(Inspired by the new "Vampire: the Masquerade anniversary book" about to be released this year)


If Catalyst released an special "Retro Edition" of Shadowrun going back to the 2050´s (the old 1st/2nd edition setting and aesthetics), together with a revised and streamlined pre-4th system, original art by Laubesntein/Bradstreet/Nelson/Aulisio, the old Creatures full color section, and all the old setting elements (Fuchi I miss you)..

..would you buy it ?

Yes.

No, make that HELLZ YEAH!

SR1 Setting with cool Art & with streamlined SR4A Rules ? Yeah Shure, twice !!

HeyaHeyaHeyaJa
Medicineman

Yep.

Of course, I'm kind of a SR whore. I buy everything...

You're an SR Whore? Bah!

I'm a Joytoyboi for Shadowrun!

for sure... and i am pretty sure a few of my mates would too

70% would buy it. Which sadly proves the point that RPGs are behind their prime, and that publishers should strive to resell the same old, same old again and again to satisfy the fan base ... *sigh*

I answered "maybe" because a "yes" could be read as if I prefered an older setting. I'd buy it because it'd be a nice collector item and because even if it's fun to play in the 2070s there is also a lot of fun to be had in the 2050s or even, why not, the 2040s.

I think it could be interesting to have a book that'd let you play at anytime in the SR timeline: when magic was new, when cyberware was buggy, when people were afraid of metas, before, during or right after the crash 2.0, or in 2073. It's not a matter of nostalgia, it's a matter of being able to use different themes and feel that you can't get in the 2070s. Even new players could have fun with it.

Probably not. I don't care for the 4th edition rules, I regularly pull in stuff from 1st and 2nd edition anyway, and I don't trust the designers to catch that sharp quality that made SR1/2 so distinctly punk.

No thanks. The Vamp book is going to sell because White wolf totally scrapped the revised setting to go to NWoD and some of us didn't like the Nwod.
Shadowrun hasn't scrapped totally and started over. It's just progressed.

if I want to play in the 2050s I can do so with the books already out.

Note the suggestion of using SR1-3 or "classic" rules.

If they did the same as VtM and got back some of the old artists (like Bradstreet!) sure. Maybe. Eventually. If I found a good deal on it.

Oh, why not. Back to the roots!

Upside: Consolidated information rather than having a score of books as updates to the game were put out.
Downside: Catalyst hasn't had the greatest quality lately.

Tough call.

Noted. I have no desire to move backwards into the old crappy die mechanic and even less desire to indulge in late 80's cyberpunk nostalgia.

I would buy the PDF, not sure about a book. I'm not sold on the 4e rules, I like my combat pools.



Well if they did it the same as White-Wolf it would be the 3e rules not 4e as the new VtM book is not using the nWOD system but is using the Revised edition.

If I were running the Shadowrun Line, I would be ramping up on 5th Edition Shadowrun. While a "retro" edition would be interesting, I'm more interested in seeing the world jump forward another half decade or so.

1989 (1st edition)
1992 (2nd edition)
1998 (3rd edition)
2005 (4th edition)
2009 (20th anniversary edition) [Minor alterations, no timeline advancement]

It could be interesting. Maybe just a "reverse update" book with 4A-format rules for old tech (cyberdecks, older cyberware, etc.) at various points in SR history and suggestions for playing in the (insert decade here).

Maybe a "timelines" book, with rules and fluff on running each decade by the current rules?

What equipment is or is not available, world changes, adventure seeds, etc.




-k

I'd buy it.

A timeline style book would be really really useful. Each edition has had their own flair and differences, setting wise and it would be pretty cool to see them all kind of "quick compiled" for one rules system.

What
Bjäch
Hissss,Booohhhh
No WaHay
Forget it,not with the old Wacky Rules !!

HougH!
Medicineman

No I wouldn't, I have all the old books so if I want to play old Shadowrun I'll just bust them out.

Not everyone has the old books, or can get them.

Of course, there are PDF versions of them slowly coming out now.

you fraggin skippy i'd buy it, would allow me to run a campaign all the way through the years without the hardest part of the work which is making the NPCs

An updated version of Sprawl Sites would be great. I saw it at my FLGS back home, and am kicking myself royally for not picking it up.

When I originally read the post, I assumed it was previous art and setting matched with current mechanics.

If it's previous art and setting matched with previous mechanics... isn't that just reselling the old book? Is it maybe a new revision of the SR2 manual with all the errata added and some 'new' art from other books? (If so, I probably WOULD buy that.)

Sounds like a good idea to me.

I voted yes thinking the poll was suggesting a timeline book for SR4, and I would buy that.

