An interesting role-playing game by FASA, vaguely thematically connected with their later Earthdawn game. Shadowrun posits a great cycle of periods of increasing and decreasing magic...and it happens that one of the big ones hits near the beginning of the 21st century.

Consequently, the game involves a cross between cyberpunk and fantasy genres, and for the most part pulls off the mix rather well (despite some complaints by naysayers who prefer their cyberpunk "pure").

Shadowrun has spawned multiple novels, myriad sourcebooks (including some fan-made Internet versions), and even a Nintendo game.

The term Shadowrun means to do an illegal job. Such as stealing stuff (preferably information, which is the biggest trade in 2050s), destroying property of another, or maybe even killing someone.

Especially big corporations need the favours of Shadowrunners, when the law cannot help them anymore.

Basic Info is Available through the appropriate websites:
Shadowrun - http://www.srrpg.com/
WhizKids LLC - http://www.wizkidsgames.com/
FanPro (In German) - http://www.fanpro.com/

Tragically, the gaming company that published Shadowrun, FASA, folded in 1999. The Shadowrun property, which for a while was a homeless orphan, finally settled into the kind hands of Whizkids LLC, the folks who make the Mage Knight game. They, in turn, licensed Shadowrun to the game company FanPro, the German gaming company which produced the Germany, France, and Hungary Sourcebooks.

They released a new SR book at GenCon 2001, Year of the Comet. Their next new SR product, Target: Awakened Lands, shipped in October of 2001. So far, only two more products have been spec'd out, but more are on the way. Threats 2 is expected in December of 01, and Shadows of North America is expected in early 02.

A current product list for the Shadowrun RolePlaying Game -
The four digit number before each item are the FASA product numbers. Some will be renumbered when they are reprinted by FanPro. See below.

Rulebooks and Sourcebooks

  • 7401 Sprawl Maps

Adventures

Other Items

  • 7701 High Tech and Low Life: The Art of Shadowrun

    Novels

    The following products will continue to be printed by FanPro. Please note that previous FASA products and adventures can usually be purchased from gaming stores and online.

    Shadowrun, Third Edition
    Shadowrun Third Edition Gamemasters Screen/Critters
    Shadowrun Companion: Beyond the Shadows
    Cannon Companion
    Matrix
    Magic in the Shadows
    Man and Machine
    Rigger 3
    Corporate Download
    New Seattle

  • Shadowrun TCG

    With all this talk about the RPG, no one seems to notice the TCG (trading card game)

    The Setting
    It is 2058, technology has taken us where no one had ever expected. A new type of internet has been invented, the matrix, a world where deckers transpose themselves to a new reality. The human body is now far from being only organic, with cyberware man has fused flesh with metal. Plus in the 2030's magic has returned to the world, a new cycle began. Elves, dwarves, orks, trolls, goblins, mages, shamans and more are now part of reality. This new world being in turmoil, megacorporations have taken over ruling it. Corruption is everywhere and money is the only thing that counts. In this world, there are several few who must use the this to their advantage to survive, they take jobs from "johnsons" and do what no one else will. These skilled individuals are shadowrunners. These people do not exist in gouverment data banks, they are no one yet they can do anything.

    Basics
    In this card game your goal is to assemble a team of runners and accomplish objectives, such as killing a dragon or stealing high class technology. Your opponent will protect the objectives with challenges that will make your life harder such as booby traps and electrical fences. In order to do this you'll need lots of runners with gear. To win you must be the first to reach 75 reputation points, which are obtained by winning an objective.

    Specifics

    • Any number of players can play at once.
    • you may limit your deck to 4 copies of a card, unless it's a unique card, in which case you can only have one. A deck is normally composed of 60 cards
    • At the end of your turn you may only have 7 cards in your hand, all extras are trashed.
    • Card categories:
      • Runners = main characters of the game
      • Gear = "toys" for runners
      • Objectives = Targets for the runners (soucre for reputation)
      • Challenges = Stuff in the way of your runners
      • Contacts = Usefull people who help runners
      • Locations = Other help for runners
      • Special/stingers = Wild cards that modify the course of the game.
    • Usefull items: Die (one can do it but the more the merrier), tokens for counting your nuyen (money)

