Corporate Enclaves, Reviews Si Vous Plait. Options

[SincereAgape]

Sup chummers,

Looking to purchase a setting sourcebook for a live campaign. Since a friend will be running Hong Kong, I am looking to pick up Corporate Enclaves in a week or two. Tokyo and the City of Angels are two of my favorite cities in the world and the prospect of running in Neo Tokyo and LA is def intriguing. Trolled around the web and the only review I found was a poorly written negative one scribed by a angry fanboy/gamer.

Anyways I could use some thoughts, experiences, and opinions on this sourcebook.

Thanks in advance.

-SA, aka a laid back SR GM from North Jersey.

[TeOdio]

I've found the setting books to get better each time, so my current fave is the Feral Cities. There is good info in all three, but I really like the grittiness and the overall mood that gets struck in Feral Cities. The LA write up was good for me as well, because it kind of kept pointing back to the uniqueness of the Shadows there. It had the sort of cohesive theme that I really enjoyed with the write ups of cities like Lagos. I base my game in Hong Kong, and I like the info in the book, but I felt it jumped around a bit without giving the reader a "real" feel for the city. Some GM's want more "stuff" in their cities like clubs, targets, etc, and I definitely concede those things are important. But I'm very comfortable making that crap up as I go along, so I want a bit more. I want the "feel" of the city. You get that a lot in the LA(Corp Enclave) write up and in the Lagos(Feral Cities) write ups. The Shadow Talk posts are pretty good in Corp Enclaves and IMO Friggin Awesome in Feral Cities.
As far as practical usage goes, I've only used the Enclave book for background on some of the Yakuza and MCT. I really like the info that it has on Horizon (LA), a mega that does things VERY differently than others. That has definitely got my evil GM wheels whirling with ideas.
For what you need/want I give you a recommendation to BUY.

[SincereAgape]

Thanks for the feedback Tedio. Went over to the local gaming store after work today and put in an order for Corporate Enclaves.

As a GM I'm hoping that finally picking up a setting sourcebook will cut down on preperation time when creating adventures, add structure to the campaign, and improve improvisational skills. I'm a GM that flies by the edge of the seat and mostly comes up with stories out of my ass. On good days, making stories up in your head as the game moves on works. But on bad days sessions can be pretty lackluster running like that.

[Demosthanes]

I found both the Neo-Tokyo and Los Angeles writeups in Corporate Enclaves to be good. At first I was annoyed by the LA writeup, as I felt it pushed the star culture and obsession with fame too far. However, having thought about it, and played in the setting a bit, I've come to like it.

Tokyo I'm a big fan of. To me, Tokyo is a combination of sort of the "standard" corporat enclave. It also does a great job illustrating what an actually functional city in shadowrun is like. All in all, I found corporate enclaves a good buy. While neither writeup was quite as alive for me as Hong Kong or Lagos, the book is worth it, and does a good job illustrating another aspect of the shadowrun setting.

[The Jake]

I loved Neo-Tokyo. It was worth the price of entry for that. Los Angeles I found a lot harder to digest and too contrived to be honest.

- J.

[HappyDaze]

My feelings are pretty much the opposite of The Jake: LA is contrived - in the same way that many of the great things in SR are (Atzlan, Tirs, etc.) - but Neo-Tokyo just fells dull and uninspired to me.

[DWC]

The Rotten Apple is far better done than anything you'll find in Corporate Enclaves. The most interesting part of Neo-Tokyo wound up on the cutting room floor until Ancient History posted it here, and the LA stuff is a mix of "natural disaster of the month" and the "extremely black trenchcoat and pretending to be pink mohawk" of the LA P2.0 scene. Neither gets enough attention to really be fully fleshed out.

[SincereAgape]

The Rotten Apple is far better done than anything you'll find in Corporate Enclaves. The most interesting part of Neo-Tokyo wound up on the cutting room floor until Ancient History posted it here, and the LA stuff is a mix of "natural disaster of the month" and the "extremely black trenchcoat and pretending to be pink mohawk" of the LA P2.0 scene. Neither gets enough attention to really be fully fleshed out.

Crap. Forgot about Rotten Apple. Should be running that one since it's in our backyard. There is probably no change that Rotten Apple is coming out in hardcover form.

[Ancient History]

I wouldn't hold your breath on it, no.

[Tiger Eyes]

Crap. Forgot about Rotten Apple. Should be running that one since it's in our backyard. There is probably no change that Rotten Apple is coming out in hardcover form.

All of our PDF exclusive products are small enough that you can spend a buck (maybe 2) to print them, and put them in a binder. But, to answer your question, PDF-exclusive products will not be printed by CGL.

[The Jake]

My feelings are pretty much the opposite of The Jake: LA is contrived - in the same way that many of the great things in SR are (Atzlan, Tirs, etc.) - but Neo-Tokyo just fells dull and uninspired to me.

LOL. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Sorry, but I can't see how broadcasting your life as a runner - committing numerous crimes on a daily basis - over a public network works. I realise there is more to LA than P2.0 but that effectively taints all that I liked about that city writeup. FWIF I can envision it (I lived in L.A. for about a year).

- J.

