(An explanation of the items in each book review can be found here.)
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Released: 1989
Authors: Bob Charette, Paul Hume, Tom Dowd, Dave Wylie & Jordan Weisman
ISBN: 1-55560-133-2
Price: $20.00
Pages: 216 (incl. 16 color) + 16 color
Status/Availability: out of print/very rare
Sections: The Year Is 2050, Night On The Town, And So It Came To Pass..., Game Concepts, Metahumanity, Character Generation, Archetypes, Developing The Character, Using Skills, Combat, Magic, The Matrix, Equipment, After The Shadowrun, Behind The Scenes, Contacts, Critters, The Northwest In 2050, Seattle, First Run
Overview: This book formed the core of the Shadowrun game system until 1992, when the second edition was published. It contained all the rules necessary to run the game, but as these were adjusted in later sourcebooks and later editions of the basic rules, they are rather out of date. The first edition is a nice item to own if you want to collect Shadowrun books, but it has little practical value during the game these days.
Similar Products: Shadowrun — Where Man Meets Magic And Machine (hardcover), Shadowrun, Second Edition, Shadowrun, Third Edition
Survey Rating: 6.9 (9 votes)
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Released: 1989
Authors: as for the softcover
ISBN: 1-55560-110-3
Price: $28.00
Pages: as for the softcover
Status/Availability: out of print/very rare
Sections: as for the softcover
Overview: as for the softcover
Survey Rating: 7.3 (9 votes)
Similar Products: Shadowrun — Where Man Meets Magic And Machine (softcover), Shadowrun, Second Edition, Shadowrun, Third Edition
Notes: The hardcover differs little from the softcover version, except naturally for the stronger cover, which has a map of downtown Seattle on the inside. There were two printings of the hardcover, which can be distinguished by the artwork (apparently, in the first printing the map was upside-down, and there is art in the Equipment chapter that was removed later on).
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Released: 1989
Author: Tom Dowd
ISBN: 1-55560-115-4
Price: $10.00
Pages: 32 (Silver Angel) + three-panel screen
Status/Availability: out of print/very rare
Sections: none
Overview: Just a typical gamemaster screen with useful and not-so-useful information for the first edition of the Shadowrun game system. The screen has three panels with art on the front and tables for the gamemaster on the back. Included in the pack was the adventure booklet Silver Angel, which for spoiler reasons will be discussed in the adventure reviews. The set supposedly also came with "full color counter sheets" but as I bought mine second-hand, these were missing. I presume they're the same as the die-cut character standups from the Shadowrun, Second Edition Gamemaster Screen.
Similar Products: Shadowrun, Second Edition Gamemaster Screen, Shadowrun Gamemaster Screen, Third Edition
Survey Rating: 5.9 (15 votes)
Notes: For details on Silver Angel, see the adventure reviews.
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Released: 1990
Authors: Boy Peterson, John Faughnan & Mike Stackpole
ISBN: 1-55560-119-7
Price: $10.00
Pages: 128 (incl. 8 color)
Status/Availability: out of print/very rare
Sections: Introduction, Life on a Limb, Location Archetypes, Sprawl Encounters, Archetypes & Contacts, Sprawl Law, Credsticks and IDs
Overview: A mixed blessing. First off, let me say that most of this book is for gamemasters only, not for the players. The new contacts are useful if you've gotten bored with the ones in the basic rules, as are the archetypes. The Location Archetypes are not, as you may think, character archetypes with appear at specific locations, but instead these are maps of "typical" buildings. This section is definitely the most useful of the book, as it gives an idea of what a typical bar, shop, office, or house looks like, and who you can expect to find there when you get inside. Maybe Americans have less use for it, as I expect these things were based on 1980s/1990s American buildings, but I guess that non-Americans will find it pretty handy. The least useful bit is the Sprawl Encounters section. This provides the gamemaster with a few tables to roll dice on, and then a reference to the 132 encounters listed on the next pages. The encounters are a bit too far worked out to be true encounters, and too little worked out to be useful as short adventures. The best use for them would be as something to base home-written adventures on, I feel. The chapter on laws is also featured (and expanded) in Shadowtech, but Sprawl Sites still has some useful bits here, namely the enforcement ratings. Finally, the credsticks bit is included (and again expanded) in the Neo Anarchists' Guide to Real Life.
Similar Products: The Neo-Anarchists' Guide to Real Life
Survey Rating: 5.2 (28 votes)
Notes: A bit strange, this one: on all FASA price sheets I've seen, it is marked as "Sprawl Sites One," but I've not heard of a "Two" so far...? Anyway, it's out of print now.
