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Blade
Even if that's the case, it would have been nice to have a GM section to clear up the mess, so that GMs could avoid disconnecting their games from the official timeline by using one element that's later revealed to be bogus.
But that's a problem that Shadowrun almost always had.
hermit
Indeed, especially since the Evo chapter has an in-world disclaimer about the real deal on Evo. Which led me to believe that which chapter is supposed to be Plan 9's voice might have been miscommunicated.
Jaid
well you have to admit that ares being 10% bug spirits, and more importantly their customer base being 10% bug spirits, is bigger news than ares having financial struggles (not so much ares being 10% bug spirits, although that's pretty scary, as 10% of their customer base being bug spirits.... which would imply an awful lot of bug spirits active in the world, in hiding).

unfortunately, from my end at least, it sounds pretty dumb. as others have already mentioned, that is an awful lot of bug spirits for nobody to notice. considering how big the megas are, 10% of the customers of one mega being bug spirits probably means a percentage of the world population that is uncomfortably close to 10% being bug spirits. that would have to be one heck of a cover-up operation.
hermit
It's Lizardman Putin nuts, that's what it is. But if this was supposed to be an utterly nuts and nonsensical writeup by Plan 9, it reads pretty authentic.
Sendaz
Coming this Summer....

An Arachne Entertainment Production......

Featuring the most controversial action hero to date....

Xenia, Mantis Princess
Wakshaani
Moving past Ares, I'm waiting to see what else Hermit has to say.

(And other people! Y'all can all post about chapters, y'know.)
hermit
Well, what I have to say about about Aztechnology is to be found here.
Ixal
Where does the 10% come from? I have only seen the entry that crackpot conspiracy theorists talk about 20-80 % bugs in Ares, but it is made clear that those are not serious numbers and all that is known is that there is bug influence in Ares but the extend is entirely unknown.

Btw, considering how Volkswagen is grilled over the emission values I don't think an excalibur fiasko is that far off.


Is it just me or do the guys of Catalyst have a beef with germans?
I know I shouldn't complain too mucn as S-K gets a full entry in Market Panic instead of only a fraction of content compared to other corps (Data Trails). Not that Catalyst had a choice in that matter as it is a 100% corp book.

What really annoys me is that the writter can't think of any way to give S-K a own culture instead of having nazi analogies.
Granted, again, Market Panic is rather good in that regard with its Roman like country building but they could't help themselves to have S-K now use nazi terminology (Fall Magenta). Data Trails was much worse in that regard.
Still, can't they think of anything better than "German = Nazi"?

I do quite like that S-K is not the largest MC any more and is desperate to get back on top. That gives them at least some profile after it was ignored so much in previous products.
And while I dislike the use of the terminology, the color Magenta was a rather good choice, assuming that it really is a plan agains NeoNet.

When I talk about S-K I can also review this chapter, but it won't be as good as hermits reviews.
As said, S-K is not the largest Mega out there any more. CFD shutting down nanofabricators hit them hard and the Dragon Civil War distracted Lofwyr from running the corp which lead to attacks by other corps now that the giant showed a weakness and also defections in the middle east.
S-Ks tiered structure is explained and also that Lofwyr is not shaping S-K as a normal corp but more as a country (Roman Style) with him on top. If that is deliberate or because of Lofwyr being stuck in old ways is left out (but it is hinted that it is the latter).

What the civil war showed is that without Lofwyr S-K is thrown into chaos as no one has a clue how to run this thing. Thus Lofwyr created a Consensus Lite which shows possible courses of actions to take while he is away.
In Germany S-K buikds a huge Arcology "Neu-Essen" (aka Lofwyr town) as his seat of power but also faces opposition from other Megas now increasing their efforts in Europe while S-K is weakened and also because a Beloit was elected chancellor. And she is smart in her fight against S-K by not going at them directly.
To get back on its feet, Lofwyr has aligned himelf with NeoNet, but is apparently ready to pounce on them and swallow as much as he can from them once they stumble (more). Thats the mentioned Fall Magenta.
Zednark
I think part of the reason S-K gets smaller write ups is because S-K is kinda viewed as the German team's turf. I could be wrong, though.
hermit
QUOTE
Btw, considering how Volkswagen is grilled over the emission values I don't think an excalibur fiasko is that far off.

