Sponsored.  Released in 2019 as part of its 30th anniversary, Shadowrun Sixth World is the newest edition of the celebrated cyberpunk-fantasy TTRPG.  Set in an alternate timeline in the year 2083, this dystopian setting features a dark yet striking possibility of what the future could hold for humanity.  In this reality, megacorporations are the ultimate authority.  Legally considered their own nations, they use their awesome economic might and private police forces to influence society and dictate laws; all to secure their bottom lines.  Shadowrun is also a setting where advanced weapons and bleeding-edge cybernetic enhancements and fantastic magical forces coexist in an often-precarious balance.  With the re-awakening of magic in the world, a few gifted (or perhaps cursed) individuals rediscovered how to manipulate these powerful forces.  And as magic returned to the world, so did races thought to be mere fantasy.  Elves and dwarfs were born to human parents and certain percentages of the human population underwent a process known as "Goblinization," turning into orks and trolls.  This signified the transition from humanity into "metahumanity" and the dawning of what is known as "The Sixth World."

Navigating this strange and dangerous world are shadowrunners.  Considered to be outcasts of society, they’re the ones turned to when a job or task needs to be done that falls outside the parameters of legality.  Some runners are basic criminals, willing to do whatever necessary just to survive.  Others are highly skilled specialists and operatives who embrace their unique position in society.  Theft, special deliveries, kidnapping, assassination, all these and more are the purview of the shadowrunner—as long as they’re paid, of course.

Players can begin their journey into the world of shadowrunning with the Shadowrun Sixth World core rulebook.  The current release features a section describing city of Berlin in the Allied German States, a haven for anarchists and the backyard of one of the largest megacorporations in existence: Saeder-Krupp.  The core rulebook features everything a player and gamemaster will need.  Players can choose one of the basic metatypes – human, elf, dwarf, ork, or troll.  They then can choose one of several archetypes – cybernetic fighters known as street samurai, mages and shamans who command the powers of magic, computer specialists known as deckers who operate in the virtual reality that is the Matrix, technomancers who navigate the same virtual space but without the aid of technology, vehicle and drone specialists known as riggers who use their consciousness to control their machines and faces who are master negotiators and covert operators.

Supplemental core rulebooks offer players endless customization opportunities.  The Sixth World Companion is a player resource that contains additional options such as new races, known as metavariants, including sasquatches and pixies.  Firing Squad is the core combat book that offers a plethora of weapons, gear, and options for customizations well as advice on how survive combat in the Sixth World.  Body Shop is a must-have for anyone looking to upgrade their body with the latest and greatest cyberware.  Other core rule books focus on certain archetypes and provide expanded rules and options for players.  Street Wyrd tells a magician everything they need to know about magic while Double Clutch and Hack & Slash are essential for any rigger and decker respectively.

Aside from rulebooks, there are a variety of plot and campaign books available that allow shadowrunners to get right into the action or explore some of the thirty-five years of Shadowrun lore.  Scotophobia highlights a plot by extraplanar invaders and monsters to destroy the Sixth World, Assassin’s Night is a campaign book set in the shadows and back-alleys of Barcelona, Spain, and Emerald City is a comprehensive sourcebook for the Free City of Seattle – one of the biggest and most explored cities in the Sixth World.

The newest releases for Shadowrun are the core critter book Wild Life, which serves as a monster guide for the Sixth World, with creatures organized by environment.  One example critter is the Ozian baboon, a strong simian with bat-like wings and the ability to fly though innate magical abilities.  The other is the scavenge squirrel, a furry awakened thief extraordinaire who could give professional burglars a literal run for their money.

All these products and more are available at the Catalyst Game Labs online store.  Celebrate thirty-five awesome years of Shadowrun by diving deep into this cyber-dystopian world where magic and technology meet.

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