I'm starting up a SR4 game at my school's afterschool program for some friends of mine; all seasoned D&D veterans and some decent roleplayers when they get down to it. None of us have ever run or played Shadowrun before (including me), but we're going to take a crack at it.

What I'm looking for as a setting is a city somewhere in the Sixth World dominated by corps - not just occupied like Seattle or most cities, but run and dominated, almost like an arcology minus the totally self sufficient thing. Large and thriving gladitorial underworld a definite plus.

Failing any possible cities, I get to make my own. I'll take canon or leave it in the interest of a good game. But as always, suggestions are appreciated.

Long live Dumpshock!

Manhattan

yep. check out NAGNA, if you can find it. NYC is a corporate town, wholly owned and operated.

Agreed. Outside of Japan which is practically unplayable - although they have been making headway on that - and Detroit which is basically Aresville, Manhatten is the way to go. And if you're playing a SR4 game then they even have the main East Coast Stock Exchange back from Boston after the Crash.

Manhatten and the rest of what is now New York, Manhatten sued the other four boroughs and forced them out making it the official New York, is covered in the old Neo-Anarchists Guide to North America. You'll have to try hunting around for it or throw yourselves on the mercy of the local forumites though because I don't think they've converted it to .pdf yet.

Edit: *Shakes his fist at mfb* Beat me to it. Damn you!

Manhattan is a hell of a town, although other possibilities include: Zurich (Imagine running anything there for a time. Tres Dangerous.), Detroit (As mentioned my good friend Flak.), Atlanta (Freak Nic any one?), Austin (Talk about a police problem.), D.C.-although that's not run by a corp, it has more problems than you could swing a dead cat at, Tokoyo ('Nuff said.) and how about using an Arcology?

Hope any of that helps.

I seem to remember from California Free state that San Fancisco is 100% Japanacorp turf, in fact they had the cojons to rename it San Franciscu (or something like that)

Japanacorp yes,Mega? Not all of them. Sacramento too.

Another good place is Hong Kong, the corps are in complete control here. Basic government structure is about 25 or so of the locally based corps sit on the Board of Governors and eight of them sit on the Executive Council which pretty much takes the lead on important issues and runs the show most of the time IIRC. Whilst the underworld is mostly dominated by the Triads you've got a number of competing factions vying for supremacy plus the other organised crime groups trying to get a toehold as well. Throw in places like the Canton Confederation and the rest of China right on its doorstep, the long running competition between the great dragons Lung and Ryumyo for power and influence in the region and the normal corporate shenanegins and you may have a winner.

Plus since nearly all of the information we have on the place currently comes from the Shadows of Asia sourcebook and that it's going to be covered in the forthcoming Runner Havens SR4 book means that getting canon information on the place is probably going to be easier than places like Manhatten and New York.

Forthcoming as in "next month" or as in "Origins?" At least I could buy NAGNA on eBay if I wanted to right this second.

Are you asking for a release date?

Hong Kong sounds like a prime choice, and I just so happen to have a dusty copy of Shadows of Asia lying around here somewhere.

Thanks for the help guys!

More like "will it ever be released." Kind of like Holostreets, which I regard as a complete myth.

That's what I expected

Runner Havens has been done with the writing phase for a bit now. I don't really have any involvement in the book after that phase, so I can't really say where it sits right now in development. But I think I heard that it was a Q3 release? I dunno, Adam would probably need to verify that.

As for city choices, I guess it depends on how much corporate control you want. Hong Kong has a corporate-controlled government, but it's not the only factor in the power structure of the city, which is why it'll be in Runner Havens. Manhattan is far more solidly corporate controlled. They not only control the government, they essentially own the island itself.

I should have been more specific. It's not Manhattan. It's Manhattan, Inc.

Welcome home, NYSE(, Inc.).