Review of Shadowrun: Sixth World Beginner Box

Firstly who am I? At the time of writing, I've been GMing solidly for over 30 years. Shadowrun was one of the first games I GM'd as an ongoing campaign back when both Cyberpunk and Shadowrun were shiny and new. I've GM'd it on and off over the years through all it's editions. So Shadowrun has always had a special place in my heart, there's a lot of memories and nostalgia tied up in it.

In my youth I was an art student, so I appreciate good design, good art, don't enjoy maths, am not a fan of crunch for it's own sake. I do enjoy stories, and being able to make and share my own with my friends is what makes the hobby for me. 4 out of 6 of my regular players have been playing as long as I've been GMing. You don't tend to see me on forums or social media as I don't see social media as a net positive. Me writing reviews is a good example of 'Do something right and the client tells two people, get it wrong and they tell ten'. If I'm taking the time to write a review, that's me telling ten.

So, foreshadowing over, here's the review.

This is a beginners box, so most of us know the drill by now. We get a set of sample character dossiers, an adventure, and 'rules lite' to allow the scenario to be played and give a feel for the fuller game. Although in theory designed for beginners to the hobby, as far as I can see most sales go to old hands looking at a new system, or just to 'taste' a new edition, which is why I got it.


Production values Box, paper, card is all solid and decent stock. Art is 3-4/5 Not as good as some of the stuff that adorned the 5th ed core books, not as bad as some of the early 4th ed stuff. In general, it's ok. However do not get me started on all the purple, it's an ugly colour that's been chosen, and it is everywhere - including the dice. Step past the art and the editing is dreadful. Right down to the spell cards having the wrong descriptions on them for the mage pre-gen. This is so disappointing - it ruins everything and its just sloppy. Dice. The dice in principle take the hurt out of the box cost? What are we saying about our acceptance of overpriced custom dice!

Character Dossiers Nothing 'wrong' but really lacklustre. None of these guys stand out and scream 'I'm cool!' They all seem very Average McAverage, Bland McBland, Samey McSameyson. I was gobsmacked the Street Samurai didn't have wired reflexes - when I checked the rules in the SR6 core, my head nearly fell off, but that's getting ahead of myself and something for another review.

Rules There are issues here. We have another continuation of the attempt to streamline all shadowruns systems into such a simple dice formula that it isn't daunting. I can't help but feel It's always been a misguided effort. Shadowrun is complex because there's a lot going on, not because the rules need to be got rid of (well, since 3rd anyway) but here we have a new iteration of the streamlining that's been advancing since 4th changed the system to a WW storyteller clone. This latest wave feels like the designers of 'Anarchy' were given to go ahead to make it theirs. At this point the different aspects of Shadowrun are actually starting to feel samey. Not good. The big highlight being spun is the new way edge has become a flowing currency in an encounter. I'm not sold. This feels like much ado about simply gaining a few extra successes. Back in the 'bad old days' when Shadowrun was really complicated, we would simply have altered the target number down to represent a good plan or effort and therefore garner more successes. You'd use Karma pool to make rerolls, and that would be your own little pool of luck. We now have several pages on a new unneeded mechanism to get more successes, and your personal pool of luck has been emptied in favour of the whims of circumstance. It just feels gimmicky. Maybe I will feel different over time? Possible, but unlikely.

The Scenario *spoiler alert* I wasn't impressed here either. Our beginners' adventure is a simple rescue of a damsel in distress with a deeply flawed plot from beginning to end - Let's just think about what's happened before the characters arrive - our damsel, Erica, is meant to be a high ranking national government official. But her car is allowed to wander into gang turf with no drone support, no military or corpsec? The elf and troll gangers who are mortal enemies according to prior editions have somehow not just started killing each other on contact this time either? Even once the car stops, there are no countermeasures? Apparently not, the car just rolls into gangland with bikers on each side... None of this makes any sense and blows my willing suspension of disbelief out the window before the adventure even starts. Once the gangs all gather 'the warriors' style and finally kick-off, why on earth is Erica out of her presumably highly armoured car? Was she worried about them damaging it's paint to get to her? Our player character's entry into this shambles is nothing more than outright coincidence - they are in a stuffer shack across the street from the 'warriors' homage. For some reason they decide that it would be a good idea to go rescue the suit. But why? The area being portrayed is deep in gang turf, there are four different gangs all over it and not a lone star in sight. So if the players are in a local corner store here picking up munchies then presumably they are local themselves? Some of the gangers are going to be contacts or friends surely? In fact stressing that possible connection would have been a good reason the characters are able to extricate Erica as negotiators - they actually know, and are respected by, at least one of the gangs. But that got missed - either missed in the product altogether, or missed by me due to bad writing/editing? Another good angle might have been to have a corp sec strike team arrive to attempt a rescue of the damsel and throw the gangs into disarray - allowing Erica to zip off in the confusion and end up trying to hire the characters to get her out while the rest of the scene devolves into a killing spree. The corp sec team could have been a great intro into how heartless Cyberpunk corps can be as they indiscriminately mow down the 'scum' including any bystanders and the characters - another opportunity missed, and one that would have thrown the adventure into new locales. And lastly, we're still using the stuffer shack tables from 1st ed? It was cute as a value add in 3rd Ed's 'First Run' but seriously lazy now - but that sums this whole adventure up.

Put any other negativity aside and we're still left with the fact that this is really just a single combat encounter, not what I would term a complete adventure, and a million miles away from the value that FFG puts into its Star Wars or L5R beginner boxes.

I'm afraid this beginners box was a highly negative experience for us as an intro to 6th, and I find it hard to believe any new players will find this an enticing entry into the world of Shadowrun. As an old hand I was deeply disappointed with both the adventure and with where Shadowrun has ended up as a system. Once you get past the flag wavers happy that shadowrun still exists, you have to ask yourself in what way. Sadly I feel that it is increasingly in name only.