Unfriendly Skies, new aircraft-riffic PDF book, now on sale, Luxury jets, zeppelins, fighters, and more! Options

[JM Hardy]

I hope all you Dumpshockers are on the verge of some kind of nice weekend. If your weekend involves Shadowrun--and it should, right?--we have a new PDF product for you. Unfriendly Skies is now available at the Battleshop and Drivethrurpg. Here's what it's got:

WINGS TO FLY

It’s a big world, and not all of the work that’s available is sitting right outside your front door. Sometimes you might need to hop across a country, across a continent, or across an ocean. Other times you might look to the air to find a way across a border that’s too tough to cross on the ground. And then there are the times you might need something in the air that can pack a much-needed punch.

Unfriendly Skies provides descriptions and game information for thirty-two aircraft, including the EuroWars-tested MiG-63, the slow but easy-to-overlook Skyswimmer, and the luxurious Platinum II. The book also includes information on the basics of air travel in 2073, including information on which paths you may or may not want to follow if you are trying to lay low.

Get your runners into the skies and moving fast with the options Unfriendly Skies provides. Unfriendly Skies is for use with Shadowrun, Twentieth Anniversary Edition.

[hobgoblin]

do wonder if this clear up the randomness that is launch weapons..

[Redjack]

Anybody ready to review this?

[CanRay]

Anybody ready to review this?

I would have to say it's a very interesting read. Not something that a lot of Shadowrunner groups would use all of, but certainly things to take into consideration for the universe. The inclusion of civilian and corporate passenger craft is excellent, as is the additional rotorcraft. The blimp section I found a bit lacking, but then again, I loves me my blimps.

I'm slightly upset over the lack of the Avro Aircar, but that's another issue altogether. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

EDIT: Forgot the downsides, bad Dumpshocker!

The usual about the lack of concrete passenger space (Hard numbers for each craft, I mean. There's "Suggestions" given just like in SR4A.) and cargo rules. Which, when you consider what we're likely to use these things for as GMs or PCs, is really telling.

[Daishi]

do wonder if this clear up the randomness that is launch weapons..

Yeah, not even the a little bit. The standard upgrades on the combat aircraft are consistent with Arsenal and MilSpecTech - a handful of mounts for guns, make up your own rules for launch weapons.

I'm still reading it over, but here are my initial impressions: The page and half description of air travel seems a little cursory, but not bad otherwise. I think an opportunity to discuss private air travel and some detail about smuggling was missed, though. What are the typical rules for operating a chopper in a city's airspace? What sensors and patrols do smugglers have to beat, and how do they usually do that? These are the kinds of things that would be of great interest to shadowrunners who might actually take possession of the aircraft listed in the book.

The production values for the vehicles are on par with MilSpecTech. Some good artwork, some serviceable, and some just goofy looking (zeppelins particularly). Write-ups seem decent so far. Nothing obviously broken about the stats yet, though I am scratching my head a bit about the sub-orbital speeds, but I think I kind of know what they were going for. The shadowtalk has been amusing me. The in-character chatter about including the sub-orbitals was some good fourth-wall poking. Good mix of aircraft too, I think.

[Fatum]

The production values for the vehicles are on par with MilSpecTech. Some good artwork, some serviceable, and some just goofy looking (zeppelins particularly). Write-ups seem decent so far. Nothing obviously broken about the stats yet, though I am scratching my head a bit about the sub-orbital speeds, but I think I kind of know what they were going for. The shadowtalk has been amusing me. The in-character chatter about including the sub-orbitals was some good fourth-wall poking. Good mix of aircraft too, I think.

Suborbitals have insane speeds everywhere I've seen them statted. Also, the SOTA book (I believe) states that your runners are more likely to win a fistfight with a Great Dragon than pilot one... and then gives the rules for that (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Also, are there LAVs-are-there-LAVs-arethereLAVs?!

[hermit]

Okay, bought it. The download file is not broken.

Also, are there LAVs-are-there-LAVs-arethereLAVs?!

No. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/frown.gif) Maybe in Eurowars Vintage. There are a couple low-end jet fighters - Mig 63, Hawker-Siddley Fiebrand, Evo Reckoner; the SU-41 and two helicopters, the MK Sperber and the EC Tiger attack helicopters.

On a quick glance (More deatiled when I have the time): The art's good, though sometimes inconsistent with the description (the china clipper looks pretty tiny, as does the grande concorde, and why is the Firebrand designated a transport plane and looks like a light and overarmed fighter?), some is brushed up old art, some is original, and at least one is a photomanip (the SK Lakota).

