Thinking of running a Shadowrun game... any advice for me?

[Nimblegrund]

So a friend of mine has requested that I run something, and another happened to mention in passing how he would like to play Shadowrun... And I do love the Shadowrun setting.

But the issue I often have with the game is the rules. They are so complex and crunchy and fiddly that it's a wonder anyone can keep it all straight, even before throwing in the added complexity of Matrix and Magic rules. (and now with technomancers... MatrixMagic)

So it seems like a pretty big undertaking to be sure. I was wondering if anyone had any advice for this undertaking? Any recommended resources? books that no SR GM should be without? Pre-written campaigns?

Also, what edition would you suggest? I have the 4th edition and 20th anniversary editions at home on my bookshelf. I know 5th edition is out now but I wonder if it's far enough along in it's production cycle to be worth getting at this point (The more pre-written material I can get my hands on the better) I have even heard some people are still playing 3rd edition. I am not particularly attached to any edition.

 

[Imperialus]

If I were to start running Shadowrun again it would likely be 20th anniversary. Largely just because it does everything I need it to do and I already have all the books for it.

As for campaigns, I had a lot of fun with Ghost Cartels. It's well written, and lets the PC's go on a sort of Shadowrun World Tour. Like everything Shadowrun though it'll be important to rejigger the balance to suit your players. There is a particularly nasty fight in Hong Kong if the team doesn't have a pretty considerable magical arsenal.

 

[Rubik_the_Cube]

I feel much the same way you do Nimblegrund. I'm playing in a 4th ed Shadowrun game right now and I can tell you without hesitation that, as much as I love the setting, I would never run the game due to the needlessly complicated rules.

When I GM Shadowrun, and I will because I absolutely love the setting, it will be done using another rule set. The most likely candidate for me is Savage Worlds. By adding a couple of edges and skills I could maintain 100% of what I like about the game and get rid of all the rest.

- Ryan

 

[Eminence_Grise]

If going the Savage Worlds route... would Interface Zero be a good candidate rule-wise to emulate Shadowrun?

 

[Derren]

You all make it sound like playing the game is some sort of rocket science.
Shadowrun isn't that complicated.

For resources, try the Chummer PC app. Its a fan written character creator for 4E shadowrun and quite handy.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

But the issue I often have with the game is the rules. They are so complex and crunchy and fiddly that it's a wonder anyone can keep it all straight, even before throwing in the added complexity of Matrix and Magic rules. (and now with technomancers... MatrixMagic)

How much experience do you have with different systems? How old are you, and how long have you been playing games?

The rules have only gotten less complicated, as the editions have gone by, and we were able to (mostly) figure out the rules for 2E while we were in middle school. I feel like you probably could figure out the rules, if you sat down and really tried. And it would almost certainly be easier to do that than to figure out how to convert everything from the setting into a generic system.

One piece of advice would be to not have anyone play a hacker/decker, though. Keep them as NPCs, until you have the rest of the rules figured out. I hear that it's much less complicated in 4E and 5E, but there's no reason to take on that extra burden while you're still learning the basics. Also, try sticking to just the core rulebook for as long as possible (and, by that token, you should be able to use 5E just fine, if you felt like it).

 

[Umbran]

I'm currently running a Fifth Edition Shadowrun game. Yes, there are many fiddly bits, but the system has been smoothed out a great deal, with much less splitting of the party into their respective computer, magical, and meat spaces.

In any and all previous editions, I'd also recommend that you keep Deckers as NPCs. In 5th Edition, however, they now play support roles in combats, without needing to be off in a separate computer reality - they get to screw around with the ubiquitous wireless technology around them. Matrix runs still happen, but they are much, much reduced in scope.

 

[Jhaelen]

As much as I enjoy reading the Shadowrun rpg books and novels, I never had much fun actually playing the rpg. Imho, the mechanics are fundamentally flawed. It doesn't help that there's clunky subsystems for the different (too specialized) classes. Please note that I haven't yet read the 5th edition rules, although I bought them a while ago. It's possible that it's a better ruleset than the ones I know (2nd/3rd ed.).

 

[Rubik_the_Cube]

Eminence_Grise,

I can't speak to Interface Zero as I haven't purchased the setting. What I can say is that I will be running my Savage Shadowrun game using the core rules (delux edition) and just adding skill and edges to cover what I need. For example, I would add Hacking to the skill list. General computer use seeking unprotected information would fall under Investigation for me, but Hacking is specifically targeting protected information or systems so I feel like it's different enough to add.

I'd also bring over a lot of the gear, but in a much more simplified list. For example, I would bring over all the weapon categories, but the specific weapon used would basically be trappings. I would probably use trappings for different types of ammo as well. All heavy pistols do X damage, my trappings say that mine is a Colt Manhunter with a laser sight. I would make similar mods to the non-weapon gear and cyber/bioware to simplify those lists as well.

Derren,

It's not that I find playing Shadowrun to be too complicated. I find it to be needlessly complicated. For my money, the complications do not add anything of value to the game.

The rules for shooting automatics are one example. I can shoot the same gun semi-auto, burst, or full auto, and that's not too bad. But when I'm firing bursts I have to choose to fire a short-narrow, short-wide, long-narrow, or long-wide burst. That choice requires me to remember what modifier each type of burst applies to the dice pool in order to choose the correct type of burst for the current situation. Then add in eight different types of ammo you could be using that each have their own modifiers or rules associated with them. And shooting is much easier to understand than decking, magic, or technomancy.

Saelorn and Umbran,

My GM is also running the game such that all deckers are NPCs. I think it's telling that the rules for that particular subsystem are so opaque that many (most?) people choose to ignore them. When I run my Shadowrun game, I will choose to take the same approach to the entire rule system. In my opinion, the setting does not rely of the rule system at all and I'd much rather use something more simple and flexible.

- RtC

*Not trying to crap on Shadowrun, I know a lot of people like the system and they're not wrong for doing so.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

It doesn't help that there's clunky subsystems for the different (too specialized) classes.

It's interesting that you say that - and that I'm not disagreeing - when the game doesn't even have classes.

It was definitely an issue, in the older editions, that the decker and magician might have to go do their own things for a while, and nobody else could tag along. I know that's something they changed with later editions. If you play your game entirely in meat-space, where everyone can participate, I think it works pretty well.