PROTOTYPE RUN f Ve ee ose PA > ae = Oa o J ag” a “—e me RY S ify ae AA Be ee es ME SHADEWL eet ae had et) & CREDITS PREFACE 4 Cues a Oualies a INTRODUCTION 5 Weapons a Anarchy and SRS 5 Armor a Condition Monitor a ANOTHER NIGHT, ANOTHERRUN 6 — Gear a NPC Character Sheet 2 SHADOWRUNNING THE WORLD = 12_— sks 2 EVERYTHING HAS A PRICE 2 ae za Skil ist 2 Magic: Paying With Your Mind 2 ne 3 Corporations: Paying With Your Self 2 ae 3 Augantations Paying With Your Sou 8 em a Litto The Shadows Poyng WihYour Blo 13 Ws 2 DDAYS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD « cane a THEBIGTEN 16 SHADOW AMPS 2 ‘Ares Macrotechnology. 6 ‘Types: B ‘Aztechnology 6 Essence Loss. B he a ig. PLAYING SHADOWRUN: ANARCHY a Mitsuhama Computer Technologies 6 ‘Turns and Narrations mn Neonet a cee: A Renraku Computer Systems 7 nen ‘Saeder-Krupp Heavy Industries 7 Contract Briet * sivewani Cpanel 17 Building the Story: Noeation and Flow a Wuxing Incorporated wv Cons & Moving the Stor Forwerd B ANARCHY RULES 18 Plot Points 2% mi z Eating Plot Pins Players Fa BEFORE THE GAME BEGINS 8 ee ra REF e Choose or Create a Character 1 Spending Plot Pons: Gamamaster B Note 18 Troubleshooting = Designate «Gamemaster 18 Rating Dice 8 Selecta Conract Bret 8 Hits B Lock and Load! ey 6 CHARACTER SHEET a Dice Pools 2 llstaton/Personal Data 20 Atibut Tests a ‘Aibutes and Aibute Dice a Perception n 2 Eige Fa 20 Teamwork Tests Fs 21 The Glitch Die: Glitches and Exploits Fs Teele alr aGlitches Baploits Combat Modifiers Shadow Amp/Weapon Effects Attack Limits Weapons Hacking and Cybercombat ‘Spells, Spirits, and Astral Combat CHARACTERS: covoos GENTRY Sa ea een ere ete ee ea) Cars er ee t Cer ag go 8 seeneeeueeeees one Sea HARDPOINT MS. MYTH SLEDGE STRIDER INON-PLAYER CHARACTERS Bug Queen Bug Spirit Enemy Mage Gangers Rent-A-Cops Soldiers CONTRACT BRIEFS ‘BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SEARCH FOR ‘DONT KNOW MUCH ABOUT ARCOLOGY Victor Manuel L Cover Layout: Matt "Nickname" Heerdt ear yee ee a baalea UT TaD PREFACE RULES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN It was the summer of 1989 when | was first exposed to Shadowrun via a four-page preview pamphlet at my local game store. A few weeks later and | had purchased the First-Editon rulebook and taken the ist steps on the path to what would become the greatest RPG love affair of my life. Wait, elves and cybernetics? Megacorporations and drag: fons? You can't do that! | spent the next nineteen years running a campaign, and for most of it we were playing weekly, every Monday night. ‘There are living, breathing stories and characters that only ex- Isewithin the minds of the few people that sat around that ta- ble, and any one of them will happily regale you with tales of the duplicitous machinations of a dwarf Fixer named Redeye Cr the tragic end of Eddie Garrett, ex-Lone Star cop turned reluctant shadowrunner, Shadowrun occupies a very special place in my heart ‘The walls and shelves of my home are covered in Shadowrun books and art, and incleed sometimes I have to remind my: self ofthe countless people who have fallen in love with the Shadowrun world not through the classic tabletop role play: ing game, but instead through one of the many Shadowrun Video games, or any ofthe more than fifty published novels. But everything ends. My beloved campaign came to a sat Isfying conclusion In the fall of 2008, and while | have kept Up with the game's new editions and releases, and fred with some short story arcs, i hasn't returned to my table in any meaningful way for a while | find that my tastes have changed ‘over the years, and while I have lost no love fr the Shadowrun ‘world, these days I prefer RPG game systems that are lighter fon the rules and more focused on story and character. There has been a massive explosion of indie-style RPG game play Inthe last few years, and many people are engaging with the graeRSA RSs rocn riences taking thi Poorer ot rive! Come on bythe forums at foru ee ct re Eee oe aa) hobby in intriguing new ways. As a hobby-game retailer my. self have also witnessed no shortage of gamers interested In playing tabletop Shadowrun but utterly intimidated by the massive rulebook. The fact ofthe matter is that that big black book isn't going anywhere, and there will always be players ‘who want to joyously fiddle with every last glorious detall and chrome widget of rules found within those pages, and more power to them. I was one of them fora very long time. Shadowrun has been part of our collective gaming con- sciousness for well over twenty-five years now, and It's been actively In print the whole time, something very few ‘games can claim. It's been so long in fact, that what was 2 game of a speculative future has now become what is veritably an alternate history game! (Since magic did not alas, return to the world in 2011. Although there's stl a slim chance that my friend Warren might goblinize into an Ork in 2018, as we've all long suspected he wil but that remains tobe seen.) Some of us shadowrunners are now getting long in the tooth, lacking the time to play or facilitate a game with sucha robust and exhaustive rules set. Meanwhile, more collabora tive storytelling-style RPGs and even gamemaster-fee RPGS ate seeing some real populaty as the hobby continues to ‘grow and evolve. That’s where Shadowrun: Anarchy comes in. Its flexible ‘enough to be played as