So...I've never really been able to keep track of the metaplot of RPGs I've enjoyed...mainly for economic reasons...and also because until a few months ago the nearest gaming shop was an hour away, and I've never had a car or anything (combination of youth and the a-fore-mentioned economic reasons).

Anyway, what would you suggest for someone who wants to grok the whole metaplot of SR, from first edition to the last book published? In order?

Also, a problem is that 1.) I don't want to waste time reading some of the more...ill-reputed novels, and 2.) I don't want to know anything about the better adventure modules, as I hope I'll be able to play in them some day.

Oh, blah, I can't express myself right now.

Give me a friggin crash course in the early metaplot of the game. Somebody has to have written something on this by now...Ancient History?

A) AH is a good guy and does alot of stuff, be he's mostly about the Earthdawn connections. Although he's knowledgable, it's kinda like asking Raygun his opinion on cyberware. He'll have one, it's just not neccisarily his area of expertise.

And: Right from the beginning, eh? That's a pretty tall order. Firstly, I personally just don't have that kind of time. Secondly, that'd be taking food right out of the authors mouthes. It's one thing to discuss bits and pieces here and there, but the whole works? Sorry man, I gotta support the industry, and more specifically, the game.

I *will* recommend the crash course of books, if you like. A list of some of the most info-packed ones, in no particular order.

-Portfolio of a Dragon
-Corperate Download
- Dragons of the Sixth World
- Shadows of North America
- Renraku Arcology: Shutdown (also, Brainscan)
- Target: UCAS
- Year of the Comet


That should more or less bring you up to date, although with some gaps.

isn't there an SR timeline here on dumpshock?

Canon. One year, place, or query at a time.

Corp jobs, bugs, IE, mob, AI, horrors, president, surge.

Looks like a good link to me

incidentally, you don't actually have to fill in that second line for the title.

There really wasn't an early metaplot until the Bugs showed up. Before that it seemed like it was just street level runners trying to survive on the crumbs of the megacorps. And not even all the megas got a nod. Mitsuhama, Renraku, Ares, Aztechnology, and Fuchi were the only ones that did anything.

Ares and the Azzies seemed to have the Shadow market cornered in the earlier modules. Mitsuhama was just a front for the Yak and, thus, always a bunch of thugs. Renraku...well, they had the Arc. And a Doppleganger.... Fuchi, meh, until Supernova came out they didn't do a whole lot. In SR1 they were pretty silent. Like I said, for the most in the early days it was Ares ("good guys") and Aztechnology ("bad guys").

Shiawase...hmmm. I don't think I've had a run from them or against them. Wierd. Yamatetsu didn't show up untill later and I don't know where the hell Cross Applied Tech came from.

And your going to have a nigh impossible task of following the metaplot from beging to end with it spoiling pretty much all of the metaplot moduals.

You should talk to your GM and set a year that you want to start your characters in and go from there. 2055 works pretty well. You just have to tweek some the moduals (Harlequin, Missing Blood, Ivy and Chrome and Euphoria come to mind). IIRC, almost all of the moduals have some metaplot sprinkled into them, in some its less prominent than others.

IIRC Yamatetsu first appeared in 1992 in the novel 2XS by Nigel Findley, and in Corporate Shadowfiles in 1993. Cross Applied Technologies and Wuxing Inc. only appeared in PoaD: Dunkelzahn's Secrets when they received some bequests and I guess already groomed by the authors to get AAA status.

Yes, Yamatetsu did first appear in 2XS. It was shocker because it was the largest corporation in the world and no one had heard of it or some such.

Hey! I don't just do ED/SR! I also do Matrix Metaplot. <sniff>

Some stuff is missing, such as the Proteus AG metaplot (German things, DidS II, Schockwellen), the death of Nachtmacher (boo hoo), and some of the blood magic and more interesting things. OTOH, it's a lot better than the explanation in SR3 or the for-free site you can visit on the website.

Don

I have never used Meta Plots, never will.

A gaming company builds a world, a concept. I decide as a GM I like this concept and would like to run a campaign in it. Thanks for the game world, great work now git out ma way!