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Released: 1989
Author: Tom Dowd
ISBN: 1-55560-122-7
Price: $12.00
Pages: 112
Status/Availability: out of print/very rare
Sections: Ares Winter Catalog 2050, Ares Security Catalog 2050, Wiremasters Supplement, Working the Streets, Cyberware Damage, Cyber Repair, Upgrading Cybrware (the typo in "cybrware" isn't mine), Custom Cyberware, Cheap Cyberware, Samurai Archetypes, Weaponry
Overview: the Street Samurai Catalog has lots of equipment of all kinds, ranging from light pistols to riot-control vehicles. Despite the name of the book, most of it is usable by just about any character interested in protecting him- or herself (and who isn't?). The Ares Security Catalog has security-grade equipment, though some of the "civilian" gear would fit in here better than in the first section (Joe Pedestrian with a burst-fire shotgun?? Although to be fair this is mainly a result of the update to second edition, when these minor details were added). Both sections include some new vehicles, but these are better detailed in the Rigger Black Book and Rigger 2. The Wiremasters Supplement focuses mostly on headware but fails to provide many useful things. The optional rules bit (all the sections about the cyberware) can be useful, but the equivalent rules in Shadowtech are really better to use. The book rounds off all this by providing four metahuman street samurai archetypes. If you have the Shadowrun Second Edition rulebook, you'll find almost all equipment from the Street Samurai Catalog in the Sourcebook Updates chapter, though without the notes on what accessories that the gear might have as standard, such as built-in smartlinks or gas vents.
Similar Products: Blackhand's Street Weapons 2057, Chromebook Conversions, Corporate Security Handbook, Cybertechnology, Fields of Fire, Harlekynz' Toys, Information Overload, Paranoid Animals of North America, Project 3, Running Gear, Shadowtech, Street Samurai Catalog (second edition), Tech Specs
Survey Rating: 6.2 (19 votes)
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Released: 1992
Author: Tom Dowd
ISBN: 1-55560-122-7
Price: $12.00
Pages: 112
Status/Availability: in print/common
Sections: as the first edition
Overview: This is essentially the same book as the first edition Street Samurai Catalog (above), except that game statistics have been altered to second edition rules (a 4M3-damage SMG becoming a 6M-damage SMG, etc.), and that three items have been deleted; these latter are still in the book, but with the somewhat childish "BANNED! THIS ITEM PURGED IN SHADOWRUN II!" printed over the pages. The equipment list in the back of the book has been updated to reflect second edition game statistics as well, although in my "Corrected fourth printing," part of the Rifles section of this table curiously still has the data for first edition, and there is a strange overlap between the part of the table that was updated, and the part that wasn't. Minor things, I know.
As almost all these changes are outlined in the SRII main rulebook, if you play second edition and have the first-edition catalog, there is no real need to buy this book — this is also the reason why the Price rating for this book has dropped from 3 to 2 compared to the first edition, by the way.
Similar Products: Blackhand's Street Weapons 2057, Chromebook Conversions, Corporate Security Handbook, Cybertechnology, Fields of Fire, Harlekynz' Toys, Information Overload, Paranoid Animals of North America, Project 3, Running Gear, Shadowtech, Street Samurai Catalog (first edition), Tech Specs
Survey Rating: 6.2 (28 votes)
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Released: 1990
Author: Nigel D. Findley
ISBN: 1-55560-123-5
Price: $12.00
Pages: 176 + 8 color
Status/Availability: out of print/rare
Sections: Street Smart, Introduction, Powers of the Awakened, Awakened Animals
Overview: Another one for the gamemaster. The only thing this book talks about is awakened critters, so unless you want your character to have a greater wolverine as a pet, this isn't much use to players. Gamemasters can base adventures around these animals, or simply throw them against the players to make them spend some ammo. Apart from this, the book is useful as background material, because it gives a short scientific description of the animal, based on observations made by researchers, while also adding shadow-comments based on observations made by non-researchers, as well as a picture of the animal and a map showing where you are likely to encounter it. Be wary of the size comparison pictures, as the animals in these are sometimes grossly out of proportion to the size they're supposed to from in the text. There is a section with expanded Powers and Weaknesses for the critters, but this is superseded by the same listing in Shadowrun, Second Edition and Paranormal Animals of Europe—not in the least because the list in that last book is for use with the second edition rules, while these are for first edition. Naturally, complete game stats for each critter are given, as is a quick-reference list of all critters in the book.
Similar Products: Paranormal Animals of Europe, Shadowrun Gamemaster Screen, Third Edition
Survey Rating: 6.5 (24 votes)
Notes: The stats in this book are for first edition Shadowrun (at least, in the copy I own). There are conversions in the back of the Shadowrun, Second Edition rulebook.
