Shadowrun 6E GM checklist cheat sheet
Before-session and during-session reminders. At-the-table reference for Shadowrun 6th Edition.
Shadowrun 6E GM checklist: prep the run, manage the Matrix, and keep the Edge economy honest.
Before the session
- Prep the run: Johnson meet, legwork phase, execution, and escape plan.
- Set opposition: corporate security rating (1-6) determines guard stats, IC rating, and response time.
- Prep Matrix hosts: rating, IC programs, and paydata.
- Know what Edge situations apply: environmental, gear, surprise, numbers advantage.
During play
- Track Edge for both sides: NPCs earn and spend Edge too.
- Matrix and Astral actions run parallel to meatspace: interleave, do not serialize.
- Legwork rolls set the difficulty of the execution: reward good planning with Edge or reduced thresholds.
- Glitches are complications, not just failures: narrate the consequence (jammed gun, tripped alarm, misread data).
Common mistakes
- Do not let the decker or mage solo in a separate scene for 20 minutes: interleave with the physical team.
- Edge is situational, not a stat you hoard. Award and spend it each scene.
- Corporate security escalates: first response is guards, then HTR (High Threat Response), then military assets.