But old setting, old rules is no different than buying a used or PDF copy.

A timeline book, would also fit well with my other hoped-for-book (Shadows in Space)

I could see one book on "other ways to play Shadowrun"

• Shadows of the Past – rules and guidelines for how gear, magic, and culture were different in various pre-crash-II era's
• Shadows Underwater – playing in and under the water, details on runs involving habitats, domes, ships etc.
• Shadows in Space – details on all the canon stations. rules for magic in space stations (how much life etc. to reduce penalties by how much), suggestions for a tweaked world with more in space than actual canon.
• Out of the Shadows – guidelines for playing company men still working for the man.

If they make the four authors work together, than the sections would also be fully compatible (Company Men in the past, etc.

This would work as a single print book, or a series of PDF books.

I'm sorry, but if it's just SR1 with SR4A rules, I'll have to pass. However, I like MJBurrage's concepts.

Ohhh, a timeline book would be tres awesome.
There's only so much you can do while running a game and referencing Anchient History at the same time. (It's hard enough making our current time seem "edgy" and cannon)

Shadowrun - "the Devil's Due" / "Time to Collect" Editions

1: "The Devil's Due": Fully-referenced timeline, with various "turning points" highlit and relevent adventures annotated for accuracy
2: "Time to Collect" ...with the splatterbooks, errata etc all included and referenced as a PDF with links to the sections mentioned (ALA Pathfinder, god that makes gameplay easier)

Add in the decent, punkish illustrations and you've got a seller.

-Tir

That would be nice, but I'd rather get updated versions of classic adventures. SR4A versions of Harlequin, Dreamchipper, Queen Euphoria, and Double Exposure? OMFG GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME!!!!

Seconded

+1
Totally
4 Times +1

with a totally affirmative Dance
Medicineman

We've got that in France. The publisher started a "Shadowrun Vintage" series of books. The first one has Harlequin and Harlequin's Back. The second one (Insectes) mixes different books/chapter from the insect plot and there should be more coming.
The stats have been updated to SR4A but sadly they weren't allowed to change the Matrix parts so you get SR1/SR2 "Matrix dungeons" where each node (AS, CPU, IO...) is a SR4A node. If you play it that way you're in for looooonnnng hacking sessions.

And yes, a Shadows of the Past book would be great. As I said earlier there are some interesting themes that you just can't have anymore in 2070 and today it's a lot of work for new GM if they want to set their campaign in "the past".

Lucky!

I hate you and I'm very, very upset that I didn't pay attention in French class in high school. Seriously, hate you. Tres tres jaloux!

Heck yes I would.

Now I wish I had learned French and could get a French game of Shadowrun going.

I once met a guy from Québec. He told me Québequois (Yay! Spelled it right the first time!) was just like French, but with more swear words ^_^

French swear words....
They sound like You're wiping off your Tush with Silk paper

with a silken Dance
Medicineman

I once met a guy from Québec I understood better in English than in French.

@Medicineman :
German is great for swear words but most Germans I've seen swear in English, that's wasted potential if you ask me.

I'd imagine that one could run most of those old adventures in 4th edition with no problem. I end up significantly tweaking the opposition in any adventure and it is simplicity itself to create mooks on the fly, so how hard could it be to run any of the old adventures?

It's frankly more work trying to make a faithful recreation than writing an adventure from scratch. Every single bit of rules in the old adventures (especially the 1st Ed ones) has to be completely re-written from scratch because there is not a single bit of crunchy rules stuff that can be used. Every security device, every NPC, every computer system (REALLY hard to translate those dungeon-crawl Matrix systems), every skill challenge, everything. The only thing you can really keep are maps (and even those may need minor changes), setting descriptions, dialogue (and even THAT may need to be changed), and the plot points.

I still have sprawl sites sitting on my current SR shelf and drag it out a few times a year for inspiration.

As for the retro stuff, I think a retro mission answering some deep dark unanswered question from SR's past would be neat. With retro art and style and a backwards compatible decking rule. Maybe a two parter jumping from present to the past or vice versa, get a chance to play two generations of runners. (That being said I still think Harlequin deserves another chapter...needs to be a true trilogy.)

ah but the thing is with the old stuff you can just make it more difficult because it IS a wired system and they have to deal with the old hardware, i mean imaging your hackers dismay and frustration at trying to work with an actual deck because the system has to hacked in person and has no wireless connection

Actually, commlinks can hack wired connections; you just have to hook it up with cable.

At that point, though, you might find bullets are more efficient.




-k

Would I buy the Shadowrun Red Box? No thanks. I already lived through the late '80s and I read Neuromancer in junior high school. There's nothing new under that sun.