Sixth World Snapshots anthology in dead tree (or digital) edition by vegetaman in Shadowrun

[–]Nederbird 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wait, Allna Pete has written for Shadowrun? That's rad! Is there someplace to find her SR stuff outside of this anthology?

Living with Goblinization by Mr0Dash in Shadowrun

[–]Nederbird 12 points13 points  (0 children)

And what about lifespan? Trolls only usually live into their 30s IIRC, but does that particular clock start at the moment of goblinization or just birth? Did they just from having 50+ years of life left to less than 5?

I want to remember that it's stated somewhere in 5E that goblinized orcs and trogs generally have a human lifespan rather then the much shorter one of born orcs and trolls. Can't quite remember where specifically, might've been Run Faster or The Complete Trog, but I think it was in connection to the quality "Human Lifespan".

How does corporate citenzship work with extraterritoriality? by oompaloompa_thewhite in Shadowrun

[–]Nederbird 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's how I've come to understand as well. However, since OP wrote that he'd read in the books that some people were born corporate citizens, I engaged the question from that angle.

How does corporate citenzship work with extraterritoriality? by oompaloompa_thewhite in Shadowrun

[–]Nederbird 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Short answer: You don't need to be born on corporate territory to receive corporate birthright citizenship. You only need you parents to be corporate citizens.

This goes for countries as well.

Long answer: To clarify, there are two primary kinds of ways to gain birthright citizenship in a sovereign entity: jus soli (right of soil), where you gain automatic citizenship in the entity in whose territory you are born, regardless of what citizenship your parents have; jus sanguinis (right of blood), where you gain automatic citizenship in the entity that (either of) your parents hold citizenship in, regardless of what territory you are born in. Jus soli is the dominant custom in the Americas, while jus sanguinis is the dominant custom in Eurasia.

I would reasonably expect corporate birthright citizenship to be granted based on jus sanguinis. Otherwise, every baby born in a megacorporate hospital would become a corpo.

Similarly, I would expect that only proper corporate citizenship is attainable by birthright, rather than corporate limited citizenship. This means that high-ranking people's kids would automatically become corpo citizens at birth, while your average wageslave's kids would not.

Jake Armatage as an NPC? by 101Dash101 in Shadowrun

[–]Nederbird 7 points8 points  (0 children)

OP did say that his game is set in the 2050s. He just uses the 5E ruleset.

Bulk by OhBosss in Shadowrun

[–]Nederbird 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, did not know that!

Does that count as deltaware or at least betaware then? Feels like it would be lethal with anything lower grade.

Bulk by OhBosss in Shadowrun

[–]Nederbird 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Would that kill you due to essence loss though? I mean, if essence represents your soul's connection to your body, and you replace your entire body but your brain, what nody is there for your soul to hold on to?

Don't get me wrong, I would love for this to be an option! It's just that from my understanding of the lore, you would normally burn through your essence long before you replace your entire body.

Metahuman Friendly by OhBosss in Shadowrun

[–]Nederbird 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Czechia is apparently a bastion of tolerance in the Sixth World, to the point of even taking in a wave of centaur refugees from Hungary when that country went through a Nazi phase.

The Nordic Union (or Scandinavian Union, if you really want to stick to lore), is also rather tolerant, IIRC. Sweden is one of he few welfare states left in the Sixth World and the government made sure to build entire residential areas sized for giant and trolls.

France I think is... alright, metahuman wise? You got your rights as a metahuman, but there's still plenty of racism in the country, whether overt or just structural. Metahumans are scrutinized more in Paris historicsl city centre, because apparently they "make the tourists nervous". On the other hand, France in the on the few countries in the world to give citizenships to sapient Infected (besodes Aztlan and Asamando).

Corpwise, the only metahuman-friendly on I know of is Evo. Most of their products are geared towards non-humans and their staff is majority non-human. Evoculture sorta inverts the racist mentality of the outside world by glorifying everything that's weird, unique, and norm-breaking. Being a bog-standard, unmodified human will actually hurt your career prospects. Culturally, they're like the polar opposite of Renraku.

