Well, it's been about a year and a half since I last played any SR and after some talking to some friends of mine, we've decided to get back in. Thankfully, I haven't done anything foolish in the interim (like sell off my extensive collection of SR books). Some things I was wondering though :

What's new and worth asking the guy at the hobby shop to order? I've heard of only Mr. Johnson's Little Black Book and Dragons of the Sixth world -- is that all that's really come out since SOTA 2063 ?

Has anyone ever run a Shadowrun campaign over IRC? If so, I'm really looking for tips on doing this, as we've never operated a RPG online before.

Does anybody allow the players to go beyond their racial maximums for attributes (per 244-245 of sr3) ? I haven't allowed that rule before, but was wondering if anyone else had any experience with allowing it and what their results were (for better or worse).

-"Spook"

Mr. J's LBB just came out, SOTA 2064 is coming out shortly. You're also missing Sprawl Survival Guide and Shadows of Europe, both of which are very good sourcebooks.

The Abstruse One

I've never played online before and I only get to play once every 6 months. If you do get a game going do you need an extra player? I hear there is some place to do it, but I don't know where it is.

We only have three players at the moment, and we're still working on characters at the moment... Contact me (email, ICQ, AIM, MSN)

-Spook

One tip I've learned for playing online: if the game stalls, insert some random details into the scene. If nothing else, it gives everyone something to focus on again, and it just might kick-start an idea in someone's head.

~J

The books following SOTA63 were:

• Dragons of the Sixth World - dragon machinations galore for all levels of play. Updates the draconic status quo after SotF and visits some lesser known dragons.
• Sprawl Survival Guide - The lifestyle and fluff book par exellence for SR plus other little bonuses for veterans and newbies alike.
• Shadows of Europe - Second in the Shadows of series this one covering the New Old World from TNO to Poland.
• MrJ's Little Black Book - Just out, the closest you'll find to a GM's Guide for Shadowrun. Includes primers for beginning GMs, loads of useful contacts and locations and some simplified rules for Decking and Rigging.
• SOTA64 - Should be hitting shelves in the next couple of weeks. This year you've got Spies, Adepts, Law Enforcement, European Magic and the regular Culture Shock update (with quite a few surprises in its own right).

The line was stalled for a while following SSG, but it's now back in full swing with two more sourcebooks in the pipeline (Loose Alliances and Running Wild) and more planned down the line.

Sprawl survival guide is a must. Target Wastelands includes all the rules outside the sprawl, desert, wilderness, arctic, and space...a must have.

I know what Running Wild will be about (training and rigging animals), but what will Loose Alliances cover? (I've been a little out of the loop lately myself)

If I remember correctly, the book wil be about the polyclubs, politics party,and all the groups that doesn't classify in Mob, Corporation, or else...