Let's talk Cyberpunk 2077 classes/roles

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Alright, first of all - this is just stuff I thought of off the top of my head. I have very little knowledge of the Cyberpunk world, so it was written using what little of it I gathered reading about Cyberpunk 2020 in anticipation of the Cyberpunk 2077 game, mixed with a little bit of reason (or not at times ^^). Anyway, this is a pretty long post, so let's get on with it.

Since we'll probably be able to finish the missions in many different ways, each of the classes should be able to do so by excelling in e.g. 1 of the following, and being able to improve in others by using adequate skills, as to give more flavor and options to the gameplay:

1) Stealth
2) Combat (3 branches - weapon usage, hand-to-hand combat and followers)
3) Hacking
4) Persuasion (charm / intimidate / flirt / blackmail / interrogate)


Also, I don't really have any good ideas for the Techie atm. I might write something on him later, but I'm really out of ideas right now. As they're the tech experts and repairers / medics of Night City, maybe it would be better to simply leave them as the NPC-s you go to for repairs / surgery, and leave some of the skills they would get (like repairing or even making some gadgets and treating your wounds) as something that any of the classes can get.


I will divide the 8 classes into 3 "subtypes" - one focusing largely on persuasion, one for combat, and one for hacking. Most of the classes will have one "major skill", so they are very good in one of the 4 named above, and either:

a) be mediocre in one other skill: Solo - Combat / Stealth, Corporate - Persuasion / Combat (in the form of bodyguards)
b) have a small bonus in 2 other skills: Media - Persuasion / Combat + Stealth


Of course, you should be given a choice to specialize in whatever you want by using that skill more (which brings us to the leveling system which I won't go too far into but I believe it should be skill-based, in other words you should get better at skills by using them more)


Also, about the "reinforcements / call for help" skills - this mechanic would obviously need a lot of work to be implemented since it'd be stupid if they arrive immediately, yet if it takes too long it makes no sense as you'd probably die by then. It'd also have to only be available outdoors. Maybe some strategy could be involved with it though, with you having to predict needing help and calling in advance for them to arrive in x mins.


THE ROLES:



The "Persuasion" classes.


Corporate
- better prices when selling/buying weapons, mods and information.

- has perfected the art of persuasion, and is as such much better at charming / bribing / flirting with people

- basic skills with guns, so he can only use pistols as he is not well trained in using weapons and is very poor in melee combat

- able to bribe people to get out of a fight (as mentioned earlier), as well as police officers

- able to hire bodyguards as followers


Rockerboy
- he's pretty well known throughout the city, lots of people know him so he should be able to charm and flirt since his fanboy/girl base is probably pretty large ^^

- maybe give him the ability to have followers, and give some sort of bonus to them

- basic skills using guns, though surviving in the streets of night city made him quite a proficient brawler as well (though not as good as the Solo)

- not very popular with the cops, so should be extra careful dealing with them


Media
- people consider them trustworthy, and as such they should be given a large bonus in persuasion (as people will be more willing to share information to someone they can trust will use it to a good end), maybe have a gameplay mechanic using which they'll be able to find information on certain people they know they will be having dealings with and blackmail them.

- better relations with the cops, have the ability to call the police to help them when stuck in a gunfight (a journalist shouldn't be able to go all Rambo and kill 5 night city thugs single-handedly), which ofc won't come immediately.

- can also record conversations, which can be used to blackmail

- basic weapon skills - uses guns, poor at melee



The "Combat" classes


Solo
- being a trained fighter, the Solo has experience using almost any weapon - ranging from pistols to assault rifles and energy weapons. He is also very proficient in melee combat, trained to kill quickly and efficiently, as well as a range of martial arts like Muay Thai, Savate, Ju-jitsu, etc.; whatever floats your boat ^^

- depending on how you decide to play, he could be used as a guy who runs in the room guns blazing and just kills everyone he sees using superior fire power and mods etc., or with a much more stealthily approach, avoiding enemies until he reaches his goal / main target, so as not to risk raising any alarms. (anyway this topic could raise a lot of debate imo, whether running into a room and killing everyone should even be viable or not, so as to make the game a bit more realistic and deadly)

- small bonus to stealth

- large bonus to intimidation and interrogation (for example, beating the info out of someone, or blackmailing them through people close to them etc.)


