Cyberpunk resources?

[Insaniac99]

Hey herodom, I'm looking for some free or extremely cheap resources for a campaign that would essentially mix the futuristic world from Back to the future part two, with a jacking in kinda cyberword like in many other cyberpunk or Tron or like megaman NTwarrior (cept no AIs, there are a couple programs, but most people there are either transported in or have the old-school plugged in by thier cerebral cortex)

 

I've written up one character, where there is the real-world character subject to standard 75+75 heroic rules but everyone pays for a 200 point multi-form with the limitations "only in cyberspace -1" and as an option "physical body left behind when jacked in -1" to be either 20 or 13 points and the multiform is a mix between heroic and superheroc, the powers and abilities can be however the user interprets them so you cnould have a fantasy Knight or wizard running around with a low powered human torch or a far future space marine.

 

so, I'm looking for anything you guys can provide that you think might be useful...

[Lezentauw]

Re: Cyberpunk resources?

 

Hey herodom, I'm looking for some free or extremely cheap resources for a campaign that would essentially mix the futuristic world from Back to the future part two, with a jacking in kinda cyberword like in many other cyberpunk or Tron or like megaman NTwarrior (cept no AIs, there are a couple programs, but most people there are either transported in or have the old-school plugged in by thier cerebral cortex)

 

I've written up one character, where there is the real-world character subject to standard 75+75 heroic rules but everyone pays for a 200 point multi-form with the limitations "only in cyberspace -1" and as an option "physical body left behind when jacked in -1" to be either 20 or 13 points and the multiform is a mix between heroic and superheroc, the powers and abilities can be however the user interprets them so you cnould have a fantasy Knight or wizard running around with a low powered human torch or a far future space marine.

 

so, I'm looking for anything you guys can provide that you think might be useful...

 

You could check out the ShadowHero stuff at www.starherofandom.com/. If I recall this is Aroo's site...

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Cyberpunk resources?

 

To offer any intelligent suggestion, I would need more information. What are the ground rules for the campaign? What's the overall tone - gritty? Humorous? To what degree will the action be divided between the physical world and the cyberworld? What abilities will characters have access to in the physical world? What are the characters' objectives in the campaign supposed to be? Who or what are the opponents or obstacles that they'll be facing?

 

What you're describing seems a bit like a mixture of "cyberpunkish" settings and Palladium's Rifts, and there's certainly a lot of free material for both that I could direct you to; but the tone of the campaign sounds more upbeat than those settings.

[Insaniac99]

Re: Cyberpunk resources?

 

To offer any intelligent suggestion, I would need more information. What are the ground rules for the campaign? What's the overall tone - gritty? Humorous? To what degree will the action be divided between the physical world and the cyberworld? What abilities will characters have access to in the physical world? What are the characters' objectives in the campaign supposed to be? Who or what are the opponents or obstacles that they'll be facing?

 

What you're describing seems a bit like a mixture of "cyberpunkish" settings and Palladium's Rifts, and there's certainly a lot of free material for both that I could direct you to; but the tone of the campaign sounds more upbeat than those settings.

 

before I begin, my players in the tuesday-night game should NOT read any further, you'll get some spoilers if you do.

 

well, lets see. the PCs and many other people choose to connect to the cyberworld through a nueral jack. I imagine it as a modified USB or firewire cable that is normally lodged in part of the character's body that they pull out and plug into any device that has one, which is pretty much anything electronic, and most things are also connected to the internet if they are in a long-term position. a new technology has been developed where the entire body in transported into cyberspace and a few people have upgraded to that.

 

once in cyberspace they have what I can only describe as an Avatar, which represents and embodies their psyche, the Avatar can be physicaly a lot different than the real world versions and everyone has their own schtick or super ability, but they buy their combat gear with money. At the start it is just a way to surf the net and get things on electronics done, there are sometimes fights but there are built in safety protocals that means instead of a character dieing or suffereing body damage because their avatar does, they get only suffer stun damage and may be KOed, terminating the connection to the net.

 

shortly after the campaign starts however; things go wrong, my two plans are that the safety protocals start failing one by one, and reports of people dying from the fights, things steadily decline until eventually somehow the things spill over into the real world, first by people sabotaging critical and well-guarded computers and machines causing things in the real world to go haywire, assasinations of people in "highly-secure" areas with no trace left, eventually an avatar (which may be an AI, somehting that hasn't been created in this world yet, but I haven't decided) comes into the real world and reaks more havoc. of course this entire time the PCs will be doing their best to stop people from being hurt and to save the world, seems like a losing battle with only relatively small victories untill they finnally Save The Day. (I've always Liked the old way of starting light and getting steadily darker and more serious until things come to a climatic resolution)

 

the real-world is a slightly modified form of the future in back to the future part two. some cool tech, nothing ultra big, not space travel, but there are cybernetics (not common) and of course flying cars and Star-hero's version of the hoverboard. The world isn't utopian or dystopian but there are some really good guys and some realy bad guys and some out for themselves and some who just want to be left alone.

