History Handout for players, Please critique Options

[ludomastro]

I am working on an OOC History of Shadowrun for some potential new players. Honestly, I think that I may side on getting them to read the History Lesson at the beginning of the BBB; however, I was think of something short. I am at 1-1/2 pages in Word.

One more thing. The group knows DnD very well - I am DM'ing for them at the moment - but aren't familiar with the SR world. One member of the group played a one-shot (Food Fight!) in SR3rd but didn't care for it much. Please help.


When you enter the world of Shadowrun, leave the world you know behind. Do not attempt to take common sense or modern logic with you. Shadowrun isn’t upside down or insane it simply is different from other RPGs as well as the reality that we know. A quick example: You are walking down the street and see a 12 year old girl standing on the corner. In Shadowrun, she could be anything from a hooker to a drug dealer. Thing is, in that world you wouldn’t think it was odd for her to be either of those. Shop lift in Wal-Mart? How does 72 hours in the in-store jail along with a $10,000 fine strike you? It could happen in Shadowrun. So how did our world get to be the Shadowrun world? Let me tell you the story.

Around the turn of the century, several US Supreme Court Decisions granted corporation extraterritoriality – in other words, the corporations are essentially countries unto themselves complete with their own laws on their property. This gives them the right to basically do as they please; although it will be a few years before they make the most of this new power.

Nine years later, the Native Americans launched a military style takeover of a US Nuclear Missile Silo and launch a weapon at Russia. It never detonated and no one knows why. The US rounded up all Native Americans and put them in Detention Centers that were little better than concentration camps.

Ten years later, a new virus – VITAS – hits the world. It made AIDS look friendly by comparison. A few years later 25% of the world population was dead.

Around the same time the International Corporate Court came into being. Remember that as there is more to come later.

2011: Several note worry things happened this year.
• Human parent give birth to children that appear be afflicted with a new disease given abbreviation UGE (Unexplained Genetic Expression). The children are informally called Elves and Dwarves.
• The Great Dragon Ryumyo appears on Mt. Fuji.
• Daniel “Howling Coyote� Coleman leads a group of Native Americans out of the Abilene Detention Center. Guards say that despite being hit with multiple rounds he doesn’t die.
• The traditional ley-lines in Britain become active. Stone Circles a la Stonehenge pop out of the ground.

2014: “Howling Coyote� declare independence from the US and forms the NAN – Native American Nations.

Two years later he declares war on the US and a year later in a massive ritual that can only be described as magic, the Native Americans cause four volcanoes to erupt at exactly the same time. The US agrees to come to the negotiating table. The Treaty of Denver carved up what used to be the United States and Canada and gave large chunks of land to the NAN.

Near the close of the second decade of the 21st Century medical technology created the first cyberlimb for a famous concert violinist. Remember that too.

2021: Otherwise normal people transformed into “monsters� and were given the names Orcs and Trolls. This transformation was named Goblinization.

The beginning of the third decade brought a second round of VITAS and killed another 10% of the world’s population.

By mid decade:
• The Pope declared the meta-humans (Elves, Orcs, Trolls and Dwarves) to have human souls and to be capable of Salvation. Magic was declared to be a natural ability and thus not evil.
• Cyberware made entries in professional sports
• Lone Star was founded
• Universities across the country started offering programs of study in magic.

2029: The World Wide Web collapses under the weight of a new seemingly truly intelligent virus.

2030: The remnants of Canada and the US merge to form the UCAS – United Canadian and American States.

Four years later the Southern States secede from the UCAS and form the CAS – Confederation of American States. Just don’t call them Conferates.

2030’s: The world pretty much goes to hell in a hand-basket. The balkanization of the world might be a good title to this decade. The Night of Rage (February 7, 2039) goes down in history as an infamous date when meta-humans all over the world die in riots.

The 40’s and 50’s saw a Great Dragon – Dunkelzahn – host a talk show and then run for president. He was shortly assassinated. We also got our first look at something truly alien. Insect spirits from somewhere on the other side of the Astral took up residence in Chicago and the city was walled up and then nuked to kill them. No one really knows if they are all dead.

I know that I need to keep going but I have to go to bed now as my eyes are closing without my permission.

[Mercer]

[Backgammon]

My changes in bold:

[ Spoiler ]

A quick example: You are walking down the street and see a 12 year old girl standing on the corner. In Shadowrun, she could be a girl heading for school, or a hooker. Thing is, in that world you wouldn’t think it was odd for her to be either of those. Shop lift in Wal-Mart? How does 72 hours in the in-store jail along with a $10,000 fine strike you? It could happen in Shadowrun. So how did our world get to be the Shadowrun world? Let me tell you the story.

Around the turn of the century, several US Supreme Court Decisions granted corporation extraterritoriality – in other words, the corporations are essentially countries unto themselves complete with their own laws on their property. This gives them the right to basically do as they please; although it will be a few years before they make the most of this new power.

Nine years later after what's know as The Resource Rush, a Government land-grab frenzy, some fed up Native Americans launched a military style takeover of a US Nuclear Missile Silo and launch a weapon at Russia. It never detonated and no one knows why. The US rounded up all Native Americans and put them in Detention Centers that were little better than concentration camps.

Ten years later, a new virus – VITAS – hits the world. It made AIDS look friendly by comparison. A few years later 25% of the world population was dead.

