Starting my first Cyberpunk 2020 campaign

[CTPhipps]

Starting my first Cyberpunk 2020 campaign

Been a gamer for twenty years.

This should be fun.

I've picked up Cyberpunk 2020, the Osiris Chip, Night City, and Greenwar. I'm going to be running the game on the premise of the PCs being your usual team of mercs trying to make a profit while not being too reprehensible. I'm open to any suggestions for mood or events to liven things up.

Also, their own experiences.

 

[Suhiira]

Keep in mind that no matter how bad ass your character think they are there are several groups in the city far more so and with much better backing.

As to the city, pay attention to the various "turfs", gang and corporate. They enter a Corp Zone visibly armed to the teeth security will stop them and ask why, and "suggest" they leave.

Have at least one group of NPC runners with a "Been There, Done That" attitude and a street rep as people not to mess with, if your characters bite show them why.

New group of runners? There's ALWAYS some corp (usually) dweb that "needs" an expendable team. So after they do the job a "Clean Up" crew shows up for them.

If you're using the LifePath stuff in 2020 make use of it ... endless scenarios personal to one character or another. And can they get their new friends to help, go it alone, or ignore their supposed close contacts, friends, and family?

If they do a job too publically put them on the news! Nothing an edgerunner loves more then everyone knowing who they are.

Depending on your time-line maybe Johnny is doing a street concert next to or in the middle of the area their current job is in. Use the distraction or flee the extra security that will be swarming the area?

In the middle of some covert job someone mistakes one of them for an old friend and will make a scene if not handled quickly and quietly.

They take a job and half way thru another team hired by someone else shows up after the exact same thing.

 

[CTPhipps]

Our first adventure?

The players have been hired by a megacorporation's junior executive to investigate the mysterious death of a popular rockerboy/anti-establishment figure, Easy-P, who is still owned by the franchise above him. The police are acting remarkably squirrely about things and the junior executive wants to find out if it's a hit due to the rockerboy's last album, "Nuke the Police." This will be a detective story for the most part with options to interview people, find a missing witness, and potentially break into the police station and hotel he was murdered in to get the evidence they need to find out the truth. I'll also be throwing in a bounty hunter who has been hired by a A.I. simulation of Easy-P to avenge his death that he irrationally blames on his employers. Was Easy-P killed by the cops to silence his message? Was it racially motivated? (Easy-P being a notably blue-skinned invitro baby)

Nope.

It turns out Easy-P's secretary was one of the cop's wives and was pressured into sex by him in order to keep her job, so he arranged for his murder so she'd get out from under his thumb. The wife will want to help her husband escape, the megacorp will want the two cops disposed of, and the cops can be convinced to turn on each other. A sleazy media also wants to buy the information so he can drive up his profile (and possibly cause riots against the cops--plus drive Easy P's sales through the roof as a favor to the higher ups beyond the PC's bosses).

 

[Suhiira]

Well, if one or more of the characters don't have the skills needed to play detective you have a serious problem.

 

[CTPhipps]

Well, if one or more of the characters don't have the skills needed to play detective you have a serious problem.

There's multiple avenues to find the clues.

 

[eraser7278]

is one of those paths hitting someone with an Axe and taking their stuff? some players know of no other way to approach a problem

 

[CTPhipps]

Mostly my games consist of...TALKING! It's terrible!

 

[Suhiira]

Mostly my games consist of...TALKING! It's terrible!

just laughs

 

[CTPhipps]

The adventure is going well so far and has developed into a massive plot by Arasaka Corporation to annex Night City as an independent corporate state "licensed" from the already weakened United States.

It's a bit more Black and White than I expected but the PCs are enjoying starting off their adventures with a bang.

 

[Suhiira]

As long and you and your players are enjoying it everything is perfect.
I'm something of an RPG purist, but I'm not in or running your game, so what I think doesn't matter.

And guess what ... what anyone else thinks doesn't matter either.

 

[CTPhipps]

As long and you and your players are enjoying it everything is perfect.
I'm something of an RPG purist, but I'm not in or running your game, so what I think doesn't matter.

And guess what ... what anyone else thinks doesn't matter either.

Eh, I'm always open for advice.

 

[Sardukhar]

See if one of your PCs will be a double agent for a Corp or the KGB or the Crystal Palace. Spices things up, gets that ol' "trust? What trust?" vibe happening when the PCs find out.

 

[triprunner]

As much as i loved the og CP2020, the system is a bit archaic including the setting. Try Sprawl RPG or Interface Zero 2.0.