Shadowrun Lore

[p : saturn burg]

What is going on here? I really want to pick this game up, but I don't know anything about it. I am sure the gameplay will be fine for my tastes, but I am still on the fence. Thanks.

[Crashtastic]

The Shadowrun world is cross-genre, incorporating elements of both cyberpunk and urban fantasy. Unlike in a purely cyberpunk game, in the Shadowrun world, magic exists and has "worked" since 2011. Among other things, this split humankind into subtypes, also known as metatypes/metahumans. Some of these metatypes take the form of common fantasy races. Likewise, some animals have turned into familiar monsters of past fantasy and lore and both monsters and human magicians have regained magical powers. By the second half of the 21st century, in the time the game is set, these events are accepted as commonplace. Man, machine, and magic exist in a world where the amazing is among the most common and technology has entered into every facet of human (and metahuman) life.

Races [edit]

Characters in Shadowrun can be humans, orks, trolls, elves, dwarves, as well as certain diverging subspecies (known as metavariants) such as gnomes, giants, minotaurs, etc. In the early days, when magic returned to the world, humans began to either change into, or give birth to elf and dwarf infants, a phenomenon called Unexplained Genetic Expression (UGE). Later, some juvenile and adult humans "goblinized" into other races (mostly orks, but also some trolls). The term "metahuman" is used either to refer to humanity as a whole, including all races, or to refer specifically to non-human races, depending on context. With the return of Halley's Comet new human variants called "changelings" arose. Two of the metahuman races have fictional languages.

Additionally, a virus known as the Human Meta-Human Vampiric Virus (HMHVV), with many variant strains, has been known to cause further change, far beyond that of traditional vampirism, frequently resulting in fierce abominations that are no longer human and sometimes no longer even sentient: bandersnatches, banshees, dzoo-noo-quas, goblins, ghouls, nosferatus, vampires, wendigos, wild fomorians, and others. Most of these species do not consider human/metahuman types as more than victims, and are generally treated as dangerous subjects by society. They are not normally available as player characters. Dragons are also present in the awakened world, though not as player characters. Dragons are very powerful physically, magically, and in some situations, financially. Some dragons found the riches they hoarded, and hid during the last Awakening. Their great intelligence allowed them to gain a great deal of influence and power quickly and a few have risen to high political and economical posts, running entire corporations or even as head of state.

Game background [edit]

The game is set 62 years in the future,[note 1] following a great change that has returned magic to the world. The emergence of magic, the outbreak of the VITAS plagues, the Computer Crash of 2029, the Euro-Wars, and the fevers for independence of Amerindian tribes, Chinese provinces, and everything else that came with the many struggles that ravaged Europe and Asia left the world's governments tumbling and falling. The United States was broken into substates. Monetary value was lost. The world had to rebuild, and rebuild they did, this time in the image of the Mega-Corporations that seized power. Taking advantage of the laws that had been passed years ago, and using their newfound freedom, the Mega-corps began impressing their power on the failing governments. Before long the world was transformed. Boundaries were redrawn, and the political landscape was changed forever.

A basic premise of the setting is that as the world endured the string of state-changing events and conflicts, the political landscape fragmented and reformed. In North America, for example, some nations broke apart and reformed, as was the case with the Confederation of American States and the United Canadian and American States; others became havens for specific racial or ethnic groups, like the councils of the Native American Nations, the Native Americans having used their newfound magical abilities to regain massive tracts of land; or the Elvish principality of Tír Tairngire, that encompasess all of the state of Oregon. Some, like the California Free State, simply declared independence, or became de facto corporate subsidiaries like Aztlan (the former Mexico) to Aztechnology Megacorp. Despite the new role of megacorporations, many nations still hold considerable sway through economic, social and military means. For some, getting by means taking advantage of whatever the corps, or the government might bring their way.

The corporations [edit]

The monolithic "enemies" of the Shadowrun world (borrowing heavily from cyberpunk mythos) are the corporations, dubbed "megacorporations", "megacorps", or simply "megas" or "corps" for short. Megacorporations in the 21st-century are global, with all but the smallest corps owning multiple subsidiaries and divisions around the world. They are the superpowers of the Shadowrun universe, with the largest corporations having far more political, economic, and military power than even the most powerful nation-states.