Cop
- they are the law enforcers of Night city, trained in combat to protect (or not, depending on what kind of cop you are ;) ) its citizens, and are proficient in using standard Police weapons. Quite good in hand-to-hand combat, but not in a deadly way like the Solo, rather trying to force their opponent into submission.

- they get the ability to interrogate people in the name of the law, be it using subtle threats, beating the info out of a person, or being the good cop and promising protection to people who fear being killed for revealing information. They can also get into places normal people cannot, like apartments (here's ma badge b*tch) to look for evidence, and have access to information in police stations.

- large bonus to charm / intimidation, and depending on how you play your Cop, the adequate persuasion skill gets better.

- like the Media guy, he has the ability to call for help / reinforcements from his fellows cops when outnumbered or to raid places with suspicious activity.


Nomad
- living on the streets since he was a kid and being raised in one of the "Families", he has picked up quite a bit of combat skills. Though not proffesionally trained in the art of weapon usage, he is still able to wield a lot of guns ranging from pistols and shotguns to automatic weapon. He is also a very good street fighter, often resorting to "dirty tricks", like kicking some guy in his balls etc., doing whatever is needed to win the fight

- able to call on his Family mates to help when in trouble

- quite good at either stealth or hacking (up to you during character creation)

- not liked by people as they are considered the thugs of Night City. Harder to charm / flirt with people. Easier intimidate checks.

(Honestly, the Nomad's the biggest mistery here for me. I tried making every class as different as possible in this post, but I don't know what else I could give him that I already haven't to one of the other classes. Giving a "call for help" ability to the media/cop/nomad is already too much)



The "Hacking" classes.


Netrunners
- they are hacking experts, THE hackers of Cyberpunk 2077. There's no system in Night City (or anywhere in the world actually) which they can't get into. Large bonus to hacking.

- pretty weak in combat, only able to use pistols and basic hand-to-hand combat skills.

- basic stealth skills

- able to blackmail people through information gathered by hacking.


Fixers*
- they're the base of the information network of Night City. They know guys. Certain guys. Guys who can dig up some dirty stuff on people if they can't do it themselves. Their list of contacts mainly composes of Hackers, and as such they've picked up a thing or two about hacking themselves.
Bonus to Hacking.

- they know their way with words, and are able to get information out of anyone. Bonus to Charm / Blackmail.

- as they're often involved in illegal activities, their reputation with the cops ain't all too well. They've often been set up by cops during smuggling deals, and have learned to defend themselves during such events. They are good with weapons, though not in melee combat.

- they know how to move unnoticed, without drawing attention to themselves in public. Small bonus to stealth.

* they're pretty much the jack of all trades, master of none class.



Well, that'd be it. It's been a pretty looong post. Eventhough when I started I thought I had so many ideas which would make the classes so different, turns out you'd need a lot more of them to make them diverse.

Anyway, the other option for the class system I thought about now seems better to me than when I first started writing this. Maybe it would be better to leave the Roles as merely backgrounds, origin stories for your character to choose from and simply give you some sort of special ability (like law enforcement for cops, bonus to hacking for netrunners etc.), leaving the character as a blank sheet at the beginning of the game.

What I wrote here about though is sort of a mix of both imo. All of these "specifics" of each class are just what you start the game with. So you can, for example, make your Media guy someone who's really good in combat and stealth, though he will never get close to the Solo in this system.
 
@marmon - this is completely out of the Cyberpunk Climate.

Why do u want to be corp guy that loves the firearms why can't I be? What u describe as a corp is much better suited to fixer. Corp is not some kind of merchand ...
 
marmon
Stealth should be in combat branch or as universal subtype, because its better and simplifier if only 3 main archetypes will be available.



