Roles : How to balance them?
We still don"t know if there will be role, or just a character you'll have to build, giving him specifics skills (like in Fallout), but, if CDPR is true to the original Pnp, there are good chances that roles will be there.
Now, how do you think we could balance them so each role would have it's own benefits, and I already see some guys looking at me like "Hey, we don't give a shit about balance, we don't want MP", and that's not what I mean in balance
Every game needs balance, even SP, take a shooter, an RPG, an Fighting Game, if the game want to be competitive and challenging, it have to be well thinked in terms of balance, no "overpowered" role, and no "useless" one.
For example, in a fighting game, people tends to take the more "casual" character, because it's simple, and you just have to mash a button to win, that said, those kind of "casual character" are often broken and not really effective when they confront a good player with a balanced character (for example, everyone hate on Reptile in MK9, prefering to play with Scorpion or Smoke, when in fact, Reptile is maybe one of the most powerfull character in the game, he looks "slow and useless", but once you master him, you just master the whole screen, so your enemy is screwed at the smaller mistakes he makes, it's all about strategy!).
The same in Diablo 3 when a class is more effective in a domain, and another in the oposite domain, so they aren't in competition, but they're worth working together, take a wizard and a Barbarian, and you'll cover way more grounds than just with a Wizard or just a Barbarian, see what I mean?
Or in a FPS/Shooter, when the light weapon fires faster than the powerfull ones (imagine a sniper rifle able to shoot at the speed of a 9mm or a assault rifle firing rockets, it would be totaly broken)
Here what kind of roles do we have?
The Solo
The Cop
The Nomad
Netrunner
Techie/MedTechie
Corporate
Media
Fixer
(Maybe alternatives classes like Street Punk or Panzerboy)
I can see it from here, everyone will play a solo if you keed the basic rules in minde.
Not saying that solo are bad, as a GM i've seen that everyone took them so "no need to think too much, you're just here to shoot at targets", when it's way harder to master a Techie a Media, a "good" Cop character, etc...(as a player as much as a GM)
That's not really like this you'll get the best out of Cyberpunk, IMO.
So, then, how can we make all those classes being interesting and making you want to play each one to taste a different side of Cyberpunk?
I'd say, let each of them having their "Special Ability", but in a "graphic way", something cool, THE POINT of each classes.
That is how I balance my game usualy, keeping in mind that any role can do everything, each one have better points in different aptitudes.
I divise them in 3 great classes, do not take them too litteraly thought, it's more like an overall idea about the vibes of the differents roles.
----------------------------
ACTION CLASSES
---------------------------
Solo : you are a killing machine, maybe a few special skills to be more accurate, compensate recoil, or at least some special "combat related" skills, It's the simplier and dumber role, he follows order, kills people and get on with it.
just add enought "hole" in the armor so they keep being human beings, and so, killeable more than a bunch of terminator.
Give the solo a better handling of the heavy weapons, I already hear "Hey, just this?" Yes, just this, Solo are pointless when you remove fight from the equation.
If you play a solo, you agreed to play an (almost) empty brain with big muscle and a full auto rifle, Solo are the kind of role when you fight problems in front, so IMO they're already overpowered in the pnp, they need to be pushed down a lil, not hating on Solos, but they're the most played role and the most boring too, they need to fix it in Cyberpunk 2077 so they keep being the "action guys" but lowering their balance level so Solo isn't anymore in "God-tier" and everyone else in "Low Tier" (because, that's almost how it is in the Pnp, once you have a few solos, the game become anoying for everyone who isn't a "brutal badass", because you have to choose "should i put action, so solo's are happy? or should i keep it low so my 4 other players'll end the day alive?.", that's the main problem with Solo, about balance "just give them a gun and a shooter gameplay" is all what it takes to make a solo, I'd say make them some kind of "Soldier", like a Cop but without the "job" problem, some skills to repair their weapons if they're broken or jammed, but nothing more, Solo are urbans hitmans or bodyguard, so they have training and equipement to be so, they're not natural born genius in the art of killing.
