Brighter Shadowrun ideas? (1 Viewer)

[Fabius Maximus]

As I get older, I'm finding myself falling out of love with the whole cyberpunk genre. "The world is fucked, you're just struggling to survive" that has become popular is a big turn off to me--fundamentally, if I want to think about that, I have lots of real life examples to look at.

Secondly, shadowrun contains some fairly unfortunate holdovers from the 1980s--I had issues with the Native American treatment for example, and the whole "everything is going to hell."
Which is a pity, because I do like the setting, it being one of the first games I played in a campaign that could be considered gonzo.

So, the challenge--how would you brighten the setting, without eliminating the need for heroes, while leaving room for people who want to do the more standard shadowrun ops?

 

[CitizenKeen]

Following closely, as I love me some kitchen sink.

 

[DeathbyDoughnut]

Looks like you're trying to turn Shadowrun into a post-cyberpunk (warning: TVtropes). Cyberpunk is largely about everyone, from the lowest SINless scum, to the height of the Corp ladder being a selfish piece of shit out only for themselves. Even the "heroes" of the setting qualify.

A way to brighten the setting would be to advance the setting, put the average Joe into slightly better lives. Instead of the standard brink of war between the nations, change it to peace talks with semi-open borders. Racial tensions have simmered. The Corps actively creating opportunities for people better lives. A pre-transhuman setting wouldn't be a bad place for the current state. Where advancements in science aren't taking people away from their humanity (which is a big trope in cyberpunk), but rather helping people appreciate what it means to be human and transcend those boundaries.

Creating a catastrophe for the world to unite against may be a way to narratively set the setting.

 

[Paladina]

Yeah, I think you can do a lot just by not having everyone being a jerk. Not every Mr. Johnson screws you over, maybe yours actually watches your back. Not every conspiracy is nefarious, this one was actually for something good. Maybe this dragon is looking out for the world (it's where he keeps his stuff!) Corporations and countries are still jostling for power and not everybody is going to get along with each other, but it's not endless further doom.

 

[richimus]

I'm with you, F Fabius Maximus , and also think it's possible to describe a future that has a meaningful level struggle without having to resort to desperation.

Problems that would be solved in this cyberpunk future:

• We've moved away from all fossil fuels. Any technologies reliant on them (e.g. air transportation) use a carbon-neutral alternative.
• Pollution is actively being cleaned up and nature is returning.
• The internet is pervasive, high bandwidth, and public.
• Food, healthcare, and shelter are universal human rights, even if the offerings and support are basic at best.
• Augmentations are predominately for people with physical disabilities or injuries.

Problems that would continue and would need heroes:

• Governments and corporations trying to steal information and technology from each other.
• Terrorism fueled by racism, faith, and a wealth disparity.
• Diplomatic feuds on natural resource between nations result in conflict.
• Human trafficking in various forms.
• Space exploration is still in it's youth but very small colonies exist on places other than Earth within the solar system.
• Global warming continues to affect communities around the globe in unintended ways.

I think this aligns mostly with what DeathbyDoughnut noted, and I agree with that perspective.

 

[Roger]

My first inclination would be to heap on a big helping of post-scarcity.

But not too much. No one is starving, everyone has a place to live, but it isn't wall-to-wall solid-gold toilets everywhere. Maybe cure cancer while you're at it.


Cheers,
Roger

 

[Allandaros]

A way to brighten the setting would be to advance the setting, put the average Joe into slightly better lives. Instead of the standard brink of war between the nations, change it to peace talks with semi-open borders. Racial tensions have simmered. The Corps actively creating opportunities for people better lives.

As an alternative, consider a setting where collective action begins to actively resist megacorp domination. Runs against a corp aren't just one AAA screwing over another AAA, but a way for hooders to get out the word about corruption and have it mean something, as people begin to protest, boycott, and strike in ways that actually generate meaningful change.

 

[LatinaBunny]

Yes! I love brighter settings, too!

What a coincidence. I’ve been reading Shadowrun stuff for the fluff lately, and I’ve been wanting to make it more post-cyberpunk in feel, or science fantasy.

I agree with what everyone has been saying earlier in the thread in making the place less grim and provide more resources and higher quality of life for the everyday folk.

I’m going to off a tangent for a bit:
While I’ve been reading Shadowrun, I’ve also been Changeling the Dreaming for both the system and setting, and was thinking of doing a sort of bright combo with the two games (Shadowrun and Changeling: the Dreaming).

