Shadowrun
Shadowrun General => General Discussion => Topic started by: T-Hatchet on <08-24-13/0831:44>
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Getting back into Shadowrun with Shadowrn 5th Edition (PDF, my local book shops says it will be the end of September at least before they see the print ones in the UK and don't hope for a limited edition one) I would love to get back into Shadowrun Novels (read Changeling way back when and have been searching for Burning Bright for years) but all the links on http://www.shadowruntabletop.com/products/fiction/ (http://www.shadowruntabletop.com/products/fiction/) other than Shadowrun: Spells & Chrome (trying to sort out how to read that on my tech) are dead links.
Can someone point me to other working Amazon or BattleCorps links for Shadowrun fiction.
I would also love some recommendations.
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Old novels should be easy to find on Amazon. That's where I bought many.
Changeling is indeed a fantastic book. 2XS by Nigel Findley and Fade to Black by Nyx Smith are my other two top favorites, along with Changeling. The Kellan Colt Trilogy by Stephen Kenson, starting with Born to Run are also good.
Anything by Nigel Findley, Nyx Smith, Stephen Kenson, or Robert N. Charrette I usually enjoy.
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My general advice is twofold:
1) Nigel Findley and Michael Stackpole.
2) Read all of it you can. Snag 'em up on eBay in big piles of books (doing searches for "shadowrun lot" or something) for super cheap, and call it a win. Score a bunch of 'em for like seventy-five cents each, and even if you bite in and don't like any particular book, you're probably gonna be okay in the long run. Cast a wide net. Haul in as many as you can.
And -- breaking from my usual advice, here! -- hold up hope! New fiction is coming. Licensing stuff's been tackled and we're good to go for about a half dozen paperbacks in the next few years.
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Great. Thanks for the update Critias.
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New fiction is coming. Licensing stuff's been tackled and we're good to go for about a half dozen paperbacks in the next few years.
This brings a smile to m face ;D I'd love to see 2-3 releases a year, but appreciate my wants don't always translate well to the mandates of others. ::)
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My general advice is twofold:
1) Nigel Findley and Michael Stackpole.
2) Read all of it you can. Snag 'em up on eBay in big piles of books (doing searches for "shadowrun lot" or something) for super cheap, and call it a win. Score a bunch of 'em for like seventy-five cents each, and even if you bite in and don't like any particular book, you're probably gonna be okay in the long run. Cast a wide net. Haul in as many as you can.
And -- breaking from my usual advice, here! -- hold up hope! New fiction is coming. Licensing stuff's been tackled and we're good to go for about a half dozen paperbacks in the next few years.
What about licensing on the earlier novels? Weren't there issues on those? Would love to see the older stuff (both SR and BT) make it back, in any e-reader format. They used to have that available in Kindle format, then they got yanked before I thought to get them. Darned hindsight...
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I will be honest: I'm not overly fond of Nyx Smith's stuff. The character of Striper in particular is a very unsympathetic and uninteresting character. Though one of his books did a great job of showing what happens when a Run goes totally to drek. I agree about Michael Stackpole. In particular, Wolf and Raven is an EXCELLENT read. I don't know if it's the best for getting into the setting, but it is an extremely entertaining book. And the Shadowrunners that Raven employs are a very interesting bunch. :)
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Last week, I stumbled upon a garage sale where someone was selling all his Shadowrun novels.
I got all 41 of them at 1$ each, I was greedy enough to haggle the lot for 40$!
They were only read once and are in perfect condition!
I'm currently reading through the first one of the Dragon Heart Trilogy, Stanger Souls, since I've been playing Earthdawn for like 8 years, I was told this trilogy was the closest thing I could find that ties the two together.
I'm halfway through it and it's really good! At least in my opinion.
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Last week, I stumbled upon a garage sale where someone was selling all his Shadowrun novels.
I got all 41 of them at 1$ each, I was greedy enough to haggle the lot for 40$!
You lucky...
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Nice. My wife was trying to get me to sell my SR novels in our up coming garage sale. She got a flat out NO for an answer.
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Nice. My wife was trying to get me to sell my SR novels in our up coming garage sale. She got a flat out NO for an answer.
I made the very stupid mistake of selling them when I moved away from the province.
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Old novels should be easy to find on Amazon. That's where I bought many.
Changeling is indeed a fantastic book. 2XS by Nigel Findley and Fade to Black by Nyx Smith are my other two top favorites, along with Changeling. The Kellan Colt Trilogy by Stephen Kenson, starting with Born to Run are also good.
Anything by Nigel Findley, Nyx Smith, Stephen Kenson, or Robert N. Charrette I usually enjoy.