 

for character Generation what we're trying is 75+75 for the real-world character while the avatars are a 200 point (100+100 or maybe 125+75, I haven't decided and I'm open to suggestions) multiform that the PC buys with limitations (totals to either 13 or 20 points depending what form of it the character takes). equipment is bought with money, not points, but each Avatar has their own schtick or ability. but equipment is customized to the Avatar, for example the same damage "upgrade" may apear as either a rifle or a fireball spell

 

I really came up with a lot of this just now so it is still kind of a gelatinous blob in my mind, I keep forming and changing more ideas each time I think about it. this is the way I prepare actally, I stay in this phase for a week or two and eventually get it nice and finallized with atleast the first few sessions already made up.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Cyberpunk resources?

 

Hmm... frankly, what you're describing doesn't sound much like most variants of "cyberpunk" that I'm familiar with. The closest thing to it would probably be the Matrix film series, where cyberspace is a virtual world not that dissimilar from the physical world, but in which people's avatars have extraordinary abilities comparable to low-level superheroes.

 

The dystopian tendencies of most cyberpunk settings wouldn't really suit the tone of your campaign. You say that cybertech or biotech augmentation isn't common; that's among the most substantial categories of free HERO material available, but I'm not sure how interested you'd be in using that. I'm also unclear as to how much of the traditional activities of cyberspace "netrunners" you want to incorporate, e.g. ferreting out secret information, covertly reprogramming computer systems, etc. Again, there are sources for that we can direct you to if desired.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Cyberpunk resources?

 

Here's my version of Cyberpunk using the HERO SYstem:

 

http://www.killershrike.com/metacyber/MetaCyber.shtml

[Insaniac99]

Re: Cyberpunk resources?

 

Hmm... frankly, what you're describing doesn't sound much like most variants of "cyberpunk" that I'm familiar with. The closest thing to it would probably be the Matrix film series, where cyberspace is a virtual world not that dissimilar from the physical world, but in which people's avatars have extraordinary abilities comparable to low-level superheroes.

 

The dystopian tendencies of most cyberpunk settings wouldn't really suit the tone of your campaign. You say that cybertech or biotech augmentation isn't common; that's among the most substantial categories of free HERO material available, but I'm not sure how interested you'd be in using that. I'm also unclear as to how much of the traditional activities of cyberspace "netrunners" you want to incorporate, e.g. ferreting out secret information, covertly reprogramming computer systems, etc. Again, there are sources for that we can direct you to if desired.

 

 

 

I guess that's true in many ways. for instance I see there realy being two parts of the cyberworld. one is the one that everyone sees, they run around with their online friends and play games, goto the main hubs to post on mesage boards (litterally bilboards in a building that people leave posts at) and play in the battle dome or destroy the ocaisional mal-ware that creeps in.

 

but there is also the otherside, the side that computer experts and hackers see, they know how to get secure information, break through firewalls, disable security routines, delete change programs, and insert nasty viri.

 

The Avatars can be any apearance as long as it is humanoid, whether a dragon-esque guy with scaly skin and leathery wings, c3po, or a fantasy knight. and any of them could know about the hidden side, the apearance isn't neccisarily an indication of the users abilities other than their style of fighting.

 

yeah, cybertech isn't common, but it's available, many amputees opt to get them, almost everyone who is anyone has a nueral Jack, but there is also the ocasional weirdo who decides to get his perfect body mangled to make it "better" by ading a cybernetic eye or grafting thier arms or legs for extreme sports

 

so I guess mainly what I'm looking for is indeed a way of implementing the hacking while in cyberspace, how the Avatar's can do stuff, for deleting or reprogramming programs, and getting past various types of security obstacles.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Cyberpunk resources?

 

Cool.

 

In that case I'll just direct you to stuff that I'm aware of. First off, hit the link down in my signature, and then scroll down to the listing for CYBERPUNK 2020 (lots of converted cyberware and bioware), and the listing for SHADOWRUN (mentioned earlier on the thread), with more of the same plus integration of magic into the cyberpunk setting.

 

I would also recommend Michael "Susano" Surbrook's excellent Kazei Five anime-style cyberpunk setting sourcebook. Although it's for Fourth Edition HERO, it translates easily to Fifth. It's available from the PDF section of Hero Games's Online Store, for a mere $9.95.

