Fan letter to CGL, Because we care Options

[ravensmuse]

nWoD has "failed" (I don't like using these terms, because until White Wolf opens the books / closes the gameline entirely, we'll never know) mostly because...the games are the same games they were putting out ten, fifteen years ago, only, it's become even more openly biased towards certain sectors of the game market, and they know who buys them. If anything, it's a good example of what happens when you think that making everything go "kapoot" and reboot it so that only the special snowflake parts *you* like stick around and push other people out of the hobby.

Exalted is moreso - they fought for so long, tried to triumph the fact that they were "metaplot free", only to pretty much shoot themselves in the foot when, by adding detail on detail, they actually, *gasp*, provided the dreaded metaplot. It'd be funny if it wasn't so pathetic.

But we're not here to talk about the Big Pale Puppy's oopsies on the carpet. We're here to talk Shadowrun.

Shadowrun has always been about change. The metaplot reinforces the theme of change that has been in Shadowrun since the very first edition - things change. All the time. Nothing remains static. Nothing should remain staid and old. New things rise and emerge. There is shit out there that no one knows about. And in the middle of it all are normal people, you and me, trying to make sense of it all.

Like otaku said, and I backed up, yes, there have been Big Events in the Shadowrun timeline - and they're usually a good thing, because it's always provided opportunities. The Bugs gave us post-apocalyptic, 28 Days Later shenanigans in Chi-town. Ghostwalker shaking up Denver brought not only a new (imo) angle to Cold War era Berlin, but also brought Azzies back out as some of the biggest bads in the setting. Dunk's presidential campaign and subsequent assassination gave enough material to last, gosh, four, maybe five books, and some of them not even having to do with the Scaled Ones themselves (and luscious brown nipples)!

You wouldn't get that if you give just a little information and then said, "welp! There ya go!" That's not a roleplaying book - that's a board game (hello, 4e D&D). Even giving out some back history is still providing metaplot - it still means that there something in the setting has been established, and that further things using that thing will then need to work off of that backstory, or its dogs and cats living together, you know the drill.

Here's the thing though, the catch in the mix: I don't trust the current publishers (note this) to provide something that is for the good of Shadowrun. I expect to continue to see books and publications which do nothing more than advance the agenda of putting out product solely to make it look as though everything is okay. This is not to denigrate the work that the authors of said product produce! Instead, I mean that care is not going into this product on the editing and publishing end - it's become clear with the last three or four releases from Catalyst, most everything produced post Shadowrun 4a, that they simply do not care. It's product, they can announce it with bells and whistles, put out a cheap .pdf, and say, "job done!" and go back to hanging out with giant robots.

To bring it around town, back to the original subject of the thread, this is why I have agreed to send this letter, and have advocated doing the same on other online communities and my blog. It has nothing to do with hating authors and everything to do with certain individuals that own the Shadowrun trademark that seem to feel it exists solely to produce moneybags. Sorry, I'd like a little bit more passion than that.

This is not the "we hate everything" spiel that certain elements on this board would like people to believe it is. It's not that we hate Shadowrun, or we don't like the authors, or that we just want everything and will complain until we get it. No. It's a complaint about the fact that the publishers of said book seemingly dislike the community of Shadowrun so much that they'd rather start up an entirely new board just to get away from the fact that people have been calling the Emperor on his new clothes since April 2010!

And to bring it back to current topic, Sixth World Atlas should have been the Big Ol' Book O' Metaplot that we should have gotten, especially on the 25th anniversary of the damn game. SWA should have been like die .6 der Welt, the book that the Germans got and we never did. It should have had great summaries on everything that's gone down in Shadowrun history. It should have been written as one big celebration of the world by vaunted folk like Fastjack, Jane-in-the-Box, Orange Queen, Smiling Bandit, all of the folks that we've known and loved for the last twenty-five years! Instead, we got, "here's the world. Some stuff's happened in it." I mean, WTF?

Wow. A little rant-y there. But it felt good.

[hermit]

The 4th edition still has the Horizon metaplot, and a South America metaplot that includes the tempo arc and the war. Shiawase and Ares Macrotechnology board infightings, and Ares secret works on insect spirits, may also evolve into full-fledged metaplots at some point. The New Revolution may also return.

Pity that, except possibly for the Primaira Varga plot, those are ultiamtly retarded. Especially War! and Horizon.

Ghostwalker shaking up Denver brought not only a new (imo) angle to Cold War era Berlin, but also brought Azzies back out as some of the biggest bads in the setting.

*sigh*

Denver never had anything in common with Cold War era Berlin save for the very basic idea that it was a city and it was divided into sectors. The whole setout was different, the zone borders a hell of a lot more porous (at least, I can't really remember any mention of five-month application times for a border crossing), and the whole impeding doom atmosphere you nowadays maybe find in Korea, if even, was missing. There was never anyone willing to go to war in and around Denver, and that kind of killed the primary feel of West Berlin as an Island within a sea of hostiles. Neither was Denver a flight point for UCAS, CAS, and Indian anarchists and non-parliamentary opposition types, as West Berlin was (it was the dumping ground for any unrulies in West Germany, since hey, no draft). There was no us versus them mentality, and neither was there this pseudo heroic we live on the front lines of the coming war feel. But really, if you go by the whole division thing, you might as well call Denver Jerusalem. Or Belfast.

