So when you first said the Second edition, I was like, nope, it's Third. but then I watched the rest of your video and caught that my bias of playing Third for so many years was coming through. To me, 3rd is easy, but it's because I play 3rd and have done so since I switched from second. This video is the most honest review of Shadowrun I have seen. You are absolutely correct in your assessment of what 3rd is compared to 2nd. For ease of picking up Shadowrun, you should pick up second and then add the things you like. 3rd was the company's attempt at trying to give all the players that had played tons of 2nd a possible single book option so you could have much of 2nds crunch all in one book. while cleaning up some things that might have needed cleaning up. Like they tried to make the matrix more accessible so you could play a decker and not get a no out of your ST every time you wanted to play one. I don't think they hit the ball out of the park, but for my group, we allow Deckers, which we would never do in 1st or 2nd, so they must have moved the needle enough for my group at least. So once you have played and explored second for a few years, then maybe look at some 3rd at that point, but I would say play 2nd to start out, and TBH, you won't really need to move away from it as it was a solid edition.
@PolysilsesquioxaneКүн бұрын
So lonely... where is the next episode you glorious people
@AkukAkuku6 күн бұрын
1:03:30 "plas kuh change" 🤣
@xmikenecrofentx8 күн бұрын
Great video. Great breakdown, very insightful. I’ve loved the Shadowrun setting my entire life and I’ve been in the same boat. I really can’t stand the rules crunch at all. I’m going to check out 2e sometime soon, what was the issue with matrix and rigging? I can’t remember off the top of my head. Honestly I’m still brainstorming a very stripped down basic osr dnd version of Shadowrun at some point, D20 based and easy.
@CmdrRenegade8 күн бұрын
Truth
@deltapi885916 күн бұрын
Any news on reprint of 2nd edition?
@PinkFohawk16 күн бұрын
@@deltapi8859 CGL moved forward with a reprint for 1e instead, and their response to whether they’ll do the 2e PDF is “buy the 1e reprint and we’ll see.” Pretty frustrating: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJDOeJeIg9GqjMksi=7N_1SXmIjayX6Ogh
@deltapi885916 күн бұрын
@@PinkFohawk Hey, thx for the quick response and link. Oh man, I didn't expect that. You summarized everything I could say pretty well. That's just frustrating.
@Psycho-zb4cg18 күн бұрын
Man. At first i was really confused. Than i got kinda upset. "Why is this fucking DM not telling them more details?! How did they get the job? How do they get here? Wtf is happening?" Than i listend on... and at some point it clicked. As a DM myself, i wanna complement you on that one! Really nice done! Well played! Also, the sound effects really elevates this even more! Love every episode of it! Good job Chummers! 🤌
@ironbanjo333922 күн бұрын
I want this so much!!! I love the sr universe and want the 2e.
@the-patient-98724 күн бұрын
What is this "previously on" covering? I listened to the full season one I don't remember any of this!
@damienwilliams294726 күн бұрын
And people hate 6E for getting rid of all that crunch.
@n.t.s.26 күн бұрын
I found you guys via Dork Day Afternoon, and I’m mighty glad I did. I was a “Shadowrun” player back in the first-edition days, and this episode had me laughing so hard I was crying. My co-workers were confused & concerned…
@PinkFohawk26 күн бұрын
Hahaha glad you are enjoying - and say hey to the Dork Day folks for us, those guys rock 🤘🏻 Thanks for listening!
@deltapi885928 күн бұрын
I bought the second edition book recently, but it was in such a bad condition. I haven't found one that is in good condition. I even found first edition in mint condition on a convention, but wanted to 2nd. I think this really supports your point which edition is the best, because everyone who played 2ed just completely wore out the book. Wish there were a digital version of it. Couldn't find one yet. Also when I played 2nd edition I was like 16 or something, I didn't read book and I had BAAD reading retention. But for some odd reason after I read through it I could actually play the game.
@nohashtagshere4116Ай бұрын
Any update on this ?
@PinkFohawkАй бұрын
@@nohashtagshere4116 CGL moved forward with a reprint for 1e instead, and their response to whether they’ll do the 2e PDF is “buy the 1e reprint and we’ll see.” Pretty frustrating: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJDOeJeIg9GqjMksi=7N_1SXmIjayX6Ogh
@nohashtagshere4116Ай бұрын
@@PinkFohawk man that video is painful to watch.
@bri.g.5105Ай бұрын
this would be great
@amarelopiscanteАй бұрын
can someone explain please what's the use for spell habilities?
@amarelopiscanteАй бұрын
the pt-br translation is full of mistakes 😢
@amarelopiscanteАй бұрын
thanks
@TravcoolbethАй бұрын
That was a fantastic adventure! Great job 🤘
@michaelotero4394Ай бұрын
I snagged a 2e softcover for under $10 this week. Woot!
