Cyberpunk Neon

GM Reference

for Cyberpunk Red

Cyberpunk Crews

Cyberpunk groups are not social. The players have no reason to trust each other, and the conventional reasons (stop evil, kill bad guy) won’t work. A bar isn’t a place to make friends—it’s a place to scope out potential victims. Crews are more likely to get into a deadly firefight than divide the spoils fairly.

For this reason, you’ll need a more solid "hook" on which to hang a Cyberpunk adventure: That hook is the crew; a group of people thrown together by fate, and forced to cooperate.

They don’t have to like each other, but they do have to work together. Besides giving the players a reson to work together, a crew also makes the adventure easier to run. The crew can be given assignments from "higher up", or faced by problems which require cooperation. They stay together, or die. Simple.

Neocorporate Teams

Groups oriented around one specific corporation, all working together to accomplish that company’s goals. The main base of operations is the corporation’s offices or security areas. A good corporate team might consist of one or more execs (an executive and an assistant), a netrunner (who runs the team’s intrusion and computer systems), a fixer (who deals with the team’s street contacts), a tech (either medical or mechanical), and a few solos (who handle the combat).

Rockerboy Bands

A gang of rockerboys who perform together. The band travels from place to place, getting into trouble at each gig, holding concerts and raising hell. Their main base of operations can be a practice hall, a club, or a road bus. There may be three or four rockerboys in the band itself. In addition, there will be at least one fixer (their manager), a tech (for the equipment), and several solos (bodyguards or roadies). Groupies and tour personnel can be nomads, execs (from the studio), or medias (as reporters or reviewer following the band).

Nomad Packs

Nomad packs are natural teams; they’re already together in one group and everyone knows each other. A good nomad pack includes a few fixers (to handle negotiations), netrunners (for intelligence work), a mixture of techs and medtechs, and any number of nomads and solos. The pack operates from a caravan of RVs, trailers, buses, and cars moving across the freeways of the blasted landscape. The team could travel with the main caravan, or scout ahead in their own faster vehicles.

Trauma Teams

Groups of licensed paramedics who patrol the city looking for accident victims. They operate from an AV-4 Urban Assault Vehicle, redesigned into an ambulance configuration, armed with a belly-mounted minigun. A typical Trauma Team would include a driver (exec, fixer or solo, although nomad is best), a couple of medtechs, and at least two or three solos acting as security. There may also be a dispatcher (exec or fixer) in charge of sending them on their missions. A media might tag along with the team, looking for breaking stories.

Media Teams

Media teams go anywhere, and do anything to get the story. They could operate out of a TV or radio station, a newspaper office, or even a major network news bureau. A good media team would include a few medias (the hard-hitting reporters), a netrunner (communications, and information gathering), a tech for all the equipment, and a couple solos or nomads for protection. A good newsroom also always has at least one harried exec to cover the team with the bosses upstairs.

Mercenaries

Merc teams are usually hired by more powerful people who don’t want to get their own hands dirty. A typical merc group would include a fixer (to handle contracts), a netrunner (for security systems, computers, etc.), a tech (for weapons), a medtech (for wounded), and any combination of solos or nomads (as grunt soldiers). They might even have a media there as a war correspondent. The merc group could operate out of a club or bar in the city, or a well-hidden paramilitary base camp somewhere in the outlands.

Reclaimers

Pioneers with a desire to carve homes out of the abandoned cities, reclaimers come from all walks of life and have all kinds of reasons why they have banded together to rebuild. At least one nomad is probably leading the group to the new location, and solos and fixers will be needed to protect the supplies and group while they work. Netrunners may want to exploit old abandoned NET nodes or corporate/military systems.

Lawmen

A lawman team might operate out of a seedy, old, heavily fortified police station, and have some fixers running the vice squad, a netrunner on counter intelligence, a captain (exec) with connections to the city government, and any number of cops. They probably also have a few maddened solos on the psycho squad, and medias following them—looking for a hot story. They could be private investigators, or a band of hard driving/riding marshals, who scour the open highways for the booster gangs and roadwarrior wannabes that infest them.

Gangs

Gangs are usually the enemy in Cyberpunk, but they can also be created for positive purposes: neighborhood defense, to stop other more violent gangs, or to resist a major invasion by government or the corps. A typical gang would have lots of solos, nomads, and fixers. There might be a medtech or tech around, and even an exec if the gang is controlled by a covert organization. A media could be covering them. The gang can operate out of a club, bar, or maybe an old deserted building.

Cults and Boostergangs

Any group of players can aspire to join a boostergang or other cult. They may have ended up on the street through job loss, personal tragedy, or just a desire to find a socially acceptable outlet to kill, loot, and pillage.

Don’t Give Up Your Day Job

Any one of these teams can fit a character that isn’t noted: A low-level rockerboy could moonlight on a Trauma Team while waiting for that big break. A netrunner might do a bit of time with a corporate team, while also sneaking into the company mainframe at night. A nomad will do all kinds of things to earn money while his pack is in town. In these cases, the character role could be treated as an interest, which may become more important to the team as time passes.

It’s Always Street Level

A Cyberpunk game isn’t about saving the world: it’s all about saving yourself. This basic principle shows up throughout the genre. The heroes are not heroic; at best they’re somewhat successful professionals (Humphrey Bogart’s portrayals of Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade are good examples) who are prone to having shady pasts and failures to live down. All the players characters have basic skills but are not totally badass.

It’s Always a Caper

A "caper" is a time-honored part of the crime genre, and also sometimes the spy genre (like Mission Impossible). A caper involves getting a team of professionals with rather dubious skills together to steal, kidnap, sabotage, or assassinate a particular person, place, or thing. Sometimes called a heist, the caper is a good way to get a group together, keep them focused, and make sure they get a great payoff at the end.

The Crew

Capers almost always involve a crew: a team assembled to pull off the job. Often a crew will get a rep and be hired over and over by a succession of clients, with the terms worked out by their fixer. A good caper should use as many character roles as possible in their crew. Good role choices include:

The Mastermind

The player organizing the job. Most often a fixer as they have the cash to bankroll under the table jobs, but an exec can fill this slot too. Either way, a crew often has someone paying to get the job done. They may not be going along on the job, but they have a stake in it, and wont be happy if it goes sideways.

The Runner

The player who provides NET cover, opening remote doors, spying out cyberspace traps, taking control of enemy security systems, and scanning ahead of the crew for any problems.

The Tech

The player who brings the gear. It can be specialized stuff, or off the rack, but they keep it running and come up with on the fly solutions when unexpected tech problems crop up.

The Medtech

Sometimes things go wrong, and you end up full of holes, so this is the player who patches them up. Jobs may also involve kidnapping, extraction or some other element that will have a medical function. (Like how much sodium pentathol should we give this guy to find out where he hid the microchip we want?)

The Ninja

This role is usually a variation of a Solo, but they specialize in getting into places and silently taking out the target. They’re also fully competent muscle, but are usually sneakier about it.

The Face

The player who deliberately puts themselves out in front of a Job. Sometimes they’re a distraction, but they may be there to pump the opposition for info. They’re the one smooth talking somone into doing something. Rockers are naturally good at playing the face role; they can sometimes rely on a guard or secretary being too starstruck by their arrival to think clearly.

The Driver

The player who provides the transport. Probably a nomad, as that’s the role with the most vehicular options. They may have to drive several different types of vehicles in a single caper.

The Muscle

The player who provides the raw strength and violence. Often whomever is best at hand-to-hand beatdowns, and anyone who doesn’t fit into a specific role needed for a particular job.

The Killer

This player also deals with violence, usually involving guns, swords, or other weapons. They’re the snipers, assassins, or drive-by shooters, who take out the guards or rival gangers.

The Scrounger

The player who comes up with whatever the crew is going to need; a good job for a fixer, tech, or exec. They always have a cousin, who knows a guy, who has a brother, whose uncle's has a friend, who can get one. Just don’t ask how they got it.

It’s Always Personal

The main plot should always be personal, but may eventually involve larger world threats. In other words, the crew might find themselves involved in a major fight between two corps, but they should have an intimate and personal reason for getting involved. If you need a hook, look at their lifepaths, those are full of good ways to snag then. The start of each "story spike" can begin based on individual character roles.

Technical: New technology or using tech to fix a problem.
Combat: A threat or other physical danger.
Persuasion: Avoiding danger without combat or gadgets.

Something for Everyone

Side Quests are a great way to add depth to a story and help it extend beyond a basic plotline. Who knows, you might even get some character development out of it! Side quests should be linked to main plots for each type of player in the group.

Don't Lose the Main Plot

No matter how big the plot gets, Jabba the Hutt still wants his 5,000 credits. And he will keep showing up—it's personal!

Beat Charts

Scripting the Game

Whether for a show, movie, or RPG adventure, you need a script to tell you where the action’s going. And pacing is the most important part of that script. You not only have to tell a story, but also break it up into manageable chunks.

Each chunk of story should convey information, enterain, and provide excitement by pushing the plot along in some visible way. One way to do this is by using a "Beat Chart"; a framework in which certain actions or scenes take place in a certain order. The order of the scenes helps to both maintain dramatic tension and allow the storyline to make sense.

Each beat chart has five aspects, or beats: the Hook, the Development, the Cliffhanger, the Climax, and the Resolution. Some beats, like the hook, climax, and resolution occur only once. Others, like the development and the cliffhanger, are used over and over, but in alternating order.

There are three rules for setting up a beat chart

The story always begins with a hook: A short bit of action or suspense, used to involve the edgerunners in the story.
The story always ends on a climax, and is then followed by a resolution. The climax is the big finale—the battle where the protagonists complete their mission (maybe), or where the murderer is revealed. The resolution is the tag line: it’s the part at the end that tells what happens as a result of the climax. It’s the part in the show or movie where we see the supposedly dead antagonist flying away in their AV, the nomad pack driving off into the night, or the heroes living happily ever after (as much as anyone can in Cyberpunk).
Alternate developments and cliffhangers throughout the story. Developments are non-action beats that move the story along; they involve clues, revelations, conversations, and character development. Cliffhangers are always action scenes: chases, dogfights, battles, etc. Developments and cliffhangers always appear in alternating order; you should never have two cliffhangers or two developments in a row.

As a general rule, if the hook has a lot of action, you’ll start the rest of the story with a development; if the hook was more cerebral and inactive, you’ll want to start with a cliffhanger to liven things up. You also want to make sure to end on a development if the climax is an active one, and a cliffhanger if your climax is more mental.

Making a Beat Chart

Quickly jot down a rough beat chart for your adventure. It’ll start with a hook, and end on a climax and a resolution. But how many developments and cliffhangers will it to need?

One way to determine this, is to decide just how long you want your adventure to be. A good rule of thumb is that each beat in the chart should take about half an hour of gameplay.

Your hook, climax, and resolution already account for an hour and a half; subtract this from the total hours of play, then divide the remainder between developments and cliffhangers.

1 beat = ½ hour of real-world time

Decide (generally, since you haven’t started to plot things out yet), if you want to start on a development or cliffhanger, and which type of beat you want to end on. Number the list in order of appearance and you’ve got a beat chart.

A Few Good Beats

This section lists some of the all-time best beats from shows, movies, books, and plays throughout entertainment history. Pick a Hook, Cliffhanger, Development, Climax, or Resolution for each part of your beat chart, and use them to build a story.

