Quote from: Falenthal on July 17, 2024, 11:17:41 AMFirst of all, let me thank you a lot for your reviews. It's difficult (or impossible) to find reviews of "obscure" cyberpunk games that are not CP20XX, Shadowrun, Interface Zero, The Sprawl or The Veil. And personally, I find that many small company games do a much better and streamlined work of giving nice rules for cyberpunk campaigns. Also, the fact that you read several of those games and can compare them or have a very broad criteria, helps coming to conclusions or deciding which one has the features we are looking for.

That said, I'd like to propose a few games that catched my eye or I'd like to hear your informed opinion upon. Feel free to ignore them, of course!

-Terminal State - Quickstart. Yes, it's a Quickstart, but feels like a full game. Uses the Year Zero Engine as seen in Blade Runner and Twilight 2000. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/es/product/457568/terminal-state-quickstart

I may review this game when the full edition comes out.  I like the YZE and I think it's perfect for certain kinds of play.  I'm watching this one from a distance.

Quote from: Falenthal on July 17, 2024, 11:17:41 AM- Blood Chrome Neon. No idea about it, but looks like a neat rule-light system.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/es/product/277659/blood-chrome-neon

- Wired Neon Cities. It's a minimalistic system. Very minimalistic. But I feel it really captures the very basics of cyberpunk. There's the original version (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/es/product/210919/wired-neon-cities-minimalist-cyberpunk-roleplaying) which, personally I like more than the Ultimate Edition (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/es/product/414479/wired-neon-cities-ultimate-edition).

-Wired Neon Cities ://hacked. A personal desire of mine, I made my own hack of Wired Neon Cities (with the authors permission), changing the basic mechanic to a D6 pool of dice, and expanding several options. You might not like it, of course, but would be awesome for me to know your opinion, and what you don't like about it. As stated before, your criteria in the reviews I've read of games I know, is usually spot on in what I also think.
(https://www.drivethrurpg.com/es/product/471686/wired-neon-cities-hacked)

Thanks again for all your effort!

I have read somewhere in the neighborhood 50 rules light systems and I've been very disappointed.  By in large, they tend to have an idea or two but generally don't have the ability to share them well or flesh them out.  There are fully developed "rules lite" systems that are real games but then they tend to be 100+ page books anyway.  (ICRPG is a good example of a "rules lite" done well.)

In order to be a good game you have to have the a good resolution mechanic, a good way to specialize PCs, a good way to stratify enemies and other threats, a means by which a GM can provide a variety of challenges to PCs, and a PC progression system.  If you over complicate a system, you can break the game but if you don't flesh out the game then so many important aspects just are left to the GM to invent.  That's not a game, that's a pitch for a game.  I reviewed a few in this thread until Xianta – CyberWuxia RPG just broke me of that. (post #34)

I will be looking at these and If they make it into the play testing phase, then I will do reviews.

A final thought on this, I might just be the wrong guy for "lite" games.  I'm just a gamer and a hobbyist that has had the opportunity to look at a lot of these games.

Quote from: fbnaulin on December 16, 2024, 03:32:09 PMGreat job.
I always wanted to have a solid Cyberpunk game in my library. Carbon 2185, and Neon City Overdrive have been in my radar, but now I'm learning about Zaibatsu.

Have you checked Hack the Planet: Cyberpunk Forged in the Dark?

Zaibatsu is good stuff.

Somewhere I have posted an opinion about Apocalypse/in the Dark games.  In essence, I think it's a bad engine and I refuse to spend another dime on that fork off of TTRPGs.   

Quote from: semi-urge on December 16, 2024, 05:20:56 PMGreat set of reviews!

In all honesty I haven't heard of the majority of these titles.
 
Imo, the absolute champion of the genre is obviously Cyberpunk 2020, in pretty much all aspects. That accompanied with Netrunner CCG is just the ultimate experience. This I believe is mostly due to, as you point out, Neuromancer and Do Androids... being the literary works that define the genre and Cyberpunk 2013/2020 just rode that wave so well. It somehow became a staple due to momentum, but it also did it due to sheer quality. I will never forget the first time I read about the setting and the combat system, how they analyzed police records of violent crimes and shootouts to design it. To this day I feel like such realistic brutality of firearm combat is unparalleled in RPGs.

RED was a disappointment, disliked the progression of the metaplot and mechanically it felt a bit off.

From your list I also know and have tried Zaibatsu and, as you say, I appreciate it for its adjacency to Traveler (though in my mind, if I'd have to choose, I'd say GURPS is more cyberpunk-able). Obviously know of Altered Carbon and Blade Runner, but haven't tried them, so it was interesting reading your thoughts.

Cyberpunk 2020 and Interlock have a special place in my heart.  Some of the most fun I have had as a player has been with this game and rules set.  I feel that every gamer should at least try a mini campaign of it.

Quote from: BadApple on December 21, 2024, 10:57:20 AMCyberpunk 2020 and Interlock have a special place in my heart.  Some of the most fun I have had as a player has been with this game and rules set.  I feel that every gamer should at least try a mini campaign of it.

I ran a modern day Mekton Zeta game back in the day (also Interlock.)  It was a mash up of GI Joe, Men in Black, and X-Com.  :-)

That is some epic review work.  I will smugly say that yes, CP2020 is the best Cyberpunk game and I don't need to both checking out all the rest.