Shadowrun
Catalyst Game Labs => Catalyst's Shadowrun Products => Topic started by: Mirikon on <06-15-12/1806:22>
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Just picked up this PDF, and I gotta say it is not what I was expecting. I had gone in expecting something like the Corporate Intrigue or Jet Set books, but this was basically a treatise on magical groups that expanded slightly on what was found in Street Magic and other sources, and then proceeded to give examples of a few magical groups. All told, a nice piece of fluff for a mage character looking for someone to help out with initiation, but not much use to most people. But hey, it was definitely worth the $5 to get it.
Also, on the Jackpoint page there were more notices for Used Car Lot and EuroWar Antiques, but a new one got listed in the upcoming file as well: Parageology. Gotta say I'm looking forward to that. Maybe we'll find out some more about the Lacuna?
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Also, on the Jackpoint page there were more notices for Used Car Lot and EuroWar Antiques
Woot woot, hope we get those soonish ;D
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Thanks Mirikon.
Does this have any new rules for initiates or forming groups? Or is it all fluff?
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100% fluff. Does have some info on some magical groups, including one that is trying to blend magic and technomancy, and so being one of the only organizations to have both an initiation and a submersion group. But no actual rules. Still, for $4.95 it is some nice fluff to have if you're making a mage.
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100% fluff. Does have some info on some magical groups, including one that is trying to blend magic and technomancy, and so being one of the only organizations to have both an initiation and a submersion group. But no actual rules. Still, for $4.95 it is some nice fluff to have if you're making a mage.
Damn, with the downturn in my work I can only afford the crunch books. Thank you for the help.
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I'm with Mirikon on this one. It's a nice fluff piece that's worth the price of admission, but you won't really find anything crunchy in this book. I'm just glad it didn't have any new spells (did you guys learn your lesson after WAR! ?) to muddy the waters, but I'd really have liked the 'minor magical societies' such as the TechnoMagicians to get a little more detail to them. Maybe in a 'Data Havens of the Sixth World' sourcebook? I'm thinking they're mostly composed of all streams of technomancers (except technoshamans, e-scapists and maybe singularitans) and a lot of Black, Chaos and Hermetic Magicians (who are the most deeply rooted in tech).
Still, it's a good enough fluff piece to read cover to cover, if Sixth World Magic is your thing. Am I the only person getting X-Men vibes off the Vigilant Iron Schooling House, though?
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Well, likely be one I'll be skipping then. I just don't feel a new source book is worth shelling out money for unless it has a good bit of new mechanical stuff.
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See, maybe I was spoiled by FASA (Dating myself, aie!), but I always found the fluff books to be amazing. Battletech was really good for this, but Shadowrun was there as well, with several books offering some token gear in it, but 95% of the book didn't both with a single game rule. Toomuch crunch fills me with dread of power creep and 'SpatBook Syndrome', and doom, gloom, yadda yadda yadda, you know the rants.
Guns! will appeal to more groups, and certainly more players, but I'd lay odds that you'll get more gametime out of this, despite the lack of new Stuff.
Different strokes for differnt folks and all that, but figured I should at least pop in and wave the big fluffy banner for a bit. :)
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Actually... Does Shadowrun need more crunch? If so, what is the crunch gap?
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Traidtionally, the issue that comes up is between Awakened and Non-Awakened, because neat new toys (Guns, EmoToys, whatever) can be used by magical characters and non-magical as well, which fails to close the gap. New Cyber can close the gap, but not terribly far, simply because there's a hard cap of 6 Essence.
So, new guns, new armor, new toys... nice, but not a HUGE thing.
New Cyber or Bio can be a game-changer, so is very, very essential to walk softly on.
Vehicles are ... interesting. Aside from the ongoing joke that RIgger books end editions, the truth is that vehicles are both needed to sustain the world, but are some of teh least-used bits of gear. Typically, "How is everyone getting there?" is answered "We get in Bob's van" or, "Well, me and Tony have bikes. Jill has a car, so everybody else piles in with her. Wait, Frank won't fit. Frank? I guess you're on the subway buddy. Tough luck."
Vehicle rules are never vetted as well as the others, due to being a small chunk, and tring to make a vehicle book often falls flat ... and is ALWAYS art-heavy. (Art is far more expensive than writing.) You can tell people about Pocket Gadget #7 and the nod along and don't need a pic, but when you mention a new Ferrari for 2073, you'd better have a picture or people start breaking out pitchforks.
So, vehicle crunch is one of the few areas that need some real expansion. There's room for some minor crunch after that, detailing unique rules for Critter X or Decking Program Y, or adding a dozen new bits of minor gear somewhere (For example, if a new Rocker book came out, rules for instruments and performingw ould be needed, but a page, two tops, should handle it)
Fluff, however?
I can never get enough fluff. It's what defines a setting!
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Fun fact: if you compare Threats 2 and Magic Societies Game Information, there are three times more member in the New Order of the Temple than in there are in the Order of Saint Sylvester they use as a cover. Or, to put it another way, as much as three sylvestrines out of four actually are templars in disguise.
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Fun fact: if you compare Threats 2 and Magic Societies Game Information, there are three times more member in the New Order of the Temple than in there are in the Order of Saint Sylvester they use as a cover. Or, to put it another way, as much as three sylvestrines out of four actually are templars in disguise.
Sounds like the Order of Saint Sylvester has been co-opted in a very big way.
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No wonder “The Knights of Saint Nicholas” came into being. ;D