 The GM Screen! |
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 Sep 5 2006, 10:24 PM
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#1
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Moving Target  Group: Members Posts: 932 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Orlando, Florida Member No.: 1,042  |
I just got back from Dragoncon, where I bought my very own 4th edition SR GM screen (from Rob Boyle himself). So...it exists.
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Sep 5 2006, 10:24 PM
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#2
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,556 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Seattle Member No.: 98 |
*sets you on fire*
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Sep 5 2006, 10:25 PM
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#3
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,206 Joined: 9-July 06 From: Fresno, CA Member No.: 8,856 |
So what's the street date?
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Sep 5 2006, 10:26 PM
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#4
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 932 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Orlando, Florida Member No.: 1,042 |
That I don't know.
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Sep 5 2006, 10:28 PM
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#5
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Prime Runner Group: Retired Admins Posts: 3,929 Joined: 26-February 02 From: .ca Member No.: 51 |
Should be in stores starting next week; it ships to them on the 11th.
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Sep 5 2006, 10:32 PM
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#6
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,206 Joined: 9-July 06 From: Fresno, CA Member No.: 8,856 |
Good, I was just beginning to think I had too much money. :vegm:
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Sep 5 2006, 10:35 PM
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#7
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,241 Joined: 10-August 02 Member No.: 3,083 |
So...how would you rate the GM Screen?
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Sep 5 2006, 10:37 PM
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#8
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 932 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Orlando, Florida Member No.: 1,042 |
I'd give it an F-. It's covered in D&D random encounter charts for some reason, along with Scientology slogans, and all the illustrations are of David Hasselhof running through the surf in red swimtrunks.
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Sep 5 2006, 10:43 PM
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#9
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Mr. Johnson Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,148 Joined: 27-February 06 From: UCAS Member No.: 8,314 |
No, Zen, that's the booklet you got from that one chick that smelled like Zovirax. We're talking about the Shadowrun GM screen.
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Sep 5 2006, 10:54 PM
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#10
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 291 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 806 |
New Chick tract? |
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Sep 5 2006, 10:57 PM
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#11
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Shooting Target Group: Validating Posts: 1,618 Joined: 29-January 03 From: Montevideo, Uruguay. Member No.: 3,992 |
Nope, that's for Arsenal. ;)
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Sep 5 2006, 11:31 PM
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#12
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 749 Joined: 28-July 05 Member No.: 7,526 |
Pictures or it didn't happen!! :sleepy:
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Sep 5 2006, 11:47 PM
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#13
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Shooting Target Group: Retired Admins Posts: 1,784 Joined: 28-July 04 From: Cleveland, OH Member No.: 6,522 |
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Sep 5 2006, 11:56 PM
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#14
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 932 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Orlando, Florida Member No.: 1,042 |
It's fine. Four panels on medium cardstock. The outside is recycled art, the inside is charts.
The enclosed booklet has a number of new underpowered contacts, but boosting their stats isn't tough. It also has a number of adventure seeds, a random plot generator (which I choose to ignore), and a guide for converting SR3 characters to SR4, and two pages of charts that didn't go on the screen. At Dragoncon, it cost me $20. |
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Sep 6 2006, 01:06 AM
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#15
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,479 Joined: 6-May 05 From: Idaho Member No.: 7,377 |
Oh God, the pain! It burns my soul! |
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Sep 6 2006, 03:20 AM
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#16
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 115 Joined: 25-May 05 Member No.: 7,415 |
That sounds like there's a lot of rubbish on there. I don't need a guide to converting SR3 to SR4 on my GM screen, cause I'm only going to do that once, if at all. As you said, random plot generators are a bit crap, and given the quality of NPCs in the main book ("shortarms" skill, "medium security armour", gangers who don't even have leather jackets, nobody has specialisations to name a few pet gripes) I'm not very hyped about having those on my GM screen. What I'd like to see is the screen entirely covered in charts. The assensing chart, for one, ranged and melee combat modifiers, run throughs of various actions, (spellcasting, hacking into stuff, vehicle chases) common vehicle and weapon stats, etc. Maybe I should just make my own :) |
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Sep 6 2006, 03:24 AM
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#17
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,206 Joined: 9-July 06 From: Fresno, CA Member No.: 8,856 |
@Gort:
The Things you're describing he said are in an acompanying booklet. The screen itself is, "The outside is recycled art, the inside is charts." Seems like SR always comes with a little booklet to go along with the screen, there was a critters supplement in the SR3 screen. So it may not be as bad as you think. |
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Sep 6 2006, 03:27 AM
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#18
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 932 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Orlando, Florida Member No.: 1,042 |
The screen is entirely covered in charts.
