I seem to be writing more endings than beginnings these days. Originally I was saving these for when I could put them together into something more substantive, but my energy and enthusiasm have failed. So I'm going to post them here for those who might be interested, with a few comments and explanations. Anyone not interested in some potential spoilers should probably stop reading now.

If you look hard enough on the internet you might run across something called The Corruption; this was a big metaplot arc developed for Shadowrun from some ideas that the higher ups had, and it basically failed to launch. The reasons are many and varied, no need to go into it here, but as books came out and things were planned the plot was subject to several re-writes, eventually culminating with what would be the gist of the Dawn of the Artifact adventure series.

I was unsatisfied with the plotting of DotA for various reasons, and when the ball was being tossed around about righting a "conclusion" campaign to it. There were some stipulations placed on the book, because it was going to be an anniversary product, a follow up to Harlequin and Harlequin's Back, and it had to involve the DotA artifacts in some way. I ended up writing a proposal for a book to be called Harlequin's Gambit, and with some other freelancers was assigned to write the book.

You can download and read my proposal here: Harlequin's Gambit Proposal.

Then the troubles with CGL came. At the time I terminated my contracts, the drafts for the various chapters were incomplete. I was not entirely satisfied with what I'd written, but I'd meant to complete the drafts and then do revisions - but the opportunity never came, and it doesn't look like an official opportunity ever will. My intent later was to rewrite my two chapters, with a few brief bridging scenarios, and package it as a mini-campaign entitled Harlequin's Daughter...until I just ran out of steam.

You can download and read my incomplete drafts here:

• Ch. 2 - London Calling
• Ch. 4 - End of Journey
• Cast of Shadows

Around the time the first DotA adventure was being, Jennifer Harding and I proposed for a companion ebook that addressed the primary arcanoarcheology organizations, talislegging, and rules/guidelines for building your own unique enchantments, with samples. The ebook, Field Guide to Arcanoarcheology, was never completed. Jen and I were going to abuse the low pay rate for ebooks by making this an excuse to write as much as we wanted on the subjects, to hell with word counts...but other projects got in the way. I have a partial draft of the first chapter for those interested. It's very short, but I like it - the intro fiction is based on an idea that I had proposed for a Missions tie-in to DotA, where the Missions characters are hired by the Atlantean Foundation to retrieve a fragment of the Piri Reis map from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan - unfortunately, efforts at getting a tie-in with Missions never happened. I rarely got the chance to write intro fiction with Elijah, which is a shame because I very much enjoy the character.

You can download and read the incomplete draft here: FGAA - Intro Fiction

Last and mostly least - the intention for Harlequin's Gambit was to set up a situation where the occult world of Shadowrun would be shaken up. I had played with this idea relatively early on when freelancing for Shadowrun, by asking why someone didn't just upload the details of the blood magic techniques to the Matrix, where they would go from underground data haven to pirate network, never to be recaptured. The end scenario of Harlequin's Gambit was supposed to be something similar, with a group deliberately leaking or releasing vast amounts of obscure magical knowledge on an unsuspecting Matrix - and the possibilities that carried. Not everyone liked it. Some freelancers hate it. Some freelancers think SR should go back to pink mohawks and frag those motherfraggers right the frag now, chummer! I empathize, but for me things that stay still long enough tend to die.

So Jen and I had tentative approval for a new magic supplement, in the same vein as what War! should have been. It was to be called High Magic, and Jen would have covered the location (Portland, Tir Tairngire) and I was going to handle the mechanics. Despite the name, this book was meant to be an expansion of magical ideas at all levels, from ivory tower corporate magisters to gutter wizards trying to brew Awakened drugs in old coffee machines from the blue moss they scraped off the subway wall. The location was to give a setting where such magic and options could be pervasive; where it wasn't uncommon to see a pixie sucking on a crack pipe in an alley or a dragon giving impromptu lectures and signing autographs to school kids at the mall. We never got as far as writing it, but I did start an excessive and eccentric collection of notes.

You can download and read these notes here: Notes Towards the Advanced Magic Sourcebook


Good night, shadowkids, and happy trails.

