Vairdic> Welcome all to the March Shadowrun Chat!
Vairdic> Here's how it works for those who are new (works the same for people who have been here before too actually): Type in your question and hit ask, the question will then be sent to the moderator (me or Adam) and we will forward it on to the appropriate author!
Vairdic> Please try and put who the question is aimed to in the text as well, though if we know of someone who is better qualified to answer, we may forward it to them.
Vairdic> Also while we'll try and get to all questions, we may not have time.
Vairdic> Let the fun begin!
AdamJury> (The fun includes some really great hold music. doo-doo-do-do-doooo)

sprite> Every runner should know when it's time to cut and run, right? In a sense, that time has come for me. I've been working on Shadowrun for 10 years now -- half of its lifespan. I started as an editor at FASA, moved on to be assistant SR developer under Mike Mulvihill until FASA closed, took over the line a few months later for FanPro, and then jumped ship with it to Catalyst. I started right before the conversion to Third Edition, and then three years ago led the charge to Fourth Edition. Three editions, three game companies.
sprite> I'm not the type of person who sticks with jobs I don't like. In fact, I pretty much refuse to work on anything that I don't gain some sort of personal satisfaction from. No mundane wage slavery for me. So I think it says something about what a fun and interesting job this has been that I've stuck with it for so long. There have been some glitches and low points of course, but overall it's been a very enjoyable experience.
sprite> To be blunt, however, I'm burnt out on Shadowrun. I've been burnt out for awhile, actually. It happens. Unfortunately, this is not the type of job that's easy to take a break from -- the deadlines don't stop coming, and I haven't had a backup person who could take over full time. Even though I've been feeling the need to move on, I've also wanted to see Fourth Edition along at least through the core rulebooks. Now that Unwired is off to layout, I feel complete. Especially as that book goes a long way towards dealing with some of the shortcomings we've still faced with the SR4 matrix rules.
sprite> So the time has come for me to step aside as lead SR developer. I'll be staying with Catalyst, of course, but I'll be switching gears and taking point on a new game line -- you'll hear more about that in a few months. I'll also still be working on Shadowrun, but in an auxiliary capacity, at least through some of our 20th anniversary stuff -- can't miss that, after all. The very competent Peter Taylor will be taking on the lead SR developer job -- he's been a pleasure to work with since he started as a freelancer and we adopted his Euro Sourcebook project and transformed it into Shadows of Europe. He's been working as an assistant developer for over a year now, and we're pretty excited to have him on board and taking the helm. This switchover has actually been in the works for awhile, so you won't see any changes in the upcoming schedule.
sprite> Who knows, I may even have time to do some actual writing for Shadowrun now, rather than always being busy with the editing and dev work.
sprite> Before I sign off, let me take the opportunity to say thanks to all of the fans who have stuck with the game over the years, and also to the new players who were drawn in by the revised Fourth Ed. rules. Thanks also to the freelance writers, artists, and editors who I've worked with over the years and who have helped to maintain Shadowrun as a vibrant and explosive universe -- couldn't have done it without you!
sprite> So, this won't be the last you hear from me, but this is the last time I get to take the credit and/or blame for Shadowrun Smiley I hope it's been as fun and interesting for you as it has been for me. -- Rob Boyle
sprite> (I'll be posting this announcement up on the SR website and DS shortly)

blueeyes: Which books are planned to come out in the next year or so?
AdamJury> Books we've announced: Arsenal -- due in stores March 18th! ; Unwired -- the expanded Matrix rules ; Feral Cities -- a location book with cities that can barely maintain themselves, much less the law ; Ghost Cartels -- mmm, plot, hush hush ; Runner's Companion -- optional and expanded rules.

Prime_Mover: Curious about 2nd Quarter release dates,errata,Street Magic add on? Any more to update on any of these? (Anyone able to answer.)
AdamJury> We announce street dates for books when the book is printed and shipping to our warehouse. The only book with a street date right now is Arsenal -- have I already mentioned that it's March 18th? The Street Magic errata will be up really soon now; I'm formatting it on my other computer right now. When I'm not answering questions.

Daegann: Hi Rob, thanks for all you done as line dev. What book ill be the last credited to you as line dev ?
sprite> Unwired, though in the future I may still help out with other books, depending on the workload of the new game and how Peter's keeping up.

