History TAbletopGame / Shadowrun

** A ZigZagged example are cyberzombies, who are again very much alive. Their main problem is that they're artificially kept alive long past the point of [[CyberneticsEatYourSoul when the soul should have left the body]]. That and the side effects qualify as a former of Body horror on its own.

*** Come 5e and the pendulum swings the other way; an infected-supremacist political terrorist group, Fear the Dark, has begun launching attacks all over the world, the virus has mutated to make infected hungrier, more prone to mutation and going feral, the dark side of Asamando is becoming more public knowledge[[note]]Importing the dead from other countries wasn't enough to feed their booming population, so they also began importing condemned criminals & slaves to keep as their own chatteled slave population, breeding their own feedstock. When the slave prisons were discovered by U.N. inspectors, the slaves rioted (called the "Food Riots"), and the riots were quelled by the prison staff releasing the contained feral population that had been grossly under reported, killing the inspectors and costing Asamando its chance for U.N. recognition & torpedoing its public image.[[/note]], and a new wave of anti-infected legislation & corporate policies are sweeping the world, with public opinion changing back towards "monster". Infected remain playable options, but "nuke Asamando" is becoming a more mainstream opinion.

** Ghouls have established their own nation of Asamando in West Africa, which feeds itself by porting in the dead from combat zones in neighboring nations. Some see it as a horror show made real, others see it as a step towards progress for ghouls. That said, Asamando is actually fairly well-developed for its part of the world and quite accepting of other awakened metasapients. Relatedly the rise of the Shedim were quite good for them as dead bodies were given to them to ensure that they don't get possessed.
*** Come 5e & the pendulum swings the other way; an infected-supremacist political terrorist group, Fear the Dark, has begun launching attacks all over the world, the virus has mutated to make infected hungrier, more prone to mutation & going feral, the dark side of Asamando is becoming more public knowledge[[note]]Importing the dead from other countries wasn't enough to feed their booming population, so they also began importing condemned criminals & slaves to keep as their own chatteled slave population, breeding their own feedstock. When the slave prisons were discovered by U.N. inspectors, the slaves rioted(called the "Food Riots"), and the riots were quelled by the prison staff releasing the contained feral population that had been grossly under reported, killing the inspectors & costing Asamando its chance for U.N. recognition & torpedoing its public image.[[/note]], and a new wave of anti-infected legislation & corporate policies are sweeping the world, with public opinion changing back towards "monster". Infected remain playable options, but "nuke Asamando" is becoming a more mainstream opinion.

He has been statted-out in ''Street Legends Supplemental'' (that's the second ''Street Legends'' book, BTW), though his list of Knowledge skills is stated as being only partial and for his spells, it simply says that he has any spell available to him when needed. The rest of it (which is too long to go into detail here) certainly borders on game-breaking. Curiously, there's a bit of FridgeBrilliance with statting him now. Right above the statblock, in a long post by Jackpoint user Frosty (who seems to have been Harlequin's apprentice) states that the ritual at the end of the above-mentioned story-arc "took a ''lot'' out of him." So there's no lack of continuity -- before the ritual, he was completely invincible, after, he was weakened to the point where a very dedicated team could bring him down -- though with how many spells he has permanently sustained on himself at all times and how many he has quickened, any team trying to kill him is going to be in for one hell of a fight.\\
All that power is justified. Harlequin is an [[spoiler:immortal elf who lived through the Scourge that occurred in Earthdawn's backstory. He's as old as some ''dragons'', and is the sole survivor of the Knights of the Crying Spire]]. Dunkelzahn considers Harlequin his knight for a damn good reason.

* BasiliskAndCockatrice: Basilisks are black-and-yellow Awakened Komodo dragons with petrifying gazes, and are extremely popular as guard animals. Cockatrices are long-legged, three-meter-long Awakened chickens a paralyzing bite.

* BadBoss: Saeder-Krupp's CEO Lofwyr (''the'' great dragon of the setting after Dunkelzahn) is notoriously thin-skinned about being OutGambitted (which is difficult but possible) or [[YouHaveFailedMe failure in his organization]] (and a longstanding, more than likely true but unverified rumor that [[IAmAHumanitarian he eats those who displease him]]), and micro-manages practically every aspect of his company from the bottom up. These tendencies are so well-known that only very stupid, very daring or very desperate runners accept jobs that involve Saeder-Krupp in any way.

** When Butch realizes that the former Renraku Arcology probably has a great form corporate spirit sleeping there, both she and 2XL promptly freak out.

