I've just started running Cyberpunk (the Red rules) for the first time ever. I'm loving the ruleset overall, but a lot of the detail seems pretty rough & in need of tinkering. Any advice for running Cyberpunk? I do have Listen Up You Primitive Screwheads but haven't read over it recently.
Roll20 site https://app.roll20.net/campaigns/details/16712626/cyberpunk-getting-paid

Quote from: S'mon on February 15, 2024, 02:18:30 PM
I've just started running Cyberpunk (the Red rules) for the first time ever. I'm loving the ruleset overall, but a lot of the detail seems pretty rough & in need of tinkering. Any advice for running Cyberpunk? I do have Listen Up You Primitive Screwheads but haven't read over it recently.
Roll20 site https://app.roll20.net/campaigns/details/16712626/cyberpunk-getting-paid

My first recommendation would be drop RED in favor of 2020 and then use Data Fortress Interlock Unlimited house rules.  You can, in fact, just use Interlock Unlimited without owning the 2020 core book but I think it's better to use the core mostly and tweak with a few rules from IU. 
https://kupdf.net/download/interlock-unlimited_58fe8872dc0d602413959ed8_pdf
http://datafortress2020.com/InterlockUnlimited.html

Second, do a session of doing Danger Room combat until everyone feels comfortable with the combat rules. 

Third, drop the cyber psychosis rules, limit every player to one cybernetic implant at PC creation, and multiply cybernetics prices by 20.  This will level out that nonsense and keep the game fun.

Fourth, Dump the netrunning rules.  Nobody has a decent set of rules.  Either make hacking a lock picking type skill or make netrunning an an all party activity.  Neon City Overdrive - The Grid is the best book for this I have seen.  Change the decker into a electronic warfare specialist.  Look up hacker tools like the Flipper and the Pineapple for inspiration.

PM me if you want a more in depth consultation on running a good cyberpunk game.

In terms of rules, I'm sticking with Red, with some weapons etc from CP2020, and my own timeline, though set in Night City it's "Somewhere in the 21st Century" and PCs still upload videos to Youtube. Red's netrunning rules seem vastly superior to CP 2020 but I'm still banning Netrunner PCs for now, until I have time to go through them thoroughly. Only allowing the Pregen PC stat blocks (with a bit of tweaking), so very limited cyberware at start. One player dropped right away when I asked why he had 65 hp. 
Have you played Red? The combat rules seem much better than 2020, I ran a couple fights first session and it worked great. But I'm limiting armor, in the rules everyone wears a helmet 
There are definitely problems with Red but it's all presentation or stuff I can houserule, the core chassis seems very solid to me, a very nice streamlining of 2020.

Watch Ghost in the Shell (all of the anime) and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, that will go a long way to understand the vibe of the genre and setting.

Quote from: jeff37923 on February 15, 2024, 04:22:45 PM
Watch Ghost in the Shell (all of the anime) and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, that will go a long way to understand the vibe of the genre and setting.

I'd instead recommend the movies Bladerunner, Johnny Mnemonic, and Nemesis. But I'm very old school with the version of Cyberpunk I dig.

To really get into the mindset I recommend replacing a limb with one made of Lego, moving into a dangerous slum, and subsist on a diet of soy and rotgut alcohol.

Quote from: Grognard GM on February 15, 2024, 04:59:21 PM
To really get into the mindset I recommend replacing a limb with one made of Lego, moving into a dangerous slum, and subsist on a diet of soy and rotgut alcohol.

Kek

Quote from: Grognard GM on February 15, 2024, 04:56:16 PM

Quote from: jeff37923 on February 15, 2024, 04:22:45 PM
Watch Ghost in the Shell (all of the anime) and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, that will go a long way to understand the vibe of the genre and setting.

I'd instead recommend ...Johnny Mnemonic...

You fiend!

Quote from: ThatChrisGuy on February 15, 2024, 05:53:24 PM

Quote from: Grognard GM on February 15, 2024, 04:56:16 PM

Quote from: jeff37923 on February 15, 2024, 04:22:45 PM
Watch Ghost in the Shell (all of the anime) and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, that will go a long way to understand the vibe of the genre and setting.

I'd instead recommend ...Johnny Mnemonic...

You fiend!

Look, neither Johnny Mnemonic nor Nemesis are great cinema, but they are the only movies that represent Cyberpunk as shown in Cyberpunk 2020/Shadowrun.

I remembered seeing (yesterday, in a discussion here from 2016 or so) that Mike Pondsmith said he wanted it to play like Streets of Fire, a film I love - Dieselpunk not Cyberpunk, but the 'heightened reality' feel combined with the romance & sense of alienation from the artificial set and being 'Another Time, Another Place' is spot on for what I'm going for. I found this awesome video:

Quote from: jeff37923 on February 15, 2024, 04:22:45 PM
Watch Ghost in the Shell (all of the anime) and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, that will go a long way to understand the vibe of the genre and setting.

Thanks, I'll try to watch those.

Quote from: Grognard GM on February 15, 2024, 04:56:16 PM
I'd instead recommend the movies Bladerunner, Johnny Mnemonic, and Nemesis. But I'm very old school with the version of Cyberpunk I dig.

I love Bladerunner ofc! I've read Gibson's books but don't think I've seen Johnny Mnemonic film, and never heard of Nemesis (except Nemesis the Warlock) 

I'm going for a sandbox game as usual, railroads bore me to tears. I noticed that the purported Downtime 'Hustling' rules actually appear to be a fantastic sandbox generator. Combined with occasional rolls on the encounter tables. It's actually amazing how much support it (both 2020 and Red , they seem identical) has for sandbox play.

I think NPCs are going to be key, so I've been making a lot of them, allies enemies and could-be-eithers. Again the game has a ton of characters already supplied (though not statted in Red, unlike 2020). I kinda forgot how awesome '80s games could be in GM support.

Interface Red Vol 3 reintroduces the Full Body Conversions from the old Chromebooks. It's due out sometime in POD later this month,

Get Cities Without Number by Kevin Crawford. It's specifically designed to do sandbox cyberpunk gaming. 

Also look for a document called Augmented Reality. I think it's free/pwyw on drivethrurpg. It's a cyberpunk setting generator.