@anotherdadjokeАй бұрын
The best part of 2e is that it is only as rules crunchy as the group wants. Want better Matrix rules, add Virtual Reality. Want better rigger rules, add Rigger 2. More character creation, Runner Companion is there.
@PinkFohawkАй бұрын
@@anotherdadjoke 🤘🏻🤘🏻
@michaelotero43942 ай бұрын
Your concession to SR3 is why it’s my preferred Shadowrun. I want all of that in my game, and I want all the enhanced core parts collected and refined in one place. I will state this caveat though. If a player wants to play a magician, rigger, or decker, they have to read and understand their chapters, gear, and abilities. Otherwise, they have to play something else and let the GM fill those roles with ally NPCs and likely abstracted play on the GM’s part. However, SR2 is more evocative - in its art/aesthetic, verbal style, ideas, and maturity. That’s great though since those all port over to SR3 easily because they go into the heart of the player/GM.
@michaelotero43942 ай бұрын
It’s funny you guys think that gamers back then might not have enough dice, but in 1997, I didn’t have enough. I was 13 and finally convinced my twin brother to play. I bought a few sets of dice, but he wanted his own set, so he swiped them from his Axis & Allies board game. I swear those dice were loaded, which helped win him over to RPGs.
@TIEBrute2 ай бұрын
"John has a looooottttttt of credit card debt he needs to pay off" He's just like me fr!
@hfreezenr92 ай бұрын
Catalyst Game Labs making baffling, if not outright iffy, business decisions? I am shocked etc.
@Jimalcoatl2 ай бұрын
Fun fact the "Unix system" from Jurassic Park was an actual UI that could be used on SGI workstations. It basically the one "science" thing in Jurassic Park that was actually real and it's funny that it's the one that gets memed the most.
@GravityFail872 ай бұрын
I'd be up to remake a 2e PDF, love to work with 1-2 other people and we could bust it out over a few weeks
@Jimalcoatl2 ай бұрын
Jon screwing up his 14-dice attack would have been a perfect place to use a point of karma pool. Really fun episode.
@Jimalcoatl2 ай бұрын
Damn... that ending. It's hard for a GM to pull off something like that. Well done sir.
@Jimalcoatl2 ай бұрын
A response to the different adept types question. I remember that Grimoire introduced the Shamanic adept and Elemental adepts who could summon and cast spells, but only specific types of spells and spirits (for shamans you could only cast spells or summon spirits your totem gave you a bonus to). Awakenings also mentions the astral adept who couldn't cast or summon but could astrally project/percieve like a full mage. My memory may be failing me however.
@Jimalcoatl2 ай бұрын
As a GM, Ben is really good at including ally NPCs. They are helpful and add to the roleplaying but don't overshadow the player characters.
@Jimalcoatl2 ай бұрын
Minor rules thing, when Jon shot the troll, it should have done a deadly wound. The burst fire stages the damage up a level to S, then his two net successes woild stage it up again to Deadly.
@PinkFohawk2 ай бұрын
@@Jimalcoatl Hey! Haha yeah you’re going to catch a few of those 😂 We start to figure things out a bit better down the line but still definitely miss some rules things here and there. Appreciate the friendly callout, and thanks for listening!
@Jimalcoatl2 ай бұрын
To be fair the "people who don't play roleplaying games are just going to show up and will need dice that they have access to" isn't wholly wrong. I know a lot of people who started with Shadowrun and were kids who didn't have money for dice so we just raided the family board game collection. Some kids found it through the video games, I found Shadowrun through a novel I got from my public library when I was in sixth grade. Shadowrun 2nd Edition was very accessible to middle school kids who were heavy on free time, but super light in disposable income.
@Jimalcoatl2 ай бұрын
The font is "Fritz Quadrata"
@Jimalcoatl3 ай бұрын
Second edition was my first ttrpg. I love it so much. I would say the one thing 2e does 100% better than 3e was threat ratings. As a GM keeping track of of dice pools for every NPC is a book keeping nightmare. Threat ratings are so much simpler and let the GM tweak NPC power levels quickly and easily. The initiative change is kinda meh, don't really like one version over the other. 3e does do some combat rules better though, like making using combat pool for defense its own step instead of having to roll the combat pool and Body dice together and keep track of which ones were from the combat pool. Overall I'd pick 2e over 3e, but I'm not sure if that's just my nostalgia or not.
@PinkFohawk2 ай бұрын
@@Jimalcoatl Yes! Threat ratings make combat so much simpler, and make it super easy to scale encounters on the fly.
@jaysw95853 ай бұрын
My issues with Shadowrun is that it felt like a square peg in a round hole. It really strived hard for realism in a very clunky rules system. Netrunning felt like a completely seperate game, which resulted in party split. 6e really did fix this while breaking others.
