[Pawn1996]

I was part of a Shadowrun group back in 1990-1996.  We’ve decided to get back together this May to do a run, and everyone is really excited.  Then I looked up the books online and the assortment has grown, and the descriptions are not that good.  Here’s my question; if we need to get two or three of the supplemental books (obviously we’re each getting 6th edition main book) which ones would be best? Looks like the group is leaning towards decking and street sams. Any advice?

[wraith]

If you're going to buy two or three supplemental books....


Don't buy 6e.  It is not anywhere near ready for prime time, and no further books for it are in publication.  For the same price as a couple copies you could buy all of SR20a or most of SR5e, and have a functional tabletop game.

When the  6e core is already running $25 in places, you know there are reasons.

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

6th edition is brand new and doesn't have any expansions beyond the core rulebook yet.  Although the first one, focusing on expanded combat rules, is due out in the next month or two.

[Michael Chandra]

SR6 also has errata coming in this month, and part of the backlash against it is simply because it changed up a bunch of mechanics significantly. There's also some places where they made a mistake converting from SR5 to SR6, but those you can ask us about and get simple quick solutions (assuming the errata don't rebalance those spots).

Honestly, if the entire group is new: Get SR6 Core, and once Firing Squad (the combat book) is out, get that. The whole 'books come out over time' will be perfect to get back into things for y'all. Since you're coming back from an entirely-different Matrix, having just one base book for the Deckers for now sounds like a really good idea.

If you want to know 'what's what', there's the Anarchist Streetpedia as option (on top of, of course, the Shadowrun wiki), basically an encyclopedia with a lot of in-character responses in it covering a lot of things. Cutting Black is almost out and is basically 'holy crap these big things are going down', the book is chaotic apparently but it completely changes up the UCAS.

[mcv]

SR6 also has errata coming in this month, and part of the backlash against it is simply because it changed up a bunch of mechanics significantly.

The backlash is not just because some rules changed. First and foremost is the editing. Second is that some of the rule changes don't seem to make a lot of sense to some people. It's also a matter of taste, I guess.

I think there are basically 3 options here:

• Get 6th edition and grow with the system. There's not a lot of stuff for it yet, but that will grow. You will be up to date with whatever is currently going on.
• Stick to what your group used back in 1990-1996. If you still have the books and still remember how everything works.
• Get either 5th edition of 4th (20th anniversary) edition. They're pretty much complete. A lot of people like 5th more, but editing is poor. The 20th anniversary edition is seen as the best-edited version of Shadowrun ever, and the 2072-2074 period is probably the richest period in all of Shadowrun in-game history.

Whichever option you choose, no edition is going to be perfect, and every edition can be made to work.