Mhm
#Cyberpunk
analog spear
Yeah
The difference between kereznikov and sandy is that kereznikov is always a +2 to initiative rolls, while sandy is +3 every 1h
worthy snow
Sandy is less impactful on humanity
iirc
Still happy with how my Medtech's stat spread has played out, even if ~35-ish HP max is a smidge dicey at times
(I compensated by getting a shield and having the party Tech craft a dazzler module with GM permission)
dim pond
Is 55hp a lot?
analog spear
can't wait for my session on friday, Cyberpunk RED has been one of the coolest systems I've played in a bit
fluid hawk
I've played a little bit of Red but I've been liking it so far.
carmine anvil
you have what
dim pond
Yeah its +18
carmine anvil
i don't think you can start with more than +14 in an individual martial art
analog spear
Body is at 12 from cyberware, doesn't that influence it
carmine anvil
it's dex based like brawling i think, high body gives you a ton of damage and the durability you need to be running up to people in night city
ancient nest
Is there any mechanical benefit from having multiple martial art types?
analog spear
it's dex based like brawling i think, high body gives you a ton of damage and th...
hmmm idk then
carmine anvil
not really, you get to do different special moves i guess?
old depot
Yah you only really get new special moves
Which is useful
Just probably not worth the extra investment
Because don’t you need to put points into each style individually?
shut patrol
Yeah its +18
martial arts is a X2 skill so remember every two points in it only increases it by 1
carmine anvil
re. killing people in cyberpunk, i think it's partly a legacy of what you could generously call broad optimisation gaps in ~90s game design
analog spear
Because don’t you need to put points into each style individually?
yup
carmine anvil
"my players have fucked around too much and i have been a bit too generous with the eddies so they win all the fights" is a real problem if you're 14, it's 1997 and you only really engage with the combat system
old depot
Yah that’s probably not worth it
The special moves are nice but like
You only really need one of them
analog spear
this does seem to be one of those systems where you gotta pick something to specialise on and really specialise on it
carmine anvil
i think it somewhat reflects the genre as well
old depot
Yah, there’s room for other skills but it’s generally best to pick a role and stick to it
worthy snow
Honestly I just dread players flatlining (even if the system encourages you to be ready for deaths and new PCs replacing the deceased) because after a while the motley crews of Edgerunners and mercs get stuck in your head
For example, in my party we have:
- 7-foot-tall borged-to-the-nines African expat Tech guy who is busy training his Containerville neighbors into a militia
- Korean Nomad girl with an older bro undercover in 'Saka and intense chaotic energy about her
- ex-Militech Solo gal with a sibling who's basically cleaning up NC gangs as a vigilante in secret (and who has in been in a relationship with two PCs so far, one being an Arasaka infiltrator, so that's fun)
- Korean Solo guy who's an expert martial artist with a streak of bad dates and comedic interactions clearly hiding some dark stuff and deeper connections
- ex-Free Texan Netrunner who specializes in B&E and archery and thinks the others are a bit nuts (they are at this point admittedly)
- ex-Trauma Team Medtech gal (my own PC) who has had her compassionate core get trampled on repeatedly by N.C. and wound up finding out that yes, in fact, her past is coming back to bite her and her friends in the ass
worthy snow
this does seem to be one of those systems where you gotta pick something to spec...
Yeah, that is accurate
You can be a bit more broad but like
It pays off way more to specialize
In terms of I.P. economy
analog spear
Yeah I feel bad killing PCs unless they want to as a kind of character arc or something
carmine anvil
wow, you guys sure have a lot of things to protect that you're heavily invested in, be a shame if something... happened to any of them...
analog spear
Getting attached to PCs is hard to not do lol
worthy snow
Yup
honestly I've just admitted to myself that if I've gotten to the point of drawing art of PCs in a game I'm in, I really don't want them to bite it
Unsurprisingly, I have wound up doing just that (mostly with my own Medtech, but I plan on surprising each of my fellow players with gift art over time)
analog spear
character art, yes very good
I wish inflation didn't make justifying paying for commissions a hard thing to do
worthy snow
but yeah, specialization yields big dividends early on
Especially as I.P. costs ramp up for skill ranks, etc
though having skills nearly or fully maxed pays off massively- a Solo with max shoulder arms? Terrifying
analog spear
mmmhm
tidal oracle
Is there any mechanical benefit from having multiple martial art types?
Oh I can answer this theja. Different martial arts have like special attacks. So if I wanted to be good at both grappling and stunning enemies I could learn both judo and taekwondo
For 10000 skill points but the point still stands
ancient nest
There's plenty of stuff happening outside nightcity that players could theoretically be up to right?
spice thunder
night city was only chosen bc it theoretically encompasses everything a player could Want to do
there's nothing stopping you from locating it somewhere else entirely
analog spear
My GM tried to make our game happen in London and he quickly realized why Night City is a good choice. It's also more gamified in a way, easier to digest and take in in a game scenario
Trying to make London work was a lot of work
spice thunder
making a brand-spanking-new setting is difficult, it turns out.
what ppl usually do with homebrewing settings is pick the area they're most familiar with, like a hometown or smth, and just extrapolate from there
versed grotto
NC also has the advantage of being built for cyberpunk
spice thunder
yeah, like the game and setting were built Around it
versed grotto
like, Cyberpunk Utica is probably running a truck stop or something
analog spear
Yeah, NC is kind of a character in of itself in the game
spice thunder
it's meant to have all the experiences you could want. it's got intrigue and potential plot hooks in every corner.
sick python
Night City is just this weird melange of like
LA and Seattle
And made more drenched in neon and depression
spice thunder
well it is in NorCal so not that far off tbh.
sick python
I mean ye
If you want a good example of a Cyberpunk city irl those two are kiiiiiiinda what I would pick
As an up until very recently resident of LA
LA is already a megacity like Night City is p much
Shit it's almost double its size population wise
spice thunder
there's a lot of different flavors of city you can use for cyberpunk
sick python
Fairs
spice thunder
sometimes my favorite flavor is the walled city of kowloon
sick python
Someone liked Shadowrun HK
Which is valid
idk I like Night City type stuff the most
spice thunder
i've never played or touched anything shadowrun lmao
spice thunder
oh, LA is a fucking tar pit of a city. but it's an interesting one
shut patrol
I love Kowloon studied it a bunch
sick python
Hey
Only I get to call LA a tar pit
Unless you're from
in which case you're fine
spice thunder
Orange County :P
shut patrol
||The AI crypts of underground night city where the wires hang from from the ceiling and the militech vampires make their domain 
||
spice thunder
||oh hell yeag||
sick python
Orange County :P
Oh I'm sorry you have no room to talk shit then lmao
(this is jokes, to be clear)
carmine anvil
i think you can do london if you simply do not take it seriously at all and do it as a post-apocalyptic hellscape where everyone is in a themed gang
carmine anvil
and then drive heavily armoured double decker tourist buses through it
spice thunder
Oh I'm sorry you have no room to talk shit then lmao
I will be transparent there is a lot i do miss about SoCal, but just as much there are many many things that, well, I Don't.
Night City being located in Morro Bay is so funny bc i literally never heard abt it until cyberpunk
ancient nest
I'm thinking about the first gig I want to throw at my players. Spoiled in case my players are lurking and want to be surprised ||I like the idea of playing a crew of muscle for protecting a jonny memenonic guy. (Secure Data carrier)||
sick python
I will be transparent there is a lot i do miss about SoCal, but just as much the...
I'm going to miss Mexican food
pnw doesn't have a lot of that going on lmao
sick python
lmao
Everyone who leaves LA misses street tacos unless they moved to Texas or are wrong
spice thunder
i live in the bible belt rn (not by choice). i will never find those cheapass combination burger + mexican places ever again-
😔
sick python
big, big oof
ancient nest
Only related by IP but is the Cyberpunk Skirmish game any fun any of ya'll play it at all?
versed grotto
And made more drenched in neon and depression
the cursed combination of leattle
carmine anvil
huh
if you want to start with 30 martial arts and 10 karate, judo and taekwondo the companion app just lets you, then tells you on your character sheet that you roll +38
ancient nest
Ryu from streets?
Also reading book a bit now
i love the concept of Reclaimers
Straight up playing hermit crabs and finding a place to make a new home in ruins to start again. That sounds fun
toxic lake
I feel like reclaiming an emptied out arcology would be an awesome weird megadungeon campaign for Cyberpunk
Though honestly hits on corpo hqs are already basically just dungeon crawls you can case and research ahead of time
All the urban intrigue could be meted out thru what are basically Reclaimer camp followers
worthy snow
The party in the game I'm in has to raid the stadium in Pacifica this week post-it being taken over by a coalition of gangs and a cult (to kill the cult's leader), and I fully expect it to be a dungeon crawl in all senses
(just with more cult zealots that're essentially weaponized cyberpsychos)
worthy snow
Worse than Maelstrom
actually
Because unlike Maelstrom the cult in the game I'm in is competent
brazen sentinel
If you want a good example of a Cyberpunk city irl those two are kiiiiiiinda wha...
hell, i'm running my game in seattle
Pre Amazonification Seattle is a good base to build from for cyberpunk because, now unfortunately we do know what it looks like when a megacorp takes over
So there's bones to use and critique with as I build stuff
Cause you always gotta remember, despite the date being 20XX for your cyberpunks, its still kind of the late eighties and early nineties
That's just the setting and genre the game wants you to play in
at least tonewise
analog spear
I think a modern 2010's tone happens more in 2077
But yeah 2020 and Red are definitely 80's and 90's tonally
brazen sentinel
Having played 2077 now, no, that shit still 80s as fuck.
