Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit Review

I was fortunate enough to be one of the lucky few that was able to get their hands on a copy of R. Talsorian's Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit before release. I've been pouring over all of the PDFs and I think I am able to give a coherent review of the contents of this kit. I wasn't able to actually get a game in with these rules but I think I can give a educated guess of how things will work.

Included in this set of PDFs is a couple reference sheets, some maps, pregen character sheets, some standees and most importantly, the world and rule book. I'm going to focus on the rule book in this review but I'll also touch on the world book a bit at the end. I'll start by going chapter by chapter.

There isn't much to this chapter at all, at least for returning players from Cyberpunk 2020. It is a really good primer however for people who are new to the Cyberpunk universe. They have also included a page full with street slang, some of which made me chuckle.

Chapter 2 is the meat of the rules for players. It discusses classes, stats, skills and lightly touches on role abilities. A couple changes have happened with stats. Attractiveness has been removed and Reflex has been split to also include Dexterity. In this jumpstart kit they have not included any Medias, Lawmen, or Execs. What are Lawmen and Execs? Well they are the new titles for Cops and Corporates respectively.

This chapter I believe is the shortest of all of them. The only thing this chapter covers are lifepaths. In this there are things for both the player and the GM. If you have played Cyberpunk before this chapter will be very familiar. If you have not this is basically the chapter you can use to flesh out your character. Personally I never use Lifepaths, but for new players this can be an easy way to develop your character and give them a real personality.

This is what you play Cyberpunk for. This is all the cybernetics in the Jumpstart Kit. This is the barebones of what will be available in the full game. You are shown a handful of cybernetics and are given a lot of flavor text about the world. In this kit they do not cover cyberpsychosis but they do mention that it will be fully explored in the core rulebook.

Getting it done. This chapter is entirely about how movement and actions work. They go over Difficulty Values (DV) and how LUCK can help you out in a pinch. Without delving to much into combat, (which comes up shortly) they discuss many of the actions you can take in a combat turn.

This entire section goes over how Netrunning works in the time of the RED. I won't go on any more than I already have in a previous post. You can check that out here. Without getting into details, this new system is fantastic. Netrunners function somewhat like a magic user in D&D and other fantasy games. Your cyberdeck acts as your grimoire except instead of spells you have programs.

Netrunners can no longer just sit at home while the group goes out because the NET has been ravaged and they must physically jack into local networks. They have "meat" actions in the real world and then "net" actions in the net, obviously. Having a Netrunner has become an essential part of a team. If you are going into a raid, would you go in without a healer? I don't think so. The Netrunner functions somewhat like that being able to take over nodes to control turrets, elevators and many other things.

Thursday Night Throwdown. This is what everyone is looking forward to. Combat is always a major part of any RPG and Cyberpunk has always had a great system. Again I have a much more in depth discussion of how the new combat mechanics work, but I will try and touch on it a bit here.

The two major changes to combat in this kit is wound states and limb damage. Rather than having light, serious, critical and mortal wounds that have simplified it. They have also done away with limb damage just to make the system much smoother. Although you can still aim for the head with a penalty to hit.

Something that I didn't see included in this section was cover. In Cyberpunk 2020 you could hide behind cover and it would give you an added Stopping Power (SP). They did however add a pretty cool mechanic called "reputation". You can have a negative or positive reputation which can either get you out of trouble, or land you in deeper trouble than when you began.

So that is the end of the core rulebook. The other important book included is the World Book. This is probably going to be one of the things that people who are looking forward to Cyberpunk 2077 will look forward to the most. This book details the entire world and what has happened to the universe. The World Book helps bridge the gap between 2020 and 2077.

I wish I could give you guys more details but that is something that is under lock and key right now. But I will say that the name RED definitely fits and actually has an in universe meaning. The beauty of this book is all the cool little hooks that it gives GM's to create adventures. Something I shared on twitter was the inclusion of a Biotechnica created Sasquatch! This one paragraph gave me so many ideas for a fun one shot adventure.

So how is the art? I was probably one of the most critical people of the art that we were shown early on. Now art is completely subjective so my opinion on this may differ wildly from yours. I love the old school black and white artwork of 2020. That artwork screams PUNK. It goes against these full color spreads on glossy paper. To me that artwork epitomized Cyberpunk. This new art feels a little corporate but it has definitely grown on me and I completely understand why they have gone this route.

My favorite piece from the Rule Book. Dead Netrunner.

