I know these logs look awful and are a little incomplete (where I peered a missed a few seconds), some full logs are on their way through official channels, so if you don't like them then you only have to wait a day or two!
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[18:12] localhost MODERATE answer AdamJury Vairdic 122 By the way -- you can start typing your questions now, no need to wait. Please make Vairdic have to work on the queue.;-)
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[18:14] localhost MODERATE answer IronSphinx sprite 71 Are we going to see an update to Bug City in any of the upcoming books? Yes, Chicago is one of the two major cities covered in the Feral Cities book, which is currently in the first draft stage.
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[18:14] touser This room is moderated, and you do not have permission to Speak
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[18:15] localhost MODERATE answer Elve AdamJury 56 When will we see a) new errata b) Holostreet c) new FAQ? a) New errata for SR4 and Street Magic should be up in February. b) There's no news about Holostreets. There's internal progress, but nothing awesome to say yet. When we have something awesome to say, we'll say it. c) That's a Sprite or Peter question, at this point.
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[18:16] localhost MODERATE answer Raven_Bloodeyes AdamJury 102 [AdamJury] What's the status on FanPro pdf purchases and getting an updated pdf from CGL, if possible? We're still working that out, but we will not be leaving previous PDF purchasers in the lurch -- you guys will be getting your updated PDFs.
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[18:18] localhost MODERATE answer Method Vairdic 57 Any and all: Best estimate on a release date for Unwired? Unwired will be a 2Q release. We'll update everyone further when it gets to the printers.
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[18:20] localhost MODERATE answer Raven_Bloodeyes sprite 73 [sprite] What are the next steps after Unwired finishes the "core rules"? Well, we will have other books that will count as "core" or at least "advanced rules." Runner's Companion is intended for later this year, and Running Wild (sourcebook on all things critter) is on the schedule for 2009. Beyond that, we'll be pushing forward with plot and location books, and also getting into books that deal with specific facets of the game, like crime (Crime Time -- not the final name), corps (Corp Handbook), etc.
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[18:22] localhost MODERATE answer MYST1C sprite 110 Will the German artists whose work was used uncredited in SR4 BBB a
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[18:26] localhost MODERATE answer Penguin Vairdic 108 Any: I know deadlines change, but what books are currently scheduled to be released in time for GenCon Indy? Arsenal, Unwired, Ghost Cartels of course, there are other things in the plans, but we prefer to wait till we're closer to completion to announce them.
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[18:28] localhost MODERATE answer Raven_Bloodeyes sprite 79 [sprite]: Is a 5th edition even on the radar? In the 5 to 10 year plan? Beyond? Haha, no. We're pretty content to move ahead with the SR4 rules set -- with the core rules almost all out of the way, we can focus on plot now for a few years at least )
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[18:31] localhost MODERATE answer Raven_Bloodeyes AdamJury 85 [AdamJury] Is the proported Running Wild cover discussed on dumpshock the real mccoy? Yes -- man, that cover was finished in late *2004* -- I remember laying out a mock cover for it for FanPro back then. -)
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[18:32] localhost MODERATE answer krakjen sprite 65 Will the corp handbook has advanced info on using the Lone Star ? We haven't quite started working on this book yet, so things may change, but right now the plan is for it to be sort of a mix between Corp Download and the Corp Shadowfiles, with some other material. It will cover the Big Ten corps of course, but in slightly less detail, and will cover a bunch of smaller but notable AA corps as well. It will also have source material on corporate culture/living, laws, education, etc etc. We want to give some more "character" to corps with it. Lone Star will proba
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[18:34] localhost MODERATE answer Caine_Hazen Vairdic 146 [all] How often can we expect that there will be sessions like this (or writers, artists, etc) . Are there plans to make this semi-regular chats? We'll be doing monthly chats, Shadowrun's will be on the 3rd Saturday of the month (CBT is the 2nd).
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ople world wide. It unfortunately isn't very freindly to those down under however.
