The core rulebook for Shadowrun 3rd Edition was released in 1998. In-game timeline is set from 2060 onwards.
Publications were released by FASA Corporation (between 1998 and 2001) and Fantasy Productions LLC (between 2001 and 2005).
Rules[]
Third Edition rules were very similar to those of Second Edition. Major changes included:
- Troll and Elf metatypes could be picked as Priority C, and Dwarf and Ork as Priority D during character creation, instead of Priority A.
- Characters can have Knowledge Skills. Character creation rules grant a number of points based on the Intelligence attribute to acquire them. They can be raised using Karma as other skills, now called Active Skills, but at a lower cost.
- Defaulting no longer uses a Skill Web. Skills can be defaulted only to a given set of related skills or to an Attribute.
- During a Combat Turn, all characters would act by descending Initiative Score before subtracting 10 for additional Initiative Passes. As a result, characters with high Initiative Score would not get more than one Initiative Pass before slower character get their.
- Magical Initiation start at Grade 1, instead of Grade 0.
- Matrix Nodes of various types (CPU, SAN, SPU, etc.) were replaced by multi-purpose Hosts.
Setting[]
The Third Edition timeline covers the years 2060 to 2065, starting after the dissolution of Fuchi Industrial Electronics and after Wuxing Incorporated, Novatech and Cross Applied Technologies joined the Corporate Court (events that were described in the Second Edition supplement Blood in the Boardroom). The final supplement for Third Edition is System Failure, which describes how Novatech's Initial Public Offering, a major terrorist attack by Winternight, and Deus' attempt at reforming itself lead to the Crash 2.0 of 2064.
Third Edition supplements include Shadows of North America, Shadows of Europe, and Shadows of Asia. Work started on a supplement titled Shadows of Latin America but its release was cancelled. Those supplements were Shadowrun's first attempt at mapping and covering the world and 21st century history more thoroughly (later completed by the Fourth Edition supplement Sixth World Almanac).
Staff[]
Design, writing, and development of Third Edition were led by Michael Mulvihill and Robert Boyle at FASA Corporation. Rob Boyle later became the Shadowrun Line Developer at FanPro.
Supplements[]
Name | Release Date | Setting Date | Book Type |
---|---|---|---|
Shadowrun Third Edition | 1998-Sep-?? | 2060-???-?? | Core |
Renraku Arcology: Shutdown | 1998-Nov-?? | 2060-Feb-10 | Plot Adventure |
Game Master's Screen Third Edition Critters |
1998-Dec-?? | 2060-???-?? | Core Core Expansion |
Magic in the Shadows | 1998-???-?? | 2060-???-?? | Core Expansion |
Shadowrun Third Edition Quick Start Rules | 1999-???-?? | 2060-???-?? | Core |
New Seattle | 1999-Mar-?? | 2060-???-?? | Setting |
Shadowrun Companion Revised | 1999-Mar-?? | 2060-???-?? | Core Expansion |
Corporate Download | 1999-Sep-?? | 2061-Feb-26 2061-Apr-21 |
Plot Setting |
First Run | 1999-???-?? | 2060-???-?? | Adventure |
Man & Machine: Cyberware | 2000-May-?? | 2061-???-?? | Core Expansion |
Corporate Punishment | 2000-???-?? | 2061-???-?? | Adventure |
Cannon Companion | 2000-Jul-?? | 2061-???-?? | Core Expansion |
Brainscan | 2000-???-?? | 2061-???-?? | Plot Adventure |
Matrix | 2000-Aug-?? | 2061-???-?? | Core Expansion |
Target: Matrix | 2000-???-?? | 2061-Aug-01 | Setting |
Year of the Comet | 2000-Sep-?? | 2061-Jan-01 2062-Mar-17 |
Core Expansion Plot |
Rigger 3 | 2001-Jan-?? | 2061-???-?? | Core Expansion |
Target: Awakened Lands | 2001-???-?? | 2062-Jun-12 2062-Jun-21 |
Setting |
Threats 2 | 2001-???-?? | 2061-Dec-30 2062-Jul-11 |
Resource |
Shadows of North America | 2001-???-?? | 2062-Aug-14 | Setting |
Target: Wastelands | 2002-Jul-?? | 2062-Sep-16 | Setting |
Wake of the Comet | 2002-???-?? | 2061-???-?? | Adventure |
Rigger 3 Revised | 2002-???-?? | 2061-???-?? | Core Expansion |
State of the Art: 2063 | 2002-???-?? | 2061-Jan-05 | Core Expansion |
Survival of the Fittest | 2002-???-?? | 2062-Jun-?? 2063-Feb-?? |
Adventure |
Dragons of the Sixth World | 2003-???-?? | 2063-Feb-16 | Setting |
Sprawl Survival Guide | 2003-???-?? | 2063-Apr-30 | Setting |
Shadowrun Character Dossier | 2003-???-?? | 2064-???-?? | Resource |
Shadows of Europe | 2004-???-?? | 2063-???-?? | Setting |
State of the Art: 2064 | 2004-???-?? | 2063-Dec-20 | Core Expansion |
Mr. Johnson's Little Black Book | 2004-Aug-?? | 2064-???-?? | Core Expansion |
Loose Alliances | 2005-Apr-?? | 2064-Feb-19 | Setting |
Shadows of Asia | 2005-May-?? | 2064-Apr-02 2064-Aug-15 |
Setting |
System Failure | 2005-Sep-?? | 2064-Mar-17 2064-Nov-04 |
Plot |
Missions[]
Name | Season | Number | Location | Release Date | Setting Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mission Briefing | 00 | 01 | Seattle | 2004-???-?? | 2061-???-?? 2064-???-?? |
Demolition Run | 00 | 02 | Seattle | 2004-???-?? | 2061-???-?? 2064-???-?? |
FORCEd RECON | 00 | 03 | Seattle | 2004-???-?? | 2061-???-?? 2064-???-?? |
A Fork in Fate's Path | 00 | 04 | Seattle | 2004-???-?? | 2061-???-?? 2064-???-?? |
A Dark and Stormy Night | 00 | 05 | Seattle | 2004-???-?? | 2061-???-?? 2064-???-?? |
Double Cross | 01 | 01 | Seattle | 2004-???-?? | 2064-???-?? |
Strings Attached | 01 | 02 | Seattle | 2004-???-?? | 2064-???-?? |
Harvest Time | 01 | 03 | Seattle | 2004-???-?? | 2064-???-?? |
The Gambler | 01 | 04 | Seattle | 2004-???-?? | 2064-???-?? |
A Walk in the Park | 01 | 05 | Seattle | 2005-???-?? | 2064-???-?? |
Lost and Found | 01 | 06 | Seattle | 2005-???-?? | 2064-???-?? |
Keys to the Asylum | 01 | 07 | Seattle | 2005-???-?? | 2064-???-?? |
Duplicity | 01 | 08 | Seattle | 2005-???-?? | 2064-???-?? |
For Whom the Bell Tolls | 01 | 09 | Seattle | 2005-???-?? | 2064-???-?? |
Shadowrun system | |
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Editions | First • Second • Third • Fourth • Fifth • Anarchy • Sixth |
Products | Rulebooks • Sourcebooks • Adventures • Novels • Other |