You forgot Mel Odom. And as far as it goes for Striper being unsympathetic, she's a frigging tiger, she's not supposed to be sympathetic. The other characters in the books were supposed to be sympathetic, and interesting, as well. I loved Dirk "I'm not a shadowrunner" Montgomery, particularly when he was dealing with an incognito Harlequin. The Serrin Samander books were interesting, too.
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You forgot Mel Odom. And as far as it goes for Striper being unsympathetic, she's a frigging tiger, she's not supposed to be sympathetic. The other characters in the books were supposed to be sympathetic, and interesting, as well. I loved Dirk "I'm not a shadowrunner" Montgomery, particularly when he was dealing with an incognito Harlequin. The Serrin Samander books were interesting, too.
Both Bandit and Rico were fantastic characters. I preferred Fade to Black over the first Striper novel, as it was focused more on a Shadowrun. My problem with some of the novels is that they forget to have actual shadowruns in the novel.
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Hey, 90% of an excellent run is getting paid to do what you were planning on doing anyway.
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I still say Into The Shadows was the best one they ever did.
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Don't forget there is also the Enhanced Fiction (http://www.battlecorps.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=28_187_241) line of short stories for your quick Shadowrun fiction hits. Several stories coming down the pipe in the relatively near future, if schedule holds.
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Anyone know if the Enhanced Fiction (old or new) will be getting 5th edition stats?
I got lucky finding some of the (wiz kid) novels in a local book shop for rrp most of the ones I find else where are going for 3 times rrp or more.
I was only able to find only 2 ebooks for Kindle plus Shadowrun Returns came with an ebook.
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Anyone know if the Enhanced Fiction (old or new) will be getting 5th edition stats?
There's precious little "old" enhanced fiction. I've submitted some errata for Another Rainy Night, to fix a couple of errors I made statting out Lydia Bowden; those are all 4th edition stats. I don't see restatting a couple of those characters for SR5, or the limited bits of gear I had in there, but if I'm asked to do so, I will.
That said, Sail Away Sweet Sister is the long-overdue sequel to ARN, and it's going to be dual-statted for SR4 and SR5. The two main characters from ARN, Thomas McAllister and Lydia Bowden, will be statted out for SASS, along with some new characters.
I was only able to find only 2 ebooks for Kindle plus Shadowrun Returns came with an ebook.
As one of the contributors to the Shadowrun Returns Anthology, I'm curious...whatcha think? There have been boatloads of reviews about the game, and to my knowledge, one review of the anthology.
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As one of the contributors to the Shadowrun Returns Anthology, I'm curious...whatcha think? There have been boatloads of reviews about the game, and to my knowledge, one review of the anthology.
I loved the anthology. It definitely made being a backer at that level worth it. I thought all of the stories were pretty good from top to bottom. All of them save the Talon story seemed to have some connection to the game, which was cool (Aside: I enjoyed the Talon story, but if there was a game connection, it went over my head). I know when I posted about it on the shadowrun.com board, a few people commented that some of the stories didn't quite mesh with the game story (Jordan even points out that there may be a few inconsistencies due to changes made to the game story at the last minute), but I thought everything hung together well. I guess I just assumed that not EVERYTHING the characters in the game were saying was chip-truth helped me see past any incosistencies. I think my top two stories involved Dresden and McKlusky were awesome since they greatly changed my perspective on both of the characters.
EDIT: Just checked the anthology and I'm happy to report that I also enjoyed your short story, Patrick. Nice little self-contained run with the requisite amount of subterfuge and betrayal. I really liked the main character and his backstory. It's always entertaining coming up with ideas for Awakened occupations in the 6th World.
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If you like Seamus, you'll need to pick up Sail Away Sweet Sister when it drops.
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Just finished reading Blowing Sky High.
I have a warm spot in my heart for Dwarf Magicians (my first Shadowrun character was a Dwarf mage detective, shame everyone else was playing combat monsters)
I am really enjoying the Shadowrun Returns Anthology.
I look forward to reading more of your Shadowrun fiction.
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I would love to read the anthology, however after paying to upgrade my version to the Deluxe, Steam has failed to deliver that extra material and hasn't responded to my support ticket.
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Maybe you should contact HBS instead, lazlo. They can help you set up through their website.
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I'll do that, thanks.
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any one know any books base mainly on Technomancers or deckers set somewhere about 4e-5e if you can but i take any?
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any one know any books base mainly on Technomancers or deckers set somewhere about 4e-5e if you can but i take any?
The last novels came out at the end of SR3. We'll see what the new novels have to show.
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any one know any books base mainly on Technomancers or deckers set somewhere about 4e-5e if you can but i take any?
The last novels came out at the end of SR3. We'll see what the new novels have to show.
Due to a small spelling error involving the transposition of a d and m from The Desk on High, the writing staff is now doing a retro piece as they were told to do a novel on Technodancers and Meckers.(ger) ;)
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That would explain a great many things....