Hooks: Coronet Blue, Crisis, Discovery, False Accusation, Kidnapped, Looming Threat, Murder, Play a Cliffhanger, Play a Development, Revelation
Cliffhangers: Ambush, Battle, Chase, Confrontation, Contest, Dogfight, Duel, Fist Fight, Monster, Obstacle, Pursuit, Race, Skirmish
Developments: Advantage Revealed, Alliance, Back from the Dead, Betrayal, Clue, Foreshadowing, Framed, Gain Mastery, Hazardous Quest, Hesitation, Lie Revealed, Mistaken Identity, Monologue, Not What it Seems, Obsession, Personal Stake, Puzzle, Rescuers, Retreat, Revealed Weakness, Revelation, Romance, Sabotage, Second Chance, Secret Meeting, Strange Bedfellows, Turnabout, Vengeance, Warning
Climaxes: Final Battle, Final Revelation, Final Act
Resolutions: Antagonist Escapes, Antagonist is Killed, Antagonist Toppled, Edgerunners Captured, Edgerunners Escape, Ending Cliffhanger, Greater Threat, Happy Ending, Pyrrhic Victory

Hooks

The hook is how you get your edgerunners involved. It can be any situation which poses an immediate threat or interest to the crew. It could be an ambush, or finding a suitcase full of eurodollars. Both situations get the crew involved and moving.

A Hook need not be directly connected to the main plotline; it can be a self-contained scene, just as long as it does its job: wake the edgerunners up. For example: in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the opening scene where Indy breaks into the tomb, is a hook. It tells the audience he does interesting things, that he has enemies, and that the action will be fast and frenetic. No one leaves to get popcorn from the lobby after this scene.

The hook is used to get the crew into the adventure fast. Its sole reason for existing, is to start the action rolling and make things interesting from the start. You don’t want to waste time with all the edgerunners fumbling around and trying to decide what to do. Instead, you hook them and then reel in the line.

Coronet Blue

The crew awake in a dangerous or difficult situation, with no memory of how they got there or who they are. Both friends and enemies alike, treat them as if they know everything.

Crisis

The crew are immediately embroiled in an ongoing crisis; a disaster that extends beyond just their immediate sphere of influence, to the whole city or maybe even the entire world. A war between corps has spilled out onto the streets, booster gangs are pouring out of the combat zone in a crazed orgy of destruction, an earthquake is shaking the city to the ground, or a plague is killing everyone in sight.

The crisis begins the moment the game starts, and doesn’t let up until the edgerunners either escape or set out to stop it. It’s important that the crisis relates directly to the story; the boostergangers are being goaded by the crew’s enemies, the antagonist caused the earthquake using a corp drilling device.

Discovery

The crew might find a lost piece of pre-war tech, or a datafile filled with dangerous information. In all cases, the discovery sook should directly link into some important element of the later story (the datafile is the key to unlocking a vault that belonged to a crew member’s parent, or that longlost tech they found is something their corp antagonist wants, badly).

False Accusation

The edgerunners are falsely accused of a crime. A fixer sends goons after them because "They stole from my night market!" A seemingly terrified corp rushes up to one of the crew and points them out to a nearby police officer as their attacker. A man falls dead in their arms, a monoblade stuck in his back.

In short; something which could get the crew into serious trouble is laid (undeservingly) at their doorstep, and they have a limited number of options: fight (against impossible odds) or flee (with everyone in the world after them).

Kidnapped

The edgerunners are either kidnapped by an unknown force, or one of their friends is kidnapped. The kidnapper should be mysterious and far more powerful than the crew. The idea is that the kidnapping sets up the next beat on the chart.

Looming Threat

Similar to a crisis, however, the actual danger hasn’t broken over their heads yet. There are mysterious portents, and an aura of dread pervades the air. The booster gangs haven’t hit the streets yet, but they’re all massing in their strongholds, psyching themselves up. The corps are massing armies in their headquarters, and everyone knows it’s just a matter of time. The plague hasn’t started yet, but dozens of people have died from a mysterious and horrible disease. Of course, the threat should be directly related to the plot.

Murder

Either of a friend/relative/ally of the edgerunners, or a clearly innocent victim. The murder can occur either near the crew, or the victim can be discovered by them. In no case should you allow the crew to actually capture the murderer in question; the aim is to link the murder into the subsequent story.

Play a Cliffhanger

A game can also begin with a furious action scene (many TV shows and movies begin like this). The best cliffhanger beats to play are; confrontation, ambush, or fist fight. A cliffhanger should serve to propel the edgerunners immediately into the plotline, by introducing them to either their opposition or allies.

Play a Development

You can also play a development as a hook (this is a common tactic in mystery and crime shows). The best options for this are; secret meeting, mistaken identity, romance, or treachery. Once again, the iea is to immediately propel the edgerunners into the plotline and introduce major allies or opponents. An edgerunner could fall in love with a nomad they ally with later, be betrayed by a friendly force, or find themselves en route to a secret meeting with their opponent.

Revelation

A previously hidden fact that dramatically changes the crew's lives. It could be an unexpected inheritance, a secret past, mysterious parentage revealed, or an unpurgeable virus in their cyberware. The revelation should be directly be linked to the story in some way or another. ("You’re probably wondering why I called you all here…")

Cliffhangers

"A contest whose outcome is in doubt up to the very end."—All Cliffhangers involve physical conflict or peril of some sort, but they can take many forms: a car chase, dogfight, sword duel, or even a fist fight. Cliffhangers serve two purposes: they speed up the plotline by increasing the pace, and wake up the audience by interjecting a note of danger.

It is important that the hero discovers the secret weapon in the basement—but the monster guarding it is a much more exciting problem that only combat can resolve.

You don’t want to pile cliffhanger on top of cliffhanger; it dulls the impact of danger and excitement, and the players will get tired of unrelenting battles. Keep them short, deadly, and with the threat of defeat (or death) right up front.

Another good rule is to save the best for last. At the start, the crew are an unknown quantity, but a few battles will tell them and their opponents, their strengths and weaknesses.

This is when you send out a reasonable force of bad guys that the edgerunners can defeat if they don't do anything too stupid. Once they get the hang of it, raise the ante to make them a little more worried; can they defeat this stronger foe?

By the end of the script, you want to hit the edgerunners with the toughest thing you’ve got; hopefully, they defeated the antagonist’s henchmen and have "The Thing They Need" to (barely) defeat "The Big Threat".

Ambush

This is much like a battle—two sides meet and have a fight—but in an ambush, one side always gets a free shot before its opposition can respond. There are two ways to play this. If the edgerunners stage an ambush, you should set the stage so that it’s obvious that their opposition is nearby and completely unaware of their presence. What happens after is up to them. When played against the edgerunners, the enemy drops out of nowhere, and the crew must make awareness checks that beat the enemy’s stealth, to know it is coming.

Battle

A full-out, formal combat. A battle differs from an ambush in that both sides are fully aware of the battle to come and meet openly. Unlike a duel, all the participants can join in at any time: it’s a combat free for all. When playing this cliffhanger, you’ll want to scale each subsequent battle (you might have several in the course of a game) at higher and higher levels.

For example:

Battle 1: Mooks

Usually of lesser skill than the edgerunners, so it’s safe to throw an equal number of mooks at the crew. If the crew has several combat-oriented characters, you can even have the mooks outnumber the crew 2-to-1.

Battle 2: Lieutenants

Usually of equal or slightly greater skill than the edgerunners. For every two edgerunners there should be one lieutenant. If you want to make things interesting—have the lieutenants round out their forces with mooks so there’s a total number of antagonists equal to the number of edgerunners in the crew (keep in mind that each lieutenant equals two edgerunners).

Battle 3: Mini Bosses

The best the opposition can throw at the edgerunners now makes their appearance. They are always substantially more powerful, skill-wise, than the crew. Each mini boss counts as three edgerunners, making them a very difficult fight. Usually, a mini boss will be accompanied by a number of lieutenants and mooks needed to make the opposition equal the crew.

1 Mook = 1 Edgerunner
1 Lieutenant = 2 Edgerunners
1 Mini Boss = 3 Edgerunners

Sometimes the answer isn’t throwing more enemies at the players, but giving the enemies better gear. A mook can be far more dangerous if they trade in their poor quality pistol for a Malorian Arms 3516. This can also go in the other direction: When your players start getting high powered gear, they will probably be able to punch above their weight. You may want to treating characters with powerful weapons or cyberware as two or even three edgerunners, when building encounters.

Chase

The crew engages in hot pursuit of the opposition. Obviously, you aren’t going to be able to get the edgerunners to follow anyone unless they’ve got a good reason. This cliffhanger is best used right after a kidnapping or revelation.

Confrontation

A non-physical fight—a scene where the edgerunners face the opposition in verbal combat. Threats are exchanged and intimidation resorted to. Either one side backs down or both do. This cliffhanger is a tough one to play; the opposition should have an overwhelming advantage over the crew, yet choose not to exploit it in combat. A good example is a scene where the antagonist‘s minions come to the edgerunners and tell them to "Get outta town by sundown, or else." Unless the edgerunners push it, the opposition isn’t going to attack just then. The idea is to simply lean on the crew and give them a reason to want to fight, when they finally get the chance.

Contest

Some type of ritualized confrontation, in which one side wins and one side loses. A contest could involve riddles, feats of strength, feats of memory, or cleverness, or any other type of competition. The result should always come down to roleplay and the rolls, the crew should always have a chance to win!

Dogfight

Vehicular combat; this could be a battle of flying vehicles like the name suggests, but also motorcycles, cars, or even boats. The opposition attempt to shoot down the edgerunners crew.

Duel

One-on-one combat between two participants. Weapons are usually of equal power and lethality (for example, a sword vs. a dagger would be considered a battle, not a duel). Duels do not have to be to the death in most cases, the object is to prove who’s the better combatant between the two parties. A duel can also be used to decide the outcome of a situation: if A wins, B agrees to do something A wants. In the world of Cyberpunk, some bars have combat pits to help settle things between individuals, so violence doesn’t erupt in the streets.

Fist Fight

The edgerunners (or a single champion of the crew) meets the opposition in hand-to-hand combat. This doesn’t have to be an actual fist fight; it can be any contest where physical, weaponless combat can take place. Wrestling, kung fu, and fisticuffs are all acceptable. The rules of the combat are often ritualized in some way—takes place inside a circle, one hand behind the back, salt thrown at the opponent, etc.

Monster

Non-intelligent threats to the edgerunners: the drone guarding the office building, the automated turrets on the wall, or the horde of mini drones in the hallway.

Obstacles

Traps, hazards, etc. Dangers the edgerunners must physically overcome. They can be easily re-themed and used again.

Nonlethal Obstacles

Usually deadfalls, snares, or form of confinement, designed to capture the edgerunners or subject them to a situation where they must either perceive and defeat the trap first, or escape fter they walk into it. Such as a booby-trapped hallway with dropdown walls, or a closed room filling with knockout gas.

Lethal Obstacles

Similar to nonlethal obstacles, but they can cause real harm and even death. Like an electrified fence, the crumbling floor of an old building, or a timebomb that started ticking down the moment the crew entered the room. There should always be some way to overcome an obstacle. In the case of traps set by enemies, clues to help the edgerunners overcome them must be present, either in the scene which the obstacle features, or in an earlier scene.

Pursuit

The edgerunners are chased by the opposition, who have superior force on their side. This cliffhanger works best when you make it really obvious that the enemy has far superior numbers, and will do bad things to the crew if they don’t run.

Race

The edgerunners must race and beat the opposition to a goal. The goal can be a person, place, or thing. This is best played after some type of revelation or discovery, to give the crew a better sense of the stakes and a reason to win the race.

Skirmish

The edgerunners engage in a small battle with the opposition. If the crew is winning, then the opposition escapes via trickery (smoke bombs, leaping on the back of a passing truck, etc.). If the crew is losing, the opposition is content to capture them or leave them wounded but alive.

Developments

A scene where the plot moves ahead without a conflict. It sets the direction of action until the next big development. In Lord of the Rings, Gandalf’s visit to Frodo to tell him about the Ring is a development. The direction of action is set; Frodo and his companions must find a way to destroy the Ring or face the destruction of Middle Earth.

Developments can be used to give the edgerunners a clue, pass on information, warn a danger, or to reveal a previously unknown aspect of the plot. In Casablanca, Ilse Lunds return to Rick’s Cafe forces him to help the resistance.

