Changing the Map Options

[ChewyGranola]

New member here, and very excited to join the community. For the past couple of weeks I have been getting back into Shadowrun, reading the books and looking at the system, even starting to plan my next campaign for when my Vampire the Masquerade one ends here in the new year. Upon reflection, I have decided that elements of the history/map bother me, and am looking for input or ideas or whatever to make these essentially minor changes.


1. I think the NAN should go further east, including all of the Dakotas and most of Oklahoma, probably as part of an expanded Sioux Nation. I figure the NAN missing out on one of the major population centers of Native Americans (Oklahoma) would be bad for them.
2. I would like to make Amazonia smaller, more Awakened and less (meta)human. For example, having Brazil survive as a few coastal enclaves. I just think that would be cool, kind of a style change. Still Aztlan's main enemy, however.
3. I would like to see a more fractured India, maybe making it similar to the AGS in terms of a collection of monarchies, republics, dictatorships, etc. I dont know if any sourcebooks have detailed India, but it's what I would do.
4. I think having large parts of Africa labeled "tribal lands" is, well...lazy. I mean, really, Africa is full of diverse people with long histories who deserve more than a large blob on the map that essentially says "unknown". Maybe take a page from the old White Wolf game Trinity and have parts of Africa unify, advancing economically and technologically in non-Western based tribal federations. Like a Central African Union, or a Kenyatta Federation, something...hell even have an absolute crap-ton of new tiny nations is better than "tribal lands", IMO.
5. Having Central Asia suddenly become Turkestan all of a sudden seems odd to me. I am no expert, but it seems that the Central Asian nations are distinct for a reason, and a sudden unification seems strange. Again, this may be detailed in a sourcebook, but I have no idea if it is.
6. I have always wanted to re-name the UCAS and CAS. I like the name Federated States of America better than UCAS (eliminates the distinction between Canadians and Americans in the new state) and I think a southern state would probably not name itself a Confederation out of fear of dredging up the past...maybe call it the Allied States, a la Jericho? I would probably have the FSA forcibly retain Virginia, for security of DC, maybe having it under an extended military occupation?
7. I would probably have Russia keep the Baltics, maybe Belarus...resistance movements could be fun for runners to go to, worries about an expanding Russian Empire...more of a style change than anything else.
8. Coastal Provinces? I think this falls under the category of "tribal lands". Would be nice to see maybe a revived Chinese Empire here, or something at least. I am sure someone could dig up one of Puyi's descendents.
9. I would probably restore the monarchy in Austria and place them in the AGS...they would be a big dog in Allied Germany. Again, not a huge change.

Has anyone else made/thought about making these kinds of changes. I know some minor tweaking of the history would have to go along with it, but I don't think that's a big deal. Hell, I don't even know if the community here is cool with changing canon at all, but I guess I will find out (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)

Ok, that's all I have. Suffice to say, I love Shadowrun, and when (if) I get around to running a game I will more likely than not make the above changes, since they make sense to me. However, I am looking for feedback, but be nice to the noob (IMG:style_emoticons/default/twirl.gif)

Anyways, thanks in advance for the responses, and if I violated any forum etiquette, please forgive me.

[Ascalaphus]

New member here, and very excited to join the community. For the past couple of weeks I have been getting back into Shadowrun, reading the books and looking at the system, even starting to plan my next campaign for when my Vampire the Masquerade one ends here in the new year. Upon reflection, I have decided that elements of the history/map bother me, and am looking for input or ideas or whatever to make these essentially minor changes.

Heya, welcome (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

3. I would like to see a more fractured India, maybe making it similar to the AGS in terms of a collection of monarchies, republics, dictatorships, etc. I dont know if any sourcebooks have detailed India, but it's what I would do.

Unified India does strike me a lot like they just couldn't find an author with interesting ideas to do that chapter. Your AGS solution makes sense; it's some sort of federation right now, not at all completely unified. When the magic goes "on", that'll be the signal for all the religious wackos to claim that They Were Right All Along. There'll be Hindu cults, Islamic dervishes and whatnot - enough to loosen the current system up a bit.

4. I think having large parts of Africa labeled "tribal lands" is, well...lazy. I mean, really, Africa is full of diverse people with long histories who deserve more than a large blob on the map that essentially says "unknown". Maybe take a page from the old White Wolf game Trinity and have parts of Africa unify, advancing economically and technologically in non-Western based tribal federations. Like a Central African Union, or a Kenyatta Federation, something...hell even have an absolute crap-ton of new tiny nations is better than "tribal lands", IMO.

