(Photo credit to Catalyst Games)
Written by Ed Carter, Staff Writer
Shadowrun, Sixth Edition
Role playing, Cyberpunk, Dystopian setting, Magic, Fantasy
Welcome to the gang Chummer!
Hey Chummer! Grab a seat and have a kaf! It’s 1989, I was playing D&D and on a trip to the local game store, there was this new RPG, the cover showed Elves, Magic users, and modern gun slingers all wrapped up in a Cyberpunk setting. I was so interested that I picked it up 37 years later and I’m still in love with the game. Catalyst Games has revamped the franchise into a new version. They streamlined a lot of the rules into less tables to look up and made the game much easier for new runners but kept the sixth world alive and thriving.
Life in the Sixth World
Here’s a brief overview of the world as it is. Mega corporations are in control and everything is under the thumb of the big 10. There was an awakening when magic returned and now the world is populated with meta humans as well as us normies. The Internet has grown into the Matrix where you can jack in and experience the world in a digital virtual reality. If you are not a wage slave, then you are a Shadowrunner, earning a living working your way doing the things that no one else wants to. Sometimes it’s hacking and stealing data, and sometimes it is just bodyguard work for the hottest ork metal band. It’s life on the outside playing by your rules; dangerous but rewarding and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
Working as a runner
To start playing, you need to create a character, have a Game Master and the core rule book. The game only uses six-sided dice or D6. You first need a class: are you a decker, living life in the Matrix, a spell slinger, or a street samurai, the muscle in the real world. Next you want to be a meta human or just good old homo sapiens? You can be an elf, ork, or even a hulking troll.
Once you’ve got that figured out, it’s time to flesh out who you are. How did you decide to be a runner? What’s your lifestyle? What’s your personality? The fun of role playing is, getting to be someone else for a while.
You then base your stats on your race, get your gear, and you’re ready to hit the bricks in the sixth world.
Hello Mr. Johnson, you have a job?
Now that you’re a runner, its time to get to work and get some Nuyen. This is where the game master (GM) comes aboard. Your GM opens up the sixth world and all that it offers for your characters. They fill it with jobs, contacts, challenges and enemies to go up against. A session of Shadowrun is comprised of finding a job, researching and investigating the job, Doing the job, and getting paid. The GM introduces the characters to the client (Mr. Johnson) in sixth world lingo, who needs some work done. What the job is, is only limited by the GM ‘s imagination.
Shadowrun blends Fantasy and science fiction into a fascinating world to explore and play in. It’s been one of my favorite games for almost 40 years now, and I don’t see that changing any time soon. So conserve your ammo, make every shot count, and never cut a deal with a dragon!
Until next time, keep moving those meeples and happy gaming!
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