Shadowrun D20 Conversion

[VorpalBunny]

I agree. Shadowrun (along with Call of Cthulhu) are the two deadliest games I run. I've been GM'ing Shadowun for close to ten years on and off, and have yet to have an adventure where a PC (or two ) doesn't die.

Man, I loves me some Shadowrun.

 

[evildmguy]

Give games a chance!

Greetings!

I completely agree that game mechanics help give a game a "feel". This feel can't be replicated by everything being d20. I understand the need for things to be d20, because then they are supported and you can use other sources for ideas without too much conversion.

I find it funny, to myself, that I like most things Windows (gets ready to duck) but I don't like that d20 is apparently dominating the rpg scene. I liked reading and learning other systems for the feel.

To add to this, I wouldn't want to see a Shadowrun d20 conversion. Using what is still available for Shadowrun, it seems to be that a campaign could be done for years and years to come.

In my experience of Shadowrun, mostly 1E and 3E, it seems a lot of emphasis changed in 3E. I don't know if it was for more realism but it seemed in 3E that if a character didn't wear armor, nearly the first shot killed them every time. Also, I didn't prefer it that damage was universal. In other words, all character got the same damage indicator, regardless of attributes. I might be remembering that wrong.

TeeSeeJay: Um, okay, feeling very defensive here. Alternity is NOT DND in space. I don't know if I can say that enough. Buck Rogers was DND in space. Alternity was a completely different system. It doesn't have levels and the concept of classes is only slightly there in how skills are purchased. I still find Alternity to be the best game system I have read or played and have yet to find a genre or setting that it couldn't do and do well. That's me, though. YMMV

edg

 

[Chingerspy]

I agree, Shadowrun will hopefully never see the D20 logo brandished on its covers, not in the official sense anyway. An unofficial version on the web I would be interested in but I am glad that Wizkids are keeping it D6.

I haven't run Shadowrun in a good many years. I used to GM every Friday through Sunday with a good group of players. Some of my funniest moments in gaming happened in my Shadowrun games.

circa 1996
The runners were being tormented by a sniper, this is the closest they had gotten to him in months of play...

"The sniper has headed into JFK airport"

"Right I leave everything but my glock and a knife in the boot of the car..." everyone else does likewise, taking a minimum of weaponry with them.

"Bean, what is your character going to do?"

"Right, lemme think... I take out two shells from the boot and load up my Panther Cannon with them."

"...ok..."

"Right I strap the cannon to my back and enter the airport using stealth"

"ummm.... oooookaaaay...roll for your stealth" Ss are heard around the table.

"Ok good you approach the airport stealthily. Within seconds there are alarms going off all over the place, your character is struck by several bullets (I roll damage frantically) and as you go down you see many security guards running towards you."

The others... "sod this we're off!"
Bean... "Bugger."

 

[TeeSeeJay]

Re: Give games a chance!

Greetings!


TeeSeeJay: Um, okay, feeling very defensive here. Alternity is NOT DND in space. I don't know if I can say that enough. Buck Rogers was DND in space. Alternity was a completely different system. It doesn't have levels and the concept of classes is only slightly there in how skills are purchased. I still find Alternity to be the best game system I have read or played and have yet to find a genre or setting that it couldn't do and do well. That's me, though. YMMV

edg

This is really funny. I originally was going to say that exact same thing -- that Buck Rogers was DND in space. But I changed it to Alternity (quite arbitrarily) because I thought buck rogers might be too obscure a reference. I've still got that old Buck Rogers boxed set around here somewhere -- oh there it is, in the pile of gaming material I want to get rid of but nobody wants.

I agree with you, Alternity is not DND in space. I knew someone was going to call me on that one. But to correct you, sir, Alternity DID have levels. Page 127 of the Player's Handbook (I had to look it up to make sure I was remembering things correctly).

 

[TheAuldGrump]

I agree. Shadowrun (along with Call of Cthulhu) are the two deadliest games I run. I've been GM'ing Shadowun for close to ten years on and off, and have yet to have an adventure where a PC (or two ) doesn't die.

Man, I loves me some Shadowrun.

Hmm, I remember the orc in the party taking three solid hits from a heavy machine gun (WWII .50 caliber, water cooled) and being able to not only fire back, but to function unimpaired. My character never got shot at, or did much shooting for that amtter, so I never sat down and really tried to learn the combat rules. (He was a troll flower child/fixer)

Or it could be that the GM was leaving out the messy bits like dying.

CoC is deadly, the double barreled shotgun in the BRP version is almost certain to kill at close range.

The Auld Grump, now for truly ludicrous non-lethality take a look at Twilight 2000...

 

[Corinth]

I don't see why there shouldn't be a d20 version of Shadowrun. As it is, Shadowrun isn't much more than D&D with guns and cyberware. The default gameplay paradigm differs from D&D only in the details.

 

[VorpalBunny]

Hmm, I remember the orc in the party taking three solid hits from a heavy machine gun (WWII .50 caliber, water cooled) and being able to not only fire back, but to function unimpaired.

It is probable that the Ork had a high body, a lot of combat pool, and/or a high ballistic armor rating so he was able to either "avoid" or soak the hit(s) from the .50. However, If he was able to stand infront of the .50 and take repeated hits, I would suggest something wasn't entirely on the level.

The thing I like about SR, and the one thing my players don't seem to get, (which explains the high mortality rate in my games) is this: your luck is gonna run out. You're gonna use up your combat pool, or take a wound, or end up on the business end of a manaball that you didn't resist. And when that happpens, your guy is going to go down the tubes. Fast.

 

[TeeSeeJay]

I don't see why there shouldn't be a d20 version of Shadowrun. As it is, Shadowrun isn't much more than D&D with guns and cyberware. The default gameplay paradigm differs from D&D only in the details.

Shadowrun is very much a skills-based system, where D&D/d20 is a class/level based system. While the Shadowrun games features "archetypes" to allow new players an easy way to create a new character, these archetypes aren't technically classes in the sense that "fighter" and "wizard" are classes. Shadowrun just wouldn't work as a d20 game.

The main reason, however, is that D&D/d20 features an ABSTRACTED combat system, where Shadowrun (and many similar games) features a LITERAL combat system -- that is why hit points work. I'm not going to get into my whole spiel about this unless someone really wants to hear it.

 

[Shapermc]

The main reason, however, is that D&D/d20 features an ABSTRACTED combat system, where Shadowrun (and many similar games) features a LITERAL combat system -- that is why hit points work. I'm not going to get into my whole spiel about this unless someone really wants to hear it.

Seriously, I am interest. Mainly in what you mean by LITERAL/ABSTRACT

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I am not certain about he meant it, but I might give an example how I would understand it:
In D&D, Hitpoints represent not only your physical toughness, but also your ability to dodge blows and so on.
If your hitpoints are out, you are not only unable to dodge blows, but do have lost your physical toughness and begin dying.

In Shadowrun, you really make a Dodge Roll representing your ability to dodge a blow - or a shot (not actually the projectile), and thereafter you make a toughness (Constitution) roll representing your ability to shrug off the damage.
If you are injured, you suffer penalties representing your hindrance through pains or injured body parts.

Your armor weakens the potential of damage to harm you, it does not completely block or completely fail to block like in D&D.

This does create unique Shadowrun Flavour in combat situations.
But it is everyones own decision if he really needs this part of Flavour when searching for alternate systems.

Mustrum Ridcully