Like many a man who worked his way screaming through the 1980’s, I too have take part in role playing games. From the faux velvet pouch of dice to the painfully painted pewter figurines… I’ve been there.
But I have to admit that I was never really one for the Orcs and Wizards fare that D&D dished out. For me, the arrival of Shadowrun was a timely addition to the world of RPGs. As cyberpunk settled into place in the landscape of Walden Books across the nation and industrial music moved beyond the alienating and harsh sounds of Throbbing Gristle toward the more acceptable dance beats of Skinny Puppy and Cabaret Voltaire… the times were a’changing.
Shadowrun took what worked from FASA’s Dungeons and Dragons model and added the extra touch of social decay and high-tech hardware known as cyberpunk to the mix. This opened up whole new avenues and at the same time allowed gamers to feel more in tune with the world they were playing in. I’m not sure about you, but living in the suburbs dreaming about being in the rain-soaked city streets made a lot more sense than walking through some idyllic glade.
In addition, the rule books gave an opportunity for up and coming artists to shine, including comic book legend Tim Bradstreet (his photograph-referenced artwork has since been most associated with the Marvel Comics Max: Punisher series).
In Shadowrun, the decline of existing governments gave rider to a new ruling power, the Megacorporations. In this crazy modern world, the megas do battle by enlisting the services of shadowrunners, mercenaries who the corporations can always deny knowledge of ever having hired.
These corporate mercenary tactics included hacking into computer systems via deckers who could make contact with the knowledge depository, the Matrix (first seen in Doctor Who – The Deadly Assassin).
So… it’s kind of like Mission: Impossible with a beat you can dance to.
Not satisfied with only having high-tech mercs as the main playable characters, the game system features a vast array of creatures including orcs, goblins and such which exist thanks to the world reconnecting to the age of magic. So, magicians are in there as well.
Shadowrun had it all. Lots of guns, futuristic cityscapes, corporate greed, orcs and elves, and the early stages of the Matrix trilogy. It was also a rarity in that it was heavily influenced by films, music and novels (including the work of William Gibson and Mick Farren), but also had influenced music, TV and comic books in much the reverse way.
The failed films Strange Days, Johnny Mnemonic eventually paved the way for greater successes including the Matrix trilogy and Avalon, but were heavily influenced by the acceptance of the cyberpunk movement that was evident in music and youth culture… which was influenced by RPGs.
The third life of Matt Wagner’s comic book character Grendel, War Child was also very cyberpunk, featuring Megacorps, voodoo preists and vampires all living in a bombed out apocalypse.
It was translated into a videogame for the Super Nintendo system in 1993, and later for Sega in1994. The latest adaptation for the Xbox 360 was released earlier this year.
Forgoing much of the RPG elements for a straight-ahead first person shooter, the game is a lot of fun, but largely disappointing in light of the lost opportunities. I really wish that they had embraced the strengths of the pen and paper RPG in the video game in much the same way that games such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire had done.
Very much a product of its time, Shadowrun embodies the fear of youth as it grows into that mad world of maturity which inevitably leads to a cubicle wrapped around a computer monitor run by the ‘boss man’ corporation. As the 80’s turned into the 90’s and Americans were encouraged to have a personal computer in their home and college grads were enticed into cubicles with free snacks, this became less scary.
How times change.
Recommended reading/playing/viewing/listening
Shadowrun, Fourth Edition
Shadowrun (X Box 360)
Neuromancer
The DNA Cowboys Trilogy: The Quest of the DNA Cowboys/Synaptic Manhunt/the Neural Atrocity
Grendel Tales: Devils and Deaths
Grendel: War Child
Akira (Special Edition)
Wild Palms
Avalon
Blade Runner – The Director’s Cut (Remastered Limited Edition)
Skinny Puppy: Rabies