Doesn't affect their sales in China (or Europe) much. US always was alosing market for them anyway. VW's problems come mostly from the US 'justice' system, but I can't honestly say that comes undeserved. Still, it's unlikely that would make Americans (or anyone) decide not to buy any product associated with Germany aymore, which is how far-reaching the Ares situation is made out to be. If anything, this proves the scenario is far off. And remember, we're talking cars here - something a majority of people in developed countries own and, usually, are fairly invested in. The Excalibur situation was about something that is illegal to own everywhere.

QUOTE
Is it just me or do the guys of Catalyst have a beef with germans?

Not with Krupp, who were set up for a fall for at least 10 books now (a plotline driven by German writers, at least in part). The AG Chemie downgrade, though. Given the display of idiocy and pettiness in the last S5 Mission, though, that's not especially Germans-focused as more general unprofessional and petty behavior.

QUOTE
Still, can't they think of anything better than "German = Nazi"?

The Krupp chapter was writte by a German author (Sascha Morlock). I mean, the Magenta kinda is a dead giveaway (though Deutsche Telecom actually became Hermes Eurocom, which currently is known as Aethernet). And besides, German Shadowrun has a long history of really crude Nazi terminology jammed into corporate language and projects, and it's not all due to that one Perry Rhodan author in the 90s (ever noticed the two notable German PMC both acronm SS?). Or what about AG Chemie? Stöckter? The metahuman concentration camps? Wehrhotel adolf Hitler from the original Germany SB? None of that was written up by an American author.

Ubernet was dumb, of course, but at least it wasn't a concentration camp dungeon crawl again.
Wakshaani
(Didn't we just cover this?) ... For teh record, there's no bad blood form teh US side. More that there's a quiet group concensus that we should leave S-K for the Germans to play with.

And there's absolutely no intention that I'm aware of to cast S-K as nazis in any way, shape, form, or fashion.

(Nazis are dicks.)
Ixal
QUOTE (Wakshaani @ Apr 12 2016, 03:43 AM) *
And there's absolutely no intention that I'm aware of to cast S-K as nazis in any way, shape, form, or fashion.

(Nazis are dicks.)


Well there are direct nazi references in Data Trails, that strange "Why is it always the Germans" comment in Chrome&Steel and now the usage of nazi military terms in Market Trails. And the focus on S-Ks youth program can also be seen as a reference to the Hitlerjugend but that is a bit far fetched.

But enough about the past, as I said Market Panic is rather good in the way SK is described than previous products.
SK gets a distinct style apart from Dragon Corp and Hans Brackhaus and also shows some chinks in its armor which imo makes the corp more interesting than the monolithic and invulnerable entity it was in the past.

I am not well versed in SR5 lore so I cant comment on any big revelations or inconsistencies. Someone else has to look for them.
Although it would really surprise me if a politician, no matter who, can more than slightly inconvenience SK in its core territory, at least not without some serious foreshadowing.

Now if there only were some more SK consumer products to remind players that the corp exists apart from being employer or target.
But I havent read Rigger 5 yet. Vehicles seem to be the most likely case for that.
Sascha Morlok
Well, indeed I took 'Fall Magenta' from German military operation odes pre-WW2 (which are named Fall Gelb, Fall Grün, Fall Weiß, etc.), but just for the purpose to for a "German" naming pattern for greater operations. You are free to not like it, but in my view it's not as stu.... far of as when BMW would name one of their vehicles 'Blitzkrieg' (especially when you see how the Police often name their special units for certain cases).

The youth program (S-K Globetrotters) is - as many other parts of the chapter - direct translations of German canon. This one comes from the Rhein-Rhur-Megaplex. And why you can see them as a copy of the HJ, for me they reflect more somehting like the Boy Scouts, or - if you want a political organisation - the Freie Deutsche Jugend of the GDR. So, it is nothing I came up with. In the end it is something Lofwyr use to further integrate corporate ideology into his people, as there are - when you include the BMW history - round about 3 generations of corporate citizens now working for that mega.