What about the writing? It's Mike Pondsmith. If you love the writing in Cyberpunk 2020 than you will love this. He has a very informal way of writing that is so inviting and begs to be read especially the World Book. He has so many ideas and interesting bits abound.

I do have one issue with this kit. It's probably not a big deal to most people but it wouldn't feel right to me if I didn't mention this. There are several pages from these books that are completely lifted from previous books. Not just Cyberpunk 2020 but also Cyberpunk v. 3.

On the left, Cyberpunk Red. On the right, Cyberpunk 2020.

At first I was a little drawn back about this and unless you are a super fan like me who continuously reads through the books you probably wouldn't even notice. The good thing is that it is just flavor text, and good flavor text at that. If it's not broke, why fix it?

 Something else that I was surprised by was the absence of character creation. But the more I thought about this the more I realized this is truly a Jumpstart Kit. This isn't a basic rules set. Everything here is meant to get you playing one shots and getting a feel of some of the basic mechanics. This is simply meant to be a taste of what is in store for the core rulebook.

My final thoughts are that I absolutely love these rules. They are so streamlined and simple to follow that someone who has never even played a tabletop RPG could dive right in. This is also perfect for someone who is looking for more lore and is simply waiting for Cyberpunk 2077. You could have no interest in actually playing the tabletop game and still really enjoy the World Book (Although I highly suggest you do play, its a lot of fun).

The PDF set will be available on August 1st through DriveThruRPG and the physical version will be on sale at Gen Con. Shortly after you will be able to pick it up from the official R. Talsorian store.

Thanks to everyone who has been reading my stuff here and following me on Twitter. Huge shout out to J Gray, the media ambassador of R. Talsorian. I have been in this business for a long time and J is one of the most responsive and active media people I have dealt with. I also have to give props to JonJonTheWise who I spoke with about the rules and how they would work in an actual game. Obviously I have to thank Mike Pondsmith for creating this Cyberpunk universe because without him we wouldn't have any of this.

Combat in Cyberpunk Red Detailed

Again R. Talsorian has given us an update about the upcoming Cyberpunk Red. Just last week we learned how netrunning is going to work and today they detailed how combat is going to work. Some of what they revealed is only going to apply in the Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit and the rest will be detailed in the core rulebook.

When shooting you will use your marksmanship skill against range to determine whether or not you hit. Unless the enemy has a reflex skill higher than 9, then you roll on an opposed check. Range will be divided into seven segments. Obviously a shotgun will do better at close range and something like a sniper rifle is better at a distance.

Autofire will be treated differently but in the Jumpstart Kit only suppression will be addressed. Suppressive fire will not do damage, but instead will cause the enemy to run into cover.

Melee combat is dealt with slightly differently. Melee combatants get two attacks that they can mix up in several different ways. You can attack twice with a knife, twice with your fists, or once with your knife and once with your fist. There are also rules that deal with grappling and slamming your opponents. All of these attacks are performed against an opposing roll.

Armor has SP (stopping power). All damage is subtracted from the SP and the rest hits your characters hit points. When you are damaged your SP is lowered by one until you reach zero. At that point your armor is broken. Melee opponents have a significant advantage against armor. Melee weapons half an opponents SP and brawling damage completely negates it.

If you are reduced to less than half of your hit points you will be severely wounded. When this happens you will incur a penalty on all your rolls. Now if you hit zero this is where it gets good. You incur an even greater penalty to all your checks except a death save. You roll your death save at the beginning of every turn. If you succeed you can take an action that turn. Every time you pass your save the next turn you receive a -1 to your death save roll. If you don't pass your roll, well you guessed it, you die. In order to pass this roll you must roll under your Body skill on a d10.

In order to regain hit points you must successfully pass a First Aid check. The lower in hit points you are the harder it is to pass the check. If your first aid check succeeds when you are at zero hit points it automatically bumps you up to one. After that, the patient recovers their Body stat in Hit Points per day spent resting.

So that is everything that we have learned about the combat system in Cyberpunk Red. It may sound a little daunting at first but once you have this system down it will be like clockwork. I'm excited to get my hands on the kit and I'm eager to see what R. Talsorian will reveal next week.

Shadowrun Sixth World Beginner Box Available Now

Today Game Catalyst Lab have finally made their Shadowrun The Sixth World Beginner Box available for purchase online. Awhile back I was curious of when they were going to finally release the set because "influencers" and con goers have been able to get their hands on a copy for about a month. With the full release of the rule book at Gen Con it seems a bit late to release it now.

