# Shadowrun: Anarchy 2.0 A standalone, story-first Shadowrun core rulebook from Black Book Editions and Catalyst Game Labs. Runners take jobs in the 2084 Sixth World using one d6 dice-pool test, push-your-luck Risk Dice that double hits but trigger glitches, and flashback planning instead of long prep. ## At a Glance Rules-medium Shadowrun • Sixth World cyberpunk fantasy runs • d6 pools, hits on 5–6 • Risk Dice and glitches • Flashback planning • Pregens and four-part campaign ## Why It Fits Choose Shadowrun: Anarchy 2.0 when your group wants Sixth World runs with magic, hacking, drones and megacorp betrayal but not the mainline rules load. One dice-pool test covers everything, players choose their risk before each roll, and flashbacks replace long planning sessions. It suits a GM who is happy to make rulings and set glitch consequences on the fly. ## Fit Facts - Prep: Medium - Price: Paid ## Facets - Genres: Cyberpunk, Science Fantasy - Mechanics: Campaign, Character Customization, Heist, Narrative-Driven, Skill-Based, Team-Based - Themes: Cinematic, Dark, Political - Decision tags: One-Shot Friendly, Rules Medium ## Scores - Complexity: 3/5 - New GM Fit: 3/5 - Roleplay Focus: 4/5 - Combat Focus: 3/5 - Tactical Depth: 2/5 - Campaign Depth: 4/5 ## Best For - Groups that want Shadowrun's setting without the mainline rules load - Players who enjoy push-your-luck rolls and complications - Heist-style runs that start fast and use flashbacks for preparation ## Avoid If - You want exact gear catalogs, weapon brands and tactical simulation - Your GM wants the rules to settle every edge case - You need a print copy before the November 2026 hardcover release ## Explorer Notes Shadowrun: Anarchy 2.0 is the version of Shadowrun to pick when your group wants the Sixth World's mix of cyberware, magic, Matrix hacking, dragons and megacorporate jobs, but doesn't want to learn the full mainline rules to get there. Every test uses the same six-sided dice pool, players decide how much risk to take before they roll, and the run-planning rules skip hours of table planning in favor of flashbacks. It suits players who want fast, story-first runs and a GM who is comfortable making rulings. It is a weaker fit for groups that love Shadowrun for its detailed gear catalogs, exact weapon brands and tactical subsystems, or for a GM who wants every edge case answered by the book. The rules deliberately leave room for judgment calls, and early community reviews say a new GM will have to fill some gaps. ## What the game is Anarchy 2.0 is a standalone, alternative core rulebook for Shadowrun, developed by the French publisher [Black Book Editions](https://black-book-editions.fr/) and published in English by [Catalyst Game Labs](https://store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/shadowrun-anarchy-2-0-alternate-core-rulebook). The credits on DriveThruRPG list a team of thirteen writers, including Timothée Aubry, Julien Brisset, Anthony Bruno and Kevin Duncan, with art by Benjamin Giletti. The players are shadowrunners in 2084: deniable operatives who take dirty jobs in the war between corporations, in a world where magic has returned, dragons walk among the megacorporations, and humans share the streets with elves, dwarves, orks and trolls. The default setting is Seattle. The book covers the setting, the rules, a large gallery of NPCs and a four-part campaign. Catalyst says the book and a handful of six-sided dice are all you need to play, and that Shadowrun books from any edition can be used alongside it. ## Publication history and editions The first Shadowrun: Anarchy appeared in 2016 as a lighter, narration-focused take on the setting. In the preface to the new edition, its designer describes it as a version that let players who were put off by the mainline rules join or return to the game. Some community discussion in 2026 describes the first edition as a good idea that needed heavy homebrewing, and the second edition as the fix. Anarchy 2.0 was crowdfunded on [Kickstarter](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/blackbook/shadowrun-anarchy-20) from August 26 to September 25, 2025. It raised €244,633 from 2,960 backers against a €10,000 goal, and [Forbes reported](https://www.forbes.com/sites/robwieland/2025/08/27/shadowrun-anarchy-20-offers-a-leaner-meaner-classic-cyberpunk-rpg/) that it funded in nine minutes. Backers received the English PDF first. Catalyst put the English PDF on general sale on October 14, 2026, and [ICv2 reports](https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/63579/shadowrun-rpg-unleashes-anarchy-2-0) a November 11, 2026 