I'm updating the Space Technology thread, and I must say that Hazard Pay breaks some kind of record for contradicting previous Shadowrun canon dates -- sometimes giving different dates for the same event on the same page (for example, new info is that S-K acquired ESA assets but the date is given as both 2029 and 2025 on the same page (p. 120). The date that Ares acquired NASA is also different (but previous books couldn't agree on 2008 or 2016 either). Evo suddenly acquire the entire Russian space program since Corporate Guide, but that doesn't even get a date.

Makes updating a headache (IMG:style_emoticons/default/frown.gif)

Sort of an aside, I'm not really sure how defensible some of the space facts are, as presented (I'll let stuff like Lagrange points being places where "gravity has no effect" slide). For example, on p. 124:

-- The actual rules are not quite as dire as this makes out (p. 160) - albeit still incredibly pessimistic - but more problematic is the statement about the "temperature" of space and the note about hypothermia. Space isn't actually "cold" as such, and there have been animal experiments looking at the effects of vacuum and near-vacuum that note it is dangerous and deadly - but not necessarily in the sense as described here. Instead we get sci-fi tropes about turning into a icicle and explosive decompression.
-- The danger of space exposure is the vacuum (god forbid you pass out too, because then your stomach, bladder, and bowels may evacuate all at once) and the lack of air. Not "cold." This is stuff that could have been checked on Wikipedia. I'm curious what the source was for this hypothermia and dead within seconds material?

The number of mistakes in this chapter, regarding space hazards, the definition of low-Earth orbit and Lagrangian points, satcoms delays, SR timeline (especially on Yamatetsu mission to Mars), or even things like the year of Columbia first flight or the location of Andrews Air Base, led me to believe that no research at all was made for this chapter.

Probably. I'm willing to overlook weirdness if it's a bit obscure, as most of it is just annoying -- like why Kodiak Station even HAS a spaceport at all, how exactly Andrews and Groom Lake were "combined", the precursor consortium to Ares constantly being referred to as Ares, etc. It just drives me nuts because the chapter is constantly contradicting itself and other books on dates (like almost everything involving the Skyhook or Mass Driver), etc. I made my original thread back in 2010 it should have been easy to find by the freelancer.

The amount of spelling errors and gaffes (some sentences don't even have punctuation!) does amuse me though!

It really has a launch facility right now. I've been there.
http://www.akaerospace.com/

If only. I find that trying to dig up a specific thread from years back can be bothersome at best...

Reminds me of War! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

-- I wonder if there was some editorial monkeying around that messed some stuff up in this chapter (haven't closely perused the other chapters except the rules/equipment). Purely as an in-universe document it reads ok, the shadowtalk isn't outrageous, the super space ore plot isn't annoyingly aggressive (and builds on similar hooks from earlier sources, actually - Wastelands had even weirder stuff like archaeologists on the moon). You have to pay attention to dates for most of the inconsistencies to come to light. At least when I did SR stuff I kept a very close eye on dates using a timeline I wrote, but some stuff still got changed in editing to match other writers or 'corrected'. I wonder if that happened here during text juggling. Or the writer was on a very tight timeline and didn't have time to reconcile dates from multiple drafts and possible freelancer comments.

-- And I retract my dig about easy to find my thread. I was updating it into 2011 but its not exactly page 1 if you don't filter by my name (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Same for my Hawai'i and Tir infodumps.

There was spoilers in a thread here a while ago, but as far as I understood the gist of the explanation. (wiki skimming may help), is that a dragon was involved as either the CEO, or a head honcho, or the power behind the board room.
And the corporation is basically founded on the idea of building habitable things in odd remote locations, like under sea.

Its basically an Earthdawn link. They're trying to figure out how to build better Kaers.

Reading through the thread, I had a question about the 'MORE ART MORE PRICE' aspect of the discussion - how much art has been reused from previous editions? I know cgl likes to do that with this old drone and stuff.
Seems kinda unfair to bill for more art that's just been copy-pasted and greyscaled, you know?

-official info from wayback-

Thanks Nath, I had lost that in a move between computers (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I just got a look at this book, and has anyone seen the spell section in this thing?

Seriously, What The Fuck.

Inflict Disease is easily my most favorite broken spell now.
That or Rot.

My next Mysadept face is totally going to have Inflict Disease: Unexplainable Rashes and Inflict Disease: Acne.

Also the Ares Predator IV CW is flat out better than the normal one, and the snowthrower is HILARIOUS.

Knowing nothing else, I find it hilarious.

'SHONGO! Geek the sniper!"
"On it boss! " *casts spell*

A minute goes by, the sniper ventilates the whole team.

"Shongo, I could have sworn I saw you hit the sniper with a spell."
"I did boss. Dude's totally got Lupus. Life's gonna be pretty inconvenient for him."

Grandfather Nurgle is good to his Family.

No, that's, uh..... pretty much exactly how it works. Power = Force.

So what's broken about it (especially compared to classics like Stunball)? It seems very situationally useful to me.

It isn't limited in what kind of diseases you can take with it. You can now dodge the BP cost for being a vampire.
Dodging the essence and losing all your magic from being a newly infected is as simple as a possession spirit, cuz you get to use their essence instead of your own. Due to how magic loss works, you will instantly lose some when the transformation finishes unless you plan for it.

By the rules, characters who become infected lose control over their character, as if the character had died.

Maybe that was true in previous editions, but unless you can back that up with a page source, I'm going to go with the rules in the book that introduces the Infected as playable options.

As long as you do not mind the Tax on Karma in Play.

One problem, you don't get to choose what disease the spell causes(GM does that) so i would think twice before casting it on yourself (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif)

295, SR4a.

Witch is quite obviously trumped by the new rules for playing infected characters in Runners Companion.

There's no "quite obviously" with RAW. Unless the rules state they override previously printed ones, they do not.
Although getting canceraids instead of the needed kind of HMHVV is a hilarious possibility all by itself.

Seriously, this is an issue? No, print order MUST be taken into account when dealing with expansion books. If a book says 'here is new rules for this!' then they are pretty clearly new rules for things the original book didn't cover.


Also I can quote too. Note the section header AND the text!



Not good enough. You're not being subject to a Critter Power.