Blog Posts

VTT Icons and Resources

As we spoke about before, Covid really threw our lives when it came to game into some strangeness. We had to spin up new methods of keeping our stories alive. Though this is my least favorite of the ways to run a game. It holds itself aloft as something that can bring people together from across the world to enjoy the stories of friends who cannot gather around a table. Though in a more modern adaptation. Some have even begun to bring digital tables to their play groups. To this end I wanted to talk about digital assets and where to find them.

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Neo Anarchist's Guide to Everything Else

We have another Zine that blazed trails in the Shadowrun universe! Started by Jerry Stratton and continued by Tony Moller. This along with the Shadowrun Supplemental were among the first player published materials out there. The first issue came out in 1992 and the last in 1994.

As these are free to distribute I wanted to ensure it had a place among the archive of everything else Shadowrun had to offer for those who may have missed the boat so to speak on these wonderful publications.

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The Shadowrun Supplementals

On January 1st, 1992 we were given Shadowrun in its second form. Now revised with an attempt to bring the systems together and resolve some rules disputes, this gave us the form Shadowrun would exist in for some time. In 1997 Adam Jury rounded up some articles and put together the first Shadowrun Supplemental. This was a collection of articles written by players and Game Masters about topics they wanted to see in their games. Things they wanted to share with the world at large of Shadowrun players.

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Character Sheets

After doing some digging into character sheets for an up and coming game. I suddenly realize the crap shoot that was finding character sheets for Shadowrun. On one hand, it makes sense. The IP has been shared and scattered to the winds across half a dozen companies all keeping their own digital presence. On the other, we used to have things like dumpshock.org to keep us with what we needed. Nowadays, well it’s a whole different ball game. I think it’s time to change that. One place, all the sheets you’ll ever need.

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Digital Tools for a Better Game

As time continued forward and with the horrid times that was the panic following the COVID, we as tabletop gamers ran into some serious problems. The games that we wanted to play with our friends suddenly had to move online. Separated from our friends and unable to share a table, we turned to the tools that were made for online play. The real problem here is, most things were made for DnD. Shadowrun DOES have its own tactical movements, but they are a tad clunky (in my opinion of course).

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How to be a Decker including Dumb Matrix Tricks

Books Used in this article.

• Matrix
• Target: Matrix
• SR3 Core

When you have a decker in the group, a lot of people miss some golden opportunities. Deckers can add great resources outside of opening security doors and stopping poison gas from geeking your team. Part of it is realizing how much cyber crime your decker can do for you. This usually comes in the form of a few common decking activites.

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Matrix Example - Doc Wagon

Books Used in this article.

• Matrix
• Target: Matrix
• SR3 Core

As we continue with these examples we are going to continue to add more complexities to these systems. In this system we are going to introduce multiple nodes. Each node itself will have its own security sheaf. Each system will be marked with a letter and its Sheaf will be added in a table next to its letter. A new rule you will need to pick up as well is that security tally carries as the decker moves between different subsystems. The way SR3 explains it, is that until you leave the host wholesale or log in from a different RTG. This means however that each host only cares about its own tally.

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Matrix System Examples - Grid Guide

Books Used in this article.

• Matrix
• Target: Matrix
• SR3 Core

A lot of cyberpunk revolves around crazy new technology. In almost every system imaginable, this includes some kind of virtual reality system that people have become obsessed with. Part of this is due to the escape it offers. A paradise outside of the nightmare society has wrought with shifting laws to allow for hyper capitalism. Regardless of why, it leads to characters who want to enter this world and most importantly, take on the counter cultural heroes known as Hackers, Deckers, Phreakers or the likes.

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Lonestar Adventure - Coding

Books Useful for this article.

• SR2 Core
• Lone Star

This post uses my Lonestar Campaign Setting found here.

Adventure Title: Coding

Adventure Type: Cyber Crime

Setting: Seattle, 2075

Plot Overview:

The group of officers arrive on scene of a catastrophic traffic accident (Go Gang related attack with civilians caught in the crossfire). The EMTs arrive after the officers give what aid they can. One of the victims has an incredibly rare blood type and is an organ donor (this rare type is resistant to organ growth, so vat grown organs are off the table) and needs to be rushed to the nearest hospital (with police escort). Another group of officers is called to give a police escort to a family who’s in desperate need of that heart.

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Decker Game

A long long time in a galaxy far far away, any kind of shadowrun content was gold. It was rare and beautiful to behold. Decker was one of those nuggets from the era. It was difficult, but getting ahead was extremely satisfying. This of course led to save scumming like never before! All of this said, it was written in an era of windows that has since passed, but just like everything these days. A spark held in someones heart allowed it to step forward into the future.

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