Shadowrun the Trading Card Game

[The Setting][The Action][Overview][About the Cards][Playing the Game][Combat][Credits][FAQ][Optional Rules]

The Setting
The year is 2058. Advances in technology are astonishing, with humans able to blend with computers and travel through the virtual reality known as the Matrix. No longer mere flesh, many humans have turned to artificial enhancements called cyberware to become more than human. Together, these technological innovations have made modern man stronger, faster and smarter than ever before. But even more astonishing is the return of magic to the world. Elves, dwarves, dragons, orks and trolls have reassumed their true forms, and spells and spirits serve those with the talent for controlling this legendary force. The balance of power has shifted, too; megacorporations (rather than political superpowers) now rule much of the world.

Moving through this world like whispers in the night are the shadowrunners. Though they can't be found on any database and no one publicly admits their existence, they are a reality in 2058, for no one else can do their secret work.

Shadowrunners do the jobs that are too dirty for corporations to do themselves, too hopeless for legitimate investigators or too dangerous for anyone less determined. They steal data, retrieve magical relics, "transfer" personnel and other assets from one megacorporation to another, assassinate inconvenient rivals, start and end wars, guard property and employees-anything that some fat cat or corporate suit is willing to pay to have done. Sometimes, shadowrunners even change the world for the better.

Most shadowrunners work in teams with other runners who possess a variety of unique and valuable skills. In fact, the more diverse the team, the better their chances for success, because no run ever comes off as planned. Shadowrunners face infinite obstacles when they set out to fulfill a contract: the competition and opposition always fight harder than expected, and there's always a better-than-average chance that they'll be double-crossed by their employer.

That's life in the shadows.

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