CanTANK

Only one review online, would love to hear more impressions! Has anyone read it or played it yet?

Have you seen the Yellow Sign from  Tales of the Crescent City book, plus Ripples from Carcosa might have something interesting.

Has anyone used this? How does it contrast to roll20?

Doors to Darkness is brand new, designed for new players, and is for 7e.  Several scenarios included.

Hi Colin, I'd be interested. There's a dearth of good CP adventures out there. I recently read a great one, "A Facsimile of Death" by Interface Zero for FATE. It has a lot of FATE-y mechanics in it, but basically one can drop it right into BRP with no issues as long as one is good at statting up enemies that give the party a good challenge.

Yes, you even have different interpretations to draw from! Check back in and tell us how it goes!

great work! Very comprehensive, some interesting differences in occupations from my conversion! I'm stealing your converted list of CP2020 cyberware.

If you converted PDs bolt-on Cyberpunk-specific systems to D100/BRP I would definitely buy it! And would also write setting material or adventures for it. It's 2300 though right? Could the rules be used for near future? I think BRP could use near-future Cyberpunk rules. What I mean is, RoH is great, and even though you can play in various time periods, according to the rules systems, the tech has become very streamlined, integrated and advanced with the passage of centuries. I think for a setting in the next hundred years there should be maybe less elegant, less integrated options available. I specifically think that players want 'catalogs' to flip through that are full of toys with which to augment their characters. Not sure if I communicated what I mean. Tech today is a hodgepodge of different manufacturers and standards... in the far future the standards have all been settled upon and the tech is magnificently integrated with itself and into the human body, starship systems, global/muti-world data systems, etc. I think Cyberpunk near future is fun when it is set in the messy period before that integration occurs.

This is the homebrew mix I came up with. I haven't added the Atomik CyberTek gear in yet because there is so much of it. It contains a modded version of the RoH Augmentation rules, a port of the Infinity combat hacking, and of course new occupations and changes to skills that reflect Cyberpunk 2020-era tropes: BRP Cyberpunk 2077 for CoC 7e

13 minutes ago, Newt said:

Being pedantic RoH does have a section on Computer Hacking on pages 161-162, but its a very dry opposed roll (players Computer skill vs system's Security Skill/Rating) affair and probably not the exciting buring neon in VR that you are looking for in a Cyberpunk game

Yeah, I checked it out. I have wanted to port the Infinity the Game "combat hacking" rules over to BRP for an age. They're just the most fun and innovative in-combat hacking rules I've seen. (There are also some good ones in Tomorrow's War). The Infinity port turned out to be very easy to do. I then created a simple system for purely VR hacks that don't involve an insertion team, basing it on 1) virtual combats and 2) programs that work like CoC spells basically. 

On 9/21/2016 at 2:13 PM, g33k said:

The basic tropes of "cyberpunk" are inherently anti-corporation / anti-authoritarian -- the premise of the genre is "soul-less corporations run amok."

 

Yeah I think this is maybe more important than the Cyberpsychosis element (and certainly is today)

3 minutes ago, Newt said:

I know I'm a bit late to the party here, and its not d100 but rather a D6 system called WordPlay (which has been described as the bastard offspiring of HeroQuest/a simplified Burning Wheel and the WEG d6 system), but I publish a small but perfectly formed Cyberpunk game called Project Darklight

I looked at that game! Great cover. I didn't get it as I'm all about D100, but maybe it needs a look in!

33 minutes ago, g33k said:

But although I used to "...try to cater to anything gamers might want," I have largely abandoned that approach:  my experience is that it's too vague and muddied.  A tightly-cohesive game-world with a clear focus -- and some stuff being "kinda-sorta almost, but NO" -- is entirely-acceptable to almost all gamers, and most actually PREFER running in the crisp and vivid world, more than the muddied neither-this-not-that world.  That said, I'm always happy to work with my players to refine their original "not-quite-within-the-game-world" concept into a "works-within-the-game-world" version; this often produces really excellent results!

