Not sure if anybody remembers me. I used to use my real name, but that was before placing it in quotes in Google would summon nifty fun articles I wrote about terrorism and stuff. So, anyway, a few months ago, after an 18 year lull, I sat at my computer, and sat, and sat and..boom: Started writing again. I wouldn't call it good. (Reading my old stuff is like reading text written by a witty ghost or stranger). But it's something, and at least it got me gaming again. (5th ed. Needless to say I've already torn the rules to shreds.) I spent around $300 gathering all of the core rulebooks (yeah, I know they're digitally available everywhere, but I like paper.) and then spent another $50 sending them all back. It was too overwhelming. So, for now, I've stuck to the main core and have been running a goofy but fun serial featuring a single PC who barely knows which end of gun you're supposed to hold on to.

So where to from here? I have time to write, but at times so dearly wish I didn't. I occasionally visit my page's grave at the Internet Archive, read the work of a stranger, and wonder if I did resurrect it: Would anybody still stop by to read the creative aneurysms of a shell?

Tell me what you think.

(And please don't use my real name. )

-bjk

I remember your stuff being pretty good, and a lot of the advice and fiction is still relevant. If you posted your stuff again, I think there would definitely be interest.

Heya Blackjack! Good to read you!

Your site was my one of my very first visits to a Shadowrun page on the internet way back when. I'd love to see it resurrected, with both the old material and whatever new things pop up into your head. Considering how often I've used the wayback machine to access some of the material, I even used your page frequently when it was offline. A lot of it was independent of rules systems and just general setting advice, so who cares about editions.

PS: The maximum firepower rule was the first house rule I used and it is still in use (tweaked, of course) for going on 15 years now.

Blackjack...I also reference your setting info even now, would be good to see the original site back in use

Hello


I have a hard time remembering You & your stuff.... but from what I recall I liked your Stuff

And it's allways preferable to add new Fluff & Stories & content to Shadowrun (especially when CGL fails to do so )
So I'd say : Go ahead, start anew ( at your own pace and with a new Style).
and leave a Link so we can have a look at it

I'll promise to link it to the German Forums (and I bet some more Germans will do the same )

Hough!
Medicineman

I'm always in favor of more SR fansites. Please resurrect yours, I'd like to have a look.

Well, I did bother to register BlackjackSR.com and it would be a shame to let my $25 to waste. I had originally hoped to get the page up and running by the time players began to connect at colleges because - and this is a clue as to how old I am - I figured it would be when most finally got web access. Ah, 1995.

Now I realize that it will probably take me months just to choose the right font (leaning towards Calibri, the only good thing to ever come from Microsoft). Also need to scrub my real name from everything so prospective employers won't trip over Tactics Of Terror and my numerous firearm designs. And I definitely have to find someone to act as an editor, for both the new and old stuff. I know the difference between "your" and "you're", but my fingers sometimes don't.

Ah, so many things to consider. Thank you for your feedback.

-bjk

After 3rd edition, I feel that Shadowrun moved away from me.

I loved the game and spent so much time on it, but with the combination of changing life roles and events, as well as the setting and rules moving away from the system I had spent so many years mastering, I basically had to let it all go.

Any hint or reminiscence of the old days would be nice.

"Retrogaming" ( Playing in the 2050's and 60's ) seems to be "en Vogue" these Days .
I read a lot about Groups gaming in the " good old Times" ( I even Run/GM one playing in 2055 ) and the SR2050 Book was sold out fast . Players most often use the 5th (or 4A) Edition Rules but the 2nd and 3rd Ed Background & Fluff .
So,BlackJack, I think lots of Gamers would be at least interested.

with a (kind of) Nostalgic Dance
Medicineman

Ugh, writing up some Blackjack's People and wishing 5ed has just used the term "smartphone" instead of "commlink". Sure, I can see the term "smartphone" potentially evolving over the next 60 years, but not to "commlink". "Hunter is constantly taking notes on her commlink." just looks lame in print.

