[CanRay]

Runner's Companion is an excellent book, but might add too many confusing rules for someone just entering the game.  I'm not saying "No" to it, I just suggest SR4A and 6WA first for history.

Runner's Toolkit, OTOH, is an excellent resource for new and old players!  And just won an Origins Award!!!

[Mirikon]

Runner's Toolkit is definitely worth the money. Best parts for a new runner are the cheat sheets and Anatomy of a Shadowrun file. Does a side-by-side of playing out a run in fiction, and then showing the hows and whys in game info. Very good product. And the cheat sheets break down everything in a nice, simple 1, 2, 3, 4 format.

Attitude and Vice both give you a lot of solid info on the world at large. Attitude gives you sports/entertainment/etc. Vice focuses on the underworld. And beyond that? Just grab up as many of the books as you have time and money for. Unlike sourcebooks for D&D, these books are actually good reads on their own merit.

[_Pax_]

I've never felt I needed the Toolkit ... but I've got one coming to me now (from amazon.com - they had it for under $30).  That's cheaper than any of the 4E GM screens I could find, by a fair whack.  Add in all the other components, and, well ... yeah.  Definitely worth the price. 

[IKerensky]

Or you could do as I do.

Start with Shadowrun 1st edition and play from there, adding supplements, rules, scenarios and novels in their publishing order...

The good thing is that you are sure to have material for at least 30 years of gaming.

[DireRadiant]

To start on the cheap, you can get the Quick Start Rules, see http://www.shadowrun4.com/ which are downloadable free PDF.

The other item are the Free set of Missions adventures also downloadable, go look under the Missions menu item on the main web site home page. Plenty of material to start playing and having fun.

[DarkLloyd]

I'd just like to thank everyone for their input and information, it is much appreciated. I'll also be sure to pay a visit to those retailers to let them know what's up about those 'splatbooks'
Gentlemen, I am in your debt

Hey could you snap a pick of those books for us? I would, personally, like to see what they are.

[Mara]

Another book that I did not see people mention is: Shadowrun Almanac. Huge section of the timeline and
then the whole section dealing with most of the significant nations in the world. Invaluable for understand
in far more detail then just the history in the SR4A core book, and, in my opinion, a fun read!

[Wakshaani]

Hello, and welcome to the wonderful world of Shadowrun! We're thrilled to have you!

The important part is to pick up the SR4 core rulebook. Once you've done that, technically, you're done!

There are plenty of other books that you can pick up, but none of them are absolute must-haves. The Runner's Toolkit (An Origins Award winner, now) is probably the top item to get, otherwise. Austin has a few gamestores, I'd wager, being something of a college-friendly town, so I'd certainly sniff around and see if there're any local groups. If not, starting one makes you a hero.

(As an aside, always try to shop your local stores first, Amazon and other online retailers second. Books are cheaper online, but locally, you can make a difference for a store owner and, in addition, your regularly asking for books from a line encourages them to stock more. More books stocked indicate a popular item, and if you talk about it some while their, you can get other people stoked as well. Who knows? You could be the one that starts a Shadowrunning regular group there!)

The Expansion Books, with lots of Stuff in them, are:

Arsenal, about guns, swords, guns, chemicals, guns, vehicles, and, oh yeah! Guns.
Augmentation, about new cybertech, bioware, nano-tech, and genetic upgrades.
Street Magic, about magical stuff.
Unwired, about hacking and computer stuff.

Arsenal's the one that EVERYBODY can use, so I personally slot it the highest of the four.

After that, you have a bunch of adventures all written up for you, 'fluff' books that detail the world of Shadowrun, the people to see, the places to go, and the things to do. Attitude's a nice one of the recent crop for that, while Seattle 2072 will walk you through the main setting.

There's gobs more, but, go slow, chew what you eat, and when you're ready for seconds, we'll be here for you.

Stay frosty, chummer!

[Mara]

(As an aside, always try to shop your local stores first, Amazon and other online retailers second. Books are cheaper online, but locally, you can make a difference for a store owner and, in addition, your regularly asking for books from a line encourages them to stock more. More books stocked indicate a popular item, and if you talk about it some while their, you can get other people stoked as well. Who knows? You could be the one that starts a Shadowrunning regular group there!)

This I fully agree with. In fact, this is how I grew a BattleTech group at my local FLGS. Also, asking about something, and getting
them to get some in stock increases visibility, something you always want to try and do.

Now, thinking on it..the books you want really does depend on your needs and experience levels.
I would actually recommend Attitude because the first two chapters are pretty much just general info on Shadowrunning.
Seattle 2072 is good because it is a setting book, and the Signature setting, really: the one that most veteran players
think of when we hear "Shadowrun." Sure, other cities have had their time in the sun, but for many of us, Seattle always
feels like "home."
Runner's Toolkit is good because it has the basics for a first time GM with the GM Screen, a canned adventure, and the
quick reference cards for, pretty much, the most common stuff you are going to be doing. Those, BTW, actually helped one
of my players make sense of some of the rules that always confused him.(Mostly Magic stuff)

Of course, I always recommend Augmentation, Arsenal, Street Magic, and Unwired.
Runner's Companion is a tricky book. On one hand, I recommend it for the qualities in it, many of which fill in blanks that
were missing, and the Metavariants. On the other hand, due to the number of qualities and advanced options it gives,
it is definitely not a book for a pure beginner. It is sort of like you saying you just got your driver's license, and someone
handed you a Ferrari....