 

I think I agree with you here. That's why I like the RoH system. It's really well-implemented. It just lacks hacking rules (which I copped from Infinity) and sufficient Cyberware gear for a CP game (which I copped from the excellent Atomik Cybertek) players love books filled with Cyberware to buy. Can I post a link to my rules? They contain IP from River of Heaven and Infinity the Game.  

It's just a rhetorical argument really. I use the system I outlined above, from River of Heaven, which limits Bioware and Nanoware (and Cyberware) augmentations by BioEnergy Points (POWx3). For combat balance in con and FLGS games, the RoH BE point system works elegantly and isn't fiddly. You rightly point out that there  is no dehumanizing mechanic. This I would roleplay, based on the PCs tech and how they acted. If a Medic used all his implants to save poor people from dying, I wouldn't necessarily hit him with a lot of RP about how dehumanized he is.

10 hours ago, SDLeary said:

I don't think cyberware makes you crazy, but I think certain cyberware can certainly ease you along that path.

'Warez that enhance you physical prowess (cue Simon in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...), that increase your strength, or ability to withstand physical punishment, that allow you to crush someones skull in your bare hand or to withstand the round of a high powered rifle fired a point blank range, are especially corrupting. They subtlety change your thought, create a conflict of Self. "Am I human anymore? If not, what have I become? Am I a monster? I seem more than human. Why should I conform to the will of puny humans?", etc. This mindset can lead to increasing Violence

Others, such as cerebral jacks, ocular implants, and raw data storage are pretty safe... when QA has done their job, and the bean counters have not substituted parts out of spec to save a few pennies. Jolts to your processing center can cause anomalies over time. Data bleed might blur your memories and the data you are moving. Paralysis and amnesia might induce a feeling of Helplessness.

Mechanically, I do not see the existing SAN system, or variations of it, as sufficient for a cyberpunk game, as most of them are X then Y. In my vision of cyberpunk, due to corrupting influences and varying traumatic stimuli, you have to take a more varied view of things. You can simply bolt on UA's Madness Meter system, but this really does feel bolted on, not as elegant as the general BRP subsystem. 

I have been toying with the idea that the UA categories are, for lack of a better term, saving throws. Each with its own %. The higher you are in that category, the more resistant you are to its influences, but at the cost of being more jaded, perhaps reaching sociopathic levels (willingness to resort to violence at the drop of a pin, living the life of a hermit, etc.). My problem is in implementing the "failed" notches. 

On the other hand, perhaps cyberware simply modifies a SAN roll when a certain type of stimulus ariseLeary

Agreed on most of this. Can I ask another question? We all needed CP2020 to lead the way with the Humanity mechanic to get this idea of Cyberpsychosis ingrained. Can this system now not simply be roleplayed? Ever carried a concealed pistol into a bar? I have not, partly because I worry what it would do to me -- the power to kill another person -- would it make me feel more than human? Most likely. So does it need a system if the Keeper pays attention to it and narrates the harmful side effects of this technology?

By the way, a cortical link could be hugely dehumanizing. Ever gotten mad at a loved one for spacing out on their smartphone while you're talking to them? This smartphone is in their head and you can't tell they're looking at it. And they would have to use tremendous willpower to NOT look at it in almost all situations, especially if it had tools to monitor body temperature, breathing rate, they could be analysizing you while you try to talk to them. Just an example. But suddenly, this sounds like something that adds fun and depth to the game, while a tit-for-tat subsystem just adds crunch that too my mind is not really roleplay-ey. I mean, aside from tallying humanity loss, how many GMs actually delved into the roleplaying aspect of Humanity Loss? 

This is an argument for argument's sake against having a subsystem, I guess. Let the PCs get what they want, then inflict the harsh realities on them in RP. (On the combat balance side, you certainly won't have any problems coming up with tough enough enemies. )

Yeah, I see what you mean. It's making Cyberpunk feel more dated for me. 

I can envision a transhuman universe with Cyberlimbs then. Something like Infinity. Or, I'd argue, Ghost in the Shell. 