CDPR should leave classes they are having difficulties until DLC and concentrate on creating very polished max 5 classes with great story and good combat. Its hard to say without knowing will there be one story or each class will be unique?
Pls no

Also got some ideas for special abilities for each class:
Cop - can call backup for evacuate\covering fire during the mission
Corporate - special discount for gear from corporation
Fixer - obviously hiring mercs or bribe local police if you screw up
Media - additional info about mission
Netrunner - mid grade deck\mid grade implants from the start of game\acquiring the role
Nomad - faster travel between districts
Rockerboy - special distraction during missions
Solo - special sidequests for great opportunity and greater payoff from them
Techie - upgradeable droid during whole game

Also need to give every subclass negative effect,
 
Well - and what for? Again this is about what motivates the character etc. - from CP2020

"Money. Yeah, I got money: a new BMW aerodyne, anda penthouse flat in the Corporate Zone. All the money ain't worth fract. You play this game for power. The power to get things done; to make the big decisions; to affect things. You make a phone call, and the next thing you know u are telling the president of some bushleague Euronation that he'd better play it your way, or he's history. That's why you play. That's why I'm with the Company."

Hard to have the Corporate in the game as it is limited to Night City. Really skilful game master and players where needed to get the corp involved into the story line not only to be money cow or something like this. He should be engaged in corporate war scheming and definately not be limited to NC.

Same for Nomads - they could probably get to NC for personal vendetta or just for some time but they would leave after. But Nomad can be replaced with Gang Member.
Depends on how they build out the game. Maybe there's a few key plot-points that are better addressed by a Corporate's Resources. Say, there's a tech tree, or a story dialogue that's only available to Corporates.

Same with Nomads. Right now, we're just examining how Character (x) would function in a firefight, but I'd like to believe that the game will be deeper than a 21st century "hack and slash" / "shoot 'em up." If I just wanted four different characters that each had a different way of shooting "bad guys", I'd just play Borderlands.

So far, I haven't seen anything that I'd think of as a compelling argument to exclude any of the original CP2020 archetypes.
 
Some good ideas - a lot of thought there, Marmon, good to see.

If we keep throwing ideas at them they can pick and choose what they like. As long as there is trust in CDPR, then we trust them to select from these options and choose wisely.

In other words, more ideas = better. If you think an idea is not very cyberpunk, and you have a good handle on what cyberpunk is, (and that's pretty tough right there), you can bet CDPR is just as invested in the genre.

Rely on them to cherry pick the best stuff. Suppressing other ideas - like, say a cyberpunk dinosaur, that one made me choke for a second - isn't really in anyone's best interests.

Let's be an inclusive, friendly community. Years to go, gang. Years to go.
 
From what the triler has shown and the information released it seems to me that your character Will almost definately be a member of the 'MAX-TAC' force.
 
For me, Cop.

I don't know if anyone here played it but there was thise awesome futurstic game on the ps1 called G-Police, basically you played a pilot on the police force in the future flying around a futurstic city, it was like a mix of Blade Runner but a bit more helicoptery.

Also recently watched Dredd so that makes me all the more want to fill that role as well. Then Blade Runner is one of my favorite films so yeah, pretty much set on Cop for my class (if we have to choose for the game).
 
Anyone think the game is gonna start you out as some civilian/unaffiliated character who can choose if they want to join the Police or not? Or will it be more like, "Yeah you can create your own character, but they have to be a cop"?
 

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One of the things you could add, is a possibility of making money through your exclusive role skill set and connections. For example rockerboy could earn extra money by throwing a gig from time to time, media guy could find some interesting piece o informations during questing. As a cop you can receive a bribe or collect bounty, stuff like that. Sort of bonus opportunities enabled as you progress through story. Different stuff for every role
 
The thing is though, the only thing about the genre that never sat fully well with me is these clear definitions and classifications of character archetypes. Yes you will get strong classifications in use from the ivory tower corps to the struggling back room fixer, but I'd want to be able to use one, many or all approaches to a situation rather than be dictated to by a rigid structure.

Low level characters I guess would start off as jack of all trades, able to do ok ish at most things (as they are always in the genre just that little cut above the regular joe populace) then be able to move in a more dedicated direction as and when the mood takes them...

I.e. looking at skyrim as an example, I've played that a lot and started off as a standard combat type that then specialised in archery whilst working for the imperials, then sojourned off for a spell ( :) ) as arch mage of the college of wizardry, joined the dark brotherhood and became listener, started making my own gear, finished the main dragon born quest, then went off exploring....

You need that kind of flexibility. The classic example from 2020 of the starting out rocker boy playing small gigs during the night whilst still having to keep up the trauma team medic day job....


