SwiftOne Speaks
by SwiftOne (swiftone@bigfoot.com)

Gencon has come and gone, and the first batch of reviews following Gencon is traditionally a time of great excitement, as the newest metaplot events are revealed, and large rule expansions inspected.

But not this time.

This is a the third time I have written this introduction. The first time, I chastised FASA for reaching the 2nd anniversary of 3rd edition without any invigorating storyline additions.

The second time, I merely revised the first draft to acknowledge that Target:Matrix had been printed in the time TSS-13 was being assembled.

Then FASA announced it was closing, and a complete rewrite was called for.

While it is early yet, it appears that the Shadowrun line will be continuing in some form or another under its new owner. This means I can perform the traditional analyst duty of criticizing previous procedure and recommending changes. Since all of my gaming experience is from the fan side, all of this commentary should be taken with a large grain of salt.

3rd edition represents a significant cleaning up of the rules system for Shadowrun. It also represents a change in focus, from existing players to new players. Finally, it represented the end of the evolution of the Shadowrun line. New metaplots weren’t being released, and new world locations weren’t being detailed. The change in focus moved Shadowrun from its gritty cyberpunk roots to more of a larger-than-life comic feel.

What hadn’t changed was FASA’s customer service. Their website went through a renewed promise of content every six months. Errata and product schedules are available through dedicated fan sites, but not through the manufacturers themselves. Even the cleaned up third edition products don’t answer basic questions new players may have, such as “Does Invisibility work against metahuman thermographic vision?”, and any such confused players can forget about asking FASA directly and getting a timely response.

What should WizKids do with Shadowrun? Fairly simple:

1. Provide customer service. It counts for a lot, and as the RPG market grows more competitive, it will count for more. Even if there isn’t staff to provide individual answers, FAQs, errata, and product schedules can be made available and updated with minimal investment.
2. Produce new material, not just talk about it. Third editions of all of our existing books are nice, but there’s a lot of the world that hasn’t been covered. Japan, Australia, Tibet, etc, are all areas that have been discussed at length, but haven’t been written about (in english, at least.) This is all in addition to continue metaplot, which should be developed, but remain optional.
3. Never produce another cursed Rigger book. The Rigger Black Book ushered in the announcement of Shadowrun 2nd Edition. Rigger 2 was quickly followed by 3rd Edition. Rigger 3 was sent to the printers only shortly before FASA announced it would be closing. It started as a joke, but it really looks like Rigger books are a curse...

Matrix

The Matrix is a bit of a controversial book, coming as it does so relatively soon after Virtual Realities 2. (Rigger Redux is even more hotly debated.) I remember the confusion that was Shadowtech, (a first edition supplement that was still in print and not updated until Man and Machine was released, bringing no small amount of confusion to second edition) and I think the release is worthwhile. FASA had promised to try to release a listing of the changes from VR2 to The Matrix on their Website (They mentioned at Gen Con 2000 that this was not going to happen -Editor), but they also promised an online errata sheet for Rigger 2 when it was released, and that has yet to see the light of day. Regardless, I will be largely reviewing The Matrix from the viewpoint of an expansion to SR3. VR2 users should be able to determine if it is worth investing in.

The Matrix is the book expanding the role of (you guessed it) the Matrix. It is primarily "the decker book", but it includes some content for non-deckers. The first section is an 8 page history and description of just what the matrix is. This is clean, straightforward, and a lot better than the jump into the rules that SR3 had. This is a very small section, but I feel that it is an important one. If SR3 is trying to target new players, it's quite possible that not everyone will come with a full Gibson/Vinge/ Stephenson background. (I didn't figure out what a rigger was in first edition until the release of The Rigger Black Book. I'm sure others without the background can be even more confused.)