Heh. If I could come up with another 1000 words of ranting I'd have a Blackjack's Corner article.

@Wounded Ronin
Exactly my sentiments.
Me and my group tried SR4 and decided nope, not for us, and then RL happened and that was basically that for playing <.<

I always abbreviate to 'link ...slightly less clunky!

Back when I was a young gamer, writing adventures that my two next door neighbors knocked out in thirty minutes, and we could only go online after 9pm in case someone tried to call on the telephone, BlackJack's corner was one of three or four web things I read with any regularity.

Now that we're solidly in the Shadowrun timeline (at least, date-wise), I'm pretty good on the rules side, but I do enjoy reading twists on game play and world development, and your writing is a lot of fun to read. So yeah, if you put it back together, I'd read it.

+1

Though I do enjoy 4eA its just a different game in the same way I enjoy Interface Zero

For anybody who has never seen my old page:

Blackjack's [Archived] Shadowrun Page

I was hesitant to post it because I'm pretty sure some of my stuff contains words or descriptions that, by today's standards, would be unacceptable, even if posted without actual prejudicial intention.

Honestly, the original webpage is still sort of the gold standard we point people to for reading to get a feel for the flavour of the game.

The great thing is you don't have to write crunch if you don't want to, the fluff can be just as good plus it then can be slotted into whatever edition your reader wants with a bit of tweaking.

I would love to see any new works, perhaps Brumby Returns?

More shadowrun stuff is always a good thing. Write what you like. Ignore those that dont appreciate. Todays "standards" arent always a good thing. The mob shouldnt get a say.

Glad to see you've returned. Over the years I've linked to various postings on the old page, some a bit more fanboy than others. sorry you spent money on 5th ed.

I've only had a few minutes to scan over the site due to my current work schedule, but I'm not seeing whatever's supposed to be oh-so-controversial.

NEVER underestimate the power of someone's fee fees being hurt over the Internet! I mean people are getting fired for even using the "N" word, not the person saying it being racist, but a context of saying "This is a horrible word and should never be uttered again!"

Honestly people are just too damn sensitive! I just wish they would grow up and put on their big boy/girl pants!

how dare you assume the genders of their babyselfs....?

Hey, preaching to the choir here. The SJW outrage mobs are completely out of control.

I remember reading your page back in the mid-90s and printing it out on the university's tortured dot matrix printers. I've recommended your work again and again ever since.

I'd love to see new things from you, and/or your site resurrected. And never mind the performances being put in here, write and post what you feel you'd like to write and post and have people read.

I would love to see your site/information revived.

Shit, so this is where I remember Kill 'em all McKay from !
Damn, must have been like, almost 20 years...

I've been away from these boards for just over a year, and I must say I find it interesting and auspicious that this is one of the first post I see upon hopping back over to see what's been going on. That bit of personal musing aside, here goes a solid proper reply.

I still refer to your page for some of my key inspirations, not only into Shadowrun but into GMing in general.

I still look to your list of 500 Shadowrun ideas to build entire campaigns.

I still look through old archives to read some of your takes on changing NPCs from just numbers on sheets of paper into fully fleshed out beings in their own right.

I guess what I'm saying is yes. By all means, please write more about the joys and sorrows of Shadowrun. Running, playing, in-game perspectives, yes.

And thanks for the many years of inspiration that you've already provided, I look forward to many more to come.

Killed it in August 2001. 9/11 kinda sucked the wind out of me. Lost my job because of it. Had to leave Philly because of it. Ended up living in in a s*hit hole. Writing new, say, Brumby entries was pretty far down on my to do list. I never should have stopped trying, though.

Stage one complete, although it does look like a cheesy 90's "Under Construction" page. At least I posted something with it:

www.BlackjackSR.com

Let me know if you encounter any technical problems. I hope to at least toss up some more Street Names because they're fun to come up with.

Blackjack, I tried to get to the page and I am getting a "DNS address can't be found" (Chrome), and a "Problems loading page" (Firefox) error messages.

