I am working on a project where I'm stripping down Shadowrun to just the rules and reorganizing it. I need to get the SR4A as a Word doc or find a pdf to Word converter. I am currently using cut and paste but when you do so it make a complete mess of things. I am about 1/2 done with the core book but it's going very slowly.

Thanks

Free PDF to Word Doc converter

Fast (depending on your machine) and easy to use. One problem could be the size of the output file. I tried to convert a SR3 rulebook and Word wasn't able to open the output file because it was larger than 32mb (in fact it was approx. 620mb). I therefore recommend not to include images when converting a whole book.

What I did (the hard way) was copy all the relevant character creation bits and baubles into word then clean up the resultant mess. Then I reorganized it. I did this for all the main rule books. This means our group has a single resource we can go back to, hand out to new players, and to keep at the table for quick reference. It also allowed any speciffic changes or clarifications we wanted to make to be codified and available to everyone. I also did one where I stripped out all the magical crunchy bits... yes, that means I had to do my own spell tables, including the spell's text in the chart. It also means that new players can borrow one of the extra BBBs we have, but they don't need to invest in all the books until the get fully hooked on the universe. I also did another similar handout where I stripped out all the one-page fluff stories and the short compilation at the end of Runner's Companion so a new player could get a good quick "feel" for the universe. Finally, I put together a lot of the bits on running the shadows where it describes the technology and so forth related to "running the shadows" from a character's perspective. The feedback from our players has been great, and the results have been worth all the effort that went into it. Even doing it the way I did, the file sizes are very large. If I had know there was a converter (and why the hell didn't I decide to use my Data Search skill and try to find one?!) I would have used the thing in a heartbeat. Now I feel stupid. I'm not sure how Catalyst would feel about it, but if they didn't object, I would offer the files. There are no rules for play in them, so you still need to buy all the books for the relevant crunchy bits.

I don't know whether Catalyst would like those files to be published but there was a gaming aid for SR3 called "Lost Tables". It came with NSRCG. Never heard any complaints about this file. So, if your files do not contain anything that would distract players from buying books, it should be ok, I think. But this is just a personal guess.

Actually, so far, it has had the OPPOSITE effect. People want to see all the extra stuff that's NOT in the handouts!

Perhaps you should ask someone at Catalyst. Seriously... it's better to ask than to get your files banned afterwards.

I guess that IS a place where "Ask permission and hope for it's blessing" as opposed to "Act first and seek permission later" huh? I will think about it and drop them a note.