Opening with an evocative piece of fiction as a group of 'runners assemble for their next exploit, the fifth edition of Shadowrun retains all the flavour yet seems darker and grittier, life on the edge in the underbelly of a cybered, augmented reality of a near-future. Tech has advanced but is still recognisably Shadowrun in style, there is a real sense of an ongoing story, a Sixth World that is developing and maturing yet still ill-at-ease with itself, providing plenty of opportunity for those who'd exploit the shadows.
A brief Introduction takes the form of a 'job interview' designed to instil the correct mindset for a Shadowrunner, with a whole bunch of street-slang for you to master to sound right on the streets. Sometimes it pays to blend in. This is followed by some more fiction: I think you should have some idea of what you are getting yourself into by now... but Section 01: Life in the Sixth World gives you the real lowdown and helps you begin to think about the sort of character you want to play in this strange yet oddly-familiar alternate reality. If this is your first encounter with Shadowrun it's heady stuff: a normal contemporary world suddenly hit by dragons racing trains, elves and dwarves being born and magic, real magic, returning. If you are already familiar with this game, it's still quite a wild ride. Whichever, there's a wealth of information here: stuff that is basic to the background against which your 'runners will operate and well worth studying.
Next, Section 02: Shadowrun Concepts begins looking at the underlying game mechanics and how players and gamemasters use them to effect. Task resolution is (still) based on handfuls of D6s on which you try to get enough 5s and 6s to meet if not exceed a threshold target number set by the GM, by the situation or in the module, or by the person you are fighting against if it's a contested roll. Your dice pool is based on the attribute and skill appropriate to the matter in hand, plus any modifiers the GM decrees, or your equipment or other circumstances may allow. There’s plenty of detail to allow newcomers to the game to get a handle on how it all works, and it is laid out very clearly for the rest of you to get a refresher.
This dealt with, the discussion moves on to character generation and the choices that you will have to make. It's nicely balanced between building a believable character that you can role-play comfortably and using the game mechanics to advantage to build an effective 'runner. Old timers will notice the rise in augmented reality over earlier versions, think Google Glasses on steroids to get a slight idea of the potentials, although the virtual reality so beloved of deckers and riggers is still ready to dive into. Cyberware has been joined by bioware as well, a trend already seen in earlier editions. This section rounds out with discussion of contacts and the use of Edge - that little extra that marks out player-character 'runners as someone special, and lets them do the odd extraordinary thing run-of-the-mill ones cannot.
Another bit of fiction: a dwarf reminiscing about how he got his start shadowrunning, circling round to him helping someone else make their first contact, then on to Section 03: Creating a Shadowrunner. Now is the time to put all those choices read about earlier to work, putting the numbers to them and demonstrating how the ruleset works. Starting with your character concept, you'll need to choose your metatype, mental and physical attributes and skills, then kit the character out with starting gear and augmentations. A 'Priority Table' is used to allow you to decide which of these are most important and so which get priority as you build your character. So you may want to be highly skilled, and prioritise that over resources (which determines starting cash to buy equipment)… or if you want to play a particularly potent mage then 'Magic/Resonance' will be of greater importance. It's a neat mechanical way to focus your character in your chosen direction. This section is liberally scattered with examples, as a group of players are described working through the whole process.
As well as the Priority Table, there is a set order to work through the choices that must be made: concept, metatype, magic or resonance (or neither if you don't want to be a mage or technomancer), qualities (a delightful selection of both positive and negative aspects which cost or give you points - don't go overboard on the negative qualities however many points you want, though!), the purchase of skills, and finally spending your resources on equipment, cyberware, bioware and anything else you need. By the end of this you will have a good idea of who your character is as well as what he can do. And if things don't quite add up? Right at the end, you can spend any leftover Karma to tweak things to your liking or add something you really wanted but didn't have the points for at the time. A few final calculations, an idea of your backstory and that all important GM approval, and you are about ready to 'run.
A word on character advancement, the final notes on the exemplar characters whose generation has been used to demonstrate the system, and then - for those of you in a hurry - some sample characters based on different concepts and generated according to the rules just explained, pretty much ready to go without the need for all the decision-making and number-crunching. They'd also be handy to round out a Shadowrunner team with the skills not covered by player-characters, particularly if you have a small group. If nothing else, they give an idea of the vast variety of characters that are possible, inspiration for your own creations.
Section 04: Skills consists of a massive list of the skills available, showing how they are rated, what can be done with them and how the game mechanics work when you bring them into play. It's worth careful study both as you choose your skills and once you have chosen them, to hone your use thereof to maximum potency. There are plenty of examples and notes to help you here. Despite the vast list, there are also notes on how (and when) to devise new skills of your own.
