Hoi there.

I was just flipping through some old sourcebooks and realized that I'd like to play a few oneshots in some of the old timeline again. At the same time... I've fallen in love with the SR4th rules. They're just easier on me and most of my players.

I could just create some chars, but then I'd had to exclude deckers totally and fiddle around with riggers big time. Also, some of the gear would be pretty high-tech for, say, the late 2040s.

What I'm asking is, is there already an older thread (I really can't think of any keywords to search for, right now. :-/ ) which discusses this, or if not, can you help me with a) putting a list when which cyberware became available (I only own SR3 and SR4, so I can't compare lists from SR1 and SR2 with those two) and b) if anyone has some old-school decking rules/hacks for the SR4 system.

Input would be greatly appreciated.

I don't know about a different thread.

I'd say heavily use the SR rules and overlay them into the old setting.

If you're running an adventure for the most part you can chug the NPCs though
http://www.shadowrunrpg.com/resources/sr4/.../sr3_to_sr4.pdf

For hackers/deckers I would simply treat deckers as hackers who have to use wired or sat uplink interfaces, but otherwise use the same rules. Your call where you want to set prices, but those million nuyen decks would probably have responses of like 10 or 12. (Note that doesn't mean they're better than modern tech, just that they're better relative to tech of that era). Also in that time tracking and black IC type programs aren't in the hands of the common decker.

As for other things all the bioware is gone, but so are watcher spirits and initiation, so it kinda balances out.

For cyberware you could go by when the sourcebook came out but a lot of tech was probably availible before that, they just didn't think of/print everything that could exist. Also the SR4 base book doesn't have a lot of the more advanced cyberware/nanoware making your job easier.

I think I'd:
-remove vision enchancements (the kind that give pluses to perception)
-make artificial low light etc one worse than natural
-no ocular drone
-no or reduced vision mag (until about 2050)
-no blance aug/spatial recognizer
-no bone lacing (requires nanotech)
-no reaction enhancers (requires supercontuctor, note wired is still fine)
-no cybertorso/cyber skull
-no cyberarm gyromount

Most of the basebook vehicles and drones have been around for a long time, and could have been produced earlier. Just get rid of the micro/mini drones and change some names.

Ditto with firearms, just change the names a few increments and remove the included smartlinks

remove
-fubuki
-ares alpha
-super squirt
-the pain inducer
-!!!!! remove stick and shock

...I considered doing a similar thing with a Wake of the Comet setting I had. However by that point in the time line, there was so much stuff in the way of gear, augmentations, etc. (which just went *poof* with the release of SR4 and may show up in later sourcebooks) that I would have either needed to perform significant revisions to the campaign or convert a lot of gear and rules.

I am now looking to run it using SR3R.

If you have access to some of the older rulebooks, it would be pretty easy to do. Use the new rules with tech that existed in the era you want to play in. If a piece of kit didn't exist, you can't use it. Same goes for magic. In SR1 there would be no inititation, but I would add adepts. I think it was SR2 where initiaiation was first mentioned, so it should be OK after that.

...Adepts first appeared in the original Grimoire, so yes they fit with SR1.

One other thing that you can do (that I'm doing) is having a slightly different SR timeline where I mostly use straight up SR4 in SR2 time.

For the most part the technology is only lightly tied to the fluff so I don't really miss a beat adding in microdrones and the like. It just comes down to having hackers instead of deckers, and saying no to technomancers(which are a pain in the first place).

Again this is made easier because most of the stuff in the SR4 base book is less advanced than the stuff in SR3 or even SR2 sourcebooks.

...yeah, they were kind of treated as an afterthought. One of the odd powers they had back then was "Automatic Successes (.5 MA per rating). That went away real fast with SR2 as did being able to start in with a 3d6 initiative (2 MA points in SR1 for +2d6 as opposed to 4 MA points in SR2).

...ahh, those were the days...

...Hell, the original KK damn near had teleport back then with the old movement rules & her auto successes in Athletics. Most of her Gymnastic moves fell into the "Exemplary Style" category.