Cop: everyone get freaky at it, but it's one of the simplier IMO, with each role, you'll have probably police after you at some point... And then, what happend when you're a cop? Logicaly, nothing!
Just look at now when they do a mistake, it's often hard for a cop to be fired, unless he's done something really wrong, so I doubt it'll be different when there'll be more crime than cop, still, they needs to implement a whole "cop" system (not that hard, just some rank like in the "Serve & Protect" book), and a bunch of rules, like:
You've your service's weapon, every bullet you'll shoot will be recorded (with gun cam), and added to your daily report, so if you want to be a crooked cop, or go killing people, just buy a personnal weapon, steal one, or use your hands.
Then, a Cop character would have to enjoy the pleasure of the law enforcement.
Need a car? just stop one: "Police! I need your car for a special investigation, now!" (like in movies you know), show them your badge and go with their car, the same could be applied to a lot of different settings, like a fixer'll probably make good prices for a cop, because it's better to have a cop as a friend than as a foe... I mean if you're the Police, you could be able to arrest people, stealing their goods (sure you'll have a screwed reputation, and everyone will try to kill you... but you'll have the right to do it lol), calling for Backup, etc... well : BEING A COP.
That's the point of the Cop, you can play above the law, which makes the game a lil easier (you can walk in the street with a assault rifle and taking a car, you're granted to, when any other player would be chased by police right on), but you have to respect some rules related to your job (gun-cam, reputation, etc...), if you screw, you go on a lower grade, with less possibility of being "above the law", every one love Traffic Control...
That open a cool way of being able to play a cop, having the possibility to play a badass, but instead of solos (who are the "soldier for hire" type), who's able to work and do whatever he wants, but being on the edge of the law, and nomads (somewhat like the cop but in a "mad max without law" kind) who'll be trash talked once they walk in the street, a cop is a mix between, having the advantage of the law behind him, but being "forced" to being a cop, so you'll have to watch your step if you don't want to end up doing the Traffic Control.
Like Solo, they're able to jam out their gun, etc... but they're just "cop" so if your gun is broken, you return to the police station "hey boss, I need a new one".
Nomad : Not effective in Night City, but on the oposite of every other classes, you shoud be the KING when you leave that mega-concrete-dump.
Being somewhat known by other clans, so your travel across the wasteland would be less dangerous for you (I'd figure that a nomad clan would welcome a friendly nomad, but would probably fire on any stranger going in their way). If the game take survival and stuff like this in count, you should have better capacities to hunt food, etc... Being able to call a few friends to help, in fact, it would be a good mix between cop and solo.
Having a lot of freedom, and a good understanding of almost all weapon, but where Solo and Cops rules the City, here, only the Nomades rules of the wasteland (+ if there isn't Panzerboy role, you can add some vehicules bonus to the Nomad), and on the opposite, when you go in town, everyone will ostracize you "Look at those dirty nomads, i can smell their stinks from here".
Plus, at the oposite of the Cop and Solos, Nomads are the ugly childen of the future, they live on their own, so a Nomad, despite being hated by any urban citizen would have, in counterpart, some better skills when it comes to repair, upgrading and even building some vehicules/item/weapon, etc... but at a survival/low level (keeping some kind of "mad max" design to show it's handmade, like Fallout), on the opposite of Cop and Solo, no one likes you in Night City, but the good thing is that you have plenty friends in the wasteland, so you're not totally alone (with backup, etc... like the Cop, but not "law & shits" to bother you)
------------------------------
ENGINEER CLASSES
------------------------------
Netrunner: An usual character, with "mid-tier" skill, Mr Everybody, but he would just be the Solo of the Cyberspace, when with everyone else you should have to ask peoples and risking your life for a few informations, here you just should have to go on the net, you'd be less effective "In Real Life", but Online, you should be able to do almost anything you want, that's quite a good counter part on power balance, there are even Combat's-Netrunners, but since they aren't the badass-type, they would logicaly crouch in a corner, being covered by a bunch of solos, etc... as they crack the datafortress inside the building they breaked in.
