[amerginsrd]

I have always loved the Shadowrun setting but find the rules too complex and distracting. Has anyone out there adapted it to another rules system?

[Mirikon]

I've seen it played in Hero System. The rules aren't any less complex, and the matrix rules didn't translate very well.

Honestly, though, the rules in SR4 are worlds easier to get a handle on than the older rules.

[ArkangelWinter]

I tried using Eclipse Phase; equally complex in different ways, and then Magic didnt translate well.

[JustADude]

I have always loved the Shadowrun setting but find the rules too complex and distracting. Has anyone out there adapted it to another rules system?

The FATE-based Dresden Files RPG system, maybe? Just gotta rearrange the "fluff" a little.

[TheNarrator]

I have always loved the Shadowrun setting but find the rules too complex and distracting. Has anyone out there adapted it to another rules system?

The FATE-based Dresden Files RPG system, maybe? Just gotta rearrange the "fluff" a little.

I was going to say that same thing. It's an urban fantasy system, so it's got magic and guns and superpowers and monsters all built in. And very, very rules light. It's all about the description. So whether you say that you're an adept who says that his Inhuman Speed power is due to magic or a street sam who says his Inhuman Speed power is due to Wired Reflexes cyberware, it's all the same.


Although the SR4 rules work really well, in my opinion, and I've seen them used for modern urban fantasy campaigns, since it balanced guns and magic much better than old WoD. But if you want a much simpler and streamlined and story-driven urban fantasy game, grab the Dresden Files RPG.


EDIT: One advantage that Dresden Files RPG definitely has over SR4 is that an unaugmented mundane in DF is much more able to actually be, y'know, useful in a fight. They can have a whole lot of mortal stunts to be awesome with.

[PeterSmith]

I have always loved the Shadowrun setting but find the rules too complex and distracting. Has anyone out there adapted it to another rules system?

Before answering, I have a question for you:

What systems do your gaming group enjoy playing?

[ravensmuse]

There's a few out there. I'd link to them, but I'm on my phone at the  omens and don't have access to my links Google should pull them up quickly enough.

We'll eliminate the obvious ones quick - there's a group / persoj working on revamping and revising 3rd edition and bringing in 4th edition material.

There's also d20 variants, or hacks of d20 Modern.

There's a FATE conversion, a Mouseguard hack, an Apocalypse World / Dungeon World (can't remember which) hack, and a great Old School / Red Box Hack: http://www.networkpipeline.com/_sgi/Shadowhack.pdf

Like I said, do some googling and I'm sure you can find the rest.

[Daddy Warpig]

I'm pretty sure there's a "Savage Worlds" conversion. There's a "Savage Worlds" conversion for everything.

[amerginsrd]

Before answering, I have a question for you:

What systems do your gaming group enjoy playing?

Well we've played just about everything over the years, I suppose some version of D&D 3.5 is most common. I haven't had any experience with the Dresdan Files, I will have to look into that.

The last few weeks we have been using a Heroic Roleplaying(Margaret Weis) hack which I created and it has been working pretty well though we haven't had a serious decking attempt made yet. Has anyone else used that system?

[PeterSmith]

Given the wide range of games you've played, I'm surprised you found SR4A to be "...too complex and distracting." I found it to be a rather clean system to play, the only real issues I had with it were learning curve issues.

For suggestions, I've got nothing.

[_Pax_]

I have to echo Peter Smith.  If you've "played just about everything", then you should know that the clear bulk of SR4 is pretty solidly in the middle to lower-middle of the pack, where complexity is concerned.

[TheNarrator]

Yeah, I wouldn't think that SR4 would be any more complex than D&D3.5 was. It's different, and you'll have to unlearn some D&D habits and learn some new ones, but that would be true if you started any non-D20 system.

[Black]

Not sure playing Shadowrun in another system would work that well.  The rule system is integral to the setting, and using a different game system would be either challenging,  and require a fair bit of work, and you would risk losing a lot of the core feel of the setting which the rules support;  or you could choose a really simple setting and 'wing' the more detailed aspects.

If you went with a simplier system, maybe New WOD stuff, and just make matrix stuff ect up on the fly?

Honestly, it feels like it would be a lot of work.

[Mirikon]

Yes, the biggest problem with doing Shadowrun in any other system would be Matrix rules. That said, I think Hero System or Mutants and Masterminds would do the best job of it. Both point buy systems, both extremely flexible. If you grab the Star Hero rules for Hero System, you already have some advanced computer rules that give you a springboard to adapt from. But in general, magic, ware, and races are easy to recast in any point-buy system, or even D20. The Matrix is hard to do, since there isn't anything quite like it elsewhere. Heck, give me a couple hours, and I could recast Iceblade from SR to Hero System without much problem. Hero even has Contacts, so that's another leg up. But it would NOT be simple translating the matrix over. Riggers would also be problematic. Probably only have one or two drones, though they would be more powerful than the fleets you can see in shadowrun.

[Black]

Heroes did have a cyberpunk campaign book with... hmm.. fourth edition, which had cyberware and matrix rules.  At the time I felt the matrix rules where easy then the Shadowrun rules, but this was awhile ago...

I still felt the shadowrun combat system, etc was better the Hero overall, but there were some definent plusses.