Sprawl Wilds is a collection of adventures gathered with the purpose of introducing your group to some of the interesting and exciting places that are to be found in the underbelly of Chicago. Originally written for convention use, they ought to slot in neatly to any campaign.

Each adventure is structured in the same way as the Shadowrun Missions series, which provides a clear framework with plenty of scope to let the adventure develop fairly organically as you and your players wish, yet with enough signposting to help you keep it on track. There are several 'scenes' which come with an overview, some read-aloud text to set the scene and more detailed information to enable you to run it effectively... and not forgetting a section on what could go wrong and how to deal with unexpected player actions. Ruleswise, you can use these with Shadowrun 4e or Shadowrun 5e as you prefer.

OK, what if your campaign isn't set in Seattle? No worries, there's a one-page mini-scenario designed to give your party a reason to be in Seattle even if it is not their regular haunt. They might like it and stay, or after sampling one or two of the adventures herein, they may prefer to go elsewhere. Neat.

There are a full four adventures here - Manhunt, Carbon Copy, Ashes and Humanitarian Aid. Each could be run in a single session (they were, after all, built around standard four-hour convention slots) but you can take longer if you prefer.

Manhunt begins with a request to help someone who's investigating mysterious animal attacks and killings out in the Barrens. Naturally, there's more than meets the eye... and there's the added complication that you are out in the country with things like weather, not 'safe' on the city streets. The first problem is actually getting out there, and once there the action comes thick and fast in this alien environment.

Carbon Copy, back on the city streets but no safer, involves a hunt for a serial killer. There's just one thing. That killer's been dead for years, and even the copycat killer who operated for a while over a year ago has not been heard from in ages... another edge-of-the-seat ride for the party including a visit to the Ork Underground and dealings with Knight Errant.

Ashes again involves the Ork Underground, putting the characters at a pivotal event, a moment in history from which hangs the future of an entire society - yet it all begins with a 'short courier job'. This soon develops into an intense and time-critical series of events. And a major fire.

Finally, Humanitarian Aid sends the characters to the aid of a township in Salish territory who have fallen prey to a rather nasty virus. Supplies of vaccine have been stolen from the local clinic, and it's the party's job to retrieve them so that the ill can be treated.

All serve as stand-alone adventures that can be played as one-offs or slotted into an ongoing campaign. Each presents an interesting take on the world of the shadowrunner, broadening the scope beyond the usual corporate bickering... and they're fun to run. Everything is well presented and laid out so as to be easy to use, with comprehenive maps, handouts, rumour tables and more to make the game master's life easy.

Return to Sprawl Wilds page.

Reviewed: 18 February 2015