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<blockquote data-quote="kigmatzomat" data-source="post: 3593149" data-attributes="member: 9254">I'm a proponent of SR4.&nbsp; I started back in SR1 when the Big Blue Book was the only book.&nbsp; I enjoyed SR1 but it was convoluted at times and was very much a work in progress.&nbsp; Let's face it, burst fire and 'reactive triggers' were added in the Street Samurai's Guide.&nbsp; In a lot of ways, SR1 is like oD&amp;D.&nbsp; A decent first release with some weird concepts here and there.SR2 was fun.&nbsp; Very over the top with lots firepower everywhere.&nbsp; Much like AD&amp;D, the players got silly powerful but in an entertaining way.&nbsp; The rules included the previously optional material and had a lot of room for growth.I was never fond of SR3, it felt like an attempt to corral in the excesses of SR2 but in a lackluster fashion that really seemed to lack flash.&nbsp; Kinda AD&amp;D 2nd ed.&nbsp;&nbsp; One of the big problems IMO was the time it took a character to noticeably improve.&nbsp; SR3 felt way too slow.&nbsp; SR4 is a complete re-imagining of the system.&nbsp; The core concepts are still there but the mechanics got a total overhaul.&nbsp; On the main, the new system is significantly simpler to comprehend and a touch faster to play.&nbsp; Mechanics that didn't exist in previous editions, primarily the wireless stuff, tends to be the sketchiest material.My one issue with the rules is that they added a core mechanic for hackers rather than reusing an existing rule.&nbsp; Everywhere else the rule is character stat+ character skill +/-modifiers sometimes capped by external rating.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Hacking is computer stat + character skill +/-modifiers.&nbsp; They could have simply done it like magic and have the program rating act as the cap.&nbsp; SR4 RAW now states that a mental stat 1 character is as good in the matrix as a mental stat 7 character.&nbsp; Matrix security is always a problem in shadowrun.&nbsp; It's just too easy to come up with a security system that is if not invulnerable, then at least secure from external hacking.&nbsp; A multi-network &quot;vanishing SAN&quot; can easily provide general net access to a facility but seriously limit hacking.&nbsp; Hard to break in when the connection dies every 15+random() seconds.&nbsp; Best you can do is upload an Agent and pray for success.The short answer is to bow to the necessities of game play and state that there is some idiosyncrasy of the technology that provides for the obscene amounts of bandwidth/cyber/etc that prevents good automatic security.&nbsp;&nbsp; You can have good security but you have to be using 1980s technology (where the SR-verse diverged from the real world).&nbsp; Okay, maybe 1990s tech; give them 56k modems, T1s, and DSL lines.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="kigmatzomat, post: 3593149, member: 9254"] I'm a proponent of SR4. I started back in SR1 when the Big Blue Book was the only book. I enjoyed SR1 but it was convoluted at times and was very much a work in progress. Let's face it, burst fire and 'reactive triggers' were added in the Street Samurai's Guide. In a lot of ways, SR1 is like oD&D. A decent first release with some weird concepts here and there. SR2 was fun. Very over the top with lots firepower everywhere. Much like AD&D, the players got silly powerful but in an entertaining way. The rules included the previously optional material and had a lot of room for growth. I was never fond of SR3, it felt like an attempt to corral in the excesses of SR2 but in a lackluster fashion that really seemed to lack flash. Kinda AD&D 2nd ed. One of the big problems IMO was the time it took a character to noticeably improve. SR3 felt way too slow. SR4 is a complete re-imagining of the system. The core concepts are still there but the mechanics got a total overhaul. On the main, the new system is significantly simpler to comprehend and a touch faster to play. Mechanics that didn't exist in previous editions, primarily the wireless stuff, tends to be the sketchiest material. My one issue with the rules is that they added a core mechanic for hackers rather than reusing an existing rule. Everywhere else the rule is character stat+ character skill +/-modifiers sometimes capped by external rating. Hacking is computer stat + character skill +/-modifiers. They could have simply done it like magic and have the program rating act as the cap. SR4 RAW now states that a mental stat 1 character is as good in the matrix as a mental stat 7 character. Matrix security is always a problem in shadowrun. It's just too easy to come up with a security system that is if not invulnerable, then at least secure from external hacking. A multi-network "vanishing SAN" can easily provide general net access to a facility but seriously limit hacking. Hard to break in when the connection dies every 15+random() seconds. Best you can do is upload an Agent and pray for success. The short answer is to bow to the necessities of game play and state that there is some idiosyncrasy of the technology that provides for the obscene amounts of bandwidth/cyber/etc that prevents good automatic security. You can have good security but you have to be using 1980s technology (where the SR-verse diverged from the real world). Okay, maybe 1990s tech; give them 56k modems, T1s, and DSL lines. [/QUOTE]

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