I am new to shadow run in general but I have had a few games and got my head around most of it, I have never played an online pen and paper game though and am a bit confused as to how it runs. Does the GM roll all the dice? is there some kind of online random generator that does that? does everyone have to be online at one time or is it done via email?

any help is appreciated.

P.S Sorry if I am posting this in the wrong place!

For an online dice roller often used, try http://invisiblecastle.com/

Games are slow, take patience, and often don;t get past the initial meet. Keep trying, the good games are very rewarding. GO read a few threads. Each game is run a little differently.

Actually, there are various ways to play online.

1. Games on Dumpshock use a method called Play by Post. Just like it sounds, you play by posting your actions in a bulletin board thread dedicated to a particular game.
2. Internet Relay Chat (IRC) requires everyone to be online at the same time. It is like AOL Instant Messenger (or Yahoo, MSN, etc)
3. OpenRPG is an example of a Gameboard: It is like IRC with GUI enhancements like an interactive mapboard, programable character sheets, etc.
4. Whereas AIM and IRC act like peer to peer networks, Multi-User Dungeons (MUD), Multi-User Shared Environments (MUSH), etc. are client server network. These systems are usually operating 24 hours a day. Players log on and log off at different times, some at random, some on a regular schedule, and others pre-arrange meetings. The classic MUDs and MUSHes are the text based predeccesors of the MMORPGs like Everquest.

I listed these systems in order of increasing computer involvement.

The Dumpshock forum just displays posts sequentially. Everything else is done by humans. Some DMs roll all the dice, some DMs trust the players to roll the dice, and other games use online dierollers like Invisible Castle. Players use a web browser to access the games.

IRC gamers use an IRC chat client. Some IRC clients like mIRC are customized for gaming. Some IRC networks allow the use of Bots, which are rudimentary Matrix Agents. GMs use Bots to keep track of initiative, roll dice, etc. The Bots reside on the GMs client PC.

MUDs and MUSHes are programs run on a server. MUD programs vary in complexity and sophistication. MUD servers are accessed via a terminal program using telnet or ssh. MUD servers typically know the game rules and keep track of all game mechanics. Die rolling, etc. is invisible to the gamers. Gamers often use terminal programs optimized for MUD gaming.

Example of SR Play by Post: Dumpshock's Welcome to the Shadows
Example of SR IRC: undernet.org /join #shadowrun
Example of SR MUD: telnet awakenedworlds.net 4000

Of course, there is also play by email, which is exactly like play by mail. The GM mails the scenario to the players. The players mail their responses to the GM. The GM resolves the scenario, and mails the results together with the next scene to the players.

Thanks for the info guy's was very helpful

You can play per Skype or Teamspeak too. It's quite fast and for dicerolling we use a seperate program like Pen & Paper (which comes with a map drawing tool too)