Fluff for the Fluffgod! ^^

Shame it didn't get finished.

I hope in time your enthusiasm for Shadowrun will return to you again, Ancient History.

As for your write-ups:

Harlequin's Gambit seems less railroady than Harlequin's Back. This is good. I also like the inclusion of the Black Lodge.

The Naming metamagic seems peculiar. I was under the impression that the 6th World doesn't even know what non-spirit Names are yet , so how could such a technique make sense to an Awakened studying it if it's based on a fundamental principle of magic unknown to them?

How is Suppress Magic supposed to be a Positive Quality? It doesn't seem to have much actual benefit.

Why the option of Insect Magicians as PC's?

Immensely intrigued by what little of the preview I skimmed while DLing. I applaud, and thank you, for your once flourishing enthusiasm, and agree with the sentiment that you find that spark for SR again.

Running a quick scan over these...

Godsdammit so fraggin much.

Managing to tie in the old with the new, hintings, lose ends, new threats and we get fragments, crumbs!

Thank you for uploading, I echo the thought of hoping you manage to recover that spark.

Tir.

Thanks for the nod about the Incarnation metamagic. I'm really enjoying the Advanced Metamagic bookling.

Amazing. Thanks!

Some pretty cool stuff on those notes for high magic book, ofcource some of those would have needed heavy play testing to see where to put the limits.

First I've been biting my tongue since I first saw mention of these items. Thanks for the post.
It's a damn shame these projects won't see the light of day.
Why am I still buying DotA books?
Fan project?

I would love to see something like the Field Guide to Arcanoarcheology come to light. It is a shame though.
Also, loved the fiction with Fianchetto, by far my favorite old school prime runner.

Win, pure win. I might have to flesh out the rest of this adventure just so my players can do just that.

Half of next seasons missions connecting to DotA and the promise of BIG changes connected to the conclusion for several years now.
I'm deeply curious what they plan on doing now that these other planned tie ins are no longer on the table?
I brought this up awhile back in another thread and the answer I got was "something else yet undetermined".

With your permission Ancient History, I'd like to see if I can refine some of the rules you started in your Advanced Magic book.

Chakra ware is interesting. Very interesting.

Also kinda OP, especially Sahasrara.
Unless it costs a ton of essence or shit ton of nuyen, it would have been pretty much must have for all mage characters(most would take it anyway, even if it did)

Also got to say that Orichalcum bone gilding is made of Win.

Well, the edge spending problems does help to negate it. My players spend edge willy nilly when it comes to glitches.

Becouse getting a glitch on a 16+ dice spellcasting pool that gets rule of six is so ver likely, right

I generally don't count the extra rerolls to the glitch threshold. It's not really feasible. And it's not highly likely TO glitch, but I think you underestimate how insanely aggravating a glitch can be. Or lethal. Yes, it is powerful though. I imagine it'd be ruinously expensive on essence, and probably better involving a blood charm style limitation as well.

Thank you AH. I hope you don't mind me posting links to them on my blog so other people will find them too?

Here's to add to the chorus hoping that you find your spark of love for Shadowrun again. These feel kind of like your last hurrah before you ride off into the sunset :/

Well, you have to admit that it would have a certain style and be kind of badass O.o
But yeah, i want to see more too ^^

For him? I imagine a tip of the hat and a knowing nod before he left. No words, no goodbye's, just...the simple tranquility of a man, his horse, and the sunset.

Damn I get prosaic sometimes.

I want me my Orichalcum Melange. That's fricking cool.

PRAXIS GIZZARD.

Maybe it's because I raise chickens (in my urban Seattle yard), but I love that idea.

So any clues as to what or if any of these titles will be replaced?
Will DotA end with a disappointing whimper or get another kind of follow up?
I mean it's still being listed as having a "dramatic conclusion" and involving secrets of the worlds past revealed.

the advanced magic sourcebook is pretty sweet, and I'd love to see it finished(kinda like PACKS). Even if its not official, its really really great material for a GM to steal. Bobby's Book of houserules, or something like that.

Thank you AH. great reads.