Netrunners are the wizards, you don't want to find yourself in the middle of a night-club fight, filled with Dorph's high punk with a 'Runner, but hacking personnal data, selling them, upgrading/building a cyberdeck, helping a thief-gang to penetrate a building, creating programs, etc... would be totaly possible, a Netrunner do his money by selling stuff he hacks on the web, so even if you're out in the street, you'll hardly need a gun beyond a handgun, rifle, etc.. the kind of light weapon for protection.
Netrunner's kingdom is the Software.
Techie:
The Hardware side of the Netrunner, a Techie should be able to build weapons, vehicules, cybernetics, equipement, cyberdeck to a higher level than any other Role, they can hack doors, security, camera, they're kings of sneaking, they can fix the cybernetics, etc...
Sure, that sound "overpowered" but a Techie is much as a Medtechie or a Netrunner, he's not the kind of guy who'll go in a fight, sure he can, but in front of a Solo/Nomad/Cop, his job is being an engineer, he doesn't have the training that those three have, he can make you an arasaka rifle if you give him pieces and a blue print, but he'll never be the best at firing with it. Fixing cars, or updating them or whatever would work like the nomad, but on a way higher level, where Nomads just do it for survival with whatever they find, a Techie will do the best thing with the best materials aviable (depending of the level and aviability of the pieces for, of course), thought, he can't do EVERYTHING, but, if the netrunner is the king of the web and software, Techie is the king of the hardware and equipement, he lives by selling it, so he's the best at those kind of things.
A techie can, for example be a cameraman for a Media character, he can shoot, etc... but not as good as a solo, instead he can upgrade his cybernetics/weapons with deadly stuff who'll balance the power, also he can check the statut of his cybernetic with more precision than other roles.
He's the cop of the engineer's classes, he's not so omnicient as the Netrunner, but his ability to create goods makes him more effective in the real world, he dont need any interface to jam a door, he just need his screwdriver and his brain.
MedTechie:
The kings of flesh and dope, a Techie can help a wounded person, heal himself, creating drugs, implanting cybernetics, have a wide knowledge and good "dialogue options", not as much as media, but he's supposed to be really smart, he can create drugs and selling it, can implant himself some cybernetics (really light chirurgy), that lower the costs of them, sure, "like that" he doesn't seems the most interesting character, but if you can create drugs with an higher level than other classes, that reduce the secondary effects (and makes the costs higher), so a Medtechie can dope himself with not so bad products, boosting his reflexes, or whatever, he can play it on the "biology science" side, sure that sound a lil over the top saying it like this, but instead of shooting, you'll sneak with your tear gas, hypodermic darts, etc... A techie can create you a dartgun, but a MEDTECHIE can definitaly makes you the drug to go with it. He's a basic character, but the fact he can enhance his body by creating drugs in a easier way for different goal can make him an interesting alternative.
Somewhat like the nomad, he doesn't have the "power" advantage of Netrunners and Techie, but his ability to cure himself, boost his skills with dope, being able to drug peoples without killing them, being slightly more "open", than Runner and Techie makes him interesting. They're not some action type of guys, but they fill the blank by being able to do better thing with the same equipment than a cop/solo/nomad, a lil less efficient with it, but updating it to better extend.
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TALKTATIVE / RP CLASSES
--------------------------------------
Media: A Media is the kind of character for the "talkative" persons, you'll not be the best with guns, or equipment, or whatever, but your dialogues options are your favorite field, usualy you'll make interview, shooting events (and selling them), discovering the truth by talking with people (hey, each role his "way" of playing it after all), depending on your reputation and which news network your work for, people will love you or hate you, a Media is the kind of guy who hide behind a thrashcan to film a gunfight, or go doing interview with the Militech C.E.O.
Being a Media grant you to not be perceived as a "punk", it's somewhat between Corporate and Fixer, he's the Solo of the "talkative", squeezed between both, he can be a dirty-punk freelance reporter as much as a great TV Host on Network 54.
