Well, as usual, we’re hosting a ton of games. Origins has a well-deserved reputation as “the con you go to to play” and we always have a large group of tables running! Our convention volunteers work tirelessly during the show to introduce and reintroduce people to Shadowrun!

But if you’re not so interested in playing Shadowrun at the convention, and you instead might want to get your hands on a little something called the Shadowrun Fourth Edition 20th Anniversary Edition, we will have 10 copies available per day. That’s all! First come, first served. My copy isn’t even here yet, although my ears are perked for the doorbell and my friendly UPS guy!

We’ll also have our new Shadowrun Matrix Dice available in sets of 15!

[Dave's classy table and MacBook Pro not included with purchase of dice.]

The voice on the other end of the comm sounded desperate. The kind that pays well. Then he asked, “How much do you know about demolitions?”

Mr. Johnson is at the end of his rope, and he needs some serious income. He latches onto a desperate and tragically dangerous scheme that just might get him what he needs, though it might cost hundreds of lives in the process. The team needs to decide if the pay is worth the risk and the ethical quandry. This 27-page scenario includes a complete adventure, player handouts, and record handling sheets for participating in the Shadowrun Missions (SRM) campaign.

Shadowrun Missions is an international shared campaign. The goal is to have characters and adventures that all share the same universe, and of course have fun while doing it. Missions are played at local game stores, conventions, game days, and as home games. Players who participate in these scenarios will have a real opportunity to influence the Shadowrun game world, and play their characters in events worldwide.

This scenario is available for $3.95 from both of our PDF vendors.

* SRM3-03 Burning Bridges at Battlecorps
* SRM3-03 Burning Bridges at DriveThruRPG

For those who are coming to the party a little bit late, the first two Shadowrun Missions scenarios are:

For those who are coming to the party a little bit late, the first three New York City Shadowrun Missions scenarios remain available at both PDF vendors. The first hit’s free (SRM3-00), and all after are 3.95 each.

* Shadowrun Missions at Battlecorps.
* Shadowrun Missions at DriveThruRPG

Finally, for those who haven’t picked it up yet, The Rotten Apple: Manhattan remains available on both of our PDF partners as well.
* The Rotten Apple Manhattan at BattleCorps - $3.95
* The Rotten Apple Manhattan at DriveThruRPG - $3.95

Thanks also to those who attended today’s Shadowrun Missions chat. We discussed the monthly Shadowrun Missions schedule (which is currently plotted through SRM3-12), the next Rotten Apple PDF (Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Organized Crime), the Shadowrun Missions Scramble Interactive game at GenCon, and some general Q&A. Tycho won the prize, and chose a copy of Burning Bridges.

Sorry this one is so late; making the chat logs pretty ranks way down on the list of things-to-do, after all the “make books look pretty” stuff.

If you’re at all curious about Shadowrun Missions, check out this month’s chat next Saturday!

He’s been interviewed on the Kobold Quarterly website and has some interesting things to say about his career, his mapmaking techniques, and some advice for aspiring cartographers.

On the agenda we have:

• Shadowrun Missions Release Schedule
• State of the Campaign
• Looking Forward
• Writing for Catalyst
• Art and You
• Open Q&A

We will also be answering rules specific questions as they pertain to Shadowrun Missions during the Open Question and Answer section. As these questions often require some research, we will be accepting questions prior to the chat. Any question which is not answered in the chat will be answered and posted with the complete list. Please send your questions to missions@shadowrun4.com, or feel free to post them in this topic.

The chat will be Saturday, June 20th, at 10 AM PDT (Seattle Time), at the Shadowrun Chat Site.

That means the chat is:

10 AM Seattle/LA
11 AM Denver
12 PM Chicago
1 PM NYC
7 PM Cape Town
9 PM Dubai
6 PM Lagos
Sun 2 AM Neo-Tokyo
Sun 1 AM Hong Kong
8 PM Nairobi
12 PM Tenochtitlan
7 PM Geneva
12:30 PM Caracas
8 PM Istanbul

Or you can look up a non-SR location at The Fixed Time World Clock.
See you on Saturday!

Have Shadowrun-inspired pictures on Flickr, Shadowrun fan artwork, or just pictures of your group hanging out playing the game? Remember to tag them Shadowrun so they can easily be found: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/shadowrun/.