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Released: 1990
Authors: Paul R. Hume
ISBN: 1-55560-127-8
Price: $15.00
Pages: 126
Status/Availability: out of print/very rare
Sections: Introduction, Making Magicians, Magic And Society, Adepts, Initiation, Metamagic, Geasa, Magical Groups, Enchanting, Spells And Spell Design, Astral Space, Spirits, Free Spirits, Magical Threats, Appendix, Glossary, Spell Directory, Index
Overview: This was the advanced magic sourcebook for first-edition Shadowrun, and included rules for situations not covered by the main rulebook, as well as expanding the possibilities, scope, and options available to and through magic. Further inclusions are magical threats, and the introduction of adepts into Shadowrun. However, the book is only useful to own if you still play using the first edition rules, which will not be many groups today.
Similar Products: Awakenings — New Magic in 2057, Magic In The Shadows, Tech Specs, The Grimoire — The Manual of Practical Thaumaturgy, 15th Edition, 2053
Survey Rating: 7.3 (23 votes)
Notes: This book was replaced by the second-edition Grimoire.
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Released: 1991
Authors: Tom Dowd & Chris Kubasik
ISBN: 1-55560-144-8
Price: $15.00
Pages: 152 + 8 color
Status/Availability: out of print/very rare
Sections: Introduction, Computer Systems, Intrusion Countermeasures, Cyberdecks, Programs, Cybercombat, Matrix Realities, Fuchi Incorporated—A Matrix Tour, Hacker House Summer Update, Virtual Realities
Overview: I'll say it right out, I was rather disappointed with this one. I may be biased (I never liked the SR1/SRII decking rules), but to devote almost half of the book to a short story was a bit of a rip-off for my taste. The first chapters give useful information about decking: the decking rules are expanded with a new node, new utilities, new IC, and more new things deckers can use to their advantage. Also given are rules for constructing/updating cyberdecks and writing utilities yourself. The book goes on to give a general image of what the Matrix really is, both from the gamer's point of view, and by using a tour from Fuchi Inc. This latter gives very nice color pictures of "actual" Matrix nodes so you can see what it all really looks like. What follows then is a sort of Street Samurai Catalog for deckers, but without anything new: all the stuff that Hacker House sells is detailed in the first chapters of the book. Then there's the short story, with which the book ends. The story, titled Virtual Realities like the book, is set entirely within the Matrix.
Similar Products: Virtual Realities 2.0
Survey Rating: 5.6 (18 votes)
Notes: This book is out of print, mainly because Virtual Realities 2.0 came out in '95.
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Released: 1991
Author: Phillip McGregor
ISBN: 1-55560-169-3
Price: $15.00
Pages: 136 + 8 color
Status/Availability: out of print/rare
Sections: Introduction, Civilian Vehicles, Security Vehicles, Drones, Military Vehicles, Vehicle Ratings, Vehicle Operations, Vehicle Modifications, Vehicle Weapons, Sensors and ECM, Vehicle Combat Turn, Revised Combat Rules, Index
Overview: I've heard people complain about that the Rigger Black Book isn't really useful, but I disagree. It provides large numbers of vehicles of all types to populate your Shadowrun campaign with, and more importantly, it gives rules for modifying vehicles. The vehicle combat rules have almost all been integrated into the second edition Shadowrun rules, as have the revised combat rules for personal combat, so you don't need to buy the book to get those. Vehicle ratings are expanded over those in basic Shadowrun, and include such things as how many seats and doors the vehicle has, fuel and engine types, and cargo space. Also featured are new weapons, though mostly missiles and cannons for military-grade vehicles; not something street riggers can put onto their modified Westwind 2000 easily. The book is moderately useful to characters who just want a car or bike; riggers, on the other hand, will find it very useful because of the large number of vehicles and modifications to choose from.
Similar Products: Janes Rigger Registry 2058 Edition, Rigger 2
Survey Rating: 6.1 (31 votes)
Notes: stats are for first edition Shadowrun in my copy of the book. The Shadowrun Second Edition rulebook has conversion guidelines.
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Released: 1992
Author: Paul R. Hume
ISBN: 1-55560-159-6
Price: $15.00
Pages: 102 + 8 color
Status/Availability: out of print/rare
Sections: Introduction, It's Only Rock & Roll, Broadcasting, The Nets, Thats Entertainment, And Now the News, Sports, Simsense, Archetype Additions, Gear, Glossary
Overview: Information about the media in all its aspects in the Shadowrun universe. Shadowbeat is not very useful for rollplayers, because it provides little hard-and-fast rules, but if you want to roleplay a journalist, musician, or other media-affiliated character, you could do a whole lot worse than invest your money in this book. Its contents are not immediately useful to typical Shadowrun characters (mages, samurai, etc.), making it a bit of a specialized sourcebook; the first chapters give background material on music, trideo, sports, and simsense, as well as actual rules for their inclusion in the game. This book isn't written as a Neo-A guide, so it freely mixes rules with source material in a humorous writing style. The color section has some interviews with notable NPCs, together with their full game stats, while the Archetype Additions and Gear sections have things like cameras, musical instruments, simsense recorders, and the skills to operate them. Many people complain about Shadowbeat, but you'll find that in an ongoing campaign, it can be a very handy sourcebook for fleshing out the world.
