It's time to really talk about the system I use in my current campaign, Cyberpunk 2020.
For those not in the know, Cyberpunk is a specific genre of science fiction that takes place in the not-too distant future...next Sunday A.D. not really...actually, the times are usually somewhat non-specific or in the 2000's. Everything is seen through the filter of writers and other creators from the late 70's early 80's, so most of the time although it is the future, it has a retro vibe. Often the genre is described as high-tech, low-life. It's the ultimate evolution of a disposable society wherein image is everything and perception trumps reality. Technology has advanced to the point wherein humans have to fight to keep their humanity. Popular examples include: Bladerunner, The Matrix, Total Recall, and Ghost in the Shell. Recently, the entire genre has been making a comeback in film with sequels to Bladerunner, a live-action Ghost in the Shell, an upcoming live-action Battle Angel Alita, and another reboot of the terminator on the way, and in television with the shows: Mr. Robot, Orphan Black, Altered Carbon and Black Mirror enjoying at least some popularity. As a fan of the genre, I think it's a great time and that more people are being exposed to Cyberpunk than arguably any time before. Unfortunately, it can also be argued that we have yet to have a "break out" success in this current renaissance. Here's to hoping one of these properties becomes a killer app.
There is a wide range of settings within the Cyberpunk genre itself. Some are very futuristic while others are more grounded in reality. Some of the common challenges for the people 2000's include, but are not limited to: natural disasters: earthquakes, asteroids, abnormal weather conditions, man made disasters: usually nukes of some kind, political shake-ups, oppression and confusion brought about by the rapid expansion of tech that outpaced the average person's ability to comprehend it, integration with machinery, integration biotech such as enhanced genetics and chimeras, sentient A.I.: androids, robots, holograms, designer drugs even more deadly than today, the rise in power of corporations, the rise of street gangs in response, usually, a matrix-like network of some kind, and the general questioning of what it means to be alive and human. Most of these stories include one of these aspects or another. Cyberpunk 2020 as a game attempts to make all of these things happen at more or less the same time.
One of the aspects of CP2020 that makes it interesting is the great number of predictions that have come true. Almost everything that was predicted has either been produced, is in development or in some cases has been surpassed in the real world...and we've still got two years to go. Some of the interesting 'misses' are: the continued reliance on fax technology and hard-copies that we've all but completely moved away from today, the relative high cost of cellular phones and the reliability of wireless networks, and the fact that in real-life we've shown a bit more restraint in use of nukes. There are lore reasons one could use as to why things developed as they did in the CP2020 world vs. what really happened--we haven't had widespread use of the nukes, we haven't had major asteroids crashing into the Earth either of which would have had a major impact on the wireless network, I'm sure. It's still funny that our smartphones IRL are more powerful yet smaller than the Netrunner's high-tech computer gear. I guess the same could be said for Penny's computer in Inspector Gadget.
Cyberpunk's first edition (1988) was set in 2013, second edition (1990) which is the most popular, took place in 2020 while a third, generally unpopular, edition (2005) took place in 203X. All of the editions have had heavy/primary input by Michael Pondsmith who is credited with being the creator and overseer of the property. R. Talisorian games also produce other popular RPG products and have recently gained the licence and have produced 'The Witcher' for table-tops based on the popular videogame series of the same name. It has been well received so far. Pondsmith, his family, and the rest of the crew are very open with fans and share a lot of behind the scenes info. Apparently, the company was already planning a new edition of the tabletop game to be known as 'Cyberpunk:RED'. They were approached by CD Projekt Red, the highly regarded videogame makers behind the aforementioned 'The Witcher' series of games. CD Projekt Red was interested in the Cyberpunk property, and began development of the highly anticipated 'Cyberpunk 2077' videogame. At it's core this game is said to be using the lore and mechanics of CP2020. Buzz around this game has grown for years and years, and we may be waiting for years to come, but progress is being shown regularly. The company says Ready when it's Ready. Until then all we can do is wait. This anticipation along with the new popularity of Cyberpunk as a genre has resulted in many potential players looking to play CP2020...and that's good for me.
All PDFs are available in the usual places, but what interests me is that print on demand can be had for many of the books over at the R.Talsorian website. I--like a true CP2020 character--want the hard copies. As to the system itself, It is skill based. You can build a real badass right out of the box depending on what the GM says, but no matter how good you are a lucky punk with a gun could take you out. Which is what makes it awesome. Improvement to skills--which comes at a sloooow grind--and upgrades to equipment are the official way of 'leveling up'. To use a skill it is rolling a D10+your stat level+your skill level vs. a set difficulty number. There are levels of success that was kind of ahead of its time for an old system. You fumble on a '1' and crit on a '10'. The '10's even explode so one could have a crazy level of success. There were at least two combat systems throughout CP2020's long run. I use Friday Night Firefight from CP2020 rule book. It is too complex to go into here with rules for hand to hand, range, automatic weapons, and heavy weapons, but if you learn it...it is excellent. There is also an entirely different set of rules for 'Netrunning' that is almost a separate game in itself. Some people say that it is broken. For years I didn't understand it myself, but the Roll*20 character sheet made by someguy--wish I knew how to give him credit--made it easy to understand. It is a lot of fun--for the game master and the Netrunner players--but it's a tricky thing to keep the non-Netrunners entertained should you try this game mechanic.