At any rate if you aren't sure if you will like the game this would be a good primer. You can buy the physical version on their website. You can also buy the PDF at DriveThruRPG. If you decide to buy the PDF feel free to use my affiliate link.

Check out the synopsis and contents of the box below.

Shadows darken and deepen. They’re cast by the enormous, world-striding megacorporations that grasp for power and strangle humanity in their clutches. By 2080, most of the planet has given in—bowing and scraping before their corporate overlords; selling their souls to the almighty nuyen. The corps gotta make a trillion, no matter who dies.
But in the darkest depths, defiance flickers. Spikes, mohawks, and tattoos flash, while blades and appetites sharpen. The ignored and the marginalized refuse to be ground down. And their reactions set their destiny. They may seek to repair the world’s injustices, or build wealth to keep themselves safe, or just strike a match and watch the world burn.

Regardless of the chosen path, they stand up and survive. They’re called shadowrunners, and they risk everything …

Wrestling magical energies, channeling them into power;

Pitting their minds against the electronic void of the Matrix;

Trading flesh and blood for chrome and steel to become more than human.

Will you stand up, join them, and dare to risk it all?

Shadowrun Offerings at Gen Con Revealed

Today in an email sent out by Gen Con they revealed numerous products that Catalyst Game Labs will have on hand for the upcoming Shadowrun The Sixth World. Other than the official release of the core rulebook we will get a number of other things.

Catalyst will offer three choices for the core rulebook: a standard edition, a faux-Kevlar limited edition, and a slip-cased executive edition. Along with the rulebook, Catalyst will also have dice and Edge tokens that make gameplay easier; a deck of NPC cards to make it simple to build a wide variety of conflicts and situations; a set of Prime Runner minis for those who like to add miniature flair to their game; No Future, a sourcebook on media, sports, and other Sixth World culture with rules compatible with SR6; the Neo-Anarchist Streetpedia, a valuable reference work on the people, corps, nations, dragons, and more from this great setting; the Shadowrun, Sixth World Beginner Box Set for those looking for their first taste of Sixth World action; and a print version of the novellas featuring the characters from the box set. If all goes well, an innovative gamemaster screen will also be available.

All of this will be available at Gen Con starting on August 1st. Catalyst will be at booth 1611 and will be demoing the game throughout the Con. 

Netrunning Details for Cyberpunk Red Emerge

The most anticipated rule changes have now been revealed by R. Talsorian. Netrunning in Cyberpunk 2020 was always the most difficult part of playing the game. Some GMs wouldn't even allow people to play netrunners because the rules were simply too convoluted.

Thanks to a new blog post on the R. Talsorian site we get a complete run down of how netrunning will work. In the game Netrunners can take two different kinds of actions, a meat action and a net action. It works pretty much the way it sounds, a meat action is in the physical world and the net action obviously takes play in the net.

We are also introduced to the type of equipment a Netrunner will have. Cyberdecks, virtuality goggles and bodyweight suits. Cyberdecks are the same as they've always been. The virtuality goggles allow the netrunner to see in the "meat space" while hacking. The bodyweight suit includes a lot of things including life support, drug injectors and even a piss bag.

Black ICE is a type of program that you can slot into your cyberdeck that acts kind of like a familiar. You can send it out to attack your enemies in the net. Each cyberdeck will have a couple standard programs installed to help you on your way.

The way the net works now is a huge improvement over Cyberpunk 2020. Now you can give the objective a certain number of levels. If your players are trying to hack Arasaka for example you would probably give them 50 levels. Where as a small poser gang would maybe only have 2. I love the simplicity that this new system grants both players and the GM.

If you want to read more about the new system definitely go check out the blog post. They have an example of play that really shows this system in action. The Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit will be officially released at Gen Con on August 1st and available elsewhere shortly after.

Pregen Characters and Art Revealed for Cyberpunk Red

Today R. Talsorian dropped another blog post with quite a bit of new information considering the upcoming release of the Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit. In the last update they revealed that Q Workshop will be providing the kit with some new dice. Now we are getting a look at some of the pregen characters that will be included in the set.

In the kit they are calling them "Edgerunners" and they are emphasizing that all of them are completely customizable. They are simply going to be presented as a canvas that you can expand upon and make your own. Of course, as with most starter boxes, all of the characters represent a different "class".