Similar Products: The Neo-Anarchists' Guide to Real Life
Survey Rating: 6.9 (28 votes)
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Released: 1991
Author: Karl Wu
ISBN: 1-55560-156-1
Price: $15.00
Pages: 120 + 8 color
Status/Availability: in print/common
Sections: Introduction, Bionetics, Bioware, Cybertechnology, Cyberware, Eugenics/Genetics, Gene-Tech, Chemistry, Compounds, Technology and the Law, Equipment Table, Equipment Index
Overview: as well as adding lots of new implant-goodies to your runners' wish-lists, this book provides an insight into how cyberware and bioware work in the game universe, together with explanations of genetic engineering. Rules for drugs and drug use are given, as are general data about the human body (the author is a doctor, apparently). The implants are divided into bioware and cyberware, with the bioware generally being of more use to combat-oriented characters than the cyberware. Headware cyberdecks are introduced, but you will need Virtual Realities to understand what is what with these. The last part of the book has a legalities section (expanded over that in Sprawl Sites), and tables listing the legalities of almost all equipment published until 1992.
Similar Products: Chromebook Conversions, Cybertechnology, Paranormal Animals of North America, Street Samurai Catalog, Tech Specs
Survey Rating: 7.6 (34 votes)
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Released: 1990
Author: Tom Dowd
ISBN: 1-55560-132-4
Price: $30.00
Pages: 72 in the rulebook, 46 in the archetypes book
Status/Availability: out of print/rare
Sections: Rulebook: Game Stuff, Preparing to Play, Sequence of Play, Movement and Actions, Basic Combat, Magic, Motorcycles, Critters, Shadowrunning, Playing the Game, Timeline, Weapons Table
Overview: Ever played BattleTroops, the BattleTech game for small unit actions? Liked it? Then DMZ should prove easy enough to learn: DMZ is BattleTroops with Shadowrun-knobs on, plain and simple. It uses dots for movement purposes (by spending a certain amount of Movement Points, you can move to the next dot), and also uses those dots to find weapon and magic ranges. The whole BattleTroops game system has been overhauled to include typical Shadowrun things like magic, critters, motorcycles, and some more of that stuff, but underneath the glitter it's still the BattleTroops system. That's OK, I like BattleTroops, but for Shadowrun I somehow feel it doesn't come out really right. The system is 2D6-based, instead of the hands-full-of-D6s-based Shadowrun rules, and includes rules to convert your Shadowrun character to DMZ. What it doesn't do is give rules to convert it back, so if you do take your Shadowrun character into DMZ, prepare to spend a lot of time figuring out exactly how wounded he or she comes out. Anyways, the rules themselves are suitable for what they try to do: you can speed up combat by playing DMZ instead of Shadowrun. As soon as you're used to them of course, but they're not very hard to learn anyway. Still, I had expected a bit more, really.
By the way, the Archetypes book is nothing more than all Shadowrun archetypes from first edition Shadowrun and Sprawl Sites converted to DMZ stats, plus a few added extra ones. It also has four scenarios to start you off.
Similar Products: Sprawl Maps
Survey Rating: 3.7 (12 votes)
Notes: In addition to a rulebook and an archetypes book, the box contains 2 large (approx. 55 x 85 cm) gray maps with a white dot pattern; 7 small (about 28 x 42 cm) full-color maps with overprinted dot pattern; 1 large (same as size as gray maps) full-color map, also overprinted with a dot pattern; 16 plastic figure stands; two six-sided dice; and 4 sheets with cardboard counters representing characters, smoke, doors, firing arcs, etc. The weapon stats are conversions from first edition Shadowrun weapons, so no Fields of Fire guns are included, and the weapons don't always match the second edition weapon stats.
