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Posted by: Bashfull Apr 2 2009, 10:29 PM

For me, the famous Acme Ritual Circle pic, a ripoff of Jackson Pollock. A moment of genius by Tim Bradstreet.

http://www.volny.cz/shadowrun/files/bradstreet_25.jpg

http://www.monroegallery.com/showcase/images/MH_JacksonPollock2.jpg


Then there's the section in one of the histories in which Arnie runs for president: SR called this before Arnie even went into politics!

Two highlights in an already amazing game. I also love the integrity Catalyst have had in staying true to the original feel of FASA while still keeping the game ahead of current tech.

Posted by: Draco18s Apr 2 2009, 10:37 PM

I think Dunkelzahn's Will captured me, hook line and sinker.

Of course, the image that accompanied last year's Runner's Companion section on dragons (a dragon at a table performing some magic herbal stuff) would be one of those impressive moments of sheer genius.

Posted by: Stahlseele Apr 2 2009, 10:42 PM

Ancient History more or less.
Yes, the last Will.
BattleRun ^^

Posted by: ICPiK Apr 2 2009, 11:03 PM

I really really loved the novels in the preying for keep series with Jack Skater and team that was just the finest example of SR for me. But The big d becoming pres then nuking himself kinda takes the cake.

Posted by: Ancient History Apr 2 2009, 11:26 PM

Aw, shucks.

Posted by: the_real_elwood Apr 3 2009, 01:48 AM

I don't know, I love all of the Shadowrun metaplot. I love how it takes the real world, and then goes off in a completely different direction. I like the idea that there's a sense of mystery behind places I've been to or know of. I love looking through the Bug City sourcebook, reading about places, and thinking "Frag, I've been there!". No other game but Shadowrun keeps that connection to the real world, but then twists it around in such a delightful way.

Posted by: paws2sky Apr 3 2009, 01:58 AM

So much of the 1st edition art still sticks in my mind as being, especially all the Tim Bradstreet pieces. I'm probably in the minority, but I still love Jeff Laubenstein's work too.

The descriptions of the original archetypes and especially the monologues - I really miss the monologues - really resonated with me. Still do. At the point that I picked up SR1, I'd never played a RPG that had that sort of grab-and-go character system.

The flavor-packed vignettes and short stories they've used throughout the editions... so many good ones that just set the mood.

-paws

Posted by: knasser Apr 3 2009, 08:17 AM

The terrified look on the policeman's face as the van he is strapped upside down on the front off is recklessly sped by the gun-toting shadowrunners who stole it. The cover of Harlequinn also made a big impression on me when I first saw it as a kid.

Oh, and there's a "Six Demon Bag" in one of the books. Made me laugh out loud.

Posted by: KCKitsune Apr 3 2009, 08:17 AM

What got me was the gear books. There would be the picture of the item, the rules for it in the game, and then all the commentary from the Runners talking about it like some sort of demented knitting circle.

I most especially liked the byplay of Smiling Bandit and Wolfman in Shadowtech, when they were talking about the lung bioware that increased capacity... and then Wolfman wanting to kill Bandit because of dog breath (on the Toxin Exhailer page). That was priceless.

Posted by: knasser Apr 3 2009, 08:27 AM

Actually, if I'm really to pick a moment of genius, I'm going to say the "Corporate Shadowfiles" book. It's a bit long to call a moment, but from cover to cover that book was one of the best books I had ever read. It was rich in information, in atmosphere, in tantalising clues. I tracked down a copy years later and read it all over again. Chromed Accountant, you are missed!

Posted by: GreyBrother Apr 3 2009, 08:39 AM

Deus Storyline. 'nuff said, i just love it.

Posted by: Uli Apr 3 2009, 09:00 AM

Hatchetman's story about becoming a CZ. Absolutely incredible.

Posted by: Angelone Apr 3 2009, 10:54 AM

The BBS-like older books. Where you had people injecting their views throughout.
Hatchman's story, still hits me today.
The Sega game. It's what actually got me into the PnP rpg.
Shadowbeat, they pulled that off so well. Really brought the world to life for me.
There's more but all I can think of right now.

Posted by: ravensmuse Apr 3 2009, 11:11 AM

Oh god, where to begin...