The better you focus though and specialise in an archetype as time goes on, the more of that area opens up to you to use exponentially. Our starting out rocker could then pull a johnny silverhand and raise a crowd of thousands to swarm en masse against a target....

Tl;dr - lots of flexibility and no "pick your character class" at the start.....

K.
 
Solo, Cop, Fixer and Corporate intrigue me the most. Rockerboy...I can't imagine how it can be done without being silly.

Cop - has cheapest (legal) access to a vast arsenal, all of it sate funded equipment. There's better stuff out there - the rare energy weapon or tactical heat seeking missile launcher - but that stuff is illegal, peddled on the streets by arms dealers. Cop is also best trained, so an automatic aiming, defense, and melee bonus. This class takes a hit in: agility, dialog skills, hacking, stealth, manipulation/persuasion.

Fixer - has access to illegal augs and weapons only, so his total arsenal is much smaller than the Cop's. He can get his hands on rare and extremely powerful tech though. I think it's crucial as a fixer that you're the head of a group/unit. So you'll spend much of your time sending your team out on missions while you do the intel. You'll gain credits faster than any class outside of Corporate as selling weapons and info is lucrative. Bonuses to: stealth, agility, manipulation/persuasion, dialog skills. Takes a hit in: defense, melee, aiming.

Corporate - I see a corporate as having two identities: corporate millionaire by day, raider and stealth fighter by night. Corporates will try to gain an advantage over rival companies at any cost. Their goals can be materialistic, or to further a personal agenda or philosophy. They have access to the widest array of tech and gear as virtually nothing is off limits to them. They can buy on the streets or smuggle weapons from the police force. Access will increase as skills are upgraded, areas are procured, rival companies are hacked, and number of solos and fixers hired. Amassing wealth and tech is crucial to the class. Coprorates have the highest dialog and manipulation/persuasion bonus. They also have a bonus to hacking and stealth. They take a huge hit in melee, defense, aiming.

Solo - My favorite. This class bloody well better be in the game. Solos work alone, they have the most hurdles to overcome when acquiring gear, wealth and tech. They have to procure everything through contracts, legal or illegal. Never the head of any team or corporation, instead they're the go-to person for fixers, corrupt cops, public officials and Corporates. The prestige and wealth of your employer dictates the type of gear you have access to. Working for a corporate involves far greater risk/reward than doing a favor for a disgruntled cop. Solos have their own ethical code, and this is important. It may mean accepting a contract to kill a jealous man's wife, or taking out corrupt politicians, making a tidy profit in the process. The moral implications for this class are far reaching and potentially devastating. A solos who's lost his way, or can't stomach the results of his profession will actually take a temporary hit to stats when making 'poor' decisions or failing to see the outcome of their actions. Solos have the greatest bonus to melee, agility and stealth, and are second only to Cops in aiming. They have solid hacking skills, but they take a minor hit to defense and a huge hit in manipulation/persuasion and all dialog skills.
 
Rockerboy is really not so much about being a rock star, but about political activism, charisma, inspiring others and fans, a rockerboy is the perfect class to incite public riots outside a corporation for creating food shortages, using their influence with Medias etc.

Cops will always have legal equipment but will need to use it within the limits of their remit, but the cops will also have older, less capable equipment because of restraints on the public purse, that doesn't apply to corporate security and solos
 
I.e. looking at skyrim as an example, I've played that a lot and started off as a standard combat type that then specialised in archery whilst working for the imperials, then sojourned off for a spell ( :) ) as arch mage of the college of wizardry, joined the dark brotherhood and became listener, started making my own gear, finished the main dragon born quest, then went off exploring....

You need that kind of flexibility. The classic example from 2020 of the starting out rocker boy playing small gigs during the night whilst still having to keep up the trauma team medic day job....

K.

Skyrim was great game but also terrible one. Skyrim is heroic fantasty - I maxed out all the skills, crafted some crazy gear and basically I was invincible - this is totally not what CP is. Your character should be fragile unless u get heavily augmented, but u can turn into cyberpsycho by doing so. U can't know everything. And u should have motivation and be able to do different things with different characters. What I did not like in Skyrim is that u basically have to do very similar quests and become the master of every guild - again even within heroic fantasty books that an absurd.

