Mr. Black's Essential Shadowrun Bibliography


This is a list of books, electronic or otherwise, that Mr. Black endorses for GM use. A link will be included for everything in print, taking you to Amazon, Drivethru RPG, or a company site. Books will be listed alphabetically. Newly listed books will be in RED. They will stay red until Mr. Black adds more books. This could be days or months, so please be patient.
*****  WARNING!! WARNING!! SPOILERS FOLLOW!! IF ONE CAN SPOIL OLD BOOKS AND GAME SUPPLEMENTS THAT IS!! BUT YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!! ENTER AT YOUR OWN PERIL!!  ***** 


Aztlan a Shadowrun Sourcebook – To me this book was a revelation and the beginning of my love affair with Shadowrun. Purported to be a guide for Runners on the Shadowland forums (as is typical), Aztlan reveals conspiracy layered upon conspiracy, with something ancient and terrible hiding behind it all, and the premier forces of the Shadowrun universe talking about it while doing absolutely nothing to stop it. Aztlan reveals everything Mr. Findley intended about the Sixth World: the power and the pain, the hubris and the horror, the hidden agendas and the barest sliver of hope for the future. I use Drivethru RPG myself out of habit.

Listen Up, You Primitive Screwheads!!!! The Unexpurgated Cyberpunk Referee's Guide – While written for Cyberpunk, it is full of tasty goodness for any GM, and especially Shadowrun GM’s. I consider this the second most important book after the BRB. Find it, buy it, and read it. Find it here.

The John Rain Series – by Barry Eisler – Barry Eisler has studied and consulted with several experts in both surveillance/counter-surveillance and modern hand-to-hand combat, and it shows. His novels of an assassin living in Japan feel very real, and very frightening. Read them to appreciate what a Black Trench Coat Runner would be doing and be feeling when going to meetings and preparing for a fight. Start with A Clean Kill in Tokyo (also known as Rain Fall). You can even read it for free with Kindle Unlimited! 

The Suppressed Transmissions, parts 1&2 - By Kenneth Hite

Kenneth Hite wrote around 300 columns for Steve Jackson Games’ Pyramid Magazine way back in the day. Originally supposed to be reviews for SJG products, they quickly morphed into a crazy blend of alternate history, conspiracies, and a mad mixing of real history, all brought together with how to play this crazy mix using various combinations of GURPS sourcebooks. Mr. Hite did this with a grace and bravura style not often found these days. And along the way he also told how he came up with it all, where he surfed on the web, and which books fueled the nightmare fueled adventures he was about to sic upon his players. His key concept, of looking at any game or event from 2 sides, one real, one magickal, has inspired my gameplay to this day. Find them on the SJG site here: http://www.warehouse23.com/products/suppressed-transmission-3




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