 

Susano also has substantial samples from the book on his personal website. I particularly recommend his simplified Skill-based netrunning system, since it doesn't sound like you'll be making that a major part of your campaign.

[Insaniac99]

Re: Cyberpunk resources?

 

Cool.

 

In that case I'll just direct you to stuff that I'm aware of. First off, hit the link down in my signature, and then scroll down to the listing for CYBERPUNK 2020 (lots of converted cyberware and bioware), and the listing for SHADOWRUN (mentioned earlier on the thread), with more of the same plus integration of magic into the cyberpunk setting.

 

I would also recommend Michael "Susano" Surbrook's excellent Kazei Five anime-style cyberpunk setting sourcebook. Although it's for Fourth Edition HERO, it translates easily to Fifth. It's available from the PDF section of Hero Games's Online Store, for a mere $9.95.

 

Susano also has substantial samples from the book on his personal website. I particularly recommend his simplified Skill-based netrunning system, since it doesn't sound like you'll be making that a major part of your campaign.

 

Thank you! I'm now planning to buy Kazei 5 just because of of the sample with the skill-based netrunning, it sparked a whole plan for me and made me interested enough to get it to see if it has more spark inducing material.

 

I thought that I'd use a few different skills to represent repairs to systems and so forth. like mechanics to repair, I still need to form it all in my mind but I'm bubbling with ideas now.

 

Edit: bought it, printing it out, LOVING the cyberworld section, I'm gonna use/modify the alterdimension rules for it as it is close to what I was already working towards plus its a lot cheap than the books at my FLGS, Thanks again!

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Cyberpunk resources?

 

It's always great when you don't end up feeling like a putz for recommending something.

[Susano]

Re: Cyberpunk resources?

 

Edit: bought it' date=' printing it out, LOVING the cyberworld section, I'm gonna use/modify the alterdimension rules for it as it is close to what I was already working towards plus its a lot cheap than the books at my FLGS, Thanks again![/quote']

 

Thank you!

 

I am slowly (uhmm... maybe glacially) working on K5 for 5th Edition.

[Insaniac99]

Re: Cyberpunk resources?

 

Thank you!

 

I am slowly (uhmm... maybe glacially) working on K5 for 5th Edition.

 

Cool Beans! I also look forward to a 5th ed version of your giant robots. though, I may buy the 4th ed anyway because I don't want to wait... with the exception of your books it seems that very little of the 5th books have much about actually roleplaying the genre and everything. most of it is very rules heavy and role-play light in terms of official resources.

[Susano]

Re: Cyberpunk resources?

 

Cool Beans! I also look forward to a 5th ed version of your giant robots. though' date=' I may buy the 4th ed anyway because I don't want to wait... with the exception of your books it seems that very little of the 5th books have much about actually roleplaying the genre and everything. most of it is very rules heavy and role-play light in terms of official resources.[/quote']

 

Uhm.... I didn't write anything about giant robots.

[Insaniac99]

Re: Cyberpunk resources?

 

Uhm.... I didn't write anything about giant robots.

 

oh, my mistake, I guess I just assumed the giant robots pdf in the store was written by you when I couldn't see who the autor was.

[Susano]

Re: Cyberpunk resources?

 

oh' date=' my mistake, I guess I just assumed the giant robots pdf in the store was written by you when I couldn't see who the autor was.[/quote']

 

No... that was done sometime ago. Early 90s, I think. Robot Gladiators or some such.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Cyberpunk resources?

 

It's called Robot Warriors, and it's a pretty cool little game. A trifle dated in terms of the source material (mid-1980's), and it's one of the pre-Fourth Edition HERO games with its own unique iteration of the HERO ruleset. The whole thing is self-contained in the one book.

 

OTOH our colleague Chris Goodwin has created an inspired update/integration of the original RW rules with Fifth Edition: http://home.comcast.net/~archer7/rw2hero.html

[Insaniac99]

Re: Cyberpunk resources?

 

It's called Robot Warriors, and it's a pretty cool little game. A trifle dated in terms of the source material (mid-1980's), and it's one of the pre-Fourth Edition HERO games with its own unique iteration of the HERO ruleset. The whole thing is self-contained in the one book.

 

OTOH our colleague Chris Goodwin has created an inspired update/integration of the original RW rules with Fifth Edition: http://home.comcast.net/~archer7/rw2hero.html

 

your link-fu is strong master.

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: Cyberpunk resources?

 

[Compilation] "to Star HERO Conversions & Adaptations"

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24969

 

Try out some of these

 

QM