He benefit from that position of "no man's land" so he's mostly welcome anywhere, in the combat zone as much as in the corporate area, with up& down depending on who he talks to, but he's not as "strictly" chained to a side of the wall, as a Corpo' or a Fixer.
The action also comes when DMS and N54 ends shooting themself to be the first on a scoop (Journalist's gunfight is something I look forward with Media lol), you also have a limited budget depending for who you work and your position in the media Corporation to get some equipement, a media van, paying your fees, and recruiting solos, netrunner, etc... as bodyguard and media-crew.
He's the solo of the RP classes, he's more "open" to each side, but in the end he's just a reporter, so watch your back choomba', you'll hardly have backup, so your reporter team will have to be thinked with wisely, but you'll have more freedom to move in richest and poorer part of Night City.
Corporate:
He's the king of the high life, like a media, you're the king of the blablabla, selling crap to a blind making him believing it's gold, like media, you've a job, a budget, some missions to do for it, but here, you choosed the "classy" guy, so don't think going in the poor side of Night City without a few solos to cover your ass, when people see you, all they see is a big "$", you have a job, so you have money.
You have access to a lot of better goods, equipment, a nice house, well you're a corporate, but in the street, you'll be the one with the bigger target upon you, your head is expensive.
You'll have better relation with the whole corporate/police world, but otherwise you'll have hard time having decent friends out of your golden world.
He's much like the cop, a lot of goods, but he's limited to his "corporate" world, thought he can do whatever he like, but a corporate will have hard time being friend with a combat zone's fixer, unless he gave him good reasons for it.
Fixer:
The Opposite of the Corporate, here, you'll be the king of the dirt, having better facilities to talk with criminal, doing illegal business, you'll be respected in the poor side of the city, but don't think about walking your ass around Corporate Plaza or you'll have some bad surprises.
Just as much as Corporate, you're somewhat in the organized crime, you'll have to extend your business, being able, as corporate to find some goods on black market in a easier way, but a Fixer is the "head", you'll need to hire some solos to take with you to cover your ass, RP classes can fire as much as anyone, but Action classes are the best at it, it's their live, you, your weapon is your tongue, your brain and your business instinct, like the corporate, you have connections with booster gangs, etc... so you'll be able to find back up and support, somewhat like the Nomad.
An Outcast, but having strong connexion with the block he lives in, some kind of lawless corporate.
Oh and I forgot:
Rockerboy:
They're supposed to be some kind of pop-star/leader, and make people love them.
In Cyberpunk 2020 Johnny Silverhand is a badass Rockerboy, I'd say, let them be "neutral", much like Fallout
The classes that you can choose to up differents skills as you'd like, keeping some "rockerboy" cliché", but this one would be for the people wanting to build their own character, without bothering with classes.
with a lil of every skills (a rocker can be a good shooter as much as having good business instinct), that's the only way of putting Rockerboy in a "I'd want to play it" way, more than playing "Guitar Hero : The Rpg"
They can't be better than an action class at shooting, not better than a techie at engineering, not better than a media to talk to the masses (rocker needs media to be exposed), but they can be good in a lot of different domains, and are supposed to be somewhat goofy, so maybe they could attract people in-game with an animation where they play music or whatever, but I doubt the CP2020 definition about them would fit in a good way in Cyberpunk 2077
... Or just do it like Overlord (the game), attract a bunch of guys, and control the riot. lol
Sorry if it was a block-post, but that's the kind of balance I'd like to see in the game if Roles are involved.
Sure, you're free to do whatever you want, but it needs to have + and - so every role give a new "vision" of Night City, and then, from that vision, it's up to you to live your story.
A cop can be a good one or a bad one, a corporate can try to work for a criminal organisation and a fixer for a corporation, but it has to be somewhat challenging, and having good reason to be so, that would be some "orientation" in the kind of gameplay you'd have by choosing a role or another, and then you'd play the story you want, choosing a Neutral/Corpo/Poor start point, as much as in the Pnp, and that wouldn't require that much more work in the end I think.