Saying Denver hat a West Berlin atmosphere is just failing to understand what West Berlin was like. Denver was a viable, fun and interesting setting on it's own right, but it never was West Berlin anymore than 1E Dog German names were actual German.

End rant.

This is not the "we hate everything" spiel that certain elements on this board would like people to believe it is. It's not that we hate Shadowrun, or we don't like the authors, or that we just want everything and will complain until we get it. No. It's a complaint about the fact that the publishers of said book seemingly dislike the community of Shadowrun so much that they'd rather start up an entirely new board just to get away from the fact that people have been calling the Emperor on his new clothes since April 2010!

And to bring it back to current topic, Sixth World Atlas should have been the Big Ol' Book O' Metaplot that we should have gotten, especially on the 25th anniversary of the damn game. SWA should have been like die .6 der Welt, the book that the Germans got and we never did. It should have had great summaries on everything that's gone down in Shadowrun history. It should have been written as one big celebration of the world by vaunted folk like Fastjack, Jane-in-the-Box, Orange Queen, Smiling Bandit, all of the folks that we've known and loved for the last twenty-five years! Instead, we got, "here's the world. Some stuff's happened in it." I mean, WTF?

This.

I'd also like to add that, with the new authors brought in, the company seemingly omits educating them on a setting that needs a good introduction, which gets us tastelessness like the Auschwitz Jew Zombie Massacre. More care in choosing authors, more and longer lists of required reading (or a fluff bible) and more editorial care is necessary, unless this line is run into the ground by people milking it for money to support their giant robots.

[Brazilian_Shinob...]

Pity that, except possibly for the Primeira Varga plot, those are ultiamtly retarded. Especially War! and Horizon.

fixed for you.

[sabs]

It was also no Belfast or no JErusalem.

No daily bombings, no getting shot if you wore the wrong colored jersey in the wrong neighborhoods.

Denver was more like DC where sometimes you have to go into Maryland or Virginia, but you know.. it's no big deal.

The UCAS/CAS/PCC people didn't hate each other. The way the Catholics and Protestants do in Belfast, or the Israeli and Palestinians do in Jerusalem.

[ravensmuse]

Hey - ignorant American.

My high school history books ended at JFK's assassination. No joke.

So, apologies (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Sengir]

SWA should have been like die .6 der Welt

While it's not what you intended to say, "the world's F [grade]" is a nice description of the 6WA (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

"Die 6. Welt" would be the correct title, in German you simply write "n." instead of "nth"


@hermit

Pity that, except possibly for the Primaira Varga plot, those are ultiamtly retarded. Especially War! and Horizon.

Uh yes, the idea FT posted at the gaming den (yes, I read there every now and then) would have been far better...let's copy the idea of self-copying "though virii" (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)
't
And I'm still hoping the upcoming Conspiracies book I read something about (dunno if it was just a proposal or actual plan) will compare better to Threats than WAR! compares to FoF...can't get much worse anyway, so why not be a bit irrational.

[ravensmuse]

It was eleven thirty at night, and I was doing the title off the top of my head. So what (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Sengir]

It was eleven thirty at night, and I was doing the title off the top of my head. So what (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Well, you inadvertently wrote a perfect review (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Caine Hazen]

. The purpose of the book, and later of Ghost Cartels, was to have a plot started, played and ended in a single book, instead of having tidbits of information spread over a dozen of releases.

Funny you should say that, considering that Peter had a whole 2 year "Mother RIsing" plot associated with the tempo inceident... but that was dropped later on by other Devs.

[hermit]

Uh yes, the idea FT posted at the gaming den (yes, I read there every now and then) would have been far better...let's copy the idea of self-copying "though virii"

What I read was about altzheimer-causing nanoware and programs that fuck your personality up (that would be the 'memeplexes' - I hate that newspeak, but that's basically what that is supposed to be - a rebirth of the subliminal manipualtion bullshit). Got that from AH though.

And yes, that would be better than "making Aztlan stop winning the war by showing an audience who likes blood sports for entertainment some dead villagers on TeeVee". Because, I dunno, in Shadowrun everyone likes the Na'vi. This idea of "pressure through the media" was retarded when they did Emergence, especially considering the entity in question was going to nuke cities, and it doesn't stop being retarded when "the media" and an army of bloogers and morons with facebook accounts suddenly think killing animals is not nice, when otherwise it's saturday evening entertainment. And at least, the above mentioned plot would end the Horizon plot and not make them the SHINY GOOD GUYS yet again.

[Draco18s]

It was eleven thirty at night, and I was doing the title off the top of my head. So what (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Well, having mailed my letters out this morning, I just included the misspelled title in mine. So... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)

Also yes: I just mailed my letters at about $5.60 a piece for a return receipt.

