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