S-K in most cases don't have to hire new people, it can use his own citizens to recruit them for free jobs. By hiring new people, they have to indoctrinate them real fast, while born corporate citizens you can form right from the beginning. Nonetheless, you don't have to join any activities by the Globetrotters, or any other parts of the youth programm, as just some sentences later, in that same subchapter, it is explained that S-K even tolerates, when you become a "rebel". And Some further sentences later, it is said that S-K is - after Horizon - the most tolerant corporation, which don't discriminate any of its employees. The S-K swagger/classism is something from Corp Guide, which I think fits to a corp (and fits to cyberpunk), that was number 1 for over a Generation (thou I ease it a bit by saying it is a common theme found in nearly all corporations to some extend).
Sascha Morlok
And Neu-Essen isn't a 90 km² arcology, but rather a city within a city, that has one arcology (the S-K Main Arcology) within its borders.
Ixal
QUOTE (Sascha Morlok @ Apr 12 2016, 06:46 AM) *
Well, indeed I took 'Fall Magenta' from German military operation odes pre-WW2 (which are named Fall Gelb, Fall Grün, Fall Weiß, etc.), but just for the purpose to for a "German" naming pattern for greater operations. You are free to not like it, but in my view it's not as stu.... far of as when BMW would name one of their vehicles 'Blitzkrieg' (especially when you see how the Police often name their special units for certain cases).

The youth program (S-K Globetrotters) is - as many other parts of the chapter - direct translations of German canon. This one comes from the Rhein-Rhur-Megaplex. And why you can see them as a copy of the HJ, for me they reflect more somehting like the Boy Scouts, or - if you want a political organisation - the Freie Deutsche Jugend of the GDR. So, it is nothing I came up with. In the end it is something Lofwyr use to further integrate corporate ideology into his people, as there are - when you include the BMW history - round about 3 generations of corporate citizens now working for that mega.

S-K in most cases don't have to hire new people, it can use his own citizens to recruit them for free jobs. By hiring new people, they have to indoctrinate them real fast, while born corporate citizens you can form right from the beginning. Nonetheless, you don't have to join any activities by the Globetrotters, or any other parts of the youth programm, as just some sentences later, in that same subchapter, it is explained that S-K even tolerates, when you become a "rebel". And Some further sentences later, it is said that S-K is - after Horizon - the most tolerant corporation, which don't discriminate any of its employees. The S-K swagger/classism is something from Corp Guide, which I think fits to a corp (and fits to cyberpunk), that was number 1 for over a Generation (thou I ease it a bit by saying it is a common theme found in nearly all corporations to some extend).


As I said even I saw the connection between the globetrotters to the HJ as far fetched, but given the previous track record I didnt rule it out. And I liked the S-K Swagger.
As long future content stays at the level of Market Panic all is fine. Just dont do another Data Trails.


For something completely different, I am not sure if I like the speed Shiawase went from rising star (Stormfront & Core book) to the mess it is now. Still, conflict is good. That keeps things interesting and offers more hooks for runs.

PS: Now I want a Lofwyr plush.
Sascha Morlok
Data Trails wasn't me, and I just wrote S-K in Market Panic, because the original author stepped down. MP was for me the first writing for CGL.
Sendaz
QUOTE (Ixal @ Apr 12 2016, 01:50 AM) *
PS: Now I want a Lofwyr plush.

And it must come loaded with Lemon Sours. biggrin.gif
Ixal
QUOTE (Sascha Morlok @ Apr 12 2016, 07:57 AM) *
Data Trails wasn't me, and I just wrote S-K in Market Panic, because the original author stepped down. MP was for me the first writing for CGL.


Well then, welcome to hell.

I will leave your finaly judgment to hermit. wink.gif
Sengir
QUOTE (Ixal @ Apr 12 2016, 01:30 AM) *
Btw, considering how Volkswagen is grilled over the emission values I don't think an excalibur fiasko is that far off.

