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.

 

5 Films to Watch in Anticipation of Cyberpunk 2077

April 16th, 2020 seems like a lifetime away. So what do you do to pass the time? If you really want to envelop yourself into the cyberpunk genre than I have the perfect list for you. Here I am going to list five films that you should definitely watch in anticipation of Cyberpunk 2077. These films will most likely have had some kind of impact on the game, some of which we already know because of the promotional material.

Honorable Mention: Altered Carbon

Altered Carbon is a Netflix original series that is based off of the novel of the same name by Richard K. Morgan. The series takes place over 360 years in the future, with most episodes set in the year 2384, in a futuristic metropolis known as Bay City. In this dystopian universe people can upload their consciousness onto what is called a stack and your body is simply referred to as a sleeve.

Takeshi Kovacs is a special soldier that is referred to as an Envoy, talented operatives with deadly skills. The story begins when Kovacs' stack is retrieved by a wealthy man who wants his "murderer" brought to justice. Season one is all on Netflix and the series was recently renewed for a second season.

5. Johnny Mnemonic

With this film I think the connections to Cyberpunk 2077 are quite obvious at this point. The film stars Keanu Reeves and is based on a story written by the Godfather of cyberpunk, William Gibson. CD Projekt Red have directly talked about the film and they even have a particular melee weapon in the game based off of the one Keanu uses in Johnny Mnemonic.

4. Dredd

Judge Dredd seems to always be left out when it comes to talking about cyberpunk. If you really enjoyed the first 48 minute gameplay demo than you will love Dredd. This movie is brutal and unforgiving. Blood, gore and action at a mile a minute. The entire film takes place in a tenement megabuilding where a gang has gone off the rails. If The Raid was cyberpunk and used guns you would get Dredd.

3. Ghost in the Shell

This is where the list is probably going to start to get a little predictable. But I think when we are talking about cyberpunk these following films absolutely have to be mentioned. Ghost in the Shell is one of the most well known and fantastic anime you will ever see. It should be obvious but I am not talking about the Scarlett Johansson film.

2. Akira

Akira is the most influential anime of all time. No question. It also just happens to be cyberpunk to the core. This is one of those movies that everyone knows about, but not many people have actually seen. This is also on this list because it is clearly the inspiration for the motorbike statue that is included with Collectors Edition of Cyberpunk 2077. For that reason alone I think this movie is definitely worth checking out.

1. Blade Runner

Blade Runner is the granddaddy of cyberpunk film. I couldn't make a decision between the original or 2049 so I am going to cheat a little and include them both here. The imagery and themes are without a doubt going to be explored in Cyberpunk 2077. Especially when it comes to your humanity and what can happen when we push things too far. We have already seen a direct easter egg in the demo when the woman from the ripper doc office is clearly an homage to Pris from the film.

Well those were five (technically six but whose counting?) films for you to check out while we are all waiting for Cyberpunk 2077 to release. These aren't the only good cyberpunk films out there to check out. Plenty of cyberpunk literature is also worth checking out as well. Stay tuned because very soon I will be sharing an article I wrote last week about five games to play.

In the meantime I hope you guys enjoyed this list and if not let me know what you would suggest. Do you know of any hidden cyberpunk gems? Let me know!

Blade Runner 2019 Comic Trailer Released

I have been keeping you guys completely up to date with the next installment of the Blade Runner franchise. No, unfortunately it is not another film but a prequel comic.

The series, written by Blade Runner 2049 screenwriter Michael Green and long-term collaborator Mike Johnson, will run 12 issues and follow a veteran Blade Runner, Ash, as she takes on a new case: the search for the missing family of a billionaire with connections to the Tyrells, whose disappearance may be connected to rogue Replicants.

You can check out the trailer below courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter. You can pick up the comic from Titan Comics on July 17th.

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.

Cyberpunk 2077 Expansions Will Be Similar to Witcher 3

E3 and the news about Cyberpunk 2077 has been pouring out. So much so that I have been completely overwhelmed with information. Every major member of the CD Projekt Red team have been doing interviews and I plan on sifting through them soon to find the most juicy bits. Today however we received a good bit of info about the expansions planned for Cyberpunk 2077.

UI Coordinator Alvin Liu spoke with Prima Games about the future of the game. "We are talking about expansions in the future. We want to make sure everything's complete, but we also want to build open worlds. I know when I was playing The Witcher 3 and I finished everything, I still want to know what everyone was up to. I think we're going to have opportunities like that as well for Cyberpunk 2077."

Doubling down on CD Projekt Reds high standards he goes on to say, "You're going to see characters and you'll see them develop. You're going to see them go through conflicts and resolve those conflicts. It'll be a very rewarding ending. We're not withholding content, we're not withholding story for the future to try to, you know, monetize it or sell it in pieces or anything like that. You're going to get the whole, full value game here."

So if we do indeed get DLC that is the size of Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine we know we will be in for a treat. Those DLC are the size of some stand alone games these days. CDPR hold themselves to a much higher standard than most studios in the gaming space these days and it is refreshing to behold.