[Harlequins_Back]

Matrix - again, comes down to att+stat+modifier type rules. Very simple

Completely wrong-- most matrix tests are program+skill+modifier. Unless you're rigging. Or doing a perception test. Or electronic warfare. Or a bundle of other things. Basically, it's a lot of exceptions.

Dude - it's computer programming language, not windows. I know enough programmers to know the difference. You're just upset that the words "decker" and "drek" aren't common parlance anymore.

"Drek" and "Decker" have never been common parlance anywhere but Shadowrun. Removing them means you've removed an original part of the game world. It's also amazing how suddenly words like "firewall" appear instead of the original term "Hardening". We still call it virus protection, many years after it was developed, even though it now blocks email scripts. The only reason for the change was to "modernize" it-- which is not a good direction to take a game that has its unique world as its most potent asset.

Besides which, the shadowtalk isn't gone. Instead, it's on-again-off-again-- Buzzkill uses 90's slang, while one chapter opening has so much shadowslang, I couldn't get through it on the first read. In this case, the developers needed to choose a direction, and stick with it.

Personally, I have loved Shadowrun from the very first edition and I have found this edition to be closer to the intent and soul of shadowrun. I have no issues with the older editions, but their times have come and gone. SR4 makes the game competitive with modern RPGs. That's an impressive feat for such an anachronistic game that was a product of its time.

According to the Fanpro PR department (Bull), Shadowrun had been selling quite well before nSR came out. So, it was competetive to begin with. It's no more anachronistic than any other period game.

Oddly enough, the LGS here has about seven copies and none of them showed any of these errors as far as I am aware of. My copy of the second printing is also good.

Look here.

HB - you're welcome to your objections, but they are so far not matching up with any physical or anecdotal evidence. You're complaints about the system certainly don't match anything I or anyone who I have spoken to about SR4 have experienced.

There are several reviews on nSR here-- what complaints match and what do not? Let us see:


"However, I’m not sure 4th Edition captures the essence of that cyber/fantasy chimera called “Shadowrun.” I don’t know why; it might be that the graphics seem comparatively bland compared to the pre-4th Edition books. Maybe it’s just lacking that sense of style that infused every one of the FASA books and even most of the recent stuff. There is no local culture like Seattle, no flamewar commentary in the margins, none of the attitude that set the stage for the game. Which may not seem like a big thing, but the original Shadowrun was probably the first major game to make snarkiness part of the in-game culture, not just the gamer culture. Maybe they just needed some more input from the original (or older) writers. Or maybe they could have gotten CJ Carella or someone else from EDEN Studios. Certainly the game needs a primer on style just as much as BUFFY. "


And as for my comment on the complexity of combat, look here:

"So, there it is. Shadowrun. At its base, it’s a pretty solid system. Still, the Sisyphean task of creating your first character can be a deterrent to some players, and combat comes with so many potential modifiers that you’ll probably need a crib sheet. I have no idea how the previous editions handle character creation, so I can’t really tell whether it’s better or worse than before, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend it as someone’s first RPG. "

It's not just me-- there's enough other people who have noted the same problems. It's not a horrific game by any stretch of the imagination-- however, as you pointed out, it's now just the same as anything else on the market. nSR definitely does not rate a 5/5, especially in relation to the many other competitive games out there.