Full Version: [MrJBlackBook] Mr. J's Little Black Book
I just got mine in the mail day before yesterday (along with SOTA64) and haven't had the opportunity to read through it much. So...what'd everyone think?
After seeing the section on the anatomy of a Shadowrun, I thought they should have done this book long before! It took me years to master well the structure of a shadowrun, from the meeting with a fixer to the delivery of the goods. With this, a starting GM will understand it well from the start.
The contacts are original, nice variations on the classics. The encounters are a good update on Sprawl Sites. I rarely used them in this book, so I don't think I will use them more often with the MJLBB. The additional rules are interesting. I made a player use the quick decking rules this weekend and it helps a lot to shorten basic searches. additionally , it's interesting to see how reputation can be represented stat-wise. My only problem is the use of the terms Notoriety and Street Cred. I don't know if it's because english isn't my first language, but I don't find them not really meaningful.
Overall : a good book which will appeal especially to new GM or those wishing to perfect their games, but it can be an interesting, but unnecessary, resource for experimented GMs as well.
The contacts are original, nice variations on the classics. The encounters are a good update on Sprawl Sites. I rarely used them in this book, so I don't think I will use them more often with the MJLBB. The additional rules are interesting. I made a player use the quick decking rules this weekend and it helps a lot to shorten basic searches. additionally , it's interesting to see how reputation can be represented stat-wise. My only problem is the use of the terms Notoriety and Street Cred. I don't know if it's because english isn't my first language, but I don't find them not really meaningful.
Overall : a good book which will appeal especially to new GM or those wishing to perfect their games, but it can be an interesting, but unnecessary, resource for experimented GMs as well.
| QUOTE (Dark father) |
| I don't know if it's because english isn't my first language, but I don't find them not really meaningful. |
Don't worry, it's cos the rules are broken, unproofread for both content and grammar and thoroughly nonsencical.
But likewise, aside from the Reputation rules, this is an absolute must for every GM, and I wish they'd had it years ago too :o)
Since I offered to say something nice 
Yes! Only way to improve the book is: Couple it with the Companion and Street Survival as the second major rulesbook!
Artwork: As with SotA the artwork is getting better by the day. Went through some old SR1/2 books (FoF or the Neo) and the current art is between almost as good and better than in the old books (And I preferred that art)
Contacts: A huge boatload of them and a lot useful ones. With enough hints to easily integrate them. Also my Humanis buddies complain about the amount of non-humans in there Some NPC are funny, some are "cute" (Ork hooker anyone)
What Mr Johnsons expects: Jaaaaaaaaaaa! That is a chapter that a lot of players should read! Mr J's the one hiring and you have to meet his criteria.
The whole stuff on "phases of a run" and "variant Mr. J's" is quite useful, even more so to "new" GM. Most SR groups don't meet in a tavern after all.
I did not check the rules but they sound interesting, giving a <Something>/Decker combo a new lease of life (not that deckers will live long IMU. Do Ghuls accept roastet brain?)
See, I can be nice to a book and it's authors
Birdy
Yes! Only way to improve the book is: Couple it with the Companion and Street Survival as the second major rulesbook!
Artwork: As with SotA the artwork is getting better by the day. Went through some old SR1/2 books (FoF or the Neo) and the current art is between almost as good and better than in the old books (And I preferred that art)
Contacts: A huge boatload of them and a lot useful ones. With enough hints to easily integrate them. Also my Humanis buddies complain about the amount of non-humans in there
Some NPC are funny, some are "cute" (Ork hooker anyone)What Mr Johnsons expects: Jaaaaaaaaaaa! That is a chapter that a lot of players should read! Mr J's the one hiring and you have to meet his criteria.
The whole stuff on "phases of a run" and "variant Mr. J's" is quite useful, even more so to "new" GM. Most SR groups don't meet in a tavern after all.
I did not check the rules but they sound interesting, giving a <Something>/Decker combo a new lease of life (not that deckers will live long IMU. Do Ghuls accept roastet brain?)
See, I can be nice to a book and it's authors
Birdy
btw, i bumped the last thread so you could all read some of the other comments...
Well I have had this book for a while now. I
must say this is the best shadowrun aid for this GM i have used to help me make some adventures on the fly and quick matrix tables in the back have made the matrix less time consuming.
must say this is the best shadowrun aid for this GM i have used to help me make some adventures on the fly and quick matrix tables in the back have made the matrix less time consuming.
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