(its a lot more modern in other touches but its still very much an 80/90s cyberpunk Thing)
analog spear
How so? I dunno I didn't particularly get an 80's feel
(I'm genuinely curious to know your reasoning)
brazen sentinel
Its a lot of the vibes, and I'm only just through Act 1, so entirely likely I'm Wrong, but
The hair, the sense of style, montage, the way the folks on TV talk
The way everyone talks and moves, the way places are decorated.
It feels very much like it crawled right out of 2020 with some tune-ups for advances in tech, but not in life, if that clicks?
analog spear
Hmmm I can see it
brazen sentinel
like journalists still ask questions their guests from the police aren't prepared for
that's not something that really,,, happens anymore.
fluid hawk
In the 2020 book Pondsmith said the vibe he goes for is "comic book" which helps out a lot in terms of setting and tone for me.
brazen sentinel
Yeah! Appleseed and Bubblegum Crisis have been very building-block for my understanding of Cyberpunk's tone
Frank Millar's HARD BOILED for some extra oomph
Bubblegum Crisis especially since its where the lineage of the cyberpsycho comes from
Boomers > Psychos is a pretty direct line
analog spear
I haven't consumed a lot of comic books tbh
I think the only cyberpunk and adjacent media I've consumed has been Ghost in the Shell, Bladeruner and the book (the title is too long for my ADHD brain to remember completely so I don't even try)
And like some games
brazen sentinel
I must implore you to give the Sprawl Trilogy a go
Hit up Neuromancer and if it don't click, you can skip out on Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive
But if it does, keep goin
analog spear
I'll check those out
brazen sentinel
Its best read as a trilogy
analog spear
Neuromancer I have heard about
brazen sentinel
Its An Important Book
analog spear
Isn't it like kinda formative to the whole genre
brazen sentinel
It and Islands In the Net
analog spear
Oki doke
brazen sentinel
Both emerging from the Mirrorshades Movement, which grows in turn into the Cyberpunk Genre, which is most often argued to be capped off with Snowcrash
analog spear
Hmmmmmqm
Amazon has a box set of the trilogy on sale and it kinda fucks appearance wise
I might get it…
brazen sentinel
Oh yeah, go for that shit
fluid hawk
Ooo damn
brazen sentinel
Sometimes things are classics for a reason
crystal urchin
sprawl trilogy is where like, 70% of popular cyberpunk (and a lot of related scifi) slang and terms come from
if youve ever noticed "hey, this work used the same made-up word as this other thing", its because they probably both stole it from gibson
who was just top notch at making up fake ass future slang
hell, half the cyberware in 2020 is from sprawl
Scratchers and Rippers are straight out of Sprawl, used famously by original razorgirl Molly Millions
ancient nest
The movie Johnny Memonitic is very loosely based on a short story from his works
I say loosely becuase that movie's story has a happy end and changes the world lmao
brazen sentinel
Scratchers and Rippers are straight out of Sprawl, used famously by original raz...
You mean Sally Shears, right :3c
analog spear
I will probably regret splurging on a book box set but it was so cheap…
crystal urchin
she also has silvered lenses covering her eye sockets, which is such an early 80s cyberpunk augmentation. its never even made clear if they do anything besides look cool and weird (and require her tear ducts be rerouted into her mouth) https://comicvine.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/6/62070/1833011-fingernails.jpg
brazen sentinel
Are they? I assumed they were part of the package but its been awhile
crystal urchin
the important thing is that theyre rad
brazen sentinel
that is the important part
ancient nest
Character with sunglasses are required for any cyberpunk setting 10/10
misty void
Always wear sunglasses when you're futures this bright
brazen sentinel
steady bluff
Adam Jensen type beat.
fluid hawk
"I actually did want this, thank you."
spice thunder
"I didn't ask for this, but I'm glad I have it now."
ancient nest
I have been learning. This stuff about Blackwall and the DataKrash is sick AF
ancient nest
How do ya'll handle vehicle combat map wise in RED?
Or is that not really something people do
tidal oracle
I have never seen it run on a map
analog spear
Yeah it feels like it'd be quite difficult to run on a map
ancient nest
yea I just see this stat block with stuff like speed
tidal oracle
Might just be there to put into context vehicle speed. Like of course a crappy pickup will be outrun by a police cruiser
halcyon violet
If you were using Foundry and got a looping background to work that'd probably be easiest
analog spear
But if I were to try, I'd start with a very big city block map and I'd do away with grid movement and use movement and distance drawing with metre or the other unit the book uses
I'd also use tokens for the vehicles instead of players/NPCs
At least that's what came to mind when I thought about running it
toxic lake
How do ya'll handle vehicle combat map wise in RED?
If it's one guy on a bike they can occupy one space with their motorcycle and you shouldn't worry about it too much, I've done that before
You can also prolly scale up grid spaces to be divisible by vehicle speeds like "a square on this map is 10 meters" or something like that
Screaming around on the map on a bike as a Nomad I've heard stories about, it's apparently pretty fun in melee or range
versed grotto
I'd probably have stuff like other vehicles and obstacles move relative to the players
carmine anvil
i think moving vehicle on vehicle combat might be best left to theatre of the mind for the most part
if you’re in some unusual context like you have road pirates jumping off a truck onto the team van and fistfighting the solo on the roof i think you can manage with a mostly static map
worthy snow
The group I'm in did it by having all the party members bound to a car token and having to lean out to fire if beyond a certain arc from their window
With the risk being if something jarred the car, there was a chance to be thrown unless passing a save
ancient nest
Cyber therapy seems expensive
brazen sentinel
Yup! The future sucks!
carmine anvil
unless you have tons of cash
tidal oracle
Cyber therapy seems expensive
Wow that sure is a good point! It feels kinda strange that so much of the players income has to be spent on therapy if they want to hold a conversation. Someone has to have input on a better way to do it
carmine anvil
then it looks like it rocks honestly
you can make someone roll medic and someone else roll fixer for 60%ish discounts
you can also just not chip in, not everyone needs buckets of chrome
shut patrol
RED is a bucket of having eight roles that are vital to success
you do not get to bring along all eight roles
which role do you not need? you need all of them, except maybe lawman
maybe even including lawman if you dont want the police buttig in
the trick is just picking which one you wanna be the most
forget necessity
embrace style
carmine anvil
i think there are low humanity cost options open even for solos honestly
what do you really need? neural link, smartlink, interface plugs, maybe eyes
everything else is saying “yes, i embrace the trauma, a grenade launcher hand is worth it”
leaden trout
“Yeah, so maybe the world seems kinda unreal and I’m constantly kinda twitchy, but I got these cool missile launching arms and targeting system”
carmine anvil
i woke up this morning and i wanted to be a gun
not like a hired gun, i’m one of those already
just. a gun
shut patrol
the "basics" are also just build dependent, but you generally need like, maybe three pieces of cyberware to be very killingly
its just that become more killingly means more cyberware and more killing and more HL
the reflex coprocessor i love that lets you dodge without REF 8 is inarguably not needed for everyday life
carmine anvil
there’s a bit of bread and butter ware that helps a lot in specific situations but that’s all pretty cheap and low impact
even so it still represents a commitment to a life of, you know
regularly getting flashbanged
maybe if you want to somewhat mitigate it you could give people a discount on ware they get to directly address trauma that caused humanity loss
leaden trout
the reflex coprocessor i love that lets you dodge without REF 8 is inarguably no...
Shows what you know about Night City traffic!
worthy snow
I've ran a mostly minimal-cyberware Medtech for like, most of the RED campaign I'm in so far- only having her chip stuff when it felt thematically appropriate (crit injuries to limbs, etc.), and I'll say that yeah, while 'ware and certain roles do feel like necessities, they aren't necessarily
however, having specialist roles like medtech, fixer, rockers/execs (for social stuff/'face' work), Techs is v good
but you absolutely can have a dysfunctional cast of mostly-organic solos and have a good time
all depends on how things are set up
leaden trout
To take a quote from Johnny Mnemonic: “When they go high tech you go low, when they go low tech you go high”
hot rain
my surprise Media adventure went well
carmine anvil
get me pictures of Spiderman cyberpsychos!
hot rain
i rolled a 21 on a +2
brazen sentinel
Bonkers how much the dice want this mystery solved
hot rain
Amaranth is just nice with it
brazen sentinel
get me pictures of ~~Spiderman~~ cyberpsychos!