In Shadowrun, corporations are effectively "ranked" by the amount of assets under their control, including material, personnel, and property, as well as profit. These ranks are A, AA, and AAA; AAA corporations are top tier. Most corporations in the AA and AAA level are immune to domestic law, responsible only to themselves, and regulated only by the Corporate Court, an assembly of the ten AAA-rated corporations. All AAA-rated and most AA-rated corporations exhibit a privilege known as "extraterritoriality", meaning that any land owned by the corp is sovereign territory only to the corp and immune to any laws of the country within. Corporate territory is not foreign soil but corporate soil, just like its employees are corporate citizens, though dual citizenship in a corporation and a nation is common. The AAA corps, as well as numerous minor corporations, fight each other not only in the boardroom or during high-level business negotiations but also with physical destruction, clandestine operations, hostile extraction or elimination of vital personnel, and other means of sabotage. Because no corporation wants to be held liable for damages, it has to be done by deniable assets, or shadowrunners, invisible to the system where every citizen is tagged with a System Identification Number (SIN).

Technology and the Matrix [edit]

Despite the Crash which caused much data corruption, technology in the game is advanced. Cyberware (technical implants) and Bioware (genetically engineered implants which enhance a person's abilities) emerged. Characters can also augment their bodies with nanotechnology implants.

In earlier editions, direct neural interface technology enabled humans and metahumans to directly access computers and the Matrix, the ingame global computer network restructured after the 2029 Crash. Access to the Matrix was accomplished by "deckers": individuals that have "cyberdecks". These interface machines are connected to the brain through a Datajack generally located at the temple or behind the ear.

Magic [edit]

Those able to actively interact with the magical energies of the Sixth World are known as "awakened". An awakened character's power in magic is linked to their Magic attribute. A magic user's approach to working with mystic energy is called their Path. The Awakened fall into three general Paths: magicians, adepts and mystic adepts. Broadly speaking, magicians focus their magic outward, actively affecting the world around them, while adepts focus their magic inward, passively enhancing their bodies and minds.

Magicians are able to cast spells, summon spirits, and create magical artifacts called "foci". All magicians follow traditions that determine their understanding of magic, including hermetic mages (whose control of magic comes through study and manipulation of magical energy or mana, and who summon and bind elementals in lengthy and expensive rituals to be called on later) and shamans (whose magic derives from a connection to nature via a totem spirit, and who can summon the nature spirits associated with a particular place). Adepts use magic internally in order to accentuate their natural physical abilities. Adepts can run on walls, use mundane objects as deadly thrown projectiles, shatter hard objects with a single unarmed blow, and perform similar feats of incredible ability. All adepts follow a very personal path (Path of the Warrior, Path of the Artist, etc.) that normally determines their abilities which might be very different for any two adepts (while one might demonstrate increased reflexes and facility with firearms, a second might possess unparalleled mastery of the katana, and a third might be able to pull off incredible vehicular stunts). Mystic adepts, also known as physical mages, are part magician and part adept who distribute their magic power between the abilities of both aspects.

[Crashtastic]

Pre 2000Edit

1992Edit
◾ November: Jeffrey Lynch is elected as the 42nd President of the United States.

1996Edit
◾ November: Jeffrey Lynch is reelected as President of the United States.

1999Edit
◾ A 3-month truckers' strike causes food riots in New York.
◾ A Seretech truck hauling infectious medical waste on Staten Island is attacked by a mob in the mistaken belief that it carries food. Seretech security forces use lethal force to protect it. Twenty Seretech employees and 200 rioters are killed.
◾ The Supreme Court’s Seretech Decision upholds Seretech's actions as responsible for saving thousands of lives, rather than costing hundreds.

2000–2009Edit

2000Edit
◾ Scientists are surprised to discover a distinct new species of ferret in North America. Dubbed the Century Ferret due to the time of discovery, it is later concluded to be a "Spike Baby", a premature awakening.
◾ November: Martin Hunt is elected as the 43rd President of the United States.

2001Edit
◾ The Shiawase court decision establishes extraterritoriality for megacorps when a radical eco-group called TerraFirst! attacked a Shiawase nuclear power plant. Though the attack was repelled, the corporation used the incident to convince the Supreme Court that major multinational corporations need the ability to protect themselves. To this end, the Supreme Court granted major companies extraterritoriality. (TerraFirst! manages later to acquire evidence that the attack was in fact a setup with the intent to force the courts into granting sovereignty. However, before the group can act on said information, their headquarters are destroyed and key members killed in what is considered to be one of the first shadowruns.)
◾ Aug-Oct: NASA Mars probes photographs pyramids and a skeleton on the surface of Mars. The information is given the highest classification (Top Secret:Veil).