VW was caught cheating with their pants down. Ares merely released a sub-par product, manufacturers do that all the time. And Ares is supposed to be several orders of magnitude larger and more diversified than VW, what is a huge dent in profits for a car manufacturer should remain somewhere in the decimals for an AAA.

QUOTE (Jaid @ Apr 11 2016, 07:28 PM) *
considering how big the megas are, 10% of the customers of one mega being bug spirits probably means a percentage of the world population that is uncomfortably close to 10% being bug spirits. that would have to be one heck of a cover-up operation.

But predator-prey dynamics say the cover-up wouldn't have to last all that long wink.gif


As for "Fall Magenta", sounds like an episode from Obersalzberg (think The Office with Hitler as Brent)...Herr Hitler trying to get through customer support biggrin.gif
hermit
Stuff continues.

This running review, for now, is nonalcoholic, mainly due to it being migraine week. Migraine week has nothing to do with the review's content.

The Evo chapter is narrated by Plan 9. However, it sounds far less ramblingly insane than the Ares chapter. THIS IS NOT RIGHT (no offense to the Evo author, but it had to be said).

The intro fiction is nice, illustrating the menagerie of Strange Evo has (at least in parts) become since it started out as Yamatetsu in 52.

The chapter jumps straight into the history section, which is awfully short (and omits Yamatetsu's Corp Court history), but not wrong.

From there, it jumps to the first of three major plot points: Evo's CEO, former cosmonaut Anatoly Kirilenko, is dead, and the corporation is looking for a replacement. Evo being the intergalactic freak show it is, the candidates are ... colorful. There's a free spirit of storm called Strato Cumulus (Buttercup's choice), Taylor Dacopral (an AI, backed by traditionalist Japanese remnants), Cynthia Bills (a Monad, sure to gain public confidence after the public already shuns Evo for their deep involvement with the nanopocalypse), Abhi Khala, an Indian MMA champion (the shareholders' favourite) and Ysil (a Naga; opposition to whom incited violence against naga all around the world, apparently).

The second major plot point is that Evo will do a 180 on their brand policy back to Yamatetsu's original policy of invisibility, to try and mitigate the damage their involvement in the nanopocalypse causes and is going to cause. How having a CEO that reminds everyone of this involvement will help is beyond me, but maybe this is a compromise position between whatever forces within Evo are pushing for a Monad or AI CEO and the business parts of the mega trying to still get some business done and not becoming a hot potato.

The third is, of course, Monad infiltration of/involvement in Evo, the Evo far-space travel ship building (the Monad Ark?), and the fallout. It is mostly written by Slamm-0, which makes for a less pro-Evo point of view (though seriously, just make the first part of the chapter not Plan 9 and stick his name onto the Ares chapter - isn't line developing according to Hardy all about turning lemons into lemonade?). Also, who is Sekretar? Slamm-0 finishes with Evo's expansion into Yakut.

There is a weird little OOC box, though, about Evo Products. It suggests making Evo products better than normal products by GM discretion (talk about a can of worms). Now, I really like the idea of various producers giving certain perks to otherwise generic products - for instance, Spinrad-brand cybernetics getting the additional wireless bonus of enhanced social limit, MCT-brand electronics having a +1 firewall, or Aztech-brand medkits healing a bonus box of damage - give some life to corporate branding! However, a number of examples given are odd, from stuff that already is in ChromeFlesh (False Front bioware, Gammaware) to world-breaking ("Psychokinetic abilities that allow technomancers or mundanes mental powers to move objects"). Still, all in all, a decent if not great chapter full of story arc and plot ideas. Solidly executed.
Sascha Morlok
BTW, here is a picture of Neu-Essen
https://sirdoomsbadcompany.files.wordpress....shadowrun-4.jpg
hermit
New review incoming, now that I have a lot less crap on my to-do.
Wakshaani
QUOTE (Sascha Morlok @ Apr 29 2016, 03:29 AM) *


That ... is a grey, grey city.