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[18:48] localhost MODERATE answer Caine_Hazen Metsuke 97 [Randall} What types of new challenges have you had to face switching gears from BT to Shadowrun? It hasn't been too bad, actually. However, the biggest challenge, without a doubt, is the minutia. For example, if I need to know where X image is for a reference in CBT, my brain can almost always instantly pull up what book, if not the exact page reference; then it's a quick scan and it's fired off to the artist. Don't have that with SR at all, so often I have to go back to the developers to hunt material down. The other minutia is one of often not knowing e
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[18:48] localhost MODERATE answer Method Peter_Taylor_ 229 Rob or Pete: Ghost Cartels seems like a strange choice to push to the front of the roster; seems like there are other facets of the world that would be more pressing. Can you give us a breif rundown on what the book will cover? Well, Ghost Cartels as a plot has a lot more going for it than might be obvious. For one it features a plot that highlights a number of locations and setting elements we've been looking forward to exploring in SR4. It's also very much a street-level plot that focuses on the underworld turmoil set off by the appearance of a new
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[18:49] localhost MODERATE answer It_trolls_ sprite 197 To whomever may be able to answer this best: With now over 3 years experience with the new matrix, its rules and its fluff, what are the most important points you are wanting to address in Unwired? Well, there was a lot. We wanted to fix subscriptions and slaving, give TMs a bit of a boost, break nodes down into different types (peripheral, regular, and nexi), offer other encryption offers, clarify agents, deal with the Agent Smith issue ... there's probably more that I'm forgetting. Plus we wanted to offer an assortment of advanced options: programming rul
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[18:51] localhost MODERATE answer Stevebugge sprite 207 Rob: A number of times on Dumpshock a desire has been expressed for a general Atlas of the World ~2070 with very general setting info in the vain of the CIA world Fact Book, any chance this will ever happen? That's a possibility for 2009 actually, though we haven't finalized that schedule yet, so I can't say for sure. I'd like to see it though.
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[18:52] localhost MODERATE answer hawkclz AdamJury 165 I'd like to ask if there is a possibility that you will offer the maps of adventures for download so it is possible to print them and use them for tactical movement? Well, that's one of the advantages of buying the PDF...;-) Giving out the maps for free isn't something that we've talked about before.
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[18:52] localhost MODERATE answer Elve Vairdic 25 Any plans for new novels? We are exploring some interesting avenues regarding novels.
<this is where I transitioned directly to the Java Client - there's no loss of info here>
Caine_Hazen: [Sprite and Synner] Do Riggers get any love in Unwired?
sprite> I wouldn't say they're a major part of the book, but they do get covered. The Security chapter has details on security rigger and there are a few other rigger tricks in the book. Vehicles and drones (and sensor software) were covered in Arsenal, of course.
Stevebugge: Anyone: Will there be updates / comparable books to the Spraw; Survival Guide and Mr. Johnson's Little Black Book in the future?
Peter_Taylor_> I think you'll find that at least some of the material your looking for will be in Runners Companion. We've penciled a Mr Johnson's Companion into the schedule but that's further down the line
GhostOfToreadorPresent: [sprite] Speaking of hacking, are there going to be any more substantial guidelines on what can be done with hacked cyberware? For example, say a hacker breaks into someone with a skillwire system. What can that hacker do to the victim?
sprite> There's a section on hacking cyberware in the book, but it's more of a review of the rules for doing so and general guidelines for handling it for the GM --- we don't go piece by piece on what you could do with different implants, as that would just take too much space. It does specificaly talk about hacking smartlinks and providing false diagnostics.
MYST1C: [anyone] Are there news concering a new German SR license? Rumours abound about struggle with FanPro D about novel rights...
Vairdic> Unfortunately, there is some confusion over the legal status of current translation rights. Publications which continue to appear in Germany would seem to violate the license we have negotiated with WizKids Games. That said, we currently have our contract under review in with WizKids, and once that is approved we'll be moving forward with the foriegn sub-licenses.
Elve: Will there be new "tweaking the Rules" sections in upcoming books (Unwired)? I missed it in Arsenal...
sprite> Yes, Unwired has a Tweaking section. I'm not sure we'll need it for Runners Companion, as a big chunk of that book will be optional rules. Not sure about Running Wild yet.
Dunner: This was posted to dumpshock: Do you expect that there will be any new german SR books this year? If yes, will there be a german license or will CGL take matters into their own hands?
Vairdic> We are in negotiations with a German publisher to create German Language books. See above for more.
Maelwys: [Anyone]: While there was a holostreets question in the beginning (no awesome news to announce), there hasn't been a SOLA question. Is it still in limbo (especially since its was developed by FanPro), or is it still tied to Holostreets, or are there plans to push it out since theoretically it could tie into Ghost Cartels?
AdamJury> Big answer, taken from a post I made to DSF about this subject earlier this month:
AdamJury> Three cheers for fumble-fingers again!
Raven_Bloodeyes: [Any] Will there be any more rules focus on riggers? the proverbial Rigger 4?
sprite> No, we don't have plans for a rigger book at this time. We feel we've covered them pretty thoroughly in Arsenal, Unwired, and even Augmentation (biodrones) for now.