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A new Enhanced fiction has turned up in RPG Drivethru called "The Vladivostok Gauntlet"
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It's also available on Amazon. The DTRPG package gets you, I believe, the ereader versions and a PDF of the story. It's fun stuff; Olivier did a nice job.
Addendum: It's also up on Barnes & Noble for the Nook.
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Available through the Battleshop (http://www.battlecorps.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=3241), DriveThruRPG (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/119271/Shadowrun-The-Vladivostok-Gauntlet), Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Shadowrun-The-Vladivostok-Gauntlet-ebook/dp/B00F8UF1LU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379461364&sr=8-1&keywords=vladivostok+gauntlet), and Barnes & Noble (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadowrun-olivier-gagnon/1116922875?ean=2940148437758).
Alternately, you could buy the whole package from either the Battleshop (http://www.battlecorps.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=3241) or DriveThru (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/119271/Shadowrun-The-Vladivostok-Gauntlet), and get everything–a Kindle version, an e-pub version, and a complete PDF with all the game stats. No matter which version you choose, you get new Shadowrun fiction for only $1.99! Here’s a full summary:
Rules for the Breaking
Yuri Yehzov has been off the streets for a long while, surviving by following a few simple rules. Don’t stick your neck out. Don’t get involved in something that is none of your business. And above all, don’t piss off the ferocious mobsters of the Vory y Zakone.
Yuri doesn’t have much left from his shadowrunning days except his cyberears, but that’s enough to get him in trouble. When he hears something he cannot ignore, one by one his rules fall by the wayside until he has cold-blooded killers, vicious shapeshifters, and a ruthless Vory leader all after him. His gear is broken, his reflexes are shot, and he’s about to face the toughest opponents he’s ever been against. The streets have one more chance to claim his life—and he has one more chance to break the rules, beat the odds, and find a way to stay alive.
The Vladivostok Gauntlet is a brand new Shadowrun short story. Read it and immerse yourself in the grit, grime, and dirty glory of the Sixth World!
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Downloaded! :)
Looks like they're also offering "Another Rainy Night" in the same package/format.
Edit - mistake there, looks live they've just released ePub and Kindle version separately.
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Just finished reading The Vladivostok Gauntlet. Pretty good read.
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Looks like they're also offering "Another Rainy Night" in the same package/format.
Edit - mistake there, looks live they've just released ePub and Kindle version separately.
Wonder how they handled the stat blocks. I wonder, also, if they fixed the typos I submitted....
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:)
edit: corrected statement: ARN does not have stats on the web site
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Wonder how they handled the stat blocks. I wonder, also, if they fixed the typos I submitted....
As the PDF on DTRPG hasn't been updated, doubt any corrections have been included.
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Finished The Vladivostok Gauntlet.
I must say this novel is hilarious! 8 counts of "vodka", 3 counts of "Stalin" and even 1 count of "borscht". That's deep.
Loved the profound understanding of Russian culture and mindset. Especially this bit:
Maybe you died, maybe not. If not, there would be vodka later, and that was that.
Now, please don't get me wrong, I understand what creative license is. But that novel is just ridiculous. What's next, a novel about a Chineese man who can't drive or a Canadian hitman who says "sorry" after every shot?
That is the first SR fiction I disliked.
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I don't think your criticism is unfair, but I could share my counter-opinion on these points:
Vodka: In Shadowrun, alcohol as a vice of choice is actually somewhat rarer since you have BTLs and so many other mind-benders to chose from. The choice of Vodka as a preferred poison is a sort of purposeful throwback to old customs, giving a little insight into the mentality of the characters in question. I don't think the story suggested all Russians drink Vodka all the time, or at least I hope it didn't.
Stalin: Yes, this I can definitely see your point. I certainly did ponder a while about that name choice. The exact reason here is that the Stalin Industrial Complex is came from a friend, Redjack from DSF. It was an invention from his regular gaming group he shared with me when I was designing the story (or more precisely the Border Runners Vladivostok chapter, from which Vladivostok Gauntlet was born). That's what his group called it. I considered this, as I thought by 2074 any reference to Stalin wouldn't really make sense or be pertinent, but to honour the origin of the idea, I decided to not change the name. But, yeah, I can see why you'd go "'wtf".
Borscht: Sorry, can't remember where I mentioned this.
Loved the profound understanding of Russian culture and mindset. Especially this bit:
Maybe you died, maybe not. If not, there would be vodka later, and that was that.
