Help - Search - Members - Calendar
Full Version: FanPro D Newsletter Jan. 2007
Dumpshock Forums > Discussion > Shadowrun
MYST1C
Sorry, nothing for non-Germans...
  • SOX is almost finished and should be available by the end of February (that's the German version, no word about the French).
  • Due to the amount of work necessary Emergenz (Emergence) and Arsenal 2071 (Arsenal) have been pushed back to an April/May release.
  • The first print-run of SR4.01d is sold out, the second is scheduled for late February. A lot of bug-fixing has been done over the last 12 months. Errata have been integrated, an index has been added and the translation has been (partially) re-worked (at least that's how I interpret Christian Lonsing talking about "adding spice" and "choosing phrasings").
  • The annual SR Kurzfilm competition's deadline was January 5. Only three entries this time, none of them as good as last year's winner, but all longer than the specified 20 minutes...
Butterblume
QUOTE (M�$T1C)
SOX is almost finished and should be available by the end of February (that's the German version, no word about the French).

No hurries nyahnyah.gif.
QUOTE
The annual SR Kurzfilm competition's deadline was January 5. Only three entries this time, none of them as good as last year's winner, but all longer than the specified 20 minutes...

Hardly suprising. I didn't even know there was one this year until I read the deadline was coming up, a few weeks ago.
Jack Kain
QUOTE (M�$T1C)
[*] Due to the amount of work necessary Emergenz (Emergence) and Arsenal 2071 (Arsenal) have been pushed back to an April/May release.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
uhhhhh
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ok i'm done now.
Synner
QUOTE (Jack Kain)
QUOTE (M�$T1C @ Jan 11 2007, 12:44 PM)
[*] Due to the amount of work necessary Emergenz (Emergence) and Arsenal 2071 (Arsenal) have been pushed back to an April/May release.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
uhhhhh
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ok i'm done now.

Note that those release dates are for the German editions. There's been some slippage with both Emergence and Arsenal but they'll very likely be out before their German counterparts (which are translated from the English versions).
Butterblume
Would be wierd otherwise rotate.gif.

But then, what I heard about the gamemaster screen spin.gif...
sirdoom
SOX cover
Kesslan
What the frag is SOX?

Apparently I've been living under a rock. wobble.gif
Grinder
It's a zone in southwestern germany where a nuclear power plant exploded and messed up the whole place. Reminds me always of Deadlands: Hell On Earth.
MYST1C
QUOTE (Kesslan)
What the frag is SOX?

It is an irratiated and deserted area comprising today's Luxembourg and parts of Germany and France created when the nuclear power plant in the French city of Cattenom exploded in 2008.

The SOX possesses a severely distorted astral space due to the radiation and suffering that makes magic and astral travel almost impossible.
Consequently there's a number of corporate research facilities (the money they don't have to spend on magical security is far more then needed for radiation shielding).

The SOX is completely surrounded by a heavily fortified wall and guarded by MET2000 mercenaries.

It does not belong to either France or Germany but is a separate entity controlled by a corporate council.

Information can be found in
  • Germany Sourcebook
  • Shadows of Europe
  • Target: Wastelands

The SOX mentioned in the newsletter is a sourcebook/campaign hybrid in FanPro D's "Hot Spot" series (one previous release: München Noir).
What's special about it is that it's a collaboration with the French publisher of SR - the book will be published in both German and French, containing the same sourcebook part but a different campaign for each country.
Kesslan
Oh, nifty.

So what about us poor anglos? frown.gif
Rotbart van Dainig
QUOTE (Kesslan)
So what about us poor anglos?

You have a setting that makes a bit more sense. Isn't that enough?
Butterblume
QUOTE (Kesslan)
So what about us poor anglos? frown.gif

You lucky anglos will get Arsenal way earlier cyber.gif.
Grinder
In the long run, one or two weeks don't make a big difference wink.gif

(speaking of the english version, of course)
Prime Mover
Dont think ever said this before, but I really wanna give fanpro some money. hehe
chomping at bit as im sure everyone else is for "core" material. Arsenal,Augmentation and Unwired are sorely needed around our table. Wouldnt compain about Emergence either. Ugh seeing Unwired so far down a release schedule thats already behind has caused my teams Techmancer to jump into the proverbial "vat" and reemerge as an adept. (Hmm team misses haveing a Decke....errr hacker).
TW
Your Technomancer compadre might want to suddenly re-surface once your GM announces he'll run through Emergence with you. On the other hand, he might want to show up again after...
devil.gif
GM on the Threshold
I absolutely can't wait for Arsenal. To finally be able to put a book of weapons in the hands of players that keep sending me shopping lists of things like this:
http://world.guns.ru/sniper/sn67-e.htm

AT least Arsenal will keep them medicated for awhile. sleepy.gif
Claw
QUOTE (Kesslan)
Oh, nifty.