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Released: 1993
Authors: Carl Sargent, Tom Dowd & Mike Colton
ISBN: 1-55560-199-5
Price: $18.00
Pages: 168 + 8 color
Status/Availability: out of print/rare
Sections: Introduction, Preface, Awakened Animals, Appendix 1, Appendix 2, Powers of the Awakened, World-Wide Distribution, Critter Table
Overview: Very similar to the earlier Paranormal Animals of North America (see above), this book details the creatures that stalk Europe; much the same comments apply to this book as to the earlier one, so I won't repeat them here. In addition to critter descriptions and stats, included is a very much expanded Powers and Weaknesses section (expanded over both Shadowrun Second Edition and Paranormal Animals of North America), and a stats list of all critters published in Shadowrun up until 1993, which means it has virtually all of them. One of the most useful parts of the book, apart from the new animals themselves, is the World-Wide Distribution chapter, which gives indications for how you can put European critters in North America and the other way around. By the way, the beasties of Europe are generally more powerful than those that lurk in the good ol' US of A (RIP).
Similar Products: Paranormal Animals of North America, Shadowrun Gamemaster Screen, Third Edition
Survey Rating: 6.5 (23 votes)
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Released: 1993
Author: Nigel D. Findley
ISBN: 1-55560-211-8
Price: $18.00
Pages: 152 (incl. 32 color)
Status/Availability: in print/uncommon
Sections: Introduction, Big Brother is Here, Megacorporate Primer, Doing Business, Competition, Zurich-Orbital Habitat, Rating Corps
Overview: Unlike many other Shadowrun sourcebooks, Corporate Shadowfiles is not an "open the cover and out pop useful things" book. Don't get me wrong, this is a good book and I like it, but its subject matter is not useful to most shadowrunners. The book deals with the way megacorporations make money, and has a chapter on giving corps ratings, in order that these ratings can be used to show the effects of shadowruns made against those corps. The last section of the book is probably the most useful to players, because it gives information on the eight biggest corporations in the Shadowrun world. The main reason to buy this book would be to get background information on the world in general and corporations in particular, and gamemasters can find ideas for adventures in here (preventing corporate war is always nice), but as a game supplement it is only moderately useful.
Similar Products: none
Survey Rating: 6.8 (29 votes)
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Released: 1994
Author: Tom Dowd
ISBN: 1-55560-223-1
Price: $15.00
Pages: 110
Status/Availability: in print/common
Sections: Introduction, Fields of Fire, Mercenary Equipment, Rules, Tables
Overview: The Shadowrun mercenary sourcebook. The first part of the book gives background material on what it is like to be a merc, written as an article by a well-known merc. The next section is more useful to gadget-lovers: in a similar fashion to the Street Samurai Catalog, this provides all sorts of gear, intended for mercenaries. Naturally, this is also useful to just about any shadowrunner who wants a good gun. In addition to new weapons, things such as climbing gear, military armor, and communications systems are also featured, as are a few new vehicles. Then comes the rules clarifications. These provide optional rules to enhance your game (most are very useful), and rules pertaining to some of the new equipment featured in the book. The final section is a large equipment table, listing just about all gear from FASA-published Shadowrun books up until early 1994, useful as a quick reference.
Similar Products: Blackhand's Street Weapons 2057, Chromebook Conversions, Corporate Security Handbook, Cybertechnology, Harlekynz' Toys, Information Overload, Paranoid Animals of North America, Project 3, Running Gear, Shadowtech, Street Samurai Catalog, Tech Specs
Survey Rating: 7.3 (36 votes)
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Released: 1994
Authors: Nigel D. Findley & Stephen Atkins
ISBN: 1-55560-230-4
Price: $18.00
Pages: 136 + 8 color
Status/Availability: out of print/very rare
Sections: Introduction, Behind the Star, Corporate Structure, Enforcement Arm, Corporate Arm, Personnel, Operational Procedures, Intelligence Gathering, New Equipment, Gamemaster Information, Index
Overview: Everything you always wanted to know about Lone Star, but were afraid to ask! Seriously, this book does a good job of telling the truth (as far as it can be dug up, of course) behind Lone Star. It goes into almost every aspect, from corporate politics to the cops on the street, and also has information about the equipment and methods used by Lone Star employees. Granted, the book does contradict some information from previous books (mainly adventures), but nothing you can't live with. The book is most useful for gamemasters, who will be able to judge Lone Star's response to the players actions much easier after reading through the book once or twice, not to mention having a use for the stats for typical Lone Star employees included in the back. Players don't really have much use for it, though as always they might want to read it anyway. Know your opposition, and all that?
Similar Products: Corporate Security Handbook
Survey Rating: 7.5 (20 votes)
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Released: 1994
Authors: Carl Sargent & Marc Gasgione
ISBN: 1-55560-252-5
Price: $15.00
Pages: 102 + 8 color
Status/Availability: out of print/very rare
Sections: Introduction, Welcome To The Freak Show, Prime Terrors, Wolfram's Gang, Threat Ratings
Overview: This is a book with NPC descriptions and stats to be plugged straight into a campaign where the gamemaster needs them. There are 41 characters, most of them taking up two pages, each with an illustration, basic personal data, their background, adventure hooks, and game statistics that allow gamemasters to use them almost immediately. There are all kinds of characters, for example shadowrunners, an American football player, media people, an author, and lots more. Then there are two terrorists, a serial killer, an assassin, and a street gang that players might encounter as opponents. Also, not all of these are limited to Seattle; many reside, or can be found, in other parts of the world.
