COVER
Not impressed by the cover. The general motif of SR books up to
this time was to present an "in-game" view of the world.
Marc Sasso, while very talented, seems to break that trend. I
don't remember their being fanged robots in SR up to this point,
maybe I'm wrong.
The quality is high but it did not really "fit" the Shadowrun world. There have been other comments to the effect that it is "cartoony".
ART
What I Liked
After listening in on the Deep Resonance Forum I was expecting
little to no art at all in the book. I must say I was very pleasantly
surprised to find there was a wide selection of very good art
in the book! I'm a big fan of Prescotts drawings but as exemplified
on p.9 the guy has some..."issues" with putting designs
and patterns on women's breasts. :) I think the guy needs some
help here :)
What I Did Not Like
The only pieces of art in the entire book I can honestly say I
did not like were the CGI company logos scattered throughout the
book. They were out of place and garish. Line drawings of the
logos might have served better in my opinion.
INTRODUCTION
Essence Loss
I've been told you did not receive any feedback on the book yet
(!) so I'm not sure what you have heard about peoples responses
to the 'answer' to the Essence Loss question.
While personally I don't see the new official answer as being any different from the one originally presented in Shadowrun 1st Edition, it does present a few "what?" responses in relation to certain gear. Specifically bone lacing and other cybergadgets that do not require neural connections of any kind.
A more holistic explanation may have been better served, Essence is an obvious game-balance mechanic and just giving it one cut and dried answer won't work. None of the gear was balanced with the new answer in mind so some things just won't fit into the new mold.
It's a good explanation, but it won't cover everything.
Comments on Previous Books
I was originally a little put off by what I saw as a blasting
of Cybertechnology and Shadowtech. I took it personally in a strange
sort of way since I consider Shadowtech to be the BEST book in
the Shadowrun line and perhaps the best supplement ever put out
for a sci-fi game.
This initial ill-feeling can be traced to your comments that Cybertechnology made tech into magic and that magic became "genetic mumbo jumbo" in Shadowtech.
From discussions with Sebastian Wiers (nice guy BTW) I realize this was not intended to be a putdown on the quality of those books, but it sounded like it to my untrained eye.
Essence
Well, it was nice to have the Essence costs for gear reduced and
such. But I hope we don't see more "technology escalation"
in the future. I hate to mention Palladium Books Rifts because
I hate that game with a passion, but I sincerely hope you are
not following the trends of Palladium (and Games Workshop) in
creating a race for the best toys in the new books so people will
buy them.
It might sell books (as Rifts is evidence of) but sooner or later it gets so over the top people move on (I have to wonder how many ex-Rifters are 'graduating' to Shadowrun).
This is a personal gripe I must note, but I've seen many games ruined by munchkin book after munchkin book (Rifts, all the Games Workshop games).
CYBERTECHNOLOGY
Cyberware Defined
Only 2 1/2 pages of fluff? <sniff> It's enough to make me
cry myself to sleep at night clutching my Shadowbeat and Shadowtech
books!! I was hoping for so much more gearhead talk I could sink
my teeth into.
It's direct, to the point, and lays the basics down though. And since this is marketed at newer players that is important. So while I don't like it I see why it was done.
I can only hope a future SOTA book will break cyberware down for us gearheads. I doubt that will happen, but there are people like me who really do want to know what kind of myomers a cyberlimb uses (an advanced nitinol composite or the new organic muscle replacement fibers being developed, etc).
Power Sources
I had a major beef with this particular section. I've asked other
people in the medical field about this issue and they say it would
not work as presented in the Man and Machine book. I'm sure a
lot of real life science was handwaved away but this is so obvious
I even made a joke piece of cyberware called the Bodypower
Implant to exploit this semi-magical effect (hey, if you can
power multiple cyberlimbs, external weapon mounts, cyberdecks,
signal boosters and cranial computers you can sure power your
car or trideo unit!). If you're interested in seeing this little
joke it's available on my homepage under Shadowrun:House Rules
(link at bottom of page). My best guess is a human produces Essence
x 20PF/hr in Shadowrun :)
What would I have suggested? Well I would have handwaved this issue off by saying they use long life high density storage cells that are replaced at every cyberware maintenance cycle (i.e. yearly going by information later in the book).
