 If I buy SR4, should I buy Shadows of Asia? |
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 Dec 4 2005, 02:08 AM
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#1
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Dragon  Group: Members Posts: 4,589 Joined: 28-November 05 Member No.: 8,019  |
I'm really interested in learning about Imperial Japan and the like. Is most of the information outdated by the time you get to SR4, or is it still good for setting and stuff?
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Dec 4 2005, 02:13 AM
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#2
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Ain Soph Aur Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,477 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Montreal, Canada Member No.: 600 |
Well, when they wrote the later sourcebooks, they knew SR4 was coming out, so they made sure they'd still be relevant after SR4.
That being said, I found there were gaps, especially technology wise. For the cultural aspect, no problem. But when, especially for Japan, there is a large section devoted to the new SOTA Matrix system being implemented or whatever, well, you can rip those pages right out of your book. But you still get a very good feel of things, and plot hooks, although 5 years old by SR4 standard, are still good ideas you can update to SR4. Who's gonna know? |
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Dec 4 2005, 03:24 AM
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#3
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Dragon Group: Members Posts: 4,589 Joined: 28-November 05 Member No.: 8,019 |
Do they have lots of info about Asia in SR4, so much that I won't need Shadows of Asia, or does Shadows of Asia have a lot of useful information itself?
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Dec 4 2005, 03:41 AM
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#4
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The back-up plan Group: Retired Admins Posts: 8,423 Joined: 15-January 03 From: San Diego Member No.: 3,910 |
I would definitely suggest buying Shadows of Asia. SR4 has to cram an entire world's worth of history into one chapter. SoA and SoE both spend chapters laying out the explicit history of an individual country's growth and advancement towards 2065.
Runner Havens will provide an in-depth look at Tokyo in 2070, but for the rest of Asia and Japan, Shadows of Asia is going to be your best source at least for a few years until the FanPro team updates the material. |
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Dec 4 2005, 06:07 AM
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#5
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 344 Joined: 5-January 05 From: Wherever this piece of meat rests. Member No.: 6,937 |
You should definitely pick it up. It's a little heavy on fluff unlike the meaty Shadows of Europe book and at times a bit stereotypical in their "coverage' of some places, but some of the writing is damn good, and there are a lot of great Shadow Run ideas in that book. China itself is great because you have so many different flavored balkanized countries pretty close together. I think it really opens up a lot of possibilities to the types of runs you can send your players on and still keep them somewhat local. Plus, its not Seattle.
:D :nuyen: :nuyen: :nuyen: |
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Dec 4 2005, 10:07 AM
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#6
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 191 Joined: 26-February 02 From: East Jerusalem Member No.: 2,022 |
Just a minor correction - it's Hong Kong not Tokyo that will be featured in Runner Havens (I think Neo-Tokyo might be developed as a sprawl further down the line but don't quote me on that one). And yes, Shadows of Asia is definitely better if you want a detailed insight of Asia in the Sixth World, as the core rulebook adopts a more NorAm-centric pov (even though the influence of Asian culture in general and Japan in particular are touched upon). |
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