Can see the page fine now in IE and Chrome.

I am using a VPN, and while I have it active, it's not finding the server. With it off, I can get to his page. Weird.

www.BlackjackSR.com may be having DNS problems. If you encounter any issues, pretty please e-mail me at blackjack@blackjacksr.com.

I posted a list of 200 Street Names so, yay, first new material in 18 years.

I've also created a twitter account at sr_blackjack. I'm not going to be bugging everybody with every little detail about the site's construction, just mainly when I post stuff, which I'll be doing while building the site. It'll also help me gauge who's interested and whether building the site is even a worthwhile endevour.

Thx.

-bjk

Craaaaaaaaap. I did just switch DNS servers about 24 hours ago prior to your reply so perhaps it hasn't propagated yet. Please e-mail me at blackjack@BlackjackSR.com if it either clears up or if you continue to have problems. Either way, I'd like to hear from you.

I'm hoping and praying that it's just a DNS server propagation issue. Let me know at blackjack@BlackjackSR.com whether does or does not clear up by Sunday. Either way, I'd like to hear from you.

-bjk

Hey, it's a learning curve like anything I would imagine.

Late to the party, but welcome back, Blackjack. I've used your tables time and again (and workted them into other tables of my own, and looked them up on the wayback machine). Glad to see you're still alive and recovered some interest! Your page was my personal first contact with Shadowrun via the internet - it was one of the first entries I must've found in Lycos. Fun times. Glad to see you're back and working to reestablish your page!

Oh, hey, that's a familiar sig.

Your page was one that got me into SR way back in the day, so glad to hear you felt the itch to write again! I still pull stuff off that list of 501 'run concepts now and then when I can't think of anything to throw at my players.

Honestly, I'd love to see more content. I feel like SR5 has pretty well driven off most of the really creative and fun people whose musings on the game made it more interesting for me to keep up with.

Damn... Blackjack!

I was in late high school / early college back then. You were this guy that was so cool, with the Shadowrun content that was so cool... My friends and I quoted your stuff all the time. You were like an idol to us then. Sorry to hear sounds like you had a some shitty years there. Can't do much about that, but I was hoping to at least give you the satisfaction of knowing how much an impact you had on me and other people I am sure, back in those heydays of the early internet and Shadowrun. The stuff you wrote - your creativity - was definitely a factor in me getting into writing, and specifically getting into SR freelancing.

I think you got your stuff covered, but if there is anything I can help you with, collaborate or anything, just let me know.

Right? I always assumed he was an immortal elf living in a doomsday bunker or something or maybe Bill Gates.

I echo what others have already said. You were, in fact, very influential on my SR experience in high school and college.

I spent hours copying and pasting your Guides to Bitter Game Mastering and BJ's Corner into word documents and then printing them out while I was doing my student teaching. All so I'd make sure I would have hard copies of them when I left school.

I still read thru all the Bitter GMing guides about once a year.

My god... you're alive. Welcome back.

I'm rather shocked I still remember my log in here its been so long... but Toturi here sums up my thoughts

Thanks for all your support. Still working to get everything online again. Just for fun, I did a word count on everything I ever wrote for the page and it came to about 425,000 words. That's, like, 3 novels.

That is a lot of writing. Plus it was right to the point, so unlike a novel, you didn't have side plots and such.

I had assumed that the SR/DS people from the US that dropped off since 9/11 were kill in the initial attack or signed up and went home on their shield.

So... it is nice to see I was wrong.

Once again, I'm down on bloodied knee caps, asking for help. If anybody gets a chance, stop by www.BlackjackSR.com and follow the instructions to print the layout I'm working on (not that many people print stuff anymore). Still working on my layout and want to get it right before I port over a billion articles to the resurrected site. Thanks in advance.

Worked fine for me in Chrome.

email sent.

Looks good on Safari and printed fine.

Worked fin for me in Firefox. Email sent.

Worked fine. Email sent. Chrome, Win 10.