Just curious how important are the comet books and the arcology shut down to have as far as sweeping changes to the back ground of the game? It seems like a lot of things change after all those books as well as Super Tuesday.

Also where are otocu 1st mentioned?

Thanos

Otaku are first mentioned in the Denver boxed set, the player information portion, talking about the Denver Data Haven. Renraku Arcology: Shutdown really changes very little, though if/when Deus succeeds it'll change the Matrix quite a bit.

~J

Edit: It's implied that the term Otaku was known before as being applied to technologically oriented tribes of street kids, but the Denver Boxed Set (2055, IIRC) is the first revelation that Otaku can run the Matrix sans deck, an ability that was a lot less impressive in first edition when "decking naked" was something anyone could do, though few could do effectively.

Year of the Comet changes a lot, thats when SURGE happens, plus a long list of other events (like Ghostwalker taking over Denver).

Arcology Shut Down is a good read, but unless you plan on running something that would take place inside it you don't need the book, all you need to know is that the Arc was taken over by Deus and then in Brainscan the Arc was opened back up in the end (sorta).

Otaku rules first showed up in Arcology Shut Down, then expanded in Virtual Realities 2.0, but for 3rd ed rules (very complete now) you need Matrix.

edit: Ok, I don't have the Denver Box Set, so I guess I was wrong.

No, you were correct in what you said, that's when rules for the Otaku first showed up (though not their first mention). They were NPC-only as of the Denver Boxed Set. I'll check if there are any rules governing them more complex than "these kids run circles around traditional deckers".

~J

I know there were rules for the Otaku in Virtual Realities 2.0. I've only recently gotten back into SR so have not read the 3.0 Martix sourcebook yet, but I would imagine rules for Otaku would be included in there as well.

I meant in Denver. I know where the other rules are.

~J

Let us not forget that 'otaku' is a modern term for someone (non-Japanese) who is completely obsessed with Japanese pop culture..

So? Shadowrun is full of stuff that is borrowed from the real world.

LoseAsDirected, wrong on two points. One, the term Otaku does not apply specifically to non-Japanese, that's a very recent evolution of the word; your family can have been solidly Japanese back a hundred generations and you can still be an Otaku. It actually also doesn't even apply only to Anime; you can have an XYZ pop-group Otaku or whatever, it's in the West that the term has become single-meaning.
Second, the term in Shadowrun has nothing to do with those meanings. It's clearly explained somewhere or other that in SR it's derived from otaku-zoku, being a formal way of saying "you". They never explain why, but given that the term was used in what, '95 or so when the Denver boxed set was made I somehow doubt the term had hit enough popularity in the West to be a reference to that.

~J

Ok. Then what does the public know about the arcology shut down as of 2063?

Thanos

Thats a good question. I'm sure Renraku did a big spin off with the media, but Shadowland would know the truth.

Shadowlands would know the truth, what with RA:S being a Shadowlands post and all
It's probably known that there was a computer malfunction involved, it's probably rumored that there was an AI involved. Other than that, probably nothing is known.

~J