Shadowrun has become one of the most enduring roleplaying settings of all time, but in its entire two-decades-plus existence, one word not often used to describe the game has been “accessible.” Some of that is by design — the details and depth of Shadowrun give players a chance to use a full range of options in a run, and to call on the resources of man, machine, and magic that make the setting so special.

Shadowrun and accessibility do not need to remain separate concepts, though. Part of the goal of Catalyst Game Labs’ “Year of Shadowrun” is to give players a range of options to involve themselves in the excitement of the Sixth World at a variety of levels, from the relatively quick hits of deck-building and board games to the fully detailed experience of the roleplaying game. Players should be able to choose a game at a level they enjoy, and they should also be able to move between the different levels if they want.

This is where the Shadowrun Introductory Box Set comes in. Whether it is a new player coming to the Sixth World for the first time or a player from one of the other games looking to deepen their experience, the Introductory Box Set provides a great way to dip into the Shadowrun setting without having to master an intimidating book of rules.

The box set design incorporates two important principles: First, it (naturally) should have everything players need to get up and running quickly and easily; and second, it should tie into the rules in the core rulebook, so that if players decide to move on to the full roleplaying games, the rules will seem familiar and comfortable.

An Introductory Box Set needs the same things a good story needs, namely characters, conflict, and ways for characters to make things happen. For characters, the Shadowrun Introductory Box Set contains four pre-generated characters, each with game statistics, background details, and information on how they respond to various situations. Each character also has a brief solo adventure, so that players can get a feel for how the character acts and what they can do before they take them out with the whole team.

For plots, the box set contains eight different adventures. These can be run as standalone adventures, or they can be arranged into a longer campaign. Advancement rules help the characters develop as the campaign progresses so they can face more difficult challenges as they hone their skills.

To make things happen in the Shadowrun world, characters need dice. The Introductory Box Set contains custom dice with Shadowrun logos on some of the faces to make it easy to locate and count hits — and the potential glitches.

The box set also has what the gamemaster needs: rules, advice on running the game, and maps to help the players get their bearings. The maps are modular, so they can be arranged in several different ways to create a variety of neighborhoods.

Beyond the parts needed to make a good game, the box set needed another critical element — the Sixth World flavor that has kept the setting perpetually popular. It’s not enough simply to list facts about the setting or details of the history; if players are going to be immersed in the setting, they need to feel the attitude, aggressiveness, and desperation at the core of Shadowrun. The world book and short fiction included in the box set provide the full Shadowrun flavor, helping new players see the appeal of the setting.

The rules included with the Introductory Box Set are drawn directly from Shadowrun, Fifth Edition. They are simplified with the removal of some options and depth-of-play details, but they provide a perfect introduction to how the rules work. The transition from the box set to core role-playing game should be relatively smooth—more of a matter of adding new options to what the players already know rather than making the learn an entirely new system.

With all the pieces in a single set, players have everything they need to launch into Sixth World adventures. They can sling spells against psychopathic go-gangs that patrol the urban sprawls, steal paydata from nefarious megacorporations that would be happy to kill them if they could be bothered to acknowledge their existence, and survive the double-crosses and nefarious dealings that shadowrunners always seem to encounter. The barriers have been reduced—players have more reason than ever to crack open a box and dive immediately into the grit of Shadowrun and transform themselves from new runners to street legends.