[Other] Cyberpunk - The Edge of Glory

[Drifter One]

Game Name Cyberpunk - The Edge of Glory

Game System Other Roleplaying Games

Theme Dark times in a Technology obsessed future

Flavour Gritty, Dark, Adult

Plot Summary Having lost a player our Edgerunner crew now has an open slot for ONE more glory hunter. Will keep this open for a week, maybe two so feel free to apply if interested. Rupert Wilson stared out from his office window across the Neon skyline of Night City, the rain giving a colourful shimmer to every soaked surface as far as the eye could see. In his hand he held a datashard, turning it over and over between his fingers as he thought about the direction of his Corporation should and could take; its contents highly sensitive and he could not believe his luck it was in his possession. This shard changed everything. His optics glinted red as neurosystem direct dialed his personal assistant, Jaqueline Redmond. After some time the call connected. "Ummm.....uhhhhh....Mr Wilson?" stuttered a tired voice on the other end of the transmission. It was 3 am. "Jaqueline. Sorry to call you at such an ungodly hour. I could not sleep." "Did you try Brandy, sir?" his assistant groaned. Rupert stopped spinning the shard in his hand and grunted. "Hmm. I need you in the office. Jaqui. Quick as you can." Jacquline Redmond stammered, but before she could pull together any words, Rupert Wilson terminated the call. "Goddammit!" she hissed. She rolled over and kissed her husband on the cheek. "I gotta go. Work stuff." "Uh huh..." a muffled voice answered. Jacqueline quickly dressed, grabbed her agent and umbrella and left her Conapt in Watson. It was cold, wet and the most awful night to be trudging to the office. It was Sunday for christs' sake! Thankfully, a Delamain, the A.I. Taxi service, was already waiting outside. "Good Morning Mrs Redmond. Where would you like to go today?" asked the digital chauffeur. "BritCore HQ. City Centre, just east of..." "I am aware of the location of BritCore HQ, Mrs Redmond. Please. Sit back, relax and enjoy the wonderful views of Night City!" beeped the voice in response. Jaqueline stared out of the window as the Taxi splashed its way though the empty streets. Rupert Wilson had just finished his glass of Brandy, a vintage 2003, when the alarm sounded above his office door. ++Visitor Alert. Visitor Alert++ whirred a robotic voice, announcing the arrival of Jaqueline Redmond. Rupert waved his hand and the door unlocked and slid open. Jaqui walked in. "Rupert..." she said, but he raised a hand to stop her, a stern look on his face. "Have a seat Jaqui." he said, motioning to the synth-leather armchair before his abnormally large desk. "I have something very important on my possession and very sensitive. I apologise for calling you in on a Sunday but this could not wait and it is far too sensitive to discuss over the Holo." Rupert walked around his desk and sat on the corner next to Jacqui. He placed the datashard on the desk and slid it towards her with his finger. "Here, slot this in." Jaqui looked at Rupert, he had seemingly aged quite heavily over the last two months, his quintessential British demeanor had slipped somewhat and he was looking more disheveled and less gentlemanly. More grey. Jaqui sighed and pulled out her agent and slotted the shard. "You know, you should get yourself hooked up with a Cognitive implant. It is easier to read a shard that way. And more secure..." he emphasized. Jacqui shook her head. "I prefer to stay more...human." she responded. Rupert shrugged. "Have a look, tell me what you think." he said, sliding from the desk and returning to stare out of his window. Jaqueline scrolled through the data, her lips moving silently as she read through blueprints, R&D documents and memos. After some time she looked up at Rupert and shrugged. "Wearable tech? So?" she asked, sleep