An area I found both enjoyable and disturbing was The Matrix User. This described the normal Attribute and skill assortment of decker characters. Clearly listing this section early on is a definite improvement in usability (Compare to VR2, which had the skills crammed into a small paragraph on page 76). The disturbing part was the increased usage of Knowledge skills. While I thought that listing numerous relevant knowledge skills was good, I was bothered by how many skills become essential. If I wish to have a decent decker who cam program his own utilities, assemble his own deck, and create some frames, I pretty much have at least 7 required Knowledge skills, in addition to the actual programming and hardware skills. This seems gratuitous and reduces the likelihood that decker characters will have more well-rounded skill bases.

Cyberterminal construction is the easiest set of rules I have seen yet, while still requiring that deckers devote a fair amount of effort. The VR2 listing of utilities, system operations, and programming options are present, with only minor changes.

There is an entire section devoted to using the Matrix and Matrix contacts to search for information, which is probably the most common use of the matrix.

While The Matrix attempted to cover how the matrix affects non-deckers, I would have liked to see more on this: Telecoms, Trideo, messaging. The matrix should be a significant presence in any campaign, even those without deckers. Non-deckers with a Computer skill of 1 or 2 should find that they can do more than those without the skills. Perhaps the upcoming Target :Matrix will deliver more on that.

Otaku finally get coverage beyond a page or two. An interesting statement I had not seen before: "in fact, otaku lose their abilities as they grow up." I can't say I agree with this decision. In addition to rendering otaku largely unplayable as a player character, it shuts down an interesting future plot development. Regardless, otaku rules are finally given somewhat complete coverage and expanded (initiation for otaku? Sure!), so otaku players should be quite happy.

Players hoping to try and make sense of some (relatively) recent events affecting the matrix will be both pleased and disappointed. There is a listing of known AIs and their current fates, but the most vague points to date are still not clarified (Alice, of the Dragon Heart Trilogy, is not mentioned at all, but some of the background of the novel Psychotrope is.)

There is a short section on corporations and groups that affect the matrix, which is adequate and unremarkable, except for the creation of the "Corporate Court Matrix Authority's Grid Overwatch Division", which seems to be the latest (so far small) contribution to the Shadowrun metaplot.

Lastly, there is a short collection of tables in the back, but no index. While the layout is more clear than previous incarnations, there is still enough diverse material to warrant an index.

When Virtual Realities 2.0 was released, I declared that deckers were now playable. The Matrix streamlines the rules introduced there, and corrects some minor bugs. I find that deckers that can do more than just deck are all the more playable, and characters with minor computer skills can still find some useful activities. While decking no longer has to intrude on the rest of the players, the decker player will still have to ensure that the rest of the game is not boring.

The Matrix is a very good supplement for SR3, and a largely insignificantreplacement for VR2.0.

	Rating:	3
	Pros:	Simplest Decker book to date, some material for non-deckers.
	Cons:	Less “new” content, no index, explosion of skills.

Target: Matrix

Decking has long been the most maligned activity of Shadowrun gaming. VR2 (and now, Matrix), struggled to make deckers more playable, but decking remained somewhat mysterious.

Target: Matrix is the descriptions of several significant Grids, Systems, Groups, and NPCs. You'll find the ACIFSs and security sheafs for many systems, mostly higher security, but with one-or-two lower security ones. I mention this because a collection of ready-to-run systems is a frequent request.) What it isn't, is highly useful in games that don't spend significant time in the Matrix.

The first section, Grids, is a Shadowcomment area discussion different grids of systems, such as Pueblo's famous grid, Saeder-Krupp Prime, Chicago's Noose Net, and others. This is an area rich in (decking) plot hooks and adventure seeds. It also represents one of the first significant returns of Shadowcomments since the release of SR3 (indeed, all the section until the Game Information section are Shadowcomment areas). Unfortunately, the descriptions vary wildly in believability, and many entries, such as MagickNets' "Decker on the Threshold" seem too comic-style for a supposedly gritty future. Target: Matrix is also plagued by fake parallels to modern day, such as UOL (UCAS Online), PlanetLink, and of course, our friend Brian W. Gates III of Microdeck. Gah.