There’s plenty of photos of the Rockergirl out there but none of her participating in a bunker raid to steal a child, so Amaranth is just in the dark
spice thunder
idk if this is already a thing in cyberpunk but i played a bit of the ascent recently and it got me thinking of a very fun concept
probably not original, but i love the concept of digital damage to harm robotics/electronics
not like, electricity or EM damage.
just data inside of a weapon becoming used as "projectiles"
makes me think of an exotic weapon which essentially is just a gun that shoots malware. Not hacking in the netrunner sense, just aiming a gun at a drone or smth and "shooting" a zip bomb straight into its memory core
harm borgs with weak network protections by loading a cryptominer directly into their brain
remotely clogging up electronic processes by injecting shit code straight into an access point.
balanced? definitely not. funny? yes
steady bluff
Bricking somebody by hitting them with funnycatpics dot zip
tidal oracle
Oh I actually thought of something similar. It was basically a netrunners sniper rifle
fluid hawk
360 no scope hack?
tidal oracle
I was thinking it would let you hack as long as you had direct line of sight, but sure you can do a spin before hitting enter
shut patrol
hacker rifle sadly wouldn't work in RED for a variety of reasons, but the microwaver basically already does this
the main reason it wouldnt work is that there's not really networks of things in RED/you need a physical connection port to hack with
it's the sort of thing you could handwave if you were committed but would have very big balance implications for netrunning
old depot
Yah, the net is still dead by the Time of Red
Only way to transfer data is to do it physically
You could justify it with like, a gun that shoots bullets filled with malware though
It’s very cyberpunk
Kinda just that one Cowboy Bebop episode tbh
shut patrol
You could justify it with like, a gun that shoots bullets filled with malware th...
you'd have to do a super aimed shot is really the main issue there
-16 to shoot the connection port in the neck or hand withering
carmine anvil
you can just shoot them in the face for half the penalty and one eurodollar
tidal oracle
I was thinking it would be something ridiculous like sending it with radio waves. Just some wacky sci-fi nonsense about Cyberware picking up trace radio signals
dim pond
I mean it wouldn't be hard
Literal frying pans can pick up a strong enough radio signal
(Absurdly strong one but still)
shut patrol
That's the microwaver
brazen sentinel
Got to intro the rockers ex for downtime
Jack Alt, rockerthing, edgerunner. Did a couple of years down south in Night City after Evie broke up with 'em. Doesn't look a thing like she remembers. Gone is the fresh-faced youth with a guitar and a dream. Now there's something slick and killer in their seat, drinking from a little flask of something and eating fried rice. Something familiar about that, eh? Probably nothing. Doesn't matter.
They notice her when she sits down, eyebrows up a little at the arms, but then back to a comfortable neutral. You look every inch the Assassin Rocker you supposedly are, Mistress of the Midnight Murder Show. They look every inch the Edge- pale skin tanned now by California sun and dreamlike neon. The little mechanical wings in their shoulders, flexing through holes in an open jacket that shows off the scar across their chest. A big nasty thing, sutured shut with golden wire as a fashion statement. This year's preem kicks- magnetic axel wheels built into the platforms of the sneakers. They look a hell of a lot better than you feel, Evie.
"Evie." Their voice hasn't change that much. It backs itself now though, some quiet program singing under the voice as they speak. "Been a long while, yeah?"
think they're cyberpunk enough?
brazen sentinel
Making Cyberpunks Is My Passion
sick python
I can tell lol
worthy snow
playing a medtech with only 35HP max in lategame RED is uh, tense
had a very close call with environmental traps today in the game I'm
all because we had to go kill a failed rocker turned cult leader
carmine anvil
i diagnose you with acute chrome deficiency and prescribe chipping the fuck in
this is exactly the kind of problem 2000 eurodollars is designed to fix
fluid hawk
Realizing how making a Cyberpunk character who's more over the hill is just naturally intimidating by how long they've lived.
sick python
As always
Beware the old in professions where people die young
Rogue, Blackhand, Smasher, etc
I suppose Rogue less so
Fixer is less bad for your health than edgerunner, if only just
fluid hawk
An old pro Solo would be terrifying.
sick python
i.e. Blackhand lmao
Man's a fossil by 2077 and literally wrote the book on being a Solo
fluid hawk
I'd even say an old Exec would be scary.
sick python
For different reasons, but yeah
fluid hawk
Would love to play decidedly older character. Even if they're just starting out on the street.
leaden trout
An old exec is the kind of guy everyone thinks is a pushover who just sat in an office all day until they try to take his job and he ruins them first financially and then physically
versed grotto
and/or "I know a guy" and then two days later a case of unmarked assault rifles shows up
or their apartment explodes
leaden trout
Or someone tries to shoot them and discover they’re packed to the gills with armor and reflex boosters
versed grotto
or their huscle jumps out of a closet to intercept the shot
leaden trout
Lmao yeah turns out their secretary and personal assistant are both borged up beyond belief
carmine anvil
i got this job at 21 and ate kibble every day for forty years while the company paid my rent, saved every last eddie.
do you have any idea how much training, chrome and heavy weaponry that kind of money can buy?
permit me to enlighten you.
(actually just sitting your ass down in the office and grinding it out is pretty competitive with being a regular edgerunner in red, with the added advantage that nobody shoots at you most days)
leaden trout
And even if it is just a grey haired guy in a nice suit, he probably has so many connections and favors to cash in if they really need to do something
steady bluff
I don't know why but the mortar fucking killed me.
finite scarab
Yeah thats what mortars generally do
analog spear
the Sprawl trilogy box set arrived, it has some cool art
gonna start reading this arternoon \o/
old depot
Yeah thats what mortars generally do
Bird flew? Yah they tend to do that
fluid hawk
I think a elderly looking middle manager Exec who's also the junkyard dog of their sector would be a blast to play.
Okay, I really want to play someone on the older side in a CP game.
ancient nest
gonna start reading this arternoon \o/
Enjoy those books rule and are rightfully known for their influences
leaden trout
I think a elderly looking middle manager Exec who's also the junkyard dog of the...
“No, I know Clemens looks like an old pushover, but I swear to you he’s got a shotgun under his desk and I’m pretty sure those arms aren’t just cosmetic chrome”
“When he says he used to do hostile takeovers, I don’t know if he’s just talking about the business kind”
fluid hawk
“When he says he used to do hostile takeovers, I don’t know if he’s just talking...
Clemens is a perfect name btw. He looses the mirrored raybans for a pair of circular mirrored glasses, has slight pert smile, and jokes about how his kind of work used to be a "gentleman's game."
He won't even leave the pieces behind.
halcyon violet
ancient nest
For a while I thought that the theme during the johnny segment was called "The Rebel Patch"
I only learned yesterday its "The Rebel PATH"
Unacceptable. Making something called REBEL PATCH in my game at somepoint because that name is too cool to leave in the air
carmine anvil
guerilla urban gardening collective
steady bluff
Pirating Corpo patented Genecrops to grow in your communal garden.
carmine anvil
i’m sure they have some material on this
about boostergangs coming and stealing your cabbages
analog spear
This just makes me want to try running a socialist self sufficient commune in night city while fending off corpo rats and booster gangs
steady bluff
Apparently CHOOH2 wheat makes really good eats.
shut patrol
downside of growing chooh2 is they kill you for it
crystal urchin
yeah, dont fuck with petrochems bottom line
shut patrol
growing a whole chooh2 field is how you get hit by ortillery
crystal urchin
nah, probably just a "tactical reclamation" team "liberating" your "assets"
brazen sentinel
Soviet Oil Do Not Fuck Around
crystal urchin
sovoil just has a mig drop a bomb on your house
they dont even bother trying to steal your shit
sick python
This just makes me want to try running a socialist self sufficient commune in ni...
Genuinely sounds like a lotta fun
My Fixer idea had some ideas relatively adjacent to that
Though given she is still on that grindset, most of it was funding weed grow operations
The genuine stuff
analog spear
You can do some good stuff with weed cultivation tbh (that isn't just drugs)
ancient nest
Is there a GM table to tell me how much payout stuff is on average in the CRB?
Because i'm still super new and i'm like Oh yeah this isnt lancer/icon i have to pay ya'll lmao
woeful parcel
@brazen sentinel this seems like something you might know
brazen sentinel
I’m Winging It
shut patrol
Is there a GM table to tell me how much payout stuff is on average in the CRB?
500 for a typical job (easy gigs), 1000 for a challenging job (normal gigs), 2000 for a job that could kill you (hard gigs)
assuming you get paid
assuming you get paid in EB
assuming that youre paid per person
that's the payout
as recommended, at least
you might not get paid
the game provides the example of someone who pays you 5% of their commission from a job for protecting them, they dont get the job though
so you never get paid
brazen sentinel
Yeah my party is being “paid” by having an AI cover a High Lifestyle for them
Which is. A good fucking deal
woeful parcel
Yeah my party is being “paid” by having an AI cover a High Lifestyle for them
Oh yeah I forgot the fact it's all expenses paid childminding
with the low low drawback of your mistakes being highly fatal
crystal urchin
all* expenses* paid*
dusk turret
Haha it’s scary over in Delilah land I hear
brazen sentinel
And I’m juuust starting up to do the first arc once downtime is through
fluid hawk
I think i got a staring concept for CP. Nomad trucker, big arms and soft tummy, has a bottle opener on his keychain.
brazen sentinel
with the low low drawback of your mistakes being highly fatal
Wintermute but a femme fatale wants to know why the kid is upset
brazen sentinel
I think i got a staring concept for CP. Nomad trucker, big arms and soft tummy, ...
