Today, we have three new releases for everyone. With Vice hitting shelves on the 23rd of February, we offer up 10 Gangs--a PDF exclusive that makes a fine companion to it:

10 Gangs

Everyone knows the score between the Yaks, Mafia, and Triad, but when you get down to it, the ganger on the corner is just as likely to try and kill you. Here is the download on ten mid-sized gangs that are looking to make a name for themselves.

10 Gangs is designed to supplement any campaign and utilizes the Gang rating system from Vice. Each gang comes with plot hooks and stats for gamemasters and players to use for run ideas, contacts, and keeping an eye on the competition.

• 10 Gangs via Catalyst Game Labs - $6.95
• 10 Gangs via DriveThruRPG - $6.95

Next up is the continuing Manhattan-based Shadowrun Missions campaign. The seventh chapter provides a complete scenario ready for GMs to run tonight:

Shadowrun Missions 03-07 Knight at the Opera

Eight teams escorting eight Damien Knights. Will the real Damien Knight please stand up.

This 20-page scenario includes a complete adventure, player handouts, and record handling sheets for participating in the Shadowrun Missions (SRM) campaign.

Shadowrun Missions is an international shared campaign. The goal is to have characters and adventures that all share the same universe, and of course have fun while doing it. Missions are played at local game stores, conventions, game days, and as home games. Players who participate in these scenarios will have a real opportunity to influence the Shadowrun game world, and play their characters in events worldwide.

• Knight at the Opera via Catalyst Game Labs - $3.95
• Knight at the Opera via DriveThruRPG - $3.95

Lastly, an old-time sourcebook-the First Edition core rulebook for Shadowrun. We are in the process of restoring most of our out-of-print sourcebooks through PDF releases. What better way to start, than the book which started it all.

Shadowrun, First Edition

The Year is 2050

The blending of technology and human flesh began in the 20th Century. Interfacing the human mind with computers was just the first step. Implants the "jack up" reflexes and cybernetic replacements followed quickly. The came the Awakening. A five-thousand-year lull in the flow of mystical energies subsided, and Magic returned to the world. Elves, Dwarfs, and Trolls assumed their true form, throwing off their human guise.

In the world of 2050, the megaplexes are monsters casting long shadows. As shadowrunners, that's where you live, in the cracks between the giant corporate structures. When the megacorps want something done but they don't want to dirty their hands, it's a Shadowrun they need and they come to you. Though your existence is not acknowledged by any governmental or corporate database, the demand for your services is high. You might be a Technomancer, sliding like a whisper through the databases of giant corporations, spiriting away the only thing of real value-information. Or perhaps you are a Street Samurai, an enforcer for hire whose combat skills and reflexes make you the ultimate urban predator. Or perhaps a Mage, one with an ancient gift, the ability to wield and shape the magical energies that now surround the Earth. And that's exactly the kind of firepower you'll need if you get hired to make a Shadowrun.

(For those curious, this scan is of the Fifth Printing of the softcover edition! It's OCRed and has bookmarks!)

• Shadowrun, First Edition via Catalyst Game Labs - $8.00
• Shadowrun, First Edition via DriveThruRPG - $8.00

ooooo. Shiny. My 1st edition BBB disintegrated years over a decade ago.

Shadowrun v1 is an interesting choice to release.

Still, a nice addition to add to my PDF catalog of SR editions...

I am very excited about old school Shadowrun legacy material being released as .pdf. This is most fantastic!

Very nice, but why, oh why, is the no nice cover to go with this PDF?

Wouldn't even have to be a new one, you could have reused one of the old covers.

Lars

Hey! Great job in releasing the three PDFs. I've been jonesing a bit

Nothing big but I have a couple of notes. At least on my Mac, I don't have any of the covers for the SR1 PDF. Missing on purpose or just an issue with the Mac preview tool? Second, and it's just a minor minor thing for me. 10 Gangs stock is 26504 but so is the Mission Monkeywrench PDF (I'm a big fan of consistency )

And really, thanks for the effort and for getting the PDFs out. Looking forward to reading them

Carl

Because it doesn't really need one, and it would drive the price to produce it up? Even reusing an old one might, depending on how Catalyst licenses/buys their artwork.

Digtial Grimoire, the addition to Street Magic, had a cover page.

Bad Moon Rising, the addition to Runners Havens, had a cover page.