All in all I would say the idea behind Prime Runners was sound, but the execution wasn't. I wonder what you actually use these NPCs for... Any competent gamemaster should be able to come up with similar characters easily enough, and that has the added benefit that those NPCs will fit the campaign much better than any published equivalent can (because those need to be suitable for most campaigns). I've also heard lots of complaints that the Prime Runners characters aren't as powerful as they're made out to be, and a competent shadowrunning group should be able to take most of them on head-to-head and win. Not having used any myself I can't be sure about that, but a look at the game stats in the book seems to confirm that suspicion. In the end, it's not a book I would recommend unless you need it to complete your collection.
Similar Products: Edge Runners, NERPS: Edge Runners
Survey Rating: 5.0 (18 votes)
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Released: 1995
Authors: Rob Cruz, Tom Dowd, Mike Nystul, Diane Piron-Gelman, Christopher Kubasik
ISBN: 1-55560-253-3
Price: $18.00
Pages: 160 + 8 color + fold-out color map
Status/Availability: in print/common
Sections: Welcome to Bug City, City Under Siege, Windy City, Living In Oblivion, Insects Among Us, The Core, Gamemaster Information
Overview: Bug City deals with what happens in Chicago in the summer of 2055 and later. If you're not a gamemaster and the campaign you play in has not reached mid-2055 yet, you might want to stay away from this book (and this overview) until your gamemaster says it's OK for you to read it, though. As said, Bug City talks about Chicago, and as the name suggests it has something to do with insect spirits. Namely, some organizations have been secretly breeding tens or even hundreds of thousands of them underneath Chicago, and when something goes wrong, they break loose. The UCAS seals off the city, and lets nobody in or out in order to keep the problem contained. Some time later, somebody even uses a... you didn't think I was going to tell you that, now did you? Anyway, if you're a gamemaster and plan on throwing some nasty surprises on your players, Bug City is the book to buy: it offers a complete campaign setting, which I tend to describe as "Combine Mad Max and Alien, and then set it in mid-1990s Sarajevo," and because it's totally isolated it is a gamemaster's playground.
Concerning the artwork and layout, this is different than most people will be used to. At first, it's a bit difficult, as it seems to attempt to give an impression of the chaos in Chicago. Once you get used to it it's okay, though I think it could have been done a little bit better.
Similar Products: none
Survey Rating: 7.4 (28 votes)
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Released: 1995
Authors: Michael E. Colton, Rob Cruz, Tom Dowd, Diane Piron-Gelman, Sam Lewis, Mike Mulvihill, Sharon Turner Mulvihill
ISBN: 1-55560-261-4
Price: $18.00
Pages: 128 + 8 color
Status/Availability: out of print/rare
Sections: Introduction, History, Physical Security, Technical Security, Magical Security, Matrix Security, Personnel Security, Executive Protection, Behind The Curtain, Ares Security International Fall 2055 Catalog, Gamemaster Information, Corporate Security Personnel, Archetypes
Overview: Promised as being "On the horizon" in a 1993 FASA flyer, this book finally came out in 1995. At first glance, it's a good book, but when you get a little deeper into it, you soon start thinking "I could have come up with those ideas too!" The book is written as a Knight Errant brochure on how to secure your corp's facilities, and as such it provides a good many ideas on how to do just that in the Shadowrun game, but like I said before, there's virtually nothing you can't think of yourself if you apply a bit of common sense coupled to a little research. One nice idea is the Fat Aerial Bacteria (FAB), which can be used to block the passage of astrally-projecting magicians, though nobody seems to agree on how it actually works (including FASA); this is also something that won't work under third edition rules. The Ares Catalog bit contains lots of things useful for security in Street Samurai Catalog-style, though virtually no new weapons except two squirt guns and a paintball weapon. Also in the book are typical security troopers, and three new archetypes of freelance security people.