Fair point that it moves away from Cyberpunk, though I think it's because we as a culture are moving away from Cyberpunk. So it's that tension between creating a classic Cyberpunk feel and making it also feel fresh and current. I also feel like Cyberpunk can be viewed as baby transhumanism, especially when you link your consciousness to the net (less the physical side, having a chrome arm, and all that). In designing a game I try to cater to anything gamers might want. Which is why even though a security expert told me that pure virtual hacking (without a team breaking into a physical installation to get the hacker network access) was a thing of the past (or "future past" ha) I still made rules for it.

On 9/18/2016 at 5:24 AM, ColinBrett said:

I've just had a thought about "cyberware costs SAN". It could be done the opposite way.

Rather than taking SAN, cyberware adds to a "Techno" Allegiance score. The more cyberware is added, the higher Techno Allegiance becomes. The benefits of Allegiance, described on BGB p.316-317, might need some work, however, as Allegiance points can be expended: cyberware is a permanent implant, so the Allegiance points should also be permanent. When the score reaches 100, Apotheosis would equate to a CP2020 "full borg conversion".

The "balance point" for this approach would be to make (some, if not all) Cyberware cost Power Points e.g. a reflex booster might cost 2 PP per combat round it is activated to give +2 to the character's initiative rolls or strike ranks.

EDIT: Thinking about it, if a character with +50 Techno Allegiance draws on 10% of that total for increased Power Points, Allegiance decreases by 5 points, and this could be seen as the struggle between man and machine aspects. Cyberpsychosis could occur when Techno Allegiance exceeds the character's SAN.

Would this be workable, do you think?

Colin

It works mechanically.

I just think the whole "cybernetics make you crazy" angle has been worked to death; I don't know if it really grabs people. Is man versus metal the most exciting thing happening in the setting? It may have been in 1989. I haven't read too many gamers saying they like what Cyberpsychosis adds to the game. These days it's becoming somewhat moot since a lot of the augmentations are bioware or nanoware -- replacing limbs with chrome seems to have become a less attractive option than growing or regrowing a limb in in a vat, or spiking the adrenal system, or injecting nanomachines. And people don't talk about these types of augmentations making us prone to psychosis. 

In my game Cybernetics take from your pool of available BioEnergy Points (POW x 3) that you use to activate biotechnology or nanotechnology augmentations. They sort of reduce your potential to use more biologically friendly augmentation powers, because they reduce how much body you have.

On 7/28/2016 at 6:26 PM, Mankcam said:

Personaly I would use River of Heaven, and design my own Cybersprawl setting, perhaps using some pdf resources from Cyberspace if I needed further information.

Or just use Cyberspace as is.

RoH is great but it's really far future. I'm currently adding in near-future Cyberpunk content to it. The good thing is RoH has a great balancing mechanic, so I'm slotting in third-party Cyberpunk content (Atomik CyberTek and Infinity skirmish) and it's going well. 

20 hours ago, Ganaud said:

That said, there is Non combat Hacking (Netrunning) and Combat Hacking (getting the edge in a firefight). I have a full system for Combat Hacking based on Infinity skirmish game, and am working on the Non-combat hacking system now. Instead of having the hacking terminal have stats, I chose to have it add to the user's Computer Use (Hacking) skill. The right tool in the right hands, so to speak. All the crunch will be in the Hacking Program descriptions, so I don't need a lot of Attributes for the terminal itself (which basically creates another PC to operate). I think this will speed up game play.  That said, my system is much less detailed than yours.

On 9/2/2016 at 5:27 AM, ColinBrett said:

The next step is Netrunning. I've had the idea of the hacker's presence in cyberspace represented as an icon with a full set of characteristics and therefore being able to make Cybercombat the same as physical combat. Would this be viable?

 

I think it's an excellent idea to have it be the same -- one less system to learn. Not having to add subsystems is one of the things I like best about BRP -- it means I can always have the rules in my tiny brain, and adjudicate on the fly.