Probably my favorite game moment is the one where my girlfriend, completely on a whim, pushed a mob bosses' grandma into oncoming traffic and having to deal with the repercussions of that. It lead to a trip to Tokyo and assassinating fashion models while they were on the runway. Games like that make me really appreciate Shadowrun.

Gamewise, I would have to say the fact that the metaplot is this constantly evolving thing. Storylines from years ago pop up when one of the writers gets the urge or has a favorite character or plot and you get some really fascinating things from it. I'm a huge fan of SURGE (go on, stone me now) and how that was introduced in Year of the Comet; Dunkelzahn's Will, because I think SR was the first game to treat dragons as people - machiavellian, power-playing, constant one-upping people with a short fuse and loaded nuclear warheads for natural weapons - people with hopes, dreams, wants and needs. Dunkelzahn was my hero, and he still is; SOTA '64 and orxploitation; Peregrin from Renraku Shutdown - I was so happy to see that they kept her alive post RS; Pax from RS, who I think is still out there running plots; my most especial favorite though was Bug City - holy god, that book grabs you by the balls with its post-apocalyptic introduction and just keeps this grip on you as you keep reading. There's this real Aliens meets Terminator 2 feel to it that just sets off something wonderful in my head. I wouldn't have minded if the CZ had stuck around (keep in mind that I haven't read Feral Cities yet).

I also want to say that part of what really pulls the above books and metaplot off is how well the writers have always emulated online conversation. The message boards and shadow talk feel like real people commenting on today's news and weather and chance of being shot in the face, and you get distinct personalities from each of the shadow posters. I do miss the more "open range" feel of Shadownet, but Jackpoint's pretty good at keeping things together too.

And as much as I bitch and complain about the constant negativity around here, I love Dumpshock. You guys are funny, smart, and always hold my interest when I'm looking for five minutes to blow online. The devs actually talk to us like human beings and my fellow posters all sound like folk from Shadownet. There's conspiracies, hate-ons, in-jokes, rumor-monging, and just screwing around that makes this place just a fsking joy to be in.

Posted by: darthmord Apr 3 2009, 11:34 AM

That is what I miss the most in SR4... the Shadowtalk byplay between all the commenters. There's not nearly enough of it.

Posted by: MYST1C Apr 3 2009, 12:10 PM

Lenina Huxley: I have, in fact, perused some newsreels in the Schwarzenegger Library, and the time that you took that car...
John Spartan: Hold it. The Schwarzenegger Library?
Lenina Huxley: Yes. The Schwarzenegger Presidential Library. Wasn't he an actor when you...?
John Spartan: Stop! He was President?
Lenina Huxley: Yes! Even though he was not born in this country, his popularity at the time caused the 61st Amendment which states...
John Spartan: I don't wanna know. President...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106697/

Posted by: Uli Apr 3 2009, 12:20 PM

After the "funny" Shadowtalk added to the German 3.01 books, you can't stand it anymore, trust me...

Posted by: Demonseed Elite Apr 3 2009, 12:46 PM

I couldn't write the Hong Kong setting without working a Six Demon Bag in somewhere.

Posted by: Stahlseele Apr 3 2009, 01:03 PM

you could, you are just too much of a nerd not to do it ^^

Posted by: Ancient History Apr 3 2009, 01:20 PM

Bandersnatch entry:
>>>>>(You into old movies? Pre-simsense, I'm talking. Check out an old classic, Predator, with Arnold Schwarzeneggar before he went into politics. That's what the bleeder looks like, pretty close.)<<<<<
--Bladerunner (13:58:02/3-26-51)

Paranormal Animals of North America (1990)

Posted by: Demonseed Elite Apr 3 2009, 01:41 PM

Inconceivable!

Posted by: InfinityzeN Apr 3 2009, 01:41 PM

Shadowtalk always did it for me. And the bandit was the man. I actually used that as my nick on IRC for years.

Posted by: knasser Apr 3 2009, 02:39 PM

Yes, but what's in it?

Posted by: BlueMax Apr 3 2009, 02:44 PM

Normally, I turn off large portions of my brain to watch this kind of movie. Its not a bad thing, just suspension of disbelief. I wish I had noticed her last name was Huxley years ago.

Posted by: DWC Apr 3 2009, 03:03 PM

It wouldn't be a really, really loose interpretation of Brave New World otherwise. It's also why everyone keeps calling Spartan a savage.