a rules-light version ofa traditional roleplaying game, or as a much more freeform “open table” style storytelling experience. | am incredibly pleased with ‘what the Catalyst team has come up with here, and I think thas the potential to inject a whole lot of new energy into the Shadowrun community. Its certainly going to get a new ‘campaign to my table for the firs time in year. So If you're new to the Sixth World, welcome. Maybe you've always wanted to be an elf street ganger with an adre- nal pump and a heart of gold. Or you've always entertained fantasies of summoning spirits from the back alley streets of Seattle by muttering arcane mysteries through your massive ork canine teeth. Or you're dying to see your Shadowrun vid- ‘eo-game character come to life in a tabletop pencll-and-pa er RPG. There's plenty of room forall of us in the shadows. If ke myself, you're returning to Mr. Johnson's table after 4 few previous Jobs, youll fit right in, but youll ind that the rules have changed a bit, But rules are meant to be broken. Poul Alexander Butler July 2016, BaltimoreINTRODUCTION ‘When dragons run globe-spanning corporations, mag- es call down lightning to shock uzi-wielding security ‘guards, and hackers don't just break into restricted, Matrix zones but sometimes bend the very fabric of reality, anything—anything!—can happen. Shadowrun: Anarchy Is here to unleash those endless possibilities, The Sixth World setting of Shadowrun stacks dozens, ‘even hundreds of powerful obstacles against players land dates them to survive, Shadowrunners might have to infiltrate heavily guarded research faciltles to steal secret prototypes, confront dangerously toxic environ- ments to find hidden magical reagents, extract top cor- porate talent so that a rival can make use of their skis or Find long-forgotten pieces of technology buried un- der the destruction that so frequently hits the world. ‘Along the way, they may run into hard-nosed police, merciless corporate security, gangs intent on causing chaos, and critters who have adapted to this brave new ‘world by learning innovative ways to devour it. Their cre- tivity, wits, and guts are what will carry them through, land Shadowrun: Anarchy gives them new ways to show what they've got, With an emphasis on storytelling, Anarchy brings everyone at the gaming table Into the fun of shaping the story and pushing it ahead, giving every player the chance to contribute their ideas and add surprises to the unfolding plot. The rules are built for speed, offer- ing chances to succeed by rolling the dice (handfuls of six-sided dice, specificaly—we wouldn't have It any oth- fer way), while making sure the plot moves ahead and the story carries the players along, In many ways, story: telling is the key mechanic of Anarchy, because the fun and creativity players contribute to a game are what will tenable their characters to excel. Rewards are there for players who make the game memorable. There is chaos in Anarchy, but its the kind that encourages the players. to work together to overcome It in amazing ways, rather than letting It break them down. ‘Anarchy is fast, chaotic fun, and the book has all the tools you need to launch into a game (except for the: aforementioned shx-sided dice, but we have faith in your (© 206 The Trg Coen ne. Al ib Reseed ‘Stedwun oo Mask foged tae Sor rafonats he ee aga ne ‘te Saran rebut He pt stray be eosin sree ye ‘rractine yom by sy mes, ho Se por peenssen mang Capt Det ‘er bocce cel ay am her et Ipulich ti bic Ett Care tata ant uestengretasenas lates Prosrors Uc Fst Pong by Catalyst ano Labs an imprint ot nM Pradstos, UC pu ae 9H ve NE E502 {ae Stvene WA a5 SEEM heures py : ability to track some of those clown). Here's a quick run- down of the tools youllfind in the book. First, there's The ‘Shadowrunning World, which provides the basics of what a shadowrunner Is, what they do, and the world in which they do it, Then there are Anarchy Rules, detalling the information of how to play the game, what dice to roll when, and the framework In which you and your charac- ters will be awesome. Following that are Characters, both player characters and non-player characters, that are al ready to be thrown into a game. They can be used in the Scenarios In the final chapter, two plot lines that set up {games and illustrate the easy-to-jump-into gameplay of Shadowrun: Anarchy. You could start your frst Anarchy ‘game within half an hour of fist picking. up the book, {and subsequent games will start up even faster. This book is a prototype. meaning the core pleces are mostly in place, barring a final tweak or two, but Its not fully outfitted with all the bells and whistles of the Final product. The full version of Anarchy will have ‘more characters, more scenarios, character creation and advancement rules, as well as a few extra options for hhacking, vehicle combat, and a few other specialties. The core of the game, though, is here—the fast-paced, story-focused fun that wil have all players finding ways. to discover what kind of legend they can bull. ANARCHY AND SRS Anarchy is an alternative to Shadowrun, Fifth Edition but not a replacement. SR5 remains the fully detailed flagship of the game line. We have designed Anarchy ‘to work well with the full SRS ruleset. While there are ‘enough changes that Anarchy cannot be considered a simple distillation of SR5 rules, moving back