The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Shadowrun sourcebooks are, to borrow a cliche, sort of like free pizza. Even when they're bad, they're still pretty good. So while I could find a few flaws with Target: Smuggler's Havens, it was still a pretty meaty sourcebook.

For example, the vibe I got off of T:SH was that it was mostly material they just couldn't squeeze into Cyberpirates (which was an impressively built piece of supplementation on its own). I also found my problem with the game, one that's hopefully been solved with the third edition; the game has spread too far to be played with just the main (second ed) rulebook.

I haven't perused my rulebook in a while, but I'm pretty sure the rules for voodoo weren't part of the basic game. Shadowrun gets bigger with every expansion; the rules for this game seem to pile up day after day. Add in, say, info on Riggers from Rigger 2, the volume of new cyberware/bioware rules, and other magic juju, and you're getting into some serious information overload.

I'm not sayin it's become unwieldy or unplayable, but it's being continually built upon with every supplement. If they can get it all into a single book (at least just the framework), it'd be great. And I shudder to think of trying to squeeze it all onto a GM's screen.

But the true beauty of Shadowrun lies in its setting. And T:SH is loaded with that. It describes the cities of New Orleans and Vladivostok in somewhat minimal detail, compared to the views we got of Denver or Seattle. But then again, this isn't the New Orleans or Vladivostok books.

It also has material on undersea habitats (and the race to earn the chunk of Dunkelzhan's will that comes with the creation of a self-sustaining one) and overland smuggling routes in North America. The smuggling info is interesting, especially with details of smuggler's havens where they can grab fuel and feed on their overland trips.

Like all Shadowrun books, Target: Smuggler's Havens is fairly well done; I just had that nagging sensation that it was the appendix to CyberPirates. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but I don't have CyberPirates, and it felt like I'd walked into a movie about ten minutes in.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 3 (Average)

Target: Smuggler Havens
Author: Steven Kenson, Jonathan Szeto, Bill Aguiar, chris Hussey, Linda Naughton, & Michael Mulvihill Category: game Company/Publisher: Fasa Cost: $15.00 Page count: 110 ISBN: 1-55560-341-6 Capsule Review by Justin Mohareb on 09/10/98. Genre tags: none	Shadowrun sourcebooks are, to borrow a cliche, sort of like free pizza. Even when they're bad, they're still pretty good. So while I could find a few flaws with Target: Smuggler's Havens, it was still a pretty meaty sourcebook. For example, the vibe I got off of T:SH was that it was mostly material they just couldn't squeeze into Cyberpirates (which was an impressively built piece of supplementation on its own). I also found my problem with the game, one that's hopefully been solved with the third edition; the game has spread too far to be played with just the main (second ed) rulebook. I haven't perused my rulebook in a while, but I'm pretty sure the rules for voodoo weren't part of the basic game. Shadowrun gets bigger with every expansion; the rules for this game seem to pile up day after day. Add in, say, info on Riggers from Rigger 2, the volume of new cyberware/bioware rules, and other magic juju, and you're getting into some serious information overload. I'm not sayin it's become unwieldy or unplayable, but it's being continually built upon with every supplement. If they can get it all into a single book (at least just the framework), it'd be great. And I shudder to think of trying to squeeze it all onto a GM's screen. But the true beauty of Shadowrun lies in its setting. And T:SH is loaded with that. It describes the cities of New Orleans and Vladivostok in somewhat minimal detail, compared to the views we got of Denver or Seattle. But then again, this isn't the New Orleans or Vladivostok books. It also has material on undersea habitats (and the race to earn the chunk of Dunkelzhan's will that comes with the creation of a self-sustaining one) and overland smuggling routes in North America. The smuggling info is interesting, especially with details of smuggler's havens where they can grab fuel and feed on their overland trips. Like all Shadowrun books, Target: Smuggler's Havens is fairly well done; I just had that nagging sensation that it was the appendix to CyberPirates. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but I don't have CyberPirates, and it felt like I'd walked into a movie about ten minutes in. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 3 (Average)

Target: Smuggler Havens