Well, that is a specific reference to Russian gangster footmen, not Russians. Is that what authentic Russian vory foot soldiers think? Don't know, didn't ask any. But, I imagine it'd have to cross your mind a little. I don't think I'm out of line saying a part of Russian mentality is pretty "accepting of things you can't control". That's taken to a bit of an extreme when you're a low ranking footpad for the mob. Your bosses don't care much about your life, so hopefully you don't die on this assignment, and that's pretty much that. If you don't die, you celebrate - and since, again, we're talking underworld figure, we're talking about a pretty rough type of celebration using as many voces as possible to obliterate your survival instincts telling you your choice of career ain't that great.
So anyway, I can understand a local not finding this to be exactly the greatest representation of true Russian culture, but hopefully my decision path makes a little more sense to you.
And since I am in fact Canadian, I'll say "Sorry, eh!"
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Must read this book! My current character is a Russian Dwarf magician who happens to be from Vladivostock and has an unhealthy love of vodka. No idea why I chose this other than it was one of the few places in Russia I could think of at the time.
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@Backgammon
Well, sorry for ranting =) I guess I'd liked the novel more if I wasn't Russian.
Vodka: In Shadowrun, alcohol as a vice of choice is actually somewhat rarer since you have BTLs and so many other mind-benders to chose from. The choice of Vodka as a preferred poison is a sort of purposeful throwback to old customs, giving a little insight into the mentality of the characters in question. I don't think the story suggested all Russians drink Vodka all the time, or at least I hope it didn't.
I do understand that the choice of vodka is justified. It is really justified. Moreover, I have to tell you, that the stereotype is somewhat right: we really do drink vodka often and it is way more popular than any other poison here.
It's the last point: I felt that the story suggested that Russians drink vodka all the time. About the first thing the Vory hitmen do in the story: they ask about vodka. The protagonist drinks vodka in his hideout. Vodka is even mentioned in the character write-ups two times.
Well, that is a specific reference to Russian gangster footmen, not Russians.
The full quote is
He thought if she’d been Russian, she might have fared better. The Russian character was designed to deal with the Otsanas of this world. You stood and you waited. Maybe you died, maybe not. If not, there would be vodka later, and that was that.
So I pictured it as describing Russians. That's really no big deal, you are correct that it is somewhat in our nature.
But why reference vodka again? The vodka makes the passage come out as a strange joke.
So anyway, I can understand a local not finding this to be exactly the greatest representation of true Russian culture, but hopefully my decision path makes a little more sense to you.
It does now, thanks =) I really appreciate you answering. By the way, if you ever need any info on Russia or Russians- feel free to ask.
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To be fair, the guy drinking vodka in his safehouse was in the middle of a very bad day. And whenever you meet someone like Otsana, and walk away living, you're probably going to want a drink. Neither point suggests all Russians are alcoholics, or drink vodka constantly. But there are times when you simply just need a drink.
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He thought if she’d been Russian, she might have fared better. The Russian character was designed to deal with the Otsanas of this world. You stood and you waited. Maybe you died, maybe not. If not, there would be vodka later, and that was that.
So I pictured it as describing Russians. That's really no big deal, you are correct that it is somewhat in our nature.
But why reference vodka again? The vodka makes the passage come out as a strange joke.
Well it is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, actually, so it is a bit of a joke. I think it's overtly overly fatalistic and a simplification of even Yuri's own feelings. It is, well, macho bravado. I think it implies a very unsettling close encounter with death that unsettles you, and simply "drinking it off" is bravado. And also, this passage being from Yuri's point of view, and that he likes Vodka, that's the drink he would mention.
In terms of Yuri "criticizing" Soren for not being Russian, I find that's a human thing to do. What makes us proud and unique in our heritages and cultures only comes to the front when faced with something that is from outside. If Soren had been Russian (and really, for all her lying, maybe she is), Yuri would have simply found another reason for critizising her. Maybe he would have said "Maybe it's because she's a girl". I think at that moment was a throwback to Yuri's past life, in a very Russian cultural element (not a GOOD element, mind you) and what came to his mind is how Soren did not share that culture.
I do appreciate your point of view on the whole thing though, thanks for sharing it.
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I do appreciate your point of view on the whole thing though, thanks for sharing it.
Thank you for explaining, now I get the intended tones better. And again, sorry for ranting.
By the way, when one criticises a work of fiction on a Russian forum, the best response one can expect from an author is quite obscene in wording. I am yet again so pleasantly surprised by how polite and open-minded the western world is.
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I do appreciate your point of view on the whole thing though, thanks for sharing it.
Thank you for explaining, now I get the intended tones better. And again, sorry for ranting.
By the way, when one criticises a work of fiction on a Russian forum, the best response one can expect from an author is quite obscene in wording. I am yet again so pleasantly surprised by how polite and open-minded the western world is.
Dude, you are a LOT more polite than some American critics. Or English teachers. Or Creative Writing professors.