Another piece of fiction - mid-run when, as usual, things start to go wrong - introduces Section 05: Combat. OK, so combat is just task resolution and skill use, but it is a fundamental and pivotal part of any game so is covered in great detail. As always, it sounds complex on paper but with familiarity becomes far more straightforward and easy to run on the tabletop. Turn-based, with initiative rolls based on what sort of combat is taking place, actions declared and then resolved there are, of course, loads of options to choose from. Study and practise the stuff your character can do… and you will find it becomes almost second nature (and you will become popular with your fellow-players when you don't hold up the action checking details in the book!). Again, this section is peppered with examples to make everything clear.
More apposite fiction leads into Section 06: The Matrix. Don't shy away from this, it is one of the things that make Shadowrun different from other games that blend magic and gunplay and when used well creates a potent alternate reality that your characters can inhabit and in which you can tell your stories. Here you learn what's there, what it looks like and what can be done with it. If you are an internet geek in real life, some of this will sound almost familiar and some of it will be almost dreamlike, what it might be... one day. Everyone should at least read this as every single character will have some dealings with the Matrix, whilst deckers and technomancers will have to master the nuances so as to be able to strut their stuff when appropriate.
Next, again introduced by apposite fiction, is Section 07: Riggers. Masters of remote control and of vehicles, these characters combine elements of decker with mechanic and pilot (and are great fun to play… probably my second choice after decker, and not all GMs allow deckers, it can be a bit dull for everyone else if you disappear off into the Matrix, although good GMs figure out ways of keeping everyone busy). There's loads of detail here about the toys riggers get to play with and the things they can do with them.
This is followed by Section 08: Magic. Starting with an essay on how magic returned to the world (or at least, the current understanding of how it happened), the basics of using magic are explained in an elegant mix of game mechanics and mystical theory that will leave player-character mages and adepts of all kinds wielding their powers confidently both in-character and on the tabletop. And there are plenty of spells to choose from to enable you to create virtually any effect you can imagine. Enchantments, rituals, conjurations, summonings, alchemy... a rich array to make this aspect of the game burgeon into the alternate reality you are creating.
This concludes the material you need to create and play your character, but there's more, with Section 09: Gamemaster Advice leading the way, providing a wealth of information to help the GM make their game the best they possibly can, whilst having every bit as much fun as the players do. Beginning with the things you need to think about before the game even begins, there is plenty of advice on how to design adventures based on the capabilities and interests of your player-characters and even on how to lay your notes out to make life easy when running the game. Notes on creating and running NPCs, background music, use of maps and props... and a discourse on game management: the meta-level of organising the flow of the game as well as actually controlling the actual adventure itself... as well as information on how to cope seamlessly, imperceptibly, when nothing goes to plan and you have to re-jig the plot on the fly to bring everything back on track, preferably without the players noticing!
Notes on running full-blown campaigns follow, then more detailed information on the nature of threats the characters will face and how to make effective use of them. Security in the Sixth World doesn't sit back and let shadowrunners waltz in and out as they please. To present a proper challenge you need to run effective, professional and competent security forces against them at all levels: physical, matrix and magical. Typical locations, managing Reputation… all this and more in something that's a must-read for all GMs and probably something that they'll be back to frequently as they hone their skills.
Next comes Section 10: Helps and Hindrances. This looks at non-payer characters (everyone you interact with, that is, that isn't a fellow player's character), creatures (both natural and paranormal) and a selection of drugs and other toxins that can be used, as it euphemistically puts it, professionally and recreationally. A lot of this is primarily aimed at the GM, but players may find material of interest here as well.
Finally, Section 11: Street Gear provides lots of information about what you can get and how to acquire it, sell it, hide it from curious security operatives and so on. Here you will find weapons lists with all the game stats required to use them, as well as clothing, armour, electronics and much, much more.
Indeed, that is somewhat the whole book summed up: information to the point of overload. There is so much here you will be reading and rereading it, finding more to add into your game each time. Both the table of contents and the index make it easy to find that particular thing you are after (although the PDF could really do with some bookmarks and hyperlinking), whilst the internal organisation provides a logical sequence if you are reading straight through it. Layout is clear with some evocative illustrations to set the scene, although the faint grey background stripe is quite hard on the eyes, the white on black fiction even more so (especially when read on-screen). Sidebars, however, are particularly clear with white text on dark red.
Overall, this is a masterful update and honing of a stand-out game. Perhaps there isn't much new, but it is a coherent and considered presentation that should suit long-time fan and newcomer to the world of Shadowrun alike.
Return to Shadowrun 5e Core Rulebook page.
Reviewed: 11 July 2013
