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OK chummers, you're probably asking what the drek I'm doing reviewing Shadowrun 2nd edition, when all the talk on the Matrix is about 4th edition with its completely ubiquitous computing, and the change to the core mechanic which instead of quantity of successes against a target numbers uses a quantity of successes with effectively a target number of 5 and glitches are just as common no matter how skilled you are. The fact, chummers, is that I barely know squat (no offensive Dwarf) about 4th edition. It's the first two editions that I played and for most people, this are what they think when they hear the word "Shadowrun". Frag, just look at the range of supplements for those first two editions compared to others.

The Book

The 296 page softback is well-bound, far better than the drek that was the first edition which fell apart faster than a Wage Mage's Essence. The full-colour fold-out political map of North America is a nice touch. The front cover, repeated from the first edition, shows what is a central theme of the game - a gunfight between what is obviously a PC group (an Elven hacker, a gun-bunny, and a mage in a denim bikini and stiletto boots) and a rather anonymous group of corporate opponents. For the record, I cringe at Larry Elmore's portrayal of women. The text is mostly two-column justified with a serif font, thin margins with page numbers and chapter headings. The artwork varies significantly in style, quality and illustrators but is mostly above average with the exception of many of the various colour panels that are scattered throughout the book. Go figure, someone thought is was a good idea to put some of the worst art in the most expensive part of the book. Heady days indeed those when FASA was so cashed up...

The writing style jumps between formal and informal, is verbose, tiring to read, and somehow manages not to catch the spirit of the setting. This is a world where magic has returned, where cyberpunk-style technology (including the matrix) is common, and there are various versions of metahumans, such as dwarves, trolls, elves, orcs etc. In short, Shadowrun is the defining example cyberpunk fantasy. Unexpectedly, the introductory short story - a component of games I usually dislike - is quite good. After this some setting information, then a short and efficient chapter on core game concepts, a character generation chapter, combat, magic, the matrix, critters, gear and the Northwest setting. The book concludes with some errata from previous supplements, and charts and tables. The four-page table of contents is well-supplemented by a six-page index.

Game Concepts, Character Generation and Skills

The core game concepts are sufficiently simple to express in a paragraph. Shadowrun is based on d6 dice pools versus a target number and 6s are open-ended. If all dice are rolled '1', then a fumble occurs. Special dice pools exist for dramatic activity such as Combat, Control (Vehicles), Hacking and Magic. Characteristics include attributes, skills and spells. Attributes are grouped into three groups of three, Physical (Body, Quickness, Strength), Mental (Intelligence, Willpower, Charisma) and Special (Essence, Magic, Reaction), which are limited by race, with a normal human range of 1 to 6. Skills can be specialised and, even further, concentrated. Damage consists of stun damage (including fatigue) which leads to unconsciousness and wounds. Weapons have a damage code which expresses the base damage caused (Light, Moderate, Serious, Deadly). Karma is acquired by character experience and use for improvement. Magic is differentiated into the naturalistic hermetic and spiritual shamanistic. Spells are gauged by Force and cause a loss of fatigue called Drain. In the matrix, a decker appears as a persona and encounters constructs.

Got that chummers? Good, let's design a character.

The easy method is simply to select one of sixteen archetypes, a pre-generated character, complete with background, commentary, attributes, skills initiative, dice pools, cyberwear, contacts, spells, and gear, including cash. The other method is design your own, starting from a priority system from Race, Magic, Attributes, Skills and Resources. Select one of the categories as your first priority, then work your way down the categories in order of preference. Humans make up 'B', 'C', 'D' and 'E' on the race category, so if you're going to play a human you may as well take the lowest category. The magic category also has two blank slots at 'D' and 'E', so you're going to play a human non-magic using character nothing is lost by allocating another low preference (adepts are a lower preference than shamans and hermetic mages). Attributes vary from 30 points (A) to 15 points (E) in a uneven progression and modified by race. Likewise with an uneven development Skills from 40 points (A) to 17 points (E). Resources provide cash and Force Points to buy spells and foci for magic using characters. This ranges from 1,000,000/50 (A) to 500/5 (E). Apart from gear, Resources can also be used to buy contacts, followers and the like. I remember my first character fondly, having selected category A as my first preference, I then went on to cover most of the city with buddies, contacts, and a gang. It's all about networks, believe me. Finally, one can optionally gain additional benefits by taking an allergy.

