[odd]

I just got my 20th Anniversary  book and am looking at buying another book.  So what order would you all put the books in need to get?  I'm just a player so DM stuff isn't needed (but feel free to put in incase a DM comes along this thread too).

[CanRay]

Arsenal.  Gear books are always handy!

Augmentation or Street Magic for the Street Sami or Magician/Adept.

Unwired for Hackers/TMs.

Maybe a spare copy of Runner's Companion for the entire group rather than fighting over the GM's copy.

Safehouses, because I'm a greedy bugger and wants to see that Gold level get to Platinum. 

BTW, Welcome to the board!  Kiss your sanity good-bye! 

[Bull]

If you were GMing, I'd suggest Runner's Toolkit as a must buy.  Maps, GM advice, a faster Chargen system (PACKs), a sweet GM screen, reference sheets, a compiled gear list from all the core books...  It's a box full of awesome.

[CanRay]

If you were GMing, I'd suggest Runner's Toolkit as a must buy.  Maps, GM advice, a faster Chargen system (PACKs), a sweet GM screen, reference sheets, a compiled gear list from all the core books...  It's a box full of awesome.

But he isn't a GM, so... 

[Bull]

Yup, but he said to feel free and mention GM-only stuff as well in case any Gms read this.

Plus, if he ever diceds to pick up the GM Screen in the future, it's still worthwhile to look into.

[Wakshaani]

Yeah, gotta say that the Runner's Toolkit is top of the line.

After that, Arsenal, since everyone can use it, followed by Augmentation, since most can use it.

Unwired and Street Magic are for Matrix-thick or Magic-thick games.

After that, season to taste. I like the SixthWorld Almanac, which provides  the background that you need to make the world alive, but without more Stuff, people tend to frown at it.

I think that Shadowrun4.com's list of books breaks things down by category. Wonder if maybe we should assemble a 'Reccomended' list? Hrm.

[Mirikon]

Must-haves:

SR4A
Runner's Toolkit
Arsenal
Unwired
Street Magic
Augmentation
Runner's Companion

Very damn good to have:

Sixth World Almanac
Seattle 2072 (or any of the location books that fit your sprawl)
Attitude
Safehouses
Spy Games
Conspiracy Theories
WAR!
Clutch of Dragons
SOTA 2073

Nice to have:

Gun Heaven 1 & 2
Deadly Waves
Unfriendly Skies
MilSpec Tech 1 & 2
This Old Drone
Used Car Lot
Way of the Adept
Hazard Pay
Any location book not in your sprawl
Any Missions or other adventure books, such as 99 Bottles

[Eugene]

The real answer is that it depends on what kind of character you're playing.  In general, though, Arsenal is by far the most referenced book at our virtual table after the core book.

[Scarecrow71]

While I agree with about 99% of what Mirikon stated, I have to move Seattle 2072 (or whatever other location book fits your sprawl) into the must-have category.  Your character will know stuff about the area, so it's a good idea for you to at least have the book to thumb through when you make that Area knowledge skill check.

[Mirikon]

The reason I put Seattle 2072 in the second category was because the first category is primarily mechanics-heavy, introducing things that can greatly expand a character's usefulness. The second category is primarily world-building, which a new player can get by without, until they've got the mechanics down, and if the GM is decent, they'll pick it up as they go. The third category are splatbooks that allow you to flesh out your character or the world more than the second group, but might not be as central to your campaign, or provide minor mechanics options, such as some of the spells in Hazard Pay, or the ability to buy off the Obsolete quality on old vehicles.

[Critias]

Just a quick aside, but if you're an e-book fan, check out: http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/70781/Shadowrun%3A-4th-Ed.-Rules-Expansion-%5BBUNDLE%5D?manufacturers_id=2216

It's kind of hard to go wrong with, if you're looking to buy some of the core supplement products at a pretty sweet price.

[odd]

Why is the toolkit readily high?  isn't it mostly reference

[shrike]

Why is the toolkit readily high?  isn't it mostly reference

For this reason (description from DriveThruRPG):

Description:

NEVER GO IN UNARMED! When you go into a tight spot, you go in prepared. One gun might be good, but two is better. And two guns and a grenade launcher is better still. Throw in a spellslinger to watch your back, and you're on to something. Runner's Toolkit is the well-stocked arsenal all runners should have, the ultimate accessory to the Shadowrun, Twentieth Anniversary core rulebook. Inside you'll find:

    On the Run, one of Shadowrun's most popular introductory adventures;
    Contacts, Adventures and Sprawl Sites, a booklet that gives you the who, the what, and the where to launch runners on new missions;
    The Pre-generated Auxiliary Character and Kit System, a modular system that makes character and NPC generation simple while keeping characters highly customizable;
    Anatomy of a Shadowrun, a two-column book; one column tells the story of a high-stakes run, while the other details the tests and rules that players involved in the run would encounter, giving gamesters insight into how a Shadowrun game flows;
    Six quick-reference sheets that, with the gamemaster's screen, greatly reduces the time spent flipping through books to find a particular rule;
    A book compiling tables from Arsenal, Street Magic, Augmentation and Unwired—it's the ultimate shopping list for runners!

[CanRay]

Why is the toolkit readily high?  isn't it mostly reference

The GM screen alone is worth it.

[Wakshaani]

The PACKS system is also a fantastic thing. A few builds clash with my sensibilities, but being able to plug-n-play? HUGE help.