[Adarael]

Exalted is moreso - they fought for so long, tried to triumph the fact that they were "metaplot free", only to pretty much shoot themselves in the foot when, by adding detail on detail, they actually, *gasp*, provided the dreaded metaplot. It'd be funny if it wasn't so pathetic.

Not to crap on your admittedly awesome rant, but as a long time Exalted player - one that owns pretty much every book they've put out - that's patently false. What they've done is flesh out more of Creation, which rubs some people the wrong way, but they've never advanced *any* metaplot for the game, despite what people have said about 1st Edition Alchemicals or Return of the Scarlet Empress. The reason it's hard and concrete that they've never advanced any metaplot is because no book they've put out has ever built on prior plot. The whole basis of the way they show plot is that everything is constantly on the verge of happening but never does, in print. Metaplot, kind of by definition, requires some kind of timeline and interaction; otherwise it's just setting information.

Or, to put it more succinctly, there's not "grand end" to any of their setting elements or plot hooks other than what your own players pull off.

[pbangarth]

Funny you should say that, considering that Peter had a whole 2 year "Mother RIsing" plot associated with the tempo inceident... but that was dropped later on by other Devs.

Hah! I was right! It was a machination of Gaia! *dances around the room*

[hermit]

The Mother =/= Gaia (or at least, not necessarily has to be). Could as well be a malignent spirit in the forest.

[Dread Moores]

Or a wacky Darkspawn faction. Wait...wrong game. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[ravensmuse]

Not to crap on your admittedly awesome rant, but as a long time Exalted player - one that owns pretty much every book they've put out - that's patently false. What they've done is flesh out more of Creation, which rubs some people the wrong way, but they've never advanced *any* metaplot for the game, despite what people have said about 1st Edition Alchemicals or Return of the Scarlet Empress. The reason it's hard and concrete that they've never advanced any metaplot is because no book they've put out has ever built on prior plot. The whole basis of the way they show plot is that everything is constantly on the verge of happening but never does, in print. Metaplot, kind of by definition, requires some kind of timeline and interaction; otherwise it's just setting information.

Or, to put it more succinctly, there's not "grand end" to any of their setting elements or plot hooks other than what your own players pull off.

Y'know, my apologies, on two fronts.

One, I'm rather ignorant on current Exalted. I only follow what I can through online communities, and with the revised Lunars, Infernals, and Return of the Scarlet Queen, I assumed. So there's that.

Two, I wanted to get out the "it'd be funny if it wasn't so pathetic." It's a great Joker line.

[Kid Chameleon]

And to bring it back to current topic, Sixth World Atlas should have been the Big Ol' Book O' Metaplot that we should have gotten, especially on the 25th anniversary of the damn game.

The 25th anniversary of BattleTech?

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

The 25th anniversary of BattleTech?

Exactly, because EVERYONE knows that Shadowrun has only been around for 20 Years... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)

[ravensmuse]

Jesus, I forgot. Deal with geeks, mess with pedantry (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Sengir]

What I read was about altzheimer-causing nanoware and programs that fuck your personality up (that would be the 'memeplexes' - I hate that newspeak, but that's basically what that is supposed to be - a rebirth of the subliminal manipualtion bullshit).

OK, that would at least make some sense. What FT posted was more like "hey, let's steal Snow Crash"...

But a nanotech pandemic still sounds way over the top, because it's simply too big...hello next System Failure. Only good thing would be that it could serve as a pretense to massively cut down the "nanobot" magic.

[otakusensei]

Excellent post, ravensmuse. That's it exactly.

[Draco18s]

Topps got my letter; the return receipt came back today signed by one Ethel Owens.

Doesn't mean I got anyone's attention or a response, of course. Just means they got my letter and mailed back the green post cart attached to it.

[hermit]

But a nanotech pandemic still sounds way over the top, because it's simply too big...hello next System Failure. Only good thing would be that it could serve as a pretense to massively cut down the "nanobot" magic.

Not a plague, but harmful byeffects to common use nanotech by Horizon (and their software). More Mad Cow Disease craze than VITAS. At least that's what I got from Ancient's reference to TransMet's Advert Nanos. Wouldn't be the Carbon Plague of Cybergeneration, but it WOULD shake up the world a bit and break Horizon's back.

[Wesley Street]

Not a plague, but harmful byeffects to common use nanotech by Horizon (and their software). More Mad Cow Disease craze than VITAS. At least that's what I got from Ancient's reference to TransMet's Advert Nanos. Wouldn't be the Carbon Plague of Cybergeneration, but it WOULD shake up the world a bit and break Horizon's back.

Which would inject some much needed (post)cyberpunk concepts into a setting that has started leaning too heavily on the magic and fantasy trappings lately.

THAT'S A HORRIBLE IDEA! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)

[ravensmuse]

People keep saying these things. Is it because the last couple sourcebooks have had magic as the backbone?

Honest curiosity. I've been thinking that the tech stuff has had more legs recently.