I don't allow other people to tell me what's happening in MY game world. You made it, fine, it's made, thank you. Don't you drag your butt in here and start telling me what's happening in MY world however or your liableto get a shot in the head.

Meta Plots annoy me, everyone knows them. My meta plots are kept secret, until for reason a or b, parts or the whole of it is exposed.

I say make your own... but then, that's just me.

Sunday

Gygax would disagree with you Sunday. Many of the adventures he wrote for Greyhawk got ingrained into the metaplot of the campaign setting. Such as Against the Giants, The Temple of Elemental Evil, Vecna Lives!, ect.

Personally, I think it shows that the creators of the game still belive in their product when they keep a meta plot going.

Not always. Sometimes the plots come to an end, more or less (e.g. Deadlands, WoD).

Probably one of the best metaplot books is Time of the Void for L5R. It shows how to put your characters in a position with the "signature" characters running the show. An all-around good product.

TOTC does something similar.

Don

the deadlands plot ended? when and how?

Deadlands: Reloaded for the Savage Worlds system. Plot ender.

Don

huh. cool.

back on topic, i like metaplots. i rarely use them, but i like the idea of a vaguely unifying story. i don't like them invasive and world-changing(white wolf), but i enjoy following them.

You have to walk a fine line. I think that some metaplots are good...Especially in the pure fantasy campaign (D&D), SR needs some fluidity. I do like the SR missions concept, but i will say that experienced and real SR enthusiast will read, read, read, and read somemore. This takes away surprise, and empowers pc with cerain knowledge. I know they are not suppose to use it but we know how that works...I cant take away you karma, but it better than being dead!

See, the thing is...the SR world is in an odd place, metaplot-wise. It's not far enough in the future to disregard the "systems" of today, not far enough in the past, either. And in a modern-day setting, unless it's...like...D20 modern (gag), the metaplot can really just be the Real World "metaplot." But in SR, well, people still watch the news. And everything, politically, works fairly similiar to the way it does now. I think the SR metaplot is good, for this reason.

BTW, thanks much for the link. Now...does anyone know where I can find a listing of SR books, chronologically, by the SR chronology, not ours? And which ones are metaplot-relevant?

Go see Ancient. There's a link in his sig.

Sourcebooks and adventures sorted by dates give something like this:

2050 Shadowrun 1st Edition
02/2050 - Mercurial
08/2050 - Dreamchipper, Harlequin
12/2050 - DNA/DOA
01/2051 - Street Samurai Catalog, Queen Euphoria, Bottled Demon
03/2051 - Seattle Sourcebook
05/2051 - Missing Blood (adventure from Universal Brotherhood)
06/2051 - Paranormal Animals of North America, Ivy & Chrome
09/2051 - Eye of the Eagle (adventure from NAN2), Dark Angel
10/2051 - Peacekeeper (adventure from NAN1), Dragon Hunt, Imago
11/2051 - Total Eclipse
04/2052 - Neo-Anarchist Guide to North America
08/2052 - Rigger Black Book
12/2052 - NAN Volume 1 & 2
01/2053 - Shadowtech
2053 - Shadowrun 2nd Edition
05/2053 - Elven Fire
08/2053 - One Stage Before
09/2053 - Shadowbeat, Paranormal Animals of Europa
01/2054 - The Neo-anarchist guide to real life
05/2054 - Corporate Shadowfiles
06/2054 - Tir Tairngire, A Killing Glare
08/2054 - London SB
11/2054 - Tir na nOg
12/2054 - Germany SB, Lone Star, Paradise Lost
2055 - Double Exposure, Eye Witness, Harlequin's Back, Prime Runners
01/2055 - Fields of Fire
07/2055 - Denver: The City of Shadows
01/2056 - Bug City
03/2056 - Corporate Security Handbook
05/2056 - Divided Assets
06/2056 - Aztlan
12/2056 - Cybertechnology
12/2056 - Virtual Realities 2.0
02/2057 to 07/2057 - Super Tuesday!
02/2057 - Awakenings
03/2057 - California Free State
06/2057 - Threats
10/2057 - PoaD: Dunkelzahn's Secrets, Missions
09/2057 - Shadowrun Companion: Beyond the Shadows
01/2058 - Mob War!, Underworld SB
04/2058 - Target: UCAS
2059 - Predator & Prey
01/2059 - Cyberpirates
07/2059 - Target: Smuggler Havens
12/2059 - Renraku Arcology: Shutdown
08/2057 to 07/2060 - Blood in the Boardroom
06/2060 - Shadowrun 3rd Edition
09/2060 - New Seattle
2061 - First Run, Corporate Punishment
02/2061 - Corporate Download
05/2061 - Brainscan
08/2061 - Target: Matrix
12/2061 - Shadowrun Companion SR3
01/2061 to 04/2062 - Year of the Comet
2062 - Wake of the Comet?, Survival of the Fittest
06/2062 - Target: Awakened Lands
07/2062 - Threats 2
08/2062 - Shadows of North America
09/2062 - Target: Wastelands
01/2063 - SOTA:2063
02/2063 - Dragons of the Sixth World
04/2063 - Sprawl Survival Guide
06/2063 - Shadows of Europe
12/2063 - SOTA:2064
02/2064 - Loose Alliances
04/2064 - Shadows of Asia
04/2064 to 11/2064 - System Failure
2070 - Shadowrun 4th Edition
02/2070 - Runner Havens
04/2070 - Street Magic
08/2070 - Augmentation
01/2070 to 12/2070 - Emergence
02/2071 - Corporate Enclaves
04/2071 - Arsenal
05/2071 - Unwired
07/2071 - Runner's Companion
10/2071 - Feral Cities
02/2071 to 11/2071 - Ghost Cartels
2072 - Shadowrun 4th Edition/20th Anniversary
2072 - Seattle 2072
02/2072 - Dawn of the Artifacts/Dusk, Dawn of the Artifacts/Midnight
03/2072 - Vice
05/2072 - Corporate Guide
07/2072 - Running Wild
10/2072 - Manhattan
11/2072 - Almanac of the Sixth World
02/2073 - MilSpechTech
07/2073 - War!
Credits to Gurth and helpers (2050-2060) and Nath (post-2060)


The Metaplots & Story Arcs of SR:

- IE updated from w.4.0 to w.6.0 : Harlequin, Tir Tairngire, Tir Na nOg, Imago, Harlequin's Back, Aztlan*, Threats, Black Madonna (novel), Worlds Without End (novel), Shadows of North America
- The Invae : Queen Euphoria, NAGNA**, London**, The Universal Brotherhood, Double Exposure, Burning Bright (novel), Threats, Super Tuesday!, Target:UCAS, Magic in the Shadows (for stats), Target:Awakened Lands*, Threats 2, Shadows of Europe, Street Magic (for stats, again), Feral Cities
- Mr Darke & the Horrors : Harlequin's Back, Aztlan, House of the Sun (novel), Threats, Trilogy of Ryan Mercury (novels), Corporate Download*, Corporate Guide
- Corp War : PoaD:Dunkelzahn's Secrets, Blood in the Boardroom, Corp Download, Corporate Punishment
- Deus & the story arc of the arc's story: Seattle SB, Renraku Arcology:Shutdown, New Seattle*, Man & Machine* (nanotech chapter), Matrix*, Brainscan, Threats 2, Sprawl Survival Guide*, SOTA:2064*, System Failure, Emergence

Those are the mainstream metaplots, those about whom people think when dealing with the subject. But I'd add some more lighter ongoing plots when there's a clear evolution to catch between three or more books.