AdamJury> There's something I want to make really clear about Shadows of Latin America: It is not a complete book. It is not "finished" by any stretch of the imagination. There are many steps taken after a book's drafts are turned in by the authors: development [the developer reads/edits all the chapters, make sure that facts match up between them, that they're presented consistently, that they aren't missing information, etc], editing [the nitty gritty of checking for spelling mistakes, grammar, other stylistic and legibility issues], artwork [which includes not just the artist's time to build the artwork, but the art director's time to figure out roughly where illustrations should be placed, what should be illustrated, and back-and-forth with the artist over rough drafts], layout/production [making sure it LOOKS like a Shadowrun book] and proofing [catching last minute mistakes, especially ones that were introduced in layout.]
AdamJury> Years ago, when IMR agreed to take on SOLA, it was believed that FanPro would be delivering them a product that was at *least* past the editing stage. However, the person developing SOLA dropped out of the project [for a better job opportunity -- no complaints about him!] and FanPro simply never had time to finish the project, as it was during the SR4 time crunch and the freelance developer was hired to keep the project on track while Rob concentrated on SR4.
AdamJury> Now Catalyst is "stuck" with the task of finishing it, several years after it was relevant to the timeline, with several years more expectations built up, with more expenses than intended, with the authors annoyed that their work hasn't been published and they haven't been paid -- and as you may have noticed, HoloStreets isn't exactly moving fast, either [and that's a whole other kettle of fish.]
AdamJury> The above paragraph is not me complaining about SOLA: I'm just pointing out that the SOLA situation, bluntly, sucks for EVERYONE: Catalyst, the writers, and the fans.
AdamJury> Some companies release game books shorter than that answer!;-)
krakjen: Speaking of translation, do you know if Black Book Editions (french version) will sell PDF versions some day?
Vairdic> Unknown at this time.
Penguin: [sprite]: Speaking of optional rules, are rules for training, owning, and raising critters going to be in Running Wild?
sprite> Yep! Plus more critterware, critter-oriented gear, and critter magic.
Ranneko: @Adam: What is happening with the www.srrpg.com and www.shadowrunrpg.com ?
AdamJury> We made a deal with FanPro GmbH to buy those domains last year, and they renegged on that deal. We are continuing to try and re-establish that deal, especially now that they can no longer publish any Shadowrun material.
Stevebugge: Rob or Pete: Any chance we'll ever see a rework of Shadowbeat, a Sports, Pop Culture, Media Book?
Peter_Taylor_> There's nothing currently in the schedule but its the sort of thing I'd personally like to see some time down the road
Vairdic> Ok folks, looks like questions have slowed down. Let's to a last call for any questions and we'll wrap this up.
GhostOfToreadorPresent: Any hints/teasers of what we might see in Runners Companion?
Your question has been submitted.
Absinthe: Is there a problem with local bookstores carrying SR products? It seems that the only product that can be obtained through a bookstore is SR4. So far none of the bookstores in my area have been able to order anything else.
Vairdic> I'd have to know what area, and who the stores distributors are. Currently there should be no problem getting any Shadowrun, Fourth Edition product from Catalyst through any maor distributor in the US.
It_trolls_: Apart from struggles with German translation and distribution, have you ever looked at more intense AGS coverage in future CGL releases to keep us German fans up to date ? This is not about new books for us Krauts, more about including a few pages about local developments, similar to what FanPro did in some German releases.
Vairdic> That would be up to the local publisher. If we included little updates for every country we sell the products to we'd triple the page count;)
sprite> I think it's fairly likely the German publisher will continue to do that
Abschalten: I understand that the bulk of the hard-core rules development is being done with the supplements, like Arsenal, Street Magic, Unwired, and Augmentation. After those are put out, is there any possibility for the addition of other things, like 'ware and weapons and adept powers, or is that particular door being shut?
Peter_Taylor_> While we're focusing on cramming the core rule books with as many goodies and options as humanly feasible, and we're actively avoiding spreading additional rules out over 15+ sourcebooks, its pretty safe to assume that we'll get round to adding rules and new gear at some point in the future.
sirdoom: As I missed the start of the chat: Anything already said about the problems with some of the Arsenal gun pics?
AdamJury> Yes; we're looking into it. Those artists will certainly be credited in future printings.
krakjen: will there be more background about whatever happenned between 2060 ans 2070 ?
sprite> We don't have plans to go back in time and cover that period, but as we detail new locations, plots, and characters, we'll flesh more of that backhistory out.
sprite> I should be clear, though, that our focus is on developing new plotlines and new history.
Peter_Taylor_> Any backstory provided in new releases will feed into the current setting and current plots rather than focus on wrapping up loose ends.
Absinthe: Barnes and Noble, Booksamillion, Amazon, they all list SR products as hard to find, and can never fill an order.
Vairdic> Those are mass market outlets, and traditionally are behind on releases. We focus our sales to the Hobby trade primarily, so they'll always have the book sooner. That said, there is a large shipment of books going to our distributor that services the mass market which should make the books available through the big book stores. Remember though that your best bet for getting the book right away is your local gaming store.
