[cannonballkuriboh]

Hey all!

Long-time GM for other systems (3.5, 4th, and PF), but first time Shadowrun GM. Getting ready to set up a game for some friends of mine who are interested in the system. I have a core and a copy of the "Chasin' the Wind" Mission. Had a few questions on things that I know might come up as difficult for a first-time group in any system.

1) Are there any commonly used Character Creation restrictions? Basically, is there anything that is going to derail/overpower the game that I should push my players to avoid?
2) Are there any easy methods by which to read a stat-block, or to remember what rolls go to what? Digging into the core at the table is fine, but can become time-consuming if it becomes too frequent.
3) Do you recommend the use of a standard grid mat for movement/combat and such, or is this easier to do "in the theater of the mind" as it were?
   3a) If yes, are there any particular minis you recommend, or perhaps models to 3D print?
4) How do you guys usually push players to use their contacts, or even to build them? In this regard, the guys I'm playing with usually are very slash-n-burn in our fantasy setting games, so I'm questioning how to keep them comfortable while pushing them to not piss of the wrong people.
5) What other sourcebooks would you recommend I pick up early? Obviously starting with the core is pretty basic, but if this goes well I know I'm going to want to get more!

Thank you for your help in advance!

[Mystic]

First, above all else, have fun.

But to your questions.

1) If it's a home game, then everything is open, PROVIDING, they (key word) have the rules to play any special characters. I don't want to have to look up stuff they should know. But for a missions game, they have to be missions legal, as in following all character creation guidelines. Another piece of advice, know what characters your players are going to bring to the table. That way you can get ahead of any problems or brush up on any rules you may need.

2) Cheat sheets. Your best friends. But remember, most rolls/checks are Ability + Skill.

3) Both. If it's a quick and simple use Mind's eye. For more complex encounters, I will either draw crude maps, or use hex maps. But instead of relying on minis, have the players use one of their dice.

4) I make sure that contacts are not only memorable, but also very helpful. Contacts will often come through with necessary information, gear, etc. Also, I encourage players to treat their contacts well, it raises their loyalty scores a bit quicker.

5) Run and Gun, Run Faster for starters. But, any of the core rule books such as Street Grimiore, Rigger 5, Chrome Flesh, and Data Trails are never a bad idea. If your're not sure about  the paper books, try PDFs.

[Kiirnodel]

First up, based on your initial description, I would recommend starting out simple and follow the Missions guidelines to begin with. For one, it gives your players some initial restrictions to reside in and gives you a chance to ease yourself into the game system. That first mission, Chasin' the Wind, is a decent introduction to Fifth edition (and Shadowrun as a whole), because it was the first mission written after the new rules were made available. It is also a decent introduction into the setting of Shadowrun, throwing a variety of circumstances at the group without being too overwhelming.

Now, to answer your specific questions:

1. The Missions Organized Play guidelines are a common "rule of thumb" for a lot of people. They limit several character options that would normally require a lot of GM interaction to make them work the way they should. For a home campaign, a lot of them are fine, but it gives you a good idea of things to watch out for at the very least.

2. No particularly easy way to read stat blocks. Some missions tend to write the skills as Dice Pools instead of Skill Ratings, which is something to watch out for. On the one hand, it makes it easy to just grab the number and go, but on the other hand, it can be harder to figure out situational modifiers or if they are writing out the values correctly. Not to mention when the default attribute is different than a particular situation demands. Reaction + Pistols to quick-draw, for instance...

3. For my game, I usually use theater of the mind. Sometimes I draw out a quick sketch of the battle-field to give people an idea of layout. Usually, distances are too big to be good for using a battlemap. At least in my experience.
3a. If, however, you like using battlemaps and minis, there is actually a kickstarter going right now for some guys that do flat-plastic high quality printed images. Check out the kickstarter page HERE. One of the sets you can get is a Cyberpunk theme, and I'm pretty sure it is specifically for Shadowrun, since it has orks and trolls...

4. That Chasin' the Wind should have some information on various Legwork that the characters could do. And a lot of it is stuff where asking around with your contacts is an easy way to get things done. In my experience, that's usually the best way to get players to talk to contacts. Just suggest that they ask around about something. In the end, it is important to remember that most people don't do everything on their own, they ask for help and interact with others, which is exactly what contacts are for.

5. If your players want more options for character customization, go with Run Faster. If they want more weapons/armor and options for combat, Run & Gun. Past that, it is really based on what character types you end up with. Street Grimoire for Magic-types, Data Trails for Matrix-heavy. Chrome Flesh for More Augmentations, and Rigger 5.0 for vehicle customization.

[GloriousRuse]

1) If its a first game for you or players, or you really want the game to be about the runs/story, "vanilla races only" ensures that you won't have to constantly look up or remember what happens when someone is a 3rd Degree Were-Pony. It goes a long way to preventing a single character choice from accidentally derailing the campaign either through mechanical issues or because of their ever so unique story-line considerations for said Were-Pony. In short, unless you are an experienced GM with experienced players, the 'special snowflake" characters that sound so cool can quickly become a death knell mechanically and storywise.

