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Information Shadowrun Returns Via Kickstarter

Crooked Bee

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Tags: Harebrained Schemes; Jordan Weisman; Shadowrun Returns

Even more dead walk the Earth again as Jordan Weisman kick-starts a new turn-based Shadowrun RPG for PC and mobile devices, entitled Shadowrun Returns. All hail crowdfunding!

Shoot Straight. Conserve Ammo. And Never Cut a Deal With A Dragon.

Jordan Weisman, the creator of Shadowrun, is back and Shadowrun Returns (for Apple & Android tablets and PCs) is the game that Shadowrun fans have been waiting for a long time. A graphically rich 2D turn-based single player game with deep story interaction, meaningful character development, and highly-contextual tactical combat, Shadowrun Returns is not only going to make some old geeks (like us) very happy but it will introduce new players to a dynamic gaming universe that is beloved around the world.

Here are a couple of key ideas at the core of Shadowrun Returns.

Deep, Interactive Stories
We intend to follow a braided anthology structure for our story. Jordan, his partner Mitch Gitelman and Mike Mulvihill, who led Shadowrun game development at FASA Corp. will craft and structure the meta-story, then supply key information for a group of writers to weave into their own short stories, which we'll then use as the basis for our missions. To ensure an authentic tone, we'll incorporate the storytelling skills of many Shadowrun authors and designers who've been carrying the flame over the last 23 years such as:
  • Michael A. Stackpole
  • Mike Mulvihill
  • Tom Dowd
  • Malik Toms
  • Mel Odom
  • Jason Hardy
  • Stephen Kenson
The result should be an overall narrative that is layered, textured, and satisfying.

One of the many innovations in Data East’s Shadowrun Super Nintendo game was a unique conversation engine that opened up new avenues of conversation based upon information you learned through interactions with characters and objects. We intend on taking a similar path with a new twist or two.

Contextual Gameplay in Four Realities
Four realities overlap in the world of Shadowrun (the Physical, the Digital, the Mystic, and the Astral) and associated character classes such as the Street Samurai, Hacker, Combat Mage, and Shaman, each have the ability to view and interact with the world in ways the others can’t.

Here are some ways that selecting each character class allows you to see the map from a different perspective:
  • Street Samurai see a threat assessment overlay of the environment that notes enemy appraisals, options for cover, potential weapons, and statistics for drawn weapons.
  • Combat Mages see magical auras, granting them the ability to locate magical items, identify spells being prepared, and find the intersections of magic lay lines where they can recharge their power.
  • Hackers/Deckers see the digital control circuitry that allows them to manipulate the physical world via the digital one.
  • Shaman see the “true world” that lies in the astral plane, distinguishing the true nature of people, plants, creatures, and magical objects while buildings and other “dead” objects appear as mere shadows.
Missions (aka "Runs") in Shadowrun Returns can require interaction with all four realities simultaneously, requiring you to use information learned from each character’s perspective to coordinate their context-sensitive actions to get the job done. . . and survive.

That’s why we decided to make Shadowrun Returns a turn-based game—so we can offer you a wide range of context-based gameplay options from which to craft a your plan.

The Streets Tell a Million Stories
One of the things that we feel most strongly about is that the world of Shadowrun was created for all of us to tell stories within. That’s one of the beautiful things about in-person tabletop role-playing—the stories are extremely relevant to you and your friends because they were made by you and your friends.

In honor of that tradition, we plan to release our PC-based level editor when we release Shadowrun Returns so that everyone can create their own Shadowrun stories & “runs”. When you upload your stories, you can make them available to your Friends Only or the entire Shadowrun community.​

Aaaah can't they space these things out a bit. I'm running out of gold! Sounds cool, though.

Be sure to visit the Kickstarter page, study the reward tiers and donate if you want. I know I already have.
 

Havoc

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For me it's bad and good. Bad - I don't have any monies even for W2. Good - I don't have any monies even for W2, so I will not make favourites nor give all of it to one person. :( Still bad.
 

Zed

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Do you have some sort of spy network, Bee? I was just gonna post this!

I haven't had much experience with Shadowrun. Actually... None at all besides the SNES (EDIT: whops, I didn't even own a SNES. I meant mega drive) game.
Game + Editor for 15 doolars sound nice. I will probably pledge, but not at this time.
 
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Strap Yourselves In Codex+ Now Streaming!
Looks cool, but I really think that massing all those kickstarter projects at the same time will make it hard to reach the funding goal of these projects.
They gotta realize that a lot of those games appeal to the same people, and there's only so much of our monthly income most of us can churn out on kickstarter donations.
 

circ

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This is getting retarded. But oh well, atleast some folks are getting all the classic crap they want. Personally I always thought sticking elves and orcs in with cyberpunk was just fucked up. Or maybe it's the really shitty adaptations so far.
 

Zed

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Hold on, wait a minute, what.