AdamJury> However, at this time we -- or the distributor that handles our books to the book trade -- are not selling to Amazon.com
GhostOfToreadorPresent: Adam - any specific reason you're not selling to Amazon? Did they kick a kitten?
Your question has been submitted.
GhostOfToreadorPresent: Adam - any specific reason you're not selling to Amazon? Did they kick a kitten?
AdamJury> Dave posted a thorough answer to this to the Classic BattleTech forums last year: http://forums.classicbattletech.com/index.php/topic,26887.msg643115.html#msg643115 [Clicking on that link should open in a new window and NOT boot you out of the chat. :-)]
Rotbart_van_Dainig: How far into space do the corps actually reach and how common is space travel?
sprite> Not too far -- most of the activity is still focused around Earth orbit, Luna, and the Lagrange points. As we've noted, there's an Evo base on Mars, and there's probably exploration going on of the Belt and other interesting places. There may even be some secret corp bases further out. Now that he Kiliminjaro mass driver is in operation, though, space traffic is booming, so there's a lot more going on than we had in Target: Wastelands, and it will keep growing.
paws2sky: How long does CGL expect to to hold the SR liscense? It is bought for a certain number of years? Renewed annually? Something else?
Vairdic> Licenses in the game industry are typically 3 years with a right of first refusal.
krakjen: Will there be new metaplans then?
Peter_Taylor_> If you mean metaplots, then yes we have several storylines cooking right now, several others have been seeded in recent books, and we have a few surprises waiting in the wings...
Raven_Bloodeyes: [Any]: Any news or fleshing out of what happened to Tir Tairnage? (sp?)
sprite> Not in the immediate future, but we will get to that at some point.
Stevebugge: Any: I'm curious does IMR /CGL have a Brick & Mortar office and if so is it ever open to visit?
Vairdic> As a virtual company there are no real "offices" per se. All of us operate out of our homes (though my office is probably the closest you'd get to a real office since we do all of the shipping and filing from here).
IronSphinx: Is there going to be any push to include the IWM ShadowRun miniatures line in future books (similar to what CBT is doing) or to request that IWM produce new miniatures for SR like drones and such?
Vairdic> That hasn't been discussed at this time, though I personally would love to see more SR minis.
Fuchs: (sprite) will the focus on the plot, as announced, be more corp/tech focused, or more fantasy/magic focused?
sprite> We hope to keep a good balance. Emergence was more tech, obviously, but Ghost Cartels leans more towards magic. Either way, we'll always be making an effort to represent all facets of the game -- we're not going to be leaving hackers or magicians out in the cold.
AdamJury> In my experience, game company offices look just like any other company's offices, just... messier. *eyes Sprite*
sprite> that was extremely organized clutter, thank you much.
GhostOfToreadorPresent: Any hints/teasers of what we might see in Runners Companion?
Peter_Taylor_> Runners Companion will feature most of the stuff people are expecting, metavariants, SURGE, unique character options, loads of new qualities, some SSG-type material and some other surprises.
Method: Rob: Are there any cities tentatively planned for "Cities of Intrigue"?
sprite> We haven't put the final book spec together or solicited to authors for this book yet, so it's still up in the air. There are a bunch of good possibilities, but I can't really say what it will be at this time. We'll try to represent all (well, most) of the continents as usual, however.
It_trolls_: Where do you see the role of PDFs compared to paper on the gaming table now and in a year? Would you like to eventually switch to digital-only distribution (and if so, what should I use to hit my players with) ?
AdamJury> I think PDFs have a lot of benefits and are only getting more useful as more and more people are bringing laptops and other portable computing devices to the gaming table. They're also great for research, compiling information before a game, etc. I think we're a long way away from doing digital *only* distribution, though. As a niche market, games expanded into digital distribution a little more quickly than mainstream publishing, but with print on demand/short run printing, a whole host of new/small publishers are able to publish proper printed books as well. So print isn't dying anytime soon, and there's still a lot of growth potential with electronic publishing.
Peter_Taylor_> also you can't throw a pdf at someone's head...
Stevebugge: Any Will future Shadowrun Chat session continue to be freeform ask anything type, or will they be themed in the future (focus on a specific release etc) or some of each?
Vairdic> Likely there will be a mix of types. We'd love to get ideas on what you'd like to see.
Vairdic> Ok folks, looks like we're about done here.
Vairdic> I'd like to thank Rob, Peter, Adam, and the for once silent Randall for their time, and even more so I'd like to thank you all for showing up and asking such great questions.
GhostOfToreadorPresent: I have one last question for Adam, but it would work best in private - relating to the nature of this chat and an offer to host it on an IRC server ...
