Shadowrun Returns due out later this year!

Shadowrun Returns is a turn based RPG that is, well, Shadowrun. It features a game experience that should favor the table top crowd as well as new to the game. Similar to the NES or Genesis games of old. There is also talk of a feature that we all can appreciate. It's a game editor.

Quote :

The editor in question is the Shadowrun Returns mission tool that will let players act as GM during their own custom missions, complete with a vast library of assets created by Wesiman’s team, and the tools necessary to create deep campaigns where almost anything goes. “The tool is extremely deep and powerful and we’re not ‘dumbing it down’ for release to the public,” Weisman continued.

“It is the exact same tool we use to create our Seattle and Berlin stories. The tool runs on Macs and PCs and allows players to become game masters and create their own stories in the Shadowrun universe. Our art team has created a wide range of exterior and interior building blocks from which GMs can create an amazing array of environments to set their stories within.

“GMs can then place NPC characters into these environments controlling them and the overall gameplay via an expansive trigger system which doesn’t require any scripting knowledge yet provides amazing power to the designer. Interactive objects, decking, and conversations all use the same trigger system, so these non-combat options can truly be ‘game-changing’ in scope.”

Quote from story by Dave Cook at http://www.vg247.com/2013/05/13/shadowrun-returns-capturing-the-tabletop-vibe/

Yeah, we've been talking about it, the new Shadowrun Online and 5th ed release a bit on the site ourselves. I have backed both SRR & SRO. If I had more money to blow, I'd buy the Life-time Subscription for SRO. Can't wait!

I was low on cash because of University so I only was able to back Shadowrun returns but am still going to get shadowrun online when it comes out. I know bad Scawire should have backed online but I'll throw cash their way once it comes out.

YA more shadowrun

The way it's looking right now, SRR will likely have a more solid story line and game system. Keeping it simple like they are really helps let them put the money into more solid story arcs and mechanics.

That should be great. I am hoping that the Shadowrun Online will do go enough to grow as time goes by into a better and better game since it does have that potential.

Idk, but one day i would like to try my hand at GMing again... And well i dont know if that's gonna be a better start for me. Like new system or the old fourth im still bad at... Fourth is still a lot of fun so i don't know, but if they simplify it that would tip the scales in favor of fifth being a good starting point...

The second preview is out now. You guys should go check it out. It talks a lot about skill tests and such. It really gives a lot more understanding to the new Hits cap that they are going to include in the new system. It's going to make hyper specializing that much more important I think.

Hyper-specializing is good and bad. It's always fun to be able to throw a million dice at a test. The problem, though, is that being a hyper-specialist exposes the character to all sorts of things that the character may have no capacity for response.
Some of my characters are the very definition if hyper specialized characters. But in others, I try to have a fairly broad base of capacity. I find that being a generalist, with 1 specialized area can be a very playable character, and they tend to survive pretty well too. On the other hand, playing a generalist, you don't often get to throw a million dice... And that's fun.

From a GM perspective: I almost always encourage hyper-specialized characters. It's incredibly easy to design runs around characters who have a few specific skills, and can't do anything else. Then I can keep it fun and challenging without having to spend an inordinate amount of time planning.

From what I'm reading, they are changing the dynamics of how hyper-specialization works. This will be accomplished using two types of Limits, Inherent (Physical, Mental, Social) and Gear. Limits will act just like Spell Force does now (number of hits you can actually have). One good thing (although there are times it will be bad) is Gear Limits override Inherent ones. E.g. You have a Physical Limit of 4, but your weapon has a Gear Limit of 6. You can get 6 hits per roll instead of 4. The flip could happen though too. Say your cyberdeck (that's right they brought that back!) has a Gear Limit of 4 and you have a mental Limit of 6. You can only get 4 hits!

I think this will make char-gen more challenging, but it will make it easier on less experienced GMs, because they will have a better idea of what the players are capable of doing.

Hyper-specialized characters will have to decide if they want a larger Edge Rating so they can bypass Gear Limits and make use of big dice pools, or if they want to use those points to buy the best gear and maximize the number of hits they can have on a regular basis. Generalized or dual purpose characters probably wont be playable unless they take the Mr. Lucky route, otherwise they won't have a high enough Limit score to be helpful. I think this will see a similar char-gen choice of Edge Ratings being 1-2 or 5+ as we see now.

Huh, that's an interesting approach. I like that there will be limits - the million-dice that most characters can come up with now can be somewhat mind-boggling at times. And dice pools lose meaning as they approach multiples of the opponent's pool.

"I'm throwing 8 dice to shoot you."
"I'm throwing 28 dice for my gymnastics dodge test."

Sometimes the huge dice pools can get out of hand; though it's fortunately quite easy to plan for as a GM.

Yeah, you can see how people will still need large dice pools. To get those 4 hits you still need 12ish dice on average. Throwing 28 dice won't do you any good unless you can also get your Limit up to at least 9 (on average). Most of the time, that will be a Gear Limit, but there will be times when you will want your Inherent Limit higher. Like for that Gymnastics test. The only detail they listed on Inherent Limits is that they will be made up of associate Attribute scores. Physical Limit is likely to be some algorithm made up of Body and Agility while Mental Limit is similarly likely to use Intuition and Logic. I'm curious if Social will include Willpower.

I have already bought srr cant wait. How much is the life time sub for sro

Go check out cliff-hanger productions. They have all the different levels and such for SRO. SRR doesn't have a lifetime sub. It's a series of one offs.