We still don"t know if there will be role, or just a character you'll have to build, giving him specifics skills (like in Fallout), but, if CDPR is true to the original Pnp, there are good chances that roles will be there.
Now, how do you think we could balance them so each role would have it's own benefits, and I already see some guys looking at me like "Hey, we don't give a shit about balance, we don't want MP", and that's not what I mean in balance
Every game needs balance, even SP, take a shooter, an RPG, an Fighting Game, if the game want to be competitive and challenging, it have to be well thinked in terms of balance, no "overpowered" role, and no "useless" one.
For example, in a fighting game, people tends to take the more "casual" character, because it's simple, and you just have to mash a button to win, that said, those kind of "casual character" are often broken and not really effective when they confront a good player with a balanced character (for example, everyone hate on Reptile in MK9, prefering to play with Scorpion or Smoke, when in fact, Reptile is maybe one of the most powerfull character in the game, he looks "slow and useless", but once you master him, you just master the whole screen, so your enemy is screwed at the smaller mistakes he makes, it's all about strategy!).
The same in Diablo 3 when a class is more effective in a domain, and another in the oposite domain, so they aren't in competition, but they're worth working together, take a wizard and a Barbarian, and you'll cover way more grounds than just with a Wizard or just a Barbarian, see what I mean?
Or in a FPS/Shooter, when the light weapon fires faster than the powerfull ones (imagine a sniper rifle able to shoot at the speed of a 9mm or a assault rifle firing rockets, it would be totaly broken)
Here what kind of roles do we have?
The Solo
The Cop
The Nomad
Netrunner
Techie/MedTechie
Corporate
Media
Fixer
(Maybe alternatives classes like Street Punk or Panzerboy)
I can see it from here, everyone will play a solo if you keed the basic rules in minde.
Not saying that solo are bad, as a GM i've seen that everyone took them so "no need to think too much, you're just here to shoot at targets", when it's way harder to master a Techie a Media, a "good" Cop character, etc...(as a player as much as a GM)
That's not really like this you'll get the best out of Cyberpunk, IMO.
So, then, how can we make all those classes being interesting and making you want to play each one to taste a different side of Cyberpunk?
I'd say, let each of them having their "Special Ability", but in a "graphic way", something cool, THE POINT of each classes.
That is how I balance my game usualy, keeping in mind that any role can do everything, each one have better points in different aptitudes.
I divise them in 3 great classes, do not take them too litteraly thought, it's more like an overall idea about the vibes of the differents roles.
----------------------------
ACTION CLASSES
---------------------------
Solo : you are a killing machine, maybe a few special skills to be more accurate, compensate recoil, or at least some special "combat related" skills, It's the simplier and dumber role, he follows order, kills people and get on with it.
just add enought "hole" in the armor so they keep being human beings, and so, killeable more than a bunch of terminator.
Give the solo a better handling of the heavy weapons, I already hear "Hey, just this?" Yes, just this, Solo are pointless when you remove fight from the equation.
If you play a solo, you agreed to play an (almost) empty brain with big muscle and a full auto rifle, Solo are the kind of role when you fight problems in front, so IMO they're already overpowered in the pnp, they need to be pushed down a lil, not hating on Solos, but they're the most played role and the most boring too, they need to fix it in Cyberpunk 2077 so they keep being the "action guys" but lowering their balance level so Solo isn't anymore in "God-tier" and everyone else in "Low Tier" (because, that's almost how it is in the Pnp, once you have a few solos, the game become anoying for everyone who isn't a "brutal badass", because you have to choose "should i put action, so solo's are happy? or should i keep it low so my 4 other players'll end the day alive?.", that's the main problem with Solo, about balance "just give them a gun and a shooter gameplay" is all what it takes to make a solo, I'd say make them some kind of "Soldier", like a Cop but without the "job" problem, some skills to repair their weapons if they're broken or jammed, but nothing more, Solo are urbans hitmans or bodyguard, so they have training and equipement to be so, they're not natural born genius in the art of killing.
