So it's nearly 2 years since we last had an update of the PDF version af the SR4 rulebook.

Last reprint didn't give us any update because of the Fanpro/Catlyst thing.

Will we have an updated PDF this time?

Lars

As far as I can tell, since it looks like there will be a new hardcopy printing (first one by catalyst) coming up, then we should have a PDF update as well. More information can be found in Adam's blog post on the CGL home page.

Adam's blog on the SR4 homepage was what made me ask.

Last time the rulebook was reprinted, we couldn't get an update because it was difficult to give something away for free (The CGL SR4 PDF) to customer who bought something else (the FanPro SR4 PDF).

So I was hoping Adam would clarify that this problem had been solved, and that we would recieve updated PDFs at the same time as the release of the hardcopy.

Lars

We still have to work out exactly how this situation will be solved, but it will be solved [or a bunch of duct tape will be used], and we'll have an announcement sometime closer to the actual release date for the Fifth Printing [which, my advance copy of arrived a few days ago, and it looks _tremendous_ compared to previous printings -- woohoo!]

Any further update(s) on this issue Adam?

Anything further on PDF book updates?

PDF book updates? Still nothing eh?

I'm guessing it's a matter of priorities. I, for one, would rather have, say, Unwired available sooner than a book I already have that contains errata I also already have.

With that reasoning, there will never be an updated PDF. If that's the case, let's just say it and move on.

There will be an updated PDF. As I mentioned in another thread recently, I just brought on a couple more freelance layout people to help take some of the load off me, and that should buy me time to work on the "little things" that keep falling through the cracks.

I'm currently at home, which is near Possum Lodge.

I will take a detour if needed to get some Duct Tape if needed! Performing a Redneck Ninja Covert-Op against Red-Green would be interesting!

Love to see his security system!

Most excellent news, O Lord! =)

Oh god. Red could thwart just about any Shadowrunning team, because they'd never be able to figure out how his security system works. The man is a lot closer to a Deadlands Mad Scientist then a comparably sane Shadowrun character.

He'd just use Commanding Voice and Enthralling Performance. The team would just sit there laughing at all his sort-of-funny shenanigans until they starved to death!

and of course, if that fails, well...

quando omni flunkus moritati, right?

imagine Moose as a troll though...

You are amazing CanRay.

(I never expected to see a Red-Green reference on Dumpshock.)

Hense the use of Redneck Ninjas!

BTW, I'm also a Deadlands GM. Haven't run in a bit, however...

I have the original SR4 PDF. Has it ever been updated? Has the print edition ever been updated? When? What is the latest update?

Do either of these products (the print edition or ebook) have an upcoming update?

The current printing of Shadowrun, Fourth Edition is the Sixth Printing; both the Fifth and Sixth Printing are from Catalyst Game Labs, and they're identical in content to each other, and updated with corrections compared to the FanPro printings.

However, the PDF is not updated to the Fifth/Sixth printing, and due to ongoing legal stuff with WizKids/Topps, we have no ETA on when it will be. Same with the Street Magic PDF, and any other PDFs originally released when FanPro had the Shadowrun license.

I apologize for any inconvenience; our hands are tied in this matter.

Can you sidestep it? Can owners of the FanPro PDF purchase the Catalyst one at a discount?

last time this came up, i'm pretty sure the indication was that it's something of a legal grey area, at best, to publish an update to a book that was published by another company. because catalyst purchased the rights to publish the shadowrun RPG, they can produce as many new books as they want, it's just when it comes to updating the old fanpro stuff that it turns into a legal quagmire.

Wow; that was a fast response.

Thank you Adam for the complete answer. That is precisely the information I couldn't find on the web.

It is not an inconvenience to me at all. I hope it didn't sound like I was complaining. Godspeed in your efforts.

Just to be clear here, there is no Catalyst SR4 PDF available for purchase? It's only the old FanPro 1.3 version?

Not even a correction to the weapons tables on p.308-309?

Also, when are these changes going to make it into errata? I have been waiting a while. On the same subject, approximately when can we be expecting errata for Augmentation or Unwired?

Correct.

No.


I actually thought the SR4 corrections were available as errata; looks like they're not. I'll try and update that over the weekend.

Unwired errata will be available soon, as there is a reprint in the works.