2004Edit
◾ Libya attacks Israel with chemical weapons.
◾ Nuclear meltdown at Dungeness in Kent (England) creates a localized irradiated zone.
◾ November: Philip Bester is elected as the 44th President of the United States.

2005Edit
◾ Israel retaliates against Libya with nuclear weapons.
◾ A major earthquake hits New York City on 12 August, killing 200,000 and causing 200 billion in damage. It will take 40 years to rebuild.
◾ United Nations moves to Geneva.
◾ East Coast Stock Exchange moves to Boston.
◾ Conservative government in the United Kingdom establishes regional parliaments in Scotland and Wales.

2005Edit
◾ Japanese megacorps push the Republic of Korea into a war with the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea

2006Edit
◾ Early in year: DPRK launches a nuclear attack at Japan, but the missiles do not reach their targets.
◾ Late in year: DPRK is overrun. Japan proclaims Japanese Imperial State.

2008Edit
◾ November: Jesse Garrety is elected as the 45th President of the United States. William Jarman is his Vice-President.

2009Edit
◾ The resource rush
◾ May 5: United Oil receives rights to 25% of national parklands and 10% of Indian lands.
◾ Sovereign American Indian Movement (SAIM) seizes the Shiloh launch facility in Montana. Delta Team retakes the site, but not before the terrorists launch a Lone Eagle ICBM at Russia. The missile never arrives at its destination. The reasons for this are unknown by the public.
◾ Re-Education and Relocation Act (Nepean Act in Canada) round up Native Americans into "reeducation centers". ◾ Native Americans are spared the worst of VITAS because of this internment, ironically.

◾ King Charles III is crowned in Westminster Abbey.

2010–2019Edit

2010Edit
◾Virally Induced Toxic Allergy Syndrome (VITAS) kills off a quarter of the world's population.
◾ The Yakuza of Seattle is given official recognition as the Dungeness Crabs of the 87th Prefecture by the oyabun of the Watada-rengo in Chiba, Japan. This approval of and support for their activities allows the Seattle Yakuza to grow rapidly and expand its operations.

2011Edit

The Year of Chaos
◾ Unexplained Genetic Expression (UGE) – Babies bearing a close resemblance to Elves and Dwarves are born across the world. Widely believed to be a foreshadowing of The Awakening ahead.
◾ Pope John Paul IV denounces metahumans as abominations in the eyes of God.
◾ England's Sizewell B nuclear power station suffers critical meltdown, resulting in a total death count of 17,000.
◾ A nuclear power plant in Dounreay, Scotland suffers a meltdown, creating the Scottish Irradiated Zone.
◾ July: Operation Discovery, an 8-man Mars Mission, makes planetfall and begins its survey.
◾ Dec 24: The Awakening ◾ The great eastern dragon, Ryumyo, is sighted flying over Mt. Fuji, the first dragon seen by mankind in thousands of years
◾ Under the cover of a fierce storm, Daniel Howling Coyote leads a walk-out of the Abilene detainment camp. Although guards fire upon him, none of the shots fired hit Daniel, and he leads his people into the storm, leaving no trace.
◾ The operations module of Operation Discovery crashes on Mars, killing 5 of the 8 astronauts.

◾ Dec 26: Ley lines and standing stones re-emerge all over Britain. First sighting of the great Welsh dragon, Celedyr, in Caerleon.

2012Edit
◾ Jan 27: The great western dragon Dunkelzahn's first appearance at Cherry Creek Lake in Denver. ◾ Grants exclusive 12-hour interview with Holly Brighton during which he explains The Awakening.

◾ The great western dragon, Lofwyr, appears in Germany and becomes a corporate player.
◾ England's King Charles III abdicates in favor of his only surviving son, George.
◾ Formation of Hildebrandt-Kleinfort-Bernal (HKB) megacorporation in England, an increasingly major power in world financial affairs.
◾ November: Jesse Garrety and William Jarman are reelected as President and Vice-President of the United States.