Yikes.
Sascha Morlok
... and still probably the best place to live within the Rhine-Ruhr-Megaplex wink.gif
Ixal
QUOTE (Wakshaani @ Apr 29 2016, 03:42 PM) *
That ... is a grey, grey city.

Yikes.


Isn't there a big park somewhere in it (see the Dryad employee entry for SK)?
Sascha Morlok
Size is relative wink.gif

But yeah there should be parks and some "city forrests" around. You cen see some of it in the left corner.
hermit
Indoor park, I presume. The old Krupp family mansion is in it, too, IIRC.
Sascha Morlok
While the picture is just there to give you en impression, it may not show the the whole picture (and it's also from a time where Neu-Essen is under heavy construction). So besides huge residental ares, there are also some smaller green spaces here and there, as well as a possible indoor park within the arcology.
lokii
By the way, this image (or rather a section of it) is available as a free poster from DriveThruRPG: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/97967/
Blade
QUOTE (Wakshaani @ Apr 29 2016, 05:42 PM) *
That ... is a grey, grey city.

Yikes.

Not so different from Alt-Essen then wink.gif
Wakshaani
Just a reminder that we're still happy to have people review this one. Market Panic dropped sooner than I thought which threw everyone off by a bit.

But we haven't forgotten the Megas! They're kinda big, after all. biggrin.gif
Sascha Morlok
Admit your own mistakes:
Thou a minor one I falsely wrote in page 165 that Ætherlink owned a 9% share of DeMeKo: It's actually a 8% share. Also it's said that Scale is Lofwyr's "executioner", while in my text file he was just his "executor" - thou this may sometimes include to execute someone.
Sendaz
I always thought Lowffie 'fired' people directly, preferably to well done. biggrin.gif
Sascha Morlok
QUOTE
While every S-K associate knows at least one story of an employee who got eaten by Lofwyr for his failure, in many cases it’s a corporate (urban) legend that is used as a running gag (you normally would get reassigned for a new job, like scrubbing toilets in Romania).

wink.gif
Wakshaani
I still need to go through my chapter, find the parts that can't be re-used, and give y'all a "Director's Cut" of the 10,000 words I went over when I misread my contract.
Beta
QUOTE (Wakshaani @ Jun 7 2016, 08:25 PM) *
I still need to go through my chapter, find the parts that can't be re-used, and give y'all a "Director's Cut" of the 10,000 words I went over when I misread my contract.


I hope you get time to do this smile.gif
Wakshaani
QUOTE (Betx @ Jun 7 2016, 06:24 PM) *
I hope you get time to do this smile.gif


Yeah, a few parts were more timing (Like the chapter conclusion), one part was to showcase an element of sexism, some plot hooks, some details about operations ... nothing, you know, utterly *vital*, but nice for color.
Sascha Morlok
Don't know what your chapters are, but there might also be a mismatching story about the space lift.
Sascha Morlok
Jup, MCT chapter sais S-K completed the space elevator (p. 114 and 117), while S-K chapter talks about S-K beeing behind schedule because of the trouble the corporation had (p. 166).
Sascha Morlok
@ Wakshaani

As I got the impression you wrote Renraku, what is LGSK Electronic Holdings?
Wakshaani
QUOTE (Sascha Morlok @ Aug 16 2016, 12:17 PM) *
@ Wakshaani

As I got the impression you wrote Renraku, what is LGSK Electronic Holdings?


I did, yeah. Drop me an Email and I'll sling some detail your way.
Sascha Morlok
AFAIK I dont have your address.
Wakshaani
QUOTE (Sascha Morlok @ Aug 18 2016, 11:34 AM) *
AFAIK I dont have your address.


I thought you did! Went to check my inbox, and nope. Well, time to fix that, eh?
hermit
Sorry for the absence. I stopped for personal, non-SR reasons, will pick up again now. This running review is sober for now.

I’ll drop my review schedule (by chapter as in the book) for this one, and will review Saeder-Krupp now. Given that I just bought the German book, that seems only appropriate. Plus, Sasha was really looking forward to this. Horizon, MCT, NeoNET and Renraku are to follow, as would be normal.