16 hours ago, Questbird said:

+1 for the phones comment

The SAN/humanity cost is also a balancing thing. A lot of this cyber stuff makes your character objectively more powerful than the average human. If there's no cost other than money, why wouldn't you replace your entire body with tech? That is a question at the heart of cyberpunk.

Yes, that is true, it is balancing. I like the way River of Heaven does it. Instead of Augmentations making you less human, they consume BioEnergy points, determined in a similar  way to SAN, based on POW (In 6e BRP it would be POW x 3, in 7e it would be equal to POW.) So using your active augmentations exhausts you -- you burn the BE points until you have none left, then you need to rest. Interestingly, having passive 'always-on' augmentations reduces your overall BioEnergy Pool, so you have fewer points set aside to activate active augmentations. I vastly prefer the BioEnergy physical exhaustion rule to the 'augmentations make you less human' rule because i just feel that fear of tech dehumanizing us was something that was very topical in the 80s and 90s but is less so now -- especially since, as Atomik CyberTek points out, the focus in much fiction is on bioware and nanoware rather than chrome arms. Bringing us to the next point: I think the BE system works great for bioware and nanos -- BUT maybe less so for cybernetics. Would using a cyberweapon or an implanted data chip make you tired? Nah, it doesn't really work. But players will still want chrome arms because they're cool, so I suppose one does need to come up with a balance for cyberware as well. What COULD work is that cyberware have no activation costs -- but they do, like passive augmentations, reduce your available BioEnergy pool.

Here's my homebrew:

The mentioned River of Heaven core book has BRP/D100 character generation rules Cyberware and Bioware enhancement rules, as it is designed to be usable in any sci-fi setting from Cyberpunk through to just before singularity. Check it out. It doesn't have enough Cyberwarfare for me so I am currently converting the excellent Hacking rules from the Infinity skirmish game into BRP.  I'm pretty much done and am at the playtest stage, but I don't know if I can post the link to my rules here because of copyright concerns.

I also plan to use the Cybergear supplement Atomik CyberTek, which is system-neutral and has loads of gear and enhancements in it. So those three rulesets comprise the system I'm putting together. There's also Atomik Psioniks if you want that in there. Pretty simple to convert anything to BRP/D100, really.

There is a great-looking Cyberpunk game from Gun Metal Games called Interface Zero 2.0. They have it for Fate and Savage Worlds, but setting material -- of which they have several volumes -- is of course rules-neutral. It's set in 2090 so should be an updated take (I like Cyberpunk 202, but it's dated, they have printers and no wireless, it's 80s as other posters mentioned).

This convo has moved to the other Cyberpunk thread linked above.

Incidentally I'm not having a SAN cost for cyberimplants. Smartphones are essentially Cybergear and while I do think they make people appreciably less human, it's just not that much fun in game terms -- having Humanity or SAN cost really only works if you want the philosophical journey into whether tech makes us less human to feature as a major theme in your game. I think there are plenty of ways to touch on that lightly without having an overbearing Humanity loss mechanic that limits players  from making the PCs they want.

There is a great-looking Cyberpunk game from Gun Metal Games called Interface Zero 2.0. They have it for Fate and Savage Worlds, but setting material -- of which they have several volumes -- is of course rules-neutral. It's set in 2090 so should be an updated take (I like Cyberpunk 202, but it's dated, they have printers and no wireless, it's 80s as other posters mentioned).

Also, the recent River of Heaven core book has BRP/D100 character generation rules Cyberware and Bioware enhancement rules, as it is designed to be usable in any sci-fi setting from Cyberpunk through to just before singularity. Check it out. It doesn't have enough Cyberwarfare for me so I am currently converting the excellent Hacking rules from the Infinity skirmish game into BRP.  I'm pretty much done and am at the playtest stage, but I don't know if I can post the link to my rules here because of copyright concerns.

I also plan to use the Cybergear supplement Atomik CyberTek, which is system-neutral and has loads of gear and enhancements in it. So those three rulesets comprise the system I'm putting together. There's also Atomik Psioniks if you want that in there. Pretty simple to convert anything to BRP/D100, really.