[hobgoblin]

Yeah, not even the a little bit. The standard upgrades on the combat aircraft are consistent with Arsenal and MilSpecTech - a handful of mounts for guns, make up your own rules for launch weapons.

I get the impression that launch weapons is something they expect to be fired at runners, not by runners...

[CanRay]

I get the impression that launch weapons is something they expect to be fired at runners, not by runners...

'Runners will launch weapons... Of vehicles they steal. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[Fatum]

No. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/frown.gif) Maybe in Eurowars Vintage. There are a couple low-end jet fighters - Mig 63, Hawker-Siddley Fiebrand, Evo Reckoner; the SU-41 and two helicopters, the MK Sperber and the EC Tiger attack helicopters.

Aha, so, both MiG and Su make fighters still? That's a nice thing to know.

On a quick glance (More deatiled when I have the time): The art's good, though sometimes inconsistent with the description (the china clipper looks pretty tiny, as does the grande concorde, and why is the Firebrand designated a transport plane and looks like a light and overarmed fighter?), some is brushed up old art, some is original, and at least one is a photomanip (the SK Lakota).

Pah, SR art is never consistent with the descriptions, time to get used to it.

I get the impression that launch weapons is something they expect to be fired at runners, not by runners...

I still believe launch weapons should be usable and also should represent what their analogues from the RL are capable of. Not being able to hit a barn's door is hard to believe for an epitome of of tech 60 years into the future.

[hermit]

Aha, so, both MiG and Su make fighters still? That's a nice thing to know.

Apparently, though by SR time, the Su-41 design is more than 70 years old. then again, so is the Eurofighter, which also is still around, and the primary plane the SU-41 fought against, apparently. So maybe it's leftovers or something. The Mig 63 is a relatively new design though.

Pah, SR art is never consistent with the descriptions, time to get used to it.

Will you leave my little nitpicks alone? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

[Fatum]

Apparently, though by SR time, the Su-41 design is more than 70 years old. then again, so is the Eurofighter, which also is still around, and the primary plane the SU-41 fought against, apparently. So maybe it's leftovers or something. The Mig 63 is a relatively new design though.

Uh, Su-41 is 70 years old? So, designed around 2000? I'm not aware of any production models with that index in RL, except for maybe one or two mentions on forums where it's confused with Su-47, and a single notice of the MFP project.
Or is it just based on any of the old Soviet models like Su-27?

Will you leave my little nitpicks alone? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

Why shouldn't I nitpick on nitpicks? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

[hermit]

Uh, Su-41 is 70 years old? So, designed around 2000? I'm not aware of any production models with that index in RL, except for maybe one or two mentions on forums where it's confused with Su-47, and a single notice of the MFP project.
Or is it just based on any of the old Soviet models like Su-27?

Going by the art, it is a somewhat updated Su-47. The same frame, at least. The Su-47 was designed around 2000, IIRC.

[Fatum]

So, forward-swept wings? They seem popular on SR illustrations - look unusual and thus represent the progress, or something?
Su-47 is a test plane/"flying lab" which first took off in 1997. It's a result of a project started as early as 1983 (don't you just love the 90ies in Russia, heh). So, that brings us to almost a hundred years, if it's indeed the same airframe (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Bull]

Uh, Su-41 is 70 years old? So, designed around 2000? I'm not aware of any production models with that index in RL, except for maybe one or two mentions on forums where it's confused with Su-47, and a single notice of the MFP project.
Or is it just based on any of the old Soviet models like Su-27?

Shadowrun diverges from RL officially in the late 80's. I've seen some compelling arguments that the divergence must have been even earlier, smaller things that eventually set up the larger things that happen in the SR 90's and 00's (The corporate rulings, the whole Amerind war, etc). Not to mention a vast difference in the way technology developed both pre- and post-Crash.

So in SHadowrun? Yeah, there's a production model with that index that was in development for the last 10 years (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) RL, well... It's RL, not game. So it don't count.

Bull

[Tycho]

I have to say many of the pics look like they where designed for crimson skies, many airplanes have turboprops for no reason. Also the most of the airplanes are really slow, some Jets are slower than helicopters...

cya
Tycho

[hermit]

The turbopropped airplanes for the most part are brushed up Rigger Blackbook art, so they precede Crimson Skies by a few years. Besides, propeller engines have their pros in modern aviation; whether executive jets are better equipped with these, though, YMMV.

