Corporate Intrigue: PDF out now, 150 pages, $18.00 Options

[Prime Mover]

Nice cover, wonder whats under it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[Prime Mover]

Blurb leads me to believe some VIP stats and possibly some more Horizon info along with a mess of plot points.

[Fatum]

Corporate Intrigue provides a wealth of plot points and adventure ideas to allow gamemasters to develop corporate-centered campaigns, including plotlines the lead to the discovery of a secret one megacorporation is struggling to contain. Building on information provided in Corporate Guide, Corporate Intrigue provides the story information, location details, and NPC statistics

Yawn.

[Tashiro]

Yawn.

Now, don't be like that. Some people find this kind of thing interesting. I'm intrigued (err, sorry), but I want to see if there's anything in there which is suitable for my particular campaign (gear, spells, etc). I might pick it up sooner or later specifically for the ideas presented in it, but since my campaign's in full swing, it may not have anything I need 'right now'. We'll see.

[Nath]

It seems to be the same format than Artifacts Unbound : 7 pages of general background info, followed by 17 plots with variable amount of fluff, background, locations, NPC stats and adventures, depending on what each author wanted to put in, and 8 more pages of NPC stats.

[Method]

From shadowrun4.com:

You could dabble in organized crime. You could do some smash-and-grabs. You could find all sorts of ways to pick up a few nuyen here and there. But everyone in the Sixth World knows that if you want to make a play for the big bucks, the real high-level stuff, you’ve got to get in bed with the corps.

The corps have the money, and they’ve got all the power that comes with it. If you want to have some of that cash and some of that pull for yourself, you’re going to need to stay alert, move quickly, and remember that while corps are willing to pay for things that help them, deep down they really hate sharing what they’ve got with anyone. Including shadowrunners. Especially shadowrunners.

Corporate Intrigue provides a wealth of plot points and adventure ideas to allow gamemasters to develop corporate-centered campaigns, including plotlines the lead to the discovery of a secret one megacorporation is struggling to contain. Building on information provided in Corporate Guide, Corporate Intrigue provides the story information, location details, and NPC statistics to make running a corporate-themed campaign as easy, fun, and brutal as you want it to be.

Corporate Intrigue PDF (Buy From BattleShop)

Corporate Intrigue PDF (Buy From DriveThruRPG)

Or Pre-order Print & PDF Combo here.

[Pepsi Jedi]

So who has it, how is it? $18 for 150pg PDF is ... pretty steep. Not saying I won't buy it, but I wanna hear about it first.

I got Conspiracy Theories the other day and really enjoyed it.

How's this one shaping up?

[Tashiro]

It seems to be the same format than Artifacts Unbound : 7 pages of general background info, followed by 17 plots with variable amount of fluff, background, locations, NPC stats and adventures, depending on what each author wanted to put in, and 8 more pages of NPC stats.

Anything new for NPCs? Cyberware/Spells/etc?

[Fatum]

It seems to be the same format than Artifacts Unbound : 7 pages of general background info, followed by 17 plots with variable amount of fluff, background, locations, NPC stats and adventures, depending on what each author wanted to put in, and 8 more pages of NPC stats.

Any good new art?

[Pepsi Jedi]

They have the preview up now with the chapter titles and first few pages. That's probably where Nath got that from.

And Nath (He/she? it?) seems right. The lead in intro states that it's meant to update people to alot of the meta-plotty stuff. What's going on from the last 4 or 5 books and the missions. For people that might not have bought every single book or have run every mission that still want to know what's going on.

[snowRaven]

I got it, and I've given it a quick once-over.

So far, I have mixed feelings:

The book is laid out exactly like Artifacts Unbound, with a 6-page intro on the Big Ten followed by 17 Chapters of runs in the 'Intro JackPoint Post'-'Overview'-'Plot Point 1-through-X'-'Locations'-'People' format, and then there's a 'Character Trove' with important named NPCs and unnamed NPC-templates that are used through the book, and lastly a 'Character Index'.

Sadly, and just like in AU, the chapters are not arranged in chronological order, and one (Coins of Luck) is even missing it's supposed date (it simply reads [insert date here] in the beginning JackPoint post). Maybe not a big deal, and those who are dependent on each other seem to be in order this time at least, but it creates more work for the GM if he wishes to avoid inconsistencies that may pop up.

The runs deal with many different subjects:

- War on Trees metaplot pops up, including stuff related to the last Horizon adventure.

