This article originally appeared in Pyramid #29
Rigger 2
Published by FASA, Inc.
Written by Jonathan Szeto
Price: $18.00Riggers - characters that can jack into and control vehicles - have always been something of a red-headed stepchild in Shadowrun. Although they have existed since the game's first edition, they are rarely played, since rules for vehicles and vehicle combat occupy a scant six pages in Shadowrun, 2nd Edition. The Rigger Black Book supplement was primarily a vehicle catalog, offering riggers little more than a chance to go shopping.
All that has been changed by Rigger 2, which provides 174 pages of rules on vehicles and riggers. Author Jonathan Szeto has turned riggers from the archetype that no one ever played to a popular and intriguing roleplaying option.
After the obligatory opening fiction piece, Rigger 2 begins with an in-depth look at creating rigger characters. New Edges and Flaws are presented, along with notes on existing ones. Of particular interest are rules for Vehicle Control Rigs (VCRs) and Control Pools, and information about how riggers use the Matrix (since rigging uses different parts of the brain than decking, riggers often have a hard time in cyberspace).
The next section of the book covers vehicle operation and combat. Vehicles are assigned a wide variety of attributes (such as Handling, Speed, Sensor, Cargo Factors and Signature), which govern how they perform, both in combat and out. Each vehicle also has a Maneuver Score that "measures the relative tactical advantage of a vehicle . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: April 17, 1998
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