Author Topic: Old SR2 player entering a SR4 campaign - what should I know about SR4?  (Read 2363 times)

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Shoggoth

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A friend of mine is talking about starting up a campaign in Shadowrun 4th Edition once we reach a good stopping point in our DnD 4E campaign.  I'm interested in playing, and I'm wondering what to watch out for issues-wise, both in making my character and playing the game.

I've played 2nd edition extensively, I used to run and play back in the early to mid 90s, and I still have a bookshelf full of 2nd Edition books.  Back then, the problems you ran into included the decker/rest of the party split, the general uselessness of vehicle-based riggers once the party was on foot, and the 4/1 turn ratio between cybered up street sams and everyone else.

I know they fixed a lot of those issues in 3rd edition, notably by changing the turn order and including drones and wireless decking to make riggers and deckers more useful mid-run, but I haven't read the SR4 book at all yet and I'd love to know if there's anything I need to watch out for.  If I do make a decker, is there any piece of gear out of a splat-book that is a must have?  Are there any social mechanics to supplement the social skills of the player playing the Faceman, and do they actually work?  That sort of thing.
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Shaun

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Re: Old SR2 player entering a SR4 campaign - what should I know about SR4?
« Reply #1 on: January 21, 2009, 02:38:06 PM »
One of the biggest things is that wireless is ubiquitous in SR4. A Commlink (the SR4 equivalent of a cyberdeck), common use programs for it, and at least a little bit of computer skills are necessary. Also, gear that allows you to interact with Augmented Reality are a must have.
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tsuyoshikentsu

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Re: Old SR2 player entering a SR4 campaign - what should I know about SR4?
« Reply #2 on: January 21, 2009, 08:29:04 PM »
That's hysterical, because it sounds like things haven't changed much at all.

They fixed the problems with drones, but you still have the hacker/party divide, and the street samurai gets 3 passes to everyone except the rigger's 1.  Social mechanics are still just skill pools, and in many cases completely exploitable: there's a build out there called the Pornomancer that rolls something like 30d for Social tests.

There are also two problems that are, from what I hear, relatively new.  They both involve trolls.  One is that, with trolls' massive STR, they can pile on the armor and never die.  (ESPECIALLY if they ever ge their hands on a pain editor.)  And another is that, again with their massive STR and some splat abilities, they can make a bow do slightly more damage than a rocket launcher.
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Wordman

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Re: Old SR2 player entering a SR4 campaign - what should I know about SR4?
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2009, 01:13:59 AM »
« Last Edit: February 27, 2009, 03:12:01 AM by Wordman »
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Shoggoth

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Re: Old SR2 player entering a SR4 campaign - what should I know about SR4?
« Reply #4 on: January 22, 2009, 01:24:21 AM »
One thing that hasn't changed between editions: Dumpshock is probably the place to ask this question.

Ohh, nice link.  I'll peruse those forums tomorrow when I have some downtime at work.
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gtroc

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Re: Old SR2 player entering a SR4 campaign - what should I know about SR4?
« Reply #5 on: January 28, 2009, 08:54:18 PM »
  And another is that, again with their massive STR and some splat abilities, they can make a bow do slightly more damage than a rocket launcher.

also random side note the range is just under sniper rifle range with a troll using a bow. yeah my troll street sammie bowmaester was made of sniping awsome, you could shoot through a tank at range to far to see with the naked eye.  :lmao fun fun!
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Talen Lee

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Re: Old SR2 player entering a SR4 campaign - what should I know about SR4?
« Reply #6 on: January 30, 2009, 10:07:59 PM »
I know that probably ruins someone's suspension of gritty dirt-coloured disbelief, but that does actually sound very cool.

Shoggoth

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Re: Old SR2 player entering a SR4 campaign - what should I know about SR4?
« Reply #7 on: January 31, 2009, 06:49:28 PM »
For me, playing SR has always been about being a ridiculous badass in a world full of corporate pricks and other non-corporate people who are also pricks.  Being the troll who takes a shotgun blast to the face, giggles like a schoolgirl, then rips off the guy's scrotum with with his pinky is really just the shit.

So yeah, killing a man with a bow from a mile away sounds pretty cool.

It's probably a moot point though.  It sounds like my friend wants a break from GMing period, so chances are I'll be running either Spirit of the Century or Paranoia XP once he's done with his D&D4E campaign.
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JaronK

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Re: Old SR2 player entering a SR4 campaign - what should I know about SR4?
« Reply #8 on: October 17, 2009, 05:54:35 PM »
Having actually used a modern hunting bow today, and factoring in that a troll can fire a much larger bow (proportionate to a 12' tall man) with over twice my strength score, plus the fact that there's better materials available for bow making and arrow heads, I frankly find the idea of Trolls damaging tanks that way pretty plausible.  Hunting Bows are CRAZY!

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Re: Old SR2 player entering a SR4 campaign - what should I know about SR4?
« Reply #9 on: October 18, 2009, 04:30:34 PM »
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