Your question has been submitted.
Vairdic> We'll try and get the transcript up in the next few days for people who couldn't make the chat, and I'll be opening up the chat again for general use.
Method> Thanks for all the info, and for all your hard work in general.
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[18:14] localhost MODERATE answer IronSphinx sprite 71 Are we going to see an update to Bug City in any of the upcoming books? Yes, Chicago is one of the two major cities covered in the Feral Cities book, which is currently in the first draft stage.
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[18:15] localhost MODERATE answer Elve AdamJury 56 When will we see a) new errata b) Holostreet c) new FAQ? a) New errata for SR4 and Street Magic should be up in February. b) There's no news about Holostreets. There's internal progress, but nothing awesome to say yet. When we have something awesome to say, we'll say it. c) That's a Sprite or Peter question, at this point.
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[18:16] localhost MODERATE answer Raven_Bloodeyes AdamJury 102 [AdamJury] What's the status on FanPro pdf purchases and getting an updated pdf from CGL, if possible? We're still working that out, but we will not be leaving previous PDF purchasers in the lurch -- you guys will be getting your updated PDFs.
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[18:18] localhost MODERATE answer Method Vairdic 57 Any and all: Best estimate on a release date for Unwired? Unwired will be a 2Q release. We'll update everyone further when it gets to the printers.
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[18:20] localhost MODERATE answer Raven_Bloodeyes sprite 73 [sprite] What are the next steps after Unwired finishes the "core rules"? Well, we will have other books that will count as "core" or at least "advanced rules." Runner's Companion is intended for later this year, and Running Wild (sourcebook on all things critter) is on the schedule for 2009. Beyond that, we'll be pushing forward with plot and location books, and also getting into books that deal with specific facets of the game, like crime (Crime Time -- not the final name), corps (Corp Handbook), etc.
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[18:22] localhost MODERATE answer MYST1C sprite 110 Will the German artists whose work was used uncredited in SR4 BBB a
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[18:26] localhost MODERATE answer Penguin Vairdic 108 Any: I know deadlines change, but what books are currently scheduled to be released in time for GenCon Indy? Arsenal, Unwired, Ghost Cartels of course, there are other things in the plans, but we prefer to wait till we're closer to completion to announce them.
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[18:28] localhost MODERATE answer Raven_Bloodeyes sprite 79 [sprite]: Is a 5th edition even on the radar? In the 5 to 10 year plan? Beyond? Haha, no. We're pretty content to move ahead with the SR4 rules set -- with the core rules almost all out of the way, we can focus on plot now for a few years at least )
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[18:31] localhost MODERATE answer Raven_Bloodeyes AdamJury 85 [AdamJury] Is the proported Running Wild cover discussed on dumpshock the real mccoy? Yes -- man, that cover was finished in late *2004* -- I remember laying out a mock cover for it for FanPro back then. -)
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[18:32] localhost MODERATE answer krakjen sprite 65 Will the corp handbook has advanced info on using the Lone Star ? We haven't quite started working on this book yet, so things may change, but right now the plan is for it to be sort of a mix between Corp Download and the Corp Shadowfiles, with some other material. It will cover the Big Ten corps of course, but in slightly less detail, and will cover a bunch of smaller but notable AA corps as well. It will also have source material on corporate culture/living, laws, education, etc etc. We want to give some more "character" to corps with it. Lone Star will proba
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[18:34] localhost MODERATE answer Caine_Hazen Vairdic 146 [all] How often can we expect that there will be sessions like this (or writers, artists, etc) . Are there plans to make this semi-regular chats? We'll be doing monthly chats, Shadowrun's will be on the 3rd Saturday of the month (CBT is the 2nd).
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ople world wide. It unfortunately isn't very freindly to those down under however.
