That's an awesome idea. (Commenting mostly to subscribe for Cirion's follow-up comments, but I really do like the idea.)

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope each of you has a better year than the one we left behind.

Thanks for taking the time to put these questions together, @Lilac!


My immediate plans are to catch up on sleep and media! This campaign has consumed all of my leisure hours, and I haven’t had time to watch movies or TV shows, play games, or even go out much. I’m really looking forward to being a fan again.

I don’t have any specific plans for the future. Making things is fun, and I’m sure I’ll do it again, but it won’t be Shadowrun UGC. I have a homebrew setting that’s been percolating for a while, and other settings I enjoy, so once I get inspired I’ll be off to something new.


I was curious and bored. I was one of the original Kickstarter backers for Shadowrun Returns, both because I enjoyed the old-school games and because the mission creator sounded cool. I’ve modded games for years, and was impressed by how much functionality HBS added to the editor. I made the original Antumbra just as an experiment to see what was possible, people liked it, and I kept on going!


Before I started creating UGC, I only knew Shadowrun from the video games, which are some of my favorite games ever. They were my first exposure to cyberpunk, and significantly influenced my understanding of what RPGs could do in non-fantasy settings.

Since then, I’ve devoured many of the pen-and-paper source books and other resources, both for inspiration and to ensure I’m fitting into the Sixth World canon as much as possible. I’ve come to love the setting even more: it’s an incredibly rich source of themes that feel very relevant to our contemporary times.


I definitely didn’t plan to create a trilogy when I started! All along I’ve tried to give a satisfying conclusion at the end of each campaign, since I never knew if I would continue it. At the same time, I’ve always been careful to plant seeds in each campaign that I could grow and harvest in later chapters.

The original Antumbra was set in Seattle, since that’s the setting I was most familiar with. Seattle felt… crowded, if that’s the right word. There are many existing games and canon stories set in that city, and a lot of other UGC creators telling their own stories there, and it’s challenging to avoid contradicting other plots with my own.

So I started looking around for other areas in the Sixth World to continue my story. I live in San Francisco so that was the first area I researched; fortunately, CalFree has a long and very well-developed history that provided a lot of inspiration, but it isn’t as popular as other cities like Seattle and Denver, so I also had a lot of freedom in inventing new characters and plots and weaving them into the existing canon.

The background for Antumbra Saga and The Caldecott Caper mostly came from California Free State[drivethrurpg.com], while CalFree in Chains mostly came from Threats 2[www.abebooks.com], with some additional content from Year of the Comet[drivethrurpg.com]. I was aware of the later events before then, though, so Saito has been a constant presence in these games despite not being named until the later source books.

The Shadowrun world is a mirror of our own, and I like creating campaigns that let me explore themes that I’m struggling with in the real world. Again, this is one thing that I think is particularly compelling about this setting: it’s science fiction, but very relatable.


There isn’t any cut content in terms of levels or characters that I created and then removed from the game. There are always some things that I brainstorm in the very early planning phases that don’t make it into the final game, but they’re cut before I start actually making it. The major change for CalFree in Chains was my original ending, which was a lot bleaker than the current one, in a “rocks fall everyone dies” way. I think everyone’s happy about that cut!

In the previous campaigns, the biggest change was the climax of Antumbra Saga. My original vision had the final battle take place on the summit of Mount Shasta, but mountains are very hard to do in isometric engines, so I had to change it. That didn’t have a huge effect on the story, though.

Because I’ve been making these campaigns for so long, I’ve gotten pretty good at anticipating what will be hard and how long things will take, so I’m able to create a realistic plan at the start that’s actually achievable. That keeps me from needing to cut content later on, or planning to do something that later turns out to be impossible.


I create the maps, write the dialogue, design the combat, script the triggers, create the cut-scenes, and do all the tiny invisible things that go into making a game. I don’t create any of the art or sound effects, don’t customize enemy AI, and don’t modify the underlying game engine. My best guess is that Antumbra Saga took around 1000 hours, The Caldecott Caper took around 800, and CalFree in Chains took around 1000.


Start small! Make something tiny but complete, and polish it until you’re happy with it. It will take you a lot longer than you think. This will help you understand what is possible and impossible in the Shadowrun engine and give you a more realistic understanding of how long it will take you.

The best place to get started is probably the editor wiki[shadowrun.gamepedia.com], which includes links to some useful tutorials, videos, and other resources.

