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Dumpshock Forums _ Shadowrun _ A Fistful of Credsticks: A Horizon Adventure now on sale
Posted by: JM Hardy Apr 2 2011, 09:58 PM
A new series of adventures has been launched with the release of A Fistful of Credsticks, the first in a new series of adventures that will dig a little deeper into the Horizon Corporation. It's available in PDF form and for print pre-order at the http://www.battlecorps.com/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=fistful+of+credsticks&x=0&y=0, and in PDF form at http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=90012.
Here's a little more info to whet your appetite:
Fame, Fortune, and Felonies
Nothing’s as simple as it seems—any runner knows that. So what seems like a simple job guarding some precious cargo on the set of a trideo shoot is bound to get complicated. And it does—but are you ready to travel the full length the long, twisted road ahead?
A Fistful of Credsticks begins a new series of adventures centered on the machinations of the Horizon Corporation. Runners will learn more about the dark side of Horizon, leading to future developments that could change the shape of the entire corporation. Runners that see this adventure to the finish will encounter trideo makers, music celebrities, showbiz leeches, some gang members bent on fame, and a very peculiar corporate experiment.
A Fistful of Credsticks is for use with Shadowrun, Twentieth Anniversary Edition.
Enjoy!
Jason H.
Posted by: CanRay Apr 2 2011, 10:22 PM
So what's next? "A Few Credsticks More"? "The Good, The Bad, and The Shadowrunners"? "Once upon a time in a Shadowrun"? "Last 'Runner Standing"? "Yojimbo Q. Wageslave"?
Posted by: Pepsi Jedi Apr 2 2011, 10:54 PM
Probably. Can you blame them?
Though this will give fans something they've been clamoring for. They've alllll said Horizon is too squeeky clean which means they have to be dirty underneath. Looks like we'll see.
Posted by: CanRay Apr 2 2011, 11:18 PM
Though this will give fans something they've been clamoring for. They've alllll said Horizon is too squeeky clean which means they have to be dirty underneath. Looks like we'll see.
You know, that would be a massive twist that none of us would expect. A legit AAA-Corporation that only has bad apples in it for the nasty things going on.
Posted by: Megu Apr 3 2011, 01:39 AM
So is this an LA run or what?
Posted by: CanRay Apr 3 2011, 01:41 AM
It's Horizon, where else?
Posted by: Sengir Apr 3 2011, 12:32 PM
Much of the adventure concerns the P2.0 (or “pito”) social network tool. Information is given in this adventure to explain how the tool works, but gamemasters and players can gain a more detailed understanding of this software and its place in the LA social scene from the Corporate Enclaves sourcebook.
Pity, we play in LA currently so I was considering running this. But P 2.0 doesn't exist in my Shadowrun 
Posted by: CanRay Apr 3 2011, 03:29 PM
Wait, you Shadowrunners lack male genitalia? 
Posted by: Sengir Apr 3 2011, 04:12 PM
There's only one elf on the team
I tend to emphasize the "shadow" in "shadowrun", so camera drones and Like buttons are right out.
Posted by: Stahlseele Apr 3 2011, 06:30 PM
dunno if you know this or not, but there's allready a german shadowrun novel called:"für eine hand voll daten" which would be "for a hand full of data" or something like this.
Posted by: CanRay Apr 3 2011, 07:54 PM
"A Fistful of Data", a Shadowrun equivalent of "The Seven Samurai" or "The Magnificent Seven". Not a bad book at all, despite a tendency of going into game terms (Something that I find as a cop-out with novels that take place in games.).
Other than that, it's a decent novel.
Posted by: Stahlseele Apr 3 2011, 07:58 PM
Ah, good, so you know ^^
personally, i'm not too big a fan of the newer german novels, but to each their own i guess . .
Posted by: CanRay Apr 3 2011, 08:04 PM
The newer novels left a lot of be desired. "A Fistful Of Data" and "Aftershocks" were the only two that really appealed to me. Aftershocks being the better one. I'm hoping to see more of Hood.
However, Jason has said he's going to start getting things really rolling for new novels during/after GenCon Indy, come hell or high water. Something about punching people in the neck (Or maybe I just gave him that quote.).
And, I hope it turns out. And not just because of the mean, nasty, miserable things we're doing with Hackbaby...