Any comment on this, AH? What I mean is, since you terminated your contracts with CGL are they not allowed to use anything you wrote in your drafts? Those chapter drafts are pretty darn complete and the whole thing really makes sense as a follow-on to the DotA scenarios. Does your termination mean they have to come up with a completely different follow-up? Or does the fact that there has been an ongoing collaborative framework for the metaplot (based on the leaked "The Corruption" manuscript) mean that a new author(s) get to use some of the same concepts that you were using for Harlequin's Gambit?

Also, from a GM standpoint, I thank you for posting these drafts so that I have a better idea of the big picture behind the DotA series. *One* of my complaints about the DotA series is that they're effectively leaving GMs blind to the larger plot. IMO, this increases the likelihood that follow-on products might have to be substantially modified by GMs to fit with the improvisations they've made along the way. Now I'm wondering if this obfuscation is a direct result of "oh shit, we have to start over because we can't use any of Jennifer Harding's or AH's drafts."

pretty much yes to all questions.

I second this.

GODDAMMIT.

So much fucking awesome, totaly wasted.

I am just a little bit upset.

Been busy, and just stumbled on this thread. Haven't read the files yet, but I have to say, I've been playing an archaeologist in the shadows on and off for years, waiting for just this kind of material.

Damn. I'm just going to have to go out and excavate this shit myself. *drifts off into archaeofantasies yet again*

All is not terrible,

If AH gets his feeling back for the game he can always put out stuff on the side.


It would be interesting to see how many people go down his plot line rather then the official one

For what it's worth, I can tell you that the things he worked on are having to be redone, and differently. I've worked, personally, on at least two such projects.

Dude, thanks for sharing! From a first glance, I saw some thinks I had thought about a lot myself and then tons of new stuff

Lots of steam to you, for whatever projects -in whichever games- are coming to you in the future!

I just wrapped up the first part of DotA, and I can say this is exactly how I'm wrapping the adventure up.

I'm not going to be picking up DotA 3 or 4 the way things at IMR are looking, but there is plenty of material in the setting to put a story together. This just makes the perfect framework for a big conclusion.

I just looked at PACKS. For the most part, it's a really fun toolkit, but I did have the criticism that a lot of the options are really really really really specific...which is odd because this is being used to create GENERIC goons.

We hope to see you back in the saddle

Thanks

Huh.
Isn't PACKS for building PC characters, not generic NPC goons.

Wait a second. Wasn't that line taken from one of my posts in the "I miss the old feeling.." topic?

I am torn between being happy that I got quoted in someone's sig and sad because I didn't get credited in the sig.

I've just finished reading, and as a fellow Earthdawn junkie i absolutely love it. Frak official storyline, i'll just have to use some of that... Blood Charms, True Blood Magic, Blood Oaths. Wow!

I've cleaned up a lot of the metamagics and martial arts and I'm reviewing them with my group pending including them as house rules. Once I have some final version I'll throw them up here.

I've started work on the metamagic's myself so I can't wait to see what someone else does. Looking forward to seeing your take.

-- Huh, I used the name and almost exact same concept of chakraware in an early draft of GURPS Ultra-Tech 4e (later it got dropped). Great minds think alike

Ok, here's the metamagics to start with. Google Docs FTW

Metamagics

Oops, also my janky little Fung Shui table:

Fung Shui Table

Why, they were finished up by Jenn and Steven... obviously everyone even back then didn't much like Booby's take on it.

And a good thank Ghost that High Magic got tanked. On the other hand, Bobby need to get on with Earthdawn and work on updating lots of their stuff. Good thing he has time now.

When were these finished? Are you writing for CGL now, or just drunk?

Edit:

Oh, I just noticed that you were quoting me from Oct. Still, the CGL comment stands.

If you need ED insights, or current edition help, or any help at all (with Blood Charms, and Oaths for example), you know where to find me.

Hmm. Because starting a WAR! over ill tempered trees sure is better. Yup, we're all MUCH better off now that the last writer who gave a damn about fact checking and research is gone...

Quote my GM:"It's shadowtech, not logitech"

Logitech subsidiaries make cybertech, which is sold as shadowtech.

So technically, your GM is not quite accurate.