"Plan B is usually a troll with a rocket launcher."
When I think of when I first started to want to play Shadowrun, that's the sentence that always comes to mind. From the first time I heard about it's mix of cyberpunk technology and magic I knew this was a world I HAD to explore. A few years down the road and some of my mates convince me to leap into GMing a game for them, and we all rapidly decided on Shadowrun picking up the still relatively new 5th Edition CRB to start us off. I'd like to see it's been a roller-coaster ride of ups and down, but looking back at things now, it looks more like a long, drawn out train wreck.
So now, a few years and a couple of hundred bucks of (often poorly written) PDFs later... I'm walking away from the flaming wreckage that was one of my bucket list games. Maybe things might have gone smoother if I where more experienced as a GM (instead of it being my first game), or if we all weren't new to Shadowrun. But ultimately, Shadowrun 5th Edition was hostile waters from the start. Even when we where struggling to understand just the CRB it started to become clear to me on these forums that we where being punished for not being long-time players of Shadowrun. Crucial information was overlooked, reasons for rules left unclear, all because it was assumed that we already knew how Shadowrun worked.
As time went on more books where released and added to our game, opening up new possibilities and ideas... but also more confusion. Again and again the simple fact that we where still new to Shadowrun worked against us. The rules where hard to understand, but with errata coming out things where's too bad.
And then the errata stopped.
I waited patiently for months as more and more content was released, more opportunities presented, but also more problems.
As more than a dozen months passed with no errata passed I started to worry. But I was still sure that sooner or later things would improve, OK sure tables where messed up and occasional key details overlooked... but it'll be fixed, there's no way it couldn't!
Now with over two years having passed... the message is clear. There's no light at the end of the tunnel. Then in a matter of a couple of months, three strikes.
First was a promise that a Street Grimoire errata would be released... but it never arrived.
Second, a Howling Shadows released with no information needed for players, ESPECIALLY those who started at 5th Edition, to gain their own pets despite a multitude of rules hanging off just exactly that.
Lastly was a second promise of a Street Grimoire just around the corner... but again it never arrived.
I know there has been word from up high that there's no room for errata with the US Con season coming up and them focusing on new releases... the fact is, this is simply an excuse. After more than two years there are ALWAYS "New Releases" that are "More Important" than errata.
I'm not even angry about this.
I'm just disappointed.
Disappointed that my first experience as a GM turned out to be such a mess. Disappointed that a game that had been on my bucket list for years was virtually unplayable. But worst of all, as a game design student, I am deeply disappointed that a company with such an incredible license seems to not care about it at all.
All I can do now is hope that some day, CGL either has a change of management or looses the Shadowrun License to someone who cares about it as deeply as I've seen many of you here care about it. And maybe, just maybe there will be a new edition of Shadowrun that doesn't require 20+ years of Shadowrunn experience to play.
Until then:
Watch you back.
Shoot straight.
Conserve ammo.
and NEVER deal with a Dragon.
