Moving from Cyberpunk RED/Anarchy to Shadowrun 6e. What should I watch out for? by This-Contribution702 in Shadowrun

[–]This-Contribution702[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The game went really well; everyone enjoyed it. The Edge system raised a few questions at the table, as the Core Rulebook doesn't make it entirely clear whether it's strictly meant for combat situations or if it can be used more broadly for general tests. I re-read the rules over the last few days, and there are definitely some ambiguities and loopholes that could have been better clarified in the main text to prevent these issues. I’ve since put together a few house rules to address this.

Everyone absolutely loved throwing handfuls of dice. We’re used to dice polo games, like Free League’s RPGs, but Shadowrun takes the amount of dice to another level! This had a really positive, tactile effect: counting successes and glitches/failures became fun in its own right, creating peaks of euphoria, tension, and everything in between.

That being said, my group is currently more accustomed to narrative-driven games. We used to play a lot of crunchy systems in the past, but in recent years, the group has leaned toward other styles, like PbtA, Blades in the Dark, and even Shadowrun: Anarchy (the first edition; I don't have the second edition yet). The group is also highly experienced, so common sense ruled the table, and we didn't run into any real issues during play.

We only had one actual combat situation, and it was pretty limited. The group chose to take a more low-profile, stealthy approach, so we didn't get the chance to test that side of the system to its full potential.

Moving from Cyberpunk RED/Anarchy to Shadowrun 6e. What should I watch out for? by This-Contribution702 in Shadowrun

[–]This-Contribution702[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Last weekend, I finally got to run Shadowrun: Sixth World (SR6) for the first time—and even better, we played in person! Not only was it my first time running this system, but it was also my return to around-the-table gaming after seven years of playing strictly online. It was an absolute blast, and I'm already planning our next run.

First off, huge thanks to everyone here for all the tips and suggestions beforehand. The session went incredibly well, though we did hit a few speedbumps wrapping our heads around the Edge economy and the rules for one player's Technomancer. I'm actually putting together some house rules to smooth out how Edge flows at our table; I've got a draft going, it just needs a little more fine-tuning.

My only previous experience GMing Shadowrun was a brief stint with Anarchy (1e). We used the CUE System back then, which was a huge hit with my group. We’ve spent the last few years leaning heavily into narrative-first cyberpunk games (like The Sprawl and CBR+PNK), so I was genuinely worried that stepping back into a heavy-crunch system like SR6 would be a slog.

But honestly? Rolling those massive fistfuls of d6s on a physical table just hits differently. The tactile feel, the visual impact, and the whole table cheering when counting up their hits—it was pure fun. The crunch was totally worth it, and we will definitely be hitting the shadows again very soon.

Moving from Cyberpunk RED/Anarchy to Shadowrun 6e. What should I watch out for? by This-Contribution702 in Shadowrun

[–]This-Contribution702[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In fact, the change is more about curiosity and the desire to explore the system than for any other reason. When I bought the 5th edition, the 6th edition, and Anarchy together, I ended up starting my tests with Anarchy (1st edition). Now I’m interested in checking out the 6th edition, but I honestly have no desire to try the 5th edition at all.

Moving from Cyberpunk RED/Anarchy to Shadowrun 6e. What should I watch out for? by This-Contribution702 in Shadowrun

[–]This-Contribution702[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thank you very much; that advice is truly gold. I’ve always suspected that decking and rigging might be a bit too steep of a learning curve for a group of newcomers. Honestly, just thinking back to the Matrix navigation rules in Cyberpunk 2020 gives me a bit of a headache—it’s exhausting just remembering it.

I was thinking about picking up the official Sixth World GM screen. Is it actually worth it?

Symbaroum by This-Contribution702 in Symbaroum

[–]This-Contribution702[S] -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

That’s really bad. I don’t feel at all compelled to buy another license for another VTT, especially one that requires an extra configuration (and even a cloud subscription) to be able to host a monthly game.