2013Edit
◾ First televised Combat Biker match (Baton Rouge, LA)

2014Edit
◾ Daniel Howling Coyote announces formation of the Native American Nations (NAN)
◾ Following magically enhanced terrorist activity, the governments of the UK and Éire sign the Treaty of Galway establishing the United Free Republic of Ireland.

2015Edit
◾ May 5: Francisco Pavón of the Azatlán party becomes first directly elected president of Mexico.
◾ Mexico becomes Aztlan, backed by ORO corporation (Aztechnology)
◾ Hong Kong breaks free from mainland China and proclaims independence. The British government uses its influence to protect Hong Kong, but is duped by megacorporations and loses face over the incident.
◾ Schism splits the Irish Republican Army (IRA) into two factions: the Provisional IRA (led by Liam O'Connor, a "spike baby" elf) and the Official IRA. ◾ The Provisional IRA is incorporated into the state security apparatus, where it counters Protestant paramilitaries. It would grow into the core of the Tir Republican Corps (TRC).


2016Edit
◾ Daniel Howling Coyote declares war on the United States in order to reclaim Native American land for the formation of the Native American Nations.
◾ Redondo peak erupts and buries Los Alamos, New Mexico.
◾ November: Vice-President William Jarman is elected the 46th President of the United States.
◾ December 12: President Garrety assassinated by William Springer (never captured). VP Jarman is sworn in. ◾ Also assassinated: ◾ Russian President Nikolai Chelenko
◾ Prime Minister Lena Rodale of the United Kingdom
◾ Minister Chaim Schon of Israel


◾ President Jarman passes Executive Order 17-321, the extermination of the Native American tribes.
◾ The defence and aerospace megacorp Ares buys NASA.
◾ A major oil spill in the North Sea creates the Scottish Fringe Toxic Zone.

2017Edit

The Great Ghost Dance
◾ Aug 17, 10:32 a.m.: Mts. Hood, Ranier, St. Helens, and Adams erupt.

2018Edit

Treaty of Denver
◾ Aztlan invited to join the new Sovereign Tribal Council (STC) of the Native American Nations (NAN). As a member nation, it participates in the Treaty of Denver.
◾ The Treaty Of Denver resolves the dispute between the United States and the Native American Nations. ◾ Denver is divided between the US and four members of the NAN: Aztlan, Pueblo, Sioux, and Ute.
◾ Denver and the surrounding territory becomes the Front Range Free Zone, a technically sovereign state governed by the Council of Denver.

◾ 1st-generation ASIST developed by Dr Hosato Hikita, ESP systems, Chicago.
◾ Civil war in China results in yet another fractured nation: Manchuria, Xinjiang, Guangxi, the Canton Confederation.
◾ The spaceplane America disintegrates in orbit, crashing in Longreach, Australia and killing 200.

2019Edit
◾ The violinist Leonora Bartoli becomes the first to have a cyberlimb successfully implanted.

2020–2029Edit

2020Edit
◾ Aden destroys Tehran in response to the Ayatollah's declaration of jihad against the metahuman races.
◾ Ares launches Apollo space program.
◾ November: William Jarman is reelected President of the United States.

2021Edit

Goblinization
◾ Shiela Blatavska establishes the Atlantean Foundation
◾ Apr 30: Goblinization strikes 10% of the world population ◾ Martial law and concentration camps in the US
◾ Yomi Island (Philippines) in the Japanese Empire
◾ England's King George VII is declared dead, rumors persist that he was killed when he began changing into a troll.


2022Edit

VITAS 2
◾ Race riots occur around the world
◾ Electronic news mag Data coins the term "Awakened".
◾VITAS 2 claims another 10%
◾ Cuba, Jamaica, Grenada, Bermuda and the Virgin Islands join together to form the Caribbean League
◾ Los Angeles is rocked by gang warfare, eventually suppressed by National Guardsmen. The city's worst slums are walled off, soon renamed "El Infierno" by local residents.

2023Edit
◾ Humanis policlub founded
◾ US Supreme Court grants equal rights to metahumans
◾ Riots over hoarded VITAS 2 serum level the LA neighborhood of Watts.

2024Edit
◾ First commercial simsense
◾ After a prolonged succession dispute, George Edward Richard Windsor- Hanover becomes King George VIII in England.
◾ November: William Jarman is reelected President of the United States. This is possible because the recently passed 29th Amendment allows more than two terms.