Cop: everyone get freaky at it, but it's one of the simplier IMO, with each role, you'll have probably police after you at some point... And then, what happend when you're a cop? Logicaly, nothing!
Just look at now when they do a mistake, it's often hard for a cop to be fired, unless he's done something really wrong, so I doubt it'll be different when there'll be more crime than cop, still, they needs to implement a whole "cop" system (not that hard, just some rank like in the "Serve & Protect" book), and a bunch of rules, like:
You've your service's weapon, every bullet you'll shoot will be recorded (with gun cam), and added to your daily report, so if you want to be a crooked cop, or go killing people, just buy a personnal weapon, steal one, or use your hands.
Then, a Cop character would have to enjoy the pleasure of the law enforcement.
Need a car? just stop one: "Police! I need your car for a special investigation, now!" (like in movies you know), show them your badge and go with their car, the same could be applied to a lot of different settings, like a fixer'll probably make good prices for a cop, because it's better to have a cop as a friend than as a foe... I mean if you're the Police, you could be able to arrest people, stealing their goods (sure you'll have a screwed reputation, and everyone will try to kill you... but you'll have the right to do it lol), calling for Backup, etc... well : BEING A COP.
That's the point of the Cop, you can play above the law, which makes the game a lil easier (you can walk in the street with a assault rifle and taking a car, you're granted to, when any other player would be chased by police right on), but you have to respect some rules related to your job (gun-cam, reputation, etc...), if you screw, you go on a lower grade, with less possibility of being "above the law", every one love Traffic Control...
That open a cool way of being able to play a cop, having the possibility to play a badass, but instead of solos (who are the "soldier for hire" type), who's able to work and do whatever he wants, but being on the edge of the law, and nomads (somewhat like the cop but in a "mad max without law" kind) who'll be trash talked once they walk in the street, a cop is a mix between, having the advantage of the law behind him, but being "forced" to being a cop, so you'll have to watch your step if you don't want to end up doing the Traffic Control.
Like Solo, they're able to jam out their gun, etc... but they're just "cop" so if your gun is broken, you return to the police station "hey boss, I need a new one".
Nomad : Not effective in Night City, but on the oposite of every other classes, you shoud be the KING when you leave that mega-concrete-dump.
Being somewhat known by other clans, so your travel across the wasteland would be less dangerous for you (I'd figure that a nomad clan would welcome a friendly nomad, but would probably fire on any stranger going in their way). If the game take survival and stuff like this in count, you should have better capacities to hunt food, etc... Being able to call a few friends to help, in fact, it would be a good mix between cop and solo.
Having a lot of freedom, and a good understanding of almost all weapon, but where Solo and Cops rules the City, here, only the Nomades rules of the wasteland (+ if there isn't Panzerboy role, you can add some vehicules bonus to the Nomad), and on the opposite, when you go in town, everyone will ostracize you "Look at those dirty nomads, i can smell their stinks from here".
Plus, at the oposite of the Cop and Solos, Nomads are the ugly childen of the future, they live on their own, so a Nomad, despite being hated by any urban citizen would have, in counterpart, some better skills when it comes to repair, upgrading and even building some vehicules/item/weapon, etc... but at a survival/low level (keeping some kind of "mad max" design to show it's handmade, like Fallout), on the opposite of Cop and Solo, no one likes you in Night City, but the good thing is that you have plenty friends in the wasteland, so you're not totally alone (with backup, etc... like the Cop, but not "law & shits" to bother you)
------------------------------
ENGINEER CLASSES
------------------------------
Netrunner: An usual character, with "mid-tier" skill, Mr Everybody, but he would just be the Solo of the Cyberspace, when with everyone else you should have to ask peoples and risking your life for a few informations, here you just should have to go on the net, you'd be less effective "In Real Life", but Online, you should be able to do almost anything you want, that's quite a good counter part on power balance, there are even Combat's-Netrunners, but since they aren't the badass-type, they would logicaly crouch in a corner, being covered by a bunch of solos, etc... as they crack the datafortress inside the building they breaked in.