Developments can lead to new developments: Meeting Ben in order to learn about the Force, eventually leads Luke to go to Dagobah in order to train under Yoda, which in turn leads to his discovery that Darth Vader is actually his father.

Advantage Revealed

The edgerunners uncover a previously unknown ability, tool, weapon, or other advantage in their quest. It could be a pile of pieces that is really a powerful weapon when assembled, or a new, specialized piece of cyberware, or the knowledge of a technique that didn’t seem all that important at first.

Alliance

Gaining help from outside sources: an experienced solo takes up your cause, the locals are swayed into giving you aid, etc. This development will always give the edgerunners a new "manpower" resource. Allies should be powerful, but not enough to tip the outcome of a battle by themselves.

Back from the Dead

An old opponent returns from a supposed death. Like second chance, this is a tough beat to play: you need a reasonable excuse for how the old enemy escaped their doom (the AV crashed in the water, the wound only looked fatal, etc.). Only use this once, and it’s best used when the edgerunners have overwhelmingly defeated the bad guys early in the game and you want the final battle to be a challenge.

Betrayal

The Edgerunners have been betrayed! It could be a trusted ally, a lover, or their local bartender. It can be anyone involved with the party. What form will the betrayal take? Maybe the crew’s plans are revealed to the opposition. Maybe they help the opposition set up an ambush (or drugs the edgerunners so they can be captured). Maybe they kidnap an important NPC and turn them over to the antagonists as a hostage. Or even steal the gadget needed to defeat the enemy. A betrayal should always allow the crew a chance to catch the betrayer in the act, or find them soon afterward to enact their revenge.

Clue

An ambiguous revelation. One part of the puzzle is revealed, but not the whole thing. With a clue, the edgerunners learn only "Someone is buying or stealing up all the loose nuclear material in the city", and not "Inquisitors are acquiring all the radioactive material, because they’ve decided to cleanse the whole city in fire by building and detonating a nuclear device".

Foreshadowing

Like warnings, foreshadowing still gives warning of events to come, but they are always ambiguous and hazy: instead of saying "Watch out for corp agents!" Foreshadowing says "Be wary of anyone with an expensive haircut." Thisdevelopment can be played at almost any time, but not immediately before the event—you’re going to want some time for the suspense to build. Foreshadowing can be used in a number of ways: the antagonists meet the edgerunners in a non-threatening situation, or someone may warn the crew about their enemy. Foreshadowing is unique in that it can encompass messages from the NET and obscure hints, but the nature of the threat is not obviously explained.

Framed

The edgerunners (or a member of the crew) is set up for a crime they didn’t commit. The frame should be obvious to everyone except the authorities (who will have convincing evidence to the contrary).

Gain Mastery

A period of learning or improvement: a long session with a teacher, special training from a skilled source, study, or long practice. The edgerunners spend weeks in a training camp with an old Militech drill sergeant, or travel to a nomad camp to learn to drive from nomad Santiago himself. At the end of the mastery period, they will possess the skills needed to Win the Game—if they use them wisely. It’s best to compress time in this development: cover the high spots. (Training montage!)

Hazardous Quest

The crew are forced to embark on a journey of hazardous proportions to destroy, find, or recover something. The way will be long and arduous, with obstacles everywhere. There may be terrible storms or deadly environmental conditions. Any combat will be of a minor nature, and unrelated to their opposition: wild animals, old drones, random gangers, etc. A hazardous journey can, however, start, be interrupted by, or end with a battle, ambush, trap, or other combat-related beat.

Hesitation

The hesitation is much like a retreat; the opposition breaks off its attack without warning. However, they do not quit the field. Instead, they may pause to negotiate a temporary truce. A typical version of this is the old, "You guys are a lot better than I expected. I’m impressed. You should come work with me." In most cases, should the edgerunners go along with them, the antagonist will betray or backstab them at the first opportunity.

Lie Revealed

Something previously thought to be true, turns out to be a lie! This could be a clue, a piece of information, the identity of an NPC, or other vital fact. The revealed lie doesn't automatically reveal the truth; it just becomes clear to the edgerunners that what they were originally told is untrue.

Mistaken Identity

One (or more) of the edgerunners is mistaken for (or poses as) someone else. The identity is always that of on important person; however, it may be a good or bad guy. With mistaken identity comes problems, advantages, or information, which can be played as developments after this is beat. If everyone thinks an edgerunner is the long-lost, presumed-dead, Rache Bartmoss, this may provoke his (many) enemies to attack as soon as possible. Later, Rache’s romantic interest may show up with information for the same edgerunner.

Monologue

Antagonist is in a talkative mood. Like all good villains, they have the need to brag about their Master Plan; what the Goal is, how it will be accomplished, etc. This should only be used when the edgerunners are totally in the antagonist’s control, after a kidnapping, trap, or confrontation. The bad guy feels it won’t matter: the whole crew are going to either die or serve them anyway, why not make the edgerunners sweat?

Not What it Seems

Something in a previous beat is not what it originally seemed. Friends turn out to be enemies, something harmful is actually good, etc. A classic example is the ally who changes sides, then is discovered to be infiltrating the opposition as a double agent. This is a tough development to play, as it requires that the GM to know the true meaning of the original action and make it obvious that the change was intended all along.

Obsession

A member of the crew is the target of someones obsession. It may be love, hate, or curiosity, but the obsessed person will do their best to follow the object of their fixation, trying to stay close to them. They will not attack the edgerunners, however, and will avoid confrontation whenever possible.

Personal Stake

Raise the ante by interjecting a personal stake into the action. Maybe one of the edgerunners is poisoned, with the only vial of the antidote being in the hands of the opposition; or a friend or lover is kidnapped by the antagonist; or the crew learn that their enemy set them up in some way, and the only way they can clear their names, is to get the real culprit, etc.

Puzzle

A riddle is posed to the edgerunners—something that must be solved before they can move on. It can be any type of riddle or puzzle. Unlike a contest, a puzzle does not have sides, it is merely placed before the crew, who must then solve it before they can escape, get into the corp HQ, learn the antagonist’s secret, etc. Like a trap, a puzzle must always have a solution, and clues to that solution must either be present in the same scene or in a scene that has already occurred.

Rescuers!

The edgerunners must save someone from capture, death, or confinement. The important part is to provide a compelling reason for the rescue to take place. Maybe the victim is a friend or has information the crew needs to succeed.

Retreat

Usually played after a cliffhanger. For an unknown reason, the edgerunner’s opponents are suddenly forced to break off an attack, ambush, or other action, and retreat to their current stronghold. As GM, it’s up to you to decide the reasons for this sudden reversal. Perhaps there has been a setback or betrayal in the enemy camp, a hostile third party is on their way, or the opposition has realized that the fight will not serve its original purpose. When a retreat is played, the enemy will always seek to cover their tracks with some delaying tactic that makes it impossible for the crew to immediately follow: collapsing a stairway, dropping a cluster of grenades, etc.

Revealed Weakness

The edgerunners learn some previously unknown weakness of their opposition. The weakness could be physical, mental (a hidden fear or phobia), a special weapon or tool which can be used against the opposition, or a traitor within the enemy’s camp. The revealed weakness is always clearly described: "The Dragoon Full Body Conversion unit is a combat monster but there’s a flaw in the casing around the power core that can be penetrated by a solid shot."

Revelation

A key piece of information is uncovered. This won’t tell the edgerunners the same things as a hidden weakness or clue. Instead, in a revelation, they discover the entire story—all of what’s going on in one shot. Not merely a clue, like "Someone is buying or stealing up all the loose nuclear material in the city", but instead "Inquisitors are acquiring all the radioactive material, because they’ve decided to cleanse the whole city in fire by building and detonating a nuclear device". Revelations should only be used when you really want the crew to know everything, and it won’t affect the outcome in any critical way.

Romance

Romance comes to one or more of the edgerunners when someone takes a strong liking to them. This doesn’t have to be all hearts and flowers, though: thea new lover can come complete with a secret alliance to the edgerunner’s enemy, jealous suitors, angry parents, hidden secrets, or a lethal and incurable disease.

Sabotage

An important weapon, piece of cyberware, or a vehicle of the edgerunners, is sabotaged. Like betrayal, the crew should also have a chance to detect the sabotage and avert/repair it.

Second Chance

The edgerunners have suffered a major setback in some way (they were unprepared or just missed the clues). This beat can be played to "save" a disintegrating game; allies appear with new information, new clues are revealed, or comrades previously thought dead may be brought back by an act of divine intervention (or scriptwriting; i.e.; "When Harry’s AV crashed, he ejected at the last moment, but was knocked out and lost his memory, but then he recovered and has rejoined the crew."). This is a very powerful development to play, and should be used with extreme care.

Secret Meeting

A secret meeting is called, in which the edgerunners can gain new allies or information. Secret meetings are usually played before a clue, revelation, or alliance. A beat can be played between the two developments (the meeting is broken up by an ambush or some other type of conflict). Most of the action in this development comes from setting up, reaching, and meeting people at the meeting.

Strange Bedfellows

A common threat suddenly forces the edgerunners to ally with the opposition. This works best when the enemy suddenly shows up and says, "We have a common problem and need to work together." The threat must be both compelling and convincing for this beat to work.

Turnabout

A member of the opposition decides (for their own reasons), to aid the crew. Maybe an underling betrays the antagonist in order to get their job, or an opponent joins the edgerunners because they fall in love with one of them. This is a good way to balance the odds when the crew needs some support.

Vengeance

One of the crew becomes the main target of the opposition’s vengeance. Maybe it’s actually something they did. Maybe the bad guy just doesn’t like their face. In any conflict, this enemy will make a point of attacking or challenging this edgerunner, no matter what the risk.

Warning

The edgerunners learn of something to come, or of a threat they may not be aware of. Warnings are mysterious voices in the NET, notes slipped under doors, or allies coming to the crew to tell them what’s about to happen. The main difference between a this and foreshadowing, is that a warning is always explicit: it tells them the nature of the threat or problem, while a foreshadowing gives only vague hints.

Climax

Scenes that happen near the end (or sometimes at the end) of the game. Thus, they are played last. The only other scene that can follow a climax is a resolution.

Final Battle

The last showdown between the edgerunners and the enemy. Bring in the Antagonist, their henchmen, assorted minions, and whatever monsters or other opposition forces you can muster. A final battle should be a dramatic free-for-all, with destruction meted out on a grand scale. Like final revelation, it wraps up the game for the most part; the enemies are beaten, the love interest rescued, the neighborhood was saved, etc.

Final Revelation

The edgerunners (and appropriate NPCs) are all gathered together in one place, and, like the participants in an Agatha Christie novel, must decide what is going on and expose the true facts. What has been going on must finally be revealed in its entirety: the Edgerunner’s learn about the Inquisition’s nuclear bomb plot, the murderer is revealed, or the enemy’s secret identity exposed. The outcome of this Revelation is already decided; once the killer is revealed, the police will arrest them, or once the Corp exec’s illicit business affairs are uncovered, they will slink away in disgrace. The goal of the Final Revelation is to merely uncover the underlying mystery.

Final Act

Not every mission ends in a big reveal or a huge battle. Sometimes edgerunners try for stealth and guile and actually succeed. This is especially true in heist adventures. In the final act, the edgerunners enact their big plan to accomplish their goal. Like stealing a piece of tech, planting a crippling virus in a Corp’s network, or placing the bomb that’ll wipe out an enemy’s headquarters once and for all. While the final act might involve fights or obstacles, they aren’t the main focus. Instead, the focus should be on how the pieces of the plan come together to help the edgerunners complete the job.

Resolution

Resolutions are the "tag line" of a show: a tiny denouement in which plot ends are neatly tied up (or possibilities of a sequel revealed). They the final beat in the script—the end result of all the other beats. But how can that be, you ask? Didn’t the final battle beat resolve things? Not necessarily. A resolution can overturn all other results of the final battle.