Posted by: Stahlseele Apr 3 2011, 08:05 PM
*snickers*
Posted by: Bull Apr 3 2011, 09:53 PM
I'm planning to help him withn that whole punching people thing. And I'm a LOT bigger than Jason. Novels need to start happening again, for two reasons...
1) Mel Odom was slated to do one of the new novels, and I loved his Jack Skater novels.
2) That gives me a very tiny, very slim chance of maybe someday getting a shot at doing a novel. 
Posted by: Stahlseele Apr 3 2011, 09:55 PM
Mel's back? God damn but at least SOME good news in all of this . .
Also, you're bigger than a LOT of people Null *snickers* ^^
Posted by: Bull Apr 3 2011, 09:56 PM
Null?
And yeah. That helps with the punching too
Posted by: Stahlseele Apr 3 2011, 09:59 PM
Whoops, typo'ed, sorry Bull . . On the other hand, it'd be the perfect insult for you O.o
Null-Head is old slang for people without a jack of any kind implying no knowledge in computer stuff at all, which would be a horrible insult for ANY decker . . and it works with your handle too ^^
Posted by: CanRay Apr 4 2011, 01:04 AM
You know, if Bull were to punch you in the neck...
Posted by: redwulf25 Apr 4 2011, 03:14 AM
Null-Head is old slang for people without a jack of any kind implying no knowledge in computer stuff at all, which would be a horrible insult for ANY decker . . and it works with your handle too ^^
I don't understand why anyone in 4th edition spends nuyen and essence on a data jack when trodes do the same job for less nuyen and no essence cost. Save the cyber for things you actually NEED cyber for.
Posted by: CanRay Apr 4 2011, 04:14 AM
Because a lot of folks had Datajacks before 'Trodes became common?
Also, 'Trodes take a bit to set up. Datajack? Slot and run, Chummer!
Posted by: Megu Apr 4 2011, 06:39 AM
Frankly, I'd extend the same argument to cyber eyes and ears when there's perfectly good earbuds and contact lenses out there that do the same thing.
Posted by: Angelone Apr 4 2011, 06:46 AM
Mages can't target through contacts but they can with cybereyes.
Posted by: Megu Apr 4 2011, 06:51 AM
First of all, cyber and mages doesn't exactly go together very well. And I was under the impression they very much could, as long as there wasn't no polarization going on. It's still the same light going through the contacts.
Posted by: Angelone Apr 4 2011, 06:58 AM
I meant they can't use them for low light or thermo or any other interesting gizmo you can put in them. Yeah they don't mix, but some cyber or bio can give them an edge.
Posted by: hobgoblin Apr 4 2011, 09:33 AM
Because SR do not have rules for the latter two being lost?
Posted by: CanRay Apr 4 2011, 01:24 PM
It does in Runner's Companion, under the Lifestyle rules.
Posted by: hobgoblin Apr 4 2011, 02:27 PM
What a odd place to have them.
After a quick glance over the chapter i can not find whatever it is your referring to...
also, lets be clear. I was talking about dropping or such the devices from taking a hard blow to the head or similar.
Posted by: CanRay Apr 4 2011, 02:59 PM
Let's be clear, I wasn't.
Runner's Companion, Page 163, "Black Hole".
Also, reusing contact lenses are a great way to get an eye infection. 
Posted by: Bull Apr 4 2011, 09:39 PM
Besides, who needs rules for it?
Hell, I can't count the number of times Bull the Ork Decker had his big, expensive toys blown up, stolen, vandalized, or sabotaged... I had a tricked out custom GMC Bulldog that, after building the damn thing in Rigger Black Book (Which was a nightmare), I simply bought the exact same one over and over again after a dragon melted it, or Cockroach spirits trashed it, or I rolled it in a collision, or it got stripped and left on blocks, or...
And lets not talk about how often Bull lost his right arm. *grumble*
Also, at character generation, there's a limit to how much you can put into Goggles/Contacts/Etc, because everything you put in adds to the total availability. You can't completely trick out a pair of goggles, because tehy end up with an availability of around 20 or more, depending on the enhancements.
Cyber, on the other hand, is handled on a piece y piece basis... And with the exception of Retinal Duplication (for eyes) and Select Sound Filter 5 or 6 (For ears), all the mods fall within starting availability.