Oho? What sorta clan ya thinking
fluid hawk
Oho? What sorta clan ya thinking
Ooo, you got one over on me, lol. I didn't even know there were Nomad clans.
Reading up on the different nations now.
brazen sentinel
Oh hey y’all wanna see a Night Market
There’s shopping to do for the apartment. Not for food, or tp or any of the shit moms in beavertown worry about getting from the AllFoods Family ™️ Market. No, you need bullets and wheels and maybe a little chrome. If you’re good. You gotta hit up the Night Market. And that means you gotta go into Pike Sprawl.
Used to be just Pike’s Place, but after the Collapse and the War, it turned into a Sprawl. A moss of Biz, of Desire, growing up out of the seaside of Seattle like the fucking slime algae they use to make most bread in the bakeries and breweries that churn in the deep guts of the Old Market. Coiled around them are the fishermen and the community gardeners hawking their wares under the watchful gaze of the Market Pigs, some mean fucking combat drones the local techies keep running.
What calls to a pair of psychos and the kid standing between them though, that ain’t in the Old Market. What you want ain’t even in the Stacks or the Old Corpo District. Nah, what you want is in the New Market, the sky high rattling construction of girders and linked airship moorings that cling to the Space Needle like so much detritus. In the New Market, you do real street style biz- lotta transplants from Korea, Russia, and Night City. Lotta sounds, lotta smells, lotta dripping water and whipping January winds.
spice thunder
oh that's beautiful
brazen sentinel
oh that's beautiful
Thank you also jfkdh
spice thunder
i'm on a bit of a contemplative emotional high but i like cyberpunk that actually shows off how community is Really Cool, Actually
it's the kind of tone i prefer. i just enjoy the uh. Vibrancy
brazen sentinel
Everyone has to sleep and eat somewhere I figure
toxic lake
Definitely one of the best parts of Black Chrome is the nightmarkets
dusk turret
>>> There’s shopping to do for the apartment. Not for food, or tp or any of the ...
Fantastic as usual. Can’t get over how good these descriptions are!
brazen sentinel
It’s easy to get the vibes
Just hit the right tempo! That’s how you do cyberpunk
dusk turret
Ye!
steady bluff
Apparently Mike Pondsmith sings Chorus and backing vocals in a handfull of songs on filk album Carmen Miranda's Ghost.
fluid hawk
I've already got a voice in mind for my Nomad.
fluid hawk
Do I want to give him a beard? Yes. Would I like to give him a bf/husband waiting at home on the convoy for him? Also, yes.
Is he always asking, "Ya got a beer?" Also also yes.
toxic lake
Do I want to give him a beard? Yes. Would I like to give him a bf/husband waitin...
A beard like a person or one on his face?
fluid hawk
A beard like a person or one on his face?
The face kind.
steady bluff
I tried to make a Nomad in heroforge and just made Max from Mad Max 2.
crystal urchin
mission accomplished then
brazen sentinel
Fucking right, that’s on point baby
carmine anvil
i did the same for an exec and it's just james bond
fluid hawk
i did the same for an exec and it's just james bond
Stooge... Corpo Stooge.
steady bluff
I went "Hmm, cargo pants and combat boots, yeah that makes sense. Alright top, leather jacket obviously, swept back dark hair. Sawn-off shot- aaaand thats just Mad Max." But it's hard to avoid when its a core inspiration.
ancient nest
Every media i think about need to look like Neo
brazen sentinel
Hunter S Tompson for mine
carmine anvil
Stooge... Corpo Stooge.
well, who isn't?
steady bluff
If I made a Media they'd be very Frank West.
crystal urchin
excellent choice
tidal oracle
If your cyberpunk media isn't willing to bodyslam a military general to get the story of a lifetime and spread the truth, I'm not interested
sick python
Rockerboy media is just like
Kat Blaque
But with the aforementioned ballsiness to linebacker a general
steady bluff
Well here he is, done and dusted.
halcyon violet
Oh I should heroforge my exec
sick python
I rly wanna play my Valentino Fixer at some point
steady bluff
I did not know this when I made him, but apparent there's Nomad version of the 1911 chambered in .357 mag. So me giving him the 1911 works out lol.
tidal oracle
Is that the Nue from 2077? I loved that gun when I played it
It was just a basic looking pistol chambered in high caliber made by malorian arms
steady bluff
No I'm talking about the Nomad .357 Magnum Autoloader from Neo-Tribes, it is, as said, a 1911 rechamered to .357 magnum.
leaden trout
The gun-knower part of me is just twitching thinking about the inevitable feeding issues that’d cause
Rims don’t play nice with automatics
opal latch
It has been done, though its kind of a kludge
steady bluff
Nomads are crafty sons of bitches and they worked with what they got. They also figured out how to make .357 automatic carbines somehow.
steady bluff
sick python
It should really be the opposite for this meme lmao
At least if you believe Blue Eyes is Blackhand
steady bluff
Parts of him were absolutely cannibalized from a Morgan Blackhand model but I don't think he is.
leaden trout
I kinda doubt it’s Blackhamd, seems much more likely it’s some kind of AI
steady bluff
My bet is Morgan was planned to appear in both a flashback and main game but they cut him in case they get a celeb to play him in another expansion.
My bets on Pedro Pascal for his BDE (big dad energy).
leaden trout
I’d never object to Pascal in more things!
versed grotto
My bet is Morgan was planned to appear in both a flashback and main game but the...
Mike asked them not to do anything with morgan because he was/is still doing stuff with him in RED
steady bluff
Ah I see
old depot
sick python
I kinda doubt it’s Blackhamd, seems much more likely it’s some kind of AI
Oh there's no way he's BH but the cope exists
For some reason
sick python
My bets on Pedro Pascal for his BDE (big dad energy).
God that's actually such a good fancasting
steady bluff
I would also accept George Clooney since Blackhand is explicitly inspired by him.
runic umbra
I can see modern clooney as blackhand
shut patrol
I always imagine BH like The Cool Mike Pondsmith who is just mike Pondsmith but with like, an unnaturally handsome face, an unnaturally perfect salt and pepper beard, an unnaturally cool demeanor
candid totem
HAHAHAHA
valid hedge
hell yeah
candid totem
God
valid hedge
Jazzed to play more of the game May's runnin next week
candid totem
@brazen sentinel posts by emile
worthy snow
had an amazing session with the group I play with today
2nd half of a major job (2000eb payout) to eliminate a cult leader who used to be a semi-major rockergirl in NC's abandoned stadium
wound up in a massive gladitorial combat thing against a ton of boostergangs that we'd tangled with before
and after desperately fighting through them all, ran into a specific gang that'd hurt a party member's family dearly in their past
then, I managed to help said party member obliterate that gang's leader
autofire is funny, especially on an Exotic Heavy Pistol that can overcharge to 5x multi.
c:
crystal urchin
imagine we still had 2020 autofire
where you would just do full damage multiple times
and you could dump an entire magazine to vaporize a fool
analog spear
Also I need help from fellow netrunners or just people who play non combat classes… what kind of weapon should I consider actually investing into because I feel like heavy pistol is kinda crap.
Like I'm regretting going with the book recommendation. Hitting is not an issue, I just deal no damage
carmine anvil
if your opponents are wearing proper armour it's a tough ask yeah
analog spear
I'm thinking of going for an aimed shots and hoping for crits thing instead
carmine anvil
you'll have to upgrade to very heavy, go for headshots or both
analog spear
Probably get a EQ Super Heavy Pistol
The add smartgun link
And get the target optics Cyberware
carmine anvil
or just throw grenades at them
analog spear
I mean yeah
But yeah I'll probably go for the heavier pistol
Next session is night market
brazen sentinel
Some AP rounds maybe
carmine anvil
one shot that can reliably do damage and at least ablate armour is better than two that can't
carmine anvil
although you should be able to damage light armourjack about half the time right?
with a heavy pistol
analog spear
Eeh I've been unlucky
carmine anvil
i mean if you're unlucky ain't nothing gonna save you
analog spear
It's the dice
carmine anvil
if you can only roll well on d10s, start throwing and choking people
carmine anvil
you're only fifteen hundred eurodollars away from bending steel bars with your hands!
brazen sentinel
See my hacker and I are solving her weapon problem by turning her cyberarm into an Exotic
So she can shove her fingers into a dudes neural ware and turn his consciousness off
analog spear
I see
worthy snow
AP rounds are lifesavers on heavy pistols and heavy SMGs
analog spear
I have a good plan now
worthy snow
I run a medtech with two heavy pistols (used to be standard ones, as of now two Exotic heavy pistols- a taser and a select-fire, rail-assist-mode-optional special gun) as her main weapon of choice and heavy pistols can work
carmine anvil
doesn't it only increase the ablation
worthy snow
you just gotta use AP and take maximum advantage of ROF two
yes
AP is double ablation
iirc
heavy pistols are also nice because very heavy pistols aren't concealable barring exotics with unique stuff going on
or Hidden Holster
being able to sneak weapons into higher-sec spots is often invaluable
steady bluff
I think having rules for bows is neat but I have a question. In the core 2020 rule book they both have a 12 shots in a quiver but how does reloading them work? Do you just. Have multiple quivers? Taking them off and putting a new one on as you go?
