[26-Jan-22 08:41 AM] GIE#1052
Hello! My name is Gwilym, and I am the author of Cyberpunk Nor, and original cyberpunk TTRPG. I’ve been playing TTRPGs since 2006 and for the past 11 years I’ve been developing Cyberpunk Noir over numerous test campaigns and countless hours. Cyberpunk Noir is a rules-light RPG that casts players as private investigators in a unique cyberpunk world where megacorporations rule with an iron fist and crime dominates the streets. The game heavily emphasizes subculture and the ways that people carve out a sense of identity and individuality in a hyper capitalist post apocalyptic society. Players will navigate the streets of one of terra Firma’s megacities doing jobs for corps, gangs, and individuals just looking for justice, building their reputations to become the best.
[26-Jan-22 08:41 AM] GIE#1052
Done
[26-Jan-22 08:43 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
Thanks, @GIE! The floor is open to questions!
[26-Jan-22 08:43 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
In what year does the game take place?
[26-Jan-22 08:45 AM] GIE#1052
The year is 2150. 150 years after The Collapse, the biggest cyberattack in the history of Terra Firma, that collapsed the world economy and ruined national governments. From the ashes of the apocalypse rose the enclave system. The 11 most powerful megacorporations in the world walled off the largest cities in the world and divided them into enclaves, each controlled absolutely by one of the corporations. Players live and work in one of these enclaves.
[26-Jan-22 08:46 AM] Samuel_Sturm#3180
GIE, when you say “rules-light”… How many pages are the core rules? The things you need to know before sitting down at the table.
[26-Jan-22 08:49 AM] GIE#1052
The core rulebook is 142 pages, that’s worldbuilding and mechanics, both of which are very important to play, it is very much about roleplay over combat. The core mechanic is you have skills, or shticks as I call them because they work quite differently, at three levels, hobbies, professions, and specialties, you roll a d8 for hobbies, a d10 for professions, and a d12 for specialties, the higher you roll the better things go for you. There are specific rules for hacking, rigging, psychics, etc. but that simple mechanic is the crux of the whole game,
[26-Jan-22 08:50 AM] 🌸 Circleis 🌸#2117
@GIE Might be a silly question to ask but is there an age restriction for this TTRPG? Is this family-friendly or adults only?
[26-Jan-22 08:50 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
Psychic powers exist in this game? How powerful are they, and how common?
[26-Jan-22 08:51 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
(Welcome to Randomworlds, @🌸 Circleis 🌸!)
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[26-Jan-22 08:51 AM] GIE#1052
It deals with adult themes, oppression, violence, sex, you can of course run whatever kind of game you want, but I’d say the genre struggles to be lighter than PG13.
[26-Jan-22 08:51 AM] Steve S – Me and Steve Talk RPGs#0803
Cyberpunk happens to be one of my favorite ttRPG genres. I already own a number of variations on the theme. What sets yours apart?
[26-Jan-22 08:53 AM] GIE#1052
About 1% of the population have benign brain tumours rich in a fictional element called halo, that resonates with brainwaves and translates them into vibrations in the fabric of space-time. This gives psychics the power to manipulate gravity wells, read minds, and even see through time. They are greatly feared by the general populace and valued as spies and agents by the magacorps.
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[26-Jan-22 08:56 AM] 🌸 Circleis 🌸#2117
How much would it cost to buy the rulebook once the campaign ends? Is there a difference in price for digital and physical copy?
[26-Jan-22 08:58 AM] GIE#1052
The setting is I think an original entry into the genre, Terra Firma is a unique world with it’s own culture, very much inspired by but still apart from real world culture. The walling off of the magacities has forces them o grow upwards, the skylines are full of skyscrapers, often 100 or more stories tall. The corporate elite live and work at the top, commuting by hover car and sky bridge and never seeing street level, whereas mercenaries, criminals, and ordinary people try to eke out a living on the dangerous streets. This gives the game in interesting caste system. The biggest selling point however is the emphasis on subculture, I am a card carrying Goth and punk and Cyberpunk Noir is very much the story of the freaks and misfits trying to make it on the streets and how people band together in the face of corporate oppression. In that way it’s a very gritty, and very stylish, but oddly optimistic take on the genre. As an example, there are 9 pages in the rulebook dedicated just to in-universe bands for players to flesh out their character’s tastes.
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[26-Jan-22 08:59 AM] GIE#1052
I’m planning on selling the PDF on DriveThruRPG for £10, that’s $13.50, I’m not sure yet how much print copies will cost, but they will be available and should be under $20.
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[26-Jan-22 09:01 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
If the megacorps are ruling city-states, how do they make their money?
[26-Jan-22 09:02 AM] 🌸 Circleis 🌸#2117
Sounds quite affordable! It sounds like even college students would be able to indulge. Do you have a target audience in mind for this TTRPG?
[26-Jan-22 09:03 AM] GIE#1052
The megacorps each have a monopoly or near monopoly over a certain industry, vehicles, weapons, cybernetics, power, and sell their products to the other megacorps while managing their own self economies, it’s a constant battle to keep the money flowing in while maximizing their own resources.
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[26-Jan-22 09:03 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
What is the world like between the cities?
[26-Jan-22 09:03 AM] GIE#1052
Anyone who loves cyberpunk! As a rules-light RPG I think it’s an excellent system for newbies who want to try roleplay without having to balance a ton of numbers.
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[26-Jan-22 09:04 AM] 🌸 Circleis 🌸#2117
One more question, do we need a specific platform to play it? E.g roll20?
[26-Jan-22 09:06 AM] GIE#1052
Centuries of ecological devastation has left the space between megacities a wasteland ravaged by natural disaster, from the hurricane battered coasts of Wattawa, to the deserts of Hanhanhah, to the frozen tundra of Northern Krupstan, the emphasis is very much on city life, but some hardy nomads do live in the wastes, the only ones who can truly claim to be free from corporate oppression, and you’ll deal with them in your adventures as they’re just about the only ones who can move between megacities.
[26-Jan-22 09:06 AM] GIE#1052
I highly recommend roll20, it’s what I use, but the game can be played with nothing but a full set of polyhedral dice a a group of friends!
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[26-Jan-22 09:07 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
Let’s talk cyber. How common are cybernetics? Is it expected that PCs will be “cybered-up”, or is that the purview of the rich?
[26-Jan-22 09:09 AM] GIE#1052
Cybernetics are extremely common, people who choose not to install chrome, “immaculates” as they are known, are very much a minority and often viewed with suspicion. Many jobs require certain cyberware and high tech implants are the main means of character progression. The rulebook features 56 unique cybernetics each of which grants special powers. Cyberware comes at all price ranges, from affordable steel cyberlimbs, to experimental nanotechnology.
[26-Jan-22 09:10 AM] Randak#0007
How does player combat work? (and a link to the Kickstarter would be nice)
[26-Jan-22 09:11 AM] GIE#1052
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1177120472/cyberpunk-noir?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=Cyberpunk
[26-Jan-22 09:11 AM] Samuel_Sturm#3180
Two questions:
- What media inspired you while writing this game? Transmetropolitan comes to mind somewhat, for example. Or perhaps a musical album?
- How many players have you found to work well? Can a single player expect to succeed at the game’s challenges, or do we need a crew of six?
[26-Jan-22 09:12 AM] 🌸 Circleis 🌸#2117
I’m curious, do you have a character sheet for this? If not, why? If yes, is the character sheet entirely made by you or is it pulled from other sources like the DnD character sheet?
[26-Jan-22 09:14 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
(Question pause after @🌸 Circleis 🌸’s question, please. 🙂 )
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[26-Jan-22 09:17 AM] GIE#1052
At the start of a round of combat, each character involves declares their actions/designates targets, you can do as much as you want (within reason) on a single turn, but the more you try to do the later in the initiative your actions will resolve. The GM then decides the initiative, comparing actions, relative speeds of characters, etc. and dice are rolled in that order. As a general rule of thumb, a 4 is a bare minimum success, you achieve what you were trying to do, but it’s a struggle with probable unforeseen side-effects. That’ll hit a stationary target in a non vital area. Moving targets and targets with cover will require higher rolls and the better you roll the more vital an area you hit on your target, finding chinks in armour etc. To determine wounds you compare the weapon used to any armour the target is protected by and the GM tells them how they are hurt. You don’t have hitpoints, but receive actual wounds that you have to roleplay. If you’re shot in the shoulder, you have a bullet hole in your shoulder, you are in a lot of pain and you can’t really use that arm anymore. Cumulative pain and injuries will cause the GM to judge your rolls more harshly as well, awarding less for high rolls and requiring higher rolls for simple tasks as your character has to push through the pain. Action movie logic is very much in effect, and an in-universe drug stops you from bleeding out, but each injury is unique and will be to your detriment. As a result combat tends to be short and bloody, with shots ricocheting off cover and armour until someone lands a kill shot.
[26-Jan-22 09:18 AM] GIE#1052
I do! I also have some example characters, the character sheet is very simple, just a series of headings, and I shall post it, right now!
[26-Jan-22 09:18 AM] GIE#1052
{Attachments}
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/780948065367490590/935916644776169542/Char_Sheet.pdf
[26-Jan-22 09:20 AM] GIE#1052
My own experience with my subculture was a huge inspiration, as was the work of William Gibson. I was also inspired by Cyberpunk 2020 and Shadowrun. The game works great with groups ranging from 2 to 6, I’ve even run a solo adventure for @🌸 Circleis 🌸 , threats are highly tunable and you can craft an adventure for any character.
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[26-Jan-22 09:22 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
(Questions may resume!)
[26-Jan-22 09:23 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
What made you decide to go with private investigators as the default character type rather than the usual freelance mercs?
[26-Jan-22 09:25 AM] GIE#1052
It was a combination of wanting to put the film noir influence back into cyberpunk (hence the name Cyberpunk Noir) and again presenting a slightly more hopeful take on the genre. The megacorps don’t give a toss what happens on street level as long as employees go to work and don’t riot, so crime runs rampant at street level. I wanted to put players in a position where they’re helping people and making a difference, however small, for the common folk. It’s a dark world, but it’s still nice to play the hero.
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[26-Jan-22 09:26 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
That is a refreshing change of pace, IMHO.
[26-Jan-22 09:26 AM] Randak#0007
Film noir sounds great! Are there mechanics that encourage that feel, or how you’ve built and present the lore?
[26-Jan-22 09:28 AM] 🌸 Circleis 🌸#2117
We love doom and gloom – with a twist of rainbows and sunshine!
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[26-Jan-22 09:28 AM] GIE#1052
The game lends itself to investigation and mystery very well, and a lot of the tropes the game is built for are from that genre, private eyes, femme fatales, barroom brawlers. A lot of the shticks and equipment at your disposal are geared towards having a dramatic emotional journey unraveling a conspiracy, not just a series of firefights.
[26-Jan-22 09:29 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
Can you give an example of such equipment?
[26-Jan-22 09:29 AM] Randak#0007
I’m getting a Blade Runner feel (my favorite movie)…
[26-Jan-22 09:30 AM] GIE#1052
Definitely another inspiration! As was the Philip K Dick Novel.
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[26-Jan-22 09:31 AM] GIE#1052
Everyone on Terra Firma has a personal HUD, and you’ll collect lots of specialized software for yours, including microscopic software for investigation and forensics, photo/video/audio recording software for surveillance, and EMF scanning software for identifying technology and finding hidden tech.
[26-Jan-22 09:34 AM] 🌸 Circleis 🌸#2117
Another possible silly question, are there any premade(if that’s the right term) campaigns that are ready to be played, or do the players need to come up with their own custom campaign to play?
[26-Jan-22 09:35 AM] GIE#1052
None at present, although the book does come with information on the city of New Mason City to give GMs a starting point for their first campaign with exciting locales and NPCs to build a story around.
[26-Jan-22 09:36 AM] 🌸 Circleis 🌸#2117
I see your choice of words, will there be premade campaigns in the future?
[26-Jan-22 09:37 AM] GIE#1052
If this project is a success, I’m certainly not going to stop developing for it, so very likely!
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[26-Jan-22 09:37 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
(brb — please continue!)
[26-Jan-22 09:39 AM] 🌸 Circleis 🌸#2117
Your campaign seems very flexible and interesting which poses an interesting question; does it have any general no-nos roleplay wise?
[26-Jan-22 09:40 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
(back)
[26-Jan-22 09:41 AM] Samuel_Sturm#3180
How does character progression work? Are there levels, experience points to buy skills, something else?
[26-Jan-22 09:41 AM] GIE#1052
Not especially! It just depends on your group and what you’re comfortable with, the baseline experience is very much for street level PIs, but you can run games based around corps dealing with boardroom politics, I even played in a campaign that took place mostly in the wasteland! The only real limitation is that it is quite terrestrial, no spacefaring here.
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[26-Jan-22 09:42 AM] GIE#1052
Cyberpunk is a genre where your gear makes all the difference, so all character progression is material. You can learn new shticks by finding trainers in-game, but the main means of character progression will be getting new and better cybernetics, new and better equipment, and building your reputation.
[26-Jan-22 09:43 AM] 🌸 Circleis 🌸#2117
(All these questions are making me hyped, brb, will be checking if Kickstarter finally works for me!)
[26-Jan-22 09:44 AM] GIE#1052
Another note on the flexibility of the system, I am currently running a game where the players are a punk band, and rules for playing and recording music is a likely topic for a first expansion, though I’m kind of getting ahead of myself. 😅
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[26-Jan-22 09:44 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
I note that your characters don’t have attributes. That being the case, how do you simulate cyber designed to enhance natural abilities like strength?
[26-Jan-22 09:47 AM] GIE#1052
Cyberware grants superhuman powers, so any boosts to strength, hearing, sight, etc. are automatically above human norm. Your baseline abilities are represented by ranking keywords that describe how strong your character is, how fast they are, how good looking, and your keywords can influence rolls that you don’t have a relevant shtick in. Normally you’d roll a d6 for an untrained shtick, but the GM can award a d8 if you have a high ranking relevant keyword, or make you roll a d4 if you have a relevant keyword ranked especially low.
[26-Jan-22 09:47 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
Ah, I see.
[26-Jan-22 09:48 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
You mentioned Blade Runner as an inspiration. Are there AIs of any sort running around?
[26-Jan-22 09:49 AM] GIE#1052
There are! No replicants or androids, but the megacorps construct superintelligent AIs to run major aspects of their business, and you can run into such powerful constructs on the net if you’re not careful. If one were to become unchained… 👀
[26-Jan-22 09:50 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
Speaking of the net, is it a virtual cyberspace?
[26-Jan-22 09:52 AM] GIE#1052
Cyberspave and the Net are actually slightly different things. Cyberspace is an AR interface that hackers use to upload viruses to technology wirelessly by sight, so a hacker goes out into the field and uses their Cyberspace HUD software and cyberdeck to upload viruses to loop cameras, open doors, hack cybernetics, etc. The net is the internet, every computer in the enclave connected, and anyone can browse it. Hackers can use their cyberdecks to explore the net in full VR and upload viruses remotely to any computer connected to the net from the safety of their hideout.
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[26-Jan-22 09:53 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
Do you address the problem of hacking being a “sub-game” that leaves the non-hackers twiddling their thumbs?
[26-Jan-22 09:55 AM] GIE#1052
Hacking blends seamlessly with normal gameplay, hackers use their viruses like spells to affect the battlefield to aid their crew. Netruning can be a bit more of a subgame, but dedicated netruning segments are designed to be exiting to watch, and nice and short so non-hackers aren’t left twiddling their thumbs while their hacker steals that vital piece of info for the job to continue.
[26-Jan-22 09:56 AM] GIE#1052
If anyone has played Cyberpunk Red or Cyberpunk 2077, the implementation of quick hacks is very similar.
[26-Jan-22 09:58 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
Cool.
[26-Jan-22 09:58 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
Does any action take place in space?
[26-Jan-22 09:59 AM] GIE#1052
No, the game is entirely terrestrial, for me cyberpunk is at it’s best when it’s clearly delineated from hard sci fi, high tech low life is the credo and I feel like you get more of that on the seedy streets of a megacity than a spaceship.
[26-Jan-22 10:00 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
(Whoops, need to step away for a few minutes. brb!)
[26-Jan-22 10:00 AM] GIE#1052
Cyberpunk Noirs head of author motivation has come to say hi!
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[26-Jan-22 10:00 AM] GIE#1052
{Attachments}
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/780948065367490590/935927161896988722/IMG_20220126_155941509.jpg
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[26-Jan-22 10:02 AM] Samuel_Sturm#3180
How tightly is the ruleset tied to the setting? If I wanted to run, say, a Judge Dredd game, would that be a lot of work to convert?
[26-Jan-22 10:03 AM] GIE#1052
The game is largely dictated by the world it takes place in, a lot of rules are guided by in-universe equipment, weapons, drugs, materials. But the core mechanic is simple and robust and you could transplant it to any setting you wished.
[26-Jan-22 10:05 AM] Samuel_Sturm#3180
Was there a rule that you just couldn’t get to work the way you wanted it to? Something that ended up on the editing room floor?
[26-Jan-22 10:06 AM] GIE#1052
I had at one point planned for an actual mechanic to track the player’s reputations, but eventually decided I preferred that as a story element, growing naturally as the game progresses and the story demands instead of a forced EXP system.
[26-Jan-22 10:08 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
(back, sorry)
[26-Jan-22 10:08 AM] Samuel_Sturm#3180
That makes sense.
Do you have any favored memories of playtesting? A rules interaction that you didn’t expect?
[26-Jan-22 10:12 AM] 🌸 Circleis 🌸#2117
Is there an easier way of getting the Kickstarter link from this server? I find myself having to scroll up to find the link!
[26-Jan-22 10:12 AM] GIE#1052
Loads! One of my players betting half a year’s worth of loot on his character’s girlfriend in an undergorund boxing match, that same character getting so much cyberware that he just tanked a shot to the chest from a literal mortar. The only character death where we got to see the game’s unique death mechanic in action and the media who sacrificed himself. The running gag of the groups catburgler always being the one to get shot. All the unique plans my players have come up with, like bypassing an entire adventure by tunneling to their objective with monowire blades.
[26-Jan-22 10:12 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
What is your least favorite aspect of this game — something that you think could use some tweaking?
[26-Jan-22 10:12 AM] GIE#1052
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1177120472/cyberpunk-noir?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=Cyberpunk
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[26-Jan-22 10:13 AM] GIE#1052
I’ve been pretty happy with everything for quite a while now. I’m extremely proud of it and can’t think of much I’d change. I’d kind of like vehicles to be more of a big deal and introduce customization and tuning, but that’s about it!
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[26-Jan-22 10:14 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
In the time remaining, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?
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[26-Jan-22 10:18 AM] GIE#1052
One aspect of the game I’m quite proud of is melee combat, combat works as I’ve detailed already, how hard you hit is determined by how you’ve ranked your hand-to-hand shtick, but what you can do with hand-to-hand combat is determined by your fighting style. Bar fighters excel in using improvised weapons, wrestlers can incorporate iconic throws and holds into their fighting, boxers have an edge over brawlers in technique, and if you practice one of six unique in-universe martial arts, you can get real fancy!
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[26-Jan-22 10:19 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
Nice!
[26-Jan-22 10:19 AM] GIE#1052
Does anyone have any questions about the example characters I sent out?
[26-Jan-22 10:20 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
Where did you do that?
[26-Jan-22 10:20 AM] GIE#1052
It’s the character sheet doc, I’ll post again
[26-Jan-22 10:20 AM] GIE#1052
{Attachments}
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/780948065367490590/935932212631719946/Char_Sheet.pdf
[26-Jan-22 10:20 AM] GIE#1052
Four examples of iconic cyberpunk tropes!
[26-Jan-22 10:21 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
Ah, I see! Didn’t scroll down far enough.
[26-Jan-22 10:21 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
No questions come to mind, but they look very interesting. 🙂
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[26-Jan-22 10:22 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
Thanks very much for joining us, @GIE!
[26-Jan-22 10:22 AM] GIE#1052
Thank yo for having me!
[26-Jan-22 10:23 AM] GIE#1052
The last thing I’ll say is there is a demo game video on the kickstarter page if you want to see the game in action, and the unillustrated rulebook is immediately available to everyone who pledges at least $5, so if you want to play you could get that today!
[26-Jan-22 10:23 AM] GIE#1052
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1177120472/cyberpunk-noir?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=Cyberpunk
[26-Jan-22 10:23 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
Usual reminder: If you’ve enjoyed this Q&A and would like to treat me to a coffee or two, you can do so at https://www.ko-fi.com/gmshoe. Anything’s appreciated! 🙂
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[26-Jan-22 10:24 AM] Dan Davenport#6715
Now, if you’ll give me a couple of minutes, I’ll get the log posted and link you!
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