I've been lurking here for a while, but I finally have something useful to say. My secret identity is Amy Veeres, and I was just recently hired as a freelancer for Shadowrun! I'm super excited to work on this game, and I haven't been officially contracted for any books yet, but I'm on the freelancer group and everything. Everyone's been super nice and I wanted to introduce myself to one of the larger fan communities, so hi!

Bull and Patrick Goodman also say hello, but they were kind of laughing when they told me to relay that. I don't know why...

Welcome... and Good Luck. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Bull and Patrick would of course be laughing - Dumpshock is kind of like an ornery uncle who you can never truly please, and who has absolutely no qualms about sharing very negative and cynical opinions on everything.

I still love DS for all its flaws, but when dealing with the community from a position of even remote authority such as freelancing, a bit of personal distance from everything and an expectation of dealing with at least mild hysteria and moderate misanthropy would not be amiss - as sad as it is to say that.

...alternately, Patrick at least might have been laughing because certain individuals among us (myself included) have a tendency to poke at the rules with a stick until they break down sobbing. The grief and confusion we must have inflicted on Patrick over the topic of the Infected alone is probably enough to drive anyone to distressed and somewhat unhinged laughter.

So yeah, "Good Luck" indeed.

Just remember that beneath it all, we're just deeply passionate weirdos who care perhaps a bit too much about our shared hobby, and want the best for it. The only problem is no one can cagree on what's best. (Other than to crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of the dice gods, of course.)

~Umi

Sweet! Looking forward to good things from SR5 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Hello, and good luck. I suppose you cannot tell us about what you're writing yet?

If I was on a book, I wouldn't be able to talk about it until it's announced.

But seriously, nothing just yet. Soon, though!

I have to say this is really pleasant. They had me believing you guys would eat me alive, like I'd wake up and you'd be calling for my head on a pike, lol. Very happy to see that's not the case!

It's called "Hazing the newbie" (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Plus, give it time. They're all kind of in hibernation right now, I think... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

or, Maybe , we ARE friendly after all (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)
getting to know somebody who's working at the Game I like so much is (for me ) a joyous occasion.
I for my part really like to get to know the People .
And when I'm having a Diskussion about Rules or Fluff it's mostly about the Rules, never about the Person behind it.
When I think something is wrong (with the Rules or with some Fluff) I want to disuss about that , never Insult somebody.
Otoh When I like something I also write a Post about it.

With a welcoming Dance
Medicineman

Welcome (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Dumpshockers can be very vocal about what they dislike, and since the vocal majority over here is somewhere between hostile and cautious about SR5, this makes it easier for SR5-haters to speak freely.
And while we won't eat you alive, if you write rules or fluff that makes no sense people won't be very nice about them.

We also have a tendency to do things like...


Nuh uh!


Nuh uh!


Oh yeah? RW, p. ABC!


No way! Running Wild was published later, it supercedes any previous rulings that conflict with it!


Then the errata was written by someone who had no clue what they were doing, because it directly contradicts the far more substantial and detailed RW rules in order to correct an "error" in the more basic, earlier SR4A ruling! And it doesn't even make sense! That's not how that sort of thing would ever work in a rational universe!


No, it's hackwork banged out without any QC checking by someone who evidently doesn't understand either the system or even basic physics!



You don't get to decide what is and isn't a legitimate way of playing Shadowrun!

-----

Et cetera, et cetera.

(Apologies, Blade, for jokingly putting very silly words in your mouth. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) )

~Umi

Can't speak for everyone, but with me, if I post bad reviews (see the stickied Dark Resonance thread above for an example), it's about the product. Itry to avoid getting personal, though admittedly I usually fail when I'm angry.


This. Discussions here can become pretty rough, though it's usually about the product, not the writer themselves. But there is less overt pleasantry and sugarcoating going on here.

Ha. That's great. I want to be ripped to shreds if I do something wrong.

I love Shadowrun as much as you guys and if I do badly, I want to hear it, don't worry. I can't promise I'll post a lot, but I'll be here.

Lies, all lies. Ren is actually one of the Battletech Freelancers who wandered by one day, and now they're trapped and are being forced to write Shadowrun. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

(Not really)

(Pretty sure)

(Maybe?)

(Can I stop now?)

(Please?)

(Someone kill me.)

(Call my mom.)

(Send help!)

(The little men in the white coats say keep injecting me with stuff.)

(It's kinda dark in here and I'm scared.)

(Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeppppp.....)

I'm so scared ;_; I just wanted to write about robots!

Then i guess you are in for a bit of a disappointment with the shadowrun universe i fear.
Shadowrun has never done robots particularly well if at all. Neither in fluff nor in crunch.

And we usually are nice to freelancers who come talk to us on their own.
Well, unless they decide to do stuff like BOGOTA!

Howdy, Ren. Welcome to the party. Grab a can and pull up a bench. Barbecue's over there, shooting's in the quarry over the rise, you can use the tools in the workshop for your truck as long as you put them back.

You'll be working on the long-awaited rural shadowruns expansion, right?

Then You should rather change to Drones which is kind of a equivalent to Robots but not yet the same
AND You should read about what happened in Seattle in December 2059 ( in the Renraku Arcology)
and realize that People are kinda afraid of (Human looking) Drones because of this incident

with a fearful Dance
Medicineman

"Androids", Med.

Human looking robots/drones are called "androids". (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

~Umi

But Robots are cooler.

mind you, I don't recall most of the drones in the renraku shutdown being human-shaped, so I have no idea why humanoid robots in particular would be fired. I seem to recall a tiny insect-like drone (which are now common as dirt and not feared at all afaict), and one that was described as having a sort of spinning top for a drive system... don't recall particularly humanoid ones though...

Then there was the Kangaroo like one if i remember correctly.
And the problem with the humanoid part was not that they were robots but humans taken over and acting like robots.

Welcome to the show. I think we're all reserving our rage, uh I mean our strong opinions until we see what you actually produce and then if it is fine, we'll look for something to nitpick about. Or Catalyst will distract us with something we don't like.
Anyway, Bull and Patrick are just trying to haze you. We're all kind and sweet people here. Never a bad word. Really. Here, have some Koolaid.

I don't remember either. There where the Medusa and there where these Bee Likes Drones That I can remember,
But If You read the description/fluff of the Renraku manservant Drone it says that they're purposedly shaped hunchbacked, docile and frail because the People are afraid of tall humansized Drones ( Page 130 in the German SR4A Arsenal )


with a not-so-hunchbacked Dance
Medicineman

Welcome to the 'shock, Ren! We don't bite. Much. Your shots are up to date, aren't they? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

I'll be looking forward to whatever you get contracted to work on, if only because it seems like the release schedule is way too slow for my patience in my old age!

..."the 'shock"...?

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

~Umi