 Shadowrun 20th Anniversary Edition cover | |
| Designers | Robert N. Charrette Paul Hume Tom Dowd L. Ross Babcock III Sam Lewis Dave Wylie Mike Mulvihill et al. |
|---|---|
| Publishers | FASA Fantasy Productions Catalyst Game Labs |
| Publication | 1989 1992 (Second Edition) 1998 (Third Edition) 2005 (Fourth Edition) 2009 (20th Anniversary) 2013 (Fifth Edition)[1] 2016 (Shadowrun Anarchy) 2019 (Sixth Edition) |
| Genres | Cyberpunk fantasy |
| Systems | Custom |
| Set in the same world as Earthdawn, millennia later (2086 AD)[note 1] | |
Shadowrun is a science fantasy tabletop role-playing game set in an alternate future in which cybernetics, magic and fantasy creatures co-exist. It combines genres of cyberpunk, urban fantasy, and crime, with occasional elements of conspiracy, horror, and detective fiction. From its inception in 1989, it has spawned a franchise that includes a series of novels, a collectible card game, two miniature-based tabletop wargames, and multiple video games.
The title is taken from the game's main premise – a near-future world damaged by a massive magical event, where industrial espionage and corporate warfare runs rampant. A shadowrun – a successful data theft or physical break-in at a rival corporation or organization – is one of the main tools employed by both corporate rivals and underworld figures. Deckers (futuristic hackers) can tap into an immersive, three-dimensional cyberspace on such missions as they seek access, physical or remote, to the power structures of rival groups. They are opposed by rival deckers and lethal, potentially brain-destroying artificial intelligences called "Intrusion Countermeasures" (IC), while they are protected by street fighters and/or mercenaries, often with cyborg implants (called cyberware), magicians, and other exotic figures. Magic has also returned to the world after a series of plagues; dragons who can take human form have returned as well, and are commonly found in high positions of corporate power.
- ^ Bills, Randall (21 December 2012). "The Year of Shadowrun". Catalyst Game Labs. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
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