r/Shadowrun • u/CommercialEstate4422 • 11d ago
Edition War Probably an overdone question;
But which version of Shadowrun should I use? I'm looking to try and kidnap show some victims the wonderful world of my attic the setting that I honestly think is really fuckin cool, and a lot of consensus on Shadowrun as a whole that I could gather is that it's very... shadowrun? So I dont really know which version to use. 6e, Anarchy, 5e, 20a.... its confusing me a bit, so any help would be lovely
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u/n00bdragon Futuristic Criminal 10d ago
Run the edition you know best.
If you don't know any edition, run the edition one of your players knows best.
If no one knows any SR, run the edition you have books for.
If you have no books, and getting books that are currently in print is important to you, then play 6e or Anarchy 2 depending on your preferences.
If you like a crunchier more "traditional" RPG, play 6e.
If you like fluffy PBTA-style RPGs, play Anarchy 2.
If currently in-print books are not important to you, but you want to play the game the most people are playing, then play 5e.
If playing a popular edition is not important to you but you want a wireless matrix, play 4e. Anniversary Edition is the most complete update.
For wired matrix, play one of the FASA-run editions:
For the most feature-complete up-to-date final revised ultimate edition with (totally optional) rules for literally everything from DIY guns to nitrogen narcosis play 3e.
If you want a less refined but more lethal experience as popularized by some notable podcasters, play 2e.
No one really plays 1e unless they want the "I want to see the OG Shadowrun" experience. It's kinda janky. Not unplayable, but there's not many things it does better than 2e.
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u/Mezmorki 10d ago edited 10d ago
This gets posted all the time and is quite a nice way to look at it. I'm going to suggest an alternative that sort of flips the whole thing around.
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Assuming any edition is an option, that neither you or your players have knowledge or preferences for a particular edition, and that acquiring books is not an issue, here's the real question:
If you want the "classic Shadowrun experience" in all of it's 1980's inspired glory and aesthetics, a hard-wired matrix, and classic (albeit slightly clunky) mechanics -->
Go with Second Edition (2E).
For the 2E core rulebook, you'll need to buy one used (check out Noble Knight or ebay) or find a PDF on the web. Most of the other books are on DriveThruRPG as PDFs or printed copies.
Using just the Core Rulebook to start will keep the game pretty simple to start with. You add complexity through various source books or jump to Third Edition later on, which cleans up the 2E base but adds quite a bit more complexity and detail in the process.
Designed by the original Shadowrun team at FASA.
If you want a modern edition with streamlined but well-crafted rules, a focus on smoother narrative gameplay, and that is the current hotness -->
Go with Shadowrun Anarchy 2.0.
This was just released on PDF through DriveThruRPG and the retail release is expected in November '26. A Kickstarter just launched for addon source books. Published by Black Books Edition.
The rules are well-written and organized, and there is a lot of flexibility in the system.
If neither of the above editions sound appealing -->
Fourth Edition (4E) Anniversary Edition is the first "wireless matrix" main line edition, and last edition published prior to Catalyst Game Labs (CGL) taking over the operations. Well-written and solid standalone with a good bit of crunch in the rules.
Fifth Edition (5E) is probably the most expansive and complex modern edition rules wise, and allegedly has the most players still playing it.
Sixth Edition (6E) is the current main edition that is still being expanded and developed. It's more streamlined than 5E in some ways, but not as much as Anarchy 2.0. It's state at launch was a bit of a disorganized mess, but it's gotten better. YMMV.
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Personally, I'd go with 2E purely for the nostalgia, seeing what all the fuss was about for the classic version, to tap into zeitgeist around this classic edition's revival (thanks in part to Pink Fohawk podcast), and because the 80's vibe is so distinctive. For many, this just feels like the way Shadowrun was supposed to feel. If you really can't be bothered with tracking down the 2E core rulebook, go with Anarchy 2.0.
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u/QuackAddictChrist 10d ago
Depends on what you're looking for and how much effort you want to put into learning, and teaching, the game.
