Shadowrun (2019)

Shadowrun Sixth World (SR6) is the sixth edition of Shadowrun, a science fantasy tabletop roleplaying game that mixes cyberpunk, urban fantasy and crime fiction in a near-future world where cybernetics, magic and fantasy creatures coexist. Catalyst Game Labs published it in 2019 for the game's 30th anniversary, with Jason Hardy as Shadowrun line developer, and it is set in 2080, about 60 years from the present day. FASA first published Shadowrun in 1989, and the property later passed to WizKids, Fantasy Productions and Catalyst. The edition was announced as easier to learn and play than earlier versions, and the core rulebook is 322 pages, down from 466 in Fifth Edition. The Beginner Box came out in June 2019, with an introduction to the setting, quick-start rules, the Seattle adventure "Battle Royale" and four pregenerated characters. The system directly replaced , and it keeps that edition's six-sided dice pools while removing limits. Description Players take on shadowrunners, deniable operatives hired by megacorporations to steal data and break into secure sites, and the Game Master (GM) runs missions in the Sixth World, mostly in Seattle. Magic has returned to the world, bringing metahumans such as orks, trolls and elves, and the roles of street samurai, mage, decker and rigger give a team distinct jobs. A character can be built in minutes through a priority table, with 50 Karma to spend. The game asks a table to learn a layered setting, though it is lighter than Fifth Edition. The design goal was a core book of no more than 300 pages, and a reviewer found it well organised but with missing or hard-to-find rules, such as starting Essence, and with scattered gear rules. It suits groups who like planning a heist and a mix of magic and technology, and who are happy to keep a book open.