: 5

Comments

Unlike many other RPGs, this game confronts many timely and relevant social themes but not in an overbearing way. The world is simply presented as it is and it is left up to the characters as to how they will interact with it.

Cost: $59.99 Hardcover, $19.99 PDF

For our inaugural post we’d like to start off by laying out our thoughts for the direction this blog will take. First, it is meant to be a supplement to the book Dragons in the Stacks: A Teen Librarian's Guide to Tabletop Role-Playing. This book is written as an introduction and guide for librarians in collecting RPGs and creating programming related to RPGs.

Second, this blog will contain additional reviews of games that are not included in the book. There were many games we’d like to have put in the book but due to page counts some things had to hit the cutting room floor.

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, we will post articles or links to resources to help new game masters run their games. There is a ton of good material out there providing help to new GMs and we’ll make an effort to provide a clearing house for these articles.