and forth between the two games is not overly difficult, The core (of Anarchy isa simplified set of attributes and skills that echo attributes and skills from SR5, and parallel names. for cyberware, weapons, spells, and other gear make it relatively easy to translate a character from one version. of the rules tothe other, What's more, the setting mate- Mal for SR5, as seen in books like Market Panic of Courts fof Shadow, is directly usable In Anarchy, providing plot hooks, characters, and story ideas that can form the ba- sis of plenty of memorable Anarehy games. ‘ntogshadnrurtsbetop.com (Shera estos) {catatShasowrwo west {ctl Shadowrun vere website) Danone ceaaanmtts com pth eataystgameat.com {Gata Stedownn ers MI =] Pee he Mel aeSe eee ee eee ee ee ore Rte ae CeO eu ete ee eres een aes heaving, chrome flashing razorsharp contrast against scuffed Ree a ee eee eet ee a ee ee eer ea enor Ree er are This was Gentry's first trip to the Skeleton, and the last thing he wanted was to get tured around in the press of thrashing bodies on the dance floor, dazzled by the lights and fog, smot ee eee eet ie eae ce rea a ee dearly hoped, well-soundproofed—back rooms, and ignoring re PI ne eee enna ar Pe ee en ee eee ee ee eee a eT Cee en es De tee ne eee eon rn eet een reer ea talent. That part, at least, made Gentry feel at home. He hadn't eee ar es eee eet one ee ne Pe tae et cena {as self-conscious as he'd been back inthe Tit, though. Here, his Peer eet Cee ee ee pit disguised as a dance floor overcrowded with all metahumanity had to offer, humans included: weekend-warrior wannabes slum- Deets ane es of a tip to the edge of the Barrens. Then there was the everyday pea eet ee ee eee eee! er they all wore. Recimond being Recimond, gangers mace up a Ree eRe Unt etre) the Crimson Crush {louder and more violent than the slam-dancers ee eee Se eae ene tence ae ener ed een Rete ee ee een ee arrest eee To ticular but big enough he didn't have to). Metahumanity, sweating and panting, moving in time to the walling strings and shouting eee a ee es and commiinks some of them waved in white-knuckled fist, ee eee Cee te era ea eee etch meee cd aT eee eerie Sete ee ee raven-dark hair. The leather fringe of her outfit swayed just a bit pee el ea ee eee light sheen of sweat covered her bare arms, showing she hadn't been alfaid t0 join in on the dance floor while the night had still eonseee eee nes her head, then tapped her wrist where someone else might wear eter Gentry made a face and said terrible things about her moth ee ee er cheekbones, he knew more of the elven language than she di ‘She got the gist of it, though, and—stil laughing, teeth flashing, ee ea a ees Perens “Let's go Coydog hollered at him, turning to show him which hallway to take. Or, upon reflection, Gentry supposed she might es ere eee aac eet as een re oa eae Coydog sauntered through the shadows ofthe back halls easy as you please—Gentry was used to that, with elves—but it took ene ey ee ee eee een for his cyberdeck and sent all the secondary lighting 0 fll pow: er. His cobbled-together hackpack was powered by several can ee eee ee ee eT when he told them to, they could give him at least alitde light to see by. The last thing Gentry wanted to do was stumble into Coydog from behind. She'd never let him live it down, Cee ees eek eet Ce ee Fic sounds in, and probably a couple of Hardpoint’s drones out. The dwar killed time in the midle ofthe room, juggling a tio of| a LT eee eee ee ee eee ere hee ea em ary Sa ee eae eo a ee ese eee a ‘comfortably higher. He'd been in the business long enough to have gray streaks through his beard, but the dwarf was stubbornly eee dares Se ee ee een try knew the ork was vain enough, in his street-tough way, to keep eee a easy ee eee een ee een el ree een Ae te Ree eee See ee ee eee ee ee nee eee eee ere oe eet ea turns glaring at Harepoint for his goofing off, Coydlog forthe per petually amused smitk she always wore, and Gentry fo being late. Pee ete erat Soe ee eae eee ee a aad Sets Gentry shrugged, armored jacket rusting and soft lights from ee ret cs Nasty traffic, Sledge. Hardpoint’s directions had me rolling Creer a eee eae ea eet Uce ee eet een etsCe eet ees kept juggling his KnowSpheres, Coydog looked for something Peer ee ere ee ees aa ed Nearer erry Sree ost) Right” Gentry sighed and rolled his eyes, ignoring that, if anything, he was probably a year or two older than the ork. “What, you think being a human criminal inthe Tir was just a walk aa "You must'a treated it lke it was, breeder.” Sledge pushed ane a ie eee See en eerste er tet Cae ee treet eer eee Se eee eee ee eee ee ee to eee ee ad ee eee ie a eee braw, while Sledge had so far avoided Knight Errant or any oth ee ees ee ae eC ec had long since been ready for a confrontation. He bet Sledge ee ean tohis personal area network and shut those faney arms down for ees Sener ee ean ee ets Peete as Eee one eee eee eg eee panels of his MCT-issued headware, a sure sign he was actively eee ees ets a eee ony Cea ete ee ee a a eee eee Cee eae ee Sledge kept up the glare, but Gentry lost interest and turned ar "You guys are right. We need to focus, Sledge." The decker ee een ee ke at oe eo Sree eee eet ea ee eee ee ee? Ce ee eet a ee eee ot eee et eee og ee a eee a eee See Aer et en et Le) Cn es eer os Dee ee eet eee et But right away, Gentry started whining. and wrecked what eet