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[18:48] localhost MODERATE answer Caine_Hazen Metsuke 97 [Randall} What types of new challenges have you had to face switching gears from BT to Shadowrun? It hasn't been too bad, actually. However, the biggest challenge, without a doubt, is the minutia. For example, if I need to know where X image is for a reference in CBT, my brain can almost always instantly pull up what book, if not the exact page reference; then it's a quick scan and it's fired off to the artist. Don't have that with SR at all, so often I have to go back to the developers to hunt material down. The other minutia is one of often not knowing e
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[18:48] localhost MODERATE answer Method Peter_Taylor_ 229 Rob or Pete: Ghost Cartels seems like a strange choice to push to the front of the roster; seems like there are other facets of the world that would be more pressing. Can you give us a breif rundown on what the book will cover? Well, Ghost Cartels as a plot has a lot more going for it than might be obvious. For one it features a plot that highlights a number of locations and setting elements we've been looking forward to exploring in SR4. It's also very much a street-level plot that focuses on the underworld turmoil set off by the appearance of a new
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[18:49] localhost MODERATE answer It_trolls_ sprite 197 To whomever may be able to answer this best: With now over 3 years experience with the new matrix, its rules and its fluff, what are the most important points you are wanting to address in Unwired? Well, there was a lot. We wanted to fix subscriptions and slaving, give TMs a bit of a boost, break nodes down into different types (peripheral, regular, and nexi), offer other encryption offers, clarify agents, deal with the Agent Smith issue ... there's probably more that I'm forgetting. Plus we wanted to offer an assortment of advanced options: programming rul
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[18:51] localhost MODERATE answer Stevebugge sprite 207 Rob: A number of times on Dumpshock a desire has been expressed for a general Atlas of the World ~2070 with very general setting info in the vain of the CIA world Fact Book, any chance this will ever happen? That's a possibility for 2009 actually, though we haven't finalized that schedule yet, so I can't say for sure. I'd like to see it though.
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[18:52] localhost MODERATE answer hawkclz AdamJury 165 I'd like to ask if there is a possibility that you will offer the maps of adventures for download so it is possible to print them and use them for tactical movement? Well, that's one of the advantages of buying the PDF...;-) Giving out the maps for free isn't something that we've talked about before.
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[18:52] localhost MODERATE answer Elve Vairdic 25 Any plans for new novels? We are exploring some interesting avenues regarding novels.
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Caine_Hazen: [Sprite and Synner] Do Riggers get any love in Unwired?
sprite> I wouldn't say they're a major part of the book, but they do get covered. The Security chapter has details on security rigger and there are a few other rigger tricks in the book. Vehicles and drones (and sensor software) were covered in Arsenal, of course.
Stevebugge: Anyone: Will there be updates / comparable books to the Spraw; Survival Guide and Mr. Johnson's Little Black Book in the future?
Peter_Taylor_> I think you'll find that at least some of the material your looking for will be in Runners Companion. We've penciled a Mr Johnson's Companion into the schedule but that's further down the line
GhostOfToreadorPresent: [sprite] Speaking of hacking, are there going to be any more substantial guidelines on what can be done with hacked cyberware? For example, say a hacker breaks into someone with a skillwire system. What can that hacker do to the victim?
sprite> There's a section on hacking cyberware in the book, but it's more of a review of the rules for doing so and general guidelines for handling it for the GM --- we don't go piece by piece on what you could do with different implants, as that would just take too much space. It does specificaly talk about hacking smartlinks and providing false diagnostics.
MYST1C: [anyone] Are there news concering a new German SR license? Rumours abound about struggle with FanPro D about novel rights...
Vairdic> Unfortunately, there is some confusion over the legal status of current translation rights. Publications which continue to appear in Germany would seem to violate the license we have negotiated with WizKids Games. That said, we currently have our contract under review in with WizKids, and once that is approved we'll be moving forward with the foriegn sub-licenses.
Elve: Will there be new "tweaking the Rules" sections in upcoming books (Unwired)? I missed it in Arsenal...
sprite> Yes, Unwired has a Tweaking section. I'm not sure we'll need it for Runners Companion, as a big chunk of that book will be optional rules. Not sure about Running Wild yet.
Dunner: This was posted to dumpshock: Do you expect that there will be any new german SR books this year? If yes, will there be a german license or will CGL take matters into their own hands?
Vairdic> We are in negotiations with a German publisher to create German Language books. See above for more.
Maelwys: [Anyone]: While there was a holostreets question in the beginning (no awesome news to announce), there hasn't been a SOLA question. Is it still in limbo (especially since its was developed by FanPro), or is it still tied to Holostreets, or are there plans to push it out since theoretically it could tie into Ghost Cartels?
AdamJury> Big answer, taken from a post I made to DSF about this subject earlier this month:
AdamJury> Three cheers for fumble-fingers again!
Raven_Bloodeyes: [Any] Will there be any more rules focus on riggers? the proverbial Rigger 4?
sprite> No, we don't have plans for a rigger book at this time. We feel we've covered them pretty thoroughly in Arsenal, Unwired, and even Augmentation (biodrones) for now.
AdamJury> There's something I want to make really clear about Shadows of Latin America: It is not a complete book. It is not "finished" by any stretch of the imagination. There are many steps taken after a book's drafts are turned in by the authors: development [the developer reads/edits all the chapters, make sure that facts match up between them, that they're presented consistently, that they aren't missing information, etc], editing [the nitty gritty of checking for spelling mistakes, grammar, other stylistic and legibility issues], artwork [which includes not just the artist's time to build the artwork, but the art director's time to figure out roughly where illustrations should be placed, what should be illustrated, and back-and-forth with the artist over rough drafts], layout/production [making sure it LOOKS like a Shadowrun book] and proofing [catching last minute mistakes, especially ones that were introduced in layout.]