•  Forty is a Rocker. Using her guitar and her voice, she sings words of truth, trying to change the world one show at a time.
• As a Fixer, Grease makes deals for a living. That’s especially important in the world of Cyberpunk Red, since it is often Fixers, not your local market, who can get you what you need to survive until tomorrow.
• Our Solo’s name is Mover. His gun is for hire. He might work for a Corp today, a Fixer tomorrow, and the local church the day after. Everyone needs a fighter in the world of Cyberpunk Red.
• Redeye’s a Netrunner and it is a new world for her profession in Cyberpunk Red. She’ll be part of the team, going on site and into danger so she can plug her brain directly into the computers she needs to hack. No more NETsurfing from the couch!
• Nomads have changed in the world of Red, too. They’re the best, and often only, way to get goods and people from one urban center to another. Racer represents her Pack’s interests, even if it means staying in one place for a long period of time. She’s still an expert behind the wheel, though.
• Torch, our Tech, is as important in his own way as any Fixer. Sure, a Fixer can get you new piece of gear but in the age of Cyberpunk Red, only someone like Torch can keep it working or adapt it to do something it was never intended for.

In the post they also go over all of the different stats that we will be able to dump all our points into. Most of us will be really familiar with them but with all the hype around Cyberpunk 2077, new people will have to be introduced to them.

•  Intelligence: How smart you are.
• Willpower: Your determination and ability to handle stress.
• Cool: Your ability to impress and influence.
• Empathy: Relating and understanding others.
• Technique: The knack of using tools and technology.
• Reflexes: Response time and hand-eye coordination.
• Luck: How gosh darn lucky you are.
• Body: Toughness and strength.
• Dexterity: Athletics and gymnastic ability.
• Movement: How fast you are.

In the kit they are also really simplifying health by only including "hits". This will definitely streamline the game for new audiences and could be something nice to bring over to the full release as well to keep it simple. Lifepath will be present here as well and it will be the primary way to really dig deep to fully customize your character. The skills, gear and cyberware all seem to be predetermined for each Edgerunner. Keep in mind however that you don't even have to use these characters. They are just there if you want to jump in fast and get a game going with minimal prep work.

The art we see for the Edgerunners looks very similar to the artwork we have already seen. We've been told that plenty of other art will be available which is my hope. I'd like to see something that will differentiate Cyberpunk from Shadowrun in terms of art style.

You can get your hands on the Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit at Gen Con on August 1st at the R. Talsorian booth or digitally on DriveThruRPG. After Gen Con the kit will be available in stores and in the R. Talsorian webstore as well.

The Shadowrun Timer is Up

The Shadowrun timer ran out yesterday evening and.. nothing happened. It was stuck on a continuous loop that kept resetting to 13 seconds. Eventually a text box appeared and a discussion began between a group of what I assume were a couple of runners. However now the page has been updated with a video.

It's a little unclear of what is going on in this video. It features a shadowy figure issuing some kind of warning and a rise to action. Beyond that I'm not 100% sure what is going on. What I have been able to glean from it is that it was made by Rem Alternis Productions Inc. I'm not sure what kind of relationship they have with Game Catalyst Labs at this point, but I do know they will soon be launching their own Kickstarter for a cyberpunk series.

If anything else appears on the official website I will be sure to keep you all posted.

Cover Revealed for the Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit

A couple weeks ago we all got a first look of the first piece of artwork from Cyberpunk Red. Today we get a couple more courtesy of the box art from the upcoming Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit. GeekNative got a first look and they also picked up a couple new tidbits of information.

The kit will be released at Gen Con and it will be limited to only two boxes per customer. If you buy it directly from R Talsorian you will get a coupon to get the PDF from DriveThruRPG for only $8. Afterwards, you will be able to pick it up for only $15. The box itself will retail for $29.99.

Another little piece of information is that the rule books will be perfect bound and not stapled. It looks like they are definitely leaving the old school sensibility behind and our adapting many of the modern ways of producing games.

Inside the Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit box, players will find:

• A lore and adventure book detailing the world of Cyberpunk Red. Also included is a full, ready to play scenario and “Screamsheets”, a combination of in-universe news story and game information which players can use to create new adventures.
• A rulebook containing the essential rules needed to play the game, engage in frenetic combat, and hack their way through digital networks. The Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit uses a new version of R. Talsorian Games’ original Interlock game engine.
• Six pregenerated characters: the Fixer, the Netrunner, the Nomad, the Rocker, the Solo, and the Tech. Each character comes ready to play but can be further customized using an abbreviated version of the famous Cyberpunk Lifepath system.
• Four maps to help players visualize their environments, from hard streets to glittering nightclubs.
• Six dice: two ten-sided dice and four six-sided dice.

