[EccentricOwl]

One of my all-time favorite products from Paizo/WOTC was their Player's Guide series. There would be a "Player's Guide to Eberron" and a "Player's Guide to Golarion" or Pathfinder Player's Guide or somesuch.

They were full-color, image-heavy books that focused on the setting; they usually came in at under 20 pages and were filled with basic primers on all sorts of elements to the setting. Best of all, they were clearly separate; they made the world feel digestible. To a player who isn't immersed in the 'verse, they were invaluable.

I am curious if such a thing exists for Shadowrun.

[Zukkel]

There is the 6th world almanach but I dont think thats what you are looking for.
I had the same problem you have, when I started analysing the universe of Shadowrun a few months ago.
I feel like you have to take the onion approach to the whole thing: Get the core rulebook and read the introductions and all the fluff texts. If you find a term look it up on the internet (that will happen a lot in the beginning). If you cant find any answers, ask here
After that, focus on a particular part relevant for your gameplay. Be it the matrix, magic, a specific nation or critters, just read, look up what you dont know and ask if you dont find anything.

I think getting a complete understanding of the world as for example ourubouros has it, is impossible, but we can get to about 85% i think.

hope this helped.....

[biotech66]

There is what your looking for!  In the boxed intro set, there is a 6th world primer.  It's a good book to have for newer players to help them see and read about the world.

Let's hijack the thread for a moment.  I'd like to push for something a bit in between a full hardcover and the PDF books as a general introduction to the world covering a bit more than the basics, but a bit less then a full hardcover on one part of the world.  I WILL GIVE YOU MONEY CATALYST!  MONEY!

[Sendaz]

From 5th the first part of Run Faster pages 11-42

from 4th I would still go look over Runner's Companion pages 5 - 34

It's not so much locales as how things work and who the players are ....

[Crimsondude]

I thought that's what the Life in the Sixth World chapter of SR5 was supposed to be for.

If you want even more information, this is pretty out of date, but it's also because no one's ever had time to update it in the same style. Although, really, that is also the entire premise of the Sixth World Almanac.

---> http://harebrained-schemes.com/shadowrun/primer/#_=_ 
It's the Shadowrun Bible that Mike Mulvihill put together around 2000/2001 for the freelancers in the waning days of FASA.

If you like, there's also other material I've put on the shadowrun tumblr. So feel free to check it out. http://shadowrun.tumblr.com/

--> http://shadowrun.tumblr.com/Sports
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