Remeber that each player would get 10 skills at the beginning only one of them being special skill unavailable to other roles. Other skills were common to all classes. And there was plenty of skills - I guess this will be limited in the video game (as devs said - geology anyone?) So each character could be really unique so for examle u could get the fixer to be also a good fighter - obviously experienced solo would always get the edge but that is the point of the role.

Still in the original game there was the possibility to have more the one special skill - lets say u are a cop and decided it is not what u want to do in life - so u decided to become a fixer - u would half your current special skill - leave it like this - the experience points could not be assigned to this skill anymore - half that number again and assign it to your new special skill.

And this is basically what u have in life - if you want to be really good at something u need to focus on this. U can always take on different path but u will start from start and you will slowly start to forget your old proffesion.

I guess as the original CP2020 fan I want the game to be as much in line with CP2020 as possible and having Mike and CDProject is kind of guarantee for that. This means that the main character is not super hero in the shinny armor - he is just another punk on the street who dreams to change the world and with enormous amount of luck he manages to do so.
 
:D
Ok, i will bite. I have never played pen and paper Cyberpunk ( only browsed manual 15 years ago or so) so i don't have full understanding of existing roles/classes. However in general i would like the roles to have effect on the way you play in the following manner:

I. Story

1. Starting point - I would like to start a game in different place depending on role i will chose to play. Something very similar to Dragon Age: Origins. The class intro doesn't have to be long, even 15 minutes is enough. It could be used just to explain how you ended up in place where the main story arch starts. For example, (using scene from trailer) there is psycho on the loose having his psychotic break, and you as a protagonist are called in to apprehend/eliminate him if you play as a cop or to cover the story if you chose to play as a media, or you responding to emergency call if you play a medic. Stuff along those lines. As i said, it doesn't have to be long , just long enough to give you a sense of your background.

2. NPCs - exclusive npcs for each role. 2 or 3 is enough, again they could be used to give you a sense of background, they could be colleagues, friends, family or some assholes that keep bothering you. These npc could function even if you play other classes in a limited role. For example, a bouncer in a night club you have to pass by in order to get in, during normal playthrough he is just what he is but he could be your friend if you chose to play as a rockerboy.
3. Personal storylines, possibly connected to exclusive npcs, 2 or 3 quests exclusive to specific roles.These quests can be be somewhat connected to main one
4. Exclusive dialog options. Not too many, cause they can limit you too much ( for example, imagine conversation in which you have 3 general option available to all roles and one extra for each role, let say there are 9 roles which would mean devs would have to create 12 different options but you could only see 4 in one playthrough ) so please be careful with it.
4. Different base of your operations for different role, something like a rock club for a rockerboy

ll. Combat

Well, i haven't played pen and paper so i'm not sure what is possible in cyberpunk and what is not. Anyway, the way i imagine it, is that some roles are not really build for combat. When i think of media guy (i'm probably wrong) i imagine a guy running scared away from combat rather then taking active part in it. Also it does not look like there is a lot of options during combat for some of the roles like media or corporate. Thats why i would do something like this for combat purposes:

1. Limit combat roles to 3 (someone already suggested something like this i think). lets call them classes to avoid confusion. The division is just to put more focus on creating 3, really different, combat styles rather then 9 (which could be difficult)
- Soldier (Roles: Cop, Solo, Nomad) - classed focused on heavy weaponry and melee abilities
- Tech (Roles: Techie, Rockerboy?, Corporate?) - classes focused primary on light weaponry, cool toys used to create diversion or subdue opponents , stuff like that.
- Cyber (Roles: Netrunner, Media, Fixer?) focused on cyber warfare , hacking defenses, causing weapons to malfunction, creating diversion through camouflage, maybe invisibility (something like optic fibre suit that display whats behind you to create and illusion of invisibility), hacking bullets trajectories (if intelligent bullets that can change trajectories are even possible in this setting) to avoid being hit.

2. On top of that each role could provide few exclusive abilities to spice things up a bit and provide further customisation. For example, netrunner would be able to to hack brains (apparently thats possible in cyberpunk) , solo could have extra melee skills, cop could have some sharpshooter skills, media guy would be able to broadcast live his famous last words. Anyway, you get the picture.