ets “I'm telling you, facial recognition pegged the guy. Me. John- Pe one eee rs eee Brereton mat ren eel tae COs ee ea) an angry chop at the alr. His new sword was sheathed, but he ay = ae eS See) Bee ne eee ee a een am Cereseeee Se ae ae Ne RSS en Se en eRe eee er eee es ec ae ea ee ee eee ee ne Sea er ees Ses eee a ee a ee pee ee a eg Coe ete ene pee eet eee ee ea No time, shadowkiddies.” Hardpoint’s voice cut off their Se et gee Ce ete esi eet Rene a ena On ee eee rs eee tay ee es eee eee reflexes tured on and running hot. He had a blocky AK-98 in his ee eee eee ees sticker long and thin, slung over his back. Itwas an official Nel he nee ere ar ere ted Ret ttc eee es een ee ea ae ees Of broken-own Seattle 10 cover, and Sledge knew the streets Ce RM Ren Ree ecg tots alley to alley. hurrying them through the rain-sick shadows. The Seattle shadows were his home, and urban gunfights his way of ra erc rer ats ee coe eee eae) ee ores au rea Rec Pa ener re emt eer accra ta Ce ee eked ee te te ey ee ea ca eee e es raku hackpack rig that Gentry'd sometimes babble on and on en eee eee ee human's eyes weren't chipped up like Siedge’s, and the breeder had to wear those goggles of his, half shooting glasses and half eee eer eer eas Cee Coydog and her cowboy boots came last. The elf was dlfer een a tle’s Council Island and Everett neighborhoods. She had a foot In both worlds. Native and Anglo, backwoods and city streets ees ee aes ee eon tol holstered at her waist in a sleek, modern gunbelt that didnt Te ae es ee) beads, the leather fringes on her clothes. She was an interest eet ce eed a eee ees ea alee ee Ne er ee ec eek Ce ee ue oe ker oe ee ee ene ee Lae sec et esSee eee a the wall, covering the team as they approached. It was time for ene a eee ar eee vas holstered as he began fo work with his own brand of magic. eee eee ere) eran never eee SE Se econ {an imaginary keyboard that his Renraku hardware spun into exls- tence. Sledge covered them while the decker worked, smartiink reticule and the muzzle of his AK sweeping the streets The ork growled impatience low in his throat lke a junkyard dog, his reflexes wired up so fast It seemed like the decker was ee en EP ae cake peta Ree ee ena ee ee er ee cn rt eee ee ee eee ee ca ene ee ea Peon ora ee ee ee eee os black beetle drone, an MCT FlySpy, lifted off from his palm and led the way into the building, with Sledge and his AK just be Ree ee eg KnowSpheres, and soon enough the tio of litle black globes were buzzing through the ar clicling the team, recording the job pea eee ta ee ee Sped down the hallway ahead of them as the team hurried inside, ee ee ee eae ren Se ee ene IR are Pee nets ee eee roenennt eerste tensa et ei ing around every corner. The dwarf worked his left hand to pilot the little machine, ngers splayed, ewisting and planing his hand this way and that angling his palm fo orient and maneuver the spy-drone, headware and extensive control rg electronics mak Pee ee ee cd Peete er eee ere fer squinted half shut, while Coydog led him through the halls anc Pee ce es Coen ane een FySpy tagged on their team’s heads-up display—visible to all Prete eee ee ed Pete er kee ee roe became his responsibilty. Sledge gave Gentry a litle nudge and Sener ee ce reser Reet ea ‘on top of things. And to hurry him up. Cre ea Let eee es ee ee eet ee ea ec into theirnodes one ata me and convincing each camera to run Breen eee Ce ed into the frame. Gentry’ skills convinced corporate cameras 10 Pee are ence ee er eet ee reer ae eed certs eet etn cr Pee ee eee ee attention sapped away by the electronic wonderland of the Ma: trix. The dwatF's three KnowSpheres swirled around the team, tiny dog-brains obediently recording, Coydog rode herd, listen: ing for doors opening and closing behind them, the stomp of se- Peet cee etn eet cern Pee een eet ee eee a soul, Together they threacled a careful path through winding Ares eee ee ee eee peer ee ee! eet ee ee eC CT Sledge took a knee and braced his rile against a cubicle wall perenne een ‘Sledge watched as Gentry settled into this corporate spider's Paneer ge ete cree EO eee oe eee eae ee en On es ee er eee een g Ten slender cable from a spool on his right bracer, the main body of his illegal ‘deck, and reached toward a port on the Ares count: pare es ee et ne Sn er crea cee ee eRe Reerreten eet ea tetas ec ere bute had a handle on the basics of ilicit Matrix interfacing. He Pee ee ee nanosecond counted and how everything, from your own icon to the intrusion countermeasures that threatened it, moved at the speed of thought. Gentry flew in VR when he could, but Hard- point preferred to keep one foot in the real world. That was the eet a Cee ay en eee ee eas ere tet econ a Peeerr nag a ee ee cara stakes. Hardpoint knew, even if the rough-edged samurai and the city shaman didn't, how quickly things could go wrong in an Pees Peet ot ene ees the audio and optical sensor suits in four different drones, when the claxons started to howl and the security lights began to flash. ere ee ee eR pte wean ea en els te ee et eee Pe eee eg drone back t0 him-no point in stealth, now—and stowed It in the armored pouch on his bet. He kept his KnowSpheres running Pee ee es ees Pee ea ee eg ea the big chair, body going tense and rigid, somewhere between Perera tere mee ee Pee eee ee ey ee ere eee et ea Senter ene ee ea a ee ee disabling security measures, fring up