How canon does it have to be? Options

[Kyoto Kid]

SR4, Sm (Street Magic), Au (Augmentation), Ar (Arsenal), Rh (Runner Havens), Ce (Corporate Enclaves), Em (Emergence), Un (Unwired). Easy, right? Ok, so I made them all up.

...apologies, it is the Scientist in me that recognised the elemental translations because of the upper+lowercase format. Was just making a funny that's all. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

So far my group has never once used a Canon plot.

...true, But there still is the Canon background & setting. At least I try to keep that in mind while writing the plot.

[Rotbart van Dain...]

I actually really like the matrix rules because they don't add up when it comes to how networks work. I work with real networks and computers all day. I like being able to relax a bit and not thing so hard about why or how this is working and accept that it's a different world, with different technologies, and different purposes for those technologies.

You find 'hopping nodes' relaxing? Or even the simplest setups made impossible by subscription rules?
If such rules would disappear... that would be 'relaxing' - because suddenly, the Matrix just works.

[Kagetenshi]

SR4, Sm (Street Magic), Au (Augmentation), Ar (Arsenal), Rh (Runner Havens), Ce (Corporate Enclaves), Em (Emergence), Un (Unwired). Easy, right? Ok, so I made them all up.

Not actually easy at all, as except for the first one they totally violate the usual manner of creating acronyms (Sm should be SM, Rh should be RH, Ce should be CE, and the others shouldn't exist as acronyms and are too short to trigger association).

~J

[Roadspike]

I answered 70%. But really, I've shredded the setting and system on occasion. Heck, right now I'm starting up a World War Z game using SR3 rules. No magic, no Cyber, no decking, no rigging, no metahumanity, no 206X. But I like the underlying mechanic to the game, so I'm using the system. I've also played games where we used 90%+ of the plot and 95%+ of the rules (just a few house rules to tweak the rules to my group's liking). Unless I'm playing something odd (like WWZ or the Aliens game that I played) I like to use a great deal of the rules and a great deal of the setting (maybe not the metaplot, although I usually put things together so that my campaign is playing under and around the metaplot).

However, I see a real problem with the original question: I don't know that the game "has" to be canon--it's just not Shadowrun if you don't use the majority of the rules/setting. You might be, for instance, playing WWZ with the basics of the Shadowrun rules, but if you're doing that, you're not playing Shadowrun. Alternately, you could be using D20 Modern to play in the Shadowrun universe (you poor, poor deluded soul...). You're not playing Shadowrun then. I guess I sort of interpreted the question as "how much of the Shadowrun rules/setting do you have to be using for it to still be Shadowrun." And my answer is around about 70-75%.

[MaxHunter]

80% I like the rules! I also do some house ruling, which I notify my players about and we discuss it before applying it to the game. Many times I have to quick rule something out in the middle of a game, then we can talk about it afterwards (no ret-cons!) I have been wrong many times, but also many of those quick fixes have grown into house rules.

Ah! And we are using an alternative karma method for chargen. (Based upon Serbitar's)

I believe that the key thing here is to be clear and strightforward, so everybody knows the rules of the game they are playing. Also, work towards building an atmosphere of mutual confidence and fun helps a lot. Pizza is good for that.

Cheers,

Max

[Kanada Ten]

Not actually easy at all, as except for the first one they totally violate the usual manner of creating acronyms (Sm should be SM, Rh should be RH, Ce should be CE, and the others shouldn't exist as acronyms and are too short to trigger association).

Your right, SR4 should totally b Sr. Sr, Sm, Au, Ar, Em, Ce, Rh, Un

Good catch.

[Ravor]

10% or less, despite Fourth Edition's warts I like the basic system but in my games you can't always assume that Trogs and Fairies roam the earth. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cyber.gif)