Method: Anyone: Can you give us a general status report? What books are in what stages, etc?
AdamJury> Unwired is in layout, there are a couple other books in the later stages of editing now, too.

hobgoblin: runner's companion equals earlier editions shadowrun companion?
AdamJury> In general, yes. It wraps up and adds the stuff that didn't fit in any of the specific advanced rulebooks.
Peter_Taylor: We'll be adding a number of extra options this time around but you can expect a lot of the old features updated like Metavariants and SURGE

FortMan: [About SR Mission, season 3] How many missions will be on season 3? And will we see area around Manhattan as well?
Aaron> The number of scenarios has not yet been determined. From what I've heard it will be at least twenty. There has been some small talk about keeping Missions in New York for an extended time and having either multiple or overlapping story arcs. In any case, Missions will be set in New York as a whole, although there will be a lot of action in Manhattan.

Blade: To the entire dev team: do you still consider Shadowrun a Cyberpunk game? Do you think it should/will evolve into something else (closer to Transhuman Space) - as some of the evolutions in the latest books tend to - or shoud/will it be a cyberpunk game? Or maybe something in between?
Peter_Taylor> Shadowrun has always been a game about fusion. These days not even cyberpunk is cyberpunk anymore, and in Shadowrun it is just one element in our own unique blend. It's very much there, as are many of its tropes but the shadows have evolved with the times.
sprite> To add to the Cyberpunk Q -- We've obviously had to ditch some of the traditional cyberpunk elements (cyberdecks) just to keep up with the pace of modern technology (wireless), so in a sense it may be more accurate to call it postcyberpunk. But I think it's likely to stay in that genre rather than move into some more like THS.

Kumo: (Anyone) Do you think about sourcebook or a part of storyline which regards Europe, like Shadows of Europe?
Peter_Taylor> Our plans are to continue with the current themed location books spotlighting some of the major sprawls of the Sixth World, with books like Awakened Haunts, Cities of Intrigue and Weird Places on the list you can expect a look at parts of Europe
Peter_Taylor> we have no current plot focused specifically on Europe but there's some ideas on the backburner.

blueeyes: Any chance for some focus on Amazonia in upcoming books?
Peter_Taylor> Amazonia will feature incidentally in the next campaign book Ghost Cartels, and I for one would very much like to spotlight Metropole in one of the upcoming location books

Method: Adam: IIRC you mentioned on DS that Klaus Scherwinski was doing the cover for Unwired. Any chance we'll see a preview soonish?
AdamJury> Soonish, yes. After Arsenal is out ... we still have an Arsenal preview or two to post, for those who haven't checked out the PDF version but want another sneak peak before they pick up the hardcopy, which, did I mention, has a street date of March 18th?

sprite> Hey folks, just a reminder that we have a whole posse of SR freelance writers on hand waiting to field questions -- so please feel free to direct any Qs you have towards them as well!

SubversiveAgent: (Anyone) Are there any plans to launch a Shadowrun MMORPG?
Vairdic> The rights to the Shadowrun computer games are held by Microsoft (sublicensed to Smith & Tinker, Jordan Weisman's new company). So at this time we have no plans for any computer related SR or BT games.

Fuchs: To the new lead developper: Do you have any information about SOTA? Will we see gauss rifles, and lasers and such, get cheaper? Any rules on adjusting to new developments? How often were those rules used?
Peter_Taylor> We decided not include SOTA rules in Arsenal for a number of reasons, the most obvious being: they add a lot of book-keeping and little to actual gameplay and they've never actually been very good a representing a lot of developments in technologies. Instead we'll be updating technologies in setting material and future rules if and when they need to be.
Peter_Taylor> For instance Unwired will address the relatively rapid speed of software development by introducing a couple of optional rules to deal with software becoming outdated and patching.

Aldearis: Anyone, Any idea on when we will see a critter book?
AdamJury> There is no critter book that is close enough to completion for us to discuss it. It's likely that we'll do another critter book [there was one started in the late 3rd edition days] but it's just not far enough along to talk about.

hobgoblin: shadows of south america, status?
AdamJury> Never heard of it. Oh, Shadows of *Latin* America. Same as last month. When we have awesome news about it, we'll let everyone know.