the engine, and geting it Pr emcee s Oe eee or plug himself. The human stood and swiped the back of his other tae eae ee oc) “Got the file by the tips of my ears.” He shook his head, stl Peet eee nee et ed Pe ee eee tet ea cdbeneath them. Gentry patted his primary commlink, now heavy with stolen data, a sleek Transys Avalon that rested on his hip peta ens “Lalmost got ced, but me and my baby got the job done: eet ee eee ee nee) Cee a es oe eee ee oe eer nee eee een tate ee oe ee ae oe eM ana eae) Cee ete ee eC ec) Ce ee ee ees ee ane een cece eee ne ees eee eae Ce eee eee ne rn ee etd eee eee ee een et eed iets ee oC tee eet es rest of them wore. ee a Uae ot eet Ce ee ee een ae Se eee eT Sey ete an tia een Gentry and Sledge could see the problem over the team’s a ee er ee es Pee ee ee ee Eee bolt enveloped Hare)point’s litle spy drone, and the display win Pena eee Eee eee ee ee where they have a better chance of making it upstairs unim: ee ee eee ean se een ee took a knee, Gentry led the rest of them up the stairs hurriedly Sledge’s broad orkish frame blocked Hardpoint’s curious Know: Se ee ee ace) ‘down the stars, but there was no denying the ensuing explosion ‘was impressive. Hardpoint’ eats rang from the twin blast, but he See ee eer eet ‘suites in his drones. Sledge hadn't moved, ust waited there with eet (One of Hardpoint’s drones watched as Gentry kicked the roof Peet ee ee a ren es Hardpoint and Coycog burst onto the roof behind the decker ust ee eer Ue ear eae De en eee ee tS ‘aught a burst for his trouble and went tumbling back down the eee ee tos ee ea ene Slvers of Hardpoint’s attention fitted from drone to drone, Seen re ae Pe ee ae) scrambled out of the way. Hardpoint felt the gun go off on the eee) eee ee een ety the wall where Sledge had been just a second earlier. His drone hired loudly asittried to keep up with the impossibly quick ork flying up the stars after him as he ran to catch up to therrest ofthe team. Just as the security door opened up and the second Ares team burst into the stairwell near them, the drone’s audio equip: Deere eee one ee The dwatf fought a litte smile as he heard the second pair of grenades go off. but the hulking troll and his assault cannon ‘worried him. Ares was so concemed with securing the facility CO Sa ne Te eae Sa ed shadowunners. Security, not practicality, mattered to them here, eee ee eee eee as ‘dangerous to get into frefights with Hardpoint ished under his breath an shook his head, sendting ‘outa fresh series of mental commands. The only way to fight fre SR ce ‘wrong, so quickly. One second Gentry had been doing whatever he did in the Matrix, and the next their whole night had gone to pot. Claxons everywhere, emergency lights painting the whole ree ee ee eee! ee eet eres The crew darted actoss the roof, heading toward the nearest Cee ee eae crete ct eee ee a eats ee eee ec) ee ee ee eet over the rest. The slender, pale woman in her dark suit pointed, ae ene eect a ode to life beneath their assault rifle barels, and gunshots rang out eee ens ee ak tole ers eRe a eer meee ed second magazine from his AK. Coydog carefully holstered her Browning and leapt across the gap, nimble as a deer. Hardpoint stood where he was, letting his stubby lite Ingram hang by his eee ee ete oe ee eee aCe ee eee eee) errr ene ee Ln en aa et ee eee ee Pee are thick smoke and a fresh wave of explosions that scattered the er ee ee ee erty i ne kee et et ce ree drones. Coydog ducked as one of the litle KnowSpheres flew ate he ee ee Cee et ee ae Ce ee re ane es een ere een ee her fiends, but the drones’ mobility and armor plating were their eee ‘She heard Sledge's AK stutter out a long burst and saw the ‘Ares troll stagger but not fall. Inthe comer of her eye she saw Gentry kicking at the rooftop door that would get them clear of eee eee muzzle flashes, swooping drones and black-clad security, She reached out with a simple spell and sent an Ares goon stumbling eee ee ee eee) Coyote bark laughter at her failure and frowned, drawing up afresh wave of mana, The biack-atmored thug turned to ie at her coe eee eee es een ic oe ees Con ee eee co ras In particular when the security woman across the way lifted her Eee ee nee eg a voice that scratched Coydog's soul. The elf switched to astal sight to get a better look at what the other magician was up to. eee ee cc terrible, but just as disconcerting was the black. lifeless, no-aura Cee a Te een een aa eke Cee eee ee eet ee ay mana spells wouldn't do any good against such soulless au ee ee ee ee ac ee eee eet etree erent gt eet eC seen, with a blue-glowing sword in one hand and the bucking, death-spitting mass of a big Ares handgun in the other. He bar Pe ee ee ene es losta clear view of him as he blurted into motion. A fresh wave ee ee ee teat ee ‘of him was the faintly glowing blade and the occasional muzzle flash of a point-blan k shot. Coydog likely couldn't have made ‘out his motions clearly even without the smoke, though, the big, pee a eet ioe eae eee eee Me Reem Cede ee ert et reas her work complete. There was a flash of too-bright light and a faint droning in the air. Coyote yipped and barked out anger in the Re cen er eee ee nets eke ccs an Re ee eae ene ener een eee ee me Straight crimson lines of laser beams, Lights strobed all around him, showing Gentry stil frame images of bodies clashing vio. Cea ee ea oer ee ee ae eee hheard the