Finally: I don’t want to be discouraging, but do consider whether you actually want to make Shadowrun UGC. If you specifically want to tell a Shadowrun story, then this is the perfect place for it. If you just want to create a story, though, there might be better options. By using the Shadowrun editor, you’re accepting additional limitations and challenges, in exchange for a robust system and a ton of great artwork.


I’m a big fan of romance in video games, particularly the arcs in BioWare RPGs. During the Hong Kong kickstarter, I was sad to see so many other backers vociferously attacking the very idea of romance in a Shadowrun game, claiming that it couldn’t exist in this kind of setting. I like romance, and Shadowrun, and would like to see more of both, so I decided that I’d make my own.

I’d never written any romance before, in any medium. I wanted to do something a bit different for these games: it seems relatively easy to fall in love with, say, a slender elven maiden or a ruggedly handsome prince, but those aren’t the kind of characters Shadowrun is about. I thought it would be an interesting challenge to try and make players fall in love with characters who had horns or tusks or scaly skin. That’s part of what’s so fantastic about Shadowrun: metahumans are humans, the same as you and me, they just look different on the outside. My hope is that players will see past surface appearances and connect with the person who lies within. If they can do that, I believe the affection will be stronger and more enduring than if it was just based on their outside looks.


Sad, but not horrible.

I wrote and deleted two different responses to the second part of your question, both of which were true but neither of which were complete. For now I'll just say that it was necessary for the story I had to tell.


This may sound cliche, but is completely heartfelt: thank you so much for playing in my world! Each of us only has so much time in our days, and it’s gratifying that you’ve chosen to spend it exploring the stuff that came out of my brain. It means a lot to me to see people responding to the characters and themes of these games. Thank you!








You did not disappoint, Cirion. :)
Now I guess I'll have to make another UGC.... And try not to compare it to the bar that you've set (and raised, then retraised, and now reraised again)

I've played through several runs on the mod and these are all questions about the endings. Spoiler Warning. For all these questions, please use your Voice of God. hahaha, I'd like to hear your thinking


1) To live and fight another day or go out like Christ? What made more of an impact on the world, the Conqueror of Camelot's self sacrifice or having him/her being able to lead the charge on the ground afterwards?

I personally feel that the realistic notion is that having the hero still be on the ground, fighting and leading against Saito, was more effective and realistic. But the ending where he/she let the rest of the team go to earth and self sacrificed, based on your writing, sounded like the Conqueror going out like a Jesus Christ figure had an even bigger impact. Dorbi's eulogy especially made me rethink my choices and what would be the best thing to do in the end.

What do you think? Which had more of a positive impact on the world?


2) Hestaby This would be the 2nd time we've seen Hestaby get saved by people. Dragonfall was the first time (if you didn't let the AI take over her body). Exactly how great is this dragon? If she keeps needing to get saved... Are satellites the real solution to the world's Dragon problem? Does Hestaby make her declaration in the off screen funerals for all the non Conqueror characters if they made the sacrifice? The final text made no mention of Hestaby or her forces doing anything to help Calfree in the end.


3) Let down After all that work, Saito still wasn't taken out. It felt very off and unfulfilling even though what you wrote wasn't unrealistic. Despots are usually never where you expect them to be. How did the people of Calfree and PU, especially, feel about going through all that, having one of their own or their leaders go down... and Saito still be alive? Yeah a seat of power was destroyed but... it's just one building. No wonder he was able to stick around


4) Decision making. Choosing who to make the sacrifice, i thought of things like this:

Oni: He became an insanely great fighter in the end, is a 'mascot' for the PU being so rare and also could become a metahuman ambassador to the Japanese Empire, who could work hand in hand with Japanese Rigger, as the human ambassador. Those two could go far in helping matters during the revolution and post-Saito relations with the Japanese.

Kora: Can't kill her, she is a leader and teacher in the PU. Losing her would be heartbreaking. Especially with the hell she went through in Caldecott Caper. No way. If she did get sacrificed, I would've loved it if Rafik was there to be with her in the bridge at the end! But no. No way. Lady was even concerned about me getting STDs from Dorbi! I love her.

Emo Adept/Wizard: Was very emo. Good hearted. kept the team from never having to worry about being hurt (after i lent her heal 2). Absolutely useless with a sword/knife. Didn't see her having a major role to play for the PU or the fight going forwards. I sacrificed her if I didn't do it myself.

That's the reasonings I went through but does my head canon jive with your own visions of their futures?


