The title says the gist of it: is there a list somewhere of all the books (sourcebooks, rulebooks, novels) that are still considered canonical for SR4? I'm trying to get up to speed on everything before GMing for a relentlessly inventive group, and I'd like to have as complete a sense of the Sixth World as it currently stands as is possible; I have time to read and re-read everything until it's all firmly entrenched in my long-term memory (for once, lengthy assay incubation times are a good thing), but I'm not sure what "everything" is.

Incidentally, any material that isn't SR4 but can be used to explain it would be useful too.

That's a good question. I'm not sure that the Line Dev or the writers even know definitively.

Basically every English language RPG book is still canon. The novels are also generally accepted as canon, or possibly exaggerated versions of canon events.

Since almost everything in Shadowrun books, is presented as the opinions or views of in-universe writers, it is all still valid even if the writers are wrong in their opinions.

All Shadowrun rulebooks, sourcebooks, and adventures published and PDFs by FASA, CGL, and FanPro US are considered canon.

FanPro Germany books published during the same time period as FanPro US (2002 through 2006ish?) are kinda canon. However, unless the material was translated into English, it may or may not be ignored down the line, due to inaccessibility, mainly.

The novels are considered canon as far as storyline events go, but should not be considered canon if you're trying to translate the prose into game rules.

Bull

and the German Books under Pegasus Games are even more canon than these from the US
(having errattas included that the english Books don't have)
The 6th World Almanach is supposed to be Canon, but I would wait for a newer Version
the first printing has a lot of Mistakes

with a winged Dance
Medicineman

Ancient Files Are Your Friend!

Being able to absorb EVERYTHING the Shadowrun/Earthdawn universe has to offer, along with the myriad of rules clarifications and judgment calls you will have to make is a near impossibility for anyone not from Gallifrey.

I would suggest you whittle it down to specifics from the game you are running and ask the good folks here for any canonical advice from there on out.

But, since you asked...

Shadowrun line is full of more or less blatant contradiction. Basically, every affirmation has a level of canonicity. It ends up being something around those lines :

Level 1 - what the current line developer thinks NOW.
Level 2 - what the current line developer wrote in e-mail, forums and chat.
Level 3 - published sourcebooks and adventures in English, by reverse order of release.
Level 4 - published novels, by order of release.
Level 5 - published sourcebooks and adventures in foreign languages, by reverse order of release.

The "canon" stops here but you can go on with a few more levels.

Level 6 - what current authors think, along with their working documents (should they be leaked).
Level 7 - what past line developers wrote in e-mail, forums and chat.
Level 8 - what past line developers thought.
Level 9 - what past authors thought.

For instance, what is written in a sourcebook is canon level 3, but the actual interpretation of what it really means by its own author may be level 6 or 9. When a line developer lose the job, level 1 and 2 instantly drops to level 6, 7 or 8. The lack of fact checking in the last CGL books resulted in level 6 getting into level 3 even if they were actually contradicting older level 3 or 4 information.
AS far as I can tell, there is no real distinction between editions and publishers. Change of line developer are far more significant.

We really need a Shadowrun Bible...

THAT would have been something the Almanach should have adressed . .

Old Testament = Fanpro
jehovas Witness = Fanpro Germany
New Testament = CGL
Babtist = Pegasus

with a biblical Dance
Medicineman

Between this and the War thread, i am worrying that some are taking this game way to seriously...

infidel! djihad!*snickers*

A "Bible" is a guide used by authors to keep things straight in a series. Not an actual Bible.

As for the War! thread, it's mostly an issue of "This was the Outline, but we got THIS, WTF?" to sum it up nicely. (With the occasional question by me, as I, *GASP* want to get quality for my hard-earned dollars.).

HERESY!

IN MY SHADOWRUN?

I didn't want this to have anything to do with WAR!; I just wanted some kind of list to get as complete a sense of the Sixth World as possible while I have time to sit and read a ton of books, since some of the references/jokes here still go over my head.

Fortinbras' list works nicely.

I'd rather not have to reword my every post here to keep only tangentially related threads from devolving into WAR!-bashing, but it looks like I may have to.

But that is neither your fault nor your problem ^^

It's not like we're going to bite your head off because you ask a question tangentally aligned to War!. We're not that bad.

Well Bull is, but then he is an ork, so.

Although we might eat your eyes.

But who cares about that?
Cybereyes are better anyway.