The next section is Data Havens, and it covers Data Havens in general, as well as specific ones, including Shadowland, the Nexus, and a few that arenew. This is all useful info, and is solid gold to the decker player.

Next we come to Virtual Seattle, which goes over the megacorp systems and a few others of significance in the Seattle Grid, where most characters will be spending a lot of their online time.

Hosts follows, describing assorted hosts of interest, including a lot of fleshing out of the Matrix scene. Online games, clubs, and brothels are discussed briefly. Not much detail is given, but simply reminding the GM that there's a lot more to the Matrix than corporate hosts is valuable.

Personas discusses ten famous NPC deckers, of varying levels of Superhuman-ness. This is a collection of authors' pet munchkin characters, be they the quiet power such as Fastjack, or the extreme absurdity of Michael Sutherland. A rare few of them are believable and have known motivations, and could serve as valuable plot hooks.

Organizations covers a handful of groups: The "G-men" of the Grid Overwatch Division, The Dead Decker's Society, a new plot hook known as the Exchange, and the future of the Chaos Computer Club: Die Shockwellenreiter. There's also a short but nice section of Matrix gangs, although some may question some of it's assumptions (I for one, would definately believe that Matrix gangs would adopt some hosts as their "turf".)

Next up is a pure Shadowcomment section discussing various elements of the storyline that FASA doesn't feel like explaining yet: Alice and Wonderland, the true nature of the Deep Resonance, etc.

The Game Information section gives a short paragraph of any relevant rules for each entry in the previous sections. There are tables of random fluctuations or changes to feed deckers that are showing signs of complancency. The best part of the book is the three pages of Security Sheafs in the back which, while for actual specific systems, can be used if a decker hits a system unexpectedly and you need a good sheaf.

The different sections of the sourcebook vary widely in tone and feel. You will not be able to identify the primary author of any section because the writers have been lumped into one group on the credits page, a recent trend in Shadowrun products. I only only really noticed it with this book because some of the sections had work that I would wish to avoid in the future.

On the whole, despite the sometimes non-gritty feel to it, Target: Matrix meets all it's goals: The Matrix will end up a more detailed and varied place. Most groups will only find worth the money if they spend enough time in the Matrix to have the improvement matter.

	Rating:	3
	Pros:	Adds detail to a lot that has been vague in the Matrix
	Cons:	"Comic book" feel, useless to non-decking games.

Tails You Lose

There’s a saying that some writers hold to: “There are no new ideas.” Lisa Smedman must have some faith in that belief, because she begins her newest novel with perhaps the most cliched concept in science fiction: our primary heroine, Alma, is one of a batch of genetically modified Superkids.

Proponents of this belief in the lack of core originality do not dismiss all modern literature. Old ideas can be presented in skillful and refreshing ways. Fortunately for anyone who reads Tails you Lose, Ms. Smedman is at least somewhat successful at this, although the raw been-there-done-that reaction to many of her plot devices is a lot to overcome.

The story is fairly low-key in comparison with recent FASA offerings. More in line with one of her previous novels, The Lucifer Deck, it is the tale of two women, the meticulous corporate security executive Alma and the unpredictable shadowrunner Night Owl, dealing with a sudden chain of events that shatter their routine and makes them pawns in a larger game.

The entire story is based in Vancouver, but you have to get a few chapters in to discover that. The setting is sadly undetailed and bland, with only a few exceptions. The reader will get no sense of culture or presence from Vancouver. This is the same problem that plagued her novel Blood Sport, but is even more vexing since she, as a resident of Vancouver, should have more familiarity with the details of the city than she would be with Atzlan.

Overall, Tails you Lose was a mildly interesting set of events, told through some fairly interesting characters. It would have been a much more impressive novel if the surprises and plot twists had actually been surprising. Fans of genetics will cringe more than once as the author follows popular fiction over science, but that doesn’t affect the quality of the story, unlike my other concerns.

	Rating:	2
	Pros:	Good spin, good characters.
	Cons:	Cliched plot device, few surprises, weak setting.