Plus, if you are operating something through a datajack and have teh wireless turned off, you can't be remotely hacked.
Bull
Posted by: hobgoblin Apr 4 2011, 10:32 PM
Because if there is not, people on this forum and elsewhere will argue that in SR said devices are stuck to the body using the strong nuclear force?
Basically it is the age old hazard of "railroading", the GM stripping someone of their gear by fiat.
Posted by: Bull Apr 4 2011, 11:33 PM
I guess I've been lucky enough that I've always trusted my GMs enough to never worry about that, and the majority of my players have likewise trusted me when I GMed.
Posted by: redwulf25 Apr 5 2011, 12:08 AM
Just like if you have it skin linked?
Posted by: CanRay Apr 5 2011, 01:19 AM
Damnit, I want to be in Bull's group. 
Posted by: Bull Apr 5 2011, 01:58 AM
Yeah. But with a cord. And cords are cool
(Keep in mind, most of my comments are semi-in character, fro the perspective of an old, cranky Ork Decker)
But, lets put it this way. With very, VERY few exceptions, paper Checks are completely outdated. And yet, people still write checks at the store. I know, I always get stuck behind their slow asses. Why do people still use those? or have Land Line telephones? Or use Dial Up when there is broadband? Or heck, why drive a car 10 years old, when they have newer, nicer cars?
The fact is, WIreless is still a new(ish) technology. Not everyone has it, not everyone is comfortable with it. And some people have just still have datajacks and wires, and if they work, why replace them?
*shrug*
Bull
Posted by: CanRay Apr 5 2011, 02:42 AM
Um, older cars are better. Not ten year old ones, but older than that.
Also, being a computer tech with networking knowledge, skinlink just makes my skin crawl (Pun intended.). Skinlink would work, at best, like a hub. If you have more than one or two items connected through it, you're looking at some rather bad "Datastorms".
There's a lot of good reasons to use shielded wired connections. And Datajacks just make sense as they're faster and more reliable than 'Trode Nets. What takes longer? Carefully putting on the 'Trodes, or just plugging in?
Also, the major advantage of cables (Especially shielded ones), is that they can be used as a lanyard. Very advantageous when you're dealing with a multi-
piece of equipment.
Posted by: Megu Apr 5 2011, 06:40 AM
Are trodes really that hard to put on? I'm currently playing a wolf (well, domestic dog, but wolf stats) shifter and kind of figured she could just nestle and fasten them with the thick fur in dog form/big 80s hair in human form and get em to stay put. Will that work?
Posted by: CanRay Apr 5 2011, 06:45 AM
Having had electrodes put on IRL, they need to be placed VERY carefully and accurately. It's not a slap dash job at all. Once they're on, OK, no problem. But it's going to take a bit of time, and unless you have a good reason to be wearing them...
Nanopaste 'Trodes are a bit better, you can try and fob that off as club-going hair gel or colouring or some such, but that's wireless and we're back to problem A again. Also, they'd probably wash out, and still need to be very accurately placed.
Posted by: Xahn Borealis Apr 6 2011, 04:35 AM
Also, datajacks can be anywhere on the body, and come with their own internal storage. IMO, worth the Essence hit for technomancers.
Posted by: Bira Apr 6 2011, 06:04 AM
So, is the adventure any good?
Posted by: Megu Apr 6 2011, 07:29 AM
Doesn't necessarily help shifters all that much, though.
And I'm with Bira. Is the run any good? What exactly is in it?
I'm curious because my GM is running a Minneapolis game, and Minneapolis, having a thriving entertainment industry, it might be something we could port to our sprawl.
Posted by: Ascalaphus Apr 6 2011, 07:48 AM
A datachip costs 1 , and you could probably hide it under a fingernail or in your hair. Why take a jack?
Posted by: Xahn Borealis Apr 6 2011, 03:09 PM
Because you have to have some other interface for that datachip, maybe not wireless, but still something that can be removed.
Posted by: CanRay Apr 6 2011, 03:32 PM
Well, no one has posted frothing at the mouth, screaming "CGL IS KILLING SHADOWRUN!!!", so signs point to yes.