OK, seriously, that's it. Well, apart from twenty inane questions about your character background which has no integration whatsoever in the game system.

There are thirty-five skills in Shadowrun, with one hundred and fifteen plus specialisations. The future is clearly interested in social complexes, as sociology is skill, but also lawless, as law is not available. On the other hand, this is one of very few games where there is more choice in the Vehicles Skills category than there is in the Combat Skills category. Skill levels determine the number of d6s that are rolled against a target number, from 2 for simple tasks, 4 for average tasks, 8 for strenuous and 10 for nearly impossible. A skill web provides a series of defaults with each point of distance adding +2 to the target number. So, if a character has no skill levels in Firearms they can default from Quickness at +4, or Gunnery at +2. Some of the defaults can get quite elaborate, especially from Intelligence which can default to Physical Sciences at +6 then to Biotechnology at an additional +8. Or you can simply follow the path directly from Intelligence at +10.

Combat...

Taking up just over 100 pages of the text the rules of combat, magic and the matrix make up a systematic and narrative core of Shadowrun; after all, what is this game about if it isn't combat, magic and the matrix? It's not as if we're playing Papers & Paychecks, chummer, we're making a Shadowrun. Despite taking up more than a third of the text and being of central importance to story development (yes, you could do Shadowrun without metahumans), the three chapters have sufficient similarity to be discussed in the same block, not the least being their temporal equivalence. In most cases all are run with three second combat rounds, with potential multiple actions. "An action ... is a character's attempt to do something. Firing a gun, casting a magic spell, and activating a computer program are some typical actions"; see what I mean?

Initiative is equal to one or more d6, based on varies enhancements plus the character's base reaction, the average of their Quickness and Intelligence. The value generated is the character's Combat Phase which determines when they act. Multiple actions are possible, with a number of actions equal to their Initiative divided by 10, with the sequence determined at the initiative -10 for each action; a character with initiative 40 will act on phases 40, 30, 20 and 10. Actions include free actions (e.g., drop object), Simple Actions (e.g., change position, command a spirit, fire weapon) or Complex Actions (cast spell, melee, reload firearm, use skill). A character may take one free action and either two simple actions or one complex action. So really, "an action" could mean three actions (one free, two simple). One can also cancel an a more complex action for a simpler one.

As mentioned, actions are carried out with pools which are refreshed each combat turn. Characters with multiple phases will need to split their pool across this multiplicity, or engage in un-pooled (i.e., purely skill based) or non-pooled actions. The combat pool is based on Quickness, Intelligence and Willpower. A control pool for vehicles is based on the character's Reaction, modified by their vehicle control rig. The hacking pool is based on the character's computing skill (plus concentrations or specialisations) plus any cyberdeck response circuitry. The magic pool is based on their Sorcery Skill rating (plus concentrations or specialisations) plus any foci or totem modifiers.

Ranged combat is a central feature of cyberpunk games and Shadowrun is no different in this regard. Range determines the base target number from Short (4) to Extreme (9). Maximum weapon ranges are particularly poor, with even sniper rifle reaching but a paltry 400m. Various modifiers exist for recoil, target movement, smart-links and aiming. Note that if you are untrained with a weapon you cannot aim. Successes from the final target number are compared with a damage resistance test based on the Body attribute with a target number based on the Power Rating of the weapon minus armor. Every two successes in favour of the attacker or the damage resistance changes the default weapon damage by one stage, along the levels of Light, Moderate, Serious or Deadly. In addition characters shot must make a Body test equal to one half of the Power of the attack. Other modifications exist for called shots, bursts and autofire, and stray shots, along with special rules for shotguns, grenades, and missile launchers. The rules for melee combat are similar with the single main exception being a defender test (to represent dodges, parries etc) in addition to the damage resistance test. Vehicles in combat receive some attention, particularly in relation to control and movement, and especially crashing and ramming.

