Shadowrun Kickstarter Campaign

I was excited to hear that Harebrained Schemes is working on another episode in the Shadowrun series.  The project to create the next entry in this series has warranted my first ever contribution to a Kickstarter funded project.  That's how excited I am!  You should do it too!  A pledge of $15 will land you a copy of the game on Steam (or other digital distribution sites--including some DRM-free sites), the soundtrack from the game, and some wallpapers for your chosen device.  That's not too shabby for $15.

Two of my most exciting purchases during the Steam Winter Sale were the previous games in the series--Shadowrun Returns and Shadowrun:  Dragonfall.  There is so much to love about these cool Indie games.  The settings are fun--a dreary future Seattle and the semi-anarchist Berlin.  The characters are interesting, especially in Dragonfall where you had more of a set crew of shadowrunners and had the opportunity for more interaction and to learn about their individual backgrounds.  The combat is turn-based and makes you use your strategy skills to figure out the best way to spend your action points.  And it's cyberpunk--but not just your typical futuristic/sci-fi type but an interesting blend of traditional fantasy and futuristic technology and enhancements.  The artwork is beautiful, the music is great, and you really should just check it out.

Hong Kong looks amazing.

The next entry in the series is going to take place in Hong Kong.  The developers, Harebrained Schemes, even conducted a poll that let fans choose where it would take place.  Getting input from your fans?  Just earned some serious points from me.  I've really liked some of the games that have locations based in China--like Deus Ex:  Human Revolution.  You get a sense of the cultural differences and you also get that business/corporate feel from their burgeoning economy.  According to the Kickstarter description of this new game there is a "supernatural" threat to the city.  Magical dragons?  Ghost dragons?  DRAGONS, please.  There also seems to be aspects directly related to Chinese culture as they mention something called "guanxi" which seems to be centered around gaining reputation or "face" in order to become well-known.

The Kickstarter page also promises some memorable new crew members with specific talent "tracks" that can affect the spells and abilities each character possesses.  So who are your new shadowrunning teammates?

Your new shadowrunning crew.

Gobbet--An orc "rat" shaman whose talents can be honed to either control the battlefield through use of barrier spells or focus on spirit summoning or control.

Duncan Wu--(Looks like a troll, but race isn't included) Described as a "security specialist," Duncan's abilities seem to focus on stunning abilities for crowd control or ranged combat skills.

Is0bel--A dwarf decker whose abilities can be improved for better performance inside the matrix or outside.  (That can be a tough choice--not every combat situation includes the ability to enter the matrix)

Because they exceeded their initial goal of raising $100,000 they also added in two additional characters.

Racter--A human rigger with a special drone.  The talents you pick for Racter determine the abilities of this drone, it can be used for melee attacks or ranged attacks.

Gaichu--A red samurai who apparently is a ghoul.  Like any street samurai you can choose skills that make them either a melee powerhouse or a long-range asset.  Since Gaichu is supposed to be infected with the same virus as ghouls his melee abilities are somewhat unique.

The actual game isn't expected to be released until August this year, but I'm really looking forward to another cyberpunk adventure from this small Northwest based company.