steady bluff
No, like other guns you have a number of shots you can fire from it before you need to spend an action reloading, and both the compound bow and crossbow list it as 12. The rule for number of shots literally mentions quivers so I guess they either they autoload or you do it so quick its done freely.
spice thunder
funky
bc i would think that a bow implies that's one arrow nocked at a time and 12 in the quiver
might be a mechanical quirk of building the game around magazine/clip-based weapons and not single shot loading weapons i'm guessing
but i'm also very tired so idk
steady bluff
You got one shot per round but it seems they're just treated the same as other guns. There are "guns" that have one shot but they're all rocket launchers or explosives using mutiple d10s, while the bow and x-bow do 4d6 and 3d6+3 respectively.
spice thunder
yeah i think it's just having a system where that kind of mechanical niche is a blind spot
bc realistically for a weapon that only has one shot at a time, the rhythm is load, aim, shoot.
and i can imagine in cyberpunk that slows shit down pretty drastically if you have to use your action economy to reload after Every Shot
so i'd say to answer your question you might have multiple quivers serving as ammo packs essentially which is what they're supposed to be used for, you could devise some magnetic loader/extreme ergonomics to explain away the ability to nock an arrow and draw a bow near Instantly
worthy snow
Update on the 2080-set RED game I'm in-
The party (via secret investigations and work done by my Medtech and the team Tech alongside NPC allies) have successfully cracked disarming the poison killswitch cyberware stuck in them by Arasaka! Now all but one party member have been treated and now even if the fail-deadly "assurance" goes off, they won't die.
However
That last party member (who unfortunately is in a relationship with my PC 
) was spotted in secret getting driven around by the Arasaka spy who controls the team for the company, and mysteriously has had 3k eb's worth of cyberware replacement done while being evasive and unavailable at times
aaand after obliterating a cult occupying the NC stadium while being televised by said cult, they all are overnight-famous
unborn knot
brazen sentinel
You know it
old depot
LET GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
hot rain
the french revolution shall come for elvis
worthy snow
Update on the 2080-set RED game I'm in-
The party (via secret investigations an...
the session of this game dealing with this rolled around and actually went really well for all involved
confrontation occurred in the wrap-up portion of a simple heist job at a pizzeria under renovation (it was a bit of a riff on FNAF in the end, the GM was messing with us but it all was in good fun and we had to pull some stealth and hacking antics to avoid getting attacked by worker bots); my PC and the party's Tech confronted the PC who was under suspicion of potentially having sold the group out as a mole for their Arasaka handler softly in the getaway van, and while things got increasingly more tense in the back as the group reboarded and drove off.
Ultimately things turned out to be not as bad as feared, though not ideal either- the character under suspicion had indeed met with the 'Saka spy/handler who'd betrayed the team before, but not to sell out the team; instead a foolish act of self-sacrifice through indebting herself to the spy when her funds ran low for getting some cyberware uninstalled after she realized she was not doing very well and needed the work done.
The team all chewed her out for it, but also told her explicitly that they had hard proof 'Saka planned to kill them off within a year no matter what, and that if she ever needed help she should come to them for it- they'd all (for the most part) have her back no matter what, and she shouldn't basically put herself in the 'line of fire' so senselessly. It was emotionally intense and relieving for all involved, and ultimately a really great moment of "hey, maybe talking shit out is a good idea."
brazen sentinel
the french revolution shall come for elvis
Knives’ inland empire is so funny
Especially as Charlotte warms up to him
sick python
A Rank Assassin, the King of Vegas
No More Heroes assassin ranks?
brazen sentinel
Yeah, the players are Specialists, S Rank Assassins :3c
hot rain
knives has a thought cabinet with several holes in it
hot rain
hello im a player give your secrets to me lilah. also i assume so otherwise this aint gonna go too well for the king
hot rain
please keep them away from my eyes
tame silo
I've never thought about how No More Heroes assassins would work for a cyberpunk game
Hell, it's a scam in 1 but having to do side work to afford association fees fits pretty well
Being an assassin on the gig economy
Släyer, the assassination app
steady bluff
Being an assassin on the gig economy
Isn't that just being a solo?
worthy snow
To a point yeah
Not all solos are assassins, but technically all assassins are solos for the most part
brazen sentinel
I mean my assassins are a rocker a hacker and a solo
sick python
A medtech or techie also could be
crystal urchin
the secret to murder is that anybody can do it! even you!
sick python
Fixer I’d struggle to see as an assassin
Or a Nomad
Or Media or Exec
The skill set just doesn’t seem conducive in the way the other classes have
Honestly a rockerboy is a weird assassin imo
worthy snow
A medtech or techie also could be
well, yeah
I suppose you're right
(glances at own Medtech rocking two swords and two guns in their overall kit)
sick python
Oh I was thinking poison
worthy snow
poison and other pharmas as medtech are p fun to mess around with but need a lot of setup
sick python
Or explosives or drones in the case of a techie
A netrunner of course can brainfry you
A solo can do solo things
worthy snow
the gun-favoring solo in the game I'm in maxed their shoulder arms and just about nearly cannot miss a standard rifle shot
ever
old depot
Or a Nomad
I mean I feel like nomad assassin works
Vehicles are very deadly
Even if your assassination speciality is just, getting into car crashes with your target
If they die and you survive you did your job
valid hedge
I guess a media has like, the investigative skills to help an assassin do their job but they aren't the best for actually directly murking somebody
old depot
Media could work as a like guy in the chair yah
Doing stakeouts in the target to learn their schedule
Finding out their secrets
Doing stuff like that
valid hedge
Fixers are similar
Lawmen are just weird as a role in general
old depot
I mean Fixers are the people who give the assassins jobs
Like at the end of the day fixers are the middle men of assassins
fluid hawk
Fixers occasionally need to get directly involved too
sick python
I mean they do, and I can appreciate a hands-on businessperson
but personally handling assassinations I don't think is in most Fixer's job descriptions
opal latch
A fixer assassin would probably be offering getting a job done and cleaning up the loose ends of whoever they hired to do it as a two for one special
Though I'm not sure how long they would stay in business that way
fluid hawk
I can see a starting fixer getting gigs to do post hit job cleanups. Make sure the evidence is cleaned and scrubbed both on the scene and digitally.
So the need a literal and figurative clean up crew.
versed grotto
cyberpunk viscera cleanup detail dlc when
sick python
Okay so I am wholly aping John Wick with this idea
But I think I want to create a like 'classy' variant of the Afterlife that's a hotel's ground floor bar
And of course, the hotel provides the bar, a place for people to meet up and plan jobs, as well as the hotel itself, along with several other services (I imagine it'd be a popular locale for night markets)
calm folio
Fixer I’d struggle to see as an assassin
i could see a fixer who semi often leads groups of assassins and does planning and stuff
or just sets stuff up so a firefight breaks out right as the target enters the room by playing on social tensions
fluid hawk
And of course, the hotel provides the bar, a place for people to meet up and pla...
It's the one place in NC that's relatively chill with a lofi atmosphere. Everyone's armed to the teeth (maybe literally), but there's rules and decorum. Bad guests are delt with swiftly.
sick python
It's the one place in NC that's relatively chill with a lofi atmosphere. Everyon...
I imagine lots of eurosolos etc etc
It's probably one of the notably European-owned places, a woman from the Netherlands or something
Always has live music, usually an eclectic mix of different jazz & blues subgenres
Still no idea where it would be tho
Maybe on the edge of City Center and Watson?
fluid hawk
Maybe? Sounds like you know more about the NC landscape than me. 😅
But it's the one place where some wannabe street samurai won't challenge your rep. Everyone's here to relax, have a drink, and take in the atmosphere. It's poor form to discuss business there, though patrons do love to swap stories. Troublemakers are probably delt with brutal efficiency, either with a lifetime ban or dissolved in a bathtub.
sick python
It's poor form to discuss in the bar
You are of course free to rent any room you'd like, sir~
And yeah, someone like Dex'd get thrown out on his ass
fluid hawk
And yeah, someone like Dex'd get thrown out on his ass
Bouncers are the sort who'll toss him out like they're throwing luggage but with a polite smile and nary a raised voice.
"Have a good night, sir."
sick python
lmao
tame silo
Love that vibe, to be honest, great contrast to the high speed ultraviolence of The Street
Plus, maybe it's an example of how you can succeed in the biz? Like the owner is an ex-fixer or something, managed to score big enough to set the place up
fluid hawk
I think it's a place where if you're a successful enough Solo and you've established yourself as a professional, you'll get an invitation.
It's a very selective clientele, if we're sticking with the John Wick vibe.
Speaking of which, I'd love to create a merchant whose right out of the "Sommelier Scene," in John Wick 2 for Cyberpunk.
sick python
That is why this is being made
worthy snow
things got bad™️ enough in the game I'm in today that Smasher stepped in
turns out, it is possible to facedown Adam Smasher and live
technically
steady bluff
Oh no
dim pond
Objective: survive
worthy snow
but at what cost?
