Hoi Chummers!
I'm back to playing RPGs regularly and have been "forced" into running Pathfinder for a campaign. While I'm tying that campaign into a nice little bow (I'm guessing a month left) I've started preaching love of my favorite setting Shadowrun and the 6th world. Here's the rub, what edition is the best to start my greenhorns on?

I know this has been hashed out before, but almost all the posts I've found are years old and speak of waiting on books that have since been released. It's been a few years, AFAICT, so is there a clear answer? Is the picture clear?

Some background on me: I started with SR2 and 3. Did most of my playing in 3rd. I played a little bit f 4th and bought my own books because it was what was available. I changed groups a few times and lost access to the older editions, so when I started running the games, I did so in 4th. I've run enough 4th t know what I'm doing, but it's been a few years so I will have to relearn some stuff. Knowing that I have to learn, this is a decent time to get into 5th... But is it worth doing? I have access to the pdf's sent by my old GM (Thanks to Sam my omae) and because I was curious during my dark times (no gaming for 4 years) I bought the Herolab license for 5th ed and most of the add ons.

My group: Mostly played Pathfinder, I think 1 guy has played something else, I know 1 other has played some older white wolf under my old days. I've been running the groups game for a while, +6 months. I've known them all at least 4 years. I know I've got one murder hobo (combat focused person) but the rest should be fun schemers. Imagine this, all of the party has worked corrections (prison officer) for at least 4 years. These guys should be a blast in the 6th World.

Stuff I have access to:
Herolab character gen software in both flavors.
4th ed "core" books in dead tree format: 4th edition, Augmentation, Arsenal, Unwired, Street Magic, Runners Companion, and the gm screen kit.
4th ed pdf's almost all of them, I think I'm missing Mil Spec Tech and Deadly Waves and that's it.
5th ed pdf's "core" books: 5th ed, and the equivalent of the 4th ed books listed above in DTF.

So which version should I be setting up? Is the jump to 5th worth making? Is 5th edition "complete?" Did FastJack ever resurface after the SEARCH incident?

Thanks all.
Riff

My recommendation:

4th Ed.

Why?

You have the books. You've played it before. The books are still available. These are key things.

As far as capsule, I'd say 4th Ed as well. 5th has way too much stupid in it as far as wireless is concerned, I have given it a very hard look and I'm avoiding it entirely until they fix the stupid with a 6th Ed. Just .... just forget it.

I might have said 3rd Ed, if you were all set on that one, but if you don't have the books it's too much of a pain to get yourself set up unless you can get lots of PDFs printed (I hate working off pure screen).

I'd say 4th ed too. I've played 5th and it just isn't that fun. Many of the rule changes feel like they were done as punishment for enjoying 4th ed and as Koekepan points out, the wireless is stupid. So very, very stupid. I feel like Catalyst may have realized there were a few problems when Run & Gun came out with a number of 'optional' rules that were basically rules from 4th ed or in some cases 3rd ed.

I'm with the other two posters so far. You've got all the stuff for 4th ed. You have experience with 4th ed. Go with 4th ed. 5th ed. doesn't bring enough improvements with it to transfer to it, and it brings some idiocy that makes no sense, and some changes that frankly doesn't improve anything.

Yeah, you won't find a lot of love for SR5 on these boards. SR5 is "complete" as far as books now, but you will find that you will need to go outside of the core books to get things that you got with the main SR4 books - like customized grips, the commanding voice power, etc. Plus, while the books themselves may be a full set, the errata is woefully lacking, for glaring errors such as an archetype having an Edge of 2 when it should be 7, or another archetype being 200,000+ Nuyen over in gear, or shapeshifters missing some core abilities (such as allergy to silver, dual nature, and regeneration).

But SR5 has deeper problems than its horrible editing. It has rules and even fluff text that make it literally unfun to play. In their zeal to fix all of the perceived "balance" issues from SR4, they didn't just go too far, they took the worst possible approach. Rather than balancing things with some sensible limitations or opportunity costs, they took the mantra of "everything has a cost". Which meant either gimping things into unusability (the sensitive system flaw, SURGE), or, even worse, giving every cool or fun part of the game an annoying drawback.

Gimped cyberware that you can only use at full functionality by making yourself idiotically vulnerable to an attack from an unseen vector that can maim you. Background counts that can easily go up to 6 or so for comparatively normal stuff (and higher than that for special areas), turning your adepts into instant mundanes. An overwatch score that hangs over the decker like the sword of Damocles. Limits which make you throw away hits from a good dice roll. Spirits that refuse to do anything because what you ask them to do doesn't fall into the spell category associated with them by your tradition. Nope, that air elemental can't find someone, you're Shinto, so it's a combat spirit.

It's too bad, because I really wanted to like the new edition, and it does have some cool new rules/concepts mixed in there. But I would concur that you should stick with SR4. It may have its share of balance issues, but it has multiple errata in addition to all of the house rules and fixes that you can find on the boards, so it is a much more coherent game. And you don't have to worry about SR5's many hindrances - you can just play your character.

I'd go with 5th because SR4 still has fundamental problems.

Limits encourage building outwards instead of just stacking dice to get 30+ dice pools and breaking verisimilitude.

The Matrix is too slow in SR4 being nothing but extended tests, so you get to roll for the sake of rolling. SR5 its a quick appose test. Like wise SR5's Matrix is more consistent with the rest of the game, being attribute + skill [gear limit], as appose to SR4 where it's skill + program, which breaks the logical consistency of SR4's framework as attributes play no role in Matrix dice pools. Like wise in SR4 it's too easy for people to cheese the Matrix and become immune to it, which breaks on the core conceits of the system, and that is the Matrix is suppose to be invasive to the setting.

Direct spells are overpowered in SR4. And in-direct spells are useless because they're drain is too high.

Also, Patrick Goodman has been releasing errata to SR5 pretty consistently now. So I don't thing that's going to be justification for not using it.

Having looked over several 5th books at the FLGS and reading the comments from folks here, I'd stick with 4th. If you put a sensible limit on character builds (mine is a non-Edge 15 dice and you better have one hell of a backstory reason for getting that high. I don't care what the rules say, how much nuyen you dumped, how rare that gear is, you only get 15 dice without Edge being a factor) then most of those perceived "Can't fix it!" issues simply disappear with 4th.

good News for SS-Players according to Patrick Goodmann (The guy whos in charge for Erratta) and his Thread this is going to be errattaed
....once he's finished, which may take a while.
There has been a lot of ...neglection for Errattas in SR5 but they're working on it (not that they promised that a lot of times before)

But ...
I noticed a generel tendency in SR5 Rules to keep the Players/their Characters small
whereas in SR4A the general direction is to broaden and enlarge the Chars ( tendencially more Karma /better Rewards, prices for Equipment, especially 'ware is not prohibitive, Equipment gives more and better Bonus . Oh the WiFi Schmuh in SR5 is a double-triple-Giant-Facepalm
for the Common sense ( I know that the Guy who "invented " these rules had a DNI-PAN Bonus in Mind but by RAW the WiFi Bonus Rules are
Stupid and often make no sense (and defy at least my sense of reality ) )

@riff.freelance's question wether to start with SR5 or 4A
I'd advice you to start with SR4A and once you know the rules switch to SR5 and once you know these rules too get together with your Players and mix them for the best result for your Group.
I'm doing it with a Group that plays Sin 2055 ( we're about to finish Queen Euphoria and Next Year we'll be playing some runs and than we'll start with Renraku Arcology Shutdown ! Replaying most of the famous ....back-Edition Campaigns with an amalgam of the best Rules from SR4A & 5)

with a mixed Dance
Medicineman