5) PU How come, even with the help of everyone to save the PU from the onslaught, and doing everything I can to save them, the PU had to be abandoned? My feeling was that even with the location known, Saito's forces failed to take it and wouldn't be able to take it after the orbital strike. Between all the groups and corps comming into the rescue, the PU's location would've been safe for the rest of the war. And all my work in making that ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ nightclub wouldn't have been for nothing!


6) Notoriety. How could it be possible for anyone in the PU adverstising do any shadowrunning or skulk around if they had their images blasted throughout the matrix as the leaders of the Resistance?

7) Gavin How come we can give the Human Society guy the goods on Gavin twice?


comment: I also felt that there should've been a massive battle at the rocket site. Like the team would've had to clawed their way into the rocket ship and blasted off in the last second. BUT you put in an already crazy amount of time and effort on this so it's completely understandable. In my own head canon, there was a massive fight.


Just joking but not really: Does having sex with Dorbi create a shadow assassin which she sends out to kill her enemies?

Game of Thrones, y'all: Cause that would mean Saito was never really her enemy at all! This was one big con she was playing on all of us this whole time!!!
*THUNDERCLAP*

@djtrainwreckx: Wow, congrats! You're one of only a couple of people I know who have finished the campaign multiple times, way to go.

Unfortunately, God will need to remain silent for most of these questions. I think that the answers players come up with on their own are more interesting and meaningful than the ones handed down from on high, and I don't want to interfere with anyone's enjoyment by proclaiming something the "right" or "wrong" solution. That said, I am very interested in hearing what choices people made and their reasons for doing so. It might be good to start a separate spoiler thread for that sort of discussion between players.

A few specific comments that (hopefully) won't ruin any magic:


You reference Dragonfall; are you referring to Feuerschwinge? In my head-canon Feuerschwinge and Hestaby are sisters, but they are separate creatures. Hestaby only speaks at the funeral under certain circumstances.


Good point - this makes sense if you killed Beaumont on Treasure Island, but is odd if you let him live. I'll take another pass at this.

Thanks again for writing this up, I've enjoyed reading your thoughts and rationale. I'm always glad to see that players are engaged with the story and thinking carefully about their decisions.

Political themes run through nearly everything in this adventure. I'd say it was a truer representation of rebellion and revolution than the one given in Dragonfall.

Is this down to research on your part, or have you immersed yourself in politics and activism outside of Shadowrun? (I liked the subtle nods to things like Homage to Catalonia)

Is there a real place or scene that influenced your depiction of the PU?

How would you describe your own politics, or, if that's too personal a question, which character or situation do you feel best reflects them?

Do you feel the PU's lack of decision making structures or formal roles (even non-hierarchical ones), led to a 'tyranny of structurelessness', ie an unofficial clic rising to the top on the basis of charisma, energy and 'veterancy'? If so do you reckon this will be to their benefit or detriment in the long run? After all the leaders of the leaderness may not always be as pure as those depicted during the players adventures. (feel free to skip that one).

Finally, I write for an Anarchist print & electronic magazine, and either the summer or autumn issue will feature games and media. Would you be happy for a review/write up of this one to be included? If there's anything you want to say about it let me know!

@Dark EtheR: I dig your avatar!

Much of the rebellion and revolution comes from the original lore of the pen-and-paper source books, especially California Free State[www.drivethrurpg.com] and Threats 2[www.scribd.com]. Those books explore the resistance groups like the MPA, PU, October 25 Alliance, and their various tactics and aims. I fleshed out the details, but the original FASA authors deserve credit for setting the tone.

I read Homage to Catalonia in high school and it had a significant impact on my thinking; recent events in America and Europe have rekindled my appreciation for the book. I'm only loosely involved in activism outside of Shadowrun, not in any sort of leadership capacity but I think it's very important to stand up and be physically present for things that matter.

The physical space for the People's University is loosely based off the Berkeley Public Library[www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org].

My politics are always evolving... I'm more radical now than I was two years ago, and I'm humble enough to recognize that I don't have all the answers today. Oddly enough, the character that best reflects my personal politics is probably Desorn, but that doesn't mean it's the correct or the best politics.

I'll have to pass on the PU's lack of decision-making: that's a fantastic question, but one that I'd prefer players to answer on their own.

I would be honored for this campaign to be included in your magazine! Please send me a link and I'll keep an eye open for it.

Thanks for the responses! I'll keep you posted on when the relevent issue of the magazine is coming together

Hey Cirion:

Do you have any plans on makeing any more mods, or possibly adding some romance options to Dragonfall or Hongkong, feel like a lot of people out their would like that?