Similar Products: Fields of Fire, Lone Star
Survey Rating: 6.8 (31 votes)
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Released: 1995
Author: Tom Dowd
ISBN: 1-55560-267-3
Price: $15.00
Pages: 102
Status/Availability: in print/common
Sections: Introduction, Part 1: Cyberware, Welcome To The Cutting Edge, Life On The Wire, Comfortably Numb, Cyberware Rules, Part 2: Cybermancy, Beyond The Pale, Cybermancy, Magic And Death, Cybermancy Rules, Chrome Kings, Tables, Index
Overview: this is the book that those who love the Street Samurai Catalog and especially Shadowtech will want to own. The first part of the book follows a street samurai named Hatchetman as he recovers from a near-fatal incident, with him describing how and why he got his cyberware, followed by a catalog-type section with new cyberware—things from lights in your eyes to cyberarms with built-in gyromounts—although it suffers (IMHO) from the Shadowrun attitude of only including things that have a direct use in the game. A few are also a bit over the top, like the oral weapons and the extra arm. Then there's expanded rules covering just about everything involved with cyberware; this section has some rules that appeared in previous books, and gives yet another system for cyberware damage (Shadowtech still has the best one, if you ask me). There is no new bioware in this book, by the way.
The second half of the book talks about cybermancy: getting more than 6 Essence points' worth of cyberware, without dying and without using alpha or higher grade 'ware. This has some inherent risks, and is very hard to get, but it can be done. It seems to me like this will mostly be a gamemaster's tool, though. Then there is a chapter with some characters (NPCs) who all have lots of cyberware, and a table with all the cyber- and bioware that has appeared in Shadowrun books.
Similar Products: Chromebook Conversions, Information Overload, Paranoid Animals of North America, Shadowtech, Street Samurai Catalog, Tech Specs
Survey Rating: 6.9 (31 votes)
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Released: 1995
Authors: Stephen Kenson, Robert Cruz, Diane Piron-Gelman, Sharon Turner Mulvihill
ISBN: 1-55560-273-8
Price: $15.00
Pages: 160
Status/Availability: in print/common
Sections: Introduction, What You Need To Know About Magic, The Ways Of Magic, The Magical Arsenal, The Astral Advantage, Adepts, Voudoun, Major Mojo, Rules, Street Grimoire, Archetypes, Tables
Overview: an advanced magic sourcebook, like The Grimoire and The Grimoire II in some ways, and unlike it in others, Awakenings is one you might want to stay away from until you've gotten the hang of the magic rules presented in SRII and The Grimoire II, as it builds on the information given there. The workings and theories behind magic in the Sixth World are explained in the usual neo-anarchist fashion of presenting a "real world" text with comments added by various people, which makes some things clearer but also raises more questions. The first part of the book is devoted to such game world discussions of magic and its applications, with the second part consisting of rules expansions and clarifications. Included are rules for physical adepts, new adept powers, a system for practicing voudoun (voodoo), new totems including some for paranormal animals, and a load of new spells. Then added on are some new player character archetypes and tables listing all spells, totems, and physical adept abilities published up until 1995.
Similar Products: Magic In The Shadows, The Grimoire — The Manual of Practical Thaumaturgy, 14th Edition, 2050, The Grimoire — The Manual of Practical Thaumaturgy 15th Edition, 2053
Survey Rating: 7.3 (32 votes)
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Released: 1996
Authors: a whole load of people
ISBN: 1-55560-290-8
Price: $18.00
Pages: 104 + 8 color
Status/Availability: in print/common
Sections: Introduction, Alamos 20,000, Afraid Of The Darke, Winternight, The Vampire Conspiracy, Halberstam's Babies, KSAF, The Atlantean Conspiracy, Here There Be Dragons, Bugs, Blood Mage Gestalt, The Black Lodge, The Human Nation, Tutor, Strain III
Overview: as the name suggests, this book has the low-down on a number of people and organizations that have the potential of drastically altering the balance of power in the Sixth World. This poses a problem for me here, because I want to say something about the book, but I can't say too much... The chapter names tend to give a fair impression of who and what gets discussed in the book, which is done by dividing each chapter in a section with neo-anarchist text-with-comments followed by a section with gamemaster information. This is partly a good idea, because it means the gamemaster has the real scoop (as far as that is given) right next to the information to which player characters could have access, but it also means that it becomes difficult to give this book to players—it's all too easy to read on into the gamemaster section and find out things that the gamemaster would want to keep secret for the moment. The only way to do this seems to be photocopying the parts that the PCs have access to, but that gets expensive, especially since the book itself isn't cheap either for a 104-page sourcebook. The threats themselves are good ones, and could easily form the basis for an entire campaign rather than a one-off adventure, though this once again brings up the matter of cost: in building a campaign around these threats, you'll never use all of them in your game (not unless you plan on playing nothing but Shadowrun for the next 10 years) so in fact most of the book would be wasted...
Similar Products: Portfolio Of A Dragon: Dunkelzahn's Secrets
Survey Rating: 7.1 (26 votes)
Notes: I would consider this book very much a gamemaster-only work.