Netrunners are the wizards, you don't want to find yourself in the middle of a night-club fight, filled with Dorph's high punk with a 'Runner, but hacking personnal data, selling them, upgrading/building a cyberdeck, helping a thief-gang to penetrate a building, creating programs, etc... would be totaly possible, a Netrunner do his money by selling stuff he hacks on the web, so even if you're out in the street, you'll hardly need a gun beyond a handgun, rifle, etc.. the kind of light weapon for protection.
Netrunner's kingdom is the Software.
Techie:
The Hardware side of the Netrunner, a Techie should be able to build weapons, vehicules, cybernetics, equipement, cyberdeck to a higher level than any other Role, they can hack doors, security, camera, they're kings of sneaking, they can fix the cybernetics, etc...
Sure, that sound "overpowered" but a Techie is much as a Medtechie or a Netrunner, he's not the kind of guy who'll go in a fight, sure he can, but in front of a Solo/Nomad/Cop, his job is being an engineer, he doesn't have the training that those three have, he can make you an arasaka rifle if you give him pieces and a blue print, but he'll never be the best at firing with it. Fixing cars, or updating them or whatever would work like the nomad, but on a way higher level, where Nomads just do it for survival with whatever they find, a Techie will do the best thing with the best materials aviable (depending of the level and aviability of the pieces for, of course), thought, he can't do EVERYTHING, but, if the netrunner is the king of the web and software, Techie is the king of the hardware and equipement, he lives by selling it, so he's the best at those kind of things.
A techie can, for example be a cameraman for a Media character, he can shoot, etc... but not as good as a solo, instead he can upgrade his cybernetics/weapons with deadly stuff who'll balance the power, also he can check the statut of his cybernetic with more precision than other roles.
He's the cop of the engineer's classes, he's not so omnicient as the Netrunner, but his ability to create goods makes him more effective in the real world, he dont need any interface to jam a door, he just need his screwdriver and his brain.
MedTechie:
The kings of flesh and dope, a Techie can help a wounded person, heal himself, creating drugs, implanting cybernetics, have a wide knowledge and good "dialogue options", not as much as media, but he's supposed to be really smart, he can create drugs and selling it, can implant himself some cybernetics (really light chirurgy), that lower the costs of them, sure, "like that" he doesn't seems the most interesting character, but if you can create drugs with an higher level than other classes, that reduce the secondary effects (and makes the costs higher), so a Medtechie can dope himself with not so bad products, boosting his reflexes, or whatever, he can play it on the "biology science" side, sure that sound a lil over the top saying it like this, but instead of shooting, you'll sneak with your tear gas, hypodermic darts, etc... A techie can create you a dartgun, but a MEDTECHIE can definitaly makes you the drug to go with it. He's a basic character, but the fact he can enhance his body by creating drugs in a easier way for different goal can make him an interesting alternative.
Somewhat like the nomad, he doesn't have the "power" advantage of Netrunners and Techie, but his ability to cure himself, boost his skills with dope, being able to drug peoples without killing them, being slightly more "open", than Runner and Techie makes him interesting. They're not some action type of guys, but they fill the blank by being able to do better thing with the same equipment than a cop/solo/nomad, a lil less efficient with it, but updating it to better extend.
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TALKTATIVE / RP CLASSES
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Media: A Media is the kind of character for the "talkative" persons, you'll not be the best with guns, or equipment, or whatever, but your dialogues options are your favorite field, usualy you'll make interview, shooting events (and selling them), discovering the truth by talking with people (hey, each role his "way" of playing it after all), depending on your reputation and which news network your work for, people will love you or hate you, a Media is the kind of guy who hide behind a thrashcan to film a gunfight, or go doing interview with the Militech C.E.O.
Being a Media grant you to not be perceived as a "punk", it's somewhat between Corporate and Fixer, he's the Solo of the "talkative", squeezed between both, he can be a dirty-punk freelance reporter as much as a great TV Host on Network 54.