2025Edit
◾ UCLA establishes first undergraduate program in occult studies. ◾ Followed by Texas AMM (Agriculture, Medicine, and Magic) and MITT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Thaumaturgy).

◾ Cyberware enters professional sports (NFL)
◾ Lone Star takes over law enforcement in Seattle.
◾ Pope John XXV issues In Imago Dei encyclical: ◾ Metahumans have souls and are capable of salvation.
◾ Magical abilities are not inherently evil
◾ Spirits are manifestations of nature (gray area).

◾ The United Kingdom Constitution Act is passed in the United Kingdom, creating the office of Lord Protector.

2026Edit
◾ The Mafia Commission appoints Brian O'Malley from Milwaukee as the head of the Finnigan family and Don of Seattle, and assigns him to deal with the problem of the Yakuza in the metroplex.
◾ Oxford and Edinburgh Universities establish Bachelor of Science degrees in occult studies.
◾ World Combat Cyclists League (WCCL) founded. Combat Biker becomes a major sport.

2027Edit
◾ Desperate to alleviate water shortages, the Los Angeles Power and Water Company pioneers the first use of cold fusion technology, which produces fresh water from salt water as a by-product.
◾ The Lord Protector's office (England) drafts the Magical Practitioners Registration Bill, which Parliament passes into law.

2028Edit
◾ A major earthquake hits L.A., destroying LAX.
◾ Cambridge institutes a magical studies program.
◾ Britain withdraws from the European Economic Community (EEC)
◾ November: Andrew McAlister is elected the 47th President of the United States.

2029Edit
◾ Sony Cybersystems, Fuchi Industrial Electronics, and RCA-Unisys develop prototype cyberterminals.
◾ CIA, FBI, and NSA begin Echo Mirage project.
◾ The Salish-Sidhe Council (SSC) opens its borders to all metahumans (not just Native Americans). The Sinsearach elf tribe is founded in the southern region.

Computer Crash
◾ Feb 8: the Crash of '29 ◾ Aug: presidential emergency order drafts hotshot corp and university hackers into Echo Mirage. 32 graduate training. First-generation cyberterminals are room-sized and require a sensory deprivation tank.
◾ Eighteen minutes after engaging the virus, four members of Echo Mirage were dead. When the data logs were analyzed, two things became apparent: First, the virus program could induce lethal biofeedback in humans accessing the Matrix. Second, no existing computer security could even slow down someone using a cyberterminal.


2030–2039Edit

2030Edit
◾ Ghoul nation of Asamando founded in Africa.
◾ Oct 15: Act of Union signed in Washington D.C., Canada and the US merge into the UCAS. ◾ U.S. President Andrew McAlister becomes the first President of the UCAS
◾ Canadian Prime Minister Harold Frazier becomes the first UCAS Vice-President

◾ Awakened forces in Russia seize Siberia
◾ Brian O'Malley is shot and killed in his home by Yakuza assassins. A retaliatory hit the next day kills the Yakuza oyabun responsible, along with his lieutenants. Losses on both sides of the Mafia/Yakuza conflict result in a truce. Patrick Finnigan becomes capo of his family and the Don of Seattle.

2031Edit
◾ Beginning of the Euro-Wars
◾ Late: Echo Mirage finishes off the virus (7 survivors). ◾ Second-generation cyberterminals are desk-sized.

◾ James O'Malley, capo of Milwaukee and Brian's older brother, becomes obsessed with revenge against the Yakuza. He neglects his city's operations so dramatically that the Commissione strips him of his position and forces him to retire.

2032Edit
◾ President Andrew McAlister and Vice-President Harold Frazier win the first UCAS-wide election, keeping them in office.

2033Edit
◾ Jan 23: Nightwraith airstrike. Fighter-bombers attack key C&C centers on all sides of the Euro-Wars, bringing the fighting to a screeching halt. Whodunit? Swedish air surveillance implies that the aircraft were of UK origin, but this is denied by the government.
◾ Nanosecond Buyout: Damien Knight takes control of Ares.
◾ To rebuild gumis nearly crippled in the conflicts with the Mafia, the Japanese Yakuza send a new upper echelon of Koreans to Seattle. These Korean leaders begin aggressively reclaiming lost territory.