(2d6 humanity loss and an irreversible shift for at least one character)
toxic lake
Found in a newspaper here in Walla Walla Washington
crystal urchin
i mean, its basically the same as a $X00 discount
unfortunately it seems like either the deal isnt active or it just isnt on their website so i cant find more details
it is in the flyer on their website though
ah! its from the 24th to 30th
okay they do have a list of eligible guns
all priced between $150 and $300
leaden trout
Yeah, that was what I’d have guessed, I bet they’re basically all .22s
crystal urchin
.22, 9mm, .380, a couple of 12 gauges, a 10mm
but mostly pocket pistols, yeah
the best deal is probably the AR-7 since its a full $299.99
unless you want a Bersa or Stoeger pistol (same price)
leaden trout
They’re basically always around that price, interesting history to them actually but dunno how good they are
(They were designed as aircraft survival rifles by Armalite, the gun can be disassembled and fit in the stock with one or two magazines, and the stock sorta floats)
leaden trout
…do you think Cyberpunk pilots would just have an integrated weapon as standard? Like a SERE kit basically implanted into them
crystal urchin
full coverage of 25 SP, 20mph run, locator beacon, teleoptics, survival blade in the wrist, leg holster for a heavy pistol or light smg + 1 mag, built in parachute, gyroscope and more
also Reflex 15 for obvious reasons
and narratively theyre almost immune to g-force related issues
and given the multi million dollar pricetags on fighter jets and the vast sums spent on pilot training, spending 54k on an FBC for the pilot isnt a big ask
Militech even uses them for combat AVs https://i.imgur.com/nqWOClP.png
(the AVX-9C is a mix of a tilt-rotor and an aerodyne designed for combat, the AVD has never been mentioned anywhere else)
unless its supposed to be the AV-B, which is a big fat gunship https://i.imgur.com/dy52dSO.png
abstract crag
I'm really enjoying this game but ah. Anyone else feel like the methods of leveling up your Class Ability are a bit wonky
The pricepoints are just insane compared to anything else
tidal oracle
I completely agree
Progression feels balanced for a 5 year campaign not for a world where you can die from an unlucky roll
Although red isn't quite that lethal
abstract crag
For me it's that it's tied to the regularperson skills, you have to just ignore everything if you want to be a better Medtech, you can't get interested in a new kind of weapon or idek
carmine anvil
yeah the progression system is a bit of a dinosaur
combined with character gen it makes me feel really weird to not optimise
vale basin
Repost from the main TTRPG channel:
So a friend is convincing me to run Cyberpunk RED.
I know very little about the system. I have run WoD/CofD/Storypath regularly for too many years, and Lancer for a year and a half.
If anyone with experience running it could provide some pointers on how to run it, besides the book's chapter on it (Which I have skimmed and started reading, and I can tell it's good)? I am looking in particular at system things I should be on the lookout for (i.e. potential houserules, common player questions, etc.)
leaden trout
I haven’t run it, but something that the game is built around aside from Cool Heists and Chrome is having the players actually inhabit Night City, which means that they have to deal with making ends meet and the day to day of life. So, it can be helpful (and a good roleplay opportunity) to give the players moments in their everyday lives like getting lunch together, asking them how they are getting to a job, ask where they’re gonna sleep because it’s late, etc. This not only has them interacting with the lifestyle stuff, but also could give you a chance to do stuff like “hey, your diner is now being stuck up in a robbery, what do you do?” or have a assassin or angry gang me,beer try to take a shot at the group (or a player) on the street outside their container.
Also, remember that combat can be rough, so encourage you players to make use of cover and think strategically, but also try to get a gauge on how rough/easy you’re being to them so you can know to pull it back or crank it up a notch or two
Just some guys with assault rifles is a pretty real threat!
And remember, not every fight has to be to the death, enemies can feel like things are getting too hot for them and leave, and you should give players a way to at least try to get out of an encounter. And that can be really fun too, people will remember the time they barely made it out of a failed heist under heavy fire just as much as one where everything went well, and definitely better than something that felt like an unfair total party kill
vale basin
Been reading more about running the game, including some of the DLC
And
I must say, a lot of the... Narrative concerns align with my storytelling style.
hallow prawn
I'm watching an actual play. (Spoilers for New Game Who Dis) ||During the meeting where they get their first job, a player is lured outside by a childhood enemy and assailed by a cybered-up flamethrower lady and has to take cover in a dumpster. Stuff you don't expect but which keep the game moving.|| So that's my takeaway: Keep it exciting, be a little mean. "Make it personal", as they say. My limited actual experience has likewise been that these moments with personal contacts are the best. One of my players managed to evade a motorcycle ram by his toxic former lover and landed in his lap.
shut patrol
play dirty
hallow prawn
When I ran it, I tried to apply the bomb advice from the thread on here and put a grenade under the coffee table, rigged to go off a few seconds after someone uses the coffee machine.
shut patrol
if you want to sell your opponent as being scummy, give them scummy tactics
also, make sure to read the fine print
if someone offers you 1000 eddies for a job make sure it's actually in Eurodollars and not 1000ed equivalent in collectable digital cards
carmine anvil
yeah the, uh, how to kill your pcs advice is an odd niche
i feel it’s long on exploding toilets and poisoned underpants and relatively short on when and why you should kill your pcs
hallow prawn
So on the actual flow of the game :P
carmine anvil
i would very much support guidance on “this is the sort of thing that a corp will just write off as the cost of doing business, but here’s what the exec who got demoted might be capable of”, “this is what a small corp will do when they decide they need to make an example of you”, “this is arasaka’s continuum of force”
not that any other system i can think of really has that
hallow prawn
I've been wondering: How do you run CPR if you want it to be less street-level? And, say, more of a sci-fi espionage thing, possibly with international travel.
I'm reading wiki entries on the politics of various countries and would love to run a spy thriller.
Okay, i'm now remembering tips on this somewhere in the book (or at least about playing as various groups, such as bands or police stations).
carmine anvil
there are yeah, i think they're pretty brief
i don't think you could file off the entire economy without compensating somehow
money is a pretty key part of progression
hallow prawn
Hmm, I suppose highly privatized spies might need to buy their own stuff?
Or!
They're simply an underfunded group or a conspiracy within another group, always scampering for resources.
A defeated party
carmine anvil
i mean you have a department budget
i don't think that having international superspies looting bodies for guns to resell on the black market really fits into the desired aesthetic
crystal urchin
you can just give the PCs more money
carmine anvil
but availability and price of chrome, therapy, bullets etc. is one of the levers you have as a gm to manage progression
crystal urchin
yes, but if you intend a different tone, the game doesnt break because you change that
theres a thing somewhere in 2020 along the lines of "give them all the money and shiny toys in the worlds - and make them choke on it"
and also remember that just because they have more money than street level PCs
hallow prawn
What if you're undercover black ops whatever, with no means of receiving significant support? Like, you're still officially some gig worker or office drone but you may occasionally receive a little money to perform subversive tasks.
crystal urchin
doesnt mean theyre actually well off
sure, you have armor and guns that cost 10 times what those idiots have
but so do your enemies
worthy snow
You could go that route, could also tie their supporting faction's behavior towards them to how under-budget they are
hallow prawn
Oh, yeah
Or mean choices as double agents: Do you blow up your actual employers' office at the behest of who you're infiltrating?
And then, you get different support
crystal urchin
"oh, you have your own secret base and fleet of helicopters and two dozen support NPCs back at base? well the enemies have twenty sets of that stuff."
worthy snow
I know in the game I'm in the party are basically forced to act as agents for Arasaka against their will, and thus are pitted against other Edgerunner indentured labor with rankings on materiel recovered/jobs done vs. expenditures
To where the party got treated well despite circumstances by being efficient and cheap
Even though their internal competition had higher numbers on items recovered, said competition lost out because they blew the piggy bank
hallow prawn
I'm also thinking of the part of The Departed where ||The police dude who knows the protag is an undercover agent is killed, leaving the protag stranded as a mafia muscle dude.||
worthy snow
So having those types of corporate-dystopia vibes as background pressures on the players is fitting
also, having their actions have really longrunning repercussions is great
Like, if they spurn an operative of a megacorp or something, maybe have that feud or slight come back to bite them later
versed grotto
Hmm, I suppose highly privatized spies might need to buy their own stuff?
slush funds etc etc
hallow prawn
What are slush funds?
versed grotto
but it's fine to have players running at a higher powerlevel than four randoms scraping by in the streets
basically off-books accounts
but cyberpunk doesn't run into issues if the players have good gear
you'll just need to come up with bigger threats than some random maelstromer with an uzi
calm folio
some random maelstromer with two uzis
increase number of uzis till balance is achieved
crystal urchin
maelstromer with 4 smartgun uzis and explosive rounds
versed grotto
that's......actually really dangerous
calm folio
lmfao
shut patrol
not only is it really dangerous it also implies a lot of supplementary cyberware which means CASH
versed grotto
exactly
and with maelstrom you know that's all combat ware
not a drop of civilian utility to be found
brazen sentinel
If we’re still talking about running this game
LISTEN UP YOU PRIMITIVE SCREWHEADS
Read it, and Uncle Mikes Dirty Tricks
leaden trout
Good ol’ Uncle Mike
He of the “place a landmine under that asshole power gamer’s bed to teach him a lesson”
steady bluff
carmine anvil
the main defenses against this sort of thing include decent perception scores, tradecraft precautions, chemsniffers and adjacent chrome, and not getting discovered doing things that make people want to kill you with bombs
versed grotto
also putting decent locks on your doors
hallow prawn
In an unused ploy, I was going to have a player roll animal handling to determine that his character's dog had been spooked by an intruder.