@PinkFohawk3 ай бұрын
@@jaysw9585 IMO, 3e and on were the editions that strived for realism, especially 4e. The game was written (1e & 2e) to feel cinematic, the drama of all those dice hitting the table, re-rolling 6’s - it was all meant to feel like a bullet hell scene from Hard Boiled or some action movie. The moment they strived for simulationist rules, it became something else other than SR. I agree about matrix tho, it’s tough to run. But later editions trying to run it like a real computer system made things worse IMHO. It should feel like a fever dream, like astral space but in a computer to nail that Neuromancer vibe. I was reading Virtual Realities for 1e recently, there’s a lot more explanation on when to skip things and when to get granular - the rules from VR1e made it into 2e core but the explanation was trimmed which is a bummer. Thanks for the comment! Appreciate the debate!
@mrblitzer87053 ай бұрын
Shadowrun Anarchy is a good start for newbs
@mrblitzer87053 ай бұрын
...but it's not for everyone
@RW-mt2ls3 ай бұрын
2. Ed is the easiest but it's to powergamie (A friend had a streetsam that could run Mach 1 and i had a mage that could hunt dragons and sink warships) . I think 3. Ed is the best.
@Aaron-hn9hv3 ай бұрын
I really like 6th
@ExeErdna3 ай бұрын
I started out with SR2 yet enjoyed 4 the best, what burns a lot of newbies SR start is if you know what you want you can start out really well off. That since it does what D&D in the modern day doesn't respect you're not really starting out level 1, since level 1 is honestly a child. You should have something from what you did all your life until that point and it's means more than some ribbon "skills" the DM really doesn't understand. SR to me always felt more like a refinement of what D&D started with. This is from somebody that just loves to roll a Troll Archer
@micahthomas7053 ай бұрын
5e is supported on foundry vtt. So that's the one
@DemoboyOot3 ай бұрын
11:51 "You wouln't start playing d&d as a 10th level mage" My first character was an epic 3e half-fiend doppelganger rogue, ecl in the mid 20s
@PinkFohawk3 ай бұрын
@@DemoboyOot oh damn! I should have said “I wouldn’t” haha - more power to ya man! I was overwhelmed the first time I was learning 3.5
@joshuajupp90373 ай бұрын
Fark. My brain hurts. Just binged the series in 4 days. Now I'm making bad life choices on eBay 👌
@PinkFohawk3 ай бұрын
@@joshuajupp9037 oh I trust you’re making amazing choices, chummer 🤌🏻 Thanks for listening and for the comment!
@joshuajupp90373 ай бұрын
@@PinkFohawk on the chance you know, which 2nd ed sourcebook has the street mage archetype?
@PinkFohawk3 ай бұрын
@@joshuajupp9037 Street Mage is in the CRB, pg. 61 But if you’re looking for more options, Awakenings has archetypes for Street Warrior, Street Sorcerer, and Ghost Hunter 🤘🏻
@joshuajupp90373 ай бұрын
@@PinkFohawk they all sound sexy as hell 👌 Ah found the archetype, combat mage. Not as exciting as I remembered lol
@PinkFohawk3 ай бұрын
@@joshuajupp9037 hahaha I will say, those others from Awakenings are more badass for sure
@eric_eagle3 ай бұрын
I’m so guilty of that thing you said at the beginning 😂 I may not go with 2e but your points are really well taken. I GM and I think honestly there’s no substitute or book to read that will equal a real well thought out session zero. Read as best you can, liberal house rules. No matter the system, my players and I are going to get some stuff wrong. Nobody knows the answer in 30 seconds? Boom, GM discretion. Just stay in role and read up on it later. I hate when something that’s supposed to be fun ends up becoming a UN Security Council meeting.
@joshuajupp90373 ай бұрын
Ahhhh, 2nd ed. The best thing about 2nd ed, was every ref book had a lovely set of character templates. They where awesome, always a character idea you'd never think of 👌
@joshuajupp90373 ай бұрын
My favourites where, the, street mage, a mage with cyberware! Genius idea The ork street samurai, he had a int of 5! and talked posh. Plus what little cyberware he had was very hidden. All genius ideas that our group of 15 year olds would never have come up with. I've looked at the new source books and they've dropped those luscious pages of ideas...shame. So yes, 2nd ed I feel was the better version.
@bringbacknames4 ай бұрын
They could do a preorder. This would satisfy their curiosity.
@roihalily42634 ай бұрын
what is the txt formated data dump you go over around #2:27:00 ? i think this + chatGPT can make an instant charecter generator - is this open source? where can i find it?
@ComputerWizard4 ай бұрын
I went on a brief hiatus on listening to these ppdcasts and now I'm back!
@rlbink24984 ай бұрын
The only thing terrible is that routine
@rlbink24984 ай бұрын
Thanks for your sacrifice, chummer! Because of you more people will be able to play the best edition of SHADOWRUN in print!!!!
@magikot4 ай бұрын
After the fiasco that was Shadowrun: EdgeZone, CGL needs to get rid of Rem. She is a terrible project manager and terrible at community and customer engagement. If anyone wants a high quality and legitimate PDF of 2E, it's available for free on the Internet Archive.