Cybercrisis or Bubblegum-Punk?

[fuzzytroll]

Cybercrisis or Bubblegum-Punk?

I just managed to get my game of CP started last month, and while it hasn't had much impact on the story so far I decided I was going to try and blend the Bubblegum-Crisis history and story line into the game instead of following events after Stormfront. I have a simple blended timeline (with a few adds from my own hind-brain on culture and music and such) but was wondering if anyone else has done this and if so, how and how did it work out? At this point in 2020 (january 1st.) not much is actually different aside from GENOM's predecessor company being put in play as an Arasaka offshoot and Gulf & Bradley being in the timeline as a Militech spinoff but around the resolution of the Corp War from Stormfront things are gonna get weird and fairly Japano-centric for a game predominantly in (Wisdom's badass) Night City.

And yes, I'm going with Cybercrisis as a world name because Bubblegum-Punk reminds me of Averil Lavigne who never existed in my world.

 

[fuzzytroll]

Sorry for the atrocious lack of commas, I have been spending too much time writing stuff I read to players *draws off cig dramatically and shit* instead of being worthy of human eyes.

 

[chriswebb2020.736]

I think that sounds pretty awesome. Please keep us up to date on the developments!

 

[Deadbolt_Don]

This might be a fun read for you.

Made by R. Talsorian no less.

 

[fuzzytroll]

I have the whole run of the BGC RPG. Oddities in using the Fusion system aside (still not sure how kill damages works) I thought it was a fantastic game and am sad that there wasn't more, then again I thought the same about the original series (not that I despise 2040, it just couldn't replicate the greatness of the original).

The biggest issue so far is if I push the BGC timeline up a bit things still don't start making major effects until around 2027, where events from the really awesome BGC comic by Adam Warren happen. Before that its watching GENOM form and having BGC companies expand and edge out CP companies, along with slowly leaking the technology behind some classic flash like harduits, compact rail guns, replicants, and Boomers.

Because of this, for the first couple seasons of the game are going to be largely unrelated to the crisis shift, its going to be bits and pieces falling in the background (mostly mentioned in screamsheets and news articles) while smaller events and catalysts keep the party occupied as things build (it would suck if they took GENOM down before it became GENOM after all, and I never put it past a party to be able to destroy your plot monster no matter how big).

It leaves me torn between advancing the CP timeline with the cyber-revolution and getting my players into the world and story, and developing the BGC world and getting the players to the point where they can join the hardsuit revolution (or ya'know, fuck it. Their choice, they wanna work for GENOM that's fine).
I hope someone buys a Gryphon cybercar when they come out at the end of the year.

 

[TheWanderingJewels]

My campaign took place in Mega-Tokyo (simply Tokyo to the locals) that kept the High end chrome and property destruction, as well as the street end of the spectrum (see Tony Takezaki's ADPolice, and ADPolice 25:00 for some truely brain bending takes on cyber-psychosis).

The Players (edgers or TPD/AD Police Cop Shop) ran into hints of a struggle in the background between Genom and other Mega Corps within Tokyo, going back and forth between Genom's 'renegade' boomers and cybernetic black ops from other corps engaging in all forms of Skull Duggery and kicking each other in the metaphorical shins. While the players dealt with the occasional Pharam/Cyberpsycho in typical fashion (ADPOLICE tended to be a blunt instrument, the Cop players were more of forward recon and Sniper teams that followed the One Shot One Kill philosophy that made them favorites of the mayors office), some times the lid would get blown off when it was all the Ammo you could crunch eat and property damage was a secondary concern.

Truly monstrous opponents tended to grab the attention of the Knight Sabers or an infamous decker/Specops operative that was rumored to be one of the Orbital Angels that went by the handle of Lucifer. They found out much later that the Angels were very real and they were heavily involved in the early stages of Boomer creation (what, you thought those brains were grown that Dr Stingray worked on?) and human augmentation. Think Replicants with heavy chrome augmentation and you are getting the general idea.

Throw in a....Argument between Lucifer and the rest of of the Orbital Angels with the Host of Angels on one side and Lucifers proto-AltCult referred to as the Collective, a mixture of people had been Collectively screwed over by The System and early Carbon kids, the Sabers and regular cyberpunkisms. anda goo time was had by all.

