Shadowrun 2.01D (the German version by FanPro) was my first RPG. To this day, I really like it; the setting, the aesthetics from the books back then, the nostalgia, the fact that the technology described (SiFi back then) in parts has been overtaken by today's real technology level.
Shadowrun is (or at least was back in the day) quite unique to my knowledge, with mixing the Cyberpunk setting with Fantasy; magic waxes and wanes in the world, was absent for centuries, then grows and comes back. This causes people to be born as dwarves, elves, orcs, trolls; allegedly mythical creatures re-appear like dragons, unicorns, sasquatches, …
The base setting and atmosphere is like in e.g. Cyberpunk 2020 (underdog freelancers fighting the mega corporations, who rule the world, even if officially gouvernments still do that – based on William Gibson's Neuromancer from 1984), but adds an additional layer of magic.
- In Cyperpunk 2020, when a crew is sneaking into a corporate premise, means dealing in most cases in parallel with
- physical security by Solos (fences, security locks, fighting it out with the guards)
- cybersecurity (netrunners in the net dealing with firewall and ICE [intrusion countermeasure electronics - software fighting netrunners] to steal data or turn off pyhiscal security measures, opening doors, etc.)
- Techs (or other character types) with vehicle control links inserting the crew into the premise, and ideally extracting them afterwards, evading chasing security forces
- In Shadowrun, when a runner team is sneaking into a corporate premise, means dealing in most cases in parallel with
- physical security by Street Samurais (fences, security locks, fighting it out with the guards)
- cybersecurity (deckers in the matrix dealing with firewall and ICE [intrusion countermeasure electronics - software fighting deckers] to steal data or turn off pyhiscal security measures, opening doors, etc.)
- Riggers with vehicle control rigs inserting the crew into the premise, and ideally extracting them afterwards, evading chasing security forces
- Mages and/or Shamans supporting with spells in the physical world, or acting on the (parallel to the physical world) astral plain; acting against magic wards, guarding elementals, fighting corporate mages or protecting their runner team from corporate magical assets.
The magic element also spwans a whole new type of jobs, hunting down magical artefacts, freeing trapped spirits, gaining levels of initiation, gathering magical ingredients to craft amulets or weapon foci, etc.
Last time I actually played the game (as game master) was in 2018/2019, but it is definitely a game I want to play campaigns in the future. As with most things these days, a matter of time…
What the Fork
The word »fork« has been used to mean »to divide in branches, go separate ways« as early as the 14th century.
In software engineering, a project fork happens when developers take a copy of source code from one software package and start independent development on it, creating a distinct and separate piece of software. The term often implies not merely a development branch, but also a split in the developer community; as such, it is a form of schism. Reasons for forking are varying user preferences and stagnated or discontinued development of the original software.
Shadowrun 2.01 Fork is compilation of
- the German Core Rulebook
- all German Source Books
- some English Source material that was never released in German
- selected content from 3e to 5e
- our house rules we came up with over time
thus making it a version of the 2.01D rules, a distinct fork of the original.