Old Books Options

[Paradisio]

I'm just wondering, is it a good idea to pick up the older edition books for more information? I'm still a bit of a "rut," since the core 4th edition doesn't go into a lot in detail. And I could also use some example scenarios.

Thanks

[Sir_Psycho]

Yes.

[Turtle]

I'd say yes, but I also play older editions still, so I'm a bit biased that way. ;)

[Butterblume]

Source books yes, rules books would be somewhat pointless ;).

Hard to tell for books like Target: Matrix. When in doubt, just ask us ;). (and to answer my own, Target Matrix still contains interesting stuff, even if the matrix changed, so if you can get it cheap enough...)

[Caine Hazen]

Gotta get them all....

Ok, maybe that's only me :grinbig:

{anyone wanting to part with a 3rd Ed BBB or DMZ please PM me}

[Thanee]

Many of the older sourcebooks contain valuable information still.

The two Seattle books, for example, are surely useful.

Bye
Thanee

[eidolon]

I have to disagree slightly with Butterblume here. Although the rules from the old rulebooks won't apply, due to the combined fluff-rules nature of a lot of them there is still a ton of interesting and useful stuff. Cybertechnology, for example, is an awesome resource due to Hatchetman's narrative of what it's like to get cyber. Never mind that the rules aren't all that useful.

Caine, back off that DMZ, it's mine omae. *click* ;)

[Demerzel]

[Paradisio]

Are there any older books that are "must haves?"

[Demerzel]

Shadowbeat, Shadowtech, Anything that starts Neo-Anarchist's, Seattle Sourcebook, New Seattle that's a pretty big list but there are some gems in there.

[The ubbergeek]

The Shadows of... are prime infos, just bring the historic updates. Same fot target....

[Kyoto Kid]

... The London Sourcebook, Germany Sourcebook, Tir na Nog, & the Tir Taringire are also useful resources for the social-political angle if you intend to have a more worldwide scope to your campaign.

[Grinder]

[fistandantilus4....]

[Paradisio]

My apologies if this question breaks the rules, it's not my intention do to so: Are there any cheap places online to pickup these books?

[fistandantilus4....]

You can get pdf versions on line at cheaper prices. at places like drivethrurpg.com. There's always old dead tree verssions available out there if you know where t o look. You can usually find them on e-bay if you're patient. Or try amazon, it'll search used book stores.

Find a godo used bok store in your area. If you can find a good one, they can be a gold mine. Or a Friendly Local Game Store (FLGS) if it's an old one. They may have some of the older books. Better prices, no charge for shipping.

[eidolon]

I always shop in this order (and it's how I've managed to get to the point that I'm only missing 5 or 6 English releases, not counting 'adventures').

First, run a search on Ebay for the book you want. Look primarily for cheaply priced Buy It Now offerings. Then, if that doesn't work, sort by price, and then place the five (or more, if you like) 'best' offerings on your watch list. Make sure that when you're evaluating them that you take S/H charges into account, and also pay close attention to seller feedback. Don't bid yet.

Second, run a search on Amazon. You're looking for the "X are available used or new" Amazon Marketplace offerings, usually found just under the primary stuff. You may well find on on Amazon that is cheaper than those you found on Ebay, and if there are no Buy It Now options on Ebay, this is the Amazon equivalent. Leave the page up, but don't buy just yet.

Third, go to Stiggybaby's and see what he has at the moment. Chances are even if he has it, it's higher than Ebay or Amazon, but he is always worth checking with. Sometimes the stuff isn't in a very logical order, so make sure you look closely.

Once you have the cheapest option from the three, you're pretty safe going ahead and buying. Sure, if you spread your search out over time, you might get a slightly better deal. Just depends on when you want something. There are a few other OOP dealers online, but unfortunately I've lost a lot of bookmarks over the last year, and haven't been as serious in book hunting lately. One thing I learned as a general rule was "Stiggy has it cheaper, if anyone has it at all" when it comes to websites other than Ebay and Amazon.

I have used this basic approach to flesh out my SR and AD&D 2nd and 1st edition collections, and I have a crap ton of books. It works. :)

Edit: I should say that yeah, if any local gaming store carries used stuff, has a decent selection of it, and offers it at sane prices (in other words, they're not trying to charge $40 for "collectible" books), by all means pick them up there. It's quick, and you can see what you're buying. I did actually get a fair amount of my AD&D collections at a place on Oahu called Jelly's (if you're ever there...GO).

[Tanka]

On the topic of must-haves: Bug City. Reading what the hell happened and all the Shadowtalk from the people that were stuck in Chicago is just... Wow.

Between that and Universal Brotherhood, I got stuck on SR pretty much immediately after reading them.

[psykotisk_overle...]

I haven't got all the old books (Far from it, I entered the hobby during 3rd ed), but I'd say yes. So far the SR books are among the few RPG-books that I can read through cover to cover, and enjoy it.

Sprawl Survival Guide, and other setting-heavy, rules-lite books are the most recomended.

Even though I just bough 4th ed and have a game I'm GMing in 4th ed rules and in the seventies I found the old Threats book on sale at my FLGS(with the 1996 election coupons still inside ;)) and it's still interesting, even though some stuff, like Winternight and the matrix babies have gone through a bit of change in the timelines 10 years of advancement since then.

[Tanka]

Oh man, Threats, how could I have forgotten that one? I mean, I was virtually espousing about it last night.

So add Threats. And, hell, while we're at it, Dragons of the Sixth World.

[Fragmintz]

I just won an Ebay auction for 3 books: a SR 1st Edition Rule Book, the Seattle source book, and the Neo-Anarchist's Guide to North America. As a NooB is this a good few books to start with? Also, I am still looking for an online game if anyone is interested ...

[Tanka]

1st Ed is pretty much kaput now. 2nd still gets some play from various groups (mine, for example). Seattle is really good, and I enjoyed both the Neo-A books (the other being Neo-A's Guide to Real Life, really good info in there).

So, so far so good. Try to get a 2nd or 3rd Ed rulebook instead, and you'll be pretty well set for the time being.

[ATimson]

[knasser]

[Adam]

Don't forget all the free Shadowrun Missions scenarios at http://www.shadowrunrpg.com/missions/ -- even though they're designed for use with the SRM campaign, you can pillage them for your own use as you see fit.