 SOTA 2063 and 2064, How good are they |
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 Jun 13 2006, 05:07 PM
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#1
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Moving Target  Group: Members Posts: 358 Joined: 12-May 05 From: The nearest UV host near you... Member No.: 7,390  |
How good are the SOTA's books?
Is it worth purchasing them? |
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Jun 13 2006, 05:11 PM
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#2
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,353 Joined: 5-June 02 Member No.: 2,840 |
Don't have 2064, but I do have 2063 and I liked it.
There's sections on genetech, new metamagical techniques, mercenaries, corporate security, and a pop culture section (including the top 10 albums and movies of the year, which is a nice peak into the future of popular entertainment). |
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Jun 13 2006, 05:23 PM
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#3
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 681 Joined: 28-February 06 From: UK Member No.: 8,319 |
Both something of a mish-mash, but both are an entertaining read with lots of adventure seeds therein.
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Jun 13 2006, 05:53 PM
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#4
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Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,012 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802 |
I'm a big fan of '63, and much less a fan of '64. It needs to be remembered, though, that not everything within is actually SOTA (I mean, if you really want to declare that large mortars didn't get rediscovered until 2063, I guess it's your game…).
~J |
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Jun 13 2006, 05:56 PM
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#5
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,353 Joined: 5-June 02 Member No.: 2,840 |
Or that Claymore mines didn't exist until then (even though I've seen Shadowrun Quotefile references to them long before 2063 came out) The way I'd see it is that they just didn't get mentioned much until then because most people in the shadows aren't going to have a need for mortars or anti-personnel mines. |
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Jun 13 2006, 06:21 PM
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#6
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Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,012 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802 |
Ridiculous. ;)
Really, I think claymores are significantly more useful to Shadowrunners than the standard short-range omnidirectional mines in Cannon Companion. Denying a hallway can be very useful. ~J |
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Jun 13 2006, 06:33 PM
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#7
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Incertum est quo loco te mors expectet; Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 6,548 Joined: 24-October 03 From: DeeCee, U.S. Member No.: 5,760 |
Both books are very good for what they do, which is give you support in particular areas of running. '63 seems to focus mostly on merc campaigns and genetech, neither one was especially interesting to me personally. '64 focused on law enforcement, politics and espionage, which are far more interesting to me.
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Jun 13 2006, 07:02 PM
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#8
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 358 Joined: 12-May 05 From: The nearest UV host near you... Member No.: 7,390 |
Thank you all for your support. I'll purchase both...
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Jun 13 2006, 08:47 PM
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#9
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Bushido Cowgirl Group: Members Posts: 5,782 Joined: 8-July 05 From: On the Double K Ranch a half day's ride out of Phlogiston Flats Member No.: 7,490 |
...I prefer '64 for the same reasons Nezumi mentioned as well as the section on Adepts.
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Jun 13 2006, 09:07 PM
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#10
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Shadowrun Setting Nerd Group: Banned Posts: 3,632 Joined: 28-June 05 From: Pissing on pedestrians from my electronic ivory tower. Member No.: 7,473 |
I prefer '63 because the information given on intelligence-gathering (I'd say espionage, but there isn't actually anything about HUMINT espionage in the book) and law enforcement is so bad it makes Baby Jesus cry.
Plus I used to game with the guy who wrote Keeping The Rabble Out. |
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Jun 13 2006, 09:46 PM
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#11
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Incertum est quo loco te mors expectet; Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 6,548 Joined: 24-October 03 From: DeeCee, U.S. Member No.: 5,760 |
I think you mean 2064. Glancing at the 2063 table of contents, there's nothing on intelligence gathering. Genetech, new metamagics, Soldiers of Fortune, Keeping the Rabble out (which was a good chapter - that's on building security) and Culture Shock. |
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Jun 13 2006, 10:05 PM
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#12
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Immortal Elf Group: Members Posts: 11,410 Joined: 1-October 03 From: Pittsburgh Member No.: 5,670 |
he means he doesn't like the info on law enforcement and intelligence in SOTA64.
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Jun 13 2006, 10:31 PM
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#13
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Shadowrun Setting Nerd Group: Banned Posts: 3,632 Joined: 28-June 05 From: Pissing on pedestrians from my electronic ivory tower. Member No.: 7,473 |
Yes, I meant 2064. I foolishly assumed people would pick that up after the "I prefer '63" part.
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Jun 13 2006, 10:59 PM
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#14
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Immortal Elf Group: Members Posts: 11,410 Joined: 1-October 03 From: Pittsburgh Member No.: 5,670 |
SOTA64's intelligence stuff was neat, but it seemed designed more for an intelligence-oriented campaign, a la Missions, where you play a government/corporate/whatever spy. you could apply some of it to 'normal' SR games, if you wanted to, but you'd have to work at it for a lot of the material.