 

Dice Revealed for the Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit

Today J Gray posted on the official R. Talsorian blog that Q Workshop will be producing the dice for the Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit. This is fantastic news because when you want dice done the right way, you go to Q Workshop.

I have several different sets of dice and I always have particular dice for particular games. I don't know, I'm weird like that. The only kind of dice I haven't been able to find is a really good set for Cyberpunk. So finally with this kit I'll have a couple good ones.

I asked J Gray if they would be for sale separately and his only response was "To be determined". So don't worry I'll keep everyone up to date. Along with the reveal they posted a couple sample images of what the dice may look like. The Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit will be available at Gen Con and then immediately available online at several retailers.

Where is the Shadowrun The Sixth World Beginner Box?

A little over a month ago it was announced that Catalyst Game Labs would be releasing the next edition of their cyberpunk inspired game, Shadowrun. The Sixth World is essentially the sixth edition of the game and plenty of things were announced for it. A beginner box, dice, shirts and of course, the core rulebook.

We have been told that the Beginner Box would be coming out in June. I've been trying to preorder my copy for a couple of days now with no real luck. Catalyst Game Labs have the game up on Amazon but with a $10 shipping price, that seems absurdly high to me. Not only that, but I have seen a couple different release dates listed as well.

One of the Amazon listings says it will be a preorder that will be released on June 10th. Game Nerdz has their preorder with a release date of June 15th. Several others just have an expected release date of sometime in June. Well today is June 5th and we still don't have a solid date, or a reliable way to preorder the box.

To add another wrinkle to all this, the official Shadowrun The Sixth World website has had a countdown that will end on June 23rd at 8pm EST. According to EnWorld, the countdown was supposed to end on June 11th when they reported on it on May 1st. So what is going on?

My only guess is that they have been pushing back the release in order to get all the components in order. But then again, plenty of "influencers" have been getting boxes for promotional reasons. Again, maybe some feedback from the lucky few who got their hands on it is being taken into consideration.

Hopefully we will get a solid release date very soon. With all the hype surrounding the newest edition I would think they would want to take in as many preorders as possible rather than just drop it with only a couple weeks notice.

Once we get some official word about the release I will be sure to keep all of you updated.

Price Point Revealed for Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit

About a week ago we learned that R. Talsorian Games was going to put out a beginner box for their upcoming game, Cyberpunk Red. The official rule book was supposed to come out during Gen Con but it was pushed back in order to acquire more art and make sure the game was completely up to date with the upcoming CD Projekt Red video game, Cyberpunk 2077.

Today on the official Twitter account, R. Talsorian Games revealed that the official price point for the game would be $29.99. I'd say it's a fair price for everything that is included. The box will become available first at Gen Con on August 1st and immediately in digital format on DriveThruRPG. As soon as Gen Con is over the game will be made available for sale online as well.

Inside the Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit box, players will find:

• A lore and adventure book detailing the world of Cyberpunk Red. Also included is a full, ready to play scenario and “Screamsheets”, a combination of in-universe news story and game information which players can use to create new adventures.
• A rulebook containing the essential rules needed to play the game, engage in frenetic combat, and hack their way through digital networks. The Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit uses a new version of R. Talsorian Games’ original Interlock game engine.
• Six pregenerated characters: the Fixer, the Netrunner, the Nomad, the Rocker, the Solo, and the Tech. Each character comes ready to play but can be further customized using an abbreviated version of the famous Cyberpunk Lifepath system.
• Four maps to help players visualize their environments, from hard streets to glittering nightclubs.
• Six dice: two ten-sided dice and four six-sided dice.
• And more!

Official Statement on Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit

A couple days ago J Gray went on the Cyberpunk Community Podcast and revealed a ton of new info. I broke all that news down into an article I posted shortly after. Today, I received an e-mail with the official press release and it pretty much includes everything that was said on the podcast. But in the interest of keeping everybody updated, I'll share with you what the official statement says:

Set in the years between the classic tabletop roleplaying game Cyberpunk 2020 and Cyberpunk 2077, the upcoming AAA video game from CD Projekt Red, the Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit is the perfect entry point for gamers new to tabletop gaming as well as veterans who want to learn how the game’s rules and world have evolved.