Antagonist Escapes

The antagonist is beaten, but not killed or locked away. They have a secret bolt hole, or it really wasn’t them at all—it was a bodysculpted double. If this scene is played, the antagonist gets clean away: the edgerunners have no way of tracking them, or recapturing them. They’re still out there, waiting. A good way to re-use a major opponent, if you don’t over-do it.

Antagonist is Killed

Take that, you slimy corp exec! Bang! Snicker-snack! The antagonist is dead, and you hand out I.P. A fairly common resolution—especially if your crew are a bloodthirsty lot!

Antagonist Toppled

The edgerunners win and, while the antagonist survives, the threat is neutralized. The murderer goes to prison, the corp exec gets transferred to a remote posting in shame, or the gang leader loses all their followers. This resolution offers a chance to use the antagonist down the road but either as a minor threat (perhaps working for a new antagonist) or as a different sort of challenge.

Edgerunners Captured

Best played when the edgerunners have really messed up, but you don’t want to kill them. Instead, they are captured, and the adventure ends with them locked in a corp jail or left adrift on the ocean. At this point, put the characters in limbo, make the players create new edgerunners, and run a totally different game. Not only does this make the players sweat out the fate of their characters, it buys you time to decide how you want to proceed after their upcoming daring escape!

Edgerunners Escape

This beat is best used when your edgerunners are on the ropes and you don’t feel like killing them. Instead, you allow them to escape: an earthquake interrupts their losing battle, another force attacks and distracts the opposition, or an AV lands on the battlefield and an unknown person motions for them to hop in. The object is to save the edgerunners for another round. Like edgerunners captured, you should make the players sweat out another game first. Not a commonly used option, and one to apply with great care.

Ending Cliffhanger

So, they kicked the rival gang out of their territory, huh? Just as the edgerunners are about to break out the Smash and celebrate, a nomad convoy rolls in and announces they are taking over the neighborhood! The ending cliffhanger is a way to set up for a sequel, but keep the tension on all the way. As with edgerunner captured, you might consider spacing out the sequel with another, different game first.

Greater Threat

You thought getting rid of the antagonist ended the problem? Behind them stands a far greater threat! Sure, you took down the local Zhirafa head of security but that means you’ve now attracted the attention of their boss, or the gang leader you deposed was working for the Yakuza and now you have to deal with them. In this scene, you discover that this is only the beginning, and another game lurks in the offing.

Happy Ending

The edgerunners win the day! In Cyberpunk, this could be a major victory like toppling a Corporation or minor victory like getting paid after finishing a mission. Any job you can walk away from, choomba.

Pyrrhic Victory

The edgerunners won, technically. They finished the job and they killed the antagonist, but victory came at a hefty price. Their HQ burned to the ground or an important NPC died during the final confrontation. Whatever the case, they are walking away winners, but the crew shouldn’t feel like it. Be careful—this feels very Cyberpunk it can be tough to follow.

Losing the Beat

Actors stick to the script and know what will happen next. RPG players, on the other hand, are famous for surprising the GM. Just because you’ve set up a beat chart doesn’t mean they will follow it. Trying to force them to follow your script ("railroading") isn’t much fun for you or them. Not to mention, Cyberpunk relies on random chance to adjudicate the action. All it takes is a few bad rolls and your carefully planned beat chart might fall apart. What do you do then? Improvise!

A beat chart should be flexible. The players might have lost a fight and not gotten the briefcase filled with secrets they needed from the enemy, but ask yourself; can they find that information somewhere else? Is there a fixer with the same data who’ll sell it at a cost? Or did some gangers ambush the enemy with the briefcase and steal it? Your clue development changes from "Edgerunners find important documents in a briefcase they got from the baddies." to "Edgerunners have to track down the ganger who stole the briefcase and revocer it."

Random City Encounters

Regional Variation

Keep in mind what part of the city the crew are in. If they’re in a zone with a Moderate threat rating then it’s free game and any of these encounters could happen. But in the safer Zone with a Corporate threat rating they’re not gonna be running into gang wars and cyberpsychos. And if they wander into a Combat Zone or a Hot Zone they’re certain to run into trouble.

When rolling for an encounter in a zone with a Corporate threat rating you’ll want to avoid encounters at the higher end of the scale (Above 50) unless you really want a shake-up. If a fire fight breaks out in these zones, a group of corporate police will arrive 1d10 rounds after combat breaks out, to kill or detain everyone on the scene with a weapon (see the Corporate Guards encounter).

Likewise, when rolling for an encounter in the more lawless zones (Combat and Hot Threat Ratings) you may want to avoid using encounters from the lower end of the scale (Below 50) unless it’s a slow day in the zone. Combat is more likely and a peaceful resolution is harder to come by.

The Executive Zone, acts as a haven for high-level execs and their families. It is separate from the rest of the city and locked off by the highest security money can buy. If your edgerunners ever make it to the Executive Zone, they won’t run into encounters and will instead have to deal with the constant, paranoid, surveillance of corporate security. If they even draw a gun, the corporate cops will be all over them in seconds—in greater numbers, with better weaponry.

Daytime City Encounters

d100	Encounter
01-05	Local Law
06-11	Corporate Guards
12-13	Techs
14-17	Private Investigator
18-20	Corporates
21-27	Locals
28-32	Reclaimers
33-37	Medias
38-41	Private Investigator
42-46	Trauma Team
47-57	Scavvers
58-63	Nomads
64-70	Boostergang
71-76	Street Punks
77-82	Culties
83-88	Nomad Truck
89-94	Boostergang
95-00	Major Criminal

Evening City Encounters

d100	Encounter
01-05	City Police
06-11	Corporate Guards
12-13	Corporate Techs
14-17	Private Investigator
18-20	Corporates
21-25	Rockerboys
26-30	Medias
31-33	Philharmonic Vampires
34-40	Locals
41-46	Roaming Netrunner
47-52	Nomads
53-58	Street Punks
59–63	Trauma Team
64-69	Chromers
70-72	Solo Team
72-77	Boostergang
78-83	Solo Team
84-90	Boostergang
91-93	Major Criminal
94-00	Firefight

Midnight City Encounters

d100	Encounter
01-10	City Police
11-22	Corporate Guards
23-24	Private Investigator
25	Medias
26-29	Chromers
30-39	Edgerunner Team
40-42	Trauma Team
43-45	Ranger
46-58	Nomads
59-63	Culties
64-73	Street Punks
74	Major Criminal
75-79	Turf War
80-87	Arsonists
88-92	Turf War
93-99	Major Criminal
00	Cyberpsycho Rage

Daytime City Encounters

(01-05) Local Law

A number of patrol officers equal to half the players. If the players crew are wearing visible weapons or armor, they are stopped for identification. If they argue, the cops call for backup and 3 more officers arrive in 1d6 rounds to take the players crew in. If the players reach for any weapons, they shoot first, fill out the paperwork later.

(Use security operatives.)

(06-11) Corporate Guards

A number of low-level corporate guards equal to the players are patrolling the area. Unless the players work for the same corporation, they don’t think their crew have any business hanging around in the area they are operating. Move, punk!

(Use security operatives; replace kevlar with light armorjack and poor quality assault rifles with poor quality SMGs.)

(12-13) Techs

A number of techs equal to half the players. Roll 1d10. On a 1-2, they are lugging a crate of tools into an AV-4. 3-5, they are hard at work on a city system in your path. 6-10, they are walking toward you on their way to work.

(Use bodyguards; add shotgun, kevlar vest, tool hand and a micro-optics cybereye.)

(14-17) Private Investigator

A P.I. armed with a heavy baton. Roll 1d10. On 1-3, they are up ahead, hassling an informant on the street corner for the whereabouts of a suspect. 4-7, they are shadowing someone ahead of the players. 8-10, they stop the players and ask if they’ve seen the suspect they’re following.

(Use security officer; add very heavy pistol, heavy melee weapon, medium armorjack; remove assault rifle and bulletproof shield.)

(18-20) Corporates

A number of corporates equal to the players from a local firm, are trying to find a taxi. Roll 1d10. On a 1-4, they are being followed by a number of gangers equal to the players, intent on robbery. 5-8, they think the players are boosters and open fire at any provocation. 9-10, they think the players are trouble and call for backup (see corporate guards encounter, above).

(Corporates; use boosters; remove rippers; replace leather with kevlar and poor quality very heavy pistols with medium pistols; add cyberaudio suite and radio scanner/music player. Gangers; use boosters.)

(21-27) Locals

Two kids from the local neighborhood are being held up by a number of gangers equal to the players. Roll 1d10. On a 1-5, they're Red Chrome Legion. 6-10, they are Inquisitor cultists, beating the kids severely for the sin of having designer eyes.

(Use boosters. Kids; remove rippers and poor quality very heavy pistols. Red Chrome Legion; replace leather with heavy armorjack. Inquisitors; replace rippers with medium melee weapons; remove techhair.)

(28-32) Reclaimers

A well-equipped group of reclaimers equal in number to the players minus 2, with 1 chief, trying to hot-wire an abandoned building into the local power grid. Roll 1d10. On a 1-5, they ignore the players. 6-8, the chief and one other, come over to "Check those guys watching us." 9-10, they blow out a local transformer and the whole block goes dark. Panic ensues.

(Use road gangers and reclaimer chief.)

(33-37) Medias

A two-person camera and interviewer team, are staking out a building on a hot assignment. Roll 1d10. 1-5, they’re spotted by their story-subject and a conflict ensues. The players, of course, are right in the middle of it. Roll on the encounter table again, to see what story the medias are covering.

(Use boosters; replace leather with kevlar and poor quality very heavy pistols with heavy pistols; remove rippers; add microvideo cybereye, cyberaudio suite, amplified hearing.)

(38–41) Private Investigator

A P.I. armed with a heavy baton. Roll 1d10. On a 1–3, they are beating an informant on the street corner ahead of the players. 4–7, they are breaking into someone’s car. 8–10, they stop the players and demand answers regarding the whereabouts of their target.

(Use security officer; remove assault rifle, bulletproof shield.)

(42-46) Trauma Team

An AV-4 hits the ground in the middle of a recent firefight and the medics start tending to a half-dozen wounded gangers. Roll 1d10. On a 1-5, the Trauma Team decides the players are bystanders and ignore them. On 6-10, they figure they’re part of the problem and the security officers open up on them.

(47-57) Scavvers

A number of dirt-poor scavengers equal to the players rooting through the ruins or garbage near one of the burned-out city blocks. All have filthy leathers and are armed with a variety of pistols and makeshift knives. Roll 1d10. On a 1-6, they beg the players for hard cash or anything they can spare. On 7-8, they ignore the players. On 9-10, they try to rob the players.

(Use boosters; replace rippers with light melee weapon.) At the GM’s discretion, the scavvers may have up to a 6 fellow scavs nearby, who can come and assist if violence ensues.

(58-63) Nomads

A number of nomads equal to the players are moderately drunk and looking for a fight. They hassle anyone they find attractive in the players crew, and just want to start a fight.

(Use road gangers.)

(64-70) Boostergang

A number of low-level street punks equal to the players from the Piranhas gang. If the players look like easy prey and have money, the gangers will try and rough them up.

(Use boosters)

(71-76) Street Punks

A number of smash-heads equal in numbers to the players, looking for cash to feed their habit. If the players are not wearing any corporate or gang colors, the punks try to rush them right there on the street, armed with knives and clubs.

(Use boosters; replace rippers with light melee weapons; remove very heavy pistol and leather armor.)

(77-82) Culties

The Reckoners are out in force. A number of them equal to the players, armed openly with knives, clubs, and guns, corner the players to preach that the red sky is a sign of the End Times. If the players crew just blow them off, the cultists try to beat their truth into them instead.

(Use boosters; replace rippers with big knucks and poor quality very heavy pistols with poor quality heavy pistols; add a light melee weapon.)