10 Gangs, the addition to Vice, has no cover page.

Seems kind of inconsistent.

when did the back cover of SR1 talk about technomancers?

*grumble, grumble* Adam *grumble, grumble* daggum PDF uploader *grumble, grumble* wrong file name....

So, 10 Gangs actually has a Stock number of 26650, and it should be numbered that way on the website. The file name got the wrong number on it, early in the process, and I failed to fix it before uploading to the site. After that, there's no turning back...really...unless I want to spend another ten minutes fixing it...*logs to go spend ten minutes*
Edit: I emphasize the should, since it really should have read that way...and I failed. Give me time this morning to find Vairdic and see just how painful he wants me to make his life.

RE: Covers - This PDF was in full color, and had a few stylistic changes from the previous PDF exclusives. Think of it as an experiment.

RE: SR1 Covers--They are there on my computer, so probably a Mac Preview issue. Daggum Macs...

I'm not sure, I came in at SR2, but when I read that--well, I was floored. I trust that they didn't completely generate a brand new cover just to change one word.

Ever since 1989.

Lars

interesting, given that the SR2 i have on a shelf here mentions deckers in the same place.

I have a hardcover (Corrected Second Printing), a softcover (Corrected Third Priniting) and now the PDF (based on the Corrected Fifth Printing) and they all have the same backcover.

They also have the same line "You might be a Technomancer, sliding like a whisper through the databases of giant corporations, spiriting away the only thing of real value-Information." on page 7.

The description of the Decker on page 34 starts: "Technomancer, that's what I am.", and under Commentary is the following "She jacks into the Matrix to manipulate the dataflows to her own ends while seeking the big score or the trick that will snug her firmly into the annals of the technomancers."

The Elven Decker has this description: "I am a technomancer, and there isn't a drop of the Rain Dance in the magic I do."

Page 106 under description of Cyberprograms has this line: "But those are the only things worth seeing, right, technomancer?"

So in 1st edition technomancer was just another way of describing a decker. No fancy rules, and no special abilities.

Lars

On the stock number, I don't recall what it was on the site. I only bring it up because I keep track of my gear on rpg.net.

And no disparaging of my mac. It does show up on my Ubuntu box.

Thanks

Carl

Yep, Dodger was also described as a Technomancer (and did that "naked decking" thing, which sounded a bit like technomancering...confusing when you read that novel a few editions late).


One question to the powers that be, is there a rough schedule for the digital re-releases or is this more of a "when we are not busy with something else" kind of project?

Hmm, might have to spoil myself for my birthday this month.

Yes, there is a schedule. But we will only divulge it to people who mail us cookies.<sup>1

1. If you need our mailing address, just ask.</sup>

Sounds like mailing coals to Newcastle

hmm, How does peanut butter with white chocolate, macadamia nuts, and ghiradelli dark chocolate drizzle sound?

cholesterol bombshell...

Very excited! Any plans for a Nth-to-4th quick conversion chart? I never figured out the rules for the older stuff, but I'd love to snap some of it into my 4th ed game.

Probably not. But if you have a copy of SR2, you can convert SR1->SR2 with the bit in the back. If you have a copy of SR3, you can convert SR2->SR3 with the bit in the back. And of course if you the SR3->SR4 Character Conversion Document, you can use that too.

the biggest jumps are between SR1 and SR2 (removal of pr weapon staging thresholds), and between SR3 and SR4 (new dice mechanc).

SR3 was mostly SR2 with VR2.0 and rigger2 rules integrated into the main book.

And the change to skills. (Removal of tree for defaulting, and making skills start at the Concentration instead of Broad category level. AKA no more Firearms/Pistols/Specialization.)

Some skills were split up but the majority remained as they were in the 2nd to 3rd ed. adjustment. As for weapon staging, SR2 consolidated the varying figures to 2. SR remained pretty similar throughout the original editions.

Glad to see SR1 is now scanned. The later revised prints, which probably include this scan, removed a brief section of rules on autofire (or the like). I'll have to make a neat scan of the relevant page [only;] for the those after the complete collection.

oops. how could i forget about the fun that was the skill tree?

10 gangs looks good, should get a few ideas out of it at least.

SR1 is a trip down memory lane... the only book I never bought, SR2 came out too fast, but I had a lot of copied passages from it to run my character.