Hey guys,
I am a new GM to Shadowrun (though not to DMing), and I am wondering if I can get a consensus on some questions. First, my group hasn't started yet, and so by the time we get our weekly game going, 5th will likely be out, but next week, I am going to run a one-off adventure. I would like to play in the living Shadowrun world a la missions as well.

1) Should I go back and run the group through the 4rth ed. missions?
2) Should I just play the quickstart rules for a week or two?
3) I have On The Run, is that a good intro?
4) Are there any previous modules/missions that are essential or so awesome that it would be a crime not to run?
5) if so, can they be integrated into the current timeline, or should I set those adventures in the past somehow as flashbacks or with other runners?
6) Any other ideas?

Thanks a lot!

Opti

If you already have the 4th ed rules, don't hesitate to run some of the 4th ed missions. It looks like we still have a month or 3 before we see an actual SR5 book which seems like a long wait to game. The missions are short, well written and give a good intro to Seattle, which is the default setting.
If you don't have the books, just hold off. There is apparently going to be 5th ed missions ready for release at the same time as the 5th book. So wait for that.

Someone who's more in the loop should feel free to correct me if I'm wrong

1.) Definitely. Season 4 is _really good_.
2.) It will certainly help you as a new GM, and your group, if they're new as well. I suggest ...
3.) Play on the run with the quick start rules
4.) If you have Season 4, you should also have Copycat Killer, which was bundled with On a silver Platter. I suggest starting out with this one, since it sets the scene for later missions.
5.) You can always run one offs between the missions. You can even interweave whole campaigns. Just keep the strands clear, and take notes if something cross-pollinates
6.) Not yet.

Understood, banockburn, and thanks to both of you. I had a question about earlier, more iconic missions that I have heard about, such as Mercurial and the Harlequin modules. Are those dependent on the 2050's time setting or can they be converted to 4th/5th rules? And, is that desirable? I want to make the most out of this game for my players, as I plan to run Shadowrun in our weekly game for the forseeable future...

Well, of course you can change just about every adventure to fit your edition.

It's a bit of work though, not only when converting the stats (and that isn't easy to do in case of 1st to 4th, if you don't have a clue what the stats even mean), but also you'll have to make a conscious effort to integrate the modules into your personal timeline. I'm not saying it is impossible, but you'll have to put in some time.

I highly recommend it, though, there were some jewels in earlier editions

There is some awesomeness in previous editions for sure but stay clear of Harlequin for a while...its weird as hell.

It is wierd, but it is an awful lot of fun (We ran ours recently in SR4A).

Harlequin is mostly rather standard runs, IMO.
Harlequin's Back is where the weirdness is.

True... we have not run through Harlequin's Back.

Yes it increases exponentially:)

As someone else who's new-to-Shadowrun-but-not-DMing and is running her first campaign, I would definitely suggest doing a couple of adventures with the quickstart rules, then branching out from there. SR5 is supposed to be out "this summer" (iirc) so if you have a weekly game going on you should have some time to get used to things before the editions switch over. If nothing else you'll be more familiar with the setting/metaplot by then, since there's a ton of that to explore.

Good luck!

Thanks to everyone who replied! I think this is what I'm gonna do.

A preliminary game using Food Fight, to gauge interest and get myself used to the rules. Then:
Copycat Killer
On the Run (and having the free rpg day module "A Night On The Town" ready if the players end the run too quick)
Back in Business
Hiding in the Dark
Harlequin pt. 1
Rally Cry
Extraction
Harlequin pt. 2
On A Silver Platter
Smuggler's Blues
Burn
Hard Target
Assassin Nation
Harlequin pt. 3
Election Day
The Elven Blood Missions
Brothers United
Romero and Juliet
Showcase
Free Taiwan

Thoughts? I wanted to try to get Mercurial and Harelquin's Back in there somewhere, but I think this is plenty for now. Maybe a flashback mission for mercurial later and Harlequin's Back mixed in with season 5 stuff...

Opti

Are you going "back in time" with editions to run old 1E Adventures like Harlequin?

I haven't read the module yet, so I'm not 100% sure, but I'd like to run it in current time, if possible. If not, perhaps we'll do flashback sequences or something.

The weirdness around running Harlequin's adventures in particular in 4E is that there are canon 4E events and characters that are based on the results of those (sort of). I won't spoil the contents for you, but once you read the modules you might see what I mean. On the bright side, you might be able to adapt them for SR2050 rather than having to go from a full 1E to 4E conversion. (I'm not entirely sure of that, though, I haven't read the 2050 rules in detail.)

It's a complete railroad too. Most groups seem to happily jump on the train all on their own, but it really doesn't allow much other than following the rails if you have players who don't want to climb on.

If nothing else, you'll have the 2050 Matrix to deal with.