DNA / DOA

DNA / DOA is a 1989 adventure published by FASA for the near-future cyberpunk role-playing game Shadowrun. Written by Dave Arneson, the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, it was criticized for being more like a D&D adventure than a modern high-tech cyberpunk scenario.

Cover art by John Zeleznik, 1989

Plot summary

The Runners are hired to break into a lab via a city sewer to steal data from Aztechnology.[1] However, the Runners discover that the lab is over-run by mutagenic experiments, and a terrorist cell also wants the data. When the break-in goes awry, the Runners take shelter in the sewers underneath Tacoma, where they must negotiate with the Orks who live there.[2]

Publication history

In 1989, FASA published the Shadowrun role-playing game. DNA / DOA, the first adventure created for the game, was written by D&D co-designer Dave Arneson, with additional material by Kent Stolt, artwork by Dana Andrews, Tim Bradstreet, Rick Harris, Todd F. Marsh, and Jim Nelson, and cover art by John Zeleznik. It was published by FASA in 1989 as a 64-page book.[3]

Reception

In the April–May 1990 edition of White Wolf (Issue #20), Stephan Wieck believed that the adventure, with its extended time in sewers, was more like a D&D dungeon crawl than a modern cyberpunk data theft. He did admit that for players more used to AD&D "The adventure's dungeon atmosphere will make the characters feel more at home while still introducing them to some aspects of Shadowrun." He concluded by giving it a below-average rating of only 2 out of 5 overall.[1]

In the May 1990 edition of Games International, Lee Brimmicombe-Wood noted that "In outline, the adventure is little more than a high-tech dungeon and suffers the limitations of being such." He also criticized the game for being "combat heavy and shows little originality with its opponents." However, he did admit that "there is enough shady dealing going on to keep the scenario interesting." He concluded by giving the adventure an average rating of 7 out of 10, saying, "one of the first adventures to integrate the game's high fantasy and cyberpunk origins rather than tack one on the other. Nice try."[4]

Other reviews
  • Games Review Vol. 2 Issue 4 (Jan 1990)
  • Fantasywelt #36 (Sep/Oct 1992, "Spielkiste")

References
  1. Wieck, Stephan (April–May 1990). "Cyberpunk Reviews". White Wolf Magazine. No. 20. p. 51.
  2. "DNA / DOA". Guide du Roliste Galactique (in French). 2009-05-08. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  3. Schick, Lawrence (1991). Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games. Prometheus Books. p. 280. ISBN 0-87975-653-5.
  4. Brimmicombe-Wood, Lee (May 1990). "Shadowrun: Dreamchipper". Games International. No. 14. pp. 40–41.
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