Heard about Shadowrun from a friend, who I no longer live near. I have a bunch of friends who have played many RPGs (L5r, D&D, Wild Talents, Etc) but not this one, we all have basically no idea what we're doing. My gaming club has several of the books so what should I look at? Even some of the mechanics seem complex, what do I start with? I assume I need to learn magic, as magic is usually pretty popular.

Thanks in advance =/

if somone in the club wants to run a game for you guys yo get to get a feel fo the game you should try that option.

failing that get yourself a copy of the Core book (paid or borrowed from somone from the club) and have a test run maybe try food figt with the sample characters.

if you like it buy the books proper and get crackalacking

The mechanics are actually failry easier than what they used to be you can even paint the dice for faster hits resolution
as for what to focus on. you cn start mundane only and learn the beginner combat rules without complicating things with magic and matrix.
after a session or two try your hand at magic stuff or hacking if you have the players keen on playing such characters.

One nice thing about the game is that the basic rule book is actually adequate on its own. The other core books are useful, and while they cause power escalation, they also add quite a lot to the variety in the game. The character templates in the core rule book are (mostly) very weak, but get you going very quickly.

If I was you I would probably run a couple of "bar fight" scenarios to get familiar with the core mechanics (have cameras in the bar, so that the hacker can edit away any traces that the players were there), and would use the characters in the core book. After that you and the other players should probably redesign their characters as you will have a much better understanding.

After the bar fight missions you could do worse than getting the denver missions. I wouldn't start with them though, as you may not get a good feel of the game mechanics from the first scenario.

My personal checklist for character design is:

• How many initiative passes do I have? 1 means I am a mook in combat, 2 means I am actually OK, and 3+ means I am a combat machine.
• Are most/all of my attributes at least 2
• Do I have at least body 3?
• Am I wearing the maximum armour I can possibly get away with? Usually this is body * 2
• Do I have a medikit rating 6?
• Do I have around 10..20 points spent on contacts?
• Do I have at least one point in the skills perception and etiquette?
• Most of my characters will have at least one point in pilot ground vehicle, and own a cheap vehicle: having to catch a taxi to get to a run is...embaressing
• What rating is my fake SIN? Without one I will really struggle
• What is my role in a stealth mission? As a hacker I take over the system. As a mage I astrally scout. Otherwise I need infiltration / disguise, or hang at the back
• What is my role in a combat mission? Do I take over the system, control drones, shout people, hit people with a big sword, hide?
• Do I have something to deal with a mugging situation when I am on my own? Mages have spells, Combat people have no problem. What if I am a medic or a face? A Big F* Gun and a bit of intimidation goes a long way

If I am a hacker

• I will have a system 6, response 6, firewall 6 comm link
• I will have exploit 6, stealth 6, all common use programs at 6
• Other things are determined by cash and style...the above are I think very useful

If I am a mage

• I will have the heal spell
• I will have the increased reflexes spell
• I will have a decent spell casting skill
• My willpower and my traditions drain attribute will be at least 4
• My magic will be at least 4
• Have I got as many spells (spellcasting*2) as possible (I like spells...they give options)

I think this is true. I bought a set of blue D6 with white dots , and a blue marker pen. This made a huge difference in playing the game

Seth: nice checklist. Lucid, and you raise important points I haven't seen explicitly mentioned before (what to do on a stealth mission, what to do if mugged alone).

Focus on core book. Run few abstract combat situations with the book on your laps. Try adding some magic to it. Try some hacking, in Unwired there are some sample hacking targets (but leave rest of Unwired alone for time being).
Make real characters afterwards.
And remember to read all fiction inside, it'll give you the mood.