We build our games with Moai, if you're a developer you should consider doing so as well, check out Moai at the link below.
http://getmoai.com/
I don't know... I was thinking it would be like

LP1_morgue1.png
LP1_office1.png


But now I'm expecting something like this
http://getmoai.com/made-with-moai.html
 

Crooked Bee

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If it has complex enough character development rules and quest design and stuff, I'm gonna play the shit out of it even it is going to look like Shadowrun: My Little Pony edition.

But I doubt it will. The engine probably supports a variety of art styles.

(As for the spy network, it's called Twitter. :P)
 

Damned Registrations

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Only played the genesis Shadowrun. I'm sort of leery about games being also released on phones too. I mean, I guess there's no flat reason they can't be good games, but I can't help but assume they're going to pander to certain kinds of people when they choose to enter that market. Not to mention interface compromises.
 

Bruma Hobo

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This year is getting better and better, it's the end of the world as we know it and i feel awesome.
 

Black

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Didn't really play Shadowrun, only read a couple of short stories set in the world. But
2D turn-based single player game with deep story interaction, meaningful character development, and highly-contextual tactical combat
is promising and I'd play the fuck out of anything like that, Shadowrun or not.
 

Aeschylus

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I'd complain about all these great Kickstarters bankrupting me, but with something this awesome I just don't care. :: throws money at them :: :salute:
 

evdk

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I only played 2nd edition table top. But dear Jesus, people are trying to ruin me lately - all these Kickstarter projects, the bloody Kodex statue, AoD preorder, Legend of Grimrock - I'll have to dumpster dive for dinner before the month is over.
 

almondblight

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Yeah, I actually quite like the graphics for that Crimson Steam Pirates game, and think they'd fit pretty well with an RPG. This alleviates some of my initial concerns - they already have a team that have released games, and the graphic style seems to fit well enough. Has anyone played their game? It looks like it's gotten good reviews on the App Store, and it says it's turn-based.

This project seems like it has a lot of potential, but what's with announcing a Kickstarter without building up support beforehand? And with only 24 days? Ah well, they seem to be doing decently so far, and I'll donate when I get the chance.
 

Aeschylus

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This did sort of appear from nowhere, but it has very strong support so far. Guess there are a lot of lovelorn Shadowrun fans out there. Oh, and the pitch video is very much worth watching if you haven't already. Quite well done.
 

Havoc

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Oh, and the pitch video is very much worth watching if you haven't already. Quite well done.
About the video:
Bootstrapper Studios in Seattle helped us craft this Kickstarter project video. As such, we'd like to note that the Bootsrtapper folks there are not just purveyors of fine handcrafted videos.They're more like grizzled sherpas – you know the ones – kind, frank, opinionated – with Selleck mustachios and sunburned skin.
Yeah, they're versed in all the whiz-bang whatcha-ma-whose-its, but more importantly – they know how to push, pull, and prod your story into something simple and compelling – so you don't end up dead on the side of a mountain. Go ahead and get in touch with them – whether it's video promos/shorts, HD event recording + streaming, or the next killer app/device/software demo.
They'll make sure you come back alive with a kick-ass story to tell.
 
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Fuck your timing. Seriously. FUCK. YOUR. TIMING. If only these dumb motherfuckers spaced out their kickstarters, people might donate more than they will now. FFS.

Only played the genesis Shadowrun. I'm sort of leery about games being also released on phones too. I mean, I guess there's no flat reason they can't be good games, but I can't help but assume they're going to pander to certain kinds of people when they choose to enter that market. Not to mention interface compromises.

There is no "certain kinds of people" to pander to when you're making a turn-based game. Even on iOS/Android, sweeping majority of games are RT shit games. It's already telling something when you're making it TB.
 

Jaesun

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Shadowrun is my FUCKING FAVORITE SETTING OF ALL TEIM!!!!111 I already am backing this. Turn based, 2D AND Level editor? FUCK YES. 2012 the year of motherfucking INCLINE.
 
Repressed Homosexual
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I backed it earlier this morning, but I hope the graphics won't look like the Flash garbage I see above. This would render the level editor completely worthless.

When will they learn that we don't want to stare at odious cartoonish stuff for hours on end?
 

MightyHoax

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$265 for WL and now $115 for this... And I thought I was going to save up some money for my vacation..my bad..:M

I really don´t know what makes these kickstarters so compelling.. I sure as hell wouldn´t pay anything near these amounts if it were "normal" releases--or collector´s editions for that matter.
 

nihil

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Shadowrun is my FUCKING FAVORITE SETTING OF ALL TEIM!!!!111 I already am backing this. Turn based, 2D AND Level editor? FUCK YES. 2012 the year of motherfucking INCLINE.

That's the truth right there.

I backed it earlier this morning, but I hope the graphics won't look like the Flash garbage I see above. This would render the level editor completely worthless.

When will they learn that we don't want to stare at odious cartoonish stuff for hours on end?

The description states its a "graphically rich 2D turn-based single player game", so I don't think it'll look like that crap.
 

commie

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I've never played Shadowrun. Which is the best version to have a go at? I saw some screenshots of some animu faggot shit but that can't be right can it? Why would everyone get barred up over some JRPG?
 

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