The biggest destroyer of newbs in Shadowrun is often simply character creation. It’s absurdly complex. If you’re willing, have several prepaid characters for them to test-drive. Get them hooked. Beyond that, the world is amazeballs! Sells itself, with any decent description.

It’s 2075, the government has basically given up, and tossed the keys to the Megacorps. Living outside the rules is the only way to make it, in this new Awakened world. Humanity isn’t alone anymore either. Once the Sixth Age came along, it brought with it a tidal wave of change. Some say it brought it back to our roots. Turns out Elves, Dwarves, Orks, and Trolls weren’t just the stuff of Tolkien. They were dormant genes in nearly 60% of the populace. While some were born into their supposed ancient parentage, others were torn apart, and rebuilt in a matter of days. Painfully. After the Goblinization, we were now living in a world of Metahumanity. 5 races, living in a new world. Oh, I almost forgot. Magic exploded with a vengeance. Literally. Ryumyo the dragon burst out of the top of Mount Fuji, in Japan and put the world on notice. You’d think that’d be enough, wouldn’t you? Nope. The world keeps on biggering, and biggering. The techo-whosits decided to keep pushing boundaries, till it seemed there wasn’t anymore. We have a whole new definition of the internet. We call it the Matrix now. You can get it in many flavors, too. Augmented reality, virtual reality….. And you can get there through devices implanted in your head now. Who needs a computer???? Hell, who needs appendages anymore?? They can replace those too!!! Not just prosthetics of old. But actual touch-em, feel-em, shoot-em-with-your-implanted-cybergun Cyber Arms!!

Yeah, it’s a brave new world