With Changeling: the Dreaming, it shouldn’t be too hard to either fast forward the contemporary earth setting to become more futuristic, or make an area of The Dreaming realm be futuristic like Shadowrun. (Cyber fairies! Like ones from the card game/anime.
Nightmare Painter:
https://www.zerochan.net/1224712
Dream Painter:
https://www.zerochan.net/1224706 )

I can see it working with Shadowrun, since Shadowrun does have an alternative setting where the Sixth World connects to a metaplane(?) dimension with fairies and the fairy courts.

I’m settling on doing a somewhat more gentle Shadowrun setting and then having the Dreaming Kithain (changelings) kind of be part of the world, but come from the seperate Dreaming realm.

Most Shadowrun residents can’t see the Kithain’s Fae Mien underneath their mortal (human) Seeming unless they are Awakened (aka people who can channel magic), or if the Kithain brings their Fae Mien to the forefront, revealing through their mortal seeming shell.

I feel the Kithain may be more optimistic and more playful compared to Sixth World residents, and many would try to get Glamour by inspiring people to dream and such. So, they may try to cheer up these often-serious and dour Shadow-peeps, lol. After all, these changelings are trying to battle Banality and keep the dreams (and nightmares) of the mortals going.

Maybe the (good) Kithains also try to help with saving nature and helping people have a better living and such. Maybe some Sidhe are trying to govern somehow to make the world a better place.

The Kihain would still have the Courtly Sidhe doing their politics thing, which is where the Shadowrunners may come in. The Shadowrunners may be hired by the Sidhe or by other Kithain to do various types of jobs.

The Shadowrunners may even run with Kithain, but may or may not even know it due to the mortal seeming disguise and the mists that makes mortals try to rationalize what they see.

The Awakened folks (the magically-inclined people) may be able to see the Kithain’s Fae Mien more easily, of course.

So, there would still be kingdoms and freeholds, but they may be more modernized in the Sixth World (obviously!), and many of the Sidhe are in high positions, like executive CEOs and such.

Oh! And some missions could also possibly take place within the Dreaming as well, and that place can be very varied, so it can be awesome or wild and dangerous, or just strange, since it’s a realm powered by the humans’ fantasies, creativity, inspiration, etc. All sorts of things can happen there.

Yeah, I’m basically sort of combining the two in a weird way, but also trying to lighten it up a bit. I would make corporations more normal, so some are good and some are bad. Some are ruled by Kithain, and others by the residents of the Sixth World. It just depends on the territory, and if it crosses over with a fae’s Freehold area or Kingdom.

Well, that’s my thoughts so far. Still cooking in my head as I read both Shadowrun and Changeling: the Dreaming books. ^_^

Sorry for going off-topic, but I’ve been trying to figure out how to brighten Shadowrun and some other settings as well.

 

[Wakshaani]

Well, you start here:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/259492/Shadowrun-Better-Than-Bad-Deep-Shadows

BtB is all about people trying to do the right thing, helping one another out, and the oppressed coming together to stand against the tide. It's not 100% grou hugs and love, you get plenty of commentary from more mercenary sorts going, "Nyeah! You'll never make money like this!" but all the same, it'll hit your softspot.

If you pick it up ($8 is a steal!), take a look on page 24-ish for a story... four pages long or so. I think it'll get you in the right mood.

 

[Fabius Maximus]

one of my issues is the great ghost dance.

Okay, in the RW, my biggest issue is that was a real belief system that was suppressed by brutal violence, part of a general persecution of Native American beliefs. So A. making it a McGuffin, and B. having it be a spell (you know , totally unlike real religions), makes me a bit uncomfortable.

But if we have it at all, instead of making it a negative--blowing up shit, how about we use a different reason. VITAS was ravaging the world, not like a normal disease, but like something out of the Stand. Public order was collapsing, some cities looking more like something out of the Great Contagion, and nobody, not the elves, not the dragons, knew how to stop it.

The Ghost Dance wasn't a spell as much as it was an appeal. An appeal with the participants laying down their lives to show just how earnest they were. And something happened. Nobody knows for certain. Maybe the Great Dragons, but they aren't talking. Something happened, and the scourge was stopped. Some were cured, and others were transformed into the various metatypes, but the plague that people thought was going to be the end was itself ended.

While the Native American people's aren't independent, They have vastly more autonomy. The thankful remember their actions. The cynical remember the power of that action.