Posted by: HMHVV Hunter Apr 3 2009, 03:36 PM

I've always loved the Shadowtalk. It was what I missed about the 3rd edition books (Magic in the Shadows, cannon companion, etc) and it's what I'm glad to see back in the 4th edition books. I also like how the personalities are mostly kept consistent (the notable exception being Truthseeker and Dr. Bones' personalities in "Cyberpirates" being at odds with previous material in the canon, but that was a rare exception). I think it says something when you find yourself mentally reacting to some Shadowtalkers like you would to people on the internet in real life (i.e. mentally saying, "Yeah, blah blah blah" when Hugh Mann, Dark Father or Crescent Moon posts, etc).

I LOVED Hachetman's story in the beginning of Cybertechnology, about how he got all of his cyberware at some points in his life. It just felt so believeable. Too often, I think, when we create characters with cyberware, we don't think about what lead them to get it, but this story (how he got his cybereyes after being rendered blind by a shotgun muzzle flash, his cyberhand and eventual entire arm because he didn't want to walk around with his pinky missing after being forced into yubitsume by the yakuza, etc.) has inspired me to really give that kind of thing some thought when creating my cyberware-equipped characters.

I have to say I enjoyed the Art Dankwalther story. It was so unlike anything else that I had seen in Shadowrun.

And finally, I just enjoy the real-world references peppered throughout the books. Ahnuld has been mentioned already, and there have been many others - the Bruce Springsteen song in the Flash-Pak entry in Street Samurai Catalog ("Why am I remembering some song lyrics right now? Something about being "blinded by the light...")...and for some reason I can't remember any others offhand, but there's been quite a few.

Posted by: InfinityzeN Apr 3 2009, 06:53 PM

See, that is what makes a lot of the earlier books so interesting. If you're going to add fluff, Shadowtalk should be one of the biggest ones. Heck, I wouldn't mind a little less pages of story and a little more pages of Shadowtalk since that is read a whole lot more often.

I would really like to see a new Prime Runners book. For the big names, we don't need stats. A known history, personality, background, etc would be great. And a "What happen to them" section about the old guys that disappeared would be nice too.

Posted by: Draco18s Apr 3 2009, 07:03 PM

I'd never be able to watch it. I couldn't sit through more than 50 minutes of Borat. It was funnier listening to the guy who played Borat talk about the movie than it was to watch the same scenes in the movie (one of the things that they had to make sure of was that he couldn't be arrested; the rest of the crew? Sure, but not Borat. So there's a point at which he knocks on a guy's door to ask to use the phone, takes a shower, and gets thrown out of the guy's house wearing only the dude's towel and the cops are coming so he's hiding under the bench seat of the van trying to figure out how to a) give the towel back while b) not getting arrested for public nudity).

Posted by: Stahlseele Apr 3 2009, 08:08 PM

but then, how do you get most of thoese little references that make you go WTF and LOL? O.o

Posted by: BlueMax Apr 3 2009, 08:13 PM

Sadly, I miss them. But if I do not turn off portions of my brain...
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/7/16/brains-with-urgent-appointments/

Posted by: Stahlseele Apr 3 2009, 08:16 PM

AUGH! IT BURNS AND STINGS! x.x . .
Seriously, i really do not like Die Hard all that much . .
And being IT-Guy and in Tech-Support, that hurt me allmost physically <.<

Posted by: Draco18s Apr 3 2009, 09:00 PM

Yep.

Posted by: BlueMax Apr 3 2009, 09:02 PM

Then both of you can understand why I defensively 'kill -9 upperthought'

Posted by: Draco18s Apr 3 2009, 09:40 PM

I had to do that to myself once. I'd like to avoid any more situations that require it.

Posted by: Rotbart van Dainig Apr 3 2009, 09:50 PM

That's from DotSW IIRC, showing Professor Schwartzkopf at Charles University (see SoE).

The picture that got me was the cover from ShadowTech.

Posted by: Heath Robinson Apr 3 2009, 10:02 PM

It's been so long that I now just smile knowingly.

Posted by: Cybersushi Apr 4 2009, 02:12 PM

The Renraku Arcology Shutdown plot.

