Shadowrun 5th Edition has Arrived in PDF

Jul 14, 2013

Catalyst Game Labs has released the long awaited Shadowrun 5th Edition in digital format at DriveThruRPG and the core rulebook will be available in hard copy, at your FLGS, in August. The new edition returns the system to Shadowrun’s roots and has already set all new records for first day sales at DTRGP.

From Catalyst:

EVERYTHING HAS A PRICE

There are cracks in the world. They’re slender, dark, and often cold, but they are the only things that keep you hidden. Keep you alive. They are the shadows of the world, and they are where you live.

You are a shadowrunner, thriving in the margins, doing the jobs no one else can. You have no office, no permanent home, no background to check. You are whatever you make yourself. Will you seek justice? Sow seeds of chaos? Sell out to the highest bidder? It’s up to you, but this much is certain: If you do nothing, the streets will eat you alive.

You can survive, even flourish, as long as you do what it takes. Sacrifice part of your soul for bleeding-edge gear. Push the limits of your will learning new and dangerous magic. Wire yourself into the Matrix, making your mind one with screaming streams of data. It’ll cost you something—everything does—but you can make it worth the price.

Shadowrun, Fifth Edition is the newest version of one of the most popular and successful role-playing worlds of all time, a fusion of man, magic, and machine in a dystopian near-future. With rules for character creation, magic, combat, Matrix hacking, rigging, and more, you have everything you need to face the challenges of the Sixth World.

Building on the award-winning Shadowrun, Fourth Edition rule set, the new edition brings the game forward while preserving the fun that has made it so enduring.

Here are some highlights of the new edition:

Grittier & Deadlier: The down-and-dirty Sixth World setting is a place where shadowrunners need to count their bullets carefully and be cautious about whom they trust. Fifth Edition rules reflect that, making players aware of their choices and the price they have to pay to be the best. It also supports deadlier combat, while still making sure the player characters can stay alive long enough to take care of business.
Streamlined Matrix: Matrix rules have been improved and streamlined, bringing them more in line with the rest of the game and making them more intuitive. Running the Matrix has never been easier.
Increased Gear Options: Changes in Fifth Edition mean there are more functions for gear, which leads to an increased variety of the toys shadowrunners love!
Faster Character Creation and More Player Aids: New to Shadowrun and eager to hit the streets as quickly as possible? Fifth Edition’s character creation rules make it faster and easier to create a full-fledged character and dive into the shadows. Additionally, from an expanded gamemaster advice section to pre-generated gear kits, Shadowrun, Fifth Edition has tools and resources to help players quickly get into the game and onto the streets.

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Jeff McAleer

Founder/Editor-in-chief of The Gaming Gang website and host of The Gaming Gang Dispatch and other TGG media, Jeff tackles any and all sorts of games but has a special fondness for strategy, conflict sims, and roleplaying games. Plus, he's certainly never at a loss for an opinion...