Is there anything online, preferably free, that will help me better understand some of the concepts of Shadowrun? I've picked up the Rulebook, Companion, and Unwired, but they seem to be geared towards people who've been familiar with the universe and it's developments for some time. Other times, It seems like the only reason I can follow the book is because of being a gigantic nerd in the first place, and familiar with concepts like Augmented Reality and such.

Specifically, I'm unsure of what "The Crash" was, why internal links are bad, and basically the past of Shadowrun, save the basics of Dunkelzahn, Goblinization and such.

The Genesis game was what made it all make sense to me.

I would say, get some of the novels. Especially the very first ones (i.e. Secrets of Power Trilogy by Robert N. Charrette).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Shadowrun_books#Novels

They are available used for basically free... plus shipping.

http://www.amazon.com/Shadowrun-01-Never-D.../ref=pd_sim_b_2
http://www.amazon.com/Shadowrun-02-Choose-.../ref=pd_sim_b_1
http://www.amazon.com/Find-Your-Own-Truth-.../ref=pd_sim_b_1

Of course, some of the 4th edition concepts are not in there, yet (like wireless Matrix or Augmented Reality), but it covers all the Shadowrun basics, and it's a great read, too.

All books by Nigel Findley are also highly recommendable.

Some of my all-time favorites among the older books are 2XS, Changeling, and Shadowplay.

Of course, there are plenty newer novels as well.

Bye
Thanee

I know I am going to get hammered by saying this, but go watch Johnny Mnemonic. You'll get some nutshell exposure to cyberware, hacking, the matrix and a corporate vs. street feel. If you want some hacking, punk feel, go watch Hackers. It won't give you any cyberware or magic, but you'll get at least some of the angst and hackers against the world feel. For something like AR, I'd highly recommend watching Minority Report, focusing on some of the technology going on in the background.

If you take the three of those movies, and get the main ideas, feeling and technology into your game, you would be doing pretty well. The races, Shadowrun history specifics and magic...well, that's harder to find, but those three movies would give you a good start...

Um... To get a real feel for the Sixth World, I'd recommend picking up the Sixth World Almanac (coming soon in hardcover). Along with a detailed timeline covering 1999-2072, it also gives a nice synopsis of the major powers in the world.

And watch Tron.

Thanks for the advice!

You should watch Tron anyway, because it's fucking awesome. You should also play Tron 2.0, an FPS by Monolith that is likewise awesome. I am moderately optimistic about the potential awesomeness of Tron: Legacy.