The chapter is structured as usual – first history, then an overview of the corp, then a more in-detail look at corp structure, then culture (and more structure, actually), and finishing with major (non-Lofwyr) players in the corp and an overview of SK’s headquarters, and a final warning about Lofwyr’s legendary vengeful nature. There’s also a German-only SK Germany section, but it’s not that notable as to need a description here.

One thing I noticed: Information density in the whole article is really high for a gaming book. While this makes reading a bit tougher – you can’t just crossread – it also shows how the author wanted to maximize content here, something I appreciate. YMMV, of course.

The history segment is solid, with some blanks being filled in (a bit on Michel Beloit’s maneuvering before Lofwyr), on Lowyr’s takeover, and on SK’s more recent history, such as the 2060 corp war, the founding of the NEEC, the inter-dragon conflict of 2073-75, and the current AI bodysnatcher crisis. I would have liked to see some reference to the European Reconstruction, which seems to have been a precursor to the NEEC project (or at least could have been soft retconned as such) and Alamaise sabotaging it, though. But history-wise, the 40s are kind of a black hole in SR lore.

Corp structure isn’t surprising, but contains a surprising wealth of new info anyways, how SK adjusted to the many challenges thrown before it. Some parts were amusing (like Dresdner and Commerzbank merging to stabilize the latter, heh), all of it was helpful to get a grip about what SK does in various markets.

I did really like the segment on corp culture. A clear, concise description of the interior workings of Krupp culture, from totally innocent corporate scouts (black neckties? Sorry Sasha, but it IS obvious to think of) to the Accentives program to corporate legislation, PR, finance management, and internal security. The Imperium romanum structure definitely suits Krupp and finally gives a guideline of how this mess is organized, one that doesn’t force a whole lot of lore to be hard retonned.
I would have appreciated a name and short description of Krupp’s scrip (since Cents are stated not to be scrip), but neither of the other corp chapters have any either, so it might just not have been on anyone’s radar. German replacing English as Europe’s lingua franca is a surprisingly current thought (though I cannot see it, given how hideous German seems to be to learn).

A description of SK’s global activities follows, offering another wealth of densely packed information about SK, which is nice, but oddly placed and a segment on SK’s corporate forces (but nothing on the Seemacht carrier. What happened to it?) and internal and external intelligence services. Nothing very surprising here, though SK Prime is notably downgraded from core holding AND intelligence agency to primarily Intelligence Agency only.

Finally, the major non-Lofwyr NPC are given some exposition. Lots of familiar faces (Scale, Brackhaus, Romanov, Hyvönen), but also new additions, sich as Basima Disaruíz, Awrah (a female Brackhaus?) and Harold Two Moon. Also, the Neu-Essen info from the German-only Rhine-Ruhr sourcebook gets at least condensed into an international book. Finally, yes, he’s out to get you if you cross him. Also, the Brackhaus myth is extended to pre-Lofwyr time. BRackhauses apparently have been around for a really long time.

Overall, well-written, very high information density, solid work.
hermit
More review! This running review is brought to you by Google, the evil company in complete denial.

So, Horizon. Not my favourite mega, given that the writeups in 4E supplements mostly were oozing smug Silicon Valley arrogance (not intentionally, unfortunately), and that it was a distinct authors' pet in early 4E, and could do no wrong. That Horizon was used as a vessel for some bizarre in-world public mood swings, like about AI, and in a tell-don't-show way, didn't help. Neither did that it was a test bed for Eclipse Phase, a world with a very different mood from Shadowrun.

The current writeup is solid. It goes with the changing perception of the corporatized Internet as something not altogether good and questions the sincerity of Horizon’s googlish do-good-and-make-sude-it’s-high-on-everybody’s-newsfeed policy of charity. The history section has some inaccuracies – the Twins are just forgotten, and I don’t think an event that sinks half of southern California and has water flowing uphill a lot would be quite as forgettable – and the Deep Lacuna is incorrectly blamed on Halley (it was the cause of the Twins, rather), but for the most part it is a reiteration of canon, which in this context is a good thing. There’s even an attempt to criticize monopolized private media, something sorely lacking from previous, libertarian-leaning Horizon write-ups.