* DanBrowned
** In-universe: the portrayal of magicians and adepts in popular media leaves the genuine practitioners either laughing or groaning. Several of the [=JackPoint=] posters say that this causes people to get angry at magic users when they can't do what they think they do.
** Literally in the case of the novel ''Black Madonna'', which, like Dan Brown's ''Literature/TheDaVinciCode'', is based on ''Holy Blood, Holy Grail''.
** Also present and more dangerous for technomancers -- things that portray them as being able to disable all electronics in a several-block radius with little more than a thought do ''not'' help with the perception that they're dangerous, unnatural beings that need to be either controlled or exterminated.

** A mechanic for creating a changeling; you must choose (either randomly or specifically) up to 30 karma worth of disadvantagous qualities to offset up to 30 karma worth of negative ones (e.g. if you want a changeling with a usable tail, you have to offset the 6 karma with something like critter spook).

** Later editions add in more of a spectrum of artifical with things like vat grown or cloned beef or grass fed.

** This is also implied to be why nuclear fission reactors have a marked tendency to melt down since the Awakening, although the resulting meltdowns only harm the environment further. The alternative explanation is [[FridgeHorror even worse]], namely that it was done by Horror influnce.

** The circumstances leading to the Second Crash. To begin with, you have [[MegaCorp Novatech]], the largest privately owned company in the world, gearing up for an IPO to solve their cash flow problems. In order to accommodate the massive amount of trading that's expected, the East Coast Stock Exchange upgrades their servers. Meanwhile, [[AIIsACrapshoot Deus]], having been disassembled and stored in the heads of his cult members since fleeing the Renraku Archology, decides to take over the [=ECSE=] and use its facilities to compile and upgrade its code, giving it almost complete control over the Matrix. Meanwhile ''again'', [[AnimalWrongsGroup Winternight]], a Scandanavian Luddite apocalypse cult, has obtained a number of nuclear warheads and has modified them to produce massive [=EMPs=]; with the help of a rogue member of Deus's Otaku cult, they have identified two dozen of the world's Matrix nodes. Disabling over half of these would bring down the Matrix permanently and send the world back to the dark ages. The same rogue Otaku also helps assemble a virus to be implanted directly in the [=ECSE=] servers to do the most damage. On the appointed day, Deus invades the [=ECSE=], takes over, spreads itself worldwide, takes over dozens of other servers and forces them all to work at upgrading his code. At the same time, Megaera, another [=AI=] who had been battling in Deus's "subconscious", breaks free and attacks him. Meanwhile ''yet again'', Mirage, the original [=AI=] who had served as Deus and Maegera's source code, breaks into the [=ECSE=] servers to eliminate Deus. While they are battling, Winternight's Jormungand virus and a significant number of their [=EMP=] devices trigger. Between the devices destroying vital Matrix nodes, the nigh-unstoppable virus, the damage caused by three battling [=AIs=], the damage done to the [=ECSE=] servers and dozens of others by Deus, and a Dissonance Pool created by the rogue Otaku to amplify everything else's effects, half in hopes of destroying Deus and half out of spite, the entire Matrix collapses. If you didn't get all that, you're not to blame. For the Shadowrun movers and shakers, [[ButForMeItWasTuesday this was par for the course]], the only difference being the collateral damage.

** Partially played straight in that a single gunshot is never enough to kill anyone, unless you draw out a sniper rifle and a 10+ dice pool: Depending on calibre guns deal about 7-12 damage per shot and most people have at least 10 health levels before armour is accounted for. Apart from that hiccup the trope is averted: An optimised melee sammy or adept with a katana or an axe will out-damage a gun user on a per-attack basis, but melee weapons can't burst-fire. It takes a specialised build to make melee anywhere near as viable as gunnery, and melee focused character usually have to watch out for incoming gunfire even if they're more damaging blow by blow.

* VampiricDraining: Many Awakened creatures have the Essence Drain ability, which allows them to drain Essence (life/magical energy) in order to restore the Essence they lose due to their Essence Loss weakness. Notably, vampires (humans infected by HMHVV I) drain Essence through blood and banshees (elves) use an emotional link established via fear, though other HMHVV I infectees get Essence by consuming raw metahuman flesh.

* {{Cyborg}}: Cybernetics are common, but the term "cyborg" in the Sixth World is reserved for {{Full Conversion Cyborg}}s. Specifically, a cyborg is a metahuman BrainInAJar implanted into a drone body, which is kept in a constant state of alert sixteen hours a day by a cocktail of hormones and neurotransmitters. Like cyberzombies (see below), making someone a cyborg is ''very'' rarely a consensual procedure, and since adult brains tend to develop severe psychoses more quickly, most corps just [[PoweredByAForsakenChild use the brains of children instead]], since they tend to last longer.