still stinging her eyes. "Did you miss article 538c?" Rupert retorted. Jaqui sighed and continued to scroll, reading aloud excerpts from the article. "Technology concealed in garments...and...cyberwear....nothing new. Weaponry....scaled down....concealable....military grade...undetectable....wait! WHAT!?" Jaqui looked at Rupert staring at the back of his head as he surveyed the view. Rupert smiled to himself. "That's right. Military grade weaponry that is small enough to conceal and yet still pack a punch. This could change the face of BritCore and Militech and Arasaka will be eating out of our paws." Jaqueline retuned to continue reading the article. "How did we manage to develop this on our budgets?" she asked. Rupert shuffled awkwardly. "We didn't. We obtained it. Have you heard of Sanuko Corp?" "Of course. The biggest Robotics and Nanotech corporation in the far east." "They have a child corp. Known as SNT." Jaqui furrowed her brow. "SNT? Never heard of them." "I am not surprised. SNT, or Sanuko NanoTek to be precise. They are a highly secretive arm of Sanuko, strictly off grid, under the radar. A Shadow corp. They do not officially exist. They are an R&D corp commissioned directly by Sanuko to develop this new tech. No-one knows they exist, except Sanuko. And now us." "Jesus Christ, Rupert. This is big. How on earth did you get hold of all this information?" Rupert stuffed his hands in his pockets and sighed heavily. "I went down a dark alley to get it. Somewhere I do not wish to return, but it is inevitable I will have to. I do not want to burden you with the details, Jaqui." Rupert turned to face his assistant, leaning on his desk. "BritCore needs this technology, Jaqui. We need it. I, need it. And you are going to find the kind of people I need to go and get it" Jaqui looked up. "What kind of people?" she queried. "The kind that will get a job done. No questions asked. Fair means of foul. I don't care how they get it, as long as they do get it." Jaqui nodded. "Of course, sir.". Hey folks, so this will be a Cyberpunk RED game set in the Year 2070, just after the outbreak of the NUSA Unification war. It will be dark and adult themed so if you are sensitive to certain subject matters, then please do not apply. Night City is an unforgiving and brutal place. You will take part as a Merc, but you have little or no rep and as Eddies are hard to come by doing "regular" work in NC, you find yourself gigging for extra Eurobucks. The game will start with you trying to earn rep to get yourself noticed and then join the big league for some serious cash. Careful who's toes you tread on though on your way to the top! The main plot will unfold over time, the intention being that the players will become intertwined with BritCores plan to steal data from SNT. Alas, it will be a journey in itself to get there though! Deadline for applications will be 13th January to give you plenty of time to get over Christmas You can choose your lifepath or roll, it is entirely up to you. Cyberpunk Red core rules only please I am not a numbers guy, so dice rolling is there to serve as a function for telling the story. I prefer a narrative approach, story driven so make your character back stories interesting - speaking of which, requirements for application: -Character Name -Handle -Role -Back story (give me something interesting!) -Personality (what is your choom like, what makes them tick?) -Appearance (go wild, its the future!) -Lifepath (this will help flesh out all of the above - Please do not roll stats or kit out your character, this will occur once you have been accepted. Initially i am looking for 4 players, maybe more if there is enough interest/interesting characters 1 to 2 post a week please. Not to much, not too little. I want to keep a nice pace. All are welcome even if you havent played CPRED before; This is my first time DMing it!

