[blademaster0182]

Hey everyone,

I've been GMing DnD/Pathfinder for ages but I've always wanted to play/run Shadowrun. Since no one plays in my area (mumblegrumble) I've decided I would run a game. Thanks to Reddit's RPG community I found Food Fight and I want to introduce my players to it. My question is what do I need besides dice, players, character sheets and a whole heap of storytelling and imagination? I know I'm going to need something to visually represent the Stuffer Shack and I have a dry-erase battlemap that I use in DnD that should work well. My question is, my players (and I) are used to the squares representing 5 feet of movement and Shadowrun uses meters. More so, Shadowrun is far more story and imagination based than DnD, so do I tell my players to ignore the squares and I'll tell them approximately how far they can move, or do I make each square 2m or something to ease them into it?

Thanks!

[The Doomed One]

I use 1 square = 1 meter, which, if you think about it, makes a lot more sense than one square = five feet.  Other than that just make sure you have read through the rules and the adventure a couple of times, and don't worry about making mistakes.   

[FastJack]

I believe there's some maps floating out there. I wouldn't worry too much about being exact. Unlike D&D, you won't need to know exact movements from every participant since there's no real attacks of opportunity or anything. You'll just know know where they are in relation to each other and where they are moving to and from. Most combat will be ranged combat since the baddies will like to kill from a distance.

A general rule of thumb is that that a meter is just a bit longer than a yard.

[Usda Beph]

Be prepared for the players loosing it when they get pelted with fizzy red meat, or sticky powdered Syrup! mechanics will take alittle getting used to, but much fun will insue at:

THE STUFFER SHACK
I have a story in the fan fiction area of how the game went for us!

[Coldbringer]

As others have said don't worry about the minis and the maps.  I think i have busted out minis maybe three times over the years running Shadowrun in its various additions, its a lot more abstract than most of the d20 games I have played/ran.  Also you could find it a bit more lethal than a typical d20 game, even an experienced character can get taken down by a mook having a good day.

[Kontact]

Dry-erase should be helpful for starting out, but all the combat is abstract.

As far as terrain, you've got lines of sight, modified by partial cover and good cover.  That's basically it.
And considering the insane movement rates, 10m "walking" and 25m running (which is a free action, not even a sprint) every CT (that's 3 seconds) it's pretty much assumed that you should be able to manage a line of sight during each pass.

[Longshot23]

Hey everyone,

I've been GMing DnD/Pathfinder for ages but I've always wanted to play/run Shadowrun. Since no one plays in my area (mumblegrumble) I've decided I would run a game. Thanks to Reddit's RPG community I found Food Fight and I want to introduce my players to it. My question is what do I need besides dice, players, character sheets and a whole heap of storytelling and imagination? I know I'm going to need something to visually represent the Stuffer Shack and I have a dry-erase battlemap that I use in DnD that should work well. My question is, my players (and I) are used to the squares representing 5 feet of movement and Shadowrun uses meters. More so, Shadowrun is far more story and imagination based than DnD, so do I tell my players to ignore the squares and I'll tell them approximately how far they can move, or do I make each square 2m or something to ease them into it?

Thanks!

If you can get hold of the Sprawl Sites PDF (2nd Ed i think) there are location maps in that which are supposedly good to go.  I would advise printing/copying them at 166% size as given though - the scale is roughly for 15mm figures.

[Dakka]

I believe there's some maps floating out there. I wouldn't worry too much about being exact. Unlike D&D, you won't need to know exact movements from every participant since there's no real attacks of opportunity or anything. You'll just know know where they are in relation to each other and where they are moving to and from. Most combat will be ranged combat since the baddies will like to kill from a distance.

A general rule of thumb is that that a meter is just a bit longer than a yard.

Well, there IS the intercept free action for stopping people trying to disengage from melee or from rushing passed you.  Just sayin'.

Our group doesn't even use maps, since really the only important factors are 1) Do you have cover, 2) Do they have cover, and 3) what range are they.  Melee characters need to care a little bit more about precise movements but not enough to warrant and actual MAP or anything.

[The Doomed One]

But I like my maps. 

[FastJack]

But I like my maps. 

Here's you snuggle-blankie and a glass of water.

...oh, you said MAPS, not NAPS.

I a big supporter of maps. But I also know that they aren't always needed. Always using the maps in a RPG tends to cheapen their meaning. If you can get through the smaller combats by just describing the action, letting the players imagine how it all goes (instead of them having to count how many squares they move), they'll get more out of the little fights. Then, when you whip out the map for the big fights, they get more serious about the fight because they realize it's important enough that you drew out the details.

Not to mention that not using a map can speed up combat in any system. First, the GM doesn't have to position everything exactly so; allowing a more fluid combat. "How far away is he?" "He's just inside the short range of your pistol, but if you charged him, you could reach him for melee." Second, by eliminating the distraction the details on the map ("What's this?" "A column." "And this?" "A bench." "How about this?" "<sigh>"), they can focus more on what they are fighting and what needs to be done.