Do you like hacking the Matrix? Do you feel the need for new programs? Qualities aimed specifically at deckers and technomancers? Advice on playing and running the Matrix? A two-column example of how Matrix play proceeds? Information on artificial intelligences, Dissonance pools, and other deeply weird parts of the Matrix? All this, and art that springs from the most deeply deranged art notes we’ve ever assembled? Then you should know about Data Trails, the new core Matrix sourcebook for Shadowrun, Fifth Edition. It is now available for PDF purchase and print pre-order (Battleshop, DriveThruRPG), including various bundle configurations that also offer a sweet limited edition. Need more details? Scan this:
The Infinite Frontier
The last great undiscovered country is vast, wild, and weirder than you can possibly imagine. And it’s nearby, waiting, accessible by the press of a button, or a simple gesture, or even just a thought. The Matrix holds a whole lot more than selfies and cat videos—it has artificial intelligences, electronic ghosts of people formerly alive (or perhaps still living), and deep wells of pure data that can swallow you whole. Oh, and a copy of every secret ever recorded electronically. The possible rewards of exploration are great, and the dangers are greater.
Data Trails is the Matrix sourcebook for Shadowrun, Fifth Edition, offering more options for decker and technomancer characters, including qualities, programs, gear and more. With detailed examinations of hacker culture, information on diving deep into immersive hosts, and briefings on the strange sites hidden in dark corners of the Matrix, Data Trails is a vital resource for any Shadowrun players involved in the omnipresent flow of information. Non-Matrix specialists have chances to get in on the adventures as well, with game details explaining how their skills and expertise translate into the wild virtual world.
Data Trails is for use with Shadowrun, Fifth Edition.
Also, we have a new novel for you! The Shadowrun novel line continues to march forward with Borrowed Time by R.L. King (Battleshop, DriveThruRPG, Amazon link coming soon!). You’ve seen King’s work in Shadowrun, Fifth Edition and the anthology that accompanied the Shadowrun Returns video game, and now you get a full-length novel, featuring her signature character, Winterhawk! If you need details, you can read the summary below, or you can check out the full review that has already been posted on Diehard GameFan. But whatever you do, make sure you check out the creepy cover art below.
Out of Time, Out of Options
JackPointer mage Winterhawk left the shadows at the top of his game: these days he indulges his curiosity about all things mysterious and magical on his own terms. But he’s about to discover that the shadows are hard to leave behind, and old enemies have their ways of drawing him back in.
Dosed with an exotic arcane poison that will kill him in days unless he retrieves a powerful magical artifact, ‘Hawk has to assemble a team fast and think even faster, because he’s not the only one tracking down the prize. His team is hardly the well-oiled machine he’s accustomed to: an old friend with major trust issues, an old rival who hates everything ‘Hawk stands for, a decker who annoys everyone he meets, a samurai who’s only in it for the money, and a gunslinger who may have her own agenda.
With his life on the line and the clock ticking fast, ‘Hawk must survive the mean streets of Los Angeles and the magical hellscape of the Australian Outback while keeping his mismatched team from imploding before they finish the job. But when the artifact is revealed to be far more than it seems, Winterhawk is forced to make a choice that could affect the lives of millions—to say nothing of his own.
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