So, I'm starting a new campaign. Or rather, have started. My group is playing 4th edition, and they're all pretty new to shadowrun. Two of the group played the Shadowrun SNES game, a couple others have read some Gibson. That's about it for their initiation to the SR world.

So, I said to myself, "Self, you would be REMISS to deny your players the joys of the major storyline events in the shadowrun history." So, after running my own stuff for a while, I'm planning and taking the crew through some of the history, as it were.

I picked up some of the old adventure books, (ebay is your friend, by the way.) and I wanted to know if you guys had any pointers for converting from SR1 and 2 into 4th ed. The systems are radically different (especially the matrix. FLOW CHARTS!) so any tips would be helpful.

The group just wrapped up my first story with the last session, so next week I'm going to take them through the first part of Harlequin, then dive through Dreamchipper.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions for rules, other modules I should run first, suggestions from your own experiences running ANY of the SR modules, etc.

Oh, and if you know a place I can get Renraku: Shutdown (hard copy, not pdf) please let me know.

Thanks in advance, guys.

Hmm, it can be tricky, and it sort adepends on how your wanting to handle things. I mean if your wanting this to actually be in the past just using the SR4 system, then replace comlinks with decks (Ie just make it alot bigger with a keyboard and kinda decker specific), remove AR (As thats purely 2070s) and bring back individualized phones etc, you can basically run them sorta like a comlink but they just wont quite be.

As for the NPCs. Just take into account teh basics of what they are. Troll. Ok maybe thres several and one is tougher than the others, easy! whip up basic trolls in SR4 rules, then make one thats abit toughter than the rest, give em the same gear (or as close to as possible) using the SR4 equipment lists instead.

The settings themselves are pretty standard, though alot of stuff is in the old books that isnt yet in the SR4 system. SOr your best best there (assuming you have all the SR3 books) is to look at those stats, compare em to the closest equivilant in SR4 and adjust as you feel best. Also use the SR3- SR4 conversion rules where possible to help you make a decision.

The rest such as the map layouts etc are pretty standard, the actual raitings for maglocks etc dont actually change, just he way you deal with them sorta does, so jsut refer to the SR4 using the same raiting of lock.

I am running a lot of old adventures, mixed in with new ones, with my current players.

I have made up stock NPCs, from bystander to low end guard to elite guard. I just grab the stats of the ones needed for that gaming session.

I mostly wing the setting differences (like deckers, 2050 info updated to 2070), as they are fairly easy to do.

As for the matrix, one easy way, is to have them spoof, then analyze/browse any SPU they get into. If the data they are looking for is not there, spoof and analyze/browse the next SPU along your flow chart. If they give themselves admin access, then I just have them do an extended browse to find the info they are looking for.

I mostly work on making sure that they are feeling what I think they should be feeling, like meeting an NPC in a graveyard at midnight, on a foggy night, to find out the NPC is a vampire.

Oh, it was great.

The vampire was a mage as well.

Cast acid stream on the group's mage, taking him down (but not dead yet), then turned into mist form for a bit.

No one knew how to kill a vampire, except for the mage that was down, and the player wasn't talking.

The Vampire had friends that moved around in the fog, causing problems. Not to mention another mage in a mausoleum with mage sight goggles.

They finally killed the vampire (they hoped), by emptying a clip from an SMG into its head, then spiking its heart with a tree branch. The first thing the asked their mage when they got him patched up enough for him to be woken, was "DID WE KILL IT?"

They still talk about that fight.

Mmmm, Dreamchipper. Great choice.

Well, teh 3rd-4th conversion still holds, so give 'em 2/3rds of any rated stat or skill, equip soemwhat close to now, and you're golden. Teh legwork's a bit trickier, but, just consider it to be a Threshold of 0-4 (Or more), one 'notch' for each level shown, as a rule of thumb. (Of course, if it has 0-12, nothing, 13+ a result, then you'd want to call that a Thresh of 4, but hey.)

Otherwise, not too hard.

Oh, and give 'em Euphoria.

*everybody* loves Euphoria.

If you plan on running Harlequin,

My advice would be to spread the adventures out between other runs. Say at least 3-4 between each harlequin. Tis what I am doing, with games once a week, this means that it is a little more than a month between the Harly runs. Makes it a little harder for the players to clue in, at least at first.

The APN run (taking of the fake elven ears), I placed in the shadow of the Aztec Pyramid.

I will set up a run where there will be all kinds of excitment (copters, missiles, napalm spells, etc..). Then, I will offer them the Bavarian run, so that they want to get out of town for a bit.

Harlequin doesn't particularly have to be set in the past so there isn't much need for tweaking.

If your players don't know Ehran (And since they are knew, they sure as hell don't), then just forget about the fact that Ehran and Harlequin patched things up by 2070 and that Ehran has left the Tir and the YET behind to focus on the Draco Foundation. It's unlikely it makes that much of a difference even with the other official adventures since I don't remember any other involving him.

Or, hell, just change Ehran for another Immortal Elve. Doesn't really matter.

---

Harelquin was kinda fun. It got the PCs is some really wacky and fun adventures. Do remember though that the challenge implied in most of those missions assumed that a decker would need to get on site most of the time. Which by 2070 means that you have to assume that most of these sites have some form of security against external Hackers to make sure that the their security system and vital data can't be accessed from outside. The old castle for example could be assumed to still be wired instead of wireless. Gives it that quaint feel, you know?

Insomnia Bob, am glad you ask this question cus i, myself is planning and writin up a campaign which starts on the same years as the renraku arcology:shutdown and workin my way up to the present day (2070). what i had in mind, was do it in chapters, like a books. and each chapter will advanced in time. I was going to use the SR4 rules and as Kesslan said, take out the AR and put handset,etc. like in SR3.

I dont want to change the topic of this thread but my only problem is the hacking part, as its my 1st time being a GM. I have'nt yet read it fully but as i readed on these forums, that the hacking part is broken.

btw. good luck on your campagin m8 and if i have any ideas on my canpagin, i be happy to post them here.

Many thanks

Iceman

...if you take them through Harlequin, you just have to follow up with Harlequin's Back later. Even more wackier than the first.

Also for a bit of R&R, give them a vacation in Hawai'i (Shadowrun Style) with Paradise Lost.

Best cat ever, it really upset the sammie being feared by a kitten... then lightning bolted.

It didn't like FA assault rifle though, the rest of the team just watched and laughed.

They originally showed up in an official capacity (rather than just hints and rumors) in the Denver Box Set.

The Denver boxed set was very cool, I still have mone. The only drawback was it randomely had one of six Passcards for each of the zones in Denver at the time. If you were lucky, you'd get two of different sectors (like the UCAS & Ute Nation). But never would you get all six unless you bought six Denver boxes, each with a different card. When they first came out, the sets were shrink-wrapped to prevent pilfering.

A while back, someone said they had all the cards & posted a PDF scan of them. I forget who, but I have the printout myself.

You can find them, and some German promo passes here.

The Denver pases actually came two per box, not one per box.

Thanks, Fortune.

Funny, Adam, I remember getting only one. Wait, let me check.....You're right, I have the Sioux Nation & UCAS passes.