Stop bleeding on the floor! Damage in Shadowrun is applied along two tracks, Stun and Physical with the former leading into the latter; lots of stun starts to equate to additional physical damage. At certain, identical, levels on the two tracks (light, moderate, serious, deadly), modifications occur, such a reductions in initiative and increases to target numbers. Healing from Stun is relatively quick; more like simple recovery. Physical damage varies significantly by the degree of damage with minimum levels of care and varied target numbers. For example deadly wounds have a base recovery time of 30 days, a target number of 10 and require hospitalisation. Healing is based on a Body Test against the noted target number with doctoring modifications; more a case of circumstances than any medical skill. Assuming recovery from Deadly Wounds the prospect for permanent damage exists. Magicians of all types find it more difficult to heal through normal means.

.. Magic..

There are three paths in the Shadowrun magic system; shamanism, the hermetic and the adept. Any character with a Magical rating is considered to be a magician. Shamans are associated with an animal totem chosen by the PC, which provide specific bonuses. The rat totem, for example, gives +2 dice to detection and illusion spells, and conjuring Spirits of Man. To learn spells, a shaman must spend time in a Medicine Lodge which can be transportable or permanent. In contrast the hermetic tradition which studies magic from a theoretical, bookish, perspective and require libraries for sorcery, conjuring and magical theory; they can exist in softcopy format, and they can be shared - most universities will have a magic library. Specific spells require a hermetic circle for ritual sorcery and conjurations. Finally the adept represents a limited and specialised form of magician, such as a shaman who can only cast spells or conjure spirits associated with the totem, or a hermetic magic who can only have sorcery or conjuration, or a physical adept who uses their magical rating to increase attributes, senses and skills; martial arts are common. Spellcaster's often use a foci (oddly this is squeezed in between sorcery and conjuration) to enhance their spell casting. They are available for specific spells, categories, weapons etc. Mention must also be made of 'astral space' a parallel dimension where magical entities co-exist. Skills such as astral perception help sense magical energies, and projection involves the separation of the physical body form the essence of the character, appearing as an idealised self-image in astral space, a place where real world kilometres can be passed in seconds.

Sorcery is used to cast spells. Spells are differentiated between Physical and Mana types and categorised as combat, detection, health, illusion and manipulation. A spell's Force is its power; the Range of a spell is touch (health), limited by Force (detection) or line of sight (others); the Drain level is the degree of damage the magician takes (usually stun); Duration (instant, sustained, permanent); and Exclusivity, meaning that it cannot be stacked with another spell. Spell casting is a Complex Action, but may be stacked with a +2 modifier to all target numbers to each spell stacked. Spell casting is a process of making a success test, based on the Force of the spell plus any Magic pool adds, against a target number. If applicable, the target may make a spell resistance test based on Body (physical spells) or Willpower (mama spells), or a damage resistance test. Finally the magician must make a drain resistance test based on Willpower against an individual spell formula, based on the modified Force of the spell. Ritual sorcery allows several magicians to combine their expertise and to cast at targets not in visual range with a material link or astral guiding. Typically taking hours, and thankfully excluding combat spells, it also involves materials per point of Force. Eighty or so spells are given some description, with a fair number being elaborations of lower levels (e.g., Cure L Disease, Cure M Disease, Cure S Disease et). It would be wrong to describe them as being particularly interesting.

Conjuring is used to summon, control and banish spirits. Spirits have a Force rating which determines its abilities, and the difficulty of controlling it. The main types of spirits are Nature spirits (shaman tradition only) and Elemental spirits (hermetic tradition only). Nature spirits can only be summoned from within that spirits domain and come with their own powers. The Force of the spirit summoned sets the target number of the conjuring test. Each success represents one service the spirit will carry out for the shaman. Regardless of success, a Charisma-based drain test is undertaken with the force of the spirit equalling the target number. Summoning elemental requires a conjuring library, a hermetic circle, materials, an elemental source and plenty of time. Again the number of successes equals the number of services the elemental will perform. Spirit combat is a too simple case of the Force of one spirit being used as the pool of dice with the force of the other spirit being the target number. Control over spirits can be contested.

