I had a campaign idea I want to run past the forums: a Street Legends campaign. I'd use SR4a rules, but start players in the 2050s. The only runs the players play through are misdions where the same team "coincidentally" end up working together, every few years. That way, they play through alot of Shadowrun's key timeline events, and by the 2070s are dealing with the same sorts of problems as FastJack and other oldtimers: running networks, needing leonization, families, younger runners trying to make a name, and adapting to the changing tech and times.
Do you think SR4a could convert for everything back to 1st Edition, what changes do you suggest, and how should I handle wealth and karma for the years between?
Sounds very nice. Especially the late game problems, which normally never occur. Sure, every character has some dreams about the future or should have some ultimate goal. If not in the beginning, then it should get shaped during the years, but as i experienced, that day almost never appears.
A detailed tech advancement can only be fictional. Make big spreadsheet, where all tech is listed in rows, years in columns. Every cell got a number between 0 and 1 for the efficiency of the tech compared to SR4A lists. A 0 efficiency stands for not yet available, a 0.5 efficiency could mean at double price(gear, weapons), or even double price and essence(for implants). Of course not showing the players, so they can't plan ahead
Will be a big table, but to make it easier, you could just put release year/efficiency and then increase efficiency linear up to 2070, will still be lots of work.
Character advancement in between depends on where you agree to end up with and in how many adventures you try to get there.
I.e. a big one every two years with 20 karma each and another 20 karma in between, will get them 400 karma after 20 years and 10 big events. Legend enough i suppose. Wealth gain should depend on what the characters plan to do during the off-time, and how well their skills assist them in that, multiplied by the effect the last run had. I.e. from 'going south, laying low and gaining nothing' to 'big success, getting famous, having skills to open own company and gain a million' - which of course could get all lost after next adventure again. Also you need the right reasons to motivate them to run again after gaining the wealth. Also in between give them another Chax2 free contacts.