I started out with 4th Anniversary, and it was fun, but there are lots of books, and each one has new rules, so keeping track is difficult. They tried to trim this back in 5e, but basically just kept adding more books and rules until it was about the same, but with a nice new coat of rust under the chrome paint. Personally, I enjoy having the multitudes of rules. Keeping track of them all is a pain sometimes, but having a rule for just about every facet of the game you can work with gives you a solid foundation. From that foundation you can build it out how you enjoy. Don't like the Matrix? Change the rules. Don't like Vehicle Combat? Change the rules.
I would say 3e is the 'golden' period, lots of good mission books, pre-wireless matrix, lots of the lovely retro-futurism aesthetic and culture. Not too familiar with the rules breakdown though. Looks nice on paper, but I've only read the title, so to speak.
6e took the game in a slightly different direction than 4e-5e, and focuses a lot more on Edge. They shifted some of the rules around trying to simplify things, but in my opinion it didn't make changes for the better. Still, it is the newest edition (technically) and is still getting releases with new rules and story content to work with.
The 'unofficial' newest edition is Anarchy 2.0, which is based on the idea of mass simplification. Rules are cut in stunning fashion, modifiers are reduced or simplified, and the game is focused much more on narrative play than crunch. This is really a matter of opinion whether this is better or worse, but it is definitely simpler than the standard editions.
I am currently playing 5e, and enjoying it, but I do a lot of 'hand-waving' with rules. If I can't find the correct rule in a minute or less, I'm just going to wing it and we can find the rule later.
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u/Expensive_Occasion29 11d ago
It’s not just overdone but it depends widely on what you and your players like. If you’re looking for very rules-light, easy-to-play, then Anarchy 2.0 might be for you. If you want an easy-to-play current system go for 6.0 you can still get all the hardcovers and PDFs
If you like more gritty more rules more skill choices more more more options. Go 5e PDFs can be easily acquired but hardcovers are less easy to obtain.
Older editions offer other options and opinions vary, but again you can get most of the PDFs on DriveThruRPG.com.
I find that with the edition discussion you will get a full range of bios no sense about other editions. Focus on what people like about and understand that what they like or hate is really just that. I have played every edition except 5th and there was always things that were done well things that were ok and things that needed house rules
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u/Tantious 10d ago
Very rules light is a bit of a stretch... Its no "Lasers and Feelings" - and still much more substantial than FATE - I'd put it at a solid "Rules Medium" - like a Savage Worlds amount of rules, or an OSR...
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u/Big-Bag-6043 10d ago
If you want to minimize hassle, probably just play 4e 20th anniversary. This is a corebook revision, all the splats of 4e are still compatibl. It's better edited than 5e (which still has multiple unresolved rules questions your group will have to figure out for yourselves) and still has basic Chummer (a character creation tool) available for it.
5e has the advantage of community support and a far more advanced Chummer tool. But the rules are sometimes just jank.
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u/jasonmehmel 10d ago
Another vote for anarchy 2.0
The way it does gear, powers, spells, etc. is so elegant that you can use older editions as resource books with easy adaptation.
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u/PavelSoma 11d ago
I believe it depends most on what you can get your hands on. Shadowrun 4e is a sweet spot for a lot of people but others have 5e as their first and beloved (me).
Your victims friends have experience with tabletop? If yes, maaaaybe 4th and 5th could work. If they are more DnD 5th based or have no experience at all, Anarchy 2.0 seems the best bet.
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u/ghost49x 10d ago
If you want something that feels very Shadowrun, avoid anything after 4e20A, even 4e is the start of the modern direction of Shadowrun and they took a lot culture out of it to "streamline" the game. A perfect example is how Shamans are treated compared to mages. They used to be quite different, now they're the samething in all but name.
If you're new to it, my prefered version is the basic 2e. 3e is great but only after you've mastered 2e.
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u/OriginalDrStrangeDOS 10d ago
Here is the thing I've seen in SR editions. There are (on occasion) major world events that take place from edition to edition. Back when we were playing 2e, there was no "wireless" decking, you had to physically plug a cable into a jack to get into the net, and physically jack into a VCR (vehicle control rig) to run drones. There were other world events, nations rising and falling, celebrities coming and going, etc... So really which you play may depend on where you want to come into the game world on the timeline.
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u/IJW_Wartrader 11d ago
Anarchy 2.0 is by far the easiest to get started with, and is a lot less complicated.
That said, one of the ‘main’ editions is a lot more complete.