Some people have suggested that maybe some parts of Africa in SR could have actually improved in comparison with present day. Turned into some sort of new country that's actually new and different and shiny.

5. Having Central Asia suddenly become Turkestan all of a sudden seems odd to me. I am no expert, but it seems that the Central Asian nations are distinct for a reason, and a sudden unification seems strange. Again, this may be detailed in a sourcebook, but I have no idea if it is.

Probably in Shadows of Asia or Sixth World Almanac, those are the books detailing Asia.

8. Coastal Provinces? I think this falls under the category of "tribal lands". Would be nice to see maybe a revived Chinese Empire here, or something at least. I am sure someone could dig up one of Puyi's descendents.

I think the idea with the Chinese fragmentation was to create something resembling the Warring States Period

Has anyone else made/thought about making these kinds of changes. I know some minor tweaking of the history would have to go along with it, but I don't think that's a big deal. Hell, I don't even know if the community here is cool with changing canon at all, but I guess I will find out (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)

Ok, that's all I have. Suffice to say, I love Shadowrun, and when (if) I get around to running a game I will more likely than not make the above changes, since they make sense to me. However, I am looking for feedback, but be nice to the noob (IMG:style_emoticons/default/twirl.gif)

Anyways, thanks in advance for the responses, and if I violated any forum etiquette, please forgive me.

Don't worry about forum etiquette, you're doing fine. This is a fairly laid-back forum (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

As for changes to Canon... I think the original idea way back was to create something different and exciting. So if you want to do things differently, because you think it'll be more fun, then you're doing what the writers want you to do (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[ChewyGranola]

I like the idea of having some crazy new political systems show up in Africa. There is an old sci fi game called Trinity, in which new political styles have shown up in Europe with fun names like Psychosocial Communism or Degenerative Socialism. Maybe Shadowrun Africa would be a great place to try them out.

[Paul]

If it's fun for you and your players, have at it.

[ChewyGranola]

Has anyone else made changes like this? Or.do you just stick with the sociopolitical landscape as in?

[Paul]

I have a pretty serious undercurrent in my game concerning the Seattle Independence Movement.

[Lindt]

I have used something similar to your ideas with Brazil. The coasts are occupied in moderate cities (which are fighting the jungles intrusion), which are unofficially fighting against Aztlan. I did some crazy jungle 'Apocalypse Now' sorta stuff on my players for a while. The teams now carries a machete all the time because of it.

[Seriously Mike]

Has anyone else made changes like this? Or.do you just stick with the sociopolitical landscape as in?

I decided to focus on the local issues of LA in my campaign, but noted one thing about the "warring states" of China: Guangdong and Taiwan form one country, The Republic Of China, as a throwback to the 1930s.

[Paul]

I just recalled this:

Another poster and I once considered an alternate setting tentatively called by him "When Doves Cry"-it's a version of Shadowrun where nuclear weapons weren't somehow mysteriously stopped from working, and the Lone Eagle incident sets off a chain reaction that ends with the world being reduced to a post-apocalyptic state, where cities are Corporate Enclaves, completely contained and controlled nation states.

If I can find the notes I'll link to them.

[Paul]

This isn't the specific thread, however it fits the topic at hand.

[Tanegar]

There is an old sci fi game called Trinity Aeon

Fixed that for you. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[ChewyGranola]

This is good stuff....and thanks for the Aeon fix, the Trinity name always galled me too lol.


I was planning on changing fluff, not mechanics. I mean, I have dealt with the oWoD system for years, and the original Deadlands system, so I can handle Shadowrun.

I was trying to figure out a reason why there are so many "native" Americans, and I figure, like an above poster, that there are plenty of people who suddenly became native after the war. "Oh, you own a large corporation? You have lots of experience running large organizations? Did you know you're 1/52nd Cherokee?" I figure there a lot of blonde Indians in 2070 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) .

Some history changes will be necessary, particularly since the Allied States (my CAS), and the Federated States (my UCAS) really don't like each other, there should be more strife there. Plus, Aztlan and the CAS always trading shots, the occasional border dust-up. Basically there will be a lot more cross-border weenie wagging in my world than there seems to be in canon SR.

Once I get some of my thoughts together, I will post them here, probably in this thread. I have made a map for North America and a map for Europe to reflect some of what I am thinking about, and will probably do the others Saturday. I will post them here for critique and opinion.

Thanks!