@Nyx Avatar: I don't plan to make any more mods. I'm definitely done with Shadowrun modding; I might mod for some other platform in the future, or more likely work on a stand-alone game. Either way, I'll let folks know if and when I have something new to share!

I agree that romance options in DF or HK would have been fantastic. That was part of my motivation for making these campaigns in the first place, to add a romantic dimension to this setting. But it would be hard to add these now as mods. The Shadowrun mod system is different from, say, Skyrim or Fallout, and isn't really set up to expand existing content. Even if it was, it would feel weird to add new dialogue to characters who were written by someone else. Adding new romanceable characters would be better, but then it would be challenging to integrate them into the story in a meaningful way.

Bottom line, I'm not optimistic that anyone will do this... but if someone does, I'd love to check it out!

Is it all right if I ask about solving quests and whatnot here? The FAQ ropic's locked, and it isn't a bug, so... yeah. Anyway, I'm in the missile base with the novascorpions right now, and I'm wondering if it's possible to save the Tir elves from the scorps and not have to fight them. I mean, I can take them on, no probs Bob, but I've finished the campaign once, and I recall that in the optional mission where you have to get the magic wood that lets you cast in space, one of the elves attacking me called me out on not saving their buddies. Is this just typical elven hypocrisy at work, or can I get the elves in the missile base out?

@mvctar.avrelivs: Sure, ask away! It might be worth starting a new thread if there are a bunch of quest questions, but otherwise this is a fine place to ask.

You can spare the first elf you meet if you can speak Sperethiel, either by being an elf or having the Academic etiquette. You must fight the remaining elves in the bunker, though: they're more dedicated to their mission than he is. The dialogue with the Tir Ghosts at Sutro Baths will change slightly if you spare the first one, but, y'know, never trust an elf. They'll attack you regardless.

I love your attention to detail on stuff like that... Makes me want to make another campaign... and then reminds me that I'll still feel inferior afterwards. So thank you, and I hate you rolled into one?

:D

Late to the party as usual but I've completed the final run yesterday and man, what a run it was! If this is to be the last entry into the CalFree Saga, it is a great ending, albeit a bittersweet one.

I've never heard of Invocation Array before this mod but after playing I definitely think that their tracks were the right choice for the music, they really help reinforce the general theme of the story.

I always get a Bioware vibe from your mods (Dragon Age Origins is probably one of my favorite RPGs of all time) and it was no different this time. The ending especially felt like a mix between the ultimate sacrifice of the Warden Commander in the fight against the archdemon and a (far better) version of Mass Effect 3's controversial color choice. I also like how you managed to include so many characters from the previous mods, even the old PCs.

Also, I think I spotted a random BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD in one of the dialogue options and the masterplan of Saito and Lofwyr with the whole Orbital Bombardment stuff also felt very 40k-ish to me. I think I even uttered a "Let the Galaxy burn" during the final showdown hehe. As you can probably tell from my avatar, I'm a big Warhammer 40k fan myself and during my playthough I've been wondering whether you've also gazed into the grim darkness of the far future?

On a differnt topic, I always felt like Dorbi's story arc mirrors that of Thorin Oakenshield from the Hobbit and not just because of the obvious Queen under the Mountain title. After all, she became obsessed with power after meeting Hestaby and I wondered whether this was a deliberate play at the "Dragon Sickness" mentioned in the Hobbit, although of course said sickness was more tied to gold than power. I may be overthinking here, but she was funny nevertheless.

@Klotz Van Ziegelstein: Congratulations on completing the final run, I'm glad you enjoyed your time here!

So happy to hear that you're digging IA! I first fell in love with them when I heard their track Overdrive, which is a straight-up homage to Shadowrun. And I agree, I think their lyrics are a great thematic match as well.

Yes, I'm a huge fan of BioWare; Baldur's Gate 2 is probably my favorite RPG, but DA:O is close behind. I always thought that the Ultimate Sacrifice and the Dark Ritual were, individually, fascinating choices, but when taken together they canceled each other out and removed the tension from what could have been compelling dilemmas. I will never not perform the ritual.

On the other hand, I'm actually not very familiar with Warhammer 40k, and only know the elements of it that have crept into popular culture. That particular quote has always resonated with me, so I shamelessly stole/paid-tribute-to it.

That's an interesting thought regarding Tolkien... the title was definitely a riff on the great dwarven kings. I wasn't intending a parallel with Thorin in particular. There are some similarities, but the biggest difference is probably that Dorbi won't be content to be the queen under the mountain: she won't be satisfied until she rules the entire world.

Thanks again for writing, I enjoyed hearing your thoughts!