So did I just catch that Missions will be moving to Seattle after 4 more missions? (Plus 8 convention missions) This comes from the developer's chat with Jason H. Any news or anything to add Bull?

Hrmmm... I've been trying to avoid tipping my hand here. The plan had been to announce things at Origins. I will say there will be more details available at the con (and online shortly after, if attendees don't post it first ).

I will say that we're working on wrapping up Season 3. Mission 8 should be out "Any Day Now" (I hope!). Missions 9-11 are pretty much done except for Layout, and we're trying to get Mission 12 polished up and ready for Origins, GC, and D*C.

Once those are released, yes, we're moving to Seattle. I will note that the move wasn't originally my idea (and was planned before I took over), but I do fully support it. I'm working to implement a few changes and tweaks into the Missions system, and starting in a new city, with a new campaign, and (mostly) new characters will allow for that. This also means that following Season 3 and the Convention season, we'll be implementing the Retirement/Promotion rules (These will go into effect with the start of Season 4, so you don't need to worry about them until you look to jump into your first Season 4 adventure. S o play out what you can of Season 3 and the Convention Missions while you can. And yes, the status of your previous character will have some effect on your new character. Nothing major, but there will be perks )

I won't go into it too much, but I will say this much now... Season 4 has a theme: "Choices". Make of that what you will. It will also revamp the Affiliation system a whole bunch. And it's going to have a more focused storyline running through it. Season 4 is being approached as a campaign rather than a simple setting (Though we still want to, mnore or less, keep things lose enough so that if you play the missions out of order, it doesn't effect you too terribly much). We also are looking to make Missions into more than just simply a "Convention Game", which is one of the reasons behind the Campaign/story arc style we're doing.

We're planning to have a bunch of stuff ready to go for Origins which will detail more of this info, and we'll post it up online after the con (Or maybe even AT the con, who knows ).

Bull

Thanks for the reply despite my inability to spell Seattle.

I make of it that you're stealin ideas from our home game you little tramp I did that chapter already!!!

You're welcome.

Thanks! (I wasn't sure who was responsible, honestly, I just know that I was told "New York ends at 12, Season 4 is in Seattle" )

Honestly, I liked New York quite a bit... But Seattle's "Home", so I think we can have some fun with it. Seattles got one big advantage to it too, in that it's got a lot of source material to it, and a lot of players are already familiar with the setting. So I'm hoping to take this opportunity to dive in and explore some of that setting in more detail.

Bull

You did use that, didn't you...

Well, in this case, hopefully the players will have choices that are better than "Rock", "Hard Place", "OHFUCKMAKEITSTOP!"

Bull

I had been saying for ages that it was _ridiculous_ that Missions was it's own little sub-universe that could do nothing to stimulate sales of print books and other PDFs in Shadowrun's "core settings." Except I used words that were a lot more pointed than ridulous; eventually, I got through to everyone.

I enjoyed being out of the default city, it was nice to see some other cities. I was hoping that missions would continue to move around for each season and expanded whereever it was based with a Rotten Apple-style PDF source book. I had even hoped that it might leave the USA for a season and have some some missions someelse in the Sixth World.

I had no issue with the Missions setting being "Not Seattle" or "Not in North America" but wherever it ended up being, that setting had to actually be supported and integrated into the storyline, not just a side playground that had no relevance.

With all due respect, Adam, when Denver was chosen there were very good reasons for it to be a side playground.

You're correct. The situation in the FanPro days was different in several important ways.

Yes... my favorite ShadowRun city.




I think you mean "poignant" and "ridiculous"?

Just to be clear, Denver had a Box Set for frags sake.

That said, I am all over Seattle. And funny enough, I hope there isn't an e-book put out thats a required purchase to understand and run the setting. Missions should be accessible.

Ideally, missions are the "first free crack" and publishing full adventures picks up.

BlueMax
/day dreamer

Personally I it's a matter of managing expectations. While I'm all for missions modules being worked into the general storyline I don't see it as an ironclad requirement. All I want from missions are fun coherant storylines. Would it be nice to have stories that feel like they have some heft to them or at least play in the bigger playground oh yes, but they don't all need to be like that. Knight at the Opera and Burning Bridges are two modules for me that seem to pull off metaplot integration pretty well even if Burning Bridges only resulted in a Jackpoint footnote it was still pretty cool.

Also, you really don't need Rotten apple to run missions in NYC just as you don't need any of the seattle books to run stuff in Seattle.

I guess the free download covers the passes and I concede your point.

Would you agree to "Miss some of the desired atmosphere?"

BTW I have Rotten Apple, I just hate New York.

BlueMax
/Chitown>> New York

No, I meant "pointed than ridiculous"

A bug city campaign would be pretty cool other then absolutely boning faces and technical people of most stripes, and mages come to think about it. Maybe a chitown game wouldn't be that grand idea for a whole year long campaign although it might be a neat spot for a few mod "vacation" or CMP.

I don't know I liked a lot of concepts about manhattan, perhaps because I'm a trench coat and mirrorshades devotee. The problem is the Manhattan missions seemed to lack a lot of cohesion and consistency. Still fun mind you but with just a little pinch of plot arching there could have been something sublime there.

Denver was a bad choice, as Denver was made to be a very tough place to be a ShadowRunner. It was for elite runners to work in, so the campaign wonkily circumvented some tough aspects so that starting characters could play. I'd be happy to see Denver come back, but as a Prime Runner event released twice a year for characters that opt out of the normal campaign.

My main complaint about the denver missions as I've stated elsewhere is this: We have a setting tailor made for international and corporate intrigue and instead the Denver missions repeatedly had the runners clashing with bland and rather interchangable gangs full of mooks who couldn't threaten anorexic otaku credibly. Then to cap it all off they threw in Ghost Walker who was the worst thing to ever happen to Denver. That and the constant overbearing "Your poor and you feel bad" meme got very tired very quickly.

Well I for one am glad to see things moving out of Manhattan. I do not like the "Big Brother" feel the New York Campaign has going on. Shadowrunners seem pointless to me in that environment. The concept of the Deniable Assest is mute when every corp knows every move everyone makes seemingly before they make it. I have only played a few mission in New York so far, but everyone has had that moment when someone tries to use your actions against you in am I-know-what-you-did-last-shadowrun kind of way. And I always want to scream, "Of course you do, because god forbid a Shadowrunner takes a crap without someone knowing about it. Besides its not a threat if everyone already knows. Tell whomever you want, they already know." Runners are supposed to have anonymity in their favor and the ability to fade away into the Shadows.

Ok sorry for the little rant.

Never apologize for a truth you did not create.

BlueMax

My group is pleased that Seattle will be the next campaign location.
NYC in the SR world is ok to visit and clever and all but isn't dystopic enough to feel like classical Shadowrun.