I've not even played shadowrun yet, but I'm already thinking of ways to spice up my games with different settings, that would benefit from the flavour that the shadowrun system gives. A couple of examples:

- Contantine/Hellblazer. The Occult Investigator brings Constantine to mind almost immediately, so why don't we eliminate some tech and some magic, and kepp a world a little more like our own in respect to that of Shadowrun, but then we have magic and demons and so on?

- Final Fantasy VII: The system seems suited to play SeeDs, magic mercenaries trained in special places called Gardens, and then sent to contractors to carry out contracts, missions and so on. When I say magic mercenaries I mean that all of them can fight in melee, with ranged weapons, and can cast spells and summon spirits (Guardian Forces, actually). I could even see them added to the normal Shadowrun setting, as the best and more costly mercenaries in the world, hiring three of them could lower the Gross Domestic Income of a little country by a few points. They are obviously supplied only from one single company, that has no problem in supplying both sides of a conflict.

So, what do you think? Are these combinations possible? Do you have any of your own?

For my money, the basic SR3 mechanic would make for a hell of a Wild West game. Guns are deadly, wounds are brutal, the Reaction test makes a great quick draw mechanic, and the system is balanced well at the lower end as well as the upper end of human maximums. (Part of this was the idea of running variant campaigns in which the awakening happened a hundred years earlier, so the first was 1911 with the game taking place in WWII, the second would be 1811, with the game taking place in the 1880's and so on.)

Also, SR has always had everything you need to for Star Wars too. All the force powers have phys ad powers or spell equivalents, and wookies can be trolls, there's even soul-sucking cyberware rules. Dark Jedi up, biatch!

I agree on the Star Wars (but for over the top action Feng Shui works better). But the SR system can be scaled to any Scifi or fantasy setting. I've thought of doing a "modern occult
one off with it. I've also done some various resonance and metaplaner quests with the regular rule set and those worked well simming different genres like 1950's cold war espionage and high fantasy.

I know that Catalyst has a made a big joke of it but we used to Play MechWarrior using Shadowrun 2nd Edition. It was very easy to accomplish and [BIG STRETCH] VCRs were later made EI in Battletech.


BlueMax

I once played in a game that was based on the little section of Gaia Online that me and my friends used to hang out in. Considering what Gaia's roleplaying area is like (the good, coherent parts), it wasn't that big of a leap.

Also, The Khorne-cult gang of cybered punks is now a running joke in our SR games, despite the lack of any other Warhammer influences.

I ran Mage (White Wolf) using SR2's system back in the 90s. Funny enough, my adaptation of the magic system is almost identical to the nWoD Mage approach.

SR4 adapts better IMO than prior editions. It really only lacks a mounted combat mechanic and it would be suitable for just about anything.

I have spent time working on a few different genre adaptations.

Post-apoc wasteland / wild west
Did a bit of a rift twist with power armour
Work on some steam punk/mecha projects.
Did some teenage mutant ninja turtles/ island of Dr Moreaux variations

Actually the SeeD magic mercs were from FFVIII. And I agree that the SR4 system could make a pretty cool FFVIII game.

Galbadia rules!

I was thinking that without too much work you could easily adapt the Shadowrun mechanics so you can emulate a tabletop Fallout or Mass Effect game.

I really like the SR mechanic system (4th ED) and am trying to fit some parts of it into, how do you guys say, "the game that causes cancer?"? So far without much luck.

Opposite for me, frankly. Always been a bigger fan of the setting than the rule set. Too much work to port SR to another rules system, though.

I've been gradually adapting V:tM combat rules to SR4 systems, because oWoD has a bit too much randomness in it for my taste. Particularly 7+ to hit successes that turn into 1- damage successes.

We used SR4 for a home brew fantasy/Steam punk setting. It was pretty damn fun and we were able to keep most of the archetypes intact. Yes even the hacker. Though it was something completely different in the setting the spirit was the same.

1st or 2nd ed AD&D- the idea of running Vault of the Drow with a mini-gun or MP-5 just tickles me pink.

Outlaw Star - Space Opera anime with cybernetics and magic - perfect fit.

Eclipse Phase.

Not a big fan of the d100 mechanic? I've only read and not played, so I can't say how the EP rules work in practice.

Yeah, I had my share of D100 systems...

the world the Shanara series is based on always struck me as something that could be played using shadowrun stuff.. though I haven't read it in years.

I agree about fallout. I also think an Elder Scrolls based game could be fun. Heck even a Dr. Who based game could be interesting. With some tweaking I think the SR rules are robust enough to be molded to most settings.

I've run two World War Z campaigns using SR3. All I had to do was restrict chargen a bit and create some rules for Zeds. Easy Peasy. And rather deadly with very little armor and a single Light wound carrying a chance of infection.

What would I play with the Shadowrun ruleset?

Shadowrun! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

All joking aside, something based on the Fallout setting, post-apocalyptic wasteland in perpetual anarchy, small bastions of civilization struggling to get by...with all probability perfect for someone just trying to make a little (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) .

An apocalyptic SR4 game would be really fun. Background counts everywhere, toxic mages/spirits all over the place, your cyber would breakdown, and hackers wouldn't be as useful. Actually let me correct that. A mundane hacker would be ok. A TM on the other hand wouldn't be flexible enough. Most runners would probably be people tasked with recovering lost tech for the masses. It would basically be SR + Fallout. I want to play in a game like that now.

CURSE YOU!!!


You have given me imaginings! Now I won't be able to sleep!

We are in the process of ramping up a post-apoc shadowrun campaign using google wave. I am the most excited about playing in this genre. Scavaging and B/R skills are so critical.

Hey on the bright side you may have more interesting dreams. The idea of playing it on wave sounds really cool. I didnt know it open to the public yet. But did anyone else think of a cybered up troll using the mirv to obliterate a cyberzombie?