[Crashtastic]

2034Edit
◾ Amazonia founded.
◾ CAS secede from the UCAS.
◾ Aztlan withdraws from the STC and the NAN.
◾ South Florida joins the Caribbean League.
◾ Richard Villiers becomes one-third of Fuchi Industrial Elec. ◾ May: Matrix Systems, Boston, releases first gray-market cyberterminal.
◾ Jun: Matrix Systems suffers a computer crash and its two primary shareholders die in "unrelated accidents".
◾ Jul: Richard Villiers, the remaining majority shareholder, buys into Fuchi with the Matrix Systems technology.

◾ Dec 25: Formation of Tir Na nOg announced.

2035Edit
◾ Mar: Liam O'Connor becomes State President of Tir Na nOg.
◾ The Ceneste branch of the Sinsearach elves establish the elven nation of Tir Tairngire (TT).
◾ TT secedes from the Native American Nations.
◾ Lugh Surehand appointed High Prince of TT.
◾ Tsimshian secedes from the NAN.
◾ Aztlan invades Texas, capturing the cities of Austin and San Antonio. The CAS refuses to support Texan resistance, causing Texas to secede (briefly, they were re-admitted 4 months later).

2036Edit
◾ UCAS Pres. McAlister withdraws all federal support from CA after they threaten secession. Seeya!
◾ Tir Tairngire invades south to Redding.
◾ Aztlan invades north to San Diego.
◾ Japan takes control of San Francisco.
◾ Alamos 20,000 claims responsibility for the firebombing of a town in rural Ohio, their first public atrocity. 20 people (mostly metahuman) die.
◾ 14th Amendment to the UCAS Constitution: SINs.
◾ Fuchi markets 3rd-generation cyberdeck, desktop CDT-1000.
◾ Akiko Kano and Arthur White-Eagle earn the Nobel Prize for the "Kano-White Eagle Theory of Metaphysical Phenomena".
◾ Regeneration and transformation of regional forests begins in Scotland.
◾ November: Martin Vincenzo (Technocrat) and Vernon Washington (Republican) are elected the 2nd President and Vice-President of the UCAS

2037Edit
◾ Emotive simsense. Hello, BTL!
◾ Denver Data Haven shows up in the shadows. (Physical location: the old USAF Academy in Colorado Springs).
◾ DocWagon founded.
◾ Lofwyr announces 63% ownership of Saeder-Krupp, votes himself chairman of the board, president, and CEO.
◾ Guerilla warfare in northern California pushes Tir Tairngire back north as far as Yreka. The territory between Redding and Yreka becomes neutral ground, claimed by both sides.
◾ Wolves and bears are restored to the Scottish Wild Lands.
◾ First North American Urban Brawl championship, "Super Brawl"

2039Edit

Night of Rage
◾ Feb 7: Thousands of metas, friends & family, and wannabes die in global riots. ◾ New York City: 836 dead.
◾ Seattle: "Hands of Five" terrorist group firebombs the metahuman detention center on the Tacoma docks.

◾ Feb 10: Alamos 20K destroys the Sears Tower in Chicago.
◾ St. Patricks Day: Boston, Knights of the Red Branch bomb an elven restaurant on the parade route, killing 24 and inciting a race riot that claimed hundreds more.
◾ Nadja Daviar becomes the Dunkelzahn's third interpreter.
◾ Charleston, South Carolina: Serial killer caught and convicted on evidence obtained from a ghost.
◾ Fuchi sponsors the Universal Matrix Specifications (UMS) conference, Tokyo.
◾ A massive chemical spill kills 70,000 people in Teeside, England.

2040–2049Edit

2040Edit
◾ Southern Africa unites into Azanian Alliance, composed of the Cape Republic, Oranje-Vrystaat, Trans-Swazi Federation, and Zulu Nation.
◾ Renraku Arcology in Seattle begins construction.
◾ The Universal Brotherhood opens shop (CFS in '42, Seattle in '45)
◾ November: Carl Preston is elecetd the 3rd President of the UCAS

2041Edit
◾ EuroAir Flight 329 from London to Atlanta destroyed by Sirrurg.
◾ Yamatetsu elbows its way into the Big Seven, becoming the Eighth major megacorp.
◾ Policlubs appear in Europe.

