Hardwired, the novel |
Hardwired, the novel |
Feb 20 2015, 03:41 AM
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#1
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 104 Joined: 4-October 08 Member No.: 16,424 |
Anyone read it?
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Feb 20 2015, 04:32 AM
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#2
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 221 Joined: 31-December 10 From: Tacoma, Washington Member No.: 19,262 |
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Feb 20 2015, 05:18 AM
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#3
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 519 Joined: 27-August 02 From: Queensland Member No.: 3,180 |
Gawd, it's chalk and cheese. (In shadowrun terms at least)
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Feb 20 2015, 07:43 AM
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#4
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,102 Joined: 23-August 09 From: Vancouver, Canada Member No.: 17,538 |
I've read the first one Shaidar linked to. I kind of wish I'd never clicked on the link to the second one.
There is a cyberpunk 2020 plugin for the game world called Hardwired oddly enough, written by WJW. Never got a chance to play it but I like the some of the ideas in that world. His version of the smugglers with their mil-spec surplus hovercraft is how I picture the t-bird smugglers of Shadowrun. |
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Feb 20 2015, 08:33 AM
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#5
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The King In Yellow Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 6,922 Joined: 26-February 05 From: JWD Member No.: 7,121 |
Would like to read the first one, but it seems seriously out of print.
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Feb 20 2015, 09:20 AM
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#6
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,009 Joined: 25-September 06 From: Paris, France Member No.: 9,466 |
Read the first one (Walter Jon William's). It's pretty good. While it's clearly not my favorite, I'd still put it in my list of "must-read" Cyberpunk novels.
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Feb 20 2015, 12:32 PM
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#7
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Freelance Elf Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 7,324 Joined: 30-September 04 From: Texas Member No.: 6,714 |
I read Hardwired (WJW) before I ready any Gibson (and my signed copy is one of my favorite books). Cowboy and Sarah were my mental image of cyberpunk before Case and Molly Millions ever were.
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Feb 20 2015, 02:48 PM
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#8
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,973 Joined: 3-October 07 From: Fairfax, VA Member No.: 13,526 |
I still hand over my copy of the WJW Hardwired to folks trying to get their heads around cyberpunk as a whole.
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Feb 20 2015, 03:39 PM
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#9
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Great Dragon Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 5,082 Joined: 3-October 09 From: Kohle, Stahl und Bier Member No.: 17,709 |
In terms of evocative world-building I still hold that book dear, plus it's the reason SR has riggers. There's also the CP2020 sourcebook for it, which provides some more background on the world.
@hermit: Interestingly, the German edition ("Hardware") is available for next to nothing. I can't tell you if the translation is any good, though. |
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Feb 20 2015, 04:14 PM
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#10
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 691 Joined: 27-February 08 From: Pismo Beach, CA Member No.: 15,715 |
Definitely an old fave. I really loved some of the concepts in it, such as dance clubs where everybody listens to their own music via earbuds/headware, cybereyes that come with an optional monochrome setting, and the idea that while implants can give anybody the moves and reflexes of a martial-arts master, the real badasses train on top of that and learn to incorporate the implanted skills into their own unique fighting styles.
That was one of the things I always found disappointing about the SR4 rules, that you couldn't use skillwires as a base and improve upon them with additional training. |
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Feb 20 2015, 04:21 PM
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#11
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 104 Joined: 4-October 08 Member No.: 16,424 |
Walter john Williams. It is actually damn good.
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Feb 20 2015, 06:20 PM
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#12
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The King In Yellow Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 6,922 Joined: 26-February 05 From: JWD Member No.: 7,121 |
QUOTE @hermit: Interestingly, the German edition ("Hardware") is available for next to nothing. I can't tell you if the translation is any good, though. Might have to, yeah. Thanks for the info. |
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Feb 20 2015, 07:32 PM
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#13
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Great Dragon Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 5,082 Joined: 3-October 09 From: Kohle, Stahl und Bier Member No.: 17,709 |
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Feb 20 2015, 09:16 PM
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#14
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The King In Yellow Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 6,922 Joined: 26-February 05 From: JWD Member No.: 7,121 |
Reading it, and the first impression is ... impressive. Too bad the file DTRPG sells - the CP2020 sourcebook - seems broken.
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Feb 20 2015, 10:47 PM
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#15
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Shooting Target Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 1,908 Joined: 21-July 14 From: Northern UCAS (with regular trips to Quebec) Member No.: 190,206 |
One of my favorite cyberpunk type books, and one that resonated with me more than did Gibson's novels (although I liked the Johnny Mneumonic novella). I'm about to blatantly steal a bunch of bits from the fixer war for my game.
Unfortunately Williams uses the same character archetypes for lead male and female characters in almost all of his books, so going back to re-read it after having read a lot of his later stuff, the characters that I'd liked the first time around annoyed me due to sheer repetition. |
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Feb 21 2015, 08:28 PM
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#16
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 7,116 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 1,449 |
Hardwired has a lot of classic cyberpunk tropes in it, from riggers, to street samurai, to megacorps (the orbitals). His take on wired reflexes was interesting - there wasn't any differentiation between wired reflexes, skillwires, or a vehicle control rig; it was all one augmentation. It also shows that cyberpunk doesn't have to be welded to noir tropes - a lot of cyberpunk books are like this one, and show the characters changing the world, rather than being helpless pawns. Voice of the Whirlwind is also good. Despite the introduction of an alien race, it has a very cyberpunk feel to it.
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Feb 22 2015, 10:13 AM
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#17
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The King In Yellow Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 6,922 Joined: 26-February 05 From: JWD Member No.: 7,121 |
Ugh. Now you ruined Whirlwind for me. But thanks for the warning.
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Feb 22 2015, 04:41 PM
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#18
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Runner Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,039 Joined: 23-March 05 From: The heart of Rywfol Emwolb Industries Member No.: 7,216 |
Ugh. Now you ruined Whirlwind for me. But thanks for the warning. Just pretend they are shedim/insect spirits/dragons and it will fit in. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) |
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Feb 23 2015, 12:15 AM
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#19
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Great Dragon Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 5,082 Joined: 3-October 09 From: Kohle, Stahl und Bier Member No.: 17,709 |
t also shows that cyberpunk doesn't have to be welded to noir tropes - a lot of cyberpunk books are like this one, and show the characters changing the world, rather than being helpless pawns. Spoilers because apparently some people have not read Hardwired [ Spoiler ]
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Feb 23 2015, 10:02 AM
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#20
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,009 Joined: 25-September 06 From: Paris, France Member No.: 9,466 |
I couldn't get myself to like Voice of the Whirlwind. Not sure exactly why.
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