Shadowrun

Shadowrun Fourth Edition (SR4) is the fourth 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. FASA first published Shadowrun in 1989 and ran it until closing in 2001, after which WizKids took the property and licensed the roleplaying rights to Fantasy Productions, and the fourth edition appeared in 2005. A 20th Anniversary Edition followed in 2009, after Catalyst Game Labs had licensed the rights from Topps, and it won three Silver ENnie Awards in 2010, for Best Interior Art, Best Production Values and Best Game. The fourth edition itself won ENnies for Best Rules and Best Product in 2006. The system directly replaced Shadowrun Third Edition, and it was succeeded by Shadowrun Fifth Edition (2013). 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 a world where magic has returned. Metahumans such as orks, trolls and elves live alongside humans, dragons hold high corporate and political posts, and Seattle is the main setting. Street samurai, mages, adepts, riggers and hackers, once called deckers, each cover a part of the job. The game asks a table for system knowledge. Characters are defined by skills, not classes, with large pools of options for gear, magic and cybernetics, and some reviewers have found the series' rules awkward or fuzzy. It suits groups who like planning a heist and building a character in detail.

Shadowrun is 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. FASA first published it in 1989 and ran the line until closing in 2001, after which the property passed to WizKids and later to Fantasy Productions and Catalyst Game Labs. Catalyst published the Fifth Edition (SR5) in 2013, with Jason Hardy as Shadowrun line developer, and the sixth edition followed in 2019, set in 2080. SR5 builds on the Fourth Edition rules, makes combat deadlier, streamlines the Matrix, expands the gear options and speeds up character creation. The franchise also includes the living campaign Shadowrun Missions, more than 50 novels, a trading card game and several video games. The system directly evolved from Shadowrun Fourth Edition, and it was succeeded by Shadowrun Sixth World (2019), which removed limits and cut the skill list from 80 to 19. Description Players take on shadowrunners, deniable operatives hired by megacorporations to do data theft and break-ins. Street samurai, mages, adepts, riggers and hackers each handle a part of the job, and the Game Master (GM) runs missions, with Seattle as the main setting. Magic has returned to the world, bringing metahumans such as orks, trolls and elves, and dragons hold high corporate and political posts. The game asks a table for system knowledge. Characters are defined by skills, not classes, with large pools of options for gear, magic and cybernetics, and reviewers have found the rules awkward or fuzzy in places. It suits groups who like planning a heist, optimising a build and playing in a layered, gritty world, and who are happy to read.

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 Shadowrun Fifth Edition (2013), 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.