Roll a D10 Companies of Quality

 

The big corporations have the corner on the mass market. But their stuff is cranked out by the millions and everything looks the same. Plus the quality can sometimes take a hit as well. But there is always room for smaller companies to come in with highly specific areas of expertise. When you walk around with work by these folks you get notices for your style and for using the best.

Remember is you like the posts you see here you can always buy the blogger a Coffee to show your support. 

Here we go. Ten companies that are of high quality. 

1 – Urban Rapture. Makers of specialized, high quality firearms. Most are custom ordered for the buyers very specific demands.

2 – Flesh Grinder. They make very deadly melee weapons with all sorts of features. From things that spray blood when they hit to poison injectors.

3 – Hardshell. Body armor that is custom fitted to the buyer. Measurements are taken and every thing from load bearing points to flexibility is figured in.

4 – Power Projects. Makers of experimental powered armor and load reducing worn robotics.

5 – Shogun. Street bikes and riding gear with a kick. You want to go fast and look the top of the line at the same time? These are the folks.

6 – Inner Voice. The go too experts for personal communications technology. Producing the most reliable and malleable squad level communication equipment available.

7 – Lancer Tools. When a Techie needs to tools for his job, these are the people they can trust.

8 – New Atlantis. Premier makers of cyberspace technology and software. Also hosting on the most stable and popular virtual locations in the net.

9 – Hardwire. When your custom cyberware specifications go way beyond the normal these are the folks to hire for the job. Doing the most outrageous cyber mods in the world today.

10 – Nu U. If you need to change your appearance these are the sculptors you want. From simple nips and tucks to full on height adjustment and even full gender change. They are the best.

Roll a D10 - Modifications in a Techies car

 

I decided to have a bit more fun with this one. How about ten random things a Techie has done to their ride. Because we all know that they aren't going to run around in anything that is stock.

Modifications you may find on a Techies ride.

1 – Custom fitted hidden drop down armor for the windows and along the inside of the body.

2 – An electro scanner that pics up higher than normal power usage and charts it on a map used by multiple other techies.

3 – A rear facing scrambler that interferes with various frequencies of wireless communication.

4 – A mobile fold out repair bay built into their trunk.

5 – Faraday cage built into the backseat to throw salvaged or looted electronics in to prevent them from being traced.

6 – Multiple dash-cams facing every direction and kept in constant contact with a server via cellular towers.

7 – An amalgamation of agents/cell phones that are all shown as ‘driving’ to traffic monitoring apps. So it always sees a traffic jam and redirects other drivers away from wherever the Techie is driving.

8 – An anti-pursuit system built into the trunk. It launches full sized bricks covered in an instant adhering paste onto the pavement behind the vehicle as it’s driving.

9 – Full on old style no electronics gas guzzling land beast of a car. With a built in EMP device that has a range of 50 foot radius all around it. Can be used while driving of course.

10 – A full on radio hacker that hacks into the car radios of those around you and tunes them to the station, or streaming service, the Techie prefers.

Roll a D10 - Random Cyberpunk bar names

 

How about ten random cyberpunk bar names for your game. Some with just the tiniest morsel of extra info. Made with a little help from my gaming group.

Cyberpunk Bar Names

1 – Hard Drive

2 – Leadheads (full of chromers)

3 – CZ Brews (combat zone sports bar)

4 – Slosh n’ Go (automated kiosk and conveyor belt serving drinks and drugs)

5 – High Caliber

6 – Wild Boys Clubhouse

7 – E.M.C. (Elegant Murderers Club)

8 – Minimalist Drinking Age (all drinks are clear and served in identical glasses)

9 – No Bootlickers (anti corp edgerunner bar)

10 – Electric Dead

If you are enjoying these D10 lists you can buy me a Ko-Fi as a sign of appreciation! 

Roll a D10 - Names for Netrunner Hangouts

 

Sometimes the netrunners just like to unwind around those who are of similar interests and occupations. Here are ten names for hangouts that netrunners may frequent. 

Netrunner Hangout Names

1 – The Digital Chimera

2 – Console Holster (western/cowboy themed)

3 – Monochrome (decorated with older tech)

4 – Lord Nikon’s Castle

5 – Secret Datafort

6 – Parasites

7 – Black Sky Infinity

8 – Dreamlounger

9 – Vaporware Vickies

10 – Dead Node

Roll a D10 - What is in the Nomads pockets?

 

Time for a little bit of cyberpunk flavored randomness. While looking through the pockets of a Nomad, either deceased, being searched or while the are unconscious, what do you find?

What did you find in the Nomads pockets?

1 – An old fashioned metal cased compass

2 – A chip box containing six different language chips

3 – High ends set of sunglasses in a bulletproof case

4 – A large key ring with 40+ different keys on it

5 – Small pocket journal written in code, no key is provided

6 – Pocket photo album of Nomad family members

7 – Highly polished palm sized mirror in a protective case

8 – Pack of high end triple nicotine cigarettes

9 – Pouch of caffeine infused long cut chewing tobacco

10 – Dataslug filled with various atlases and city maps

Playtesting Credit my group has gotten

 

My current group has gotten some playtest credit. Some of them it was their first time and for others, and me, it's been many years. But hey we got it done. So a big shout out to Tyler, Lori, Jason, Niki and Zach. One of the best groups I've had in a really long time.

The top one is from the Shadow Scar Starter Kit from R. Talsorian Games. The bottom one is for Tales of the RED: Hope Reborn also from R. Talsorian Games. 