    This part will take you in the game with detail

    Card types

    • Runners: Runner cards have a deployement cost which you must pay to put the runner in play. All runners have a threat rating which determines it's attack power and life points. (2 numbers) Other runner specifics are it's race (dwarf, elf, troll, ork, human), profession (decker, rigger, mage, shaman, cyborg, detective and many more), Skills (these will be listed farther down) and special traits (hermit, anti-social, stamina, recon, etc.)Some runners have an upkeep cost, that is an amount of nuyen you must pay everyturn to keep the runner in play.
    • Challenge: Challenges are played for free, face down, in front of an objective. To gain access to the objective the player must confront the challenge. Each has it's own abilities and sleaze(see game definitions) requirements.
    • Objective: An objective is played face down until it is revealed for the first time. It's characteristics are it's reputation points obtained when won and it's rules text.
    • Gear: gear cards can be one of three categories. 1- magical: for shamans and mages only. Normally spirits or spells. 2- Matix: For deckers only. 3-Normal: for anyone mostly guns and cyberware (note: cyberware can not be played on mages or shamans).Also there are drones and vehiciles for riggers.
    • Locations and Contacts: Each has it's own specifics.
    • Specials: These cards are played to alter the game during runs or not. Each has it's own rules.

    Playing the Game
    First separate your objectives from your deck and place them in to 2 separate piles.
      Objective Phase: Place an objective from your objective pile face down in front of you if there is not one there already. Each player may only play one objective at a time. If an objective was already in play when this phase started you must turn it right side up.
    • Credstick Phase: Add 4 nuyen to your cash pile. Also you may add 1 extra nuyen to your credstick per runner with the fame trait. Pay nuyen for prime runners. Rather than collecting your 4 nuyen you may decide to draw cards to have up to 7 in your hand.
    • Refresh Phase: Heal runners by turning them and taking the damage inflicted previously off.
    • Legwork Phase: You may do any of the following : play a challenge face down on an objective, deploy a runner, contact or location, swap gear between runners, place a gear on runners, use a contact or location, play a special card.
    • Action Phase: Finally. you may attempt one run per action phase. Follow these steps: 1) choose the objective you want to run on. 2)Select runners you will use by turning them. (already turned runners for healing and such cant be used) 3)Encounter challenge cards, read the text on them and apply it's rules. You may chose not to continue the run after each challenge. 4) Taking the objective, you must read the text and apply it's rules. If accomplished the objective is put aside and it's reputation points calculated.
    • End Phase: It's the end of your turn, discard all cards past 7 in your hand, shuffle your trash pile in your deck if you deck is empty.

    Combat Rules
    Each runner has a power and touhgness stat. The power is the amount of damage dealt and toughness is the amount of life he has. If damage taken on the runner equal's or excede's the toughness value, the runner is trashed. When combat is engaged between to cards, the damage dealt is equal to it's power (plus any gear or special modifiers). Armor: armor is an attribute on runners that will reduce damage by one everytime damage is delt to the runner. Some damage is armor peircing when specified. Fatigue: Runners who have previously taken damage will subtract that amount to their power value until they are healed during a refresh phase.
    By now you should have a good idea of how to play the game. For further rules, read the shadowrun TCG rulebook Hopefully I have helped you discover this game.

    Skill list:Athletics,Conjure, Decking, Demolitions, Firearms, Gunnery, Leadership, Melee, Piloting, Social, Sorcery, Stealth, Streewise, Technical.

    Sepcial Traits: Anti-social: Social chanllenges are automatically triggered. Biotech: Turning this runner can heal another runner. Fame: Gives one extre nuyen during credstick phase. Guard: Allows runner to take damage for another runner.Hermit: Cannot use location cards. Stamina: Ignores the effects of fatigue.

    Game Terms

    • Deploy: when a card is put into play.
    • Turn(ed): To rotate a card 90 degrees, implies that the card cannot be used until next refresh phase.
    • Trash: your discard pile, if a card is trashed you remove it from play to that pile.
    • Fragged: A fragged card is removed from the game, you set that card aside and may not use it again no matter what.
    • The Safehouse: Area directly in front of you, where you play your runners.
    • Nuyen: money
    • Upkeep: an amount of nuyen you must pay everyturn during your credstick phase.
    • Run (shadowrun): To send your runners to the objective.
    • Reputation: Points earned at objectives for winning the game.
    • Sleaze: meeting all requirements on a challenge will sleaze it, so the challenge will be trashed and none of it's effects will accure.

    Well that's it. Feel free to give me feedback on what I can change to help you all understand this game

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