*Looks at Magic 8-Ball and grins wickedly*
Posted by: Xahn Borealis Apr 6 2011, 03:34 PM
*Looks at Magic 8-Ball and grins wickedly*
One of these days, I'm gonna get a material link to that Magic 8-Ball... One of these days....
Posted by: Tycho Apr 7 2011, 08:41 AM
*Looks at Magic 8-Ball and grins wickedly*
Or nobody is bothering to buy any more crap from CGL?
cya
Tycho
Posted by: CanRay Apr 7 2011, 02:27 PM
cya
Tycho
How will we know it's crap if we don't at least have someone check it out?
That way, we'll know when to start buying again. Because, you know, the alternative sucks badly.
Or an additional alternative is that the folks in charge of the DDH get chained to desks until the next one comes out.
Posted by: Headshot_Joe Apr 7 2011, 08:47 PM
Right, and IIRC the 4th Ed Core book even gives examples of where this would be desirable. Dated technology is still prevalent in areas that aren't riding the waves of innovation. Some corps might used old-fashioned hard-wired closed networks for storage of sensitive, but not highly used, data, such as records of no-longer-relevant projects, failed research programs, ex-employee profiles, etc. I imagine that the barrens may actually have more wired connections than wireless, having most likely inherited all the obsolete technology thrown out with the development of wireless. Then throw in the likelihood of a security program or hacker even checking on a wired connection these days... I'm sure a great deal of them don't consider a hard-line hack as a possible security breach, and might over look such a connection as simply leading to another node. After all, people don't plug into the Matrix anymore, at least not in the literal sense.
Posted by: CanRay Apr 7 2011, 10:27 PM
Another place that uses Wired Technology is MCT's Rose Garden. After all, if the inmates are able to hack wirelessly with just the power of their minds, how better to secure a network than with wired-only technology?
Posted by: hobgoblin Apr 8 2011, 07:11 AM
I suspect that the barrens are a mishmash of tech, some so old it may predate the first crash, some so new that is is not rated for human use yet (or ever will be, thanks to some flaw or other).
So your probably looking at everything from some old fiber (anything metal is likely sold for scrap already, unless defended by whoever has the most guns and thugs in the area) wrapped around a clothes wire (or masking as one), or a recently repossessed sat dish aimed either at the sky or down the road for a long distance linkup.
Posted by: CanRay Apr 8 2011, 01:56 PM
"Wait a minute... This network server says 'Fuchi' on it. Who the frag is Fuchi?" "I don't know, probably one of the local gangs so that people know not to mess with it."
Posted by: hobgoblin Apr 8 2011, 02:01 PM
Fuchi?! crap crap crap! Oh, never mind
Posted by: Prime Mover Apr 8 2011, 02:27 PM
Ahhh good ole Fuchi. They were my nemesis corp when i ran 1st edition. Seeing their name crop up in 4th would give my vet players a little shiver.
Posted by: Prime Mover Apr 8 2011, 02:29 PM
Any reviews for Fistful of Credsticks up anywhere yet?
Posted by: CanRay Apr 8 2011, 02:35 PM
*Chuckles* There's a small part of Fuchi that specializes in "Black Matrix Service Provider" services. Legally.
Posted by: hobgoblin Apr 8 2011, 02:36 PM
Iirc, that came about thanks to some grandfather clauses once fuchi got ripped to shreds...
Posted by: CanRay Apr 8 2011, 02:40 PM
Yes. And, having previously worked in the media provider service industry (I was tech support/billing for a New York Cable TV Company), I can tell you those Grandfathered Contracts are a major pain in the...
Ahem.
Anyhow, they swap the contracts around to new people through a loophole in the rules that allows them to do so, and, in fact, they have to do so in order to keep the contracts alive so they don't close up shop.
Posted by: JM Hardy Apr 8 2011, 02:50 PM
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=90012.
Jason H.
Posted by: CanRay Apr 8 2011, 02:54 PM
Looks positive. Too bad my group really hates LA now.
And have been told if they ever go back to California they'll die horrible, painful deaths at the hands of people who are paid to shoot them anywhere but the face for money.
Posted by: JM Hardy Apr 8 2011, 04:36 PM
And have been told if they ever go back to California they'll die horrible, painful deaths at the hands of people who are paid to shoot them anywhere but the face for money.
