Running a Shadowrun Game

Image from Harebrained Schemes' Shadowrun: Dragonfall

Introduction
So you want to play something different than your typical sword & sorcery campaign? You want to play some science fiction in an urban dystopia? Then you are ready for the world of Shadowrun!

This old school cyberpunk setting is heavily defined by its origin in the 80s. As such it will seem quite retro to most audiences and is usually associated with a tone of hard rock and cynicism. But even though cyberpunk is most often associated with an earlier decade, it has remained and evolved as a genre to this day. Some of the later developments in the genre became classics such as The Matrix and the films of Niell Blomkamp, and video games like Mirror's Edge and Deus Ex. If your group likes the aesthetic defined by advanced tech and social decay, they will enjoy a setting like this.

You don't have to run Shadowrun in its home system if it is not to your taste. The details of the setting can work just fine when ported to other tabletop systems. For this reason, my suggestions focus on the basic characteristics of the setting, not the specifics of the rules and game mechanics.

Establishing a Theme

Image by Warner Brothers

The most vital aspects of any genre are the themes, stuff that should remain consistent throughout any iteration of these stories. The themes that I consider integral to Shadowrun are also elements of cyberpunk fiction in general. First and foremost is the threat to the very nature of our humanity. This concept could be portrayed by the struggle of man and machine, or man versus the unknown nature of the arcane world, or through the dehumanization of the general populace by megacorporations. The world is becoming overrun by urban sprawls and people are becoming a lesser priority in the grand scheme. This is the element that brings out the darker and grittier characteristics iconic to cyberpunk.

It also serves as a primary source of the conflict, because at their core, humanity is obstinate. They don't want to be pushed around and manipulated by machines, magic forces, or human oppressors. They find release through actions of revolution and mayhem. In Shadowrun, crime is how you express humanity. This is an important sticking point, because it is key to understanding that every Shadowrun player character is a criminal, but usually not evil. In a world where freedom and free thought is criminalized, every adventurer is an enemy of the state. This means that as the heroes perform shadowruns, secret missions for various clients, they will inevitably come up against these opposing forces and fight against them for their last vestige of freedom and the pursuit of happiness.

Setting the Scene

The aesthetic style of cyberpunk involves a dizzying overload of information and extrapolated sci-fi concepts. In Mirrorshades, an early definitive volume, Bruce Stirling described these details as a "wall of sound."  Cyberpunk emphasizes the hectic speed at which society and technology races on, so you want to convey that in your descriptions. Brand names, slang terms, technical jargon, and all sorts of dense info should be packed into your narration. In fact, this is so important to me that the number one DM aid I bring for my Shadowrun games is a "cheat sheet" of terms and ideas for things like:

• Technology
• Corporate branding
• Popular music genres
• Food from street vendors
• Common factions
• Computer programs
• Historical events

And more! These notes will be nothing more than names or words I can draw on so that I can keep up the atmospheric patter when a scene is set.

"You step outside onto the street of Neo-Tokyo. The neon glow of the holo-arcade lights up the street as you hear the cries of splice junkies fill the air outside the matrix bar known as The Node. A Cyberdyne security drone hovers nearby as an automated speaker pumps Blastercard music across the freeway."

Keeping the information flowing like this is important to the feel of these games. It gives the sense that the world is fast-paced, chaotic, and dense. It builds itself into the genre's iconic narrative claustrophobia.

Image by Sony Pictures

Working Together

Shadowrun games are sometimes tricky to run because of the specialization of many of the classes. Unlike Dungeons and Dragons, the modernistic setting of Shadowrun creates a world where the 'jobs' of the various classes don't synergize quite as obviously. Shadowrun has classes that are built like characters from a heist movie, like Ocean's Eleven. They each have a role to play, but when it comes down to a sword fight it will be mostly your street samurai taking the hits, and if a file needs to be collected it is the hacker's show.

This means that the DM's main job in a Shadowrun game is to make sure these challenges overlap and intersect as much as possible. The swordfight needs to go on at the same time as the file is being downloaded in order to give your party something to do. You don't want the entire game to be players taking turns doing their own activity.  The designers knew this too, and much of the game design is built to prevent that. For instance, hackers can generally only access data from terminals at certain access points within their targets. This means that they will have to enter the building and rely on their teammates for protection, just as their team depends on them to open doors and reprogram security systems.

Also remember that a big part of the game is the opportunity to make detailed plans ahead of an operation, casing the joint, getting in touch with contacts and gathering supplies. Guile and preparation are a big part of what makes a fun and memorable run.

Magic vs. Tech

Shadowrun is unique in that it introduces classical fantasy elements to the futuristic setting. This isn't always to everyone's taste in a "You got chocolate in my peanut butter" way. Balancing the nanobots and pre-cogs against the elves and warlocks is one of the dicier hurdles that you have to approach when running this game. If your group prefers cyberpunk only, you would be better served by the setting of Cyberpunk 2020. I personally enjoy the idea of blending the cyberpunk and fantasy genres to a degree, though I customize my own Shadowrun adventures by running them in a unique homebrewed setting which I will describe in a follow-up article.

The most important thing that magic adds to the setting is an opposing force to the rise of machines and technology. By introducing a deep primal force, it allows for stories with a strong focus on tradition versus progress, or nature against technology. It also allows for unique character options, and integrates the fairly recent genre of urban fantasy that has been popularized by series like The Dresden Files. No longer viewed with superstition, mages are now working stiffs who must explore and define their arcane arts in a world which may view their source of power as archaic and outdated.

Alternately, some may try to blend magic with technology in a way never before seen, amalgamating the natural and artificial into something transcendent. There are many possibilities for great adventures, but be sure to make special note of what the balance between mysticism and futurism should be before embarking on a Shadowrun with your gaming group.

To be continued!