[Malachi]

All of our PDF exclusive products are small enough that you can spend a buck (maybe 2) to print them, and put them in a binder. But, to answer your question, PDF-exclusive products will not be printed by CGL.

That would be why they're called PDF exclusives? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Does this autobiography have to be about me?

[The Jake]

The Rotten Apple is far better done than anything you'll find in Corporate Enclaves. The most interesting part of Neo-Tokyo wound up on the cutting room floor until Ancient History posted it here, and the LA stuff is a mix of "natural disaster of the month" and the "extremely black trenchcoat and pretending to be pink mohawk" of the LA P2.0 scene. Neither gets enough attention to really be fully fleshed out.

I do need to buy that PDF...

- J.

[Rasumichin]

Crap. Forgot about Rotten Apple. Should be running that one since it's in our backyard. There is probably no change that Rotten Apple is coming out in hardcover form.

Actually, Rotten Apple will be included in the German print version of Corporate Enclaves, together with an all-new writeup of Frankfurt.
Don't know if it will be published as a hardcover, but given the general approach of German SR publisher Pegasus Games, it may very well be.

[Prime Mover]

The Rotten Apple is far better done than anything you'll find in Corporate Enclaves. The most interesting part of Neo-Tokyo wound up on the cutting room floor until Ancient History posted it here, and the LA stuff is a mix of "natural disaster of the month" and the "extremely black trenchcoat and pretending to be pink mohawk" of the LA P2.0 scene. Neither gets enough attention to really be fully fleshed out.

I really have to agree with this statement, while I like the setting books they seem to be missing somthing. There just not as fleshed out as the old setting books. More then likely due to space issues. While I'm in similar camp as others there getting better as they go along. What I would really like to see is more story/setting info and less textbook fluff. Chicago did a good job at doing this.

[Wesley Street]

Crap. Forgot about Rotten Apple. Should be running that one since it's in our backyard.

If volume 1 of The Rotten Apple tickles your fancy, keep an eye out for volume 2, also a PDF exclusive.

[Octopiii]

Out of the three settings books, I enjoyed the write-ups for Lagos (feral cities) and LA (corporate enclaves) the most.

P2.0 and Horizon make for an interesting change of pace... I can just imagine a team trying to plan a run not based on efficiency, but what will get the most subscribers! Sure, it's dangerous, but more fame = more money, and for some fame is its own reward... Not all campaigns need to consist of gritty loners in trenchcoats.

Lagos was bleak as all hell but sufficiently different than the standard setting's bleakness to keep me interested. There's something interesting about the possibility of a city with no real governance as a setting; I think because it allows you to highlight the fun parts of a run and minimize the irritating housekeeping details of covering your tracks: admit it, sometimes you just want to blow the damn building up!!

[Rasumichin]

I must admit that i didn't like Lagos that much.
Too close to the real-life situation in failed states for my taste, too little unique sixth world feel.
But then, YMMV on that matter.

IMHO, the most inspiring and useful text in the previous setting books was the one on LA, it did not only give a feel for what 2070 LA is like, but also had the highest density of plot hooks and really brought across what a GM has to pay attention to when running a game in LA.
I really got the impression that the whole writeup supported me as a GM and yielded productive insights on every page.
Plus, it constantly reminded me of cheesy LA-based movies such as Strange Days, Predator 2 and that godawful second Snake Plissken flick, which really helped to transport the overall mood of the setting and bring it to live in my mind.
Makes for the best gonzo pink mohawk location ever, even beats SR1 Berlin.

I have to add that other sections of Corporate Enclaves are almost equally useful.
As far as practical implemantation at the gaming table is concerned, Neo-Tokyo comes quite close to LA -i'd rate it on par with Lagos or Chicago, not as inspiring as LA, but it still transports what the setting is about and what makes it unique.
It's also vastly different from LA, calling for a much more subtle, legwork-heavy approach towards runs.
I also really enjoyed the Europort section, probably the most fascinating setting for a matrix-heavy campaign.
Unfortunately, it was very brief, so i'll have to do more personal research in the Rotterdam area, as i absolutely want to run a game set in Europort one day.

[Demonseed Elite]

Favorite settings are going to vary from one gaming group to another, which is basically the idea behind the themed sprawl books. From what I'm reading here, that idea seems to be working as intended.

[Wesley Street]

What if you like them all but for different reasons? Does that make you a freak?

[Tiger Eyes]

What if you like them all but for different reasons? Does that make you a freak?

No, it means you need to come to GenCon to say nice things to us. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Stahlseele]

Could you lot not come to Nerdcon 2009 in Hamburg instead? <.<
I had planned to write something for shadowrun. But work cut in and i got hit by writers block ._.

[Wesley Street]

No, it means you need to come to GenCon to say nice things to us. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Quit selling out the hoodies before I can buy one and maybe that will happen. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Stahlseele]

Yeah, we need more SR Apparell!
Hoodies or something with the Logos of big Corps!
Or Dunkelzahn or something!
Or the SR1 to 4 Logos.
And the Dump-Shock-Logo!
Anybody know where i can get that in big enough so i can get a local shop to make me a one of a kind Shirt with that?

[DWC]

I can't be the only one who wants a good Saeder-Krupp Prime 2068 Annual Golf Outing polo.