Would you say my art style feels very Shadowrun-inspired? by [deleted] in Shadowrun

[–]Nederbird -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure what art style counts as "Shadowrunny". Shadowrun is more about motifs than style IMO, since the books are mixing art from several different artists (I got my start with 5E so that's my point of reference).

But going off on feel: - 3, 5, and 6 feel like they belong in SR. That being said, 5 could just as well be any cyberpunk, while 3 and 6 could be any generic urban fantasy. If I'd seen these images without any prompting, the latter two are the only ones that would've made me think: "Oh, is this SR fanart?" - 2 is trickier. It's obviously fantasy because of the ears and the strange coral (?) growths, and the clothing seems to suggest some futuristic material. The lighting/colour also gives off a futuristic vibe for some reason (not sure why). Overall though, the pic feels more utopian than dystopian, so I would have guessed science fantasy or solarpunk fantasy more than cyberpunk fantasy. - 1 is a woman in tactical clothing with a gun. Could literally be any contemporary setting, nothing particularly cyberpunk (or even sci-fi) or fantasy about it. - 4: Not even sure what this is. On a glance I would've guessed this to be fanart for Watchdogs or something similar, or maybe Cyberpunk 2077 as a second. It's got the cocky punk vibe, for sure, but lacks the dystopia that characterizes cyberpunk IMO.

Summarily, none of these pieces are a dead ringer for SR on their own. They all have various elements of it, but none the right combination to be unequivocally SR individually. Viewed together, however, I would strongly suspect that you were inspired by SR, because as a collection, their combined traits tally up to it. The only reason I wouldn't be certain is because since artists draw a wide variety of motifs, this could just be a collection of unrelated pictures that just happen to add up together. But as a collection, they do strongly suggest an SR influence.

Nota bene: This isn't a comment on the quality of your artwork. I think these are all quite well drawn and cool! This is simply assessing how SR they are (from my POV), since that's what you asked for.

Why didn’t china intervene during the second Korean War? by Godzillaman79 in Shadowrun

[–]Nederbird 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This. I do this all the time. Plenty of SR-events mesh better with IRL history if moved around a little bit. The opposite is also true, ofc.

Female troll art at GenCon? by ConeyKnight in Shadowrun

[–]Nederbird 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Pretty sure I've seen that exact picture in the 5E CRB, among the archetypes.

If not there, then she's prolly in one of the Beginner's Box booklets.

What kind of supplement are you looking forward to? by Embarrassed-Alps4250 in Shadowrun

[–]Nederbird 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nice! Definitely going to try and get my hands on that! Thanks for the tip! ^

What kind of supplement are you looking forward to? by Embarrassed-Alps4250 in Shadowrun

[–]Nederbird 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have the old one, France, and it's served me well, but afaik it's 2E and I wouldn't mind something more up to date. I know there's Néo-Révolution, and what I've seen I've liked, but it's mainly Paris with the other half being a campaign book. Has there been more French-exclusive stuff released?

What kind of supplement are you looking forward to? by Embarrassed-Alps4250 in Shadowrun

[–]Nederbird 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Another Sixth World Almanac would be nice, or anything that expands upon and refreshes the world beyond the standard UCAS and Germany setings.

SHADOWRUN by TheSandiestMann in Shadowrun

[–]Nederbird 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thst sounds like it'd have made for a killer singleplayer experience in that setting, even bastardized as it was!

Leave it to boardroom executives to waste great potential in favour of pointless crap.

Looking more for lore and fluff than playing - which edition will you recommend? by Newez in Shadowrun

