The Arcology Shadowrun Community Podcast

Episode 167 - Berlin It's a Bug not a Feature

·43 min·4 clips

Igni reveals she started her Shadowrun podcast after being inspired by Mr. Johnson, despite his denial.

The episode features an interview with Igni, host of the Berlin It's a Bug Not a Feature podcast, a Shadowrun 6E actual play show. Igni explains she started her podcast during the pandemic, inspired by Mr. Johnson, reconnecting with old friends to play Shadowrun. She describes her production approach, using sound and music to create a fast-paced narrative while minimizing rules discussion, such as skipping perception checks. The host contrasts this with his own rules-heavy style. They delve into edition preferences, with Igni favoring Shadowrun 6E for its narrative flexibility, especially for new players, while acknowledging 5E's crunchier simulationist depth. Igni discusses her involvement in translating Subversion, a dystopian but hopeful RPG, into German, though she is no longer with the publishing company. She praises Subversion's mechanics that encourage cooperative problem-solving and community-building, contrasting it with Shadowrun's often paranoid gameplay. The host shares his experience running a Subversion campaign on StartPlaying, where players creatively used social skills to avoid combat. Igni recounts a Subversion campaign where players focused on downtime activities to improve their community, highlighting the system's unique emphasis on collective impact. She also describes a creative technique in her Shadowrun campaign: playing five solo sessions to develop a character's 20-year backstory, which enriched the main plot. The conversation touches on the importance of collaborative storytelling and character arcs in RPGs. Igni promotes the Fixer Files, a collaboration of Shadowrun podcasts, and encourages listeners to check out other shows. The episode concludes with contact details and Patreon information for The Arcology.

As heard by us

A warm Arcology conversation about fandom, paid Subversion play, and the practical support behind the system.

A conversation between two podcast producers turns into a clear, lived-in look at the gap between admiring a game and actually getting it to the table.

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Why you'd press play

You get a friendly Arcology sit-down with Igni, producer of Berlin It's a Bug Not a Feature, circling Subversion from fan excitement into table plans.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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