Shadowrun: Dragonfall Interview

Harebrained Schemes is gearing up to release a relatively substantial add-on for Shadowrun Returns entitled Dragonfall, and to give us a better idea of what to expect, there’s a new interview with executive producer Mitch Gitelman up on Game Informer. A handful of tidbits:

What can you tell us about the storyline of the Berlin scenario? Who do you play? Who are some of the characters you meet? What sets it apart from the Dead Man’s Switch campaign?

Storywise, the Berlin campaign should provide a very different experience from the Seattle campaign. Where Dead Man’s Switch embroiled you in a noir-like mystery – a lone runner with a job to do – Dragonfall places you at the head a team of runners caught in a dangerous plot, and struggling to stay alive in a European city rife with conspiracy and intrigue. You’ll take jobs running against ruthless megacorporations, furthering the goals of shadowy factions with their own agendas, and coming face-to-face with some of the deadliest opponents the Shadowrun setting has to offer.

Forty-two years ago, the Great Dragon Feuerschwinge was shot down over the SOX, an irradiated wasteland between Germany and France. This event – the Dragonfall – has been all but forgotten by the world at large. But now, the people of Berlin are about to receive a grim reminder of the past, and with it, one of the greatest threats of the Awakened world.

Why choose Berlin as a location for this new entry in the Shadowrun story? What is Berlin like in the Shadowrun universe?

Our Kickstarter Backers told us that Berlin was the location they most wanted to see after Seattle when we ran a survey after our Kickstarter campaign closed in 2012 and it’s easy to see why they chose it. Berlin is a fascinating location in Shadowrun because it’s an experiment in (stable) anarchy often referred to as (The Flux State).

Public life in Berlin functions fairly smoothly, though no one really understands why. Political interest groups, policlubs, gangs, and megacorp lobbyists abound – all part of the mysterious, amorphous power structure that gives the Flux its name. Unlike most political organizations, which seek to establish and preserve the status quo, Berlin’s anarchist groups work to keep the power structure in a constant state of change. Whenever a shift in the power structure seems likely to establish a status quo, the rest of Berlin’s powers-that-be spring into action to eliminate the threat and even the megacorps’ broad powers are held in check – for now. Obviously, this type of lawlessness and disorder suits shadowrunners just fine…