1. Green Keepers
Tone
After the first few paragraphs, I felt the strong urge to write down a reply to all the points ecotope raised, compile it, link it to scientific reviews, and send it to him, flavoured with selected insults about him, his mother, and what he does at night. In other words, it captured the tone and feel of a convinced eco-activist perfectly.
Content
The chapter covers all the major eco-activist organisations in SR so far, even some from the reviled German books (though saned down to a bearable level). I personally would have liked a bit more hints to the common origin of radical eco-activism and fascism, especially the "social ecologists" - Hitler himself pushed the first comprehensive ecological legislation, which is still largely in effect in Germany, and would be hailed an icon of the movement if, well, he wouldn't happen to be Hitler. Especially since fascism is being covered in LA, too. But maybe they'll come back to that later, I have yet to read the fascism chapter.
I personally found the chapter a bit too centered on American groups - Sierra Inc, ALF, ASPS, GW, TerraFirst!, SOS all have a decidedly NA feel to them, even though some are slated to be worldwide based. It's a bit like with PETA. At least, the Euro groups are more leftist and mor eprone to terror attacks (which is just what they are). I don't like to see the Klabauterbund and Proteus mentioned, they always struck me as way too uber and unrealistic (and thus, not fitting Shadowrun's socially realistic ideals), but meh, Germany's setting is there to stay, I guess.
I woudl ahve liked some NPCs introduced, some movement leaders, maybe one or two, just so that this movement gets a public face .... but I guess that'S what the dragon backers of many eco cells are for, eh? Hualpa, Hestaby, Masaru, Ghostwalker, Sirrug ... I guess people listen to them too.
Usefulness
Well, the chapter offers good plot hooks for using eco-groupsn in a campaign. Actually, I spontaneously had some ideas, based on a disaster caused by the animal liberation front a few years back, whcih cost a rare bird one of it's two German sanctuaries (minks are terribly effective predators, especially if they're starved and coming around in large numbers).
Also, Gaia's Orphans, as depicted in LA, so scream "Vault" to me, and I always LOVED Fallout.
Was that in that German switzerland book (Walzer & Punks, right?) too, or did you make it up?Final notes/comments
Though it's not totally what I wanted, it's useful, fun to read, and can easily be integrated into a gaming campaign. The groups are comparatively wide ranged, with radicals covered as well as do-gooder NGOs. They're a bit culturally exclusive - I would have liked an Asian group. Something HAS to be there, it's not like Japanese really don't care about environmentalism - environmentalism has always been a primarily Western phenomenon, but it HAS spread to other cultures as well. There's been one Japanese group mentioned in passing, but it would have deserved it's own few paragraphs, in my opinion.
7,5/10.