Around the same time the International Corporate Court came into being. Remember that as there is more to come later.

2011: Several note worry things happened this year.
• Human parent give birth to children that appear be afflicted with a new disease given abbreviation UGE (Unexplained Genetic Expression). The children are informally called Elves and Dwarves.
• The Great Dragon Ryumyo appears on Mt. Fuji.
• Daniel “Howling Coyote� Coleman leads a group of Native Americans out of the Abilene Detention Center. Guards say that despite being hit with multiple rounds he doesn’t die.
• The traditional ley-lines in Britain become active. Stone Circles a la Stonehenge pop out of the ground.

2014: “Howling Coyote� declare independence from the US and forms the NAN – Native American Nations.

Two years later he declares war on the US and a year later in a massive ritual that can only be described as magic, the Native Americans cause four volcanoes to erupt at exactly the same time. The US agrees to come to the negotiating table. The Treaty of Denver carved up what used to be the United States and Canada and gave large chunks of land to the NAN.

Near the close of the second decade of the 21st Century medical technology created the first cyberlimb for a famous concert violinist. Remember that too.

2021: Otherwise normal people transformed into “monsters� and were given the names Orcs and Trolls. This transformation was named Goblinization. People remain fearful and hateful of Metahumans, as they are known. Why worry about skin color when that guy has horns?

The beginning of the third decade brought a second round of VITAS and killed another 10% of the world’s population.

By mid decade:
• The Pope declared the meta-humans (Elves, Orcs, Trolls and Dwarves) to have human souls and to be capable of Salvation. Magic was declared to be a natural ability and thus not evil. Other religions cope more or less the same, though extremists in many continue to preach hate
• Cyberware made entries in professional sports
• Lone Star, a private police force was founded
• Universities across the country started offering programs of study in magic.

2029: The World Wide Web collapses under the weight of a new seemingly truly intelligent virus.

2030: The remnants of Canada and the US merge to form the UCAS – United Canadian and American States.

Four years later the Southern States secede from the UCAS and form the CAS – Confederation of American States. Just don’t call them Confederates.

2030’s: The world pretty much goes to hell in a hand-basket. The balkanization of the world might be a good title to this decade. The Night of Rage (February 7, 2039) goes down in history as an infamous date when meta-humans all over the world die in riots.

The 40’s and 50’s saw a Great Dragon – Dunkelzahn – host a talk show and then run for president. He was shortly assassinated. We also got our first look at something truly alien. Insect spirits from somewhere on the other side of the Astral took up residence in Chicago and the city was walled up and then nuked to kill them. No one really knows if they are all dead

Like Mercer says, though, it may be better to just wrap everything up as a few paragraph of what players need to know, rather than a date-by-date account. If the players like history, they can read SR4. If they don't, they won't like a short version either. Just going over that there are metas, they are so-so accepted, the couuntries are all redrawn, etc, may prove more succinct and to the point.

[bjorn]

I have read the history a couple times in the SR4 book and I have got to say I like your summing up of it so far; I enjoyed reading it.

[hyzmarca]

[ludomastro]

[Karaden]

[ludomastro]

@Karaden

I understand your point. Truthfully, I play SR a little cleaner and less dysutopic than most. However, I am trying to give them something that breaks down the a) we're the good guys and b) the world is OK as is mindset that they bring to the table. Throw in some social conservatism and an amoral game like SR can give them fits.

[Karaden]

[Karaden]

Honestly I think making your own history page is a bit much. Try having them read the first 22 pages of the SR book. This includes Buzzkill (a good look at the different runner types, also shows how runners are on the wrong side of the law, but not necissarily evil) A basic backstory and idea of what the SR world is like and two more little short story things. I also suggest having them read the italic stories at the start of every single chapter to help them get the feel of the game.

Oh, and first 22 pages sounds like alot, but there are a few pages worth of pictures, and some of those pages are the TOC. Really, wouldn't take too long to read.

[ludomastro]

@ Karaden,

I think that you may be right. I still think that I will write up a one page on the general changes to the world - less history, more, what is the world like.

[hyzmarca]

[Ravor]

Something to mention to your new players is how far society has actually fallen, remember that we are talking about a world where "illegal" to-the-death blood-sports are said to be one of the most popular shows on the Trid, where it's not considered uncommon for commuting wageslaves to see several muggings, a murder, and a rape on the way into work.

And while we are on the subject, yes, they are basically slaves, they can't legally quit their job without buying their remaining contract from their employer, have no union to keep the corps from using the old-time "company store policies", and the government either has no power, doesn't care, or is actively bribed to look the other way. And don't expect them to provide any mandatory equipment that you might need either, especially cyber.

And don't count on the cops being bastions of law and order either, unless I'm misremembering something Lonestar doesn't pay enough to actually live for a full year on salery, so as a matter of course the pigs are going to be corrupt bottom-feeders more akin to a gang then a police force.


And the real kicker is this, the masses don't think any of this is out of place, hell, only the real dinosaurs even have a chance of remembering the "good ol' days" before everything went to hell, and the people in power have a vested interest in keeping things that way so they shove crap out on the Trid and 'Trix that in some cases really will rot your brain.

[ludomastro]

@ Ravor

Please consider most of your post officially stolen.

:D

[Ryu]

Indeed. A view on the world I had lost a bit. :notworthy:

[Ravor]

I pay alot of homage to the alter of Pink Mohawks. :cyber: