The Cyberpunk RED Thread! The Darker Future Is Nigh.

[Sardukhar]

Cyberpunk RED. The Tabletop Role-Playing Game. From these guys:

RED is the follow-up to this roleplaying game of which I am mildly fond:

Which leads us to the upcoming:

All caught up? Great.


Release Date for RED is August 1, 2019.


This thread is for discussion of all things RED, at least until RED comes out and I need more threads.

This is super relevant to 2077 because 2020 leads to RED which leads to 2077. Same timeline. So, let's dig in!

 

[Sardukhar]

What Do We Know?

More every day! Release Date is -targetted- at August 1, 2019.

First, it's still very under development. I.e. all this is Subject To Change.

Most of what I have below is from this podcast.

1. When does it take place? Mid 21st Century. After 2020 and before 2077.

2. Will there be a 2077 Sourcebook? Full of delicious details and ridiculously in-depth examination of the 2077 world? Good question! Ask R.Talsorian. A lot!

3. Is 2077 a factor in the development of RED? Yes! From the below R.Tal podcast.

4. Are the stats different from 2020? Yes! Some relatively mild changes. REF chopped into Reflexes and Dex. Attr removed. May be some others.

5. Are the Roles going to be changed? Yes! Some of them.

- Rules for Changing Roles are coming! Very excite!

-Cop becomes Lawman. Special Ability can be either Authority or Back-up.

-Corporate becomes Executive. Special Ability is Team.

-Nomad gets Vehicle Zen (from Hardwired!) making them badass with vehicles.

6. How is Netrunning different from 2020? Well, after the Fourth Corporate War, nets are now much less connected. You want to invade a server (DataFortress), you better be on site. World's Best Hacker/Rachesicle Rache Bartmoss infects the whole Net, because he's a genius. The Rabid Viruses that Rache unleashes try to kill everything on site - and his infection of the IG Transformations means no one really trusts the previously-open(ish) Net. In short, your Netrunner has to be fairly close to the target site to do the job.

7. Will there be skill trees? Perks? Update: Yes! Optional but included!

8. There will be conversion rules for 2020 to RED.

9. Will it be cool? YES. Yes it will.

RED Dev Logs: https://rtalsoriangames.com/developers-logs/

 

[Sardukhar]

The Listen Up Video I reference above about RED is here:

There are a few of these now and they are charming and informative.

Also, you get to hear Mike's voice, which makes some people happy to a slightly disturbing degree...

 

[Sardukhar]

So, for those people who haven't checked the Internet for what Cyberpunk 2020 is or how it works, here's a super-quick primary.

You have 9 Stats that define you. You have a Lifepath that is your growing-up history. You have a lot of Skills that, when added to your governing Stats, tell you how good you are at something.

Scale of stats and skills is 1 to 10. The vast bulk of non-modified human beings fall between 5 and 6 in their stats.

INTelligence, REFlexes, TECH, COOL, ATTRactiveness, LUCK, Movement Allowance, BODY, EMPathy.

Skills are pretty much anything you can imagine a person having for a skill. Skill 1 is starter, Skill 5 is Competent, above 5 is varying degrees from Expert to Master.

ROLES are your character "class" - Netrunner, Techie, Fixer, Solo, Nomad, Medtechie, Corporate (Executive), Cop (Lawman), Rockerboy, Media.

"Class" is in quotes because other than one special skill and a starting skill package, any Role can learn any skill, given time, a teacher, etc.

 

[Snowflakez]

Awesome! I like the changes to netrunning in particular. Adds a bit more spice and risk (not that there isn't already risk with netrunning) to the playstyle.

What are your overall thoughts so far, Sard? What are some things you want to see or don't want to see changed?

 

[Sardukhar]

Awesome! I like the changes to netrunning in particular. Adds a bit more spice and risk (not that there isn't already risk with netrunning) to the playstyle.

What are your overall thoughts so far, Sard? What are some things you want to see or don't want to see changed?

I have both a huge list and a tiny list. Huge for things that could use a change, tiny for things that need a change. Stat change was a good idea, although in my games ATTR is -very- useful. HtH needs some work, drugs, same thing. Netrunning should be slicker.

Really interested in the setting changes. System - I can modify or swap systems, system is not that important on my Ref scale of interest. As long as it has a solid base of course. Now, setting and characters..those are definitive to a game line.

 

[kofeiiniturpa]

Cautiously optimistic that this thing gets wide release and translations.

Translating to the players who're not fluent English speakers and GM'ing at the same time is pretty damn cumbersome, and there hasn't been Finnish editions of 2020 to be found in years (not even second hand, everyone's apparently holding on to their own).

 

[Suhiira]

I love the change from reflexes to reflexes+dexterity.
Dumping attractiveness as a base stat makes sense, given cosmetic surgery.
As a former IRL cop I also love the change to Lawman.
While I was never a corporate exec (didn't need the headaches) I worked with enough of them the "team" concept makes perfect sense. Heck as a programmer/analyst I was a member of several such teams! And team member having skills other then their day job makes perfect sense to me, I'd spent 20 years in the USMC prior to getting a degree in CompSci.
As a programmer/analyst the change from an all pervasive world-wide net to isolated systems is LONG overdue.

P.S.
Mike also sort let slip the Nomad class from 2020 is going to be significant (in some currently unknown way) in CP2077.

 

[Snowflakez]

I love the change from reflexes to reflexes+dexterity.
Dumping attractiveness as a base stat makes sense, given cosmetic surgery.
As a former IRL cop I also love the change to Lawman.
While I was never a corporate exec (didn't need the headaches) I worked with enough of them the "team" concept makes perfect sense. Heck as a programmer/analyst I was a member of several such teams! And team member having skills other then their day job makes perfect sense to me, I'd spent 20 years in the USMC prior to getting a degree in CompSci.
As a programmer/analyst the change from an all pervasive world-wide net to isolated systems is LONG overdue.

P.S.
Mike also sort let slip the Nomad class from 2020 is going to be significant (in some currently unknown way) in CP2077.

What'd he hint at, specifically?

 

[CyberBobber]

ROLES are your character "class" - Netrunner, Techie, Fixer, Solo, Nomad, Medtechie, Corporate (Executive), Cop (Lawman), Rockerboy, Media.

Media and Rockeyboy sounds definitely interesting, I think they shouldnt miss the opportunity to build hype with them. The rest of the roles are more or less seen in the game industry before, but not those two.

 

[Suhiira]

What'd he hint at, specifically?

10:18-10:46 in the video in post #3.

Nothing at all substantial, but a hint that "courier" missions might exist in CP2077.
Guess there's a reason they're letting us drive, and shoot from our vehicles ... eh?

 

[evotaph]

Very interested in this thread. Thanks @Sardukhar . Interested to see how/if Medias are represented. A seriously underutilized role that could lead to some great stories.

 

[CyberBobber]

Very interested in this thread. Thanks @Sardukhar . Interested to see how/if Medias are represented. A seriously underutilized role that could lead to some great stories.

Agreed, its probably too late for first game as the story/plot has been written and probably at least half done, but media is something I would put note to use later.

Its cool IP, even Corporate sounds interesting.

 

[Sardukhar]

HUGE NEWS.

RED targetted Release Date is AUGUST FIRST, 2019.

We shall have it in our click chromed fingers before summer is out!

Caveat: if R.Talsorian needs to delay it, they will do so. Of course. Of course! Still!

One Hundred Thirty Seven Days! That's not long at all! I can nearly hold my breath for that long!

 

[Sardukhar]

And a Dev Log with some delicious system updates!

https://rtalsoriangames.com/2019/03/15/the-maximum-mike-minute-3-15-19/

Oooh! Rules for Changing Roles are coming!

 

[Sardukhar]

And some setting goodness:

"Global shipping was not just disrupted by the Fourth Corporate War; it was nearly destroyed. "

"Think of the world of Cyberpunk Red as less of a Mad Max style hellscape and more along the lines of Europe after World War II or the USSR during the era of stagnation. Because new goods aren’t reaching markets due to shipping issues, many cities live in a scarcity economy. In Mike’s words, “People still have cellphones, but they’re whatever model they can get, not whatever model they want. Resourceful individuals will occasionally find a shipping container full of cellphones and then suddenly a new model will flood the market.” Smaller shipments of new goods are making their way from one market to another but they’re expensive as hell and, thus, luxury goods for the wealthy. "

https://rtalsoriangames.com/2019/03/01/the-maximum-mike-minute-3-1-2019/

 

[Sild]

Hmm, is Cyberpunk RED the version RTalsorian said they wanted to release alongside Cp2077?

I recall some old interviews mentioning they were working on something to release with the video game. Can't find them now.

 

[Sardukhar]

Hmm, is Cyberpunk RED the version RTalsorian said they wanted to release alongside Cp2077?

I recall some old interviews mentioning they were working on something to release with the video game. Can't find them now.

Nope. It's the transition between them.

1. When does it take place? Mid 21st Century. After 2020 and before 2077.

 

[evotaph]

And a Dev Log with some delicious system updates!

https://rtalsoriangames.com/2019/03/15/the-maximum-mike-minute-3-15-19/

Oooh! Rules for Changing Roles are coming!

Excellent. That bit about Medias is exciting.

 

[Suhiira]

Excellent. That bit about Medias is exciting.

I recall once reading that sometime in the 70's Walter Cronkite ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Cronkite ) got a bunch of "modern" reporters together and using the notes and reports he got when he was covering D-Day he gave them the same briefing he got before the invasion and the same info he got at the same time of day he got it and had them write dispatches and a final article in the invasion.

Every single one of them blasted the Allies for various events that took place during the invasion. It seemed none of them could grasp that battlefield intelligence is never 100% accurate and that the enemy will always do something you don't expect.