Shadowland availability, how many runners actually have it? Options

[Thistledown]

I was thinking about this, and wondering, how many shadowrunners actually have access to shadowland? I know it's supposed to be pretty hard to find, and I would imagine it to be much more so for non-deckers.

Also, what would it mean for players? If a player has access to shadowland, they can access almost every single book writen for shadowrun anytime they go online. I'd say that's one heck of an edge, if nothing else. Any ideas?

[Kagetenshi]

It's a Level 2 Contact.

~J

[Bearclaw]

Luckily many of the entries in the location books are questionable or just plain wrong. So, if you've done your work before hand, you can actually plan on them using a piece of info that is (in your version at least) incorrect.

[TinkerGnome]

Not to mention that many of the shadowtalkers are a little insane and doing data searches through Shadowland has a pretty good chance of getting back to the wrong folks (some searches, at least).

[CardboardArmor]

Shadowlands is also fairly open-access. It's a BBS. Granted, a well-hidden BBS, but if you can find it you can pretty much post and read whatever you want. For the record, I think it's Hacker House that needs passcodes and the likes for entrance. Most of Shadowlands is open-access, far as I know. And if you aren't supposed to be someplace in Shadowlands, you'll get SOTA IC, glaciers blacker than Lucifer's heart, and some of the best shadow-deckers in the business bearing down on your buttocks.

Still, the public areas on Shadowlands can be one heck of a security hazard (hence the omission of names/dates/details on most of the shadowtalk) but it is a ton of information. Sifting through it usually requires an SK or a frame in order to do it in a reasonable amount of time.

Least, that's what I gather. All the other things the other folks say are true, far as I can tell.

[TinkerGnome]

Shadowland requires passcodes, just not as many as, say, Nexus.

You're probably better off trying something bad on Shadowland than Nexus, too.

[Arethusa]

Also remember that you have to pay a hefty sum to get in.

Also, what is Nexus and do I want to know?

[TinkerGnome]

I'm not staring at Target: Matrix right now, but, if I remember correctly, it's kind of the Shadowlands archive. There are several Shadowlands nodes around the world, but most of them connect to Nexus for archiving, etc.

It's protected by a very large tribe of Otaku (and some wiz deckers) and is located in Denver.

[Tal]

Nexus is, IIRC, the Denver version of Shadowland. Helluva lot bigger.

[Cain]

The Nexus is the Denver data haven. Shadowland is a BBS system that's linked to it, but totally distributed.

[mfb]

right. it'd be more accurate to say that Shadowland is the Seattle version of the Nexus, since the Nexus came first, is a hojillion times bigger, and acts as a central archive and distribution center for information posted on the local Shadowland boards. there's a Shadowland system for most major cities, each of which archive their material to the Nexus, and each of which mirrors important stuff that the Nexus receives (like the various sourcebook "downloads"). Seattle was the first BBS to call itself Shadowland; eventually, other metroplex-local shadow BBSs began calling themselves Shadowland as well, sorta like a franchise.

[shadd4d]

Second that. The German Shadowland is supposed to be based in Frankfurt and archives in the Helix system. There is, however, supposed to be limited connectivity between all Shadowland systems. It says in Matrix that they are all part of a PLTG run by the Denver Nexus.

Don

[Connor]

So have any of you guys had to handle your players having Shadowland as a contact? How do you handle it, assuming they have a reasonable amount of time to search for info and a reasonably powerful SK? Do you just assume it's a Level 2 Street contact and keep it simple, or have you gotten more detailed with it?

I haven't had to deal with any players bothering to take it as a contact yet, but I'd like to encourage a few of them to do so, since I think their character's would probably take part in Shadowland. I just haven't figured out a comfortable balance on how to handle it. I'm leaning towards the simple approach, but that seems to take some of the flavor out of it. I almost feel to keep the flavor of Shadowland as a contact it would take a huge amount of work.

[Xirces]

SRComp p65. There's a section entitled "Shadowland". My spidey sense is tingling, so there might be something in that about it. Just a hunch.

[TinkerGnome]

Matrix is really the place to turn, after you've read what SRComp has to say. An appropriate database gives you a -2 to data searches you perform in it. And Shadowlands is appropriate for a LOT of searches ;)

[Caine Hazen]

I've had a few characters with the Shadowland contact...I handle it as a regular decking run/contact. If the user is matrix proficent I let them use their computer skills, with Ettiqute (Matrix) as Complentary, if not they use the slow way and onlt get and Ettq roll...deckers take shorter times to retrieve info and snail users wait for responses...long time wait on their part

[kuroko]

So Captian Chaos runs the first Shadowland, Seattle's. And most of stuff we see in books is what gets posted to that? And Jane-in-the-box is one of the prime admins for Nexus? for which there is no way to access without paying some serious cash or racking up the right markers?

Oh, and wasn't there a Target: Matrix book or something like that put out?

[Kagetenshi]

There was.

~J

[Thistledown]

[Nath]

[simonw2000]

I never make a decker without the Shadowland contact. Ever.

[Veracusse]

Most of my players take Shadowlands as a level-2 contact. They have learned what an invaluable source it can be. Also I encourage all of my deckers or otaku to take shadowlands as a contact. when I have new players to Shadowrun and thy try their hand at playing an otaku or decker I usually give them Shadowlands as a free contact. From the source books (Target: Matrix in particular) it appears that shadowlands is used by more than just deckers, but anyone interested in shadowrunning and shadowrun related activities.\

Veracusse

[Backgammon]

[shadd4d]

As a corollary, do any of you try and push Maginet as well? It's kind of underdeveloped, as there's a mention in Grimoire II, part of it in SOTA 2063, and the reference in Burning Bright. It's supposed to be Shadowland for magicians, but it always seems that the magicians are cool hanging out in Shadowland.

Don

[Siege]

I always took Magicnet or Magenet to be a part of Shadowland -- I would imagine any specialized MOS would have a section for shop talk.

-Siege