I agree on not having a system with too many limitations. I like how SR implemented magic into the dark future setting. I still think it can be pulled off including the old normal fantasy races into a future world, which is what I did with Chaos their true names are simply alien though. The eldrynn (elves) come from another planet and they were the first alien race encountered by humans. I love to mix that genre of fantasy and sci-fi where people walk around with blades and cloaks still, yet they have a warhog blaster rifle strapped to their back.
I think it is really up to the storyteller or game master to pull off that dark mood to a game though. The books backstory and artwork can set the visual inspiration of a dreary and gothic ambiance. Then the GM can really establish that atmosphere with the use of music and their dialogue. So I can still see elves and dwarves and all that in a dark setting, as long as you do not think of all elves as happy tree-huggers. I never have.
I think classes in systems are not always necessary, but I use them as a job, it defines what type of training your character grew up in. Then certain abilities are allowed to be gained by certain classes for the first 12 levels of play. After which you are free to begin forming your own character style however you wish, choosing your own abilities from certain tiers. When I made Chaos I was always more af a fan of dark fantasy, but I felt that there were too many games out there that were fantasy. I mean what has D&D not covered already? Of course this was 12 years ago, so there are plenty of sci-fi games out now.
Alpha Omega is a very good looking book and when I found out that they have races that appear like demons and angels I cringed at some of the similarities. The writing and the artwork of my book was all created by me for the first addition. Now that I have gotten it out there I have picked up many very talented artists and other writers that would love to help for the second edition, so I am looking forward and very excited about second edition. For the first one I wanted the dark, mysterious, spray paint, ad street punk type of appeal to the look. Now that I have more talented artists I am going for the complete dark and gothic look, full color, and all mature content.
The module Pray for Dawn has a taste of the new look which is good. Gore, nudity, harsh language, drugs, it's just really dark and insane but I figured that was the crowd I wanted to appeal to and why not? This world is sick and twisted, I might as well have a game that is going to include all these horrifying enemies that you actually get to blow away. Sorry I got iff topic and went on a rant about these things but yea, I like Shadow run. I always thought it would be cooler if you could go to other worlds. So thats what I did.
"Burn the bodies of the fallen, so they do not rise again against you." -Demon Hunter proverb
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