retail date for the hardcover at $49.99. ## What you need to play - The core rulebook: a 322-page PDF for $35 on [DriveThruRPG](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/588803/shadowrun-anarchy-2-0?affiliate_id=1659151) and the Catalyst store. The hardcover is on pre-order for November 2026. - Dice: a pile of six-sided dice, ideally in two colors so Risk Dice are easy to spot. - Pregenerated runners: the book includes a set of ready-made characters, such as a social adept face, an ork street samurai, an elf shaman, a decker, a vehicle rigger and a drone rigger, which makes a first session much easier. - Optional: any older Shadowrun sourcebook for setting detail. Black Book Editions publishes a [free English preview](https://black-book-editions.fr/contenu/file/1121_anarchy_v2_va_preview_web_v0.pdf) with the table of contents, the core risk rules and sample characters, but it isn't a full quickstart. ## Core rules and play structure Every test builds a pool the same way: a skill, plus two dice if a specialization applies, plus an attribute. Each 5 or 6 is a hit, and you need to match the threshold the GM sets. Circumstances don't add or remove dice. Instead, Advantage and Disadvantage change which numbers count as hits, so a guard at night with Disadvantage only hits on 6s. The signature rule is taking on risk. Before rolling, a player swaps some of their dice for Risk Dice, and the description has to match the level of risk. A hit on a Risk Die counts as two hits, which is how runners pull off the hardest tasks. Each 1 on a Risk Die is a glitch: one 1 is a minor complication, two are a critical glitch, and three or more cause a disaster that forces the team to change its plans. Shadow Amps grant Risk Reduction, which ignores one to three of those 1s, so a specialist can push harder in their own field than anyone else. In action scenes, each player gets one narration per turn with a movement, one significant action and a few minor actions. Spending Edge buys an extra action or other benefits, and Edge comes back through play. ## Characters and advancement Characters are built entirely with nuyen. Attributes, skills, specializations, Shadow Amps and gear all come from the same budget, so there are no separate point pools to track. Each runner also has keywords and dispositions that describe who they are and give the GM hooks for roleplay. Shadow Amps represent augmentations, special talents and gear upgrades, and they grant narrative effects as well as Risk Reduction. Weapons and armor are customized with Amps too, so instead of picking a model from a catalog you can build almost any piece of gear you can describe. ## Signature mechanics - Risk Dice: every roll is a push-your-luck choice, and glitches give the GM a constant supply of complications. - Risk Reduction: specialization pays off as safety rather than raw bonuses, which protects each runner's niche. - Flashback planning: the team starts a run with a rough plan, then explains how they prepared for a problem when it comes up, in the style of a heist film. - Light GM dice load: the rules cut down GM rolling, and the designer says it can be removed entirely, depending on how you play. - Shared storytelling: optional light and full shared-narration modes, with random event and random run generators. The designer says these options can even support play without a designated game master. ## What play feels like A typical run moves quickly from the meet with the fixer to the job itself. Instead of an hour of planning, the players describe a rough approach and get moving. Most tension comes from the moment before a roll, when a player weighs how many Risk Dice to take. Early community reports say this changes behavior at the table: players start asking whether a piece of gear would make an action less risky, or decide not to arm-wrestle the minigun turret after all. Glitches mean runs rarely go exactly to plan, which is very much the point. ## Running the game The GM sets thresholds, judges how risky a described action really is, and decides how bad each glitch or disaster gets. The book frames this as "rulings, not rules" and gives the GM sole authority over glitch severity. NPCs come in prime and regular tiers with average values, so most opposition doesn't need full stat blocks. Prep is moderate: the four-part campaign and the run generator help, but the GM still needs a working sense of how the Sixth World behaves, and community reviewers warn that new GMs will have to fill some gaps themselves. ## Campaign fit Anarchy 2.0 handles both one-shots and campaigns. Pregenerated runners and the