- Dragon Civil War (though seemingly in a small role)

- There's a whole bunch of NeoNET infighting - continuing the fight between the Villiers' and touching upon conflicts between NeoNET and Celedyr.

- I was really happy to see some nostalgia from way back touched upon in the chapter 'Project Imago' (those who were around then will know what I'm talking about...). I think the author handled that connection quite well.

- Ties to the Ork Underground plotline from SRM4.

- Some Wuxing stuff.

- Several things regarding Technomancers, e-Ghosts and AIs - including some new stuff on Puck. There's also a appearance of Netcat, with stats.

- Some Artefact-related stuff (though nothing on the 'big four' from DoTA as far as I can tell)

- A whole little mini-campaign involving Ares.

- If I'm not mistaken, there's some additional stuff from 'Conspiracy Theories' touched upon, but I have yet to read that book properly so I'm not sure.

- Several people from DoTA and AU make appearances, which can really affect those runs depending on their previous relationships with the PCs.

The runs visit a number of familiar and exotic places: Bogotá, Boston, Caerleon, Colombia, DeeCee, Detroit, Egypt and a Desert Wars-site, Hong Kong, London, Nairobi, Seattle, Vladivostok, and even the Zurich-Orbital!

From a first glance, many of the chapters seem to have quite interesting stories, and they range from large-scale stuff to some things more low-key. A few seem a bit railroaded, but there's also a few that offer real choices to the players. The artwork in the book is almost all of a very high standard, though I personally don't like the cover at all!

While the price may seem steep, you do get one adventure per dollar.

[Pepsi Jedi]

Thank you very much snowRaven. Now..... I gotta plan a run.... and figure out some way to talk my wife into letting me buy it.

[snowRaven]

Thank you very much snowRaven. Now..... I gotta plan a run.... and figure out some way to talk my wife into letting me buy it.

You are welcome! If you want more info on something in particular, let me know - I didn't want to post any major spoilers.

[Mäx]

Only just started reading it, but the ingoming section of the login screen once again has me salivating for the incoming products.
Jet Set just sounds so cool a minibook(atleast i assume it will be pdf only realese)
"What’s the point of hanging around the rich and powerful if you don’t get a taste for yourself?" (IMG:style_emoticons/default/love.gif)

[ggodo]

This sounds like a repeat of the Artifacts Unbound formatting headache full of inconsistencies and heartbreak. I don't think I want it. It's mainly the formatting, honestly.

[Pepsi Jedi]

This sounds like a repeat of the Artifacts Unbound formatting headache full of inconsistencies and heartbreak. I don't think I want it. It's mainly the formatting, honestly.

How do you mean? All we have is the Table of contents. Do you mean you just don't like the "Small lead in, many adventure hooks, cast of character's set up?

Or.. the "Formatting" because.. I'm not sure how you can tell that from the table of contents.

[snowRaven]

This sounds like a repeat of the Artifacts Unbound formatting headache full of inconsistencies and heartbreak. I don't think I want it. It's mainly the formatting, honestly.

To be fair, it is slightly better than AU in that respect - if nothing else, then for the fact that the runs in CI aren't as bound together. I've found fewer inconsistencies (so far) but I have still to give it a proper read-through.

Overall, I think the runs have a higher quality and a more 'shadowrun' feel than most of the AU ones, with a few exceptions (in both books).

[ggodo]

How do you mean? All we have is the Table of contents. Do you mean you just don't like the "Small lead in, many adventure hooks, cast of character's set up?

Or.. the "Formatting" because.. I'm not sure how you can tell that from the table of contents.

I was going from SnowRaven's summary.

[Sengir]

The book is laid out exactly like Artifacts Unbound, with a 6-page intro on the Big Ten followed by 17 Chapters of runs in the 'Intro JackPoint Post'-'Overview'-'Plot Point 1-through-X'-'Locations'-'People' format, and then there's a 'Character Trove' with important named NPCs and unnamed NPC-templates that are used through the book, and lastly a 'Character Index'.

Would you say the NPCs are generally useful, or slightly hamstrung like they often are? And do the locations include maps?


Looking at the preview, am I seeing things or is the cover depicting a recoilless weapon with a pistol grip at the rear? The idea conjured some interesting images in my head of what happens when the poor guy fires it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
Also, it looks like *shrug* is not the universal reaction to Hestaby’s rampage, I like: "High Prince Larry Zincan says requests have been delivered to him regarding Hestaby’s status as a Prince, and he has “taken them under advisement."