analog spear
I have been screaming at the rest of my party in Cyberpunk Red for a few sessions now that we should start packing grenades
We finally did for a job and we took 7 hostiles out in 5 turns, we were barely scathed
Grenades are good
steady bluff
Forget dogs or diamonds explosive are a cyberpunks best friend
vale basin
Grenades are good
if there's anything I've learned from videogame speedruns, it's that grenades solve many problems real fast.
halcyon violet
There's a fucking google ad
that uses the Cyberpunk track specifically when Johnny attacks Arasaka Tower
And I am completely flabbergasted on the tonedeafness
steady bluff
MY CORPORATION IN CHRIST YOU ARE THE IRL ARASAKA.
toxic lake
Did the older Cyberpunk games mechanize Cyberpsychosis more than what's in RED or has it never been particularly "enforced?"
crystal urchin
pretty much entirely narrative
besides the skill penalties for low humanity/empathy
toxic lake
👍👍👍 ty ty ty
crystal urchin
been playing Robocop: Rogue City recently and got suggested this the other day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxgCZApw1nQ
and i realized that robocop would actually make a pretty good antagonist in cyberpunk
- hes an actual Good Cop, so PCs with anything resembling morals might actually feel bad about killing him
- hes heavily armored enough that most weapons wont even slow him down, forcing the PCs to run away or otherwise evade him
- while he's very accurate and deadly, he's not heavily armed, so player survivability isn't something to worry too much about (and he'll prioritize taking people alive as long as they arent actively shooting him)
- its not hard to contrive scenarioes where RoboCop has tracked the party down and suddenly appears with no warning
crystal urchin
id argue smasher is way more heavily armed, way faster and way more likely to flatten anybody who stands in his way without so much as light dialogue
leaden trout
And there’s the potential to have him go against his corporate masters, as the end of the first film shows
Well, kind of, just the one guy and not the rest of the board who totally would have been involved
crystal urchin
yeah, have "CyberCop" as a proof of concept for NCPD though Militech or somebody, literally just steal the setup from the movies
leaden trout
The NCPD is even getting slowly chipped away at by corporate security
crystal urchin
which also serves to explain why he doesnt have backup when he initially encounters the players but could if things get serious
and also that hes not to be fucked with because he has major backers and isnt likely to just walk away
leaden trout
Man, that’d actually be a really cool thing to do tbh
And again if you do the whole backstory stuff or have the players piece it together, that could be a cool thing of in the midst of getting away saying some sort of “remember who you you are!” thing
…you know, this could actually be a neat idea for a lawman heavy party, where some of the player characters know the guy from before
sick python
id argue smasher is way more heavily armed, way faster and way more likely to fl...
I mean moreso the 'borderline unkillable tpk machine'
leaden trout
So they don’t want to kill him even if they could
sick python
Also being a fullborg slaved to a corp
worthy snow
Btw, what kinda teams have y'all played in/run for?
the one in the game I'm in started as a motley crew of edgerunners brought together for work by a Fixer, growing far closer over time before getting wrapped up in a conspiracy around pre-4th Corporate War cyberware and then ultimately betrayed by their "Rockergirl" teammate (who was actually 'Saka counterintel, an Exec) and forced to work for Arasaka against their will
now they're deep in the shit surviving their new position and trying to find a way to survive and ultimately break free of the company
also more of the conspiracy revealing itself to have directly impacted the lives of several PCs leading to a lot of "first we escape 'Saka, then we fuck them up" mindsets
hallow prawn
Oh, I love that.
worthy snow
Oh, and it turns out 'Saka wanted the macguffin cyberware to make Robocop-esque combat borgs and one was my Medtech's long-missing partner; was a very tragic reunion
(this is why you never accept the R&D labs tour at 'Saka Tower folks)
vale basin
Mmmh. Theater of Mind, or hexmap combat? Which one do y'all prefer? 🤔
leaden trout
For something like Cyberpunk, it seems like it’s calling for a map, since angles and distance, and cover is pretty important
worthy snow
Yeah, battlemaps are vastly preferred for Cyberpunk
brazen sentinel
cyberpunk is when adama smasher is there probably
halcyon violet
concept
someone wanted to make a clone of Johnny Silverhand
they could not get his DNA
Instead they got the DNA of Keanu Reeves
and went "people probably can't tell the difference"
brazen sentinel
I can Johnny silverhand looks like fucking Bruce Springsteen
halcyon violet
Keanu Reeves canonically exists in Cyberpunk and his claim to fame is looking like Johnny Silverhand so I think keeping both lore and people just thinking Keanu Reeves looks like Bruce Springsteen is VERY funny
brazen sentinel
this is acceptable
brazen sentinel
Same Guys
crystal urchin
also dont forget Johnny died at 34
(Keanu was 34 when filming the first Matrix , for scale)
steady bluff
If people mistake Keanu for Johnny Silverhand and not vice versa does that mean Keanu was probably a smaller time actor in cyberpunk?
old depot
I mean with the timeline changing
It’s very possible he was only known for Bill and Ted
Which yah was popular but not, Matrix popular
crystal urchin
now to be clear, Keanu is only mentioned as part of easter eggs relating to the presence of the ARCH motorcycles included in 2077
old depot
Ah true
crystal urchin
and quite significantly, Keanu is 24 years older than Johnny
old depot
Right yah
crystal urchin
(born 1964 vs. 1988, 59 vs 34 in 2023, etc)
old depot
Cyberpunk was 2020 lol
I keep forgetting that the game was made in the 90s
And isn’t just the future
crystal urchin
alt-future becomes alt-history (though it was always a little bit alt-hist)
leaden trout
Yeah, Arasaka was founded in the 50s or 60s right?
crystal urchin
yeah, though really the first significant divergence beyond "Arasaka exists" is the formation of the Gang of Four in '89
(the year after 2013's original release but the year before 2020's)
old depot
So Bill and Ted would still release then
crystal urchin
yeah
1989 is the last year that one can argue went largely the same as in real life
'90 has the First Central American War, the Fall of South Africa, the London Riots, the (one year early) reunification of Germany and (also one year early) dissolution of the Warsaw Pact and more!
old depot
Yah which would absolutely all affect Hollywood
So Keanu’s career would be completely unpredictable after 1989
crystal urchin
its possible that his IRL career is accurate for a few more years but probably not past '94 and absolutely not past '96
old depot
Yah that probably heavily affects Hollywood
crystal urchin
so Point Break ('91), Bill and Ted 2 ('91), Dracula ('92) are possible, Speed ('94) and Johnny Mnemonic ('95) are unlikely and The Matrix ('99) is impossible
though i could accept an alternate timeline Matrix, since it had been in the pipeline since '94 (as part of a three movie deal between the Wachowskis and WB)
instead of Keanu, they get their first pick for Neo
Will Smith
old depot
You think if Johnny Mnemonic came out people would call it prophetic?
crystal urchin
(who IRL opted to instead do Wild Wild West)
old depot
HOLY SHIT
crystal urchin
In 1996, the Wachowskis pitched the role of Neo to Will Smith. Smith explained on his YouTube channel that the idea was for him to be Neo, while Morpheus was to be played by Val Kilmer. He later explained that he did not quite understand the concept and he turned down the role to instead film Wild Wild West.
old depot
I wonder if he regrets that decision
crystal urchin
this might still be the Val Kilmer Batman timeline too
unless the changes mean Keaton agrees to return for Batman Forever
basically, any movie made between 1990 and 1996, you can argue for an alternate casting
after that point its fair game, obviously
(alternate Back to the Future 2+3 where Crispin Glover stays on as George McFly, and Claudia Wells isn't replaced by Elisabeth Shue)
toxic lake
Do you think Sean Connery took the role as Morpheus in this timeline too
crystal urchin
actually thats a myth, he was offered The Architect
toxic lake
Ohhhhh
old depot
I can see that
crystal urchin
though Val Kilmer (as mentioned above), Gary Oldman and Samuel L. Jackson were also considered
jovial stratus
reading RED's sourcebook atm. very disappointed in cd project not including the catgirl detective agency that's secretly backed by the US government in 2077
worthy snow
Yeah no Danger Gal is in the RED corebook iirc
Just not expanded upon
Afaik there's nothing saying they don't exist in 77
jovial stratus
There's a total lack of exotics in 2077. (Unless i missed them). Cowards.
dim pond
Unless you use mods
jovial stratus
although it did give me the idea for a campaign about working for a small-time detective agency with coincidentally exotic PI's - with Danger Gal trying to shut them down to protect their brand recognition
worthy snow
In the game I'm in, our party's melee focused solo (Korean expat going by "Saingoem", player uses Roland from Library of Ruina to depict them) has been paranoid of Danger Gal ever since he got honeypotted by a D.G. intel gatherer trying to scope out the player edgerunner team
And the GM keeps having random catgirls pop up in various locales to keep them on their toes
toxic lake
The C in ACAB also stands for Catgirl
I like Danger Gal a lot because of their connections to the US Govt. I feel like one of RED's most interesting new things is how after expropriating Militech and using them to essentially set up a junta the actual government's a lot more power and has to maybe be taken seriously
I played a lawman who did a lot of bad shit because he thought the better future would be to get the US and Militech fully back into power over the continental US.
leaden trout
Danger Gal is basically “Pinkertons, but we’re quirky! Silly, friendly neighborhood corporate espionage!” right?