Absinthe: Is there any desire to continue with the novels?
Vairdic> Absolutely, if the oppurtunity presents itself.

blueeyes: Will we see new metavariants in the future?
AdamJury> New ones? No. SR4 rules for existing ones? Yup -- Runner's Companion.
Peter_Taylor> Actually, there might be a couple of new metavariants under consideration - hailing from areas of the globe that haven't been spotlighted before
sprite> Re: Metavariants -- Actually, we haven't fully decided yet. There *might* be sonme new ones in RC.
AdamJury> Apparently I missed that part of the Runner's Companion meeting, about the metavariants. oops!

Aldearis: Anyone, Are we going to see sourcebooks on the Arcologies anytime soon? If not soon is there any plan at all for them? I've got some groovy ideas and would LOVE to get in on ground level on some.
Peter_Taylor> Especifically about Arcologies? Not in the forseeable future. However, its likely that one of the upoming locations books will feature some extreme locations (such as space, Antarctica, and underwater) where arcologies will come into play.

Shanxara: Will we ever find out what happened to Tir na nOg after 2065? And will Niall O'Connor ever make an appearance again?
Peter_Taylor> There's a fair chance that TnO will feature in one of the metaplots currently underdevelopment - but its far to early to get into specifics...

Aldearis: Will we see updated rules for shapeshifters and changlings?
sprite> Yes, in Runners Companion.

Swirler: Open to any anyone (or all) Is there anything you personally want to bring into SR (be it storyline or source stuff) that you can mention? w/o spoiling suprises or NDA of course
BobbyDerie> More narrative. A lot of people get caught up in the big plots, but the little characterization of shadowtalkers-like Clockwork and NetCat's tiff in Emergence-were pretty well received and I'd like to develop that more. Not to soap opera levels, but to deepen the characters.
Aaron> Speaking as something of the new kid on the block, I believe that all of the authors have some ideas they'd like to see worked into the material. The authors as a whole and the devs are pretty good at coming to a consensus, so all of the ideas people bring to the table are vetted and either improved or discarded. For my part, most of what I've wanted to bring in is already in either a book currently in print or one coming soon. Above all, though, I want to increase the value that every SR product has for players and GMs, and I believe that sentiment is shared by the rest of the authors.
Tobis_Wolter> I for one would like to continue some of the European storylines that made it into international canon (including the German plotlines). Too early to give any details, though.
Peter_Taylor> Without going into in too much depth, I'd like to see the introduction of more phased, slow-developing plot lines like the Bugs or Deus as opposed to one-off events that produce setting-wide shockwaves. We're working on a couple of possibilities that should play out in the next couple of years.
Peter_Taylor> That said, we'll be trying to stick to the street-level feel that's made Shadowrun 4 a hit.

Hermit: Allright. Will there be more vehicles, software or cyberware catering ro rigger characters? If so, will they be scattered throughout new books or might there be arsenal upgrade books in the future? In short: will there be ANY new material for riggers or are they reduced to next to nothing on purpose?
Peter_Taylor> Riggers will be getting some love in Unwired as well, mainly some specialized software and rigger tricks. I've got a few ideas I'm tossing about regarding future tech books and "upgrades" but for now we're focusing on getting the core books out the door.

vlad: Adam I wasnt present for last month's discussion. could you elaborate a bit on SoLA?
AdamJury> If you check out the log for last month's discussion, my [huge!] answer is there: http://www.shadowrun4.com/wordpress/?p=210 -- we do intend to post logs of every chat within a few days of having them.

Absinthe: What is the opinion if any on the online games and forums that call themselves "Official"?
Vairdic> Unless it's published on our site (or WizKids) it is not official. If we work with someone who wants to do something official, there will be a link describing the site as official from our site.

Blade: Will there be anything like an updated Sprawl Survival Guide to flesh out a bit more the daily life in the 2070's?
AdamJury> Well, a fair bit of the SSG material -- in theme, at least -- ended up in the SR4 core book as the Life on the Edge chapter. I love Sprawl Survival Guide [but hey, I wrote part of it, so one would hope I like it ...] but I don't think it's as necessary with SR4 as it was with SR3. It's certainly not off the table though, especially if we got some proposals for it with interesting directions/perspectives ...