AdamJury> Years ago, when IMR agreed to take on SOLA, it was believed that FanPro would be delivering them a product that was at *least* past the editing stage. However, the person developing SOLA dropped out of the project [for a better job opportunity -- no complaints about him!] and FanPro simply never had time to finish the project, as it was during the SR4 time crunch and the freelance developer was hired to keep the project on track while Rob concentrated on SR4.
AdamJury> Now Catalyst is "stuck" with the task of finishing it, several years after it was relevant to the timeline, with several years more expectations built up, with more expenses than intended, with the authors annoyed that their work hasn't been published and they haven't been paid -- and as you may have noticed, HoloStreets isn't exactly moving fast, either [and that's a whole other kettle of fish.]
AdamJury> The above paragraph is not me complaining about SOLA: I'm just pointing out that the SOLA situation, bluntly, sucks for EVERYONE: Catalyst, the writers, and the fans.
AdamJury> Some companies release game books shorter than that answer!;-)
krakjen: Speaking of translation, do you know if Black Book Editions (french version) will sell PDF versions some day?
Vairdic> Unknown at this time.
Penguin: [sprite]: Speaking of optional rules, are rules for training, owning, and raising critters going to be in Running Wild?
sprite> Yep! Plus more critterware, critter-oriented gear, and critter magic.
Ranneko: @Adam: What is happening with the www.srrpg.com and www.shadowrunrpg.com ?
AdamJury> We made a deal with FanPro GmbH to buy those domains last year, and they renegged on that deal. We are continuing to try and re-establish that deal, especially now that they can no longer publish any Shadowrun material.
Stevebugge: Rob or Pete: Any chance we'll ever see a rework of Shadowbeat, a Sports, Pop Culture, Media Book?
Peter_Taylor_> There's nothing currently in the schedule but its the sort of thing I'd personally like to see some time down the road
Vairdic> Ok folks, looks like questions have slowed down. Let's to a last call for any questions and we'll wrap this up.
GhostOfToreadorPresent: Any hints/teasers of what we might see in Runners Companion?
Your question has been submitted.
Absinthe: Is there a problem with local bookstores carrying SR products? It seems that the only product that can be obtained through a bookstore is SR4. So far none of the bookstores in my area have been able to order anything else.
Vairdic> I'd have to know what area, and who the stores distributors are. Currently there should be no problem getting any Shadowrun, Fourth Edition product from Catalyst through any maor distributor in the US.
It_trolls_: Apart from struggles with German translation and distribution, have you ever looked at more intense AGS coverage in future CGL releases to keep us German fans up to date ? This is not about new books for us Krauts, more about including a few pages about local developments, similar to what FanPro did in some German releases.
Vairdic> That would be up to the local publisher. If we included little updates for every country we sell the products to we'd triple the page count;)
sprite> I think it's fairly likely the German publisher will continue to do that
Abschalten: I understand that the bulk of the hard-core rules development is being done with the supplements, like Arsenal, Street Magic, Unwired, and Augmentation. After those are put out, is there any possibility for the addition of other things, like 'ware and weapons and adept powers, or is that particular door being shut?
Peter_Taylor_> While we're focusing on cramming the core rule books with as many goodies and options as humanly feasible, and we're actively avoiding spreading additional rules out over 15+ sourcebooks, its pretty safe to assume that we'll get round to adding rules and new gear at some point in the future.
sirdoom: As I missed the start of the chat: Anything already said about the problems with some of the Arsenal gun pics?
AdamJury> Yes; we're looking into it. Those artists will certainly be credited in future printings.
krakjen: will there be more background about whatever happenned between 2060 ans 2070 ?
sprite> We don't have plans to go back in time and cover that period, but as we detail new locations, plots, and characters, we'll flesh more of that backhistory out.
sprite> I should be clear, though, that our focus is on developing new plotlines and new history.
Peter_Taylor_> Any backstory provided in new releases will feed into the current setting and current plots rather than focus on wrapping up loose ends.
Absinthe: Barnes and Noble, Booksamillion, Amazon, they all list SR products as hard to find, and can never fill an order.
Vairdic> Those are mass market outlets, and traditionally are behind on releases. We focus our sales to the Hobby trade primarily, so they'll always have the book sooner. That said, there is a large shipment of books going to our distributor that services the mass market which should make the books available through the big book stores. Remember though that your best bet for getting the book right away is your local gaming store.
AdamJury> However, at this time we -- or the distributor that handles our books to the book trade -- are not selling to Amazon.com
GhostOfToreadorPresent: Adam - any specific reason you're not selling to Amazon? Did they kick a kitten?