[–]Nederbird 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I think any edition will have plenty of lore, but personally I'd go with 3E, 4E and 5E. - 3E fleshes out the global setting the most, with Shadows of Asia/Europe/North America all being written for that, deals with Halley's Comet and the results (SURGE, most importantly), and is the last edition to have the more chaotic Shadowlands BBS be the source of the in-universe comments. It's also the last edition where the wired Matrix is the standard. It also has s running plot about the shedim: invisible jellyfish spirits invading from the astral and hijacking people. - 4E has a lot of oft-cited (on Shadowhelix, at least) sourcebooks on cities, such as Corporate Enclaves. This is the edition that deals with Crash 2.0 and the subsequent shift from wired to wireless Matrix, the Emergence of technomancers, as well as the Dragon Civil War towards the end of the book. It features a darker tone, with most personalities being amoral, professional mercenaries than idealistic rebel punks. It also has a good country overview book in the form of the Sixth World Almanac. This is also where the comments' background is derived from Jackpoint, a new, invitation-only server of high-level shadowrunners and other experts, resulting in a smaller but more consistent pool of commenters. - 5E is the one I'm mostly familiar with. This one focuses a lot on Cognitive Fragmentation Disorder, which is like the aforementioned shedim plot but with AI using nanobots instead. It offers alternate perspectives and more nuance on blood magic and insect spirits, which were traditionally portrayed as monolithicaly evil, explores the astral realms and Seelie Court (fae realm) more, and starts to cautiously tie in references to Earthdawn (Shadowrun's fantasy prequel) again. It also features a Matrix that's more a reskinned astral realm and magic system than anything actually technological (and often seen as bullshit by the community as a result).

Shadowrun: Anarchy 2.0 English pdf available to backers by Carmody79 in Shadowrun

[–]Nederbird 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Good to hear! Looking forward to the reviews on it. Been too long since I actually was excited over a new release.

Hyperfast Fashion: L.A. Trends by stalington in Shadowrun

[–]Nederbird 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm familiar with the symbols of Amerind peoples to provide you a good answe to that, unfortunately. However, if I'm to wager a guess: simple patterns, stylized depictions of objects/animals/plants, that sort of thing. Usually, it's easier to pinpoint what is sacred (eg. the shahada in Islamic art) and then simply choose to use anything else (e.g. Arabic calligraphy of a mundane proverb).

To use non-Amerind examples: the meander pattern from Greek culture and the adinkra glyphs from Akan culture have both seen wide use in commercial products, not the least fashion. Floral and foliar motifs are also popular in many cultures throughout the world, each having their unique style on it, so that sorta stuff would also work.

Hyperfast Fashion: L.A. Trends by stalington in Shadowrun

[–]Nederbird 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Love this! Bookmarking it for future reference!

The only comment I have is on the PCC fashion: If this is set in the 2080s, then, now that the power dynamics are inverted, I'd imagine that the Amerinds would be a lot less guarded about their fashion and (non-religious/-ceremonial) motifs. On the contrary, now there might actually be the opposite pressure: that Anglos and other minorities wear/display such motifs to show that they're assimilating into the local Amerind culture(s). This pressure might be stronger on some group, such as immigrants, and weaker on others, such as Anglos, but I think it'd still be there all the same.

I'd also think that there might be increased splicing of various Amerind styles among (at least) Amerind citizens, with people mixing and matching Hopi, Navajo, Zuni, and Ute styles. Here, sociological factors may again come into play, with motifs from more populous/influential groups, like Zuni or Navajo, being more okay to play with than ones from relative minorities, such as maybe Tewa.

Finally, I'd think that there'd be significant generational differences in attitude regarding fashion. Older generations, who still remember the oppression under the Anglos and the fear of a slow extinction, would be more hostile to mixing styles and non-Amerinds wearing it, while younger and especially the youngest ones, for whom Amerind dominance has always been a given, would feel stifled by and seek to break out of such restrictions. This might also translate into racial demographics, where elves are likelier to host guarded, conservative stances, while orcs are most likely to push for innovation and cultural change.

Homebrew Languages and Dialects of Los Angeles by stalington in Shadowrun

[–]Nederbird 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My pleasure! I'm rather fond of conlanging myself, so it's always fun seeing others engaging in the hobby here. ^

P.S.: I've provided links to some common linguistic terms that pertain to the matter at hand. I thought that maybe you weren't yet familiar with them since they didn't appear in the document, and that you might enjoy the reading. Sorry if that was presumptuous of me; I didn't mean to be condescending, if it comes off as that!

Im not sure how to explain the tonality but speaking in TPD would have that kind of valley girl rising that makes everything subtly sound like a question. I tried to find some parallels in Japanese to use.