He benefit from that position of "no man's land" so he's mostly welcome anywhere, in the combat zone as much as in the corporate area, with up& down depending on who he talks to, but he's not as "strictly" chained to a side of the wall, as a Corpo' or a Fixer.
The action also comes when DMS and N54 ends shooting themself to be the first on a scoop (Journalist's gunfight is something I look forward with Media lol), you also have a limited budget depending for who you work and your position in the media Corporation to get some equipement, a media van, paying your fees, and recruiting solos, netrunner, etc... as bodyguard and media-crew.
He's the solo of the RP classes, he's more "open" to each side, but in the end he's just a reporter, so watch your back choomba', you'll hardly have backup, so your reporter team will have to be thinked with wisely, but you'll have more freedom to move in richest and poorer part of Night City.
Corporate:
He's the king of the high life, like a media, you're the king of the blablabla, selling crap to a blind making him believing it's gold, like media, you've a job, a budget, some missions to do for it, but here, you choosed the "classy" guy, so don't think going in the poor side of Night City without a few solos to cover your ass, when people see you, all they see is a big "$", you have a job, so you have money.
You have access to a lot of better goods, equipment, a nice house, well you're a corporate, but in the street, you'll be the one with the bigger target upon you, your head is expensive.
You'll have better relation with the whole corporate/police world, but otherwise you'll have hard time having decent friends out of your golden world.
He's much like the cop, a lot of goods, but he's limited to his "corporate" world, thought he can do whatever he like, but a corporate will have hard time being friend with a combat zone's fixer, unless he gave him good reasons for it.
Fixer:
The Opposite of the Corporate, here, you'll be the king of the dirt, having better facilities to talk with criminal, doing illegal business, you'll be respected in the poor side of the city, but don't think about walking your ass around Corporate Plaza or you'll have some bad surprises.
Just as much as Corporate, you're somewhat in the organized crime, you'll have to extend your business, being able, as corporate to find some goods on black market in a easier way, but a Fixer is the "head", you'll need to hire some solos to take with you to cover your ass, RP classes can fire as much as anyone, but Action classes are the best at it, it's their live, you, your weapon is your tongue, your brain and your business instinct, like the corporate, you have connections with booster gangs, etc... so you'll be able to find back up and support, somewhat like the Nomad.
An Outcast, but having strong connexion with the block he lives in, some kind of lawless corporate.
Oh and I forgot:
Rockerboy:
They're supposed to be some kind of pop-star/leader, and make people love them.
In Cyberpunk 2020 Johnny Silverhand is a badass Rockerboy, I'd say, let them be "neutral", much like Fallout
The classes that you can choose to up differents skills as you'd like, keeping some "rockerboy" cliché", but this one would be for the people wanting to build their own character, without bothering with classes.
with a lil of every skills (a rocker can be a good shooter as much as having good business instinct), that's the only way of putting Rockerboy in a "I'd want to play it" way, more than playing "Guitar Hero : The Rpg"
They can't be better than an action class at shooting, not better than a techie at engineering, not better than a media to talk to the masses (rocker needs media to be exposed), but they can be good in a lot of different domains, and are supposed to be somewhat goofy, so maybe they could attract people in-game with an animation where they play music or whatever, but I doubt the CP2020 definition about them would fit in a good way in Cyberpunk 2077
... Or just do it like Overlord (the game), attract a bunch of guys, and control the riot. lol
Sorry if it was a block-post, but that's the kind of balance I'd like to see in the game if Roles are involved.
Sure, you're free to do whatever you want, but it needs to have + and - so every role give a new "vision" of Night City, and then, from that vision, it's up to you to live your story.
A cop can be a good one or a bad one, a corporate can try to work for a criminal organisation and a fixer for a corporation, but it has to be somewhat challenging, and having good reason to be so, that would be some "orientation" in the kind of gameplay you'd have by choosing a role or another, and then you'd play the story you want, choosing a Neutral/Corpo/Poor start point, as much as in the Pnp, and that wouldn't require that much more work in the end I think.
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