2) You can take chummer or any other char sheet and add basic DPs in a convenient readable spot. Shooting, sneaking, drain resist,  raw decking score (before the deck-though given how rare deck upgrades are, you can keep every characteristic if you need), Con...you can keep the top 7 or so DPs in plain view for ready use either electronically, or on a basic 3 x 5. You may still have to look up how to build a bomb, but the basic actions should be ready to go for you on your reference.

3) As a bunch of other people said before hand, theater of the mind with the option to deploy maps and such on big events. A drive by in the barrens does not need a custom map, nor is it particularly more rewarding to have one. Storming the zero zone might. Just bear in mind that maps take a ton of time to produce, so are generally best reserved for times when a) you KNOW the players are going to that map, b) the combat requires a high level of fidelity to encourage tactics and understanding of distance, and c) the combat isn't going to end in the first round. 

4) Force legwork, for one. Slash-burn usually says "there be the dungeon, have at it". SR says "having at it gets you dead, so do some research". Or "no, I don't know where the dungeon is, because if I knew that I wouldn't be hiring you to find it." It may be best to even start with the second one in that otherwise they may charge the doors to the Horizon building, make much smashing, and then be shocked to learn they are now on every terror watchlist in the UCAS, Horizon, and anybody those services decie to share info with.

The other is "no simple tools." Yeah, yeah, stock up on rope and flashlights and stuff in the off period, but things like guns and drones have a habit of being traced back to their point of sale - and Wally's Gunmart (An Ares Company!) is going to be all to happy to turn over the full video and audio of whoever purchased Predator SN:12345678 (which, naturally, is broadcast for LE purposes from the built in smartgun on the "civilian" model) to the KE.
 
5) Core and only core for the first game. You can add flavor books, but do not add rulebooks. You and your players will already have more than enough to deal with without getting too deep into how you can add MOAR DAKKA to the game.

[Beta]

Great responses above.  Just two thoughts to add:

Chummer is a useful characterbuilding tool, and you can use the options to indicate which books you are using, and it will only display those options.   May help people in character creation.  And it is freely!

As a rule of thumb all characters need at least a fake ID, a commlink, and the ability to walk down the street without setting off alarms.  Some basic stealth tends to be useful too.  Let them know that, or they may have a hard time functioning in the SR world

And a third thought:  you need more d6.  However many you have, likely more would help :y.

[MijRai]

I would really like to suggest 1-3 points of Con for everyone as well; unless your character concept revolves around being unable to lie, that's pretty much an integral aspect of your existence.  You're a criminal.  Having a dice-pool of 4 (or maybe a little more) is enough to buy a single hit for everyday shenanigans and with Edge gives you a chance to succeed at the more difficult rolls as they come up. 

[Bushw4cker]

A few things I have found helpful for GMing Shadowrun...

Google Earth for City Maps

Dry Erase Board or Mat.

Fast Drying Model Magic Clay for Player's characters and NPCs.

I made an Initiative Board numbered  1 to 40, I made NPC tokens and player tokens, it has made Combat go much faster, and is especially nice for Shadowrun because Initiative is constantly changing.

For Shadowrun, more so than most Games, I think it really helps to know your player's characters.

Strongly reccommend your players put at least 3 points into Edge.

For Contacts, I have players pick: Name, Type, Location, Metatype, Ethnicity, Connection, Loyalty, and one quirk. I give all my players  the same Fixer Contact for free.

If you are worried your run might be too deadly: For really tough critters, have the critters make called shot, like Splitting the Damage or Attacking specific body part (Run and Gun.).

One thing I have done in the past for attacks that normally would have probably killed or at the least, put character into overflow damage, was I got creative. Best example off the top of my Head.  NPC got insanely lucky with a Shuriken, PC rolled no hits on defense test, and would have went 1 point into overflow after resist, so I said. "The shrunken is lodged in your head, you take 1 damage, but if you try to take it out without seeking medical attention, you will take the full amount of damage."

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

Depending on the size of the group, a recommended team makeup is going to be something to the effect of:

• Mage
• Hacker
• Driver
• Hitter
• Face

This is roughly in order of least- to most-duplicatable; a street sam, no matter how good, cannot learn to use magic, while a decker/hacker can learn to drive a car or shoot a gun.  Everyone should have a bit of social ability, because you frankly never know when the client or a target is only going to talk to a certain person type.  There should also be some duplication amongst that list, in the nature of 'secondary jobs'; everyone should be able to shoot/fight and pilot a basic vehicle (e.g. a car or motorcycle), type a few commands to get a computer system to work, that sort of thing, but specialization is where the spotlight time is, so in the same vein make sure that X doesn't walk all over Y in Y's area-of-expertise.