Blade: To everyone: what's your favorite personal addition to SR?
BobbyDerie> Butch, Sticks, and Mihoshi Oni.
Tobis_Wolter> turning Clockwork into a prick during the Emergence plotline (apologies to Lars Blumenstein, who came up with the character concept in the first place)
Jennifer> I personally enjoyed fleshing out Horizon.
Lars_Blumenstein> hard to answer. for SR4 I liked how Magical Threats in Streetmagic turned out in terms of bringing the bugs back. I also like how we upgraded the technomancers (you are going to see that in Unwired).
Aaron> I've got a few. I'm glad that the term "HERF gun" made it to print without getting a less silly name. Also, when I write, I like to hide little puzzles or codes in my copy, kind of like acrostics or steganography, and I managed to get some of those into the text. The rest are in as-yet unreleased books, so I'm not telling.
sprite> This is a hard one. There are a few, and it's hard to say that any were a "personal addition" since I was almost always collaborating with other people. I really like how we worked the different Deus/AI, Dissonance, Novatech, and Winternight plot lines together in System Failure, in order to nuke the Matrix and rebuild it for SR4. I also love Horizon, which I think was mostly born from brainstorming from me & Brian Cross, with other folks. I also like how technomancers have turned out, though back in the early SR4 development days there was a bit of skepticism that they would be accepted or that they would go over well.
Tobis_Wolter: [regarding the favorite addition to SR]: I'd like to add that I'm pretty happy with the way Chicago turned out for the upcoming Feral Cities. Plus, the locations featured will probably surprise more than a few people.
JongWK> I was delighted to see Orxploitation in the SR4 core. You never which crazy ideas will succeed.

blueeyes: Will a updated corporate download be released at some point?
Peter_Taylor> Corporate Guide , the SR4 corporate boo, is slated for early next year. It will likely be similar to Corp Download but focus slightly less on the Triple-As and more on the entire corporate scene.

Swirler: Will there be any more info/development regarding HMHVV and the various strains or has that being downplayed/left behind?
Peter_Taylor> Look for some more info regarding HMHVV in both Runners Companion and Running Wild

Aldearis: Refrencing my question about Arcologies: Who would i need to talk to, to do a lil freelancing?
AdamJury> If you're interested in writing for the game, you should check out the submission guidelines <http://www.shadowrun4.com/catalyst/writers_guidelines.shtml> and submit a proposal.

vlad: Thanks for the link on SoLA, Adam.. that answers my questions. ::smile
AdamJury> Welcome!

blueeyes: Dragons.. Will we get to see more of them in the upcoming plot book? There was plenty of dragon activity in 3rd edition, hopefully more to come in the 4th edition
Peter_Taylor> Dragons have always been and will continue to be an important part of the setting. We don't currently have any plot in the works that specifically spotlights the draconic overlords but I wouldn't rule them out.

Fuchs: To whoever is in charge of the rules: Do dice pool modifers such as a synthacardium get added to a gmnastic dodge test, or just the skill rating?
sprite> The synthcardium adds a dice pool mod to all tests involving Athletic skills (Climbing, Gymnastics, Running, Swmming) -- so yes, it should be added to gymnastic dodge tests too, since you're using Gymnastics skill.

Kentares: I?m late so I dont know if this was asked already. Whats the situation with the Earthdawn license and will the links in Shadowrun continue to show up (or increase and decrease in anyway)?
AdamJury> Earthdawn is owned by FASA, still, and they license it out to Red Brick Games, who are publishing new and revised material for it. Shadowrun and Earthdawn can't easily be "unlinked" and we talk to the Red Brick guys about some crossover stuff, but since two different companies with different business models and different priorities are publishing the games, crossovers are generally going to be more subtle than they ever were before. The SR developer can't just walk down the hall and talk to the ED developer, after all.

ranma1168: are there plans to add vehicle creation rules as in previous editions like rigger 3?
Peter_Taylor> Not currently no.

Shanxara: To whom it may concern.... Would it be possible to expand the Sperethiel vocabulary? It's quite limited if you want to use it for more than cursing...
BobbyDerie> Heh. Yes, it is possible. I keep a fairly complete lexicon on my personal website <http://ancientfiles.dumpshock.com/Sperethiel_Dictionary.htm>, and it'll expand as new terms are added in various books.

