what editon of shadowrun should i play?

[kiryoku]

i have played the sega game and i liked it. it was slow but somehow very fun and no flaming i want valid reasons i should play one version over another.

edit: i just got a v3.8 i guess thats what it says anyway.

[Vknight]

I would personally suggest 3 being my favorite but if your getting the books then 4 is game to and just as acceptable.

[kiryoku]

nevermind sorry

[LibraryOgre]

I'll admit to being a bit confused by your post (I was fine until you said you had edition 3.8, actually), but I've been vastly enjoying our 4th edition SR game. This is for several reasons.

1) The system can be complicated, or you can really simplify it. For the most part, it's role attribute + skill, anything that's a 5 or a 6 is a "hit". The more hits the better. Simple, quick to calculate, and you can ad hoc dice pool modifiers very easily.

2) Hacking and Rigging are more fully integrated. My hacker can DO things in the game, instead of doing a bunch of prep work and then being stuck sitting there. Need a door opened? The hacker can hack it. Now, admittedly, I spend most of the game a kilometer away in my Mercury Comet, zoned out with a shotgun on a smart firing platform to keep an eye on me... but my zoned out means that my drones are there, providing cover fire and intel.

3) Magic as a stat which must be purchased. You can truly have "magicians who have great promise" and "guys who have little magical ability". My only real complaint on it is that debits to Essence are ALWAYS taken off magic... if you buy your magic up to 4, and take a point of essence in cyberware, your magic is 3, even if your essence is 5. Magicians have enough problems.