It’s mostly just a friendly face and marketing gimmick rather than an “honest” thing if that makes sense?
hallow prawn
How secretive can you be with teal-coloured cat ears?
crystal urchin
well the "secret" is the difference between their advertising and publicly offered services and the reality of how they actually make most of their money
because on the surface and to the public, theyre a catgirl private detective agency
thats it
you hire them, they send a catgirl to do some investigating for you
in reality, theyre specialists in corporate espionage, assassinations, infiltration, sabotage and more working for the highest bidders
hallow prawn
I love that.
crystal urchin
also quite significantly finding and destroying the remnants of arasaka influence in north america
theyre a cover for deniable operations by the US government
and one basically only answerable to Kress
leaden trout
Something interesting I noticed when I was replaying 2077 (just started, man does the new update feel good, and I didn’t think the version I played was terrible) is that in the hotel you do the initial heist in a guy is yelling about his Kurdish clients, so it’s good to know at least some of them made it out okay from the Mid East Meltdown
worthy snow
The session I had in the game I'm in this Friday had Danger Gal heavies hit the private booth down the hall from the one the party was in inside a downtown NC club
Baited their way in with a visibly sweating-to-high-heaven corpo guy then grabbed someone out of there
Party meanwhile: "oh, fuck- sucks to be that gonk"
and
"Glad that's not us"
jovial stratus
oh my god you can play the MMO in the TTRPG.
hallow prawn
I'm looking at it now. I love it. I want to start a fantasy game like this, then suddenly reveal to the players that they've been playing Cyberpunk RED all along.
Netrunners might actually modify their AR visualizations to portray literal fantasy hellhounds, etc.
Maybe, there are branded AR goggles to get those nerds to play ELO.
worthy snow
The GM of my game ran the FFXIV recruitment copypasta through a GPT model with some info on the in-setting MMO and created a faux ad for a news blotter that way
Was quite hilarious
tidal oracle
I'm looking at it now. I love it. I want to start a fantasy game like this, then...
As long as you do an "unrelated" cyberpunk one shot beforehand that could be amazing
hallow prawn
What for?
Elflines all the way, baby
Who needs robot arms?
Btw, am I reading the ELO DLCs correctly and there's a running gag about a guy not knowing that his coworker is his online girlfriend? As well as a stalker, I suppose.
jovial stratus
maybe its just the fact that gundam is one of my fixations atm but when i read that the highriders have an o'neil colony, and that weaponised orbital drops have happened i just assumed that a colony drop is basically inevitable.
leaden trout
I mean, just hucking rocks is just as effective
tidal oracle
Yeah I don't think any colonies are big enough to erase Australia or anything
worthy snow
yet
jovial stratus
They'd level a city easily enough
jovial stratus
BREAKING: SCRAPPY DOO MIAMI FOUND DEAD IN MIAMI
steady bluff
I really can't believe James Gunn gunned down Scrappy Doo the streets like that.
old depot
I can
jovial stratus
I think scooby doo could be canon in cyberpunk. I think that'd be okay.
old depot
They’re also a nomad clan
analog spear
Does anyone have or know a good source of Cyberpunk maps to use with foundry? My GM is struggling.
hallow prawn
Does anyone have or know a good source of Cyberpunk maps to use with foundry? My...
Loke Battle Maps has made official ones for CP:R
On DriveThruRPG, you can find their stuff in some large bundles, but also individual maps for about two dollars each.
analog spear
Cheers!
toxic lake
Made a Text Post Thingy about Edgerunners recently (spoilers of course) https://www.tumblr.com/tunaculosis/737916224615448576/neosatsuma-calls-this-a-text-post-thingy-i
jovial stratus
possibly a silly question but is there a 'monster manual' of sorts for RED?
toxic lake
Hardened Mooks on the RTG downloads page is specifically for parties with 2 or more Solos
All of the DLC adventures have enemies listed there too
jovial stratus
Ty :)
hexed violet
possibly a silly question but is there a 'monster manual' of sorts for RED?
All of the "enemies" in Cyberpunk are humans. Usually. So they are varied and very customizable. I suppose you could use some templates, but the variety of opponents you can put against players are large.
Only played Cyberpunk RED briefly. Still have the urge to play the game again some day.
leaden trout
I think it’s been mentioned in the lore, but how’s Portland/Seattle in Cyberpunk? Feels like they’d be very much that Blade Runner 2049 vibe of a city with neon reflecting off the fog
versed grotto
I think it’s been mentioned in the lore, but how’s Portland/Seattle in Cyberpunk...
photo judy sends from seattle in CP77
apparently it ate bremerton which is a bit of a ??? moment because bremerton's a pain in the ass to get to from seattle
just kind of a weird direction to expand in unless they also really beefed up the ferries
hot rain
Lilah's got a Seattle kicking around for her RED game, I think thats entirely patched together from her own things tho
But its a good one
toxic lake
That's where R Talsorian's offices are located too!
So obviously Mike has been succeeded by his son by this point
leaden trout
I think it’s more likely that Seattle just sprawled and slowly ate them until they were just districts rather than distinct cities, and probably also bunch of ferries/maybe some insane bridges
Like, Seattle is basically just a sprawl that’s slowly eating everything already irl as I understand it, let alone the Dark Corporate Future/Alternate Past
brazen sentinel
Yeah the exburb sprawl is a lot
Lemme see if I can get my map, but in general the big things are like
Most of the docks got seized by the NUSA, a massive military arcology called BABEL is being built in the center of town, CHAZ and the Gasworks become autonomous zones, Tacoma is a combat zone, and pike place and the waterfront fuse into a sea nomad base and night market that clings like kudzu to the space needle
Militech has major presence, as well as a few computer mega corps picking over the corpse of the wartime Microsoft Junta that ruled over Redmond
Third world war fucked shit up
versed grotto
Most of the docks got seized by the NUSA, a massive military arcology called BAB...
oh so tacoma's gotten better then
brazen sentinel
Tacoma has had a net improvement yes
hot rain
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The concrete and covered bunkers stretch far away.```given the timeline differences, i think NT is the last canonical version of Windows
which goes a long way towards explaining why computers in cyberpunk are so different
also stuff like "gabe newell never leaves to found valve", "the Nintendo 64 probably doesn't launch in the US" and more
given the stock market crash of '94, you can argue for basically any game made in the US after '94 not being made
no command and conquer, hexen, twisted metal, marathon 2, duke 3d, you get the idea
importantly, Doom survives (1993) and Doom 2 probably survives (1994)
which means you can still have "can it run doom" memes in 2045
versed grotto
no command and conquer, hexen, twisted metal, marathon 2, duke 3d, you get the i...
I'm trying to imagine how the gaming ecosystem changes without C&C and duke 3d and honestly
that explains a lot
crystal urchin
and thats just the ones immediately between the stock market crash and the collapse of the gov't
leaden trout
Well, all I really know about gaming in Cyberpunk is that Elflines exists lol
And that’s a pay-to-win mmo
crystal urchin
yeah some things are pretty similar
but part of RED's deal is that the Net is circling back towards the early 00s after spending decades in the 90s
so its super advanced but retro
Elflines is basically Ultima Online or EverQuest
but total immersion VR ("full dive" in anime terms) thanks to interactive braindance tech
toxic lake
Elflines is basically Ultima Online or EverQuest
It's Ultima Online in Azeroth
The other big part of those 90s/00s/Hypnospace vibes too is... are they called Garden Patches? Everyone's got their own Page in your city's Internet?
crystal urchin
yeah
its geocities days (again, for the first time)
theres (mostly) no social media, everybody just has their own website
toxic lake
ELO is basically social media
I feel like twitter in night city would be around for a month before it incites too many acts of violence
crystal urchin
and yeah, since a lot of online games are closer to multi-user environments, its where a lot of people socialize
toxic lake
So really you'd maybe have something if you made a Garden Patch aggregator
crystal urchin
maybe yeah
hallow prawn
I feel like twitter in night city would be around for a month before it incites ...
But isn't the whole point of social media that people can't or don't engage in physical violence? Social media exists so people can be mean to others without fear.
carmine anvil
normally, but it’s night city
some script kiddie defacing a gang’s myspace seems likely to provoke gunfire
toxic lake
But isn't the whole point of social media that people *can't* or *don't* engage ...
"Pull up then" will become significantly more real
leaden trout
I mean, that’s already the case the case irl, people really do pull up
brazen sentinel
it’s night city they’ll take any excuse for a riot
crystal urchin
cant have shit in night city
dim pond
It ain't a good sports game in Night City without a few deaths in the afterparty
sick python
It ain't a good sports game in Night City without a few deaths in the afterparty
"It's No-Rules Tuesday out there, folks!"
To borrow a quote from Alita
old depot
it’s night city they’ll take any excuse for a riot
You need an excuse?
night crag
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