Fuchs: To the lead developper: There was some discussion about spirit movement powers used in daily life, such as to speed up ships and planes. From that sprung some discussion about other areas. Will there be more information about how daily life looks, with all the tech and magic used on runs applied to it?
Peter_Taylor> There's likely to be some setting material that reflects these possibilities in future books like Awakened Haunts which will focus on sprawls with a dominant magical aspect or population. We will be discussing future books that might also feature this kind of material latter down the road ? we've got a schedule mapped out for the next year or so but after that... who knows

blueeyes: When can we expect to hear which cities will be covered in Feral cities?
AdamJury> Not right away; Unwired and Ghost Cartels are still ahead of it in the schedule, so we don't want to talk about the specifics of it tooo much just yet.

Swirler: is there a Projected or idealized quota of books that the devs would like to put out in a year, or is it strictly "as it comes"?
Vairdic> Ideally we shoot for six or more in a year. So far in 2008 we're right on target! (In case it hasn't been mentioned more than 4 times, Next Tuesday Arsenal streets, go talk to your local retailer!) Reprints like the SR4 core book that came out the last week of Feb do not count to that total. (Check your local retailer for that one too!)

blueeyes: Magical threats, more threats on the horizon like the shedim etc?
Peter_Taylor> Funny you should mention that... Keep your eyes peeled. Surprises on the way.

Kentares: When (and where) we will see more of the space exploration?
Peter_Taylor> Well, we've introduced one major space plot line in SR4 - the construction of a space elevator and placement of an asteroid in orbit to do it. I think its fair to say we'll be paying a visit up the well in the not too distant future.

RipperDoc: Is there any way to become more involved with developing the "Missions" Campaign? Other than giving feedback, for instance?
AdamJury> If you're interested in contributing to Missions, you should absolutely talk to John Dunn, the coordinator. He doesn't bite. You can mail him at missions@shadowrun4.com

Hermit: Will there be rules for PC Vampires in SR4, in Runner's Companion, for instance?
sprite> Yes, in RC, along with other Infected.

Aldearis: Are we gonna see anything more with Magitech?
Peter_Taylor> We're currently working on exactly how and when we'll be adding rules and gear to the setting in the future. What I can tell you is that we have quite a few more ideas for manatech and we'll be introducing them when the opportunity presents itself.

hobgoblin: ai's, will those be expaneded upon in unwired?
sprite> Yes, along with sprites and a few other surprises.
sprite> RE: AIs. I should also mention that rules for playing AIs as PCs are being considered for RC.

cerbero: Sure I'm not the only one alking: Is there anything new about the foreign language licences, speacialiy the German ?
Vairdic> The license is still under review. There are no issues with it, but the buyout of Topps has created a massive backlog for the Topps legal team. We do have an extension on our current license that allows us to continue to do all the books though. What this means is we can not finalize foreign sub-licenses until ours is signed.

kindalas: What year is it in SR and how quickly does it or will it advance?
AdamJury> As of the publication of Arsenal [street date: March 18!] it's early April, 2071. The timeline moves at roughly real time, but we have to fudge things sometimes so it's never perfect.

blueeyes: If we assume that the magical lvls increase, can we assume that lifespans for orcs and trolls will increase or? (i know its iffy just wanted to know)
Peter_Taylor> Its unlikely since the metatype appears to be fully expressed already. Additional increases in ambient mana levels are unlikely to change that. Its far more probable that science will produce better results though (it already does... for a price)

Kentares: Regarding the space exploration I was asking about a more general approach (not a specific situation like the space elevator) sort of an arsenal book for space or something like that...?
Peter_Taylor> There's no specific book currently planned, though one of the possibilities we have discussed is whether or not to produce themed SOTA-style books in the future, focusing on stuff like Warfare, Space, Espionage, Magic, etc. Should we go ahead with these it'll be a while before they see print though.

Vairdic> Alright everyone, seems that we're done here. We didn't get to every question, but we're 45 minutes over our alotted time, and need to get these guys back to work!
Vairdic> Thanks for all the great questions, and we'll have a chat log posted soon.
AdamJury> Thanks for joining us, everyone, and welcome to Peter as the new lead Shadowrun developer!