It has been a long road, but the Limited Edition version of Shadowrun’s 20^th Anniversary core book is currently being shipped across the ocean, and the sample copies have arrived in our Seattle office. We’ve been mum about the exact features of this title, but now it’s time to show it off:

 A black, leather bound hardcover with silver imprinting, each book is numbered for the limited printing.  The LE comes with a full-color heavyweight slipcase, two bookmarks and an 11”x34” double-sided poster of the Seattle skyline—one side blue, the other red.

 We will be posting a street date in the next few weeks, when the books arrive in our warehouse and we can finalize that date.

 If you have already pre-ordered this book: sit tight, and we will ship it to you from our Seattle location as soon as possible.

 If you want to buy this book at your local game store, please give them a call and let them know you want a copy. The stock number is CAT2600LE and you can give them the following sell sheet (or a link to it): SR4A Limited Edition

 If you want to pre-order this book from us: You can do so in the following configurations:

Pre-Order through BattleShop

Today, we have three new releases for everyone. With Vice hitting shelves on the 23rd of February, we offer up 10 Gangs—a PDF exclusive that makes a fine companion to it:

10 Gangs

Everyone knows the score between the Yaks, Mafia, and Triad, but when you get down to it, the ganger on the corner is just as likely to try and kill you. Here is the download on ten mid-sized gangs that are looking to make a name for themselves.

10 Gangs is designed to supplement any campaign and utilizes the Gang rating system from Vice. Each gang comes with plot hooks and stats for gamemasters and players to use for run ideas, contacts, and keeping an eye on the competition.

• 10 Gangs via Catalyst Game Labs – $6.95
• 10 Gangs via DriveThruRPG – $6.95

Next up is the continuing Manhattan-based Shadowrun Missions campaign. The seventh chapter provides a complete scenario ready for GMs to run tonight:

Shadowrun Missions 03-07 Knight at the Opera

Eight teams escorting eight Damien Knights. Will the real Damien Knight please stand up.

This 20-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.

• Knight at the Opera via Catalyst Game Labs – $3.95
• Knight at the Opera via DriveThruRPG – $3.95

Lastly, an old-time sourcebook-the First Edition core rulebook for Shadowrun. We are in the process of restoring most of our out-of-print sourcebooks through PDF releases. What better way to start, than the book which started it all.

Shadowrun, First Edition

The Year is 2050

The blending of technology and human flesh began in the 20th Century. Interfacing the human mind with computers was just the first step. Implants the “jack up” reflexes and cybernetic replacements followed quickly. The came the Awakening. A five-thousand-year lull in the flow of mystical energies subsided, and Magic returned to the world. Elves, Dwarfs, and Trolls assumed their true form, throwing off their human guise.

In the world of 2050, the megaplexes are monsters casting long shadows. As shadowrunners, that’s where you live, in the cracks between the giant corporate structures. When the megacorps want something done but they don’t want to dirty their hands, it’s a Shadowrun they need and they come to you. Though your existence is not acknowledged by any governmental or corporate database, the demand for your services is high. You might be a Technomancer, sliding like a whisper through the databases of giant corporations, spiriting away the only thing of real value-information. Or perhaps you are a Street Samurai, an enforcer for hire whose combat skills and reflexes make you the ultimate urban predator. Or perhaps a Mage, one with an ancient gift, the ability to wield and shape the magical energies that now surround the Earth. And that’s exactly the kind of firepower you’ll need if you get hired to make a Shadowrun.

(For those curious, this scan is of the Fifth Printing of the softcover edition! It’s OCRed and has bookmarks!)

• Shadowrun, First Edition via Catalyst Game Labs – $8.00
• Shadowrun, First Edition via DriveThruRPG – $8.00

The criminal underworld of the Sixth World has never been exposed like this. Vice talks criminal operations worldwide, from small fry to international syndicates. Vice is a 192-page softcover for Shadowrun, Fourth Edition. And it comes to gaming stores on the street date of Tuesday, February 23rd! Give your local store a call this week or next and let them know that you want a copy, and they should be able to have it for you that date or later that week. Overseas customers, as usual, will need to give it another week or two to get across the pond! Take a look at the first two Vice preview: the Table of Contents and the first few pages of the International Syndicates chapter in one preview, and part of the Yakuza section in another!

Vice

Illegal is a strong word. It means you’re doing something that the government doesn’t want you to do. You’d never do anything like that, right? Or would you? It might be that some laws are… misguided. It’s civil disobedience and a moral imperative to oppose those laws. Gandhi taught us that. My friends and I—we’re here to help you make these difficult moral choices. We’ll even provide you with a support network, if someone objects to your strong moral compass. And, hey, if everything works out, maybe all of us might come out ahead. Don’t worry! We’ve got your back.

• PDF, DriveThruRPG
• PDF, BattleCorps
• Print Pre-Order
• PDF + Print Pre-Order

It’s been pointed out to me by various diligent people that my first answer contained a mistake (there’s a reason I pointed out that I’m not that bright). The level of adept powers is limited by the character’s Magic attribute. So in order to have Mystic Armor at level 12, the character would need a Magic attribute of 12. Which would be rather rare.

Sorry for the mistake!

Edit: Please take a look at the correction to this post.

A while ago I asked if people would be interested in blog posts on questions that come into the info@shadowrun4.com address, and the responses were positive. So welcome to the first in the IQ&A (which stands for “Informal Questions and Answers”) series. Remember the “I”–these answers should not be taken as the final word on any subject. They merely represent my thinking at the moment. And I’m not that bright.

Our question today comes from a fine player named Daniel, who writes:

I've been running Shadowrun since I found it in the late 80s and I
have a few questions with the new edition which I deeply enjoy by the
way. They are:

There's nothing in the books but is there a realistic cap on the
number of levels of Mystic Armor for Adepts?  I have a player who is a
Troll Physical Adept who took this 12 times for his new character.

Also do Mystic Armor and the Armor spell stack?  I could see the arguement either way.

Thank you

My answer: Glad you’re enjoying the new edition! The first part of your question is somewhat simple. Mystic Armor is limited the same way any other adept power is limited–the combined cost of the adept powers selected cannot exceed the character’s Magic attribute. Mystic Armor costs 0.5 points per level, meaning that to buy 12 levels of it, a character needs to have a Magic attribute of 6. That would be the only adept power they had, and the character could not cast spells.

So if the character wanted Armor cast on him, someone else would have to do the casting. The result is a judgment call, but I’m going to base it on the descriptions in the text. Mystic Armor “magically toughens your skin,” while Armor “creates a glowing field of magical energy around the subject.” I don’t see a reason why the glowing field should interfere at all with the magically toughened skin, so I would assume that the effect of the Armor spell would stack with the Mystic Armor. This could make the troll a tank–but I should note that the Adept quality would cost it 5 BP, the 2-5 Magic points would cost it  40 BP, and the 6th Magic point would cost it 25 BP. The fact that it’s a troll adds in another 40 BP. That’s 110 BP spent, with all attributes at 1, no Skills, no cash, and no gear. He’ll be a tank, but he’ll have some vulnerabilities, too. There might not be enough points to make this guy offensively skilled and strong-minded. If I faced this guy, the first thing I’m doing is going with Control Thoughts to see if I can get that tank pointed in the other direction. Just sayin’.