This would have pleased everyone, including me. Though it still might have led to cries of "How many PFs are in these cells? Can I plug them into my Scooter?" :)
Formatting
I did not like the run-on sections at all. But I understand you
were trying to cram everything into as small an book as possible.
This has been hashed out on the Deep Resonance Forums several
times. I still don't like it, but I understand the pressures that
led to it.
Cyberware Descriptions
Overall I'm quite impressed with the content of this section.
In particular the Router was a stroke of genius! This has already
led to some VERY interesting possibilities (remote skillsoft servers
for one).
In a separate email I will ask some questions about datajacks and routers as well as some other complications.
Digigrade Legs, Cybertails and Horns Oh My!
These left me a bit bewildered. Was I reading a Cyberpunk 2020
book? Shadowrun has never struck me as being a cyber-happy setting
(as evidenced by the Social modifiers, high cost, low availability
and legality). The Kid Stealth legs, horns and Cybertail seem
to show a cybernetics industry that is robust enough to produce
even inhuman equipment.
As we discussed on the list, where is the market for this gear? The costs and legalities price it out of reach to anyone but the paramilitary market and the market in that area would be nil due to the social implications.
As a "hey, this is cool" description I can understand it. But it does not fit into Shadowrun (even less then the eye guns). I'm assuming it was do to some sort of popular demand that they were added, or to showcase the state of the technology/
Peg Legs
Ok now, these were pretty zany even in Cyberpirates. I had hoped
you would have let them die the death they deserve :)
Overview of the Cyberware Section
For a book that was subtitled "Cyberware" the slim size
of this section was puzzling. Very important information on datajacks
was somewhat hard to find and no explanation for the lack of multiple-rating
datajacks was given (except as a brief note in I/O Speed (Optional
Rule). Not earth-shattering, but annoying.
CYBERMANCY
Personally I think cybermancy should have REMAINED an unexplored
mystery that died a quiet death between 2057 and 2061. It is a
level of power that players simply should not be allowed to attain.
It is a useful story tool and has interesting implications (I've written some theories on why they cause astral hazing etc) but I think it would have been better served in a future Threats book.
Put in other terms; cybermancy=munch for a lot of people.
Overview of the Cybermancy Section
I don't like cybermancy much so I won't comment any more one it
(LOVE the picture on p.51 though).
BIOTECHNOLOGY
Bioware Defined
I'm an admitted gearhead and lover of Shadowtech so the (maybe)
one page background fluff for this area left me feeling cold.
It was descriptive as far as it went, but I would still recommend
Shadowtech (assuming they can find it) to those why want to know
WHY this stuff works, not just the rules for HOW.
I had some quibbles with the Chemical Gland but that's in the separate comments email.
Descriptions
I really liked the "staged" descriptions of stress effects.
I wish something like this had been applied to the cybertechnology
section. But maybe that's asking too much :)
Cosmetic Bioware
Yay! Finally some "real world" applications. It sometimes
seems SR falls into the mindset that everyone is a paramilitary,
since that's the only logical market for most of the bioware and
cyberware. The cyberware section really needed a section like
this.
Overview of the Biotechnology Section
I would have killed for more fluff. Still, rules-wise it's superior
to Shadowtech.
Bioware Drawbacks
Did anyone notice that some of the drawbacks effectively negate
the some of the low-level bioware? In particular the Lesser Immunity
rule negates half the advantage of a nephritic screen (+1 BOD,
-1 pathogen Power) since the lesser immunity gives any toxin +1
Power.
The other major issue is that you cannot take Geasa for "virtual" Magic Rating loss. This is something of a major issue since some can argue that cyberware is actually BETTER in many cases since you can take Geasa for that.
Bioware Compatibility
Finally! This was the best section in Biotechnology and long overdue.
I heard that originally the penalties were much graver for compatibility.
I'm glad this is not the case since otherwise it might have made
bioware useless.
NANOTECHNOLOGY
I've read a response to my original review by the author Ms. Holmes
so some of my original complaints are no longer valid.
My primary difficulties with nanotech is that since the current technology is barely past the virtual stone age of development one cannot make extrapolations and logical guesses like we can with biotechnology, genetics and cybernetics. It all boils down to a possibility. And that strikes me as being too hazy and undefined to really work properly.
