D&D group => Shadowruners, Is it possible? Options

[Solkari]

Alright, here's the problem. I'm currently playing D&D with a bunch of friends, and we've played several D&D campaigns, way back into AD&D 2 even. I enjoy playing with them, it's a lot of fun, but...

What I really want to play is Shadowrun. I just can't love any D&D campaign, no matter how fun it is or who is running it, the same way that I love everything about SR.

So, does anyone have any ideas on how I can change a bunch of D&D roll-players into Shadowrun role-players?

[Ancient History]

Get 'em hooked on Earthdawn?

[Herald of Verjig...]

Start them out in raw thuggery jobs. Help them design characters that mirror their favorite classes.

This will eitnher lead you to hate Shadowrun or eventually teach them how much better SR allows them to make their characters.

[Nikoli]

I ran them in a semi-legal campaign. As detectives, 2 of them took to it like fish and some sort of liquid substance, and the last guy while he resisted before, is enjoying the game thus far.

[Kagetenshi]

Put them on an island and make them wear necklaces with bombs in them. Then hand them characters and tell them that unless they can finish the run within three days, the bombs will explode and take out some major blood vessels leading to and from their brains.

~J

[kevyn668]

What? They don't want to play characters that can carry guns??? Guns rock! :)

[BitBasher]

"If there's any one thing that thsi day has taught me, it's that it's better to have a gun and not to need it, then to need a gun and not to have it." -Clarence Worley

[Kagetenshi]

Whoever said that has clearly never felt the sinking feeling of walking into a building, knowing there's a security check ahead, and being unsure whether you took those knives out of your bag.

~J

[BitBasher]

Er, whoopie. You turn around, head into a bathroom and check. It's not the end of the world. Done it, had friends that had done it.

Knew a doctor going through a dicorce that had his wife smuggle a butcher knife onto his carry on bag without his knowledge. Hilarity ensues!

[Kagetenshi]

Well, this presupposes a few things: one, that you don't have anyone you can hand the knife to (I didn't). Two, that you need to go into the building (I did). Third, and most importantly, that you like the knife enough to not want to ditch it somewhere (I did).

~J

[BitBasher]

Yeah, my scenario and the doctor both involved tossing it in the trash, as they were both at airports. A 40$ knife is not worth that hassle.

[Arethusa]

Strong words.

[Aidley]

as a former dungeon crawler, I'll tell you how my gm made the transition for me. (and since I'd played sr before and loathed it, his battle was uphill at best)

He got me to create a character using the points system (becks, much as there are people who defend it, will just alienate people coming from d&d) He emphasised the fact that there were more and varied interesting races to play.

He pointed out that the magic system wasn't broken up into 'cool' & 'sucky', but into 'if you can think of it, it's either already there or part of the infinately moddable system's allowances.

Then he showed me the art.

I tell you, nothing will win over a dyed in the wool dungeoun crawler faster than really cool costumes & special effects.

"what? no rings or potions of protection?" they say?
"we don't need it. that's what (flips to the cyber enhancements and adept powers sections) these are for."

you get the idea?

just point out all the fun goodies that you know they like from D&D, and how SR does them. Don't make such a big fuss over the differences because it will scare them away. Focus on the fun stuff, the special effects and the costumes..... and be sure to tell them there be dragons here...

[RedmondLarry]

Have your D&D characters run into a Shadowrun Magician doing an Astral Quest to the metaplane of D&D. He hires them to help him with his "quest". When he dies during the quest, they all get sucked back to Seattle with his body lying there in a hermetic circle in the spare bedroom of his apartment. They have to figure out enough of the world to find a way home, or they are stuck. Elves are elves, dwarves are dwarves, magicians can go astral if they try, etc. Don't tell them it's Shadowrun, just say that "things work differently here".

[Aidley]

Have your D&D characters run into a Shadowrun Magician doing an Astral Quest to the metaplane of D&D. He hires them to help him with his "quest". When he dies during the quest, they all get sucked back to Seattle with his body lying there in a hermetic circle in the spare bedroom of his apartment. They have to figure out enough of the world to find a way home, or they are stuck. Elves are elves, dwarves are dwarves, magicians can go astral if they try, etc. Don't tell them it's Shadowrun, just say that "things work differently here".

interesting....

my group have been toying with a crossover for a while now... what an intriguing idea for making it happen

[Centurion]

Things get interesting when they see their first ork, gut him, take his stuff, and wondering why everyone's throwing such a hissy fit.

[Shockwave_IIc]

Or they burn the corpse of the first troll they some how kill....

[The White Dwarf]

The transition is easy to do, but Id say you gotta provide three things:

1) Read the BBB. If they dont understand the dystopian cyberpunk future that is the SR backdrop, theyre up a creek. In DnD you can make some presuppositions about the world such as magic is magic, theres clerics at the church, somewhere theres a king, etc. Without the same ability to grasp the world, theyre screwed. They dont have to read the rules even, just the parts that describe the world.

2) Change the mentality. Both games have a different bent of playing. Kick in the door style dungeon crawling will NOT move straight to kick in the door style of megacorp HQ running. They need to understand this is going to be more like Ronin, or Bond, or Johnny Mnemonic etc etc. In fact make them go watch a half dozen movies first. By now they should have a clear vision of the world, and what typical characters are like.

3) Make char's with them. Odds are they will wanna know stuff, just like they wanna know which sword is the best. Be prepared to answer all their questions and get some decent characters made up. Id stick to the priority system if theyre still new to games, but you can jump to BP if theyre experienced gamers just moving to a new game. Point being iron out some guys and get a first run done.

Do that, and they should have the mental framework to setup a character in a world that fits with SR pretty well for noobs. Id also tell the players they can change their characters after each game for the first few sessions, as they see how things play out. Ive done this for people the first time they join us, and it works really well. Its a lot easier to jump into a game when you know you can swap in that critical thing you didnt know about, or ditch the cool sounding thing that you find out sucks. When people know their character is a little bit mutable, and that theyre not gonna get stuck playing the same flaw they made just because they didnt know all the way to the end of the character, it makes doing something new a lot easier.

[JaronK]

Top movies to watch to get into the Shadowrun mindset:

Ronin <--- Most Important, I'd say. Basically, this movie is a modern day shadowrun, complete with great characters
The Professional
Bladerunner <--- For the gritty distopian future vibe
Hackers <--- Cheesy, but it does seem to fit decking in Shadowrun
Johnny Mnuemonic <--- Feel free to throw popcorn at this movie or watch while drunk, but it's got cyberware and such
Mission Impossible
Underworld <--- For the fantasy meets technology level... plus I think that vampyre's guns are Ares Viper Silverguns!

That's just off the top of my head.

JaronK

[TinkerGnome]

[JaronK]

It was a joke! 'Cause hers fires silver bullets in that movie!

*sigh*

No one apreciates a good pun anymore.

JaronK

[TinkerGnome]

Which is why the joke doesn't work ;) Actually, did she apply a diamond coating to one of weapons, fill it with a spirit and then have sex with it? Because then it would work...

[JaronK]

No, but I hear that might happen in Underworld 2.

JaronK

[The White Dwarf]

Man, I forgot Bladerunner in my brief movie listing. WTF. Need to go torment myself now with movies like Glitter =(

[TinkerGnome]

Two words. Split Second.