Fanpro's Fourth Edition Shadowrun RPG, which was released last October, has been a surprisingly strong player in the anemic role-playing games category.  The first printing (October) and the second printing (January) of the core Shadowrun book sold out and the revised cyberpunk-fantasy RPG (originally released by FASA) just became available again thanks to a third printing of the core rulebook.  Fanpro's Fourth Edition has successfully re-invigorated the game with a streamlined, simplified, and integrated set of rules. 

In order to keep the momentum going Fanpro is releasing five new Shadowrun books in 2006 starting in the second quarter with Runner Havens ($24.95) the first core setting book, which introduces players to two of the world's premier Shadowrunner sprawls, Seattle and Hong Kong. Four other runner-favored cities, Cape Town, Caracas, Hamburg and Istanbul, are also covered in lesser detail in this 144-page collection of vital information on key topics concerning these urban centers such as the balance of power, corporate and underworld affairs, strange magics, and plot hooks.

Also shipping in the second quarter is Street Magic ($29.99), the advanced magic book for Shadowrun Fourth Edition, which details the nature of magic and its effects on society in the year 2070.  This 144-page volume has everything that players and gamemasters need to fully utilize magic in their Shadowrun adventures.

Two more volumes are slated for the third quarter:  Arsenal, which details all the gear, guns, armor, wheels, spy toys, electronics, drones and drugs that a runner could ever want; and Emergence, which examines the effects of 'The Crash of 2064' that transformed some into technomancers who have the inexplicable ability to affect the new Matrix with their minds.

The final new Shadowrun volume for 2006 is Augmentation, which should debut in November and which covers the advanced medical technologies of 2070 including nanotech, genegineering, cloning, and advanced biotechnology -- everything a player needs to get his character 'enhanced' to the nth degree.