Sci-fi horror at it's best. Well thought of, creepy and mysterious. The backstory for this starts way back to the very first novels set in the SR universe (the Secrets of Power triology) and it's just great to see how it all leads to the Shutdown. It has great elements to it, such as the Titanic-like reversal of human ambition and folly, all the sick stuff that happens inside and the whole sheer mass of it all. It goes without saying that the Renraky Arcology : Shutdown sourcebook was itself a little stroke of genius.

(Props to all the SR staff who were involved in that project !)


[Edit : typo]

Posted by: eidolon Apr 4 2009, 03:48 PM

Hatchetman. Cybertechnology is easily one of my favorite Shadowrun books of all time.

Posted by: GreyBrother Apr 4 2009, 05:27 PM

I liked Surge and the YotC.

Posted by: Tyro Apr 4 2009, 06:13 PM

Could someone post, in order, all the novels/sourcebooks which make up that storyline? I'd love to read it start to finish.

Posted by: Demonseed Elite Apr 4 2009, 06:22 PM

Hope I'm not missing anything (and it's possible my order is a bit off):

Secrets of Power Trilogy (novels)
Technobabel (novel)
Psychotrope (novel, related from the angle of the AI Mirage)
Renraku Arcology: Shutdown
Brainscan
Matrix (not really part of the storyline, just talks about the otaku a bit)
Threats 2
System Failure

I want to say Pax and her dissonant tribe gets mentioned somewhere else before System Failure, but I can't recall where. There also also tiny bits of info scattered into older books, basically just about the Arcology and SCIRE, but those aren't really critical to the story, just bits that tie it back to some old Shadowrun material.

Posted by: Stahlseele Apr 4 2009, 06:24 PM

The Novels don't really go into too much Detail of the whole Shutdown . .

Posted by: Demonseed Elite Apr 4 2009, 06:27 PM

Yeah, the Secrets of Power trilogy just basically mentions Morgan (Renraku's first AI) and her relationship to Dodger. It's connected to the Deus storyline basically because Morgan is, but it doesn't cover the shutdown. Technobabel has an appearance by Deus, though he's not mentioned by name. The main character is basically an otaku created by Deus to carry out a certain mission pre-Shutdown, but the otaku refuses. Psychotrope doesn't directly deal with Deus at all, but does deal with some otaku created by another AI named Mirage, who interacts with Deus a bit in System Failure.

The real meat of the storyline takes place over Renraku Arcology: Shutdown, Brainscan, and System Failure. Threats 2 does detail two groups connected to the storyline, Deus' Network and Pax's dissonant otaku, Ex Pacis.

Posted by: Stahlseele Apr 4 2009, 06:29 PM

all in All, in the Novels, NOBODY knows what happened in there.
It's only touched upon ny some news broadcasts some characters are watching.
Also, Psychotrope . . i liked it ^^

Posted by: Tyro Apr 4 2009, 06:29 PM

For me, it has to be the people. Shadowtalk, Hatchetman's story, etc. The Dragonheart trilogy is what got me really into the storyline in the first place. Black Madonna is a great example of what happens when elves meddle in human affairs.

[Edit:] Thanks for the info!

Posted by: Stahlseele Apr 4 2009, 06:37 PM

of all the . . well, there ARE lusty brown elven nipples . .

Posted by: Tyro Apr 4 2009, 06:46 PM

They were the first books I got my hands on, thank you very much!

Am I the only straight male alive who doesn't obsess over Nadja Daviar? She's hot. So are my girlfriends. I can actually TOUCH my girlfriends. This makes my girlfriends more interesting to me. If I want perky brown nipples, I have porn for that.

QED

Posted by: Snow_Fox Apr 4 2009, 07:45 PM

I loved SR from the start 20 years ago. after playing lots of D&D the idea of being a "magic user" with an SMG tickled the heck out of me.

I liked the original UB- before the bug meta plot got used too much, Queen Euphoria and 2XS

Posted by: knasser Apr 4 2009, 08:13 PM

Oh wow! Queen Euphoria! How could I have forgotten that! I remember playing that with my Shaman PC. The GM hid the module cover the entire game which made us pester him to let us see it even more!

That was a great adventure. I would love to write a sequel to it someday.

Posted by: the_real_elwood Apr 5 2009, 06:45 AM

It's true, the shadowtalk in 2E was one of the best parts of the sourcebooks. And I'm glad it's back in 4E, but it's still not as entertaining as it was back in 2E.