Night City Meat Player Name Character Name Handle Role Classic Gamer Rex Everything Ghost Rockerboy Effete Chloe Reid Scraps Fixer Palliven Kriz Stacker Zek Media Hal Hammerhand Link Blanchet Lynx Solo Taleteller50 Kenny Patrick Lawlor Bean Bandit Nomad LadyTron Jiang Yingyue Niú Netrunner

[Stormhammer]

I would be interested. But I don’t have Red — only 2020 — and doubt it is compatible enough.

[Palliven]

Cyberpunk (any version) is a game I have not yet played but have been looking to do so. Like your focus on story and narrative over rolls, fits the style of game I prefer. Interested but need to look into game more. Is there a free starter kit/rule summary out there anywhere that could help?

[zevonian]

Cyberpunk Red Easy Mode.
Yes, there is a free starter kit.

[Drifter One]

Thanks @zevonian

As Z has linked, there is a free PDF to download which gives some background to the world of Cyberpunk and the basics of play - all you need really. I can help later on with the intricacies of characters if selected.

Cyberpunk RED actually reduces (i think) a lot of the bloat from 2020.

[Palliven]

Thanks for the link.

@Drifter One The statement "will be dark and adult themed" is pretty broad. Any clarity you can provide on this - or of its easier, what you would consider not appropriate for this game? I want calibrate on this before I put my hat in the ring.

[Drifter One]

Hi Palliven - when I say adult themed there will be foul language (although censored as its PG13 site but the context will be there), gore, exploitation, serial killers, kidnapping; high crime of ALL kinds, sexual tones (although not graphic as that would just be inappropriate) (although as these games go on for a long time and progress quite slowly, nothing major will come straight off the bat).

Essentially, expect (although it is slightly different in the context of words) it to be on par with an 18 rated thriller (or R in the US).

However, I shall add that this game is not out there to cause any offense to anyone, but felt I had to add the Dark and Adult themed bit as a warning i suppose, as I do not want to offend. But within this world, it may be difficult not to offend those of a more sensitive nature.

A note - none of this will be gratuitous in any way, but in some situations will be necessary to set the scene/atmosphere.

[TheDude4000]

Great ad! I'm definitely interested. I have zero exposure to cyberpunk, but I've always wanted to play. When I get a chance I'll look over the free starter kit and get an app going.

[Palliven]

Thanks Drifter. I'm definitely interested and will be working on my application

[Drifter One]

@TheDude4000 Thanks! No problems and glad your interested. Its not bout the destination, its about the journey. Someone once said, sometime

@Palliven Glad to have peaked your interest and look forward to having a read of your Edgerunner!

[Effete]

Posting interest.

Really like the ad. If you ain't gonna run a cyberpunk game with mature themes, is it really a cyberpunk game? I just need to brushup on my Night City lore and get acquainted with the CP Red rules.

[psuedenim]

I guess there will be a need to buy the rules - the easy kit is super light.

<looks at all his other rulebooks bought this year> I still love you too, no need to be jealous

[Classic Gamer]