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Released: 1996
Authors: Steve Kenson, Mike Colton, Todd Bolling, Jon F. Zeigler
ISBN: 1-55560-306-8
Price: $15.00
Pages: 112
Status/Availability: in print/uncommon
Sections: Introduction, The Dragon's Last Dance, The Last Testament Of Dunkelzahn, I, Dunkelzahn..., The Players, Shadowland On Parade, The Sleeping Dragon, Who Watches The Watchers?, In The Cards
Overview: this review could have some big spoilers if the game you play in hasn't reached August 2057 yet! Consider yourself warned... If you're still reading this, then you probably already know Dunkelzahn was assassinated when he was inaugurated as UCAS president, and left a will that raises lots of questions. Portfolio Of A Dragon: Dunkelzahn's Secrets contains this will, and takes a look at who benefits (and some of the reasons why), and tries to find out who killed the Big D (and again, why). In essence, this book is one big device for generating adventures, because a great many of the entries in Dunkelzahn's will could be turned into anything from short one-off adventures to whole campaigns, in search of an item, the truth, both, none, or something else entirely. It doesn't give any concrete adventure plots, but could spark lots of them; for this reason, it can be considered "safe" to read for players.
Similar Products: Threats
Survey Rating: 7.9 (28 votes)
Notes: better check with your gamemaster before reading this book.
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Released: 1996
Authors: Stephen Kenson, Randall Bills, John Bridegroom, Jim Nelson, Mike Mielsen & Diane Piron-Gelman
ISBN: 1-55560-315-7
Price: $15.00
Pages: 112
Status/Availability: in print/uncommon
Sections: Introduction, The Shadows Get Darker ..., The Business Of Crime, The Mafia, The Yakuza, The Triads, The Seoulpa Rings, Other Operators, Underground Groups, Game Information, Gang Profiles
Overview: Organized crime is powerful in the Sixth World, and this book sets out to explain the major players, as well as shedding some light on the smaller ones. The main chapters are those dealing with the four main crime syndicates operating throughout the world, the relationships between them, the way they're built up, how they do business, and so on. It's a pretty good book for getting an insight into criminal operations, both for players wanting to know how to use them to their advantage, and for gamemasters who want to involve their players with crime syndicates in some way or another. Also featured are gangs, from large, dangerous ones like the Ancients down to small street gangs that might only be a nuissance to tough shadowrunners. A system to give ratings to gangs is included as well. I like this book, mainly because it has valuable information explaining exactly who gets pissed off when you do what *GM grin*.
Similar Products: Mob War!
Survey Rating: 7.2 (28 votes)
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Released: 1997
Authors: Jennifer Brandes, Chris Hepler, Jonathan Szeto & Michael Mulvihill
ISBN: 1-55560-301-7
Price: $18.00
Pages: 184 + 8 color
Status/Availability: in print/common
Sections: Introduction, Not A Shadow In Sight, A World Of Piracy, The Swashbucklers Of The Caribbean, The Rebel Pirates Of The Philippines, The Smugglers Of The Gold And Ivory Coasts, Long Haul Piracy And The Pirate Island, The Cost Of Living On The Sea, Game Information, Underwater Adventuring, Ship Rules, Equipment, Index
Overview: Shadowrun takes a whole new direction with this book, namely that of piracy and smuggling over sea. Cyberpirates! is part location sourcebook and part background; starting with the former, the areas described in reasonable detail are the Caribbean (dashing pirates trying to combine style and substance), the Philippines (rebels using piracy to finance their fight against the Japanese oppressor), the Gold and Ivory Coasts of Africa (pirates who are in this business because it's the only way to stay alive), and Madagascar (a huge island with pirates along the shores and nobody-knows-what in the interior). All these are described in the usual Shadowrun style of text with comments in-between the regular paragraphs, and offer interesting locations to either visit or base a pirate campaign out of.
That brings us to the second purpose of the book, namely to give ideas for an alternate type of Shadowrun campaign, where the player characters are pirates who fend for themselves rather than working for any Mr. Johnson who pays enough. This is a completely different type of game from the normal type, and could make a very interesting campaign. The last chapters of the book have rules dealing with most situations that piracy adventures would need, such as swimming and diving, expanded vehicle rules for ships (based on those in Rigger 2), game stats for ships and ship-mounted weapons, additional personal equipment, and more. (Unfortunately, ship construction rules are not included, though.) Further rules deal with the areas described, and have things like new critters, special magic rules, and other additions to the basic rules.
This is a book I personally like, even though I haven't used it in my campaign yet due to that being set in Seattle. If you're looking for a way to play Shadowrun that's different from the norm, Cyberpirates! on is well worth looking into.
Similar Products: none
Survey Rating: 7.2 (21 votes)
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