(83-88) Nomad Truck

A number of nomads from the Steel Vaqueros equal to half the players (minimum 2) are dealing with a broken-down truck. Most are facing off with a group of local gangers equal to the players while one tries to fix the motor. If the players ignore them, they ignore the players, but the nomads may take an offer to help (Roll 1d10: 1-6, Yes; 7-10, No).

(Nomads; use road gangers; replace leather with kevlar. Gangers; use boosters.)

(89-94) Boostergang

A number of members of the Iron Sights gang equal to the players. They hassle anyone in the players crew who stands out, shake them down for money, and are generally spoiling for a fight.

(Use boosters; replace poor quality very heavy pistols with poor quality SMGs; add low light/infrared/UV cybereyes, neural link(kerenzikov)

(95-00) Major Criminal

The players have walked into a major operation being run by the ruthless Vilshenko syndicate. A number of solos equal to the players minus 2 are unloading contraband cargo out of a truck. They’re led by a veteran solo. Roll 1d10. on 1-4, they don’t notice the players. 5-8, they notice the players and one warns them off. 9-10, they decide the players are witnesses and ought to be totaled right now.

(Solos; use security operatives. Veteran solo; use security officer; replace both their assault rifles with shotguns.)

Evening City Encounters

(1-5) City Police

(Use security officers.)

(6-11) Corporate Guards

A number of Corporate guards equal to the players patrolling the area. Armored in Heavy Armorjack carrying Heavy SMGs. Unless you’re a Corporate, they don’t think you have any business running around their territory. Move it, punk.

(Use security officers; replace kevlar with heavy armorjack, poor quality assault rifles with poor quality heavy SMGs.)

(12-13) Corporate Techs

A number of corporate techs equal to half the players with a number of heavily armed bodyguards equal to half the players. Roll 1d10. on 1-2, they are loading crates of parts into an AV-4. 3-5, they are working on a city system in the players path. 6-10, they are fixing up a nice-looking car on the side of the road.

(Techs; use bodyguards; add tool hand and a micro-optics cybereye. Bodyguards; use bodyguards; replace kevlar with medium armorjack and poor quality shotgun with shotguns; add targeting scope cybereye.)

(14-17) Private Investigator

A P.I. armed with a machete. Roll 1d10. On 1-3, they’re ahead of the players, hassling an informant on the street corner for the whereabouts of a suspect. 4-7, they’re shadowing someone up ahead. 8-10, they’ll stop the players to ask whether they’ve seen the person they’re following.

(Use reclaimer chief; remove tent & camping equipment, shotgun; replace heavy pistol with very heavy pistol and heavy melee weapon with medium melee weapon.)

(18-20) Corporates

A number of corporates equal to the players from a large firm, headed for the lev train station. All of them wear suits woven with kevlar and carry polymer one-shots. Roll 1d10. On 1-4, they’re being followed by a number of gangers equal to the players intent on robbery. 5-8, they think the players are boosters and will open fire at any provocation. 9-10, they not only think the players are trouble, but will call for corporate backup (see Corporate Guards, above).

(Corporates; use boosters; remove rippers; replace leather with kevlar; add cyberaudio suite and radio scanner/music player. Gangers; use boosters.)

(21-25) Rockerboys

The players start to overtake a group of rockers equal to half their number minus 1, on the way to a gig, backed by their solo bodyguards (equal to half the players) and their fixer manager. Roll 1d10. On 1-4, they will invite the players to join them. 5-8, they send the solos to "Deal with those fanboys following them." 9-10, they ignore the players.

(Rockers; use boosters; add audiovox, & instruments. Fixer; use booster; add cyberaudio suite and internal agent. Bodyguards; use bodyguards.)

(26-30) Medias

(Use boosters; replace leather with kevlar and poor quality very heavy pistols with heavy pistols; remove rippers; add microvideo cybereye, cyberaudio suite, amplified hearing.)

(31-33) Philharmonic Vampires

The Philharmonic Vampires gang are up to trouble again. Roll 1d10. On 1-2, three of them are setting up for some kind of prank involving unusual household items (GM's choice), but a number of gangers equal to the players have caught on and conflict ensues. 3-4, three of them have hacked into the local streetlights to flash to the beat of a popular pop song. 5-6, three of them have hacked into the data terms to show a warning of an impending missile strike and panic is spreading. 7-8, three of them have dumped several huge bags of eurodollars from the window of a stolen police cruiser. People are scrambling for the cash only to find it’s all fake. 9-10, three of them have hacked into the local video boards and are broadcasting fake news. Undoing the Vamp’s pranks requires a DV14 Electronic/Security Tech check.

(Philharmonic Vampires; use boosters; add Electronic/ Security Tech skill base of 10. Gangers; use bodyguards.)

(34-40) Locals

A teen from a Beaverville. Probably snuck out to see the city. Roll 1d10. 1-4, they’re being held up by a number of gangers equal to the players from the Piranhas gang. 5-8, they’re being beaten severely by a number of Inquisitors equal to the players for the sin of having fashionware. 9-10: they are being held up by a fixer they don’t have the money to pay.

(Piranhas; use boosters; replace leather with light armorjack. Inquisitors; use boosters; replace rippers with light melee weapons; remove techhair. Fixer; use bodyguard; add cyberaudio suite, internal agent, and voice stress analyzer; add a Trading skill base of 10.)

(41-46) Roaming Netrunners

Two netrunners armed are lingering around a small corporate office trying not to get spotted as they break into the building’s NET architecture. Roll 1d10. On 1-5, they’re spotted by a group of security guards equal to the players and a conflict ensues. The players, of course, are right in the middle of it. On 6-10, the netrunners assume you’re security and use the building’s 2 automated security turrets to attack you.

(Netrunners; use netrunner; replace bodyweight suit with light armorjack. Security; use security operatives. Security Turrets; use automated turrets.)

(47-52) Nomads

A group of nomads equal to the players from the Roadrunners Pack. They are moderately drunk and looking for a fight. They hassle anyone they find attractive in the players crew, and just want to start a fight.

(Use road gangers; replace crossbows with assault rifles and leather with medium armorjack; swap archery skill for shoulder arms skill.)

(53-58) Street Punks

A gang of smash-heads equal in numbers to the players, are out looking for cash to feed their habit. If the players are not wearing any corporate or gang colors, the punks try to rush them right there on the street, armed with knives and clubs.

(Use boosters; replace rippers with light melee weapons; remove very heavy pistol and leather armor.)

(59–63) Trauma Team

(64-69) Chromers

A group of hardcore fans of a local Chromatic Rock band, they are decked out with metal spiked leathers and metal arms covered with chrome and cyberweapons. They equal the players in number. Roll 1d10. On a 1-5, they’re hyped up on smash and try to pick a fight. 6-7, they pass the players by, maybe making a few rude comments. 8-10, they take a liking to one or more members of the players crew and invite them to tag along to get smashed and hit the concert.

(Use boosters; add 2 cyberarms with superchrome covering; replace rippers with wolvers and leather with light armorjack.)

(70-72) Solo Team

A group of solos equal in number to half the players, carrying swords. They’re cybered up, and obviously assassins looking for someone. Roll 1d10. On 1-5, they dodge the players and move on; 6-10, they decide the players are witnesses and need to be silenced immediately.

(Use security officers; add low-light/infrared/UV cybereyes, and two cyberlegs with jump boosters; remove assault rifle; replace very heavy pistol with heavy pistol.)

(72-77) Boostergang

A number of Iron Sights gangers equal to the players. They hassle any attractive people in the players crew, shake them down for money, and are generally looking for a fight. This group is tougher than the daylight crowd was.

(Use bodyguard; replace poor quality shotgun with heavy SMGs; add two cyberweapons of your choice, low light / infrared / UV cybereyes, neural link, and kerenzikov.)

(78-83) Solo Team

A group of solos equal in numbers to half the players crew, obviously engaged in some grey operation. If any of the players are wearing a rival corporate uniform or patch, the solos will: 1-5, dodge the players and move on; 6-10, decide they are witnesses and ought to be totaled right now.

(Use security officers; add smartgun link, interface plugs, cyberaudio suite, amplified hearing, low-light/infrared/UV cybereyes, targeting scope in one eye.)

(84-90) Boostergang

A group of low-level street punks from the Piranhas equal to the players plus 2. If the players crew look like easy prey with money, the gangers’ll try and rough them up.

(Use boosters; replace poor quality very heavy pistols with poor quality medium pistols; add neural link and kerenzikov.)

(91-93) Major Criminal

The players wander into a major operation of the notorious Scagattalia family. A group of heavily armed, cybered-up solos equal in number to half the players, are unloading a drug cargo from a truck. Roll 1d10. On a 1-4, they don’t notice the players. 5-8, they notice them and one warns them off. 9-10, the players are witnesses who have seen too much.

(Solos; use security operatives and 2 security officers; replace poor quality assault rifles with smartgun linked assault rifles; add wolvers, neural link, interface plugs, smartgun link, and one targeting scope cybereye.)

(94-100) Firefight

The players just walked into a major altercation between the Maelstrom and the Red Chrome Legion. Each side has a number of members equal to the players. Cyberweapons are everywhere. Each side is led by one ganger armed with heavier weapons. Pick a side or pick a target.

(Grunts; use boosters; replace leather with light armorjack. Keep rippers or replace with other cyberweapons. Leaders; use security officers; add a cyberweapon.)

Midnight City Encounters

(1-10) City Police

A number of patrol officers equal to half the players. If they’re wearing visible weapons or armor, the police stop them and demand identity papers. They players have got no business running around after midnight and they know it. The cops will look for any pretext to make a bust, and if anyone goes for a weapon, they’ll shoot first and forget about the paperwork.

(Use security officers; add interface plugs and smartgun link.)

(11-22) Corporate Guards

A group of corporate guards equal in number to the players patrolling the area. "What are you doing on the property after midnight? Can’t have a good reason!"

(Use security officers; replace assault rifles with heavy SMGs; add interface plugs and smartgun link.)

(23-24) Private Investigator

A P.I. armed with a machete. Roll 1d10. On 1-3, they’re ahead of the players, hassling an informant on the street corner for a suspect. 4-7, they're shadowing someone up ahead. 8-10, they’ll stop the players and ask if they’ve seen the suspect.

(Use reclaimer chief; remove tent & camping equipment, shotgun; replace heavy pistol with very heavy pistol and heavy melee weapon with medium melee weapon.)

(25) Medias

(Use boosters; replace leather with kevlar and poor quality very heavy pistols with heavy pistols; remove rippers; add microvideo cybereye, cyberaudio suite, amplified hearing.)

(26-29) Chromers

A group of hardcore fans of a local Chromatic Rock band, they are decked out with spiked leathers and metal arms covered with chrome and cyberweapons. They outnumber the players by 2. Roll 1d10. 1-5, they’re coming back from a concert, hyped up on smash, and try to pick a fight. 6-7, they drunkenly pass the players by, maybe making a few rude comments. 8-10, they take a liking to one or more members of the party and invite them to tag along to the after party.

(Use boosters; add 2 cyberarms with superchrome covering; replace rippers with wolvers and leather with light armorjack.)

(30-39) Edgerunner Team

A small team of edgerunners: A netrunner, a solo, and a nomad. They’re on the street in an old ground car, preparing to break into a small corporate office. Outside, 6 security guards are on patrol. Roll 1d10. On 1-5, they’re spotted by security and a conflict ensues. The players, of course, are right in the middle of it. On 6-10, they spot the players and offer them a piece of the action.

(Netrunner; use netrunner. Solo; use security officer. Nomad; use reclaimer chief. Security; use security operatives.)

(40-42) Trauma Team

(43-45) Ranger

A lawman and their deputized partner are in town looking for a local gang of 6 scavengers hiding out in the City. Roll 1d10. On a 1-5, the gunfight has already broken out by the time the players get there, blocking their path. The lawman calls to the players to join them. There’s a high bounty on the 6 lowlifes. 6-10, the Lawman and their deputy are about to go into the gang’s hideout and flush them out. They’ve blocked off the street with the help of the local cops and the lawman offers the players part of the bounty to go in and help bring the scavengers out dead or alive.