Posted by: Larsine Apr 5 2009, 02:17 PM

I bought SR when it was first published in 1989, and bought a few of the sourcebooks, but I was really hooked when I got UB and Harlequin. Those two adventures are the reasons I still stick to SR, where as most other RPGs have been sold off.

Lars

Posted by: BlueMax Apr 5 2009, 03:23 PM

Yes. So much so, that many of my friends can tell you who Patrick Bambra is without more then a moments thought. UB was fantastic.

Harlequin was equally as brilliant though we never got attached to the characters but to the mechanism.

Posted by: Snow_Fox Apr 5 2009, 03:30 PM

yeah, that was the last adventure where we had decker pc's allowed in our group. the UB Black ice fried a PC and then two NPC's who we paid to see what took out the PC. After that we said frag it, and went in.

Posted by: Chrysalis Apr 5 2009, 03:42 PM

Mr Bradstreet has been an inspiration in roleplaying. From Merc:2000 to GURPS Spec Ops.

However, what I really liked in Shadowrun is Renraku Shutdown. I also like that Shadowrun ultimately is well written, balanced with support.

It is not only about killing things.

Posted by: Snow_Fox Apr 5 2009, 03:52 PM

I agree, a lot of what drew me in was the 'fluff' that made it seem like a real world. I miss that when it dissappeared from adventures. So many games are just numbers and let the players create the fluff but the idea of a Dewine Dee ™ jump suit or the prizes at Cratchet Family Entertainment Center seemed to make it more real.

Posted by: Critias Apr 5 2009, 05:20 PM

While not necessarily a single brilliant moment...I really dug SOTA '64. I like Adepts, I like cops, I like spies...it's like the book was tailor made for me (minus the, what was it, Euro-magic or something that makes up the other chapter? I honestly don't think I've ever read it). Not only was it covering source material I liked, but I liked how it was covered. Good stuff. Top notch work.

As for what single moment of the game really hooked me in the first place? I loved that the degree of success affected final damage. A really accurate knife was as dangerous as a wildly swung sword -- someone with finesse and skill could, in theory, still be dangerous. I loved that, the very first time I read through the book. It wasn't a matter of needing a "critical" lucky roll of a 20 or something...every single attack, you did more damage the better you were with your weapon. Awesome. SR was the first game I'd run into with that sort of mechanic in place.

And Combat Pool. Sweet, lost, Combat Pool.

Posted by: Wesley Street Apr 5 2009, 06:30 PM

Of all the RPGs I've read or played, the Shadowrun sourcebooks have always felt the most life-like to me. Not "realistic", but life-like. Those four-color photo adverts in 1st edition's Seattle Sourcebook and London Sourcebook always prime my creative pump when I flip through them.

Posted by: Ryu Apr 5 2009, 07:16 PM

Shadowtech - for everything. The fluff, the shadowtalk, the gear.

Corporate Shadowfiles. Very "realistic" feel.

Dragons of the Sixth World. Moment of genius: Elf-boy got eaten. The shadowtalk in Sirrurg´s section.

Street Magic. In use all the time, and very few troubles with it.

Unwired. Cleared things up for me. I´m really looking forward to that new wireless world section.

Novel-wise 2XS, Who hunts the hunter?, TAKC3000. For the characters.

Posted by: Rotbart van Dainig Apr 5 2009, 07:23 PM

Corporate Download. More Awesome than you can shake a stick at.

Posted by: Bashfull Apr 6 2009, 12:03 AM

Oh, another inspired moment was whoever created the idea of Good as Gold TM jewellery. Too funny...

Posted by: Malachi Apr 6 2009, 04:35 PM

The Renraku Arcology Shutdown, culminating in the Brainscan adventures is the high point in SR for me.

I enjoyed the secret, powerful AI plotline stuff so much that when Emergence first introduced the concept of these "baby AI's" in SR4 I, at first, really hated the idea. However, I now admit that the "traditional" AI plot arc of secret super-powers has kind of run its course. I don't know if I'll ever have an AI player, but I can accept their place in the canon universe now.

Posted by: Dhaise Apr 6 2009, 05:56 PM

Super Tuesday was a moment of genius.