* {{Cyborg}}: Cybernetics are common, but the term "cyborg" in the Sixth World is reserved for something far less pleasant. Specifically, a cyborg is [[BrainInAJar a metahuman brain implanted into a drone body]], which is kept in a constant state of alert sixteen hours a day by a cocktail of hormones and neurotransmitters. Like cyberzombies (see below), making someone a cyborg is ''very'' rarely a consensual procedure, and since adult brains tend to develop severe psychoses more quickly, most corps just [[PoweredByAForsakenChild use the brains of children instead]], since they tend to last longer.

** El Infierno (part of Los Angeles) in the ''California Free State'' supplement, was a massive slum where the city's poor had been walled off and left to their fate; predictably, it soon fell into chaos and gang rule; a massive radioactive spill didn't help matters. This lasted until the twin earthquakes and subsequent flood of 2069 described in 4th Edition's ''Corporate Enclaves'' supplement. Then it went FromBadToWorse: two thirds of the LA sprawl are now flooded and demon-possessed corpses often lurk in the ruins. Also, the water is extremely toxic and inhabited by all kinds of nasty fauna. [[EverythingsEvenWorseWithSharks Including giant sharks]].

* ArbitraryMinimumRange: Some grenade launcher projectiles don't detonate until they travel a minimum distance after firing to protect the user from being blown up by their own grenade, but also prevents the use of the weapon at close range. TruthInTelevision; the RPG-7 and M203 both must travel a certain distance in order to arm.

* AmmoUsingMeleeWeapon: The AZ-150 Super Stun Baton delivers a strong jolt of electricity that can knock a victim unconscious. It can be used 12 times and must then be recharged.The Reinco Shock Glove uses stun baton technology to render targets unconscious with an electrical charge. It has up to eight uses before needing to be recharged.

** It's advised that you avoid this in Black Trenchcoat campaigns, or just in general. Megacorps know that runners are a necessary evil in the world they've helped create. Depending on the GM, they know that runners hitting them are just business, unless those runners rack up collateral damage, since it's cheaper to write off lost assets and pay a few medical bills than it is to repair facilities, replace and train lost personnel, pay out death benefits...

''Shadowrun'' handily became the most popular cyberpunk [[TabletopGames role-playing game]], a fact which pisses off purists to no end. [[VideoGame/{{Shadowrun}} Video game adaptations of the setting]] were made for both the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis and UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem in the 90's. The two were very different from each other. The Genesis version was considered a classic for its console, while the less-popular SNES version is thought of as one of the console's hidden gems. There was also a Japan-only game for the UsefulNotes/SegaCD. Another adaptation, a team-based [[FirstPersonShooter FPS]] for the UsefulNotes/Xbox360 and PC, however, has been much less well-received. The primary reason you will find it referenced is the rare use of cross-platform multiplayer between the 360 and PC versions. (This game is also the ''reason'' for its rarity, as gameplay was unbalanced in the favor of PC players due to superior controls.) A [[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1613260297/shadowrun-returns new game started getting funding]] via Website/{{Kickstarter}} and exceeded its $400,000 goal in just 28 hours, making $1,889,416 total. ''VideoGame/ShadowrunReturns'', as it was called, was produced by FASA founder and ''Shadowrun'' co-creator Jordan Weisman and released on July 25th, 2013.

* MrSmith: Or rather, "Mr. Johnson" (or "Herr Schimdt" if you're in Germany, or "Tanaka-sama" in Japan, or... you get the idea). "Mr. Johnson" is what the people who hire Shadowrunners traditionally call themselves, in order to keep a level of official deniability on their actions. Of course, any team of Runners worth their nuyen will hack "Mr. Johnson's" comlink to figure out who exactly they're working with.

* AnAxeToGrind: The combat axe is a staple melee weapon for the franchise; it's significantly less accurate than the katana, but has greater reach, damage, and armor penetration, while being more expensive, restricted, and conspicuous. It's also a cheaper alternative to the [[{{BFS}} claymore]] which beats it in terms of accuracy and armor penetration.

* {{BFS}}: Claymores and nodachis are available weapons for those who find katanas too small. As of 5th edition, the latest offering is the Highlands Forged Claymore, which is less accurate than the katana, but more accurate than the [[AnAxeToGrind combat axe]] while offering equal reach, damage, and superior armor penetration, balanced by a higher restriction rating and price tag.