random run generator make a single evening's job easy to set up, and the four-part campaign gives a group a longer arc. Optional "darker and lethal" rules make wounds worse for groups that want a harsher game. For long campaigns, it helps that sourcebooks from older Shadowrun editions can supply plots, places and factions. ## Reception The Catalyst PDF has only been on general sale since October 14, 2026, so the review sample is small. Black Book Editions' earlier English listing drew a verified-purchaser review praising the Risk Dice and the move away from fixed archetypes, which also noted typos in the pre-proof file. On Catalyst's listing, an early purchaser review praises the single root mechanic that now covers combat, the Matrix, magic and vehicles, and the clear book layout. Community discussion on r/Shadowrun and r/ShadowrunAnarchyFans is mostly positive. Players call the Risk Dice good design and describe the second edition as far more structured than the first. The main criticisms are that specializations bring back some of the skill-list complexity the game is trying to avoid, that the customizable Amps can erase familiar gear brands unless the GM keeps them in play, and that the book trusts GMs to fill gaps. ## Where it is strongest - A fast way into Shadowrun for players put off by the mainline rules - One unified dice-pool mechanic for combat, magic, hacking and rigging - Risk Dice that make every roll a meaningful choice and generate complications - Flashback planning that gets the team into the run quickly - Pregens, a four-part campaign and a run generator for quick starts ## Where it can frustrate groups - Tables that want the mainline game's exact gear, brands and simulation - New GMs who want the book to answer every edge case - Players who expected a truly minimal ruleset, since specializations and Amps add detail - Buyers who want print now, since the hardcover isn't due until November 2026 ## Content and safety notes Expect gun violence, corporate exploitation, crime, drugs, body modification and optional lethal wound rules. The book includes a section on emotional safety and on handling sensitive subjects, which is worth reading before a first session. ## Best starting path Read the free Black Book Editions preview to see the risk rules and sample runners. If they click, buy the [core rulebook PDF on DriveThruRPG](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/588803/shadowrun-anarchy-2-0?affiliate_id=1659151), hand out pregens and run the first part of the campaign or a generated run. Groups who later want heavier rules can step up to [mainline Shadowrun](/item/shadowrun) without changing settings. ## Research notes Last checked October 21, 2026. DriveThruRPG blocked direct automated access, so its rating and review figures come from search-indexed copies of the listing. - [Catalyst Game Labs store: Shadowrun: Anarchy 2.0 Alternate Core Rulebook](https://store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/shadowrun-anarchy-2-0-alternate-core-rulebook) - [DriveThruRPG: Shadowrun: Anarchy 2.0 (Catalyst Game Labs)](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/588803/shadowrun-anarchy-2-0?affiliate_id=1659151) - [Kickstarter: Shadowrun: Anarchy 2.0 by Black Book Editions](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/blackbook/shadowrun-anarchy-20) - [Black Book Editions: English preview PDF](https://black-book-editions.fr/contenu/file/1121_anarchy_v2_va_preview_web_v0.pdf) - [Forbes: Shadowrun Anarchy 2.0 Offers a Leaner, Meaner Classic Cyberpunk RPG](https://www.forbes.com/sites/robwieland/2025/08/27/shadowrun-anarchy-20-offers-a-leaner-meaner-classic-cyberpunk-rpg/) - [ICv2: Shadowrun RPG Unleashes Anarchy 2.0](https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/63579/shadowrun-rpg-unleashes-anarchy-2-0) - [r/Shadowrun: Anarchy 2.0 preview impressions from a longtime player](https://www.reddit.com/r/Shadowrun/comments/1no9jje/anarchy_20_preview_impressions_from_a_longtime/) - [r/ShadowrunAnarchyFans: an honest Anarchy 2.0 review after the adventure chapter](https://www.reddit.com/r/ShadowrunAnarchyFans/comments/1rawv4o/after_adventure_chapter_heres_my_honest_shadowrun/) ## Links - Explorer page: https://www.ttrpg-games.com/item/shadowrun-anarchy-2-0 - Agent JSON: https://www.ttrpg-games.com/api/games/shadowrun-anarchy-2-0.json - Publisher or official site: https://store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/shadowrun-anarchy-2-0-alternate-core-rulebook - Reviews or retailer page: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/588803/shadowrun-anarchy-2-0?affiliate_id=1659151