[snowRaven]

Would you say the NPCs are generally useful, or slightly hamstrung like they often are? And do the locations include maps?

Some of the NPCs have fairly sensible stats, but none are really optimized. Most named NPCs in the book aren't really supposed to be big-hitters though, and their stats largely won't matter. People like Puck, Netcat and Darren Villiers are quite well rounded, and if you go by what each skill/attribute level is supposed to represent, they're pretty good. I've even seen some Aptitude-maxed stats.
The generic NPCs have the same stats as in AU I believe - nothing superb, but not bad either. I haven't really gone over gear-lists, but some people have fairly long lists of gear and 'ware. At least I haven't seen any glaring mistakes...yet.

So, mostly useful, or irrelevant, but not perfectly optimized.

No maps whatsoever...which goes with the format I guess =/

There are short write-ups on the exotic locations (in some cases not much at all) but several of them are described in more detail in the various setting books.

Personally, I would've preferred one less chapter and less general NPCs in exchange for some maps and better location info.

[Mäx]

Some of the NPCs have fairly sensible stats, but none are really optimized. Most named NPCs in the book aren't really supposed to be big-hitters though, and their stats largely won't matter. People like Puck, Netcat and Darren Villiers are quite well rounded, and if you go by what each skill/attribute level is supposed to represent, they're pretty good. I've even seen some Aptitude-maxed stats.
The generic NPCs have the same stats as in AU I believe - nothing superb, but not bad either. I haven't really gone over gear-lists, but some people have fairly long lists of gear and 'ware. At least I haven't seen any glaring mistakes...yet.

The only think that jumped up to me on my quick see trough was the Veteran Street Samurai at the end of the book, whose only weapon was a light pistol.

[Mardrax]

Nath is right.
It's 148 pages, a quick count says slightly over 20 of those have artwork on them, full-page art being rare and most being either half- or quarter- page scenes or characters. Quality varies from okayish to pretty good in my opinion. Style isn't altogether coherent either, which makes sense with multiple artists contributing. All of it seems drawn though. None of the pushing towards more realism some of the gear books have seen.

Nath's summation appears correct for the most part. There's a few pages of very general information at the start, a bunch of what appears to be small, multi-part stories, (all of which include some characters (mostly generic NPCs), very rarely gear in form of very specific stuff, or a drone, and I've glanced a new shapechanger type as well) and a collection of generic NPCs at the end. I've seen Puck and Netcat make appearances in the stories/adventures/hooks as well, with Puck being statted out.

Shadowtalk looks fairly minimum.

Other than that, I still have to actually give it more than a perfunctory glance.

[Sengir]

Some of the NPCs have fairly sensible stats, but none are really optimized. Most named NPCs in the book aren't really supposed to be big-hitters though, and their stats largely won't matter. People like Puck, Netcat and Darren Villiers are quite well rounded, and if you go by what each skill/attribute level is supposed to represent, they're pretty good. I've even seen some Aptitude-maxed stats.
The generic NPCs have the same stats as in AU I believe - nothing superb, but not bad either. I haven't really gone over gear-lists, but some people have fairly long lists of gear and 'ware. At least I haven't seen any glaring mistakes...yet.

I'm less wondering about the fluff vs. stats consistency than about the usefulness in those situations when you need some instant NPCs...basically what one could expect from the ad text (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)
Combined with the lack of maps it sounds like the book fails to deliver that. Once more. Then again, I'm a plot junkie anyway...



@Mäx: Let me guess, he has delta reflexes but no smartlink? Then it's the one from AU...

[Mäx]

.@Mäx: Let me guess, he has delta reflexes but no smartlink? Then it's the one from AU...

It is the same one, but actually he does have a monocle with imagelink and smartlink, it's the last item in the gear list.
Not that it does him any good, as Fichetti Security 600 doesn't have a smartlink as standard (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif)

[Garou]

I liked the format of Artifacts Unleashed. Those loosely threaded plots work well for my style of GMING, and now with it, i have little need for the weakened grunts of the SR4a Rulebook, that couldn't beat my players even in groups of 20... That would totally work for corporate intrigue.

I didn't see the book yet, but i hope it tones down an alternative to the "Magicrun" artifact rush of 2073 a little bit...