staccato thrums of too-Ioud percussion, shaking him to his core. He ignored it all and concentrated on the AR feed ee ee eee ea ors Se eee eee dive back into the Matrix and get just ths one door open fo save nes Gentry ignored the stutter-lashes of muzzles spitting out round after round, whether from Hardpoint’s swooping drones eee eee aside the curses and grunts of exertion where Sledge was, sin- Pee ene eo ere ne eae eee et eee) Ce et ek eer ear to stare in abject hortor at the clawing, chittering nightmare that fener CO ee oe en) he had some Subtle combat augs to back it up, but more than ee eC eee ea Cee en eae aetna ter subroutine, thought about security protocols and lockdown practices, thought about everything the computer might do so eee eet eta cn ec ae Pe eee ee ee eee ES eee er eee nt ets eee ers See a ee any eee ene ere) secondary processors. Bullets flew by and chipped paint from the See eee aR) peer ens ‘One pop-up window out of many. all juggled at once by Gen Deen a ee started to show him what he was missing through his gun's smar ese eye ene nen ce ee ee ing and wild cheers as his Roto-drones stafed the looming Ates troll and dodged assault cannon rounds. Sledge hacked the last Pe een ee esse ee eee It from his tid-flashy sword, then staggered as an enemy burst Cee tes Der eae em ees ee eee ene et tot) eee ee eee ee eas eee ee) ee Ue ec ee econ ae ning, The enemy spirit assaulted by Coydog on one plane and ee ree eee eres eee eee ace eee Se ere ers et eee) «disengage commands thirty-seven different times and one final- ly got through. Coydog swayed and fel, lf-thin and elf-fragile. eee eer eee eer ee ee nothingness. Sledge. covered in equal parts blood and oil. dove eg ee ene ee rece hhauled her toward safety. Hardpoint’s FlySpy led the way past Gentry’s justopened ae ere ee nea ee ee across the team’s network. They had their exit route, finally. See eee) Pe a a ee cae tee Pen eer ee ers foe ene eee eee eet eae ey ead te Pe ae eee! eee eee Cee ee eee eae split up and swooped wide around the rooftop, stil fring, and splitting the corpsecs' attention. A fresh wave of smoke grenades ee eet eee ee eae Peet eee Cee tt He had the data. Hardpoint had the footage. None of them eee ean eae reece just another night, just another paycheck, but considerably ee a aeErr etea had SHADOVVRUNNING THE VVORLD ‘The first thing that you need to know about the Sixth World Is that what you don't know absolutely will kill you. So will what you do know. Infact, I's safe to as- ‘sume that anything and anyone you see has both the potential and the desire to kill you. That's good info to know, but not enough to keep you alive. So here's a rundown of what the Sixth World is, how it got there, and some of the power players who make sure a few people stay on top while the vast ma- Jority of the people wriggle uncomfortably under their righty thumbs. EVERYTHING HAS A PRICE Read the sentence in the header there, Read it again. Got it? Good. Because if that's the only thing you take away from this, if that’s the only thing you learn, then you'll still be getting something valuable about the ‘world you live in. You walk around this world, you'll see alot of heaps, and each one of them’s got someone perched on top of it. Every megacorporation has its CEO, governments have thelr chief executive, gangs have their lieutenant or head man or chief head bash. cer or whatever the hell they decide to call it. Even that fone block in the barrens that has nothing more than a rusty dumpster, an abandoned car, and a shed whose roof has caved in has a scary-eyed guy named Rastool who scared off al the other scary-eyed guys so he can Claim that spot as his own. Each of them figured out what they would have to pay to get to the top of that particular heap, and each one of them ponied up when the time came. Now. if wee going to talk about payments, we need to talk about currency. What | mean is, we need to look at the things you might need to give up in order to get ahead. MAGIC: PAYING WITH YOUR MIND _ When magic came back Into the world in 2011, and elves, dwarves, orks and trolls started scratching, and. a clawing for power alongside humans, it didn't take too long for people to start trying to get a handle on how {0 use al the new mana floating around for themselves. Turned out some people had a knack for it. While the rest of us were wondering what they were looking at With their glazed eyes and weird expressions, they were figuring out how to channel and shape streams of ma- naa sort of magic energy that seems to be just about everywhere, Tums out, iF you can suss how it's done, you can use mana to set the alr on fire, make people do things they'd never do, oF other truly esoteric and/ or insane things. And mana wasn't Just for the spells and stuff we think of as magic. It gave some people the strength to punch through walls, others can shame a cobra with thelr reflexes, and there are some who can ‘outrun a cheetah: and that's just scratching the surface, And you know all those magic goodies from legends land fairytales and myths? We got ‘em all: enchanted swords, magic rings, wands, amulets, mojo bags, and every potion you can think of. Not that they always. work the way they did in the stories. Don't|ust grab the sword of a legendary warrior and expect to slice and dice like she did, for example. But magic Is out there, and people are