Current Events brings us up to speed with Horizon’s state in the late 70s, after losing a lot of its flair and the media war against the Azzies. It also covers the Horizon campaign nicely, from Christy Daee’s death due to software development screwups (A Fistful Of Nuyen) to the attempt to murder POWs and blame Aztech in Columbian Subterfuge, which apparently failed in official canon. And, of course, the Events in The Twilight Horizon, the Vegas Mancer Massacre, and the way the Consensus failed, are covered. Whoever wrote this was diligent with research, and I tip my hat to you. I do not think that a corp hat treats technomancers okay but really cares about the bottom line most is just as evil as a corp who cuts up mancer brains for giggles and mad science, but it might well have appeared to some mancers who had high hopes in Horizon. And gunning down protesters always is a stupid idea (much like direct democracy).

The chapter sums up, streamlines and somewhat corrects the narrative about the Consensus (the idea of digital democracy) and how it brutally misfired, tarnishing Horizon forever. Well written and pretty plausible (and with more than a dash of healthy criticism of social media echo chambers that threaten real, actual democracy in the real, actual world). It also covers what Horizon tries to do about this (ethics algorithms based on Asimow’s (fundamentally broken) Three Laws, which don’t work in the real world with real facebook’s immense hate speech problems). Add to that an apparently abysmally handled internal ranking reset (remember, in Horizon, the project manager of a work group is whoever has the most Likes) and a looming attack on Horizon’s AAA status, and Horizon has come into SR5 thoroughly humbled.

The next section gives an insight into Horizon culture, and here, as well, the Valley Boy bluster from Corporate Dossier has been dropped in favor of a more modern, critical look on “online democracy”. It highlights the fluid and unique structure of the corp and remains in line with previous canon without its often annoying authors-petting of the corp. It also describes the social consequences – constant awareness that you are being watched and evaluated and that the resulting Likes and Dislikes determine your career, for example (and the bullying this structure leads to). It is followed by notable subdivisions, pretty much the same since Corporate Dossier despite some updates – Charisma Assoc., Horizon Project, Horizon Transglobal (still no idea what it does now that Eclipse Phase is its own system), Pathfinder Multimedia, Singularity (now with a lot less technomancers) and the Dawkins Group. Nothing exciting, but solid stuff, the kind this book is meant to deliver.

All in all, good writing and a decent read to bring new players up to speed about Horizon. Would have benefitted from a bit more detail on Horizon’s local divisions (like how their involvement in Asamondo played out for them) and a missed opportunity to point out that Horizon owns Disney and SR fiction prophesied Disney’s acquisition of Star Wars before it happened, which is a slight bummer. But props for the mostly (Twins!) well-done research.
Sendaz
Welcome back Hermit smile.gif

And reviews!!! Yay!!
apple
QUOTE (Sascha Morlok @ Mar 22 2016, 10:21 AM) *
Language should not be a barrier, as all authors should be able to write and talk at a decent level of english. The problem is to find a suitable platform. And to accomplish that, someone has to do things. But that's to much for a a public discussion.


The US errata guy could do it.

SYL
hermit
One quick note, in reference to my first review: In the German book, Fuchi has been changed to NeoNET and Guatemala to Yucatán.
Sascha Morlok
QUOTE (hermit @ Oct 13 2016, 01:18 AM) *
German replacing English as Europe’s lingua franca is a surprisingly current thought (though I cannot see it, given how hideous German seems to be to learn).


My thought was that S-K is (beside being the dominant corporation in Europe) a well regarded employer. So many people strife to work for them and would learn German in advance, as they think this would give them an advantage. Besides Germany would be (like today) a very - if not the most - influential nation within the NEEC. In addition Germany is the 3rd biggest economy in SR (after Japan and UCAS). So there are several factors which - in my eyes - would lead to an increase use of German in the business world, even thou it's hard to learn.
Sascha Morlok
To be fair and in addition to Heremit's review: My chapter includes several cases of odd phrasing and other mistakes, as my English is not as good as I wanted it to be.
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