I've complained that if Cybertechnology made tech magic then Man and Machine is like Initiating :)
What It Can't Do
Here we have the ever annoying rewriting of history. Here we learn
that the bumblebee drones in RAS don't REALLY boil your blood
like it says. According to this section that is impossible.
From what I've been told that was due to people inside the SCIRE fabricating the effects. That's fine and dandy but people playing the Shutdown don't know that and are playing as if the Bumblebee CAN boil your blood. That's very annoying, especially since no doubt in Brainscan this information will come out and rewrite what everyone thought was fact.
At least this was somewhat addressed in the description for the 'Cutters'. Still no explanation for ow their "serum" works though.
Nanite Hunters
I have some questions on Nanite Hunters and how they interact
in the other email.
Nanotech and its Uses
I don't think this was needed at all. Not enough information is
given to flesh out what you can (and more importantly cannot)
do with the technology. Especially annoying is that nanofacility
costs are given. Why? It makes no sense since it's noted players
should have only very limited access to this technology.
Overview of the Nanotechnology Section
I would have rather had nanotech be a background technology, this
section will no doubt not be used much and still has too many
loose ends and ways to exploit it. It might have been better served
in a SOTA book (with more fleshed out material).
CHEMISTRY
Starts off with the basics. This is one section that would not
be served very well by technical discussion.
Fuel-Air Explosives
As a big fan of FAEs I have to pipe up and say that the rules
are incorrect. I hope the corrections are made in the Cannon book.
1)Unless your armor is SEALED do not reduce the Power of the
attack, in fact if wearing hard, unsealed armor you will take
MORE damage from the concussion wave rebounding between you and
the armor.
2) No, the bomb does not have to be large, thermobaric warheads
are used in handheld RPG style units.
3)Yes the concussive wave will still rebound in buildings, I'd
keep using the Blast in a Confined Space rules.
Backing information can be found on my homepage under "Military".
Misspelling
Why did noone catch that Chemistry was misspelled on *every single*
header from page102-123? I'm sure that was embarrassing!
Drugs
Yes I know you have to be careful in this area. But drugs are
a big part of the cyberpunk genre. The incredibly dangerous (downright
lethal!) drugs and rules in M&M are a step up from the "If
you smoke cigarettes you will die in 3 months" rules of Shadowtech
but when reading them I can hear Mr. Mackey from South Park going
"Drugs are bad m'kay?"
Overview of the Chemistry Section
Useful but I was annoyed by the blatant FAE inaccuracies (hey,
it's my favorite weapon apart from nukes).
DAMAGE AND HEALING
I was fearing this section but I ended up liking it more then
any other section of the book apart from the new surgery rules.
Bioware Stress
Noone I've talked to really likes the permanent Stress Point deal
for damaged bioware. We can understand for "used" bioware
but it seems incredulous you can't fix that 1 point (and that's
one point on the way to killing you) cannot be removed even with
surgery.
We just ignore it. As will others.
Wound Effects
Holy smokes. While nifty this is WAY too complex. As in WAY. We're
not playing Rigger 2 here :) A simplified system would have been
a LOT more welcome with the advanced version being an optional
rule. This is just too much work for little gain.
Consciousness
I had never thought about it before, but this section was very
nice. No gigantic spread of rules either (HINT).
Scars
I liked this a lot, cleaned up a bit from what I remember in Cybertechnology
Overview of the Damage and Healing Section
VERY nice read but the mechanics are overly complex. I want to
role-play, not roll-play. It's not as bad as Rigger2 but still
pretty bad.
SURGERY
The author of this section was VERY helpful and I hope he gets
the chance to write on similar subjects in the future. <PLUG>
Perhaps the only gripe I have is that it is not...I don't know..."street level" enough. Maybe that sort of thing will be in a future underworld sourcebook. But since most shadowrunners will only be dealing with ripperdocs I think some more space to those underground doctors would have been nice.
Overview of the Surgery Section
This section by itself justified the purchase of the book. Kudos.
OVERALL
Would I recommend it to another Shadowrun player? Yes.
Is it better then Shadowtech? No.
Is it better then Cybertechnology? Yes.