- The Proteus Affair : Chrom & Dioxin (german release) Walzer, Punks & Schwarzes Ice (german release), Target:Smuggler Havens, Man & Machine*, Target:Wastelands*, SOTA:2063*, Shockwellen (german release), Shadows of Europe
- Rise of the Otaku : Denver boxset, Virtual Realities 2, Psychotrope (novel), Technobabel (novel), Renraku Arcology:Shutdown, Matrix, Target:Matrix, Brainscan, Threats 2, System Failure, Emergence
- Here there be Dragons : PoaD:Dunkelzahn's Secrets*, DidS2 (German release), Survival of the Fittest, Dragons of the Sixth World
- The realm of Ghostwalker : Denver*, PoaD:Dunkelzahn's Secrets*, Year of the Comet, Shadows of North America, Dragons of the Sixth World
- Crossing Ares & Harassing Cross : PoaD:Dunkelzahn's Secrets, Target: UCAS, Blood in the Boardroom, Corporate Download, Shadows of Europe*, SOTA:2064*, System Failure, Corporate Guide
- The Mana of Wuxing: PoaD:Dunkelzahn's Secrets, Blood in the Boardroom*, Corporate Download*, Year of the Comet, Target: Awakened Lands, Dragons of the Sixth World
- Leonardo, nada Vinci: Black Madonna, Blood in the Boardroom, Technobabel, Dragons of the Sixth World*
- Space: Above and Beyond : Man & Machine*, Year of the Comet, Target:Awakened Lands*, Wake of the Comet, Target:Wastelands, SOTA:2064*
- Little General Saito : NAGNA*, California Free State*, Threats*, Year of the Comet, Shadows of North America, Threats 2, SOTA:2064*, Shadowrun 4*
- War in the Philipines : Cyberpirates, Year of the Comet, Dragons of the Sixth World, SOTA:2064*
- The Strange Mr. Ibn Eisa - The Shedim Theory : Year of the Comet, Threats 2, Dragons of the Sixth World, SOTA:2064*, Loose Alliances, Shadows of Asia, System Failure
- Johnny Spinrad Boy : Imago**, Prime Runners, Dragons of the Sixth World, Sprawl Survival Guide, Shadows of Europe, SOTA:2064*
- Mr. Dankwho ? : Dunkelzahn Secrets, Threats 2, SOTA:2064*, System Failure
- Tempo Fugit : Underworld SB**, Runner Havens**, Ghost Cartels, Feral Cities, Vice, War!

Credits to Nath, Synner and Crimsondude

I may be forgetting some books, especially when it comes to novels. If a book hold a very secondary interest concerning a metaplot but can help understanding a part, I noted it with a *.

I keep telling you you have too much time on your hands these days.

Wow. Thanks.

Btw- You missed:

- IE : Harlequin, Tir Tairngire, Tir Na nOg, Imago, Black Madonna (novel), Harlequin's Back, Worlds Without End (novel), SoNA
- Corp War : PoaD:Dunkelzahn's Secrets, Blood in the Boardroom, Corp Download, Corporate Punishment

and the minor:

- Here there be Dragons : PoaD:Dunkelzahn's Secrets², DidS2 (German release), Survival of the Fittest, Dragons of the Sixth World
- Rise of the Otaku : Denver boxset, Virtual Realities 2, Matrix, Target: Matrix

Thanks, I added them with credits. I also realized I forgot the space race metaplot (M&M², YotC, WotC and T:WL) and Corporate Punishment and Wake of the Comet in the books list.

Would you count Psychotrope, Technobabel, and the very tertiary discssion of them in Aztlan as relevant to Rise of the Otaku?

Psychotrope has fallen into the Hell of Apparent Non-Canon Literature, unless you subscribe to the logic of MPAIT.

What is MPAIT?

Shouldn't the Rise of the Otaku also include RA:S, Brainscan, and Threats 2? I think Aztlan does count, too, but only just.

Yeah, but the vampiric otaku child of a megacorp director turned empress of Japan is kewl!

Actually, I did like the backstory for Red Wraith. Dark Father was cool, too.

And I agree on the Renraku books. T2 is on there, though.

Quick formula if you want to know what date something happened in the metaplot: Take the publishing date, and add 59 years and 6 months. In most cases, this gets you the date in the Shadowrun timeline (fudged a month or three backwards or forwards as needed).

Just as a postscript, I love the metaplot and probably wouldn't have gotten into Shadowrun without it. It's probably the only game world that moves in real time (one year in the real world = one year in the game world) and at the time I got into it, it was one of the few game worlds that had a detailed metaplot (except BattleTech, another FASA product and my intro into RPGs).

The Abstruse One