3. Possibility of avoiding most combat through the use of social skills or stealth. Speaking of social abilities like persuasion, seduction, intimidation, bribing, it would be nice if the use of this skills would at least partially dependent on context of the situation or npcs reaction to your character rather than the abilities alone(high or low). More LA Noir approach (studying people reactions and choosing your options accordingly)

III. Other gameplay elements

1. Stealth - a decent stealth system that allows you to bypass enemies - different ways to do it depending on role you play - hacking cameras, using drugs to incapacitate security, creating a distraction to lure guard a way. Each role with different way to achieve the same goal.

2. Cars/ bikes - now, thats a long shot. I would assume you won't be able to drives cars/motorcycles freely. Its gonna be more like fast travel options i guess. It could open some interesting ways to expand gameplay.

3. Hacking - goes without saying (some roles could be better at it)

4.MIni games - i hope we will see few, don't expect it to have any effect on roles

5. Net , virtual reality- this is something thats often mentioned as a really important part of cyberpunk world so i hope you will do it justice



Those are very good points right there. :)

What I would add is that from a gameplay perspective, the devs should make a choice regarding how important combat will be in the game. If it will be only a choice out of a pool of options or rather the prevalent way... (and the differences would shape in "how" conflict is played out... ie: in Deus Ex: HR you couldnt avoid fighting the bosses, so if you had only concentrated on the hacking/non lethal ways, in those instances you had an awful gaming experience).

From my point of view, if the game will underline the non-linearity of the story, that non-linearity should also include which quests will pop up (rather than "how you approach it" as again, was done by "Deus ExHR". I'll give an example: You want to take down a corporation: the "solo" would probably aim at shooting all the CEOs in one place, or nuke the building into oblivion... :p The rockerboy wil have to engage with the factions, become a leader, and start a riot in order to do the same, but practically not engaging in combat. Those are two radically different experiences, game-wise.

Another thing that I think Deus Ex did wrong is giving a skill tree which you more or less completed all-together throughout the game, instead of forcing you to choose (like it was done in The Witcher2). So I would prefer if the skill trees encourage high end specifications, instead of letting "jack-of-all.trades" characters go around. It might not be sooo true to life, granted, but thats a way in which you encourage re-playability, IMHO.

The thing is I just don't know if those "non-lethal" classes or roles I was referring to above -which should be all about the interaction with different characters, and the changes they produce in the universe- will be all that entertaining for the target audience (I mean one thing is a PnP game, one very different is a videogame)

I personally would go for 2 or three radically different experiences/characters gameplay-wise, but I know that means a lot of resource spending, which always is limited... :p
 
Skyrim was great game but also terrible one. Skyrim is heroic fantasty - I maxed out all the skills, crafted some crazy gear and basically I was invincible - this is totally not what CP is.

I totally agree with you here, arbas.

In general I find the whole Elder Scrolls line of games silly at best, unplayable at worst. Probably some of the most overrated games out there.

A good example of how unbalanced Skyrim is, I watch this guy named Zisteau's channel on Youtube. Among the games he's playing is Skyrim. While fighting a major boss in one dungeon that was doing less damage to him than a butterfly does when landing on your leather jacket, he just kind of laughed, and proceeded to level up his Archery, because the game was becoming less and less challenging with each mob fought.
 
I have been giving this a great deal of thought... and as I read the thread, I am dismayed at the lack of love for nomads...

Anyway, this is what I have come up with

As I have said, Ideally, your character in the game should have to choose a Primary Role. This role determines the adventure path you take and how the missions and your goals play out. But characters should also be able to take whatever secondary classes they wish to spend points on. The secondary classes have to remain a point below the primary class... so the perks of the secondary class would never reach the full potential.

Here is how I would like to see the classes handled.

Solo's are the combat class, they would get the bonuses to combat skills, be able to use any weapon, get bonuses to accuracy with any weapon, etc... they are the easiest to implement in a role playing game. They should also get bonuses to damage with whatever weapon they are using. And perhaps a personal radar... that shows them where enemies are, that gets larger range as the game progresses, to mimick their awareness bonus and their initiative bonus... or maybe not a radar... maybe just a directional pointer alerting them to possible danger... something like that...

