Hmmmm, did a little more research, it's not as bad as I thought, but still...grrrrr.
http://forums.shadowrun.com/forums/thread/53910.aspx
Q: What can I do in Shadowrun if I don't have a Gold membership?
A: Silver-level players can play through all the training and play bot matches. Vista players will also be able to join and use voice over dedicated server multiplayer games. The experience is very similar to what Windows gamers commonly expect to get for free today: select multiplayer, bring up a list of servers to join, double-click, and you?re in the action.
Q: What CAN'T I do in Shadowrun if I don't have a Gold membership?
A: The only things to which Silver-level players do not get access are matchmaking / multiplayer, game invites to or from friends, and multiplayer achievements. Silver-level players on Vista CAN join dedicated server games directly to play multiplayer matches.
-z
http://forums.shadowrun.com/forums/thread/53910.aspx
Q: What can I do in Shadowrun if I don't have a Gold membership?
A: Silver-level players can play through all the training and play bot matches. Vista players will also be able to join and use voice over dedicated server multiplayer games. The experience is very similar to what Windows gamers commonly expect to get for free today: select multiplayer, bring up a list of servers to join, double-click, and you?re in the action.
Q: What CAN'T I do in Shadowrun if I don't have a Gold membership?
A: The only things to which Silver-level players do not get access are matchmaking / multiplayer, game invites to or from friends, and multiplayer achievements. Silver-level players on Vista CAN join dedicated server games directly to play multiplayer matches.
-z