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Jun 13 2006, 11:00 PM
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#15
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Shadowrun Setting Nerd Group: Banned Posts: 3,632 Joined: 28-June 05 From: Pissing on pedestrians from my electronic ivory tower. Member No.: 7,473 |
Or write your own mini-supplement.
*ahem* I'm just blessed to have players who know that espionage isn't as James Bond (or worse, MI:2/3) as it's presented in SOTA:2064, contrary to the ludicrous assumptions of certain people with whom I've corresponded with in the past. |
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Jun 13 2006, 11:03 PM
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#16
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Immortal Elf Group: Members Posts: 11,410 Joined: 1-October 03 From: Pittsburgh Member No.: 5,670 |
haha. yeah, it'd be nice if someone wrote a full-sized article on how intelligence work intersects 'normal' shadowrunning. they could do all sorts of neat stuff with such an article, such as linking it here for download!
the cigarette rockets in SOTA64 gave me a serious case of the belly laughs. i haven't decided if that's good or bad. |
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Jun 13 2006, 11:06 PM
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#17
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Shadowrun Setting Nerd Group: Banned Posts: 3,632 Joined: 28-June 05 From: Pissing on pedestrians from my electronic ivory tower. Member No.: 7,473 |
It was amusing in the Compendium of Modern Firearms. It was gratuitous and silly in Games of State. Of course, so was most of Games of State. Oh, and mfb? nyah (Warning: 330ish Kb PDF).
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Jun 14 2006, 02:40 AM
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#18
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,379 Joined: 16-April 02 From: the LI shadows Member No.: 2,607 |
What's that excerpt from? I don't recall seeing it elsewhere.
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Jun 14 2006, 03:50 AM
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#19
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,379 Joined: 16-April 02 From: the LI shadows Member No.: 2,607 |
Pick up both '63 & '64.
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Jun 14 2006, 04:10 AM
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#20
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Shadowrun Setting Nerd Group: Banned Posts: 3,632 Joined: 28-June 05 From: Pissing on pedestrians from my electronic ivory tower. Member No.: 7,473 |
I'm gonna take a stab and figure from the Quote tag that it's from Syriana. |
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Jun 14 2006, 06:13 AM
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#21
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 308 Joined: 1-June 06 From: Nova Scotia, Canada Member No.: 8,631 |
I like both books for the fact that they are good at what they do, trying to add more flavor to the game. Sure, the Secret Ops stuff of 2064 may be a bit out of place for a standard Shadowrun game but I have issues with some stuff in each book.
As was said, 'Both books are very good for what they do, which is give you support in particular areas of running.' And I have some issues with each book, like in 64, I think it is, where they say something to the point of 'Give a cop 500ny and he'll ignore whatever you do'. But that's just because of the way I play. I look at it more like Robocop or perhaps even Judge Dredd. Where there are crooked cops, and there are some that are straightlaced, but most are in the middle. You can try and bribe them, but it'll be more than pocket change. |
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Jun 14 2006, 07:44 AM
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#22
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Shadowrun Setting Nerd Group: Banned Posts: 3,632 Joined: 28-June 05 From: Pissing on pedestrians from my electronic ivory tower. Member No.: 7,473 |
It's not out of place. 2064 was, for lack of a better term, the Year of Political Intrigue. It's just that most of the information is lacking in utility. Saying "Well, it's just official shadowrunning" is just, well, false. There's more to it, and pretty straightforward applications of espionage into shadowruns (Stuff that should have been explained for newb and non-wonks in the main book or Companion), but none of that showed up in GoS. |
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Jun 14 2006, 01:56 PM
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#23
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Incertum est quo loco te mors expectet; Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 6,548 Joined: 24-October 03 From: DeeCee, U.S. Member No.: 5,760 |
Oops, helps if I read the whole sentence now and again, huh?
Yeah, the cigarette rockets were a bit... odd. Made me think of the finger rockets from CP2020. But overall, in a game about stealth, recon, planning and cautious extractions (of people or information) I've been surprised how skimpy the rules on intelligence gathering and drugs are. Overall I will miss the SOTA books. Having books made specifically to fit particular areas of SR, as well as to add cultural flavor, were great. |
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Jun 14 2006, 02:52 PM
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#24
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Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,012 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802 |
Wait, what? I thought they were going to keep publishing them? I'm thrilled that they're dropping them, if that's true.
~J |
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Jun 14 2006, 04:10 PM
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#25
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Incertum est quo loco te mors expectet; Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 6,548 Joined: 24-October 03 From: DeeCee, U.S. Member No.: 5,760 |
I believe I had read somewhere that they were discontinuing that line. At least for the time being, since they have so many books coming out with SR4. I guess in 3 years, once they've gotten out their half a dozen other books, they might consider restarting the line.
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