 BBB? Why not CRB or S4B or something?, Boccob's Blessed Book? |
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 Jan 5 2007, 07:23 AM
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#1
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Moving Target  Group: Members Posts: 510 Joined: 19-May 06 From: Southern CA Member No.: 8,574  |
Perhaps I've spent too much time playing DnD, but everytime I see BBB I think of Boccob's Blessed Book. How did the main rulebook for Shadowrun pick up that acronym? I don't see any "Better Bruising, Better" or something like that on the front cover or the title page.
Why not CRB for Core Rule Book or the S4 book something like that? |
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Jan 5 2007, 07:34 AM
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#2
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 617 Joined: 28-May 03 From: Orlando Member No.: 4,644 |
Because the Original Core Book was Black. 2nd ed was black. 3rd ed is black 4th ed is Black. Big Black Book. nuff said
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Jan 5 2007, 07:41 AM
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#3
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,086 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 364 |
Big Black Book. I don't know exactly who gave it that title, but it dates back to at least second edition. (Some even claim it goes back further to first edition, when it was the Big Blue Book, but I can't verify that term was actually in use that far back.)
Like many traditions, there's not much use in trying to find sense in it, because there probably isn't any. Oddly enough, since Warhammer 40,000 went to its 4th edition, some people in that hobby have taken to referring to their core rulebook as the Big Grey Book. Whether this is derived from the Shadowrun acronym, or just a coincidence I honestly don't know, but at least we're not alone in our little quirk. |
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Jan 5 2007, 07:42 AM
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#4
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,086 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 364 |
Blue. Both the Hardcover first printing and the subsequent softcover printings. Black didn't come about until 2nd ed. |
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Jan 5 2007, 05:12 PM
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#5
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 745 Joined: 2-January 07 From: Los Angeles, CA Member No.: 10,510 |
And RAW?
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Jan 5 2007, 05:19 PM
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#6
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 7,089 Joined: 4-October 05 Member No.: 7,813 |
Rules As Written. often compared to RAI (rules as intended), though usually the RAI is an assumption since it is usually used by those who are not the authors (and who therefore do not really know the intention in the first place). though, at least on dumpshock, this is a little less common... sometimes the freelancers actually show up here, unlike D&D :P |
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Jan 5 2007, 05:20 PM
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#7
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 745 Joined: 2-January 07 From: Los Angeles, CA Member No.: 10,510 |
Oh, cool. Thanks.
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Jan 5 2007, 09:17 PM
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#8
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panda! Group: Members Posts: 10,331 Joined: 8-March 02 From: north of central europe Member No.: 2,242 |
i have seen some d&d/d20 freelancers show up on enworld. but rarely on the wotc forum...
this because you have a "regulary" updated q&a column i guess ;) and sometimes rpg discussion turn into such a acronym soup that would could wonder if people where military ;) but its even worse over at mmorpg forums where every popular attack, defense and a whole lot of other stuff have their own acronym... |
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Jan 5 2007, 09:23 PM
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#9
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,430 Joined: 10-January 05 From: Fort Worth, Texas Member No.: 6,957 |
BBB has been a point of debate for some for a long time. I tend to use SR4 instead, since it's immediately apparent which edition I'm referring to. For example, SR4, pg 128. If I'm just referring to the book and not a specific page I'll usually say SR main book to differentiate, but not always. I figure most people can tell from context when someone is talking about a game and when they're talking about a book.
It's not that BBB is horrible, but when a new person comes to the board, they will inevitably start a thread or at least make a post asking what BBB means. If you say SR4, pg. xxx you avoid both that problem (I assume even the newest of newbies can decipher it) and the problem of which edition you're referring to. Granted, the edition isn't as big a deal on the SR4 subforum, but can become a point of confusion in the general forums and if the boards ever get restructured. |
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Jan 5 2007, 09:49 PM
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#10
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,150 Joined: 19-December 05 From: Rhein-Ruhr Megaplex Member No.: 8,081 |
I totally agree. It's even more useful on the german fanpro forum. SR4, p.xxx refers to the english BBB, SR4, s.xxx to the german version (s. = abbreviation for Seite, which, of course, is page). So far I haven't seen an instance where someone was confused about that, even if it's nowhere explained 8). |
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Jan 5 2007, 10:06 PM
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#11
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,430 Joined: 10-January 05 From: Fort Worth, Texas Member No.: 6,957 |
Sweet! I win the thread!
Mods, can we get this locked? |
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Jan 5 2007, 10:09 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 |
calling it SR4 would be unbalanced! the only way to re-balance it, if you use the term "SR4" to refer to the 4th edition of the BBB, would be to start using variable TNs again.
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Jan 5 2007, 10:10 PM
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#13
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Prime Runner Group: Retired Admins Posts: 3,929 Joined: 26-February 02 From: .ca Member No.: 51 |
No, you lose. Shadowrun page references are "p. xx" not "pg. xx".
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Jan 5 2007, 10:11 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 |
well, they kinda have to be, what with the attribute limit.
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Jan 5 2007, 10:24 PM
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#15
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 510 Joined: 19-May 06 From: Southern CA Member No.: 8,574 |
The APA format dictates that if one is referring to but a single page, one uses but a single p, as in (SR4, p. 39), but if one is referring to more than one page, one uses two pages, as in (SR4, pp. 39-40). The author, in this case, is understood and not explicitly referenced.
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