.. and The Matrix

The Matrix is the cyberspace of Shadowrun with interaction through the usual method of a cyberdeck and a physical implant. Programs and internal systems have their own representations, as does the decker's construct, or persona. Movement is more or less instantaneous with the the exception of encountering nodes that require passcodes, which have various success requirements from an Computer skill test to bypass. Intrusion Countermeasures (IC) are categorised as active or passive., white, gray or black, the latter designed to physically attack the decker. Cyberdecks are measured in hardening (armour), active memory (program complexity capacity) and storage memory, load speed (from storage to memory), input/output speed (which supposedly means connection speed to other systems!), and cost. In addition there is a on-chip Master Persona Control Program (MPCP) which establishes the Body, Evasion, Masking and Sensors rating of the persona in the Matrix. In addition to the persona programs there is a small range of utility and combat utility programs. Combat in the Matrix is at the same rate as 'real world' combat, with three second phases, initiative, sensor and contact and the usual combination of dice pool versus target number and resistance tests.

Contacts, Critters and Gear

The last one hundred or so pages consist of a 'Behind The Scenes' chapter (i.e., GMs advice), Contacts, Critters and Gear, and finally a short section on Seattle and the Northwest and sourcebook updates. Other skills (social, vehicle, knowledge, language and perception) receive some traction in the GMs chapter, for reaction and racism, for building and repairing etc. Improvements in attributes and skills are achieved by Karma, which is earned through surviving and succeeding in a mission and for the degree of danger. One-tenth of the character's total Karma goes into a Karma pool which can be used each encounter to re-roll failures, avoid fumbles and buy additional dies and successes. Further there is a Team Karma pool as a further resource pool.

The twenty-two contacts, based on profession, are primarily a stat-block with a couple of cute quotes and are remarkably handy for an instant-NPC with just enough of a plot hint to get a story going. Critters are described with a range of powers (animal control, electrical projection, enhanced sense, essence drain, regeneration, venom) and each of the fifty or so are described quite thoroughly in terms of identification, habitat, magic, behaviour, ecological range, along with a statistics table. And never cut a deal with a dragon. The final major chapter is Gear and their not joking. Several pages of things that go bang and bomb, a couple of pages of finding and hiding, a couple of pages on entertainment and several pages on cyberwear implants which deplete Essence attributes (very bad for magicians), biotech, and a couple of pages of vehicles. The statistic pages for the gear runs for a hefty twelve pages, although there is plenty of whitespace.

The chapters on the Northwest and Seattle are not terribly exciting; there is a modicum of interest in providing a 'Lonely Planet' guide to the main sights and a few comments on the range of races that live in the area. But the description lacks a narrative tension that makes it particularly dynamic place to be. A sample scenario at this point would have been very useful; especially after getting through some 275 pages. Finally, the game concludes with sourcebook upgrades for material that was published with the first edition rules. Most of this is modifications to the Street Samurai Catalog, but with minimal and useful changes to other supplements.

Tolkien in Cyberspace?

Shadowrun is in some ways a disappointing product. The marketing is, of course, quite clever managing to combine fantasy and cyberpunk in a manner that is remotely plausible for the genre and allowing for a development of a game system which appeals to the players with an interest in combat, or magic and magic creatures, or cyberspace - but with only a fairly minimal nods in the direction of other skills. But there is also a wealth of the core material, and plenty of supplementary material (critters, contacts and gear), although reading through the rulebook is often like wading through a swamp. The game is very badly written, although is somewhat saved by a good table of contents and an excellent index.

As for the game system it must be said that the core mechanic is used universally and without too many seriously odd results. The problem is the core mechanic involves dice pools, which were an interesting experiment for the 1990s, but have largely been considered problematic - they are just too inefficient in actual play especially when combined with open-ended die rolls and target numbers.

Despite these criticisms Shadowrun is certainly a worthy game to play, once you get beyond the slight misrepresentation of the game being 'Tolkien in Cyberspace'. Of course, it is possible to run the game in this fashion (and wasn't the Lord of the Rings a shadowrun of sorts?) there is no requirement to include the typical themes and tropes of fantasy within this setting. Magic may have returned to the world; but the world is not medieval romanticism; it is cyberpunk.

Style: 1 + .7 (layout) + .5 (art) + .7 (coolness) + .1 (readability) + .5 (product) = 3.6

Substance: 1 + .7 (content) + .3 (text) + .6 (fun) + .6 (workmanship) + .6 (system) = 3.7