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GhostOfToreadorPresent: Adam - any specific reason you're not selling to Amazon? Did they kick a kitten?
AdamJury> Dave posted a thorough answer to this to the Classic BattleTech forums last year: http://forums.classicbattletech.com/index.php/topic,26887.msg643115.html#msg643115 [Clicking on that link should open in a new window and NOT boot you out of the chat. :-)]
Rotbart_van_Dainig: How far into space do the corps actually reach and how common is space travel?
sprite> Not too far -- most of the activity is still focused around Earth orbit, Luna, and the Lagrange points. As we've noted, there's an Evo base on Mars, and there's probably exploration going on of the Belt and other interesting places. There may even be some secret corp bases further out. Now that he Kiliminjaro mass driver is in operation, though, space traffic is booming, so there's a lot more going on than we had in Target: Wastelands, and it will keep growing.
paws2sky: How long does CGL expect to to hold the SR liscense? It is bought for a certain number of years? Renewed annually? Something else?
Vairdic> Licenses in the game industry are typically 3 years with a right of first refusal.
krakjen: Will there be new metaplans then?
Peter_Taylor_> If you mean metaplots, then yes we have several storylines cooking right now, several others have been seeded in recent books, and we have a few surprises waiting in the wings...
Raven_Bloodeyes: [Any]: Any news or fleshing out of what happened to Tir Tairnage? (sp?)
sprite> Not in the immediate future, but we will get to that at some point.
Stevebugge: Any: I'm curious does IMR /CGL have a Brick & Mortar office and if so is it ever open to visit?
Vairdic> As a virtual company there are no real "offices" per se. All of us operate out of our homes (though my office is probably the closest you'd get to a real office since we do all of the shipping and filing from here).
IronSphinx: Is there going to be any push to include the IWM ShadowRun miniatures line in future books (similar to what CBT is doing) or to request that IWM produce new miniatures for SR like drones and such?
Vairdic> That hasn't been discussed at this time, though I personally would love to see more SR minis.
Fuchs: (sprite) will the focus on the plot, as announced, be more corp/tech focused, or more fantasy/magic focused?
sprite> We hope to keep a good balance. Emergence was more tech, obviously, but Ghost Cartels leans more towards magic. Either way, we'll always be making an effort to represent all facets of the game -- we're not going to be leaving hackers or magicians out in the cold.
AdamJury> In my experience, game company offices look just like any other company's offices, just... messier. *eyes Sprite*
sprite> that was extremely organized clutter, thank you much.
GhostOfToreadorPresent: Any hints/teasers of what we might see in Runners Companion?
Peter_Taylor_> Runners Companion will feature most of the stuff people are expecting, metavariants, SURGE, unique character options, loads of new qualities, some SSG-type material and some other surprises.
Method: Rob: Are there any cities tentatively planned for "Cities of Intrigue"?
sprite> We haven't put the final book spec together or solicited to authors for this book yet, so it's still up in the air. There are a bunch of good possibilities, but I can't really say what it will be at this time. We'll try to represent all (well, most) of the continents as usual, however.
It_trolls_: Where do you see the role of PDFs compared to paper on the gaming table now and in a year? Would you like to eventually switch to digital-only distribution (and if so, what should I use to hit my players with) ?
AdamJury> I think PDFs have a lot of benefits and are only getting more useful as more and more people are bringing laptops and other portable computing devices to the gaming table. They're also great for research, compiling information before a game, etc. I think we're a long way away from doing digital *only* distribution, though. As a niche market, games expanded into digital distribution a little more quickly than mainstream publishing, but with print on demand/short run printing, a whole host of new/small publishers are able to publish proper printed books as well. So print isn't dying anytime soon, and there's still a lot of growth potential with electronic publishing.
Peter_Taylor_> also you can't throw a pdf at someone's head...
Stevebugge: Any Will future Shadowrun Chat session continue to be freeform ask anything type, or will they be themed in the future (focus on a specific release etc) or some of each?
Vairdic> Likely there will be a mix of types. We'd love to get ideas on what you'd like to see.
Vairdic> Ok folks, looks like we're about done here.
Vairdic> I'd like to thank Rob, Peter, Adam, and the for once silent Randall for their time, and even more so I'd like to thank you all for showing up and asking such great questions.
GhostOfToreadorPresent: I have one last question for Adam, but it would work best in private - relating to the nature of this chat and an offer to host it on an IRC server ...
Your question has been submitted.
Vairdic> We'll try and get the transcript up in the next few days for people who couldn't make the chat, and I'll be opening up the chat again for general use.
Method> Thanks for all the info, and for all your hard work in general.
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