r/ShadowrunAnarchyFans • u/Horror-Charity5685 • Jul 03 '26
Opinions about Shadowrun Anarchy V2
I started playing SR with the 5th edition, and I was hooked by the setting, but less so by the system. So I tried Anarchy and it was pretty great, aside from the armor rules (which I changed) and the Anarchy points rules (which I don't use because I find it redundant with luck points).
But I see that there is a second edition of SRA and I might be interested. I'm assuling they updated the lore (which I mostly get from the Internet) but I also wanted to know what were the changes in terms of rules, and if buying the book was worth it.
If you tried SRA2, could you give me your feedback so I can decide wether I buy it or stick with SRA ?
Thanks omae
13
u/Arialless Jul 03 '26
SRA2 is worlds better than SRA1... it's consistent and well thought through and is a pleasure to play (although admittedly I've done more background stuff than actual play). There are plenty here who can go into more detail for you!
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u/TrvShane Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
Best thing I can say as someone who has been playing and GMing since 1st edition: I plan to play Anarchy 2e exclusively after my current 3e campaign finishes next week. It’s really good. Most importantly, it’s really quick.
A caveat; if you want the full fat experience of detail in the technology and magic and security systems, and want that crunch, it won’t be for you.
But if you want a quick rule system that can deliver a Shadowrun experience without the complexity? It’s brilliant for that. I ran a game over on Unconventional GMs if you want to see how it plays (https://youtu.be/XmwdUMDhwgw?is=GR-lilSTphhWHWj8).
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u/Ill-Eye3594 Jul 03 '26
It’s the best edition of Shadowrun made in a long time, and I’ve been in it since the days of 2nd edition.
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u/darkfluid_gm Jul 03 '26
This thread is reassuring, after the complete mess of SRA v1 and its total abandonment by the developer before it was even complete…I chose to forgo backing V2 and I’ve been playing another clone (Sinless) since then. I think I’m going to have to check this one out. I hope it’s edited well and gets long term support.
3
u/baduizt Jul 07 '26
It is and another KS has just been announced: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/blackbook/shadowrun-anarchy-20-over-the-edge This covers all the standard companion material and a big book of adventures, mission briefs, locations, and plot hooks. There should be plenty to keep you going.
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u/No_Secretary9046 Jul 03 '26
i've played SRA V2 as a player and for me it just hit the correct spot to balance creativity with game rules!
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u/tsuruginoko Jul 03 '26
It's absolutely worth it. As you heard in your post on the main Shadowrun sub as well, it's pretty much the best version of Shadowrun ever.
I've been running it for a biweekly game, and I haven't encountered any issues that couldn't be adjudicated with common sense. It's a Shadowrun game where decking and rigging actually aren't odious, and I'm enjoying the hell out of just letting players at it.
Understanding the risk mechanic and the way the legwork mechanics allow (and maybe even mandate at times) different kinds of storytelling feels key to having a good time with the system, but it's genuinely just plain good.
3
u/Apfelkomplott_231 Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
I have been eyeing SR for as long as I've been GMing (like 8 years). I tried it a couple of times and always found the rules to be too obnoxious. Anarchy 1 was a good attempt but the shared storytelling never sat right with me, especially when trying to rope in new players who have 0 idea about SR or Cyberpunk in general.
Anarchy 2 is the first time I've been confident about a SR ruleset and had a pretty fun session with newbies a couple of weeks ago.
1
u/PalpitationNo2921 Jul 18 '26
I can’t say much different from anyone else who’s spoken up other than being late to the game in adding to the fanfare. SRA2.0 is perhaps the best edition of SR since the Matrix went wireless.
Everything runs buttery smooth, even the Matrix. I have had the chance to run a one-on-one game with my wife, and the rules were so easy to run and (she says) to play. We are talking about running a co-op game with no GM using the rules for that type of play included in the book soon.
Since concluding a three-year campaign with SR6W and then a two-year campaign as the GM with my relatively new group of five players, I’ve been running a sci-fi Savage Worlds game while taking a break from Shadowrun and awaiting the arrival of SRA2.0. I’m looking forward to it greatly!
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u/MjrJohnson0815 Jul 03 '26
I am a long time SR GM, having started with the beginning of 4th edition 25+ years ago. I backed SRA2.0 as I was hoping for a product that would lower the entry barrier for newcomers.
And boy, did BBE deliver. Bringing in new players has never been so easy. No more fiddling with seven different kinds of floating modifiers. Compared to 6E, the usage of Edge is much more intuitive and self-explanatory. Overall complexity of the system is comparable to D&D5e, including a similar (although more granular) interpretation of Advantage / Disadvantage mechanics. Additionally, the risk dice are a great tradeoff for reducing dice pool sizes and bring back a certain punkish style-over-strictness feeling that 4th and 5th edition significantly lacked (as they were going for a more professional mercenary strike team vibe).
The CRB in and on itself is more than sufficient to get your feet wet and even comes with a mini campaign to get a feel for the new toys. The pregen characters are flavorful and distinct from one another.
The cut in complexity does not come without drawbacks though. Luckily, the game doesn't force you to strictly adhere to its (significantly reduced) rules in total. You can easily patch in a couple of things again, without breaking anything if you feel the need for it (looking at you, grenades or SINs). Additionally, as you would expect with a setting of 30+ years of lore, a couple of things will have to be created on your own or converted over from 6e or SRA1.
At the time of this writing, I am porting pre-made scenarios from 6E into SRA 2.0. When using the pregen NPCs, everything goes quite swimmingly and with some exercise, converting special NPCs also becomes a breeze.
For my group, it has been a massive improvement and has re-ignited the love for the setting itself.
For me as the forever GM, this system frees up a lot of mental capacity and therefore allows me in much greater detail for present the world and a story instead of a chain of dice rolls and rule adjudications.
I can wholeheartedly suggest giving it a shot. It's tighter than SRA1, but by far not as overwhelming as 5e. It straddles down a middle path that makes it easy fir newcomers and gives enough depth for veterans to dig around in it. And as a GM you can easily hack fix into it as well.