Posted by: Nigel Apr 6 2009, 06:37 PM

For me, the biggest genius of Shadowrun is the SR4 Technomancers. The description, the abilities, everything.

I haven't been here for anything before SR4, though. I haven't been exposed to a large part of the Shadowrun timeline.

Posted by: GreyBrother Apr 6 2009, 07:47 PM

Nigel: I recommend Technobabel and Psychotrope if you like TMs. Features some nice Otaku Action.

Posted by: Nath Apr 6 2009, 09:25 PM

I'll add the Seattle SB to the list. It seeded half of the plot, already introducing Huang, Cliber and Cham The Man.
Before System Failure, Pax appears in Brainscan and get a whole chapter in Threats 2, which you listed.

Posted by: Dhaise Apr 9 2009, 05:38 AM

Also, absolutely everything to do with Art Dankwalther. That was just an inspired storyline, including the ultimate resolution.

Posted by: Cardul Apr 9 2009, 12:10 PM

Though it was a fan done thing, and is, sadly, no longer updating(and accessible only throught he Wayback machine):

The C.L.U.E. Files!

Posted by: Fyndhal Apr 9 2009, 05:17 PM

^^ This. I'd been a fan before that, but that storyline is what really hooked me.

Posted by: CanRay Apr 9 2009, 05:22 PM

Very few things haven't enthralled me, and I like where Catalyst is going, advancing things forward even further. (Yes yes yes, I can hear the Deckers now complaining about missing their couches and comfy, safe rooms when tripping the Matrix!).

I just wish I had been able to game earlier. And was able to be a Player instead of GM.

The look on my Player's faces when they realized their first run was for the prototype of "Dunkie-Pop: The Popcorn of Dragons", pure gold!

Posted by: Dreadlord Apr 9 2009, 09:18 PM

For me, I was instroduced to Shadowrun in 1997 as a concept of "Magic and SMGs!", but it really didn't strike a chord with me until I saw the Street Samurai's Catalog. The entire thing was organized as a weapons catalog, which I thought was kewl! Also, it helps to have a picture for a weapon, piece of gear, etc in a game that depends largely on picturing things in your mind. The more concrete images you can get, the more immersed you feel in the world.

And the cover art was just awesome! (props to Fyndhal for using it for his image!)

Posted by: TKDNinjaInBlack Apr 12 2009, 03:57 PM

Crash 2.0

As I was reading through System Failure I actually felt chills and imagined myself there. When there was the little blurbs about different Joe Nobodies being in the matrix as the worm hit and the imagery of the satellites falling from the sky, everything with Winternight, Deus, Novatech and the Otaku, it was just wonderfully put together. I loved it.

That wrap up of so many meta plots and sneaking threats has me excited to see what the writers and developers are going to do to top it. It has me watching little things in the fluff now, like the last page of Emergence;

Seeing things like this makes me hope that characters and major movers and shakers are going to wrapped up into another big world changing event somewhere in the next 5-6 years of SR Timeline...

Posted by: Zombayz Apr 12 2009, 05:55 PM

Shadowrun was my first RPG that just FELT right. DnD, even my favourite setting for it(Ebberon), lacked something. DnD always seems to be looking up, thinking hey, if it isn't good now that's why you're supposed to play good duys right? And SR's classless system... Beautiful.

You can play bloody well anything you want. Wanna be a mage who uses a flamethrower? Go for it. Street Sammie who is devastating at any range? Go for it. A cracked-out ex rocker who's a jack of all trades? Yep.

And the fact that the plot, actually makes sense. It's actually a decent picture of where the world is going(oh gods do I hope that the world Awakens)

Posted by: Tyro Apr 21 2009, 11:12 PM

Are you saying it hasn't started already?

Posted by: Zombayz Apr 22 2009, 01:20 AM

Maybe. Maybe not. I've got a friend who definately might be a mana-spiked elf.

Posted by: blindfox Apr 22 2009, 01:32 AM

me too! i spent hours pouring over the gear books and spending way too much time lording over my wepons and cyberware thanks to the street sam's catalogue and, later, shadowtech. id spend hours drawing my characters paying meticulous attention to the details on the weapons to make sure they matched those in the books.
it's prolly cuz of those that ive stuck almost entirely to the tech side of the game (but i always make sure to have a finger-wiggler behind me to watch for that magic-stuff)