The character conversion material and the NPCs are included in, as I said, the booklet that is packaged with the screen. |
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Sep 6 2006, 03:41 AM
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#19
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 115 Joined: 25-May 05 Member No.: 7,415 |
Brain fart, my bad :) Somehow I managed to replace "the enclosed booklet" with "it".
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Sep 6 2006, 04:25 AM
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#20
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 105 Joined: 28-August 05 Member No.: 7,637 |
Here is my usual obligiatory about my promised 4 page elctronic one so i can fix the one that I have.
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Sep 6 2006, 08:58 AM
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#21
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 858 Joined: 25-August 03 From: Braunschweig, North German League, Allied German States Member No.: 5,537 |
Could you please name those charts? |
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Sep 6 2006, 10:50 AM
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#22
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Target Group: Members Posts: 75 Joined: 4-May 02 From: Austin, TX Member No.: 2,684 |
Well, I don't have a print copy, but I have the PDF, so I can list the charts.
Page 1 Combat Sequence Combat Turn Sequence Perception Tests Visibility Modifiers Page 2 Skills and Linked Attributes Difficulty Table/Buying Hits/Extended Test Difficulties Random Alert Response/MAtrix Search Table Concealability Table/Availablity Interval Page 3 Weapon Range Ranged Combat Modifiers Melee Modifiers Defense Modifiers Page 4 Scatter Diagram/Table Projectile Weapon/Grenade Damage Table Melee Damage Table Charisma Opposed Tests Signal Rating Page 5 Barrier Rating/Damaging Barriers Build Repair Knowledge Skills Signature Table Object Resistance Table Sample Devices (Device Rating) Page 6 Vehicle Test Threshold/Terrain Table/Handling Rating Assensing Astral Tracking All in all I hated it. Not worth $20 for print, and certainly not worth $15 for PDF. There is no rhyme or reason behind the layout, an the two pages in the book (5 and 6) have tables that certainly would have been better placed on the actual screen (Assensing) than some of those that were included. It might have been better if each pannel had a theme, magic, rigging, matrix, combat, but there doesn't seem to be any pattern at all. Is it better than searching the book? Yes, but if you have access to a spreadsheet and a few extra minutes do yourself a favor and make your own. |
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Sep 6 2006, 01:19 PM
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#23
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 932 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Orlando, Florida Member No.: 1,042 |
I disagree. I think it's a perfectly serviceable screen. There are more charts in Shadowrun than can fit on one screen, so decisions had to be made. If I had been making those decisions, it would have turned out a little differently; and if Ancient History had made the decisions, it would have been some other way, and if Critias had done it, it would have been yet another way.
But the version we got designed by whoever it actually was works just fine in my opinion. |
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Sep 6 2006, 03:51 PM
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#24
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Target Group: Members Posts: 51 Joined: 9-August 06 Member No.: 9,063 |
There are a truly insane number of charts in SR4. I photo copied, cut-out, and repasted about 95% of the charts in the book, and they covered 13 8.5 x 11 pages. I can't wait to get my copy of the GM's Screen. My bulky packet of disorganized charts is a pain, even if it is faster than looking them up in the book.
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Sep 6 2006, 04:37 PM
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#25
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 932 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Orlando, Florida Member No.: 1,042 |
Metasigil:
Have you considered just keeping a list of the charts by name and page number? |
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Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 4th March 2025 - 09:34 AM |
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