Hey,

I'm a Sacramento resident (Sacramentonian? Saccite? whatever) and was eyeballing the pdf release of this book for some localized campaign ideas. However...it's 2ed and to be honest I haven't really read anything outside of 4'th edition books. Will this book feel "dated" compared to info given in core and other supplementary books currently out there?

Honestly, we've only done one real Sacramento region mission so far so we haven't invested too much into the setting here. I know there's always the debate of established setting vs personal creativity in the setting but mostly I'm just looking to see if this book will fit in well with other current resources.

It's dated. CallFree is sort of the punching bag for the setting, and got a sever facelift between 2065 and 2070.

For the area you're going to run in, Sacramento-Chico-Oroville? Probably not. Saito didn't get too far out of Frisco; though he was supported by Sacramento, he didn't get far out and was stymied by C-O. The whole mess retreated to the bay and returned to about where it was before, though still heavily human and Japanese biased.

The Shasta area is still as iffy as possible, though the worry about the Tir coming down has lessened a bit, though some still feel betrayed by Hestaby, and the UTC has had a severe problem in keeping afloat.

LA? Well you'll probably need to get Corporate Havens to see how LA is after the quake and PCC's takeover, but you can still glean quite a bit from the area, like how the universities act and react. The Mojave hasn't even been truly conquered by the Pueblo either so that whole area is still as it is.

Cal Free still has its problems, and even though LA is taken by PCC the feel of the Azzies on their doorstep is still the same palpable feeling, though they'll be scaling that back with the upcoming war with Amazonia. The book itself might be a bit dated but there's still plenty to glean from the areas that haven't been covered by newer books. Plus there are stats for Cal Rangers anyway and they'll be important.

In the end? Get it, use it. There are several options as well: backdating your campaign to before the Comet (which would both eliminate the Saito and the LA moved in on by PCC), cherrypicking ideas from it to work on your own stuff, or using it as a base for your own history.

I'd say use it, and throw out the stupid "The Big One" scenario 4e's writers thought up. As if that wasn't the most cliche element in "real world" setting science fiction. Cal Free had some really cool settings in the 2e book. Never ran anything there ourselves, but the book would provide a lot of material for someone who wants to.

Besides, you know what keeps California from falling into the ocean? The vacuum created by the other 47 states that suck.

Never heard that one before.

Thanks for the insight. Guess I'll get it and give it a good read through, see what I make of it.

Oi Chum,

Though the CalFree book is dated, the Twins and General Saito come to mind right away, there is an awful lot of really good info in there. Take it all with a grain of salt and a more recent timeline and you can fit this book in nicely to a 4th. Ed game. I have run smugglers in and out of Redding and love the Big Sur area for the whole West Coast Pirate haven. Just pick and choose whats good and throw out the rest.

Tossing out stuff is a bit of a trick, at the moment. I've inquired a bit as to what my experienced players have played in the area and it's tossing a bit of a wrench in my plans.

Most of the players I'm using are new to the game, so obviously there's not a lot of caring on their end whether I use canon material or just make it up (so long as it's fun).

The few experienced people I have though are coming out of several other groups in the area...some who use the book info and some who don't. I suppose it comes down to whatever is fun with them as well, in the end, but I'm a bit anal retentive where I really like some consistency in my games. Stuff bothers me when I'm constantly trafficked into a new setting because nobody can agree on a solid premise.

Still, I guess that's the break of being a GM for a change rather than a player, it's not about my singular enjoyment anymore. After reading through the book as well, I think we can work out a good happy medium for everyone in terms of setting elements.

Oi WoW,

I hear you. But really all thats changed for the CFS is that Saito is out M.C.T. is in. Give L.A. to the P.C.C. then flood it. Hestaby is still in control up North. Berkeley/Orkland is still a dump and the Big Sur is all yours to mess with. Hope it works out. CalFree is an awesome setting for SR. You can do smuggling jobs all over the area, corporate work throughout the Bay Area and Silicon Valley, miles and miles of territory for telesma gathering and just about everything in between.

The CFS sourcebook is quintessential early Shadowrun: gonzo, contradictory, loaded with flavor, suffers from "balkanization = Adventureland!", and a source of many tears from later freelancers