I've said more than enough. Give Cyberpunk a try won't you?
https://talsorianstore.com/
https://www.cyberpunk.net/en
For those not in the know, Cyberpunk is a specific genre of science fiction that takes place in the not-too distant future...next Sunday A.D. not really...actually, the times are usually somewhat non-specific or in the 2000's. Everything is seen through the filter of writers and other creators from the late 70's early 80's, so most of the time although it is the future, it has a retro vibe. Often the genre is described as high-tech, low-life. It's the ultimate evolution of a disposable society wherein image is everything and perception trumps reality. Technology has advanced to the point wherein humans have to fight to keep their humanity. Popular examples include: Bladerunner, The Matrix, Total Recall, and Ghost in the Shell. Recently, the entire genre has been making a comeback in film with sequels to Bladerunner, a live-action Ghost in the Shell, an upcoming live-action Battle Angel Alita, and another reboot of the terminator on the way, and in television with the shows: Mr. Robot, Orphan Black, Altered Carbon and Black Mirror enjoying at least some popularity. As a fan of the genre, I think it's a great time and that more people are being exposed to Cyberpunk than arguably any time before. Unfortunately, it can also be argued that we have yet to have a "break out" success in this current renaissance. Here's to hoping one of these properties becomes a killer app.
There is a wide range of settings within the Cyberpunk genre itself. Some are very futuristic while others are more grounded in reality. Some of the common challenges for the people 2000's include, but are not limited to: natural disasters: earthquakes, asteroids, abnormal weather conditions, man made disasters: usually nukes of some kind, political shake-ups, oppression and confusion brought about by the rapid expansion of tech that outpaced the average person's ability to comprehend it, integration with machinery, integration biotech such as enhanced genetics and chimeras, sentient A.I.: androids, robots, holograms, designer drugs even more deadly than today, the rise in power of corporations, the rise of street gangs in response, usually, a matrix-like network of some kind, and the general questioning of what it means to be alive and human. Most of these stories include one of these aspects or another. Cyberpunk 2020 as a game attempts to make all of these things happen at more or less the same time.
One of the aspects of CP2020 that makes it interesting is the great number of predictions that have come true. Almost everything that was predicted has either been produced, is in development or in some cases has been surpassed in the real world...and we've still got two years to go. Some of the interesting 'misses' are: the continued reliance on fax technology and hard-copies that we've all but completely moved away from today, the relative high cost of cellular phones and the reliability of wireless networks, and the fact that in real-life we've shown a bit more restraint in use of nukes. There are lore reasons one could use as to why things developed as they did in the CP2020 world vs. what really happened--we haven't had widespread use of the nukes, we haven't had major asteroids crashing into the Earth either of which would have had a major impact on the wireless network, I'm sure. It's still funny that our smartphones IRL are more powerful yet smaller than the Netrunner's high-tech computer gear. I guess the same could be said for Penny's computer in Inspector Gadget.
Cyberpunk's first edition (1988) was set in 2013, second edition (1990) which is the most popular, took place in 2020 while a third, generally unpopular, edition (2005) took place in 203X. All of the editions have had heavy/primary input by Michael Pondsmith who is credited with being the creator and overseer of the property. R. Talisorian games also produce other popular RPG products and have recently gained the licence and have produced 'The Witcher' for table-tops based on the popular videogame series of the same name. It has been well received so far. Pondsmith, his family, and the rest of the crew are very open with fans and share a lot of behind the scenes info. Apparently, the company was already planning a new edition of the tabletop game to be known as 'Cyberpunk:RED'. They were approached by CD Projekt Red, the highly regarded videogame makers behind the aforementioned 'The Witcher' series of games. CD Projekt Red was interested in the Cyberpunk property, and began development of the highly anticipated 'Cyberpunk 2077' videogame. At it's core this game is said to be using the lore and mechanics of CP2020. Buzz around this game has grown for years and years, and we may be waiting for years to come, but progress is being shown regularly. The company says Ready when it's Ready. Until then all we can do is wait. This anticipation along with the new popularity of Cyberpunk as a genre has resulted in many potential players looking to play CP2020...and that's good for me.
All PDFs are available in the usual places, but what interests me is that print on demand can be had for many of the books over at the R.Talsorian website. I--like a true CP2020 character--want the hard copies. As to the system itself, It is skill based. You can build a real badass right out of the box depending on what the GM says, but no matter how good you are a lucky punk with a gun could take you out. Which is what makes it awesome. Improvement to skills--which comes at a sloooow grind--and upgrades to equipment are the official way of 'leveling up'. To use a skill it is rolling a D10+your stat level+your skill level vs. a set difficulty number. There are levels of success that was kind of ahead of its time for an old system. You fumble on a '1' and crit on a '10'. The '10's even explode so one could have a crazy level of success. There were at least two combat systems throughout CP2020's long run. I use Friday Night Firefight from CP2020 rule book. It is too complex to go into here with rules for hand to hand, range, automatic weapons, and heavy weapons, but if you learn it...it is excellent. There is also an entirely different set of rules for 'Netrunning' that is almost a separate game in itself. Some people say that it is broken. For years I didn't understand it myself, but the Roll*20 character sheet made by someguy--wish I knew how to give him credit--made it easy to understand. It is a lot of fun--for the game master and the Netrunner players--but it's a tricky thing to keep the non-Netrunners entertained should you try this game mechanic.
I've said more than enough. Give Cyberpunk a try won't you?
https://talsorianstore.com/
https://www.cyberpunk.net/en
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