Inside the Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit box, players will find:

• A lore and adventure book detailing the world of Cyberpunk Red. Also included is a full, ready to play scenario and “Screamsheets”, a combination of in-universe news story and game information which players can use to create new adventures.
• A rulebook containing the essential rules needed to play the game, engage in frenetic combat, and hack their way through digital networks. The Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit uses a new version of R. Talsorian Games’ original Interlock game engine.
• Six pregenerated characters: the Fixer, the Netrunner, the Nomad, the Rocker, the Solo, and the Tech. Each character comes ready to play but can be further customized using an abbreviated version of the famous Cyberpunk Lifepath system.
• Four maps to help players visualize their environments, from hard streets to glittering nightclubs.
• Six dice: two ten-sided dice and four six-sided dice.
• And more!

The Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit will make its debut at Gen Con 2019 in Indianapolis on August 1^st and will be for sale there at booth 1852. It will also be available as a digital download, minus the dice, via DriveThruRPG.com on the same day. Physical copies of the Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit will be available via the R. Talsorian Games webstore and through retailers shortly afterwards.

As I said they didn't reveal a whole lot more than we already knew from the podcast. The only really new information we got was about the maps they will include which is really cool. In the new Shadowrun Beginner Box they had a magnificent map of Seattle. I'm actually hoping that a map of Night City is included. It only specifies "environments, from hard streets to glittering nightclubs.". I'd love to have a framed map of Night City.

Important Info About Cyberpunk Red

As I said in my last post, I have been digging through the Cyberpunk Community Podcast for all the info I could get. So I watched the nearly two hour long podcast and I took notes of all the important tidbits. They discussed a lot of different topics and touched a little bit on the upcoming game Cyberpunk 2077 but R Talsorian's media manager, J Gray, remained very tight lipped about the video game. However, he revealed a LOT of very relevant information on Cyberpunk Red.

First, and most importantly, the game will not be coming out at Gen Con this year. Well, not the core rulebook anyway. They will be releasing a "Jump Start Kit" which is essentially a Beginner Box. This set will include two books, Lore and Adventure and Core Rules. The lore book will also include the Scream Sheets that I really enjoyed from 2020. It will also include two 10 sided dice and four 6 sided dice. The price isn't locked down yet, but he hinted that the price would probably range from $20 to $30.

The box will be available at Gen Con and immediately on DriveThruRPG the same day. As soon as they can they will be putting physical copies up on several retailers. The box will also include six pregens including Nomad, Solo, Netrunner, Fixer and Tech.

My earlier post showed off the art that he unveiled during the stream. According to J, the Arasaka logo is not finalized so we can't count on them actually being in the game. He also noted that the police featured are not necessarily from Night City. All of the art will be from all over and not just Night City.

On top of all those important details we learned a couple other tidbits from the interview. The game will still be feeling the effects of the Fourth Corporate War. This in turn will change the way netrunners work. The net was devestated and that will have far reaching affects.

New netrunner rules are a big thing that will be updated. I think everyone who has ever played Cyberpunk 2020 will know the pain of running those rules. Perks will also be implemented like in Fallout, which makes me curious if we can also take flaws to take more perks. Multiclassing will also be a much easier thing to do.

One interesting bit of info is why Red was delayed. On one hand I don't think the game was entirely ready to go from listening to the podcast. But also apparently the production of 2077 also was apart of the delay. Gray said that they didn't want to finalize anything just in case CD Projekt Red added anything to the game that they want to address in Cyberpunk Red. He also said that all the artwork is going to take time to get commissioned.

Lastly he mentioned that expansions are in the works. Of course these expansions won't roll out unless Red does well. Gray also commented that since the announcement of 2077 sales for the table top game have gone up by 400% which is great news. I'm hoping Red does just as well. Now with the built in Cyberpunk audience and the resurgence of table top RPGs, I think they will do well.

So that was the TLDW of the Cyberpunk Community Podcast. But if you do have the time I urge you to give it a listen. I couldn't possibly cover everything that they did in this post. Not to mention they are good people expanding the community on Youtube. You can watch and listen to the podcast over on Youtube. Below you can check out my own mock up of the Jump Start Kit below. This isn't official people.. But you know R Talsorian if you are reading this, I'm for hire!