using it's not easyit can be draining, physically and mentally, and some people push them- selves to the point where thelr sanity drips out of thelt ears in a nice, steady trickle. That's the price, and it's often gladly pala. CORPORATIONS: PAYING WITH YOUR SELF ‘The way corporations workin the Sixth World Isn'treally anything new. It’ just the latest iteration of the might- makes-right way of doing things. There's a lot of legal history we could cover to help you see how things got to this point, but n the end It bolls down to one word: extraterritoriality. That's what allows corporations to say that whatever happens on the bulldings and lands they own Is subject to thelr laws~and no one else's Gaining extraterritorial status was a long-held dream of many of the world’s largest corporations, and when Judicial decisions in nations across the world gave it to them, they spent several years pissing on themselves Use ATU oii Ieeeand each other in utter delirum. Then they figured out thelr infighting. was cutting into thelr bottom line, so. they stopped fighting each other so much and concen- ‘tated on pissing on the rest of us. Not every corporation in the world has extratersto- rial status, To understand who does, you have to know about the Corporate Court, the body the megacorpo- rations created when they realized they were spending too much time solving their disputes by ravaging, en- tire small countries. The Corporate Court Is sometimes mocked as a toothless entity, a puppet of the world's largest mega- corps, but it manages—usually~to keep ‘open warfare between the corps from breaking out, and that’s at least worth something, ‘As part of its duties, the Court has created a rank: ing system to tell you how big and powerful a particu- lar corp Is. At the top Is the Big Ten, the most powerful megacorps in the world. The main thing you need to understand is that these guys are blgger than big, Think of the world's largest manufacturer of computer equip- ment. Then add in a powerful magic supplies broker. Throw in a few banks, an insurance firm, an entertaln- ment conglomerate, and a snack-food giant. and you're still nota tenth ofthe way to forming one ofthe Big Ten. They employ millions and control tilions of nuyen. Each and every one of them owns a plece of land within one hhundred kilometers of you. unless you're in the Sahara, the Amazon, or at the bottom of the ocean. And maybe even then. These are the people in the world who have the nuyen that we want, which means they determine the rules of the game. We just play It-and figure out hhow far we can bend those rues. AUGMENTATIONS: PAYING WITH YOUR SOUL Every bit of who you are can be improved with the right plece of gear. Think you've got quick reflexes? You can. be quicker. An artificial neural network’ll make you faster than a nervous Jackrabbit. Think you're strong? Switch out the muscles you were born with for a set that's been custom grown for power and efficiency, and you'll take strong to a whole new level. Think you're ‘charming? Implant a set of specialized pheromone dis- pensers, and people will swoon when you walk by and ‘nod enthusiastically when you talk ‘And that's just for starters. You can put actual plates cof armor on your skin, or lace your bones with metal so ‘your fists and legs deliver crushing blows. You can make ‘your senses sharper, your brain faster, and you can im- plant knowledge you never leamed in school. You can replace entire pleces of your body with artificial repl- cas fll of extra strength, nimble agility, secret compart- ‘ments, and hidden weapons that provide very unpleas- ant surprises at just the right time, But It's not free. And we'te not just talking money; there's a higher price to pay. All this stuff is useful and great, but It's artificial, and your body knows it. Each time you get ane of these augmentations, you give up a plece of yourself. You lose something inside of you, the essence of metahumanity. We don’t quite understand ‘what this “it” Is, but we know thls much=the more art- ficial you make yourself, the farther you get from actual Ife. If you get too far, whatever animated you Is going to disappear, until all the gear you bought ust collaps- es and becomes indistingulshable from any other plle of, silicon, steel, and chrome. So go ahead and get yourself augmented up, but understand that each time you do this, another piece of your metahumanity sides away. LIFE IN THE SHADOWS: PAYING WITH YOUR BLOOD ‘The megacorporations of the world prefer a docile population, a world of people who do whatever work they're told, bulld anything, carry anything, sacrifice anything for the mega, then spend all their money in the company store and be glad they got it so good. Sheep. That's how megacorps see metahumanity: 4 vast herd of sheep they have to keep in line (0 serve thelr purposes. ‘Which means the rest of us face a stark choice: Ac~ cept thelr shit. Or not For some of us, corp fe i not a life. The megacorps ‘own enough in the world. They don't need to own us. So ‘we drop out and find another way. We do the jobs corps. don't want their regular employees to do, the things theydlon’t want connected back to them. Espionage missions; missions of theft, sabotage, and assault~maybe even as- sassination, if you swing that way That's how we survive. We still have fo dance to the corporate tune to some de- gree, but If