Nomads are combat class, in that they can fight and fight well, but they also have a large group of friends with resources they can call on. In terms of the video game, I would make them drivers (get bonus points to driving) and give them the ability to call in their nomad pack for backup... a bunch of crazy bikers and muscle car guys following along as your posse. The number should increase from 1-5 as the nomads family skill raises.

Cop's... cops need to operate somewhat within the law, but they have their police buddies to back them up... much like nomads, they can have a posse of cops come along to follow them around (again from 1-5)... also, cops should get some sort of bonus for taking people down using non-lethal force... they should also have free police issue weapons, armor and vehicles, a maybe a certain amount of non cosmetic cyber for free. Also, other cops won't hassle them for minor crimes.

Fixers should be able to buy goods at discounted prices, or sell them for higher value. They should be able to call in favors... for every two points of their streat deal skill, they should get to choose between a solo, a netrunner, a medtech, or a techie to back them up... when their skill reaches 10 they should be able to call them all at the same time, or at least call 2 in at a time,

Medias... their job is to document things, I can see handling them, where instead of running aorund with a gun, they run around with cameras and mics, recording things happening. It puts them in the same situation as any of the combat class, except their role is a stealth one, to avoid being discovered, and document the event... if they are discovered to talk their way out instead of shooting their way out. They should be able to use their credentials to get in just about anywhere, and get bonuses when talking to people to get them to reveal information. They should be able to call for an extraction. The means of extraction should get better as the Media's credibility gets higher... a guy on a bike comes and picks them up at 2 points, 4 points its a guy in a car, 6 points its a couple of guys in an SUV, at 8 points its an AV, and at 10 its a fully loaded trauma team AV. The vehicle still has to escape from the forces pursuing the media, but the driver will be expert, and at higher levels the extraction will get better armed.

Corporates... Corporates are just fixers with health insurance and regular business hours. Instead of discounts and higher resales, the corp should get a choice of free weapons, ammo, vehicles, and tech... that gets better as his resources skill increases. The Corp should also be able to call for back up using the same mechanic as the fixer.

Netrunners get to hack objects... street lights, vehicles, databases... they can take over automated gun turrets, open doors, etc... they should get remote operated drones that get better armed as their skill increases. The range on the drones operation should also increase with the netrunners skill, so that by the time they reach ten, they can cover most or all of the map... they can perform most of the basic hacks using the drones as well...

Med Techs and Techs... these are really support roles... and while they can make for an engaging fully fledged character in a tabletop if the GM allows for them, I am not sure how well they could be implemented... without turning the whole game kind of wonky... I am kind of stuck on them... except for the idea of making them just available secondary classes... techs can repair, or at least improve, their gear, weapons, cyber, vehicles...... medtechs can heal themselves and others without needing to go to a hospital. Beyond that I don't know...

Rockerboys... just flat out don't fit in any game, even the tabletop version, unless they are the center of a game geared exclusively towards them... really, if any class should be dropped, its them... any way I think about it, trying to mimic charismatic leadership just comes across as cheesy... maybe I am just not smart or creative enoguh for this one...

Any thoughts?
 
While I never played a rocker , cop or media I can imagine they are loved by many

I can't see the game without the Solo, Techie, Fixer , Nomad and Netrunner

I think that any of those should be able to eventually aspire to Corp
I have a hard time envisioning how one starts out at the top of the pile rather then in the streets
 
What's a nomad again?

Anyway, I'd bet they will roll out classes that are archetypes and contain a prepackaged set of skills that we can build on. Say, six prepicked skills and another half-dozen or dozen that we choose as we go along. Have to do something like that to design the game.

Cop is obvious, Solo is obvious, I'd bet Rockeryboy and Media are combined, maybe Corporate too, since they all do variations of the same thing: get other people to do stuff for them.

Tech and Netrunner and Medtech, since they are all Int based classes that fix or mess with things.

So that's what I'm thinking: three branches of characters with sub specialities:

Primary :Sub-class

Physical: Cop + Solo and that other class I can never remember. Rides a bicycle into combat or something ridiculous.

Intellectual: (Med)Techie, Netrunner

Social: Corporate, Media, Rocker.

The flyer is Fixer. Probably a Social class, but lots of Int based abilities and even Physical.

So that's what I could see happening and then basing each in-game situation problem so that it can be solved by ANY of those classes.
 
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