First Artwork from Cyberpunk Red

Today the media ambassador, J Gray, went on the Youtube Cyberpunk Community Podcast and out of that they released a new piece of artwork for Cyberpunk Red. I have to say the artwork is actually about what I expected. They had revealed that the art would be comparable to anything we see in modern RPGs.

I'm hoping we get a couple more old school art sprinkled throughout. But I'm an old school gamer and I still love all the art from the first edition of Dungeons & Dragons so I realize I'm in the minority. I also love most of the art in Cyberpunk 2020. In certain instances I can see why they wanted to go in a different direction.

I'm going to be sifting through the podcast to see what other bits I can squeeze out. Until then check out the for Cyberpunk Red below. The artist is Richard Bagnall and if you like what you see go support him at his Artstation account.

Don't Worry Events Are Coming to Gen Con

Some of you may have noticed that Gen Con has posted a large list of events. If you search Cyberpunk the only thing that comes up is a crafting seminar on how to build a back pack. Well, no worries because R. Talsorian has made an official statement on the matter.

“Coordinating over fifty events takes a while and we were late in submitting our games and seminars for Gen Con 2019. They are submitted now and we have full faith the Gen Con team will get them posted and available as soon as is possible. They’re an amazing group and we’re fortunate to be part of such a great convention.”

 So don't worry guys, the events are coming. As soon as the official list is updated and posted I'll be sure to share it here.

Entromancy: A Cyberpunk Fantasy RPG Available Now

Yesterday Entromancy was officially released in hardcover and pdf. The project was originally Kickstarted almost a year ago. I haven't had much of a chance to look over the game myself, but at a cursory glance it reminds me a lot of Shadowrun.

Entromancy is a tabletop roleplaying game set in San Francisco in the late 21st century. In our world, a quarter of the earth's power now runs on ceridium, a newly discovered element that has had the unintended consequence of spawning a new race of people, and several forms of magic that were once thought to have been forgotten.

In Entromancy, you’ll take the role of a character in a futuristic, technology-driven, magic-rich world complete with espionage, spellcasting, hacking, and engaging action sequences. 

Cyberpunk Fantasy Roleplaying. Enter a futuristic, magic-rich world where technology is ever-present and several forms of forgotten magics have resurfaced -- for better and worse. 

Unique Characters. Choose from five diverse races and five unique classes -- from the dual-pistol wielding Revolutionary to the magic-savvy Technomancer -- to create your character and begin your story. Progress your character by taking on challenging missions and eventually embracing one of five brutally powerful destinies. 

d20 Mechanics. Experience a streamlined gameplay system based on the Fifth Edition of the world’s most popular roleplaying game, simultaneously allowing for exciting action and storytelling while providing for a great deal of depth. 

Action Gameplay. Get into the game quickly with easy onboarding for new players and engage in action-packed gameplay with spellcasting, hacking, cybernetics, and much more. 

Faction-Based Espionage. Increase your standing with Entromancy’s three competing factions of NIGHT, Aurichome, and the Unaligned, while attempting to make your mark on a world that has become fractured after years of population explosion, socio-economic tension, and magic-based warfare.

You can check out their official website or go ahead and pick up a copy at DriveThruRPG. If you do feel free to use my affiliate link. It would be greatly appreciated. 

Who to See at Gen Con 2019

It's been a dry couple days lately without much news so today I thought it would be a good day to take a look at Gen Con.

Obviously the most exciting thing about Gen Con this year is the release of Cyberpunk Red. Well, as long as it is ready. So there is a small chance that the book won't be there this year. But I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it will probably meet the deadline. The other big game that will be released at Gen Con is Shadowrun the Sixth World.

You can check out the full Gen Con Exhibit Hall map here. On that map, R. Talsorian will have a booth at 1852 right across from the Exhibitors services desk. Catalyst Game Labs, makers of Shadowrun, will have a pretty big booth this year. They will be occupying 1605, 1611, and 1703. I'm sure they will have a bunch of there other games as well and probably only have one table for Shadowrun.

I am going to attempt to make it to Gen Con this year in Indianapolis. I'd love to be one of the first people to get my grubby hands on a copy of Cyberpunk Red. It also wouldn't hurt to have it signed by the man himself, Mike Pondsmith.

If you can't make it, don't fret. Cyberpunk Red will be available as soon as they can get back and put it up for sale. As soon as I can get my hands on a copy you can guarantee more content will be incoming right here.