we live right and build up our skills, we can become the best at what we do and get paid what we deserve, Then, maybe, instead of being one of us, scram: bling under the heels of the powerful, we can be one of them, and remake a small part ofthe world in our image. But If we'e going to survive, we have to find work ‘There are dozens, hundreds, thousands of jobs out there. You can make money off them, but each one will cost you something, You'll get a scar from a bullet that should have killed you. A leg that aches in the cold ‘cause you broke it crashing your motorcycle on one of your less-stylish get- aways. A missing arm because you were standing just a bit too close to a bomb going off, and a working cyber ‘modelis pricy. A fied brain lobe from lingering in the Ma- ttixa second too long with security closing In on you. And thats ust what wil happen to your body. You'll be dou- ble-crossed, betrayed, and abandoned. You'l see trusted friends turn on you and watch others dle right in front of ‘you. Youll have every last bit of you tested in ways you ‘can't imagine just to see how much you can endure. ‘And if you succeed? If you stay alive? Money, frst of all, but more. You become a legend. You join the ranks Of the people we tell stories about, the shaowrunners. whose names we all know. Dirk Montgomery. FastJack. Sally Tsung. The Smiling Bandit. You'l have lived your own life, survived, and even thrived. You'll have stuck it to every man the Sixth World has to offer. ‘As long as you can pay the price. You know how when you meet some plece-of-drek punk ganger in an alley, and he's all full of mouthy ati tudes and sucker punches, and you find yourself think- Ing how if you looked into that litle dirtball’s past and learned more about his parents and upbringing, you'd understand how he became such a bastard? Well, our ‘world is a lot like that. Il give you some of the high: lights from the past that made the world into the snot nosed asshole we all know. ‘+ 2001: The infamous Shiawase Decision in the United ‘States Supreme Court givas multinational corporations the ‘same rights and privileges as sovereign governments. The {era ofnational governments asthe drivers of global events ‘comes to an end, The US. government allows corporations to run roughshod aver the resources found in Native American reservations during the so-called Resource Rush. This leads to unrest and resistance among Native population. 2010: Virally Induced Toxic Allergy Syndrome (VITAS) appears in Now Delhi, Inia. Eventually itkils a quarter of the word's population ‘= 2011: The Awakening, or at least the beginning of it Dragons appear, people develop talents and abilities thatcan only be described as magic, babies are born in ways that exactly resemble elves and dwarfs of legend, and the World reveals itself to generally be much weirder than anyone suspected. After the Great Ghost Dance of the previous year, in which Native American shamans spurred natural Gisasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions ‘across the globe, the United States and Canada agree to the Treaty of Denver, in which large portions of both nations are given to aboriginal populations to become the various states thet make up the Native American Nations ofthe Western Hemisphere. 2121: In a process known as Goblnization, some adults spontancously mutate into creatures that become known {as orks and trolls (a wider renge of forms emerge as time passes). People react with fear and loathing which, after ‘more than hal @ century, has generally eased to fear and ‘extreme distaste. Though some people prefer to stick with loathing. Dwarfs, elves, trols, orks, and the lke are collectively labeled “motahumanity.” The Matrix, the interconnected wonder of the computer world, crashes, and crashos hard. The vis that caused the crash takes years to eradicate, setting the stage for cyberwarfare inthe years to come. ‘+ 2120: After losing so much territory tothe Native American Nations, the remnants of the Urited States and Canada ‘merge to form the United Canadian and American States (UCAS), In subsequent years, the Free State of California, the Confederation of American States, andthe Caribbean League claim parts of what used tobe the United States. This mitrors political fracturing end re-alignment occurring around the worl ‘+ 2038: The fear and loathing against elves, dwarfs, orks, and trolls (particularly the later two groups) comes to head in the Night of Rage, @ worldwide series of riots targeting metahumans and their families. The pain and scars inflicted that night sil inge, 5: After a cult known as the Universal Brotherhood Introduces the vila creepias known as bug spirits to the world, Chicago became the most infested city on the planet. When containment didn't seem to be solving the problem, the Ares Corporation set off a nuke in the city, ‘an event known as the Cermak Blast. The combined infestation of bugs, removal of anything resembling law ‘and order, and destruction levied bythe nuke made central Chicago the blasted wonderland its taday. 2057: The citizens of the UCAS collectively throw their hands in the ait, say “What the hell, and elect a dragon named Dunkelzahn as president. Dunkelzahn serves for just under tan and a half hours before being blown to kingdom come. A huge astral rift hovers at the scene of the assassination for years. Peele eho ar Ika eles