[Fatum]

Shadowrun diverges from RL officially in the late 80's. I've seen some compelling arguments that the divergence must have been even earlier, smaller things that eventually set up the larger things that happen in the SR 90's and 00's (The corporate rulings, the whole Amerind war, etc). Not to mention a vast difference in the way technology developed both pre- and post-Crash.

So in SHadowrun? Yeah, there's a production model with that index that was in development for the last 10 years (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) RL, well... It's RL, not game. So it don't count.

Bull

Well, SR USSR was not that different, was it? It still fell apart in 1991, it's around the 2000ies when the differences with RL really started to show.
So we can as well suppose that SR Sukhoi developed the same aircraft RL Sukhoi did :ь

[CanRay]

C-130s are Turboprop Planes, and are still in common military usage today, despite being close to 50-years old. (I think the Canadian Armed Forces still have some of the original airframes as well. Which will, hopefully, finally be retired soon.).

And then there's the AC-130, which is a C-130 that you don't pick a fight with.

[Bull]

Well, SR USSR was not that different, was it? It still fell apart in 1991, it's around the 2000ies when the differences with RL really started to show.
So we can as well suppose that SR Sukhoi developed the same aircraft RL Sukhoi did :ь

SR includes some elements of real life as neeeded, and "retcons" major events in. In this case, obviously Sukhoi developed a different aircraft at a different time. I wouldn't think too hard about it, or worry too much in the long run. Shadowrun tends to run into trouble if you try applying too much real world logic to it's background and history anyways. If you end up nitpicking every minor detail, it will likely implode in a puff of logic (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Bull

[hobgoblin]

C-130s are Turboprop Planes, and are still in common military usage today, despite being close to 50-years old. (I think the Canadian Armed Forces still have some of the original airframes as well. Which will, hopefully, finally be retired soon.).

And then there's the AC-130, which is a C-130 that you don't pick a fight with.

Iirc, props are nice if your looking for short runways as they handle low speeds better.

for instance, there are some crazy claims about this birdy up in northern Norway:
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/w...HC-6_Twin_Otter

One claim is that the pilot was able to come in 90 degrees off from the runway, due to strong crosswinds, but at the last moment bring it around and land.

Hell, the local saying is that if the Twin Otter do not fly cause of weather one better stay in doors. And they fly even in weather the military will not send a C-130 into...

[CanRay]

The deHavilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver (And it's upgrade the Turbo Beaver) have been around forever. Some of the original airframes are still seeing use. And so on.

"High Technology is not always Better Technology." is something I've said a number of times, and there are times that even technophiles will agree with me.

Also, if you build/test something to work under Canadian Conditions, you can pretty much be sure that it'll work anywhere. (Yes, Canada even has Deserts, so even in those hot, dry places.). Also, Canadian designs typically have the idea that modifications and jury rigging will need to be done in the field (We have to do so much of it already anyhow), so even if local conditions make things difficult (IE: Fine sand of Afghanistan.), a fix is probably just around the corner and easily done.

And that's why I like the Ford-Canada Buffalo. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

(I've also flown on the Dash-8 Turboprop a number of times. Aside from worrying about how the engines appeared to have been repaired, and being put in the place where the guy in the WWII Bomber Movies always gets cut in half when the prop gets shot off, it was a very nice ride.).

[PoliteMan]

Shadowrun diverges from RL officially in the late 80's. I've seen some compelling arguments that the divergence must have been even earlier, smaller things that eventually set up the larger things that happen in the SR 90's and 00's (The corporate rulings, the whole Amerind war, etc). Not to mention a vast difference in the way technology developed both pre- and post-Crash.

So in SHadowrun? Yeah, there's a production model with that index that was in development for the last 10 years (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) RL, well... It's RL, not game. So it don't count.

Bull

Wouldn't SR have begun deviating in the pre-Sumerian days, sometime around the 1st or 2nd world? I mean, this is the 6th world and dragons/immortal elves were sleeping for quite a bit, even if we discount the ED stuff.

[hobgoblin]

(Yes, Canada even has Deserts, so even in those hot, dry places.).

Deserts do not have to be hot, they are however very very dry (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[hermit]

Wouldn't SR have begun deviating in the pre-Sumerian days, sometime around the 1st or 2nd world? I mean, this is the 6th world and dragons/immortal elves were sleeping for quite a bit, even if we discount the ED stuff.

there isn't really enough realworld knowledge about the world at that time to retcon much. And (early) ED actually ties in what little is known. Check out who the Aryans were and where they probably came from ...