An Unboxing of Shadowrun the Sixth World Beginner Box

Just a couple hours ago I published the article about the upcoming Shadowrun the Sixth World. In that article I talked about everything we know so far about the game. In that article I mention the "Beginner Box" that was sent out to "influencers" and others.

Today Darryl Mott who runs the Youtube channel Gamer's Tavern has uploaded his unboxing video. It's interesting to see everything that is included. I actually really like the equipment cards. The Seattle poster also looks like a nice touch.

Anyway check out the video below and stay tuned for more Shadowrun updates.

Are you ready to risk everything?

The Sixth World. One of the most enduring RPG settings ever created, with shadows growing deeper and darker in its latest edition. Dominated by enormous, world-striding megacorporations strangling metahumanity in their clutches, by 2080 most of the planet has surrendered to these corporate overlords.

But from the darkest shadows, defiance flickers in people known as shadowrunners. They risk everything—wrestling magical energies, channeling them into power; putting their minds against the electronic void of the Matrix; trading flesh and blood for chrome and steel.

Stand up, join them, and dare to risk it all!

Get the Carbon 2185 Quickstart Rules Free

Carbon 2185 takes place in a dystopian San Francisco in the year 2185. Heavily influenced by movies such as Blade Runner and Ghost in the Shell, you’ll find plenty of familiar options in this game. the lead artist on the project, Klaus Wittmann is known for his work, funny enough, on The Witcher 3.

With Carbon 2185, the publisher intends to pair a streamlined, simple ruleset with layers of customization options for both the players and the Game Master.

“One of the cool things about Carbon 2185 is that you can build any character from cyberpunk literature,” said Robert Marriner Dodds. “From the disgruntled police officer hunting down replicants like Deckard in Blade Runner, to a mostly cybernetic security expert like Adam Jensen from Deus Ex, or even a reawakened former special forces soldier who has been in cryostasis like Takeshi Kovacs from Altered Carbon.”

The publisher is eager to point out that creating original characters is just as easy, and just as fun.

“The way you create characters in Carbon 2185 is unique to our system. We have an organic, fluid, character background generation that determines who your character is, and who they were before you picked up the character sheet” said Robert. “You’re not going to be able to create the same character twice if you use the background generation system, every character is unique.” 

I haven't dug into all the crunch but the game has several things that I'm sure anyone reading this blog will be familiar with. It opens up with a bit of slang like street rat and mech. Terms that most Cyberpunk players will be more than familiar with.

Below is the overview of the game and if it grabs your interest head on over to their official site to pick up the quickstart rules for yourself.

Carbon 2185 is an upcoming cyberpunk rpg created by Dragon Turtle Games due to be released in 2019. Carbon 2185 is all about telling stories in a dark dystopian future influenced by franchises such as Blade Runner, Ghost in the Shell, and Deus Ex.

The core mechanics and rules of Carbon 2185 are built using, and developed from the OGL, so anybody who has experience with this game system has a unique advantage in learning these new rules. That being said, experience is not necessary, and in our playtests, new players picked up the streamlined rules by the end of the first session.

Shadowrun Sixth Edition: What We Know So Far

About a week ago it was announced that Catalyst Game Lab were going to release the sixth edition of Shadowrun. With that announcement they sent out several Beginner Boxes to people within the community. The Shadow Casters Network has been answering a lot of questions fans have about the game and have been streaming some actual plays as well.

The information that people have gathered about the game has come from the discussions that SCN has had on their streams. They have done a couple Q&A's as well. Luckily you won't have to go back and watch all those archived streams. The community has come together and prepared a document that contains all the information that we know so far.

We know the Beginner Box will be out in June and we can expect the core rulebook to be come out just in time for Gen Con in August. That's gonna be a tough month for some with Cyberpunk Red occupying the same release window.

As I mentioned above check out the Google doc for every thing we know so far including all mechanics.

 

Are you ready to risk everything?

The Sixth World. One of the most enduring RPG settings ever created, with shadows growing deeper and darker in its latest edition. Dominated by enormous, world-striding megacorporations strangling metahumanity in their clutches, by 2080 most of the planet has surrendered to these corporate overlords.

But from the darkest shadows, defiance flickers in people known as shadowrunners. They risk everything—wrestling magical energies, channeling them into power; putting their minds against the electronic void of the Matrix; trading flesh and blood for chrome and steel.

Stand up, join them, and dare to risk it all!