If you’re not sure what’s going on this week at Abulia Savant then you just plain haven’t been paying attention. Today’s pitch comes from left field and outside the comfort zone. I present to you, Shadowrun!
Game: Shadowrun (duh)
System: 4th Edition (whatever they call the system)
Quickie Bite: Mission: Impossible meets Alias meets Blade Runner, yo.
I’ve actually owned all iterations of Shadowrun save the latest, 4th Edition, which has jumped a few companies since the demise of FASA. Overall it’s a game with strong ideas but I feel has fumbled the execution. (Reminds me of RIFTS in that manner.) There have been so few good cyberpunk games that being mediocre—or overly complex like Shadowrun—has been “good enough.” When your next closest competitor is Cyperpunk 2020—or more affectionally known as “Barbie Punk 2020″—you’ve pretty much got a blank check to do whatever you want.
The 4th Edition of Shadowrun streamlines the game somewhat but it’s still known for its complex system. And magic. And fantasy monsters. Did I mention this was cyberpunk? Okay, I know, some people like these things but call me old school: don’t get your fantasy in my cyberpunk! Orcs and trolls should have Armor Class and Hit Points, not SMGs and monofilament swords! 
The big change in the latest iteration of Shadowrun is the all-wireless nature of the Matrix. Now deckers are supposed to be useful rather than locked up and you slide a pizza under the door. Meaning, no longer—theoretically—do you have side adventures where the players watch the decker character adventure on this own and in normal adventures where the decker is ineffective in meat space. Now everything is wireless, so when the goons pull out their guns, the heavies pound them in the face while the decker wirelessly hacks their guns to no longer function. Again, in theory. It’s ironic that some people don’t like this idea but are cool with magic and elves in their cyberpunk.
Anyway, the old school idea that I would like to pursue is just that: scrap the magic, yank the fantasy and stick with the cyberpunk and the dystopian future that we’ve all come to know and love. Megacorps, underhanded dealings, and the shadowy runners who are tasked to get the shit done that no one else feels like getting their hands dirty with…or being held accountable for. It’s a mixture of Mission: Impossible meets Alias meets Blade Runner. And if that didn’t fucking sell you on it right there then you have no soul, I’m sad to say.
Take action with a heavy dose of espionage, mix in a fair amount of conflict and metaplot—oh noes!—and you’ve got a winner of a campaign idea. In fact there are a few ideas that I’m unable to share in this post because, frankly, if this pitch does get past the weighted list I can’t have it leaked out ahead of time. So, is that make your ears tingle or what?
Downsides are pretty big: new system, the genre doesn’t necessarily scream “happy PCs working together in harmony” but with the right motivation (heh, heh) all things are possible. But the idea is different enough that I think it could be a strong sell and, honestly, help with trying something new and expanding our horizons. That sounds pretty damn appealing.
Pros: New!; highly flexible; world-spanning; multi-genre (action, espionage, cyberpunk); group seems to like mechanical crunch; in print.
Cons: New system; can’t fully pitch beyond “trust me”; having characters that play well together could take some work.
Don’s Interest: 
The lowest rated so far but don’t take that as a lack of endorsement on my part; I wouldn’t post it here if I wasn’t serious about it. Any ideas on how to sell this pitch a little better?
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