Rex Everything Character Name - Rex Everything Role - Rocker Handle - Ghost Appearance - It’s all about the Glow and Show. Rex wears urban flash from head to toe. His techhair is long and ratty. Light tattoos dance and flash across his chemskin and he is never caught without his strange glowing contact lenses. Personality - Offstage Rex is mellow, laid back, and sometimes even a little charming. Onstage Rex is a vocal powerhouse and top tier showman always wanting to leave a lasting impression. His current band, Graffiti, is on hiatus. So while Rex’s manager is pushing him to work on a solo career, Rex has hopes of putting together a new band, Dynasty. There’s nothing like the rush of performing onstage. To fulfill that adrenaline rush during too much downtime, Rex has taken to hanging out with Edgerunners. His first focus is the music, but the more he hangs out with runners, the more the lifestyle seems to draw him in. Back Story -   The Old Story You’ve seen one rundown, half-axed, retrofitted apartment den in the Combat Zone, you’ve seen ‘em all. And Rex had seen a lot. The one he spent most of his teen years in was the one his family moved into once his parents got the “good jobs.” The place had the classy name of Building 8 and had the outside walls all sloshed over with a coat of tomato red paint. Supposedly to hide the bloodstains easier. It did nothing to hide the bullet holes. Or the radiation paint that bled through underneath that read Warehouse 14. So much for Building 8. So much for classy. Ever hear of CryoChem, the freeze dried chemical company? That’s who gave Rex’s parents the “good jobs.” That is, until the corporation got busted for smuggling replacement body parts. As a distribution supervisor, they tried to pin it on Rex’s dad and a few other distro supes. So his whole family had to boost it out of Night City. They say they are in Florida now. Rex isn’t so sure. Since his band Graffiti was starting to make some headway, Rex decided to stay in Night City. Couch surfing and coffin motel hopping until he came up with a more permanent place to crash. And then the band broke up.   Spill Your Guts ”Look, Killuh. You been tracking with the band for a long time.” Rex lit a smoke and poured two glasses of booze. One for him, and one for the lady. He couldn’t remember which nightclub he had snaked the glasses from. Or the booze either for that matter. Story of his life, yeah? ”I know that without your media savvy that we would have never grown the type of following that we had. So I am going to shoot with you, straight. But you can’t splash out anything official. Word’s gonna get out at some point, so if you wanna do some kind of rumor mill scream sheet, go ahead. But if anybody comes to me direct I’m gonna tell them that it is all back alley smoke. The band is just on hiatus to give everyone some personal downtime. Decompress.” The booze wasn’t all that good, but hey, it was free. And it went down smoothly and rather quickly, just as most of it had lately. How many bottles had he gone through in the past three days? Four? Five? Not that it mattered. Rex inhaled and remembered that he needed to get more smokes as well. ”Me and Roxanne, the bass player, we’re still cool. Will probably always be cool. She’s a real ace. And I wish her the best. But when the bottom started to fall out, we both knew that there was no way that we could keep the band together.” “Kixit, the drummer, was doing so much Redline by that time that he looked like a street samurai wired up with a Sandevistan. Sure it made him play like an electric demon. But away from the drums he started acting all skitchy and paranoid. Even started hearing voices and stuff.” Not that that part would come as a surprise to anybody. Photos and vids of ole Kix were plastered all over the data stream, partying with fans and hanging out with known drug pushers. Running joke was that thanks to Kixit, the band’s first world tour would be sponsored by Biotechnica, Petrochem, or some other pharmakeia factory. The next part was what Rex didn’t really want to get into. The total frag fest of it all. So he poured himself another glass. He offered some more to the media —wuzzername’gin?— but she waved it off. Maybe the stuff tasted worse than he thought. Rex didn’t care if it tasted like recycled kerosene. He had to have something. “The real problem was Rizzo. Rizzo got a lot of play, and I don’t just mean guitar. He probably knew half the joy girls in Night City. But Rizzo had a mainline named Alikz. She held on for dear life. She was one of those sneaky, behind the scenes power hungry types. Always trying to work an angle. Always in Rizzo’s ear.” “I don’t know what got into that crazy head of hers. Maybe she got tired of Rizzo running around on her. Maybe she thought she could trade up. She caught me alone one night and put the moves on me. I turned her down. Flat as a flatline.” Rex reached into his pocket and then lit up something definitely not of the nicotar variety. He took three deep drags before passing it to the media. She took two polite puffs and handed it back. “Except she runs and tells Rizzo and everyone else that I was the one who made a play for her. Roxanne knew it was all a load of crap. But Rizzo keeps breaking things and calling me out. Kixit goes all paranoid and yelling that Militech is frying all our brains with xeno waves and that we are all now trapped in some sort of secret experiment to see which one of us they can get to kill the others first.” Rex sat and smoked in silence for awhile. “So, yeah. The band is just on a hiatus for awhile. Decompress.”

 

Lifepath -


Cultural Origin: North American
Personality: Friendly and outgoing
Clothing Style: Urban Flash
Hairstyle: Long and ratty
Affectation: Strange Contacts
Values Most: Family, Friendship
Most People: I like almost everyone
Valued Person: Wiley (manager)
Valued Possession: musical instrument
Family Background: Combat Zoners
Environment: Heart of the Combat Zone
Family Crisis: Driven from their home/corporation
Friends: 0
Enemies: 2 - Rizzo, Alikz
Life Goal: Fame and Fortune

[kenneth]

Intrigued. Already have a few ideas rattling around in my noggin.

[Drifter One]

@pseudenim - Entirely up to you and how much you wish to invest. Using the starter kit i am sure we can find a way to get any stuff you need if you do not want to purchase the rules.