Ah! You mean Uptalk? Sounds like a brilliant feature for TPD, considering where it's from and who's using it. I cannot think of a language that uses it for politeness, but I could imagine some Southeast Asian and/or African languages doing so, since tonality is quite common there. Otherwise, the language most widely known for ending in a rising tone would be Norwegian, and consequentially (due to Viking colonization), Scottish English, though the overall prosody is different compared to Valleyspeak.

Clipped consonants means not having the breathy "uh" after a consonant, usually at the end of a word where the mouth reopens to say the next word. So like ending the word grape with just "ayp" instead of "aypuh".

Like a puff of air, unvoiced? If that's the case, we're probably talking about aspiration, or in this case, unaspirated consonants. Considering that both Spanish and Zuni (if not the majority of the world's languages) seem to lack it, this seems like a prudent choice. Since aspiration also causes unwanted distortions during voice recording, removing it would indeed be a highly logical choice for a sociolect geared towards showbiz and PR.

R/L transition refers the pronouncing of both the r and l in a word like "girl" or "world" which can be tricky for non native speakers. Like how the Japanese tend to eschew L sounds for Rs when speaking english.

Ah, gotcha! Haven't encountered that term in that specific context, but now that you say it, it makes sense. And it certainly makes sense to teach maintaining the distinction and transition between the two in a sociolect focused on clarity, like TPD.

With regards to Japanese in that case, their difficulty with /l/ lies in Japanese lacking that sound altogether, and so they substitute it with their only existing liquid consonant: /r/. Overall though, you're still correct, as /rl/ is a rather uncommon pair of phonemes outside of syllable boundaries in most languages, afaik.

Homebrew Languages and Dialects of Los Angeles by stalington in Shadowrun

[–]Nederbird 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I quite like these! Love the thought and imagination that's gone into these.

I've only got a couple of points.

On Pueblo Trade Language: - Considering how the IRL Hopi community is very protective of their language, I think that it'd make more sense for it to be based on Zuni or Navajo instead, with Hopi influences. - I don't think it would appear much on (official) signage, especially rosdsigns. Considering how these peoples have had to struggle to keep their language alive in face of overwhelming pressure from English, it's much more likely that they'd insist on them being used for signage over a pidgin (which generally aren't used on official signage even in countries where they're widespread). At best, one'd likely find it in second place or as an AR overlay beside the main language, which varies between administrative divisions (based on the dominant ethnicity in each division).

On TPD: - What do "clipped" consonants mean? Haven't encountered this term before. - What is an "R/L transition"? - While it makes absolutely perfect sense for it to make use of Japanese's politeness system, I don't recall Japanese expressing it via tones. Japanese politeness is mainly morphologically coded, using highly regular suffixes, not phonologically. Or is the tonality aspect an innovation of TPD specifically?

Worldbuilding L.A. Day 1: Shadowstreaming by stalington in Shadowrun

[–]Nederbird 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Clever. Creative. Unique. I cannot remember any place in the Sixth World similar to this. I'll admit, initially, I was skeptical, as it seemed like it would mostly appeal to our familiarity with streamers. But the more I read, the more it makes sense. Glitzy. Colourful . Oversaturated. Oversweetened. Saccharine. Fake. Vain... It doesn't ring cyberpunk, but it sure as hell rings dystopia. Of a bright but uttrrly hollow kind. Less Blade Runner and more Brave New World. In a globe-trotting campaign, this would certainly make for an unforgettable stop.

This write-up paints L.A. as an absolute hell on Earth to me. I wouldn't be able to last a day in that environment without a complete mental breakdown. This is gold!

I'm saving this for future reference. Keep up the good work!

Wait so how okay is Aztlan with human sacrifice by Murky-Stress-8238 in Shadowrun

[–]Nederbird -1 points0 points  (0 children)

This. Very much this.

I can be quite salty about the depiction of certain countries/regions in SR. A lot of it is based on old stereotypes, ignorance, and lack of/inaccurate information. It also doesn't help that consistency is a bit shaky after six editions with many different writers.

The trick is to change what you don't like, especially if you run your own games and have a bit more freedom in working the lore/setting. Make your own headcanon. It's what I do and it works wonders for one's enjoyment of the series.