The Archetypes of Shadowrun Returns

GameInformer is offering a feature on Shadowrun Returns’ archetype, with words from developer and original pen and paper Shadowrun producer Jordan Weisman.

Here’s a snippet:

Street Samurai

These powerful warriors are the martial masters of the Shadowrun universe, wielding smart weapons that are directly connected to their bodies’ reflexes. For players who want to slash and gun their way to victory, the street samurai is an ideal starting place.

Weisman Says: (In Shadowrun Returns, Street Samurai can gain the ability to carry up to three weapons into combat and special ranged skills such as snapshot, armor piercing, and head-shots. In close combat, Samurai can gain actions like slash, stab, and cleave with bladed weapons, and the ability to disarm an opponent.)

Decker

The hackers of the Shadowrun World, Deckers utilize cyberdecks to jack into the Matrix (an idea in Shadowrun that predates the popular films) and steal information. The Intrusion Countermeasures Electronics (ICE) that they encounter when infiltrating a system are as deadly as armed guards. Sometimes, facilities have pulled their networks off the Matrix, and a Decker will need to physically get into a building before being able to jack in.

Weisman Says: (Most facilities have one or more LANs, each with several nodes that control elements of the facility. Using their cyberdecks, Deckers can take control of network-controlled doors, cameras, and even automated weapons. Core LANs may contain the facility’s data stores and CPUs, which the Deckers can hack into to steal data or implant viruses. Deckers use special programs to speed their hacking of nodes and reduce their chance of setting off alarms.)