Augmentation errata will likely wait until there is a reprint. That's when we compile errata, after all.

For those who have the PDF, check out the freely available PDF-XChange Viewer program. With it you can do more than just view PDFs, you can add notes and comment boxes and whatnot to them, too. And, it doesn't watermark the document in anyway. I've used this program a lot to add notes re: the changes from one version of a book to another when I either don't want to re-purchase the updated PDF or, in cases like this one, where the update isn't available. It's quite handy, too, for school. My wife has been using it as she goes through Vet school to take notes in PDF files distributed by her professors.

That is very handy Dashifen, thanks a lot!

Soon? This year?

I do not understand why there is not a current SR4 PDF available. Catalyst put together a PDF to print the 5th and 6th printings, and published them. So there are no legal reasons why you could not make an SR4 6th printing PDF available, just like there are no reasons why you couldn't make the print versions available. Its your license, its your work, not FanPro/Wizkids.

There is such a thing as a sixth printing?

WizKids owns Shadowrun and everything we do for the game; we use it under license.

We could publish a PDF of the current printing, but we can't give a free copy to everyone who bought the earlier printings, as the sales records for the PDF sales of FanPro printings belong to Topps/WizKids, and there's a bunch of small negotiations with WizKids and DriveThruRPG [primarily] that need to happen for a handover of that data [and to get the older PDF off the sites that are selling it], and there are simply far bigger things for Topps/WizKids to worry about. It's a lousy situation -- I hate it -- but as I said earlier, our hands are tied.

[Note that right now, *WizKids* is selling the PDFs of all the FASA/FanPro backstock -- anything that FanPro put online, money is going right to WizKids now, not to us.]

Ryu: Yes; it's identical to the 5th printing. We needed to make sure that we didn't run out of stock right before the holiday season!

I would be happy to re-purchase the PDFs of an updated Shadowrun core book together with Street Magic. It would be great if something could be arranged. The way I see it the Topps/WizKids wranglings are going to take a few months to resolve and I don't mind paying for the updated PDFs now rather than waiting those months.

Maybe such a thing can be arranged through BattleCorps only with a clear understanding that anyone that purchases the Catalyst PDF is doing so with the consequence of their initial FanPro PDFs eventually being updated anyway.

OK Adam, I get that. I too am interested in a PDF of the latest printing. Heck, as soon as I can I will be buying another print copy!

It just sounded to me like you were saying you couldn't provide your work as PDF's, I know you can't release someone elses work, thats clear copyright infringement. My point is you should make PDF's of your work/license available. That should be allowed, unless specifically restricted by your license agreement. Is that what your getting out with all the negotiations you mention? Your license prevents you from competing?

My previous post outlines, factually, the situation as it stands, and answers your questions.

Question, is there an easy way to figure out which printing any given edition is? I have a first edition printing I know, and I'm thinking of picking up another one, but I would like to pick up one of the later ones with all the errata if I could. This would be at my local gaming store rather than online.

In the bottom right hand corner of page 13, just after the index should be the version number ... ie. mine reads Version 1.3 by FanPro LLC.

It's easy to figure out if it's the fifth or sixth printing -- they have the Catalyst logo and branding. Printing notations are always on the legal/credits page, which in the case of SR4, is p. 13.

As mentioned before, the fifth and sixth printings are identical in content, but both contain corrections compared to the previous four printings.

So Catalyst tells us in a monthly chat that they are working on getting a PDF back to those who purchased it, and it was STRONGLY implied it won't be too horribly longer.... and now you say you can't do it! One reason I bought the pdf was the updates.... so what's the deal, REALLY?

As I said, there are some small details to be worked out, and things were looking good --but then Topps shut down WizKids, and we're now in the process of trying to buy their assets, so the legal side of things has much more important things to deal with -- and while we used to deal with people at WizKids for this sort of stuff, we now have to deal [for the time being] with people at Topps on legal matters.

Cross post removed... (was basically what Adam said)

<sigh>..... thanks for the info.... I imagine you are more frustrated by that then any of us are (myself included)....

Happy Holidays and all!

Now that Topps is going to keep the Shadowrun property what does it mean for the SR4 PDF update?

I just re-downloaded my SR4 PDF from drivethrurpg. Is there any news on when the 5th or 6th printings will be available?