Hey, LA is in the PCC, so they're fine! Except for that hating LA part.
Jason H.
Posted by: CanRay Apr 8 2011, 05:48 PM
Jason H.
They're close enough to California, and the price is big enough, that they could be dragged to CFS, and beaten to death.
See what happens when you impersonate nobility from The Black Forest Troll Kingdom?
Posted by: JM Hardy Apr 8 2011, 06:13 PM
See what happens when you impersonate nobility from The Black Forest Troll Kingdom?
At least they learned an Important Life Lesson.
Jason H.
Posted by: Brazilian_Shinobi Apr 8 2011, 07:42 PM
Jason H.
Don't pretend you are Baron Von Troll?
Posted by: JM Hardy Apr 8 2011, 07:47 PM
Only once a year.
Jason H.
Posted by: Doc Chase Apr 8 2011, 07:48 PM
I just had a horrible, vicious idea for Gencon this year.
Posted by: Xahn Borealis Apr 8 2011, 07:50 PM
Why am I imagining a guy with an accent halfway between Stereotypical Transylvanian Vampire and Marvin The Martian?
Posted by: Doc Chase Apr 8 2011, 07:50 PM
Because I can't do accents for shit, that's why.
Posted by: Brazilian_Shinobi Apr 8 2011, 09:51 PM
Jason H.
Because one guy dressed as a german noble troll it is just weird, but when many guys dressed like this gather around it is a convention
Posted by: CanRay Apr 8 2011, 10:00 PM
Baron Von Vanderpluffe is an Ork, but, yes, that is an important life lesson.
The other life lesson they haven't learned is research/legwork, or else they'd know why not to mess with him. All they know about him so far is that his castle has severed heads impaled on spikes. And a human servant named Deiter.
Posted by: Sengir Apr 9 2011, 12:39 PM
Well, considering that the only downside this guy mentions in http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_reviews.php?products_id=86596 is the inclusion of profanity, I'd take his opinion with a grain of salt
Posted by: CanRay Apr 9 2011, 04:55 PM
...
Apparently he's never read a Shadowrun anything before. Damn.
OK, anyone got a review from a credible source now? (No offense, Jason, but if this guy is complaining about swearing in Shadowrun, he doesn't know his hoop from his slot!).
Posted by: Sengir Apr 11 2011, 08:02 AM
I consider buying and plundering it for plot ideas (cf. TJ's sig 
), since my group has decided to stay in LA for a little longer...if my curiosity gets the better of me I'll post a short review.
Posted by: Bira Apr 18 2011, 02:48 PM
So, I decided to take the plunge and buy both this and "Hiding in the Dark", the newest Missions adventure.
A Fistful of Credsticks is a decent adventure, but not a truly great one. It does a good job of exposing your shadowrunners to the Sixth World celebrity scene, but despite being labeled as a "Horizon Adventure" the part of it that actually has anything to do with Horizon is a bit contrived. It feels like it was added later, and so this book suffers from a somewhat attenuated form of the problem First Run had. The first half of it is a perfectly fine series of shadowruns, with no relation to Horizon. Getting the second part to happen takes a lot of railroading on the part of the GM, or some work to make it better. It does give those who thought Horizon was "too clean" something to chew on, though. A spoilery review follows:
Posted by: Pepsi Jedi Apr 18 2011, 05:45 PM
A Fistful of Credsticks is a decent adventure, but not a truly great one. It does a good job of exposing your shadowrunners to the Sixth World celebrity scene, but despite being labeled as a "Horizon Adventure" the part of it that actually has anything to do with Horizon is a bit contrived. It feels like it was added later, and so this book suffers from a somewhat attenuated form of the problem First Run had. The first half of it is a perfectly fine series of shadowruns, with no relation to Horizon. Getting the second part to happen takes a lot of railroading on the part of the GM, or some work to make it better. It does give those who thought Horizon was "too clean" something to chew on, though. A spoilery review follows:
Excellent review. Thank you!
Posted by: Bira Apr 18 2011, 06:00 PM
Thanks!
Posted by: Prime Mover May 8 2011, 03:14 PM
Nice review. It definitely brings up memories of older edition adventures along the lines of Dreamchipper.
Posted by: Grinder May 20 2011, 08:12 AM
Anyone else who wants to give us a review of the book?
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