It was a great pleasure actually getting the chance to do something for that company. I've been a fan of their stuff since the very early nineties. At one point or the other I've probably owned almost everything they've published. Although some 'vanished' from my collection and others I sold off when rent needed to be paid. But my Cyberpunk material I've always kept.

Now playtesting a new game with an all new system was really cool. Hopefully it really catches on and sells like hotcakes. Can't wait until the next assignment. 

How Effective are Exploding Slugs and Coinshot?

I've known many a gamer over the years who insist that all those specialty shotgun rounds are amazing and do great things. Therefore they should get all sorts of bonuses for using them. Well guess what. Yeah they ain't all that. 

Netflix x CDPR x Cyberpunk | Special Announcement | Netflix

RPGaDAY 2024 - Day Fourteen

 

Compelling Characters. 

Let's go back to Cyberpunk then shall we? Morgan Blackhand, Alt, Johnny Silverhand, Rogue, Rache fucking Bartmoss. I love them all. Okay now maybe they aren't talking about characters that are part of the lore. Maybe they're talking about the PC's that are generated. 

Then I'm going with Cyberpunk again. The lifepath system adds just the right amount of flavor, background and inspiration to bring the characters to life from the sheet. Even down to how they like to dress and favorite objects. Ran so many games where the source of adventure came from the friends and enemies generated. 

RPGaDAY 2024 - Day Ten

 

RPG you'd like to see on TV. 

I'm assuming a live action or animated adaption here. Not just some folks setting around a table playing, we already have that in spades and most are boring as hell. So let me think for a moment. 

We've already go Cyberpunk covered with the Edgerunners series from Netflix. 

Alien was based on live action. 

Fallout... nuff said there. 

So I'm going to say Sla Industries even though I have nothing to do with that game anymore at all. But a well funded live action series would be simply amazing. Only if it was based more off the original version (which I linked to) of the setting and not the bland remake we have now. An animated show done with the quality of Arcane, now that would kick ass. 

RPGaDAY 2024 - Day One

 

First RPG bought this year. 

I don't think I've actually bought a full on new RPG this year at all. I did finally run Cyberpunk RED in between some of my Cyberpunk 2020 sessions. I also picked up the Edgerunners Mission Kit for CPR here recently. 

I've looked at quite a few as possibilities. But instead of buying them I've decided to run what I already have shelves of. Which my group has been really enjoying. 

Cyberpunk Documentary PART 1 | Neuromancer, Blade Runner, RoboCop, Akira...

Movie Review - Autómata (2014)

 

Automata (2014)

This one I stumbled upon accidently in the middle of the night. Scrolling through free streaming services looking for something different to watch. Never heard of this film before now. But hey it has Antonio Banderas in there, oh look Dylan McDermott as well, and what the hell is that Melanie Griffith as well? Okay so that was it, I was watching this one.

Okay we get a quick rundown of the status of the world right at the beginning. Solar flares wiping out most of the planet, everything turning to desert, nearly all of the  population has died off and the final patches are huddled together in cities. Technology has started to regress in most areas except for robotics, which is a great excuse to use modern tech in movies that take place in the future. Robots called Pilgrims are doing most of the labor now and trying to save the world. Everything is pretty shitty.

Now one cool thing we get a new twist on the old idea of Asimov's three laws of robotics. These robots have two unchangeable protocols: they cannot harm any form of life and may not repair, modify, or alter themselves or other robots in any way. Now the first part is real simple while the second has more deeper meaning. It keeps them from altering themselves so they can ignore their protocols AND it keeps them from repairing themselves so the company that makes them can stay in business. 

Our main character, Jacq Vaucan, is an insurance investigator for the company (ROC) that makes the Pilgrims. He finds himself pulled into an interesting case of a robot that was repairing itself and is shot by a police officer for suspicious activity. This leads him down a path of other robots who are more free thinking, showing us clockworks, folks who work on, repair and modify the Pilgrims without company authorization. Piled onto this is some secrets that ROC is very privy on keeping secret.

We eventually get to leave the city and trek across the desert. Jacq gets to discover who, or what, is causing the Pilgrims to function so differently. More of the completely devastated world is shown and it becomes pretty clear that humans aren't likely to survive. But maybe another form of life will.

Quite a bit of work went into some attempted deep thought at life, living and what survives after you. Artificial awareness is really touched on and what will one do to keep on existing. But just don't get attached to many of the character okay? 

It's grim, gritty and visually well done. So why haven't I hard of this? Well execution isn't quite as good as the idea. We have moments that drag on, lead ups that end to quick, and some disappointed story choices in a few spots. I get what they were going for but it feels like that golden ring was just out of reach for the folks doing the actual movie. 

That being said it is a neat movie to watch. Some new ideas for post apoc that could be explored, new concept and ideas for some scifi robot material. But don't go in expecting to find a great film, just a decent film. But they did get a lot out of their 15 million dollar budget. Science fiction fans will enjoy what they are given but it won't make it to their top ten list. 

"Trash the world!"

Sci-Fi's Forgotten Masterpiece

My Early Access Review of the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Mission Kit

Cyberpunk vs Steampunk

 This is from twelve years ago. It's still how I feel about the two to this day. 

Max Headroom 20 minutes into the future 1985

The original BBC version of Max Headroom 20 Minutes into the Future, not the US series version. Some of the same actors, some of the same story, but much more gritty looking and grim. Truly one of the greats of early Cyberpunk television. 

The Zero Theorem Official Trailer #1 (2014) - Terry Gilliam Sci-Fi Fanta...

Mars Express - Official Trailer

Come and Get Yer Badlove - Cyberpunk 2020

When some folks really got into their Cyberpunk 2020 game they ended up making an album for the Rockerboy of the group.