 

[fuzzytroll]

So far I'm establishing the two major groups that are the catalyst for both the cyber-revolution and the corp war (stormfront) that both outs Arasaka and in turn allows GENOM to come to power along with a new block of megacorporations as well as bonding the diverse player characters together under one flag. The fun part for me is that the way I'm setting up these early stages the group could end up working for GENOM, for the street movement that empowers the hardsuit revolutionaries (Knight Sabers, Fright Knights etc.) or missing out on being part of the world development entirely for their own thing.
Also the campaign is staked out in a TV show format with 12 episode seasons, broken into to 2 six episode subplots that tie together into one overarching line that goes from season to season, along with the possibility of a movie that's in universe (Tarentino style) and features the characters (too lazy to pre-gen) but isn't a part of the direct plot line.

 

[TheWanderingJewels]

Genom could be using the Revs as a way to deniablely toehold there way into the City. Perhaps the players are on a op and for some reason if things are going badly, they get support in the form of a BU-55c taking out pursuit team. and the Revs would be of interest to Genom as a potential bases for new Boomer Tech....

 

[jacqsynn]

My campaign took place in Seattle and is actually mentioned in the second book, only a paragraph mind you and completely overshadowed by the awesome one based off of batman

 

[fuzzytroll]

The important part is it was mentioned.
Just came back from the second session of the game and I'm liking the group dynamic and how willing they were to latch on to a major NPC. Players are forming nice sub groups of friends, working together to support each other in combat and avoid the medtech blowing everyone up tripping a claymore mine. I can't wait for them to have to choose sides in the starting action behind the fourth corp war.

 

[wisdom000]

My campaign took place in Seattle and is actually mentioned in the second book, only a paragraph mind you and completely overshadowed by the awesome one based off of batman

I dug your site.

 

[jacqsynn]

I never had a website, the campaign was in the book is all. But thanks for the mistaken compliment

 

[fuzzytroll]

I'm thinking after setting the corp war in motion (around the end of season 2 or 24 'missions' in) or if the group suffers heavy losses having a time skip eat up the years between then and 2027 with a nice multi-page monologue about how the world changed in the intervening years. Kinda feels lazy, but as much as I want to keep the story moving where it is, the game was being designed around the cyber-revolution and fourth corp war leading into the BGC timeline.

 

[jacqsynn]

I fit keeps you from burning out then I don't see the big hairy. Remember burn out is bad for a GM.

 

[fuzzytroll]

I love to GM, the chance to story tell with characters that do things so unexpected the writer is shocked (like breaking into the apartment of someone actively being hunted by a hit squad following the same leads as the party and trying to steal a cup of coffee before checking to see if they left the place trapped). I often leave the end points of plot lines open expressly so the party can say "Actually, I will take the bad guys offer, that sounds bad ass!" and not be thrown through a loop.

 

[starteller]

Or both. different culture could adopt different view of their society.

 

[TheWanderingJewels]

the campaign in MegaTokyo is in 2036. The players are ADP Officers assigned to 'recon/intel' for the ADP, which are broken down to some investigators, a pair of sniper trained officers and a Reconditioned Bu-55 construction boomer nicknamed 'Boris'. The players are aware of the Knight Sabers, but no much has been seen of them relatively recently. They are aware of a group of 'Anarchist' hackers/streetdealers/Solos and other ne'er-do-wells that seem to have made a habit of sticking thier fingers in the eye of Genom and the Other Megas within the City and the Taheiyo Belt.

Originally they thought they were a modern day version of the Yakuza, but have since found out that they are a Japanese version of the CyberRevolution that has ties to various anti-corp/government factions, but perversely, many nationalist factions as well. What they do know is that they seem to have access to some scarily advanced technology that they frankly aren't sure what to make of it (Read: Cyberpunk V3 Edger tech), thinking it a weird outgrowth of Boomer Fusion Tech. They are Also aware after much digging that One of the Orbital Angels is leading them.

throw in a rights angel for the Cyber Evolved and up range boomers and you get a lot of area to play with