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I just added Cyberpunk 2077 to my Amazon wishlist and it got me to thinking about the great times I had playing Cyberpunk 2020 and Shadowrun. Great games, the both of them.
But there was always one thing that bogged down the sessions. The Netrunner. Yeah, early-80s conceptions of what netspace was going to look like aside, the game bogged down when one player need the full attention of the Gamemaster to deeply attack programs and fight deadly ICE programs. While the rest of us sat around wishing Wizards of the Coast would hurry and invent Magic: the Gathering so we'd have something to do during those sessions.
If I were ever to run a cyberpunk game again, and it's not out of the question, here's what I'd do. Netrunners are wizards. They are holed up in a safe space with all their gear and a phalanx of guards and security around them. They are otaku, focused entirely on pushing the net to its limits and fighting anyone, corporation, or government, who tries to keep secrets. Money isn't a concern to them, they crave more and better access to the global network. They are mysterious, powerful, and you street scum don't get to see the electric Sheep, you talk to a fixer who tells you if the Sheep is in the mood to help you. Of course, you'll owe him a favor. . .
Of course, there are street hackers. These are the young and desperate, hauling cobbled-together attack decks and scrounging for every break they can find. But even they hole up when its time for the action to start. Helping a street netrunner get into the lower ranks of the true 'runner community can give the team a useful contact and patron. Doing work for an established Netrunner might draw them into a web of obligations. And when two established netrunners go to war, their organizations do too.
I think this adds an interesting faction to a cyberpunk setting while removing a game-stopping mechanic. The GM decides if the runner succeeds or fails based on story needs.
So, what do y'all think? Have I reinvented the wheel, again?
But there was always one thing that bogged down the sessions. The Netrunner. Yeah, early-80s conceptions of what netspace was going to look like aside, the game bogged down when one player need the full attention of the Gamemaster to deeply attack programs and fight deadly ICE programs. While the rest of us sat around wishing Wizards of the Coast would hurry and invent Magic: the Gathering so we'd have something to do during those sessions.
If I were ever to run a cyberpunk game again, and it's not out of the question, here's what I'd do. Netrunners are wizards. They are holed up in a safe space with all their gear and a phalanx of guards and security around them. They are otaku, focused entirely on pushing the net to its limits and fighting anyone, corporation, or government, who tries to keep secrets. Money isn't a concern to them, they crave more and better access to the global network. They are mysterious, powerful, and you street scum don't get to see the electric Sheep, you talk to a fixer who tells you if the Sheep is in the mood to help you. Of course, you'll owe him a favor. . .
Of course, there are street hackers. These are the young and desperate, hauling cobbled-together attack decks and scrounging for every break they can find. But even they hole up when its time for the action to start. Helping a street netrunner get into the lower ranks of the true 'runner community can give the team a useful contact and patron. Doing work for an established Netrunner might draw them into a web of obligations. And when two established netrunners go to war, their organizations do too.
I think this adds an interesting faction to a cyberpunk setting while removing a game-stopping mechanic. The GM decides if the runner succeeds or fails based on story needs.
So, what do y'all think? Have I reinvented the wheel, again?