(Lawman; outrider. Deputy; road ganger. Scavvers; boosters.)

(46-58) Nomads

A group of nomads equal in number to the players plus 2 from the Wildman pack are currently beating a corporate couple bloody for looking at them wrong. As long as the players stay clear of them and their bikes, the nomads ignore them and concentrate on beating the corporates to mush.

(Nomads; use road ganger; add light tattoos; swap crossbows with assault rifles; replace archery skill with shoulder arms skill. Corporates: use boosters; remove rippers)

(59-63) Culties

The Inquisitors are out in maximum force. A group equal in numbers to the players, all armed with nunchaku, handguns, and whips corner them. Two more Inquisitors armed with air pistols with acid rounds stand back, ready to pepper the more heavily armored players. "Only a servant of the metal demons would be awake at this hour. Any decent citizen would be at home, asleep. Hack, slay, and maim the heretics!"

(Inquisitors; use boosters; remove leathers and techhair; replace rippers with medium melee weapons; add air pistols with 20 acid paintballs to two of them.)

(64-73) Street Punks

A group of lace junkies equal in numbers to the players plus 2, are looking for cash to feed their habit. Even if the players are wearing corporate or gang colors, they try to rush them right on the street. They’re boosted up on black lace and armed with knives and clubs; no armor.

(Use boosters; replace rippers with light melee eeapons and remove very heavy pistol and leather armor. They’re all on black lace and ignore the seriously wounded state.)

(74) Major Criminal

(Solos; use security operatives; replace poor quality assault rifles with smartgun linked rifles; add wolvers, neural link, interface plugs, smartgun link, and targeting scope cybereye.)

(75-79) Turf War

The players just walked into an all-out turf war between the two of the largest gangs in the area. Roll 1d10 for each of the sides. 1-2, it’s the Tyger Claws, with armored biker jackets, and katanas. 3-4, it’s the 6th Street, wearing armorjack and carrying SMGs. 5-6, it’s the Piranhas with pistols and ripped leather jackets. 7-8, it’s the Iron Sights, armed with various cyberweapons and SMGs. 9-10, it’s an NCPD patrol. Each side has a number of members equal to the players (minimum 4). Cyberweapons are everywhere. Pick a side or a target.

(Use boosters. Tyger Claws; add heavy melee weapons; replace leather with light armorjack. 6th Street; replace leather with medium armorjack, rippers with heavy SMGs. Piranhas; use as-is. Iron Sights; replace poor quality very heavy pistols with SMGs, rippers with cyberweapons as desired. NCPD; replace leather with medium armorjack; add assault rifles and a shoulder arms skill base of 10.)

(80-87) Arsonists

A small group of radical anarchists with a grudge against somebody local. One cybered up ganger with a flamethrower, an axe, and a pistol, is leading a number of boosters equal to the players minus 3 (minimum 2). They aren’t really looking for a fight, but they are burning down the block and will kill anybody who gets in their way, or happens to be in the way.

(Flamethrower ganger; use pyro. Gangers; use boosters; add 1 incendiary grenade each.)

(88-92) Turf War

The players just walked into an all-out turf war between the two of the largest gangs in the area. Roll 1d10 for each of the sides. On a 1-2, Bozos decked out in polka-dot armorjack, with giant mallets and colorful guns. 3-4, Maelstrom, bristling with cyberweapons. 5-6, Primetime Players with old school shotguns and leather jackets with fringe. 7-8, Voodoo Boys, with teargas grenades and SMGs. 9-10, Red Chrome Legion in armorjack uniforms with assault rifles. Each side has a number of members equal to the players (minimum 4). There are cyberweapons everywhere. Pick a side or pick a target.

(Use boosters. Bozos; replace leather with light armorjack; replace rippers with big knucks; add very heavy melee weapons. Maelstrom; replace leather with medium armorjack, rippers with wolvers. Primetime Players; add shotgun with 20 slugs and a shoulder arms skill base of 10. Voodoo Boys; replace poor quality very heavy pistols with SMGs; add 1 teargas grenade. Red Chrome Legion; replace leather with medium armorjack; add assault rifles and a shoulder arms skill base of 10.)

(93-99) Major Criminal

The players stumbled into a major operation of the notorious Scagattalia family. Six heavily armed, cybered-up solos are unloading a drug cargo out of a truck. Roll 1d10. On a 1-4, they don’t notice the players. 5-8, they notice them and one warns them off. 9-10, they decide they’re witnesses and ought to be totaled right now.

(Use security officers; add wolvers, interface plugs, smartgun link, and a targeting scope cybereye.)

(00) Cyberpsycho Rage

A single cyberpsycho, gleaming with metal and taking their fury out on a pedestrian who pushed them a little too far. They are cybered up to the teeth with four cyberlimbs, jump boosters, popguns, wolvers, and more. They don’t look like they’re going to calm down and it will be a little bit (1d6 + 1 rounds) before Psycho Squad can get on the scene. What’s worse, they just noticed the players.

(Use cyberpsycho.)

Mooks

Low level adversaries. A group of edgerunners should be able to battle an equal number of Mooks and have a good chance of coming out on top.

Bodyguard

Body Armor Kevlar (SP7)

Head Armor Kevlar (SP7)

Hit Points 35 (Seriously Wounded 18, Death Save 6)

INT REF DEX TECH COOL

3 6 5 2 4

WILL LUCK MOVE BODY EMP

4 — 4 6 3

Skill Bases: Athletics 9, Brawling 11, Concentration 6, Conversation 5, Drive Land Vehicle 10, Education 5, Endurance 9, Evasion 7, First Aid 4, Handgun 10, Human Perception 5, Interrogation 6, Language (Native) 5, Language (Streetslang) 5, Local Expert 5, Perception 9, Persuasion 6, Resist Torture/Drug 8, Shoulder Arms 10, Stealth 7

Weapons

Poor Quality Shotgun (5d6), Very Heavy Pistol (4d6)

Cyberware & Equipment

Slug Ammo x25, Very Heavy Pistol Ammo x25, Radio Communicator

INT	REF	DEX	TECH	COOL
3	6	5	2	4
WILL	LUCK	MOVE	BODY	EMP
4	—	4	6	3

Road Ganger

Body Armor Leather (SP4)

Head Armor Leather (SP4)

Hit Points 25 (Seriously Wounded 13, Death Save 3)

INT REF DEX TECH COOL

4 6 4 4 3

WILL LUCK MOVE BODY EMP

3 — 3 3 3

Skill Bases: Archery 10, Athletics 10, Brawling 6, Concentration 5, Conversation 6, Drive Land Vehicle 12, Education 6, Endurance 5, Evasion 6, First Aid 6, Handgun 10, Human Perception 5, Land Vehicle Tech 10, Language (Native) 6, Language (Streetslang) 6, Local Expert 6, Melee Weapon 8, Perception 6, Persuasion 5, Stealth 8, Tracking 8, Wilderness Survival 8

Weapons

Crossbow (4d6), Very Heavy Pistol (4d6), Light Melee Weapon (1d6)

Cyberware & Equipment

VH Pistol Ammo x20, Arrow Ammo x20, Rope, Flashlight, Neural Link, Interface Plugs

INT	REF	DEX	TECH	COOL
4	6	4	4	3
WILL	LUCK	MOVE	BODY	EMP
3	—	3	3	3

Boosterganger

Body Armor Leather (SP4)

Head Armor Leather (SP4)

Hit Points 25 (Seriously Wounded 12, Death Save 4)

INT REF DEX TECH COOL

2 6 5 2 4

WILL LUCK MOVE BODY EMP

2 — 4 4 3

Skill Bases: Athletics 9, Brawling 9, Conceal/Reveal Object 4, Concentration 4, Conversation 5, Drive Land Vehicle 10, Education 4, Endurance 6, Evasion 7, First Aid 4, Handgun 12, Human Perception 5, Interrogation 6, Language (Native) 4, Language (Streetslang) 4, Local Expert 4, Melee Weapon 11, Perception 6, Persuasion 6, Resist Torture/Drugs 4, Stealth 7

Weapons

Rippers (2d6) Poor Quality Very Heavy Pistol (4d6)

Cyberware & Equipment

VH Pistol Ammo x30, Disposable Cellphone, Rippers, Techhair

INT	REF	DEX	TECH	COOL
2	6	5	2	4
WILL	LUCK	MOVE	BODY	EMP
2	—	4	4	3

Security Operative

Body Armor Kevlar (SP7)

Head Armor Kevlar (SP7)

Hit Points 30 (Seriously Wounded 15, Death Save 5)

INT REF DEX TECH COOL

3 7 4 2 2

WILL LUCK MOVE BODY EMP

3 — 3 5 3

Skill Bases: Athletics 8, Autofire 10, Brawling 6, Concentration 7, Conversation 5, Education 5, Evasion 6, First Aid 4, Handgun 10, Human Perception 5, Interrogation 6, Language (Native) 5, Language (Streetslang) 5, Local Expert 5, Melee Weapon 6, Perception 5, Persuasion 4, Resist Torture/Drugs 5, Shoulder Arms 10, Stealth 6

Weapons

Poor Quality Assault Rifle (5d6), Very Heavy Pistol (4d6), Medium Melee Weapon (2d6)

Cyberware & Equipment

Rifle Ammo x40, VH Pistol Ammo x20, Radio Communicator

INT	REF	DEX	TECH	COOL
3	7	4	2	2
WILL	LUCK	MOVE	BODY	EMP
3	—	3	5	3

Lieutenants

Mid-level adversaries. A general rule of thumb is to throw out 1 Lieutenant for every 2 edgerunners in the crew.

Netrunner

Body Armor Bodyweight Suit (SP11)

Head Armor Bodyweight Suit (SP11)

Hit Points 30 (Seriously Wounded 15, Death Save 3)

INT REF DEX TECH COOL

7 5 4 7 4

WILL LUCK MOVE BODY EMP

5 — 5 3 4

Skill Bases: Interface 4, Athletics 9, Basic Tech 13, Brawling 6, Conceal/Reveal Object 11, Concentration 9, Conversation 6, Cryptography 11, Deduction 11, Education 11, Electronics/Security Tech 11, Evasion 6, First Aid 9, Forgery 13, Handgun 10, Human Perception 6, Language (Native) 9, Language (Streetslang) 9, Local Expert 13, Library Search 9, Perception 11, Persuasion 6, Pick Lock 11, Resist Torture/Drugs 7, Stealth 8

Weapons

Very Heavy Pistol (4d6)

Cyberware & Equipment

VH Pistol Ammo x50, Flashlight, Virtuality Goggles, Neural Link (Interface Plugs)

Cyberdeck Programs

Banhammer, DeckKRASH, Eraser, Hellbolt, Shield, Sword, Worm

INT	REF	DEX	TECH	COOL
7	5	4	7	4
WILL	LUCK	MOVE	BODY	EMP
5	—	5	3	4

Reclaimer Chief

Body Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Head Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Hit Points 40 (Seriously Wounded 20, Death Save 6)

INT REF DEX TECH COOL

3 6 6 5 4

WILL LUCK MOVE BODY EMP

5 — 4 6 4

Skill Bases: Athletics12, Basic Tech 9, Brawling 8, Concentration 7, Conversation 6, Deduction 7, Drive Land Vehicle 10, Education 5, Electronics/Security Tech 9, Endurance 11, Evasion 8, First Aid 7, Handgun 10, Human Perception 6, Land Vehicle Tech 7, Language (Native) 5, Language (Streetslang) 5, Local Expert 5, Melee Weapon 10, Paramedic 7, Perception 8, Persuasion 6, Pick Lock 7, Resist Torture/Drugs 10, Shoulder Arms 10, Stealth 10, Weaponstech 9, Wilderness Survival 7

Weapons

Heavy Pistol (3d6), Shotgun (5d6), Light Melee Weapon (1d6), Heavy Melee Weapon (3d6)

Cyberware & Equipment

Slug Ammo x25, H Pistol Ammo x25, Agent, Grapple Gun, Radio Communicator, Tent & Camping Equipment, Nasal Filters, Neural Link (Chipware Socket, Tactile Boost)

INT	REF	DEX	TECH	COOL
3	6	6	5	4
WILL	LUCK	MOVE	BODY	EMP
5	—	4	6	4

Security Officer

Body Armor Medium Armorjack (SP13)

Head Armor Medium Armorjack (SP13)

Hit Points 40 (Seriously Wounded 20, Death Save 7)

INT REF DEX TECH COOL

4 6 6 5 4

WILL LUCK MOVE BODY EMP

5 — 4 6 4

Skill Bases: Athletics 10 (8), Autofire 12 (10), Brawling 10 (8), Concentration 7, Conversation 6, Deduction 6, Drive Land Vehicle 12 (10), Education 6, Evasion 10 (8), First Aid 7, Handgun 10 (8), Human Perception 6, Interrogation 8, Language (Native) 6, Language (Streetslang) 6, Local Expert 6, Melee Weapon 10 (8), Perception 6, Persuasion 8, Resist Torture/Drugs 10, Shoulder Arms 10 (8), Stealth 10 (8), Tactics 8

Weapons

Very Heavy Pistol (4d6), Assault Rifle (5d6), Medium Melee Weapon (2d6)

Cyberware & Equipment

Rifle Ammo x50, VH Pistol Ammo x30, Bulletproof Shield (10 HP), Binoculars, Disposable Cellphone, Flashlight, Handcuffs x2, Radio Communicator, Radio Scanner/Music Player, Neural Link (Kerenzikov Speedware)

INT	REF	DEX	TECH	COOL
4	6	6	5	4
WILL	LUCK	MOVE	BODY	EMP
5	—	4	6	4

Mini-Bosses

High level adversaries. A good rule of thumb is to throw out 1 Mini Boss for every 3 edgerunners in the crew.

Pyro

Body Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Head Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Hit Points 35 (Seriously Wounded 17, Death Save 5)

INT REF DEX TECH COOL

5 8 6 7 4

WILL LUCK MOVE BODY EMP

4 — 6 5 3

Skill Bases: Combat Awareness 4, Athletics 11, Basic Tech 12, Brawling 10, Concentration 8, Conversation 5, Demolition 13, Drive Land Vehicle 10, Education 7, Evasion 13, First Aid 9, Handgun 14, Heavy Weapons 14, Human Perception 5, Interrogation 10, Language (Native) 7, Language (Streetslang) 7, Local Expert 7, Melee Weapon 13, Perception 12, Persuasion 6, Resist Torture/Drugs 14, Science (Chemistry) 10, Stealth 10, Streetwise 8, Tactics 8

Weapons

Heavy Pistol (3d6), Flamethrower (3d6), Heavy Melee Weapon (3d6)

Cyberware & Equipment

Flamethrower Ammo (Incendiary Shotgun Shells) x8, VH Pistol Ammo x50, Incendiary Grenade x1, Flashbang Grenade x1, Cyberaudio Suite (Level Dampners), Cybereye x2 (Anti-Dazzle x2), Nasal Filters

INT	REF	DEX	TECH	COOL
5	8	6	7	4
WILL	LUCK	MOVE	BODY	EMP
4	—	6	5	3

Outrider

Body Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Head Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Hit Points 40 (Seriously Wounded 20, Death Save 6)

INT REF DEX TECH COOL

6 8 8 3 5

WILL LUCK MOVE BODY EMP

5 — 6 6 6

Skill Bases: Moto Family 4, Animal Handling 8, Athletics 14, Autofire 12, Basic Tech 5, Brawling 14, Concentration 10, Conversation 6, Criminology 10, Drive Land Vehicle 14, Education 8, Endurance 10, Evasion 14, First Aid 5, Handgun 14, Human Perception 8, Land Vehicle Tech 7, Language (Native) 8, Language (Streetslang) 8, Local Expert (Badlands) 10, Local Expert 8, Melee Weapons 12, Perception 14, Persuasion 7, Resist Torture/Drugs 12, Shoulder Arms 14, Stealth 12, Streetwise 9, Wilderness Survival 10

Kerenzikov Speedware: The outrider has +2 to initiative rolls.

Weapons

Very Heavy Pistol (4d6), Assault Rifle (5d6), Medium Melee Weapon (2d6)

Cyberware & Equipment

Rifle Ammo x50, VH Pistol Ammo x30, Bulletproof Shield (10 HP) Binoculars, Disposable Cellphone, Flashlight, Handcuffs x2, Radio Communicator, Radio Scanner/Music Player, Neural Link (Kerenzikov)

INT	REF	DEX	TECH	COOL
6	8	8	3	5
WILL	LUCK	MOVE	BODY	EMP
5	—	6	6	6

Bosses

Don't put these on the board unless you your edgerunners are up for the challenge!

Cyberpsycho

Body Armor Subdermal (SP11)

Head Armor Subdermal (SP11)

Hit Points 55 (Seriously Wounded 28, Death Save 10)

INT REF DEX TECH COOL

5 8 8 5 4

WILL LUCK MOVE BODY EMP

7 — 8 10 0

Skill Bases: Athletics 16, Autofire 14, Basic Tech 11, Brawling 15, Concentration 9, Conversation 2, Drive Land Vehicle 10, Education 7, Endurance 10, Evasion 13, First Aid 7, Handgun 12, Heavy Weapons 14, Human Perception 2, Interrogation 13, Language (Native) 7, Language (Streetslang) 7, Local Expert 7, Melee Weapon 17, Perception 9, Persuasion 6, Resist Torture/Drugs 15, Stealth 10, Wilderness Survival 10

Cybersnake: A horrifying throat-mounted tentacle weapon. It is a very heavy melee weapon (4d6, 1 ROF), which can be successfully concealed as an action, without any check.

Pain Editor: While slotted into a socket, the cyberpsycho's pain receptors shut off dynamically, allowing them to ignore all the effects of the Seriously Wounded state.

Jump Booster: Hydraulic pistons in the cyberpsycho's legs, which allow them ignore the normal movement penalty for jumping, and also to ignore falling damage from up to 30m.

Weapons

Popup Grenade Launcher (6d6, ablates armor by 2 points), Popup Heavy SMG (3d6), Wolvers (3d6), Cybersnake (4d6)

Cyberware & Equipment

Armor Piercing Grenade x2, Heavy Pistol Ammo x100, Cyberarm x2 (Popup Grenade Launcher x2, Popup Heavy SMG, Wolvers), Cyberleg x2 (Jump Boosters x2), Cybersnake, Grafted Muscle & Bone Lace, Neural Link (Chipware Socket, Pain Editor), Subdermal Armor

INT	REF	DEX	TECH	COOL
5	8	8	5	4
WILL	LUCK	MOVE	BODY	EMP
7	—	8	10	0

Trauma Team

Unlike player most other characters, Trauma Team NPCs use a Combat Number (CN), which combines both STAT and skill for them. They roll (Combat Number) + 1d10 when attacking, defending, or using skills and equipment. They can't dodge bullets.

Trauma Team Doctor

Body Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Head Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Hit Points 20 (Seriously Wounded 10, Death Save 4)

Combat Number MOVE BODY

10 4 4

Skills: First Aid, Paramedic, Surgery, Medical Tech

Weapons

Heavy Pistol (3d6)

Cyberware & Equipment

Heavy Pistol Ammo x25, Cryopump, Rapidetox Airhypo x2

	Combat Number	MOVE	BODY
	10	4	4

Trauma Team Medical Assistant

Body Armor Kevlar® (SP7)

Head Armor Kevlar® (SP7)

Hit Points 25 (Seriously Wounded 12, Death Save 6)

Combat Number MOVE BODY

10 6 6

Skills: Pilot Air Vehicle, First Aid, Paramedic, Medical Tech

Weapons

None

Cyberware & Equipment

Bulletproof Shield, Cryopump

	Combat Number	MOVE	BODY
	10	6	6

Trauma Team Pilot

Body Armor Kevlar® (SP7)

Head Armor Kevlar® (SP7)

Hit Points 25 (Seriously Wounded 12, Death Save 6)

Combat Number MOVE BODY

10 6 6

Skills: Air Vehicle Tech, First Aid, Pilot Air Vehicle

Weapons

Very Heavy Pistol (4d6)

Cyberware & Equipment

Very Heavy Pistol Ammo x25

	Combat Number	MOVE	BODY
	10	6	6

Trauma Team Security Officer

Body Armor Heavy Armorjack (SP13)

Head Armor Heavy Armorjack (SP13)

Hit Points 30 (Seriously Wounded 15, Death Save 4)

Combat Number MOVE BODY

10 4 4

Skills: Air Vehicle Tech, First Aid, Pilot Air Vehicle

Weapons

Assault Rifle (4d6)

Cyberware & Equipment

Assault Rifle Ammo x50

	Combat Number	MOVE	BODY
	10	4	4

NPCs

Rank 4 NPC STAT blocks for each player character role.

Rockerboy

Body Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Head Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Hit Points 40 (Seriously Wounded 20, Death Save 4)

INT REF DEX TECH COOL

5 6 6 5 8

WILL LUCK MOVE BODY EMP

8 — 6 4 8

Skill Bases: Athletics 8, Brawling 12, Concentration 10, Conversation 10, Education 7, Evasion 12, First Aid 11, Human Perception 14, Language (Regional) 9, Language (Streetslang) 7, Local Expert 8, Perception 7, Persuasion 14, Stealth 8, Composition 10, Handgun 12, Play Instrument 11, Melee Weapon 12, Personal Grooming 12, Streetwise 14, Wardrobe & Style 12

Weapons

Very Heavy Pistol (3d6), Heavy Melee Weapon (3d6) or Flashbang Grenade, Teargas Grenade x2

Cyberware & Equipment

Basic VH Pistol Ammo x50, Audio Recorder, Chemskin, Cyberaudio Suite, Tech Hair, Agent, Computer, Musical Instrument or Bug Detector, Glow Paint x5, Pocket Amp, Radio Scanner/Music Player, Video Camera

INT	REF	DEX	TECH	COOL
5	6	6	5	8
WILL	LUCK	MOVE	BODY	EMP
8	—	6	4	8

Solo

Body Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Head Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Hit Points 50 (Seriously Wounded 25, Death Save 8)

INT REF DEX TECH COOL

4 8 7 3 6

WILL LUCK MOVE BODY EMP

7 — 6 8 5

Skill Bases: Athletics 9, Brawling 9, Concentration 9, Conversation 7, Education 6, Evasion 13, First Aid 9, Human Perception 7, Language (Regional) 8, Language (Streetslang) 6, Local Expert 6, Perception 10, Persuasion 8, Stealth 9, Autofire 14, Handgun 14, Interrogation 12, Melee Weapon 13, Resist Torture/Drugs 13, Shoulder Arms 14, Tactics 10

Weapons

Assault Rifle (5d6), Very Heavy Pistol (3d6), Heavy Melee Weapon (3d6) or Bulletproof Shield

Cyberware & Equipment

Biomonitor, Neural Link, Sandevistan, Speedware or Wolvers, Basic VH Pistol Ammunition x30, Basic Rifle Ammunition x70, Agent

INT	REF	DEX	TECH	COOL
4	8	7	3	6
WILL	LUCK	MOVE	BODY	EMP
7	—	6	8	5

Netrunner

Body Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Head Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Hit Points 40 (Seriously Wounded 20, Death Save 5)

INT REF DEX TECH COOL

7 7 7 6 7

WILL LUCK MOVE BODY EMP

6 — 6 5 4

Skill Bases: Athletics 9, Brawling 9, Concentration 8, Conversation 6, Education 11, Evasion 13, First Aid 8, Human Perception 6, Language (Regional) 11, Language (Streetslang) 9, Local Expert 9, Perception 9, Persuasion 9, Stealth 13, Basic Tech 12, Conceal/Reveal Object 13, Electronics/Security Tech 12, Cybertech 12, Cryptography 11, Handgun 13, Library Search 13

Weapons

Very Heavy Pistol (3d6)

Cyberware & Equipment

Interface Plugs, Neural Link, Shift Tacts, Basic VH Pistol Ammunition x30, Agent, Cyberdeck (Standard), Virtuality Goggles, Program: Armor, Program: Sword, Program: See Ya or Eraser, Program: Sword or Vrizzbolt, Program: Worm or Sword

INT	REF	DEX	TECH	COOL
7	7	7	6	7
WILL	LUCK	MOVE	BODY	EMP
6	—	6	5	4

Tech

Body Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Head Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Hit Points 40 (Seriously Wounded 20, Death Save 7)

INT REF DEX TECH COOL

8 7 6 8 4

WILL LUCK MOVE BODY EMP

4 — 5 7 6

Skill Bases: Athletics 8, Brawling 8, Concentration 6, Conversation 8, Education 14, Evasion 12, First Aid 14, Human Perception 8, Language (Regional) 12, Language (Streetslang) 10, Local Expert 10, Perception 10, Persuasion 6, Stealth 8, Basic Tech 14, Cybertech 14, Electronics/Security Tech 14, Land Vehicle Tech 14, Shoulder Arms 13, Science 14, Weaponstech 14

Weapons

Shotgun (5d6) or Assault Rifle (5d6)

Cyberware & Equipment

Cybereye, MicroOptics, Skinwatch, Tool Hand, Basic Shotgun Shell Ammunition x100 or Basic Rifle Ammunition x100, Flashbang Grenade, Agent, Anti-Smog Breathing Mask, Disposable Cell Phone, Duct Tape x5, Flashlight, Road Flare x6, Tech Bag

INT	REF	DEX	TECH	COOL
8	7	6	8	4
WILL	LUCK	MOVE	BODY	EMP
4	—	5	7	6

Medtech

Body Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Head Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Hit Points 35 (Seriously Wounded 17, Death Save 6)

INT REF DEX TECH COOL

8 7 6 7 5

WILL LUCK MOVE BODY EMP

4 — 5 6 7

Skill Bases: Athletics 8, Brawling 8, Concentration 6, Conversation 13, Education 14, Evasion 12, First Aid 9, Human Perception 13, Language (Regional) 12, Language (Streetslang) 10, Local Expert 10, Perception 10, Persuasion 7, Stealth 8, Basic Tech 13, Cybertech 11, Deduction 14, Paramedic 13, Resist Torture/Drugs 8, Science 14, Shoulder Arms 11

Weapons

Shotgun (5d6) or Assault Rifle (5d6)

Cyberware & Equipment

Biomonitor, Cybereye, Nasal Filters or Toxin Binders, TeleOptics, Basic Shotgun Shell Ammunition x100 or Basic Rifle Ammunition x100, Incendiary Shotgun Shell Ammunition x10 or Incendiary Rifle Ammunition x10, Smoke Grenade x2, Bulletproof Shield, Light Armorjack, Body Armor, Agent, Airhypo, Handcuffs, Flashlight, Glow Paint, Medtech Bag

INT	REF	DEX	TECH	COOL
8	7	6	7	5
WILL	LUCK	MOVE	BODY	EMP
4	—	5	6	7

Media

Body Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Head Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Hit Points 40 (Seriously Wounded 20, Death Save 6)

INT REF DEX TECH COOL

7 6 6 7 6

WILL LUCK MOVE BODY EMP

6 — 5 6 8

Skill Bases: Athletics 8, Brawling 8, Concentration 8, Conversation 14, Education 9, Evasion 12, First Aid 9, Human Perception 14, Language (Regional) 11, Language (Streetslang) 9, Local Expert 13, Perception 12, Persuasion 14, Stealth 82, Bribery 12, Composition 13, Deduction 13, Handgun 12, Library Search 11, Lip Reading 11, Photography/Film 11

Weapons

Heavy Pistol (2d6) or Very Heavy Pistol (3d6), Slice & Dice (2d6)

Cyberware & Equipment

Amplified Hearing or Voice Stress Analyzer, Cyberaudio Suite, Light Tattoo, Basic H Pistol Ammunition x50 or Basic VH Pistol Ammunition x50, Agent, Audio Recorder, Binoculars, Disposable Cellphone x2 or Grapple Gun, Flashlight, Computer, Radio Scanner/Music Player, Scrambler/Descrambler, Video Camera

INT	REF	DEX	TECH	COOL
7	6	6	7	6
WILL	LUCK	MOVE	BODY	EMP
6	—	5	6	8

Exec

Body Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Head Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Hit Points 40 (Seriously Wounded 20, Death Save 5)

INT REF DEX TECH COOL

8 5 5 5 8

WILL LUCK MOVE BODY EMP

6 — 5 5 8

Skill Bases: Athletics 7, Brawling 7, Concentration 8, Conversation 14, Education 14, Evasion 11, First Aid 7, Human Perception 14, Language (Regional) 12, Language (Streetslang) 10, Local Expert 10, Perception 8, Persuasion 14, Stealth 7, Accounting 14, Bureaucracy 14, Business 14, Deduction 14, Handgun 11, Lip Reading 14, Personal Grooming 12

Weapons

Assault Rifle (5d6) or Shotgun (5d6), Very Heavy Pistol (3d6)

Cyberware & Equipment

Biomonitor or Tech Hair, Cyberaudio Suite, Internal Agent, Toxin Binders or Nasal Filters, Basic Rifle Ammunition x100 or Basic Shotgun Shell Ammunition x100 or Basic Slug Ammunition x100, Basic H Pistol Ammunition x30, Bulletproof Shield or Smoke, Grenade x2, Radio Communicator x4, Scrambler/Descrambler

INT	REF	DEX	TECH	COOL
8	5	5	5	8
WILL	LUCK	MOVE	BODY	EMP
6	—	5	5	8

Lawman

Body Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Head Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Hit Points 45 (Seriously Wounded 22, Death Save 6)

INT REF DEX TECH COOL

5 6 7 4 7

WILL LUCK MOVE BODY EMP

8 — 6 6 6

Skill Bases: Athletics 9, Brawling 13, Concentration 10, Conversation 13, Education 7, Evasion 13, First Aid 6, Human Perception 8, Language (Regional) 9, Language (Streetslang) 7, Local Expert 7, Perception 10, Persuasion 9, Stealth 9, Autofire 12, Criminology 11, Deduction 11, Handgun 12, Interrogation 13, Shoulder Arms 12, Tracking 11

Weapons

Very Heavy Pistol (3d6)

Cyberware & Equipment

Hidden Holster, Subdermal Pocket, Basic VH Pistol Ammunition x50, Agent, Flashlight, Handcuffs x2, Radio Communicator, Road Flare x10

INT	REF	DEX	TECH	COOL
5	6	7	4	7
WILL	LUCK	MOVE	BODY	EMP
8	—	6	6	6

Fixer

Body Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Head Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Hit Points 40 (Seriously Wounded 20, Death Save 5)

INT REF DEX TECH COOL

8 5 7 4 7

WILL LUCK MOVE BODY EMP

6 — 5 5 8

Skill Bases: Athletics 9, Brawling 9, Concentration 8, Conversation 10, Education 10, Evasion 13, First Aid 6, Human Perception 14, Language (Regional) 12, Language (Streetslang) 10, Local Expert 12, Perception 8, Persuasion 11, Stealth 9, Bribery 13, Business 14, Forgery 13, Handgun 11, Pick Lock 8, Streetwise 13, Trading 13

Weapons

Heavy Pistol (2d6) or Very Heavy Pistol (3d6), Light Melee Weapon (1d6)

Cyberware & Equipment

Cyberaudio Suite, Internal Agent, Subdermal Pocket, Voice Stress Analyzer or Amplified Hearing, Basic H Pistol Ammunition x100 or Basic VH Pistol Ammunition x100, Agent, Bug Detector, Computer, Disposable Phone x2

INT	REF	DEX	TECH	COOL
8	5	7	4	7
WILL	LUCK	MOVE	BODY	EMP
6	—	5	5	8

Nomad

Body Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Head Armor Light Armorjack (SP11)

Hit Points 45 (Seriously Wounded 23, Death Save 6)

INT REF DEX TECH COOL

6 6 8 3 6

WILL LUCK MOVE BODY EMP

7 — 6 6 7

Skill Bases: Athletics 10, Brawling 14, Concentration 9, Conversation 9, Education 8, Evasion 14, First Aid 9, Human Perception 9, Language (Regional) 10, Language (Streetslang) 8, Local Expert 8, Perception 11, Persuasion 8, Stealth 14, Animal Handling 12, Drive Land Vehicle 12, Handgun 12, Melee Weapon 14, Tracking 12, Trading 12, Wilderness Survival 12

Weapons

Heavy Pistol (2d6) or Very Heavy Pistol (3d6), Heavy Pistol (2d6) or Heavy Melee Weapon (3d6)

Cyberware & Equipment

Interface Plugs or Wolvers, Neural Link, Basic H Pistol Ammunition x100 or Basic VH Pistol Ammunition x100, Agent, Anti-Smog Breathing Mask, Duct Tape, Flashlight, Grapple Gun, Inflatable Bed & Sleep-Bag, Medtech Bag, Radio Communicator x2, Rope, Techtool, Tent and Camping Equipment

INT	REF	DEX	TECH	COOL
6	6	8	3	6
WILL	LUCK	MOVE	BODY	EMP
7	—	6	6	7

Awarding Improvement Points

After each game session, the GM should award Improvement Points to all players, based on how successful they were in their mission. If the mission was finished (successfully or unsuccessfully), the players gain IP based on the group's success (taking the value from the group column). If they didn't finish the mission, the players are awarded IP based on their primary playstyles. In either case you can award more IP if they did something that you consider deserves more points.

Playstyle Improvement Point Table

IP	Group	Warrior	Socializer	Explorer	Roleplayer
10	Group did not succeed in mission, but tried valiantly	Used combat Skills often, even if not to exceptional effective.	Was a supportive and helpful part of the party, in or out of game.	Attempted to investigate or explore the world/situation often, even if not to exceptional effect	Attempted to roleplay character often
20	Group barely accomplished mission goals	Used combat Skills often and effectively, often taking out important opponents.	Supportive actions were helpful in maintaining Player/party unity and cohesion (quote lists, game notebooks, etc)	Used exploration effectively to learn about the world/situation	Roleplayed in character all the time, often effectively
30	Group worked together well, accomplishing most of the mission goals with everyone taking part in the adventure.	Frequent and effective use of combat Skills, defeating the most dangerous opponents in a given combat challenge.	Frequent and effective use of supportive or helpful activities were beneficial in maintaining Player/party unity and cohesion (Character pictures, extensive diaries, etc.)	Frequent and effective use of exploration and investigation to further personal and party goals	Frequent and effective use of roleplaying to accomplish a goal (acted, not rolled to accomplish task)
40	Group accomplished most of the mission goals well, showing strong cooperative skills.	Did something out of the ordinary with use of combat Skills, defeating an opponent in an unexpected or unusual way.	Did something out of the ordinary that encouraged or helped the group overall (extensive diaries, special events)	Discovered something out of the ordinary or exceptional through exploration and investigation activities	Did something out of the ordinary roleplaying wise (a clever speech or interaction in game)
50	Group accomplished most of the mission goals extremely well, with a few stellar moments.	Very effective or clever use of combat Skills, defeating several opponents in unexpected or unusual ways.	Did something very effective or clever that encouraged or helped the group overall.	Very effective or clever use of investigation or exploration activities to uncover an important person, place, clue, or thing	Very effective or clever use of roleplaying (a clever interaction or important roleplaying moment)
60	Group’s mission was a strong success, accomplishing all of the mission goals set forth