This weekend was also busy for Seattle 2072, as sketches and art kept pouring in. Absolutely rocking art. I was pretty tickled to see an artist’s rendition of Pistons enjoying a cup of coffee. C’mon, how perfect is that for Seattle? You’ve got guns, you’ve got explosions, you’ve got a shadowrunner enjoying coffee. What more is there? (okay, okay, there’s a lot more, but that picture made me smile.)

On another positive note, I bought my airfare to Gencon. Catalyst Game Labs will have a booth (of course!) and I’ll be spending a lot of time there, doing one of my favorite things—talking to folks about Shadowrun. I also get to play some Shadowrun; a bunch of the freelance writers have coerced John Dunn into GMing the tourney for us (no, we won’t be competing, we’re just doing it for fun). Which means I haven’t actually read the tourney this year, but I did call dibs on the female PC. There’s always at least one, which the gentlemen of the writing team jokingly named “token.” I did put in some requests (I like playing hackers and technomancers, and I’m partial to humans and elves) but that probably means the “token” chick on the runner team will be a troll physad…

Since nothing goes better with beer, barbecue, and friends than Shadowrun, I thought it might be worth a few suggestions of some free (and 1 cheap) options to while away a few hours.

• If you’re looking for a game to run, and you’re new to Shadowrun, go grab the free Quick-Start Rules. It’s the perfect way to learn the game world and the SR4 rules system.
• If you’re a bit deeper into the Shadowrun world than that, take a gander at any of the free Denver Missions or the free New York Mission.
• If you don’t feel like an extended campaign, but still want a fun night or two of Shadowrun, check out Bad Moon Rising. This one might also get you in the mood for Idol Threats at Gen Con Indy. (A little practice never hurt, right?)

Of course, some readers might see all of this as old news. So, It’s probably best if I offer a few little updates on how other projects are progressing.

• Dusk the first adventure in the Dawn of the Artifacts series has made its way to the printers. It’s hard to say too much about a scenario without spoiling anything, but I think the series title probably offers a few hints for the truly devoted.
• Vice is the guide to the criminal underworld for Shadowrun, Fourth Edition. This book covers a lot of ground, and had a whole lot to update, after all, Underworld Sourcebook came out way back in 1996. Tempo shook up the crime syndicates in 2071, and Vice gave a chance to really look at the fall out.
  It’s currently working it’s way through final layout, and should make its way to our ever-vigilant proofreaders soon.
• Running Wild is the critter book for Shadowrun, Fourth Edition, but it’s so much more than anything that’s been done with critters in past editions. We’ll talk more about this as we get closer to release, but I think it’s safe to say that we’re not just covering paranormal animals. This book goes into detail with normal animals, paranormals, spirits, and, well… I like to leave a few surprises. Some of the preliminary artwork has started to come in, and I’m really digging it. One entitled “Ecology of a Sewer” gave me shivers.

What starts as a petty fight could degenerate to a full-scale war. When things are turning sour who said mediators had to be neutral?

A fixer hires the team for what seems like little more than a complicated prank. However, sometimes, people have a hard time keeping their vengeance proportionate. When two veterans of the business conflict enter the fray, the team needs to make some hard choices. In not time, things go from humorous to deadly. This 26-page scenario includes a complete adventure, player handouts, and record handling sheets for participating in the Shadowrun Missions (SRM) campaign.

Shadowrun Missions is an international shared campaign. The goal is to have characters and adventures that all share the same universe, and of course have fun while doing it. Missions are played at local game stores, conventions, game days, and as home games. Players who participate in these scenarios will have a real opportunity to influence the Shadowrun game world, and play their characters in events worldwide.

This scenario is available for $3.95 from both of our PDF vendors.

* SRM3-02 Block War at Battlecorps
* SRM3-02 Block War at DriveThruRPG

For those who are coming to the party a little bit late, the first two Shadowrun Missions scenarios are:

* SRM3-00: Everyone’s Your Friend on Battlecorps - FREE
* SRM3-00: Everyone’s Your Friend on DriveThruRPG - FREE

* SRM3-01: Ready, Set, Gogh! on Battlecorps - $3.95
* SRM3-01: Ready, Set, Gogh! on DriveThruRPG - $3.95

Finally, for those who haven’t picked it up yet, The Rotten Apple: Manhattan remains available on both of our PDF partners as well.
* The Rotten Apple Manhattan at BattleCorps - $3.95
* The Rotten Apple Manhattan at DriveThruRPG - $3.95