2042Edit
◾Dunkelzahn begins semi-annual "Wyrm Talk"
◾ Akira Watada, oyabun of the Watada-rengo, issues an ultimatum to the Korean oyabuns of Seattle. They must pledge their loyalty to the Watada rengo or suffer the consequences.
◾ Ares project: Cydonia discovers Operation Discovery crash, Veil agents engineer a hoax to cover it: The cheesy UFO photo made public 15 years later by Dunkelzahn's Will.
◾ Liam O'Connor (President of Tir Na nOg) disappears from public life.
◾ First biannual international Urban Brawl World Cup

2043Edit
◾ Jan: Watada-rengo assassins invade Seattle and kill the vast majority of the Seattle Yakuza's Korean leadership. The survivors are forced to pledge loyalty to the Japanese rengo or be executed. New Japanese managers are put in place, and within a few weeks the Japanese once again control the Seattle Yakuza.
◾ Former Korean Yakuza oyabun Park Jai Kyu begins organizing the Seoulpa Rings in Seattle with the help of his remaining contacts and followers. The concept catches fire and begins to spread through the metroplex and the rest of North America.
◾ Rhiannon Glendower becomes Countess of Snowdon.
◾ Gwynedd elves make major advances in Welsh regional parliament.

2044Edit
◾ Hanzo Shotozumi is appointed the oyabun of the 87th Prefecture in Seattle. He re-institutes and enforces traditional Yakuza ways and values, and begins an aggressive campaign to expand Yakuza operations in the Pacific Northwest.
◾ November: Carl Preston is reelected President of the UCAS

2045Edit
◾ Don Patrick Finnigan is failing to hold the line against Yakuza encroachment in the Seattle metroplex, and so the Commissione calls Don James O'Malley out of enforced retirement to resume control of Seattle operations. O'Malley is appointed Don of Seattle specifically to slow Yakuza growth in the metroplex. He, his wife, and his 15-year-old daughter Rowena move to Seattle.
◾ The Seoulpa Rings start making a name for themselves in the Seattle underworld as their operations expand; they begin to encroach on the markets of the other syndicates.

2045–47Edit
◾ Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua are accepted into the Aztlaner republic.

2046Edit
◾ A team of rogue deckers erases the results of California's gubernatorial election, allegedly aided by a Los Angeles street gang. The so-called Lost Election prompts the government to declare war on the "criminal element" in Los Angeles, sending army and corporate mercenary troops to raze El Infierno. After fighting a losing battle, California's central government declares Los Angeles a Free City.
◾ VITAS outbreak in Tynesprawl (England) kills 120,000. Believed to be the work of unidentified eco-terrorists.

2048Edit
◾ Panama admitted into Aztlan.
◾ Aztlan (Aztechnology) nationalizes all foreign businesses. Corp Court authorizes a joint corporate military strike, "Operation Reciprocity", against Aztechnology—the first known Omega Order. The end result is a classic "half a baby" decision—Aztlan allows foreign companies to maintain subsidiaries, but requires that the nominal holders must be Aztlan citizens.
◾ Veracruz Settlement: Aztechnology pays reparations.
◾ Panama canal becomes a Pan-Corporate Zone under the Corp Court
◾ Colbert Group CEO Alan Adams is elected president of the UCAS.
◾ November: Alan Adams (Democrat) and Thomas Steele (Technocrat) are elecetd the 4th President and Vice-President of the UCAS

2049Edit
◾Renraku develops first Semi-Autonomous Knowbot (SK)
◾Aztlan and Amazonia squabble over Colombia and Venezuela

2050–2059Edit

2050Edit
◾ Seventh generation cyberdeck are keyboard size.

2052Edit
◾ 2XS, BTL with a kick. ◾ Bioware hits the public market

◾ Seattle-Tir Tairngire trade agreement, by which Seattle becomes the Tir's major port.
◾ November: Alan Adams and Thomas Steele are reelected President and Vice-President of the UCAS

[Crashtastic]

Only took the history to 2050 as this is the period this game will be set in. Frakkin love this game.

[p : saturn burg]

This is exactly the kind of answer I wanted, thank you so much.

[Crashtastic]

Np, glad to help.

[3BoxesofOrden]

Here is a link to a good source of game world information that is linked to from shadowrun.com
https://s3.amazonaws.com/ch_shadowrun/shadowrun_primer.pdf