So what about us poor anglos? frown.gif

You might get the sourcebook part, like you got the informations from "Schockwellen".
SL James
Eh. It tends to get incorporated into English-language sourcebooks eventually. The Schockwellen PDFs (French and English) were, AFAIK, written because that specific campaign left huge shockwaves (hence the title) throughout the world which had been touched on in several books, but needed some grounding (mainly for GMs) in exactly why it was happening.
Claw
If so, you have to wait for a long time. Don't see any upcoming book where the contents fit.
SL James
Feral Cities? Corporate Enclaves?

No?

It's not Neo-Tokyo, but the SOX does have a lot of corp presence that is of interest to runners.
Skarn Ka
Are you guys talking about the SOX sourcebook or did I miss something?
SL James
I am.
Skarn Ka
Then the plan is to make the sourcebook part of the book available in English as a PDF download - not sure exactly what the conditions will be, and the whole editing process will probably take some time since English isn't the authors' native language.

But it's gonna be there alright.
Skarn Ka
QUOTE (SL James)
Feral Cities? Corporate Enclaves?

Hmm...

Now that I think about it, that might work as well (Feral Places, probably not Corp Enclaves since the SOX doesn't exactly fit the CE criteria).

But even then there would be a big timeline compatibility issue, since SOX is supposed to take place late 2070 / early 2071.
Claw
I think, Berlin will be the favorite for Feral Cities.
Fortune
QUOTE (Claw)
I think, Berlin will be the favorite for Feral Cities.

Or Chicago. wink.gif
SL James
Chicago has been my guess all along for being in the book, and probably being one of the two main features. I'm going to take a stab here and guess that since a great number of English-language players are Americans, and because Fanpro D bypasses the problem by adding on to their translation a (expanded) section on a German city/city-state/region that we can always expect one of the major cities to be North American. To that end, I imagine Chicago's high in the running for that spot. Boston, too, maybe. Although the description of what happened to it in System Failure is inconsistent when you look at references to it in Street Magic.

Berlin? Not so much. IIRC from one of the descriptions (I think Synner's thread about freelancing) it's about cities that are struggling just to exist. Berlin, especially with half now being one large corporate enclave, hardly qualifies compared to Chicago or Fort Dauphin, Madagascar, or cities on the fringe of the SOX.

Every time I start making lists like this, the urge to pick one and sell Fanpro on it arises. But just for speculation's sake, my guess for other cities would include Sydney, Tehran, Tripoli, Copenhagen, SOX, Auberge, the Wild Zones in Great Britain, Galicia in Spain, Los Angeles/San Diego, Fort Dauphin or Tamatave, Sekondi, Asamando, San Francisco, Kittimat, Panama City, Stockholm, Calcutta, and Kuala Lumpur.

My list for Cities of Intrigue is even longer (although I've narrowed it down to about 8-10), but I actually put some serious thought into it, weeding the list down. Most of the above are off the top of my head, plus what I added by checking a couple of books against ideas (e.g., cities nuked during System Failure).

QUOTE (Skarn Ka)
But even then there would be a big timeline compatibility issue, since SOX is supposed to take place late 2070 / early 2071.

Depends on how much is time specific.
Claw
The SOX got now it's own book in Germany. Not a good idea to put the same info's in another book you want to sell there wink.gif
Zeitgeist
Call me a cynic (mainly because I am), but I'm not suprised by the delay, although I'm kind of miffed that the boys to the east will be getting the new books before us Americans. My group's mantra has become "I can't wait for Arsenal to come out, I can't wait for Arsenal to come out, I can't wait for..." We all like to joke about how there's never enough gear, but damn it, we were right! We've taken to just using the stats for things and giving them other names so that everyone isn't walking around with a Pred and driving a Comet...
Skarn Ka
QUOTE

  I think, Berlin will be the favorite for Feral Cities.


In the English version as well?
Skarn Ka
QUOTE (SL James)

Depends on how much is time specific.

True, and it was designed not to be time-specific to begin with.

But you still have the issue that the SOX is not exactly a city - maybe sprawlbooks could evolve into featuring whole regions rather than cities, I don't know.
Skarn Ka
QUOTE (Zeitgeist @ Jan 21 2007, 05:47 AM)
Call me a cynic (mainly because I am), but I'm not suprised by the delay, although I'm kind of miffed that the boys to the east will be getting the new books before us Americans.


If you're talking about the SOX book here, the reason is simply that the development and writing is handled by a German-French team, with plans to release it in both languages for their respective markets (in other words it will be a new book in the German line, and the first one in the upcoming French line).

The delay doesn't come from FanPro US, it comes from decent English not being the primary development language for the book - the English version isn't actually finished yet.
Grinder
QUOTE (Claw)
I think, Berlin will be the favorite for Feral Cities.

And the Milano-Turin sprawl in Italy.
Synner
To waylay possible confusion, I'll repeat what I've said elsewhere:

The modified tac-nukes used by Winternight were detonated at relatively high altitude (1 to 2 kms) to ensure their EMPulse had significant range to knock out as much as possible while still assuring the pulse was powerful enough to cascade through power systems to knock out Matrix hubs. The EMP suitcase nukes were not intended to cause massive loss of life or property, that's what the fault line nukes were for. Besides their symbolic value (there's a reason Winternight called it Operation Mjolnir), the EMP strikes (like the sat strikes which also had a symbolic component) were primarily intended to ensure Pax and Jormungand didn't get their way (Winternight could not risk Loki gaining the upper hand) and seed communications chaos when the big event came (any collateral damage was welcomed though). Medium altitude airburst nuclear explosions have much less fallout and lasting radiation effects, and with a diminished shockwave ground-effect direct damage from the explosion is also limited (depending on exact location and a number of environmental factors). This is to say some cities hit during System Failure will have suffered more damage than others but none of them have been wiped off the map. The San Francisco Bay area probably isn't looking too good, Calcutta, Kittimat and Singapore were badly hit. Boston less so. 5 years have passed and cleanup of some areas has been prompt and well-financed. Others have been left to wither for lack of resources, strategic interest and political expediency.
MYST1C
QUOTE (SL James)
But just for speculation's sake, my guess for other cities would include [...] Los Angeles

Los Angeles has already been confirmed (alongside Tokyo) as a main entry in Corp Enclaves.
Claw
GeMiTo and Chicago are surely good choices for Feral Cities too. But I'm sure there will be some more cities and within these we'll find rather Berlin than SOX.
SL James
QUOTE (Grinder @ Jan 21 2007, 07:03 AM)
QUOTE (Claw @ Jan 21 2007, 02:59 AM)
I think, Berlin will be the favorite for Feral Cities.

And the Milano-Turin sprawl in Italy.

Damn you for thinking of GeMiTo before me!

QUOTE (MYST1C)
QUOTE (SL James @ Jan 21 2007, 03:31 AM)
But just for speculation's sake, my guess for other cities would include [...] Los Angeles

Los Angeles has already been confirmed (alongside Tokyo) as a main entry in Corp Enclaves.

San Diego, then.

Or they can pretend none of this earthquake shit ever happened. It wouldn't be the first time.

QUOTE (Synner)
To waylay possible confusion, I'll repeat what I've said elsewhere:

The modified tac-nukes used by Winternight were detonated at relatively high altitude (1 to 2 kms) to ensure their EMPulse had significant range to knock out as much as possible while still assuring the pulse was powerful enough to cascade through power systems to knock out Matrix hubs.

Well, to be fair 30 km is generally the upper bounds of a nuclear air burst. 1 km (I'm going with one since that's what the book says) is more like a ground burst as far as I'm concerned.

QUOTE
The San Francisco Bay area probably isn't looking too good


Well, setting it off over the Golden Gate Bridge wasn't exactly the greatest location to try and destroy the bay area's Matrix infrastructure.

QUOTE
, Calcutta, Kittimat and Singapore were badly hit. Boston less so.


Less so? Didn't it detonate in the middle of downtown? I mean, I'm looking at the FAS nuclear effect calculator, and even if it maintained the destructive effect of a 90KT groundburst after focusing "most" if its energy into an EMP blast, Cambridge (and therefore MIT&T and the DIMR) is on the fringe of getting destroyed by the pressure shock wave and within the area of the heat blast. And that's for a ground burst that they set as "being in a car." An airbust at 90KT would destroy Cambridge. A 1 KM air burst is most definitely not a medium-altitude detonation, which as far as I'm concerned negates most of your point, but either way... You're wrong.

And people wonder why the whole thing makes me want to vomit.
Jérémie
QUOTE (MYST1C)
SOX is almost finished and should be available by the end of February (that's the German version, no word about the French).

Note : the French version will, in any case, be published after the German one. Maybe a couple of month, probably more. They are far more advanced than us, for various reasons.
Synner
QUOTE (SL James @ Jan 21 2007, 11:42 PM)
Less so? Didn't it detonate in the middle of downtown? I mean, I'm looking at the FAS nuclear effect calculator, and even if it maintained the destructive effect of a 90KT groundburst after focusing "most" if its energy into an EMP blast, Cambridge (and therefore MIT&T and the DIMR) is on the fringe of getting destroyed by the pressure shock wave and within the area of the heat blast. And that's for a ground burst that they set as "being in a car." An airbust at 90KT would destroy Cambridge. A 1 KM air burst is most definitely not a medium-altitude detonation, which as far as I'm concerned negates most of your point, but either way... You're wrong.

And people wonder why the whole thing makes me want to vomit.

Then you might want to type in a 2 to 5 KT airburst explosion (you might also want to use the specs for the US military's Mk-54 SADM if you have access to them). You may also want to figure that normal military usage with regards to airburst nuclear devices places medium altitude at 1,2 miles or higher - which makes 1 km relatively high altitude proportionately to the explosive power of low-yield suitcase nukes (which-with a couple of honorable exceptions- aren't typically designed for ballistic deployment). Or maybe you misunderstood the size of a standard suitcase nuke (as defined by the US military)?

Blast radius is typically less than 250m. Airburst shockwaves and heat waves will have serious effects out to 2 or 3 kms, but without the ground-effect the shockwaves at least will be minimized. Not only that, but the radioactive material and long-term fallout are greatly reduced.

And, please note, that I'm not even citing the built-in hand-waving of Winternight's arcane modifications to the weapons - which were intended to further convert the explosive effects to EM output.

QUOTE
QUOTE
The San Francisco Bay area probably isn't looking too good

Well, setting it off over the Golden Gate Bridge wasn't exactly the greatest location to try and destroy the bay area's Matrix infrastructure.

It only went off over the Bay because MCT was trying to drag the blimp away. It was intended to go off over Saito's command post on Alcatraz (as noted in one of the adventures).
Cadmus
Oh goodie...books with more guns are coming *drools* my adept gun slinger needs more toys. *straps on his toys and hops away*


FlakJacket
Must be because I've been out of the loop for a fair while now, but Cities of Intrigue? What's this one meant to be about?
Zeitgeist
QUOTE (Skarn Ka)
If you're talking about the SOX book here, the reason is simply that the development and writing is handled by a German-French team, with plans to release it in both languages for their respective markets (in other words it will be a new book in the German line, and the first one in the upcoming French line).

No no, I didn't mean it like that. It's just a principal sort of thing. I guess I'm still pissed about Unwired having an ETA of 2070...
Skarn Ka
QUOTE (Zeitgeist)

No no, I didn't mean it like that. It's just a principal sort of thing. I guess I'm still pissed about Unwired having an ETA of 2070...


Well, then correct me if I'm wrong, but do the Germans publish their translations of the American line books *before* the original sourcebooks hit the shelves in the US? I doubt it, although I might be wrong.
Demonseed Elite
QUOTE (FlakJacket)
Must be because I've been out of the loop for a fair while now, but Cities of Intrigue? What's this one meant to be about?

It will be a sprawl book like Runner Havens. It isn't in development yet, so I can't say what it will definitely be about, but the title is pretty clear. It will focus on cities with a theme of cloak-and-dagger style intrigue, particularly cities where national and international governments and government agencies still have a good deal of power and influence.
Zeitgeist
QUOTE (Skarn Ka @ Mar 6 2007, 02:59 AM)
QUOTE (Zeitgeist @ Mar 6 2007, 02:05 AM)

No no, I didn't mean it like that. It's just a principal sort of thing. I guess I'm still pissed about Unwired having an ETA of 2070...


Well, then correct me if I'm wrong, but do the Germans publish their translations of the American line books *before* the original sourcebooks hit the shelves in the US? I doubt it, although I might be wrong.

You mean it doesn't work that way? This changes my whole world view now! I mean, in Space Balls they had Mr. Rental that had the movies out before they were made, and Mel Brooks is never wrong! [/overly dramatic sarcasm]


Now on to what I meant:

I am displeased that the next book out will not be one available to me, or at least, will require me to learn German. And it is not that I really want SOX, because I don't quite give two craps about it right now. Its simply a childish desire for source material, an immature, nerdy hunger that borders on primal. It's just jealousy. "The grass is always greener on the other continent" or something like that. The book that should have been out first (Unwired) isn't even on the scopes, and my cynical, bitter nature is telling me that it'll come out just as the hype for SR5 is starting, and my displeasure over it is spilling into just about every release announcement. I very well might buy Emergence just so I can eat it... nyahnyah.gif
Jérémie
QUOTE (Zeitgeist @ Mar 7 2007, 12:30 AM)
I am displeased that the next book out will not be one available to me, or at least, will require me to learn German. And it is not that I really want SOX, because I don't quite give two craps about it right now. Its simply a childish desire for source material, an immature, nerdy hunger that borders on primal. It's just jealousy.
<snip>

It's a global world. And about 3 or 4 billion people don't read English, and some of them may actually want or enjoy reading and playing Shadowrun. They get by. I did when I was a teenager.

Plus, Fanpro has plan to disclose the sourcebook part in English, I've read. This seems quite obscure and/or complex right now, but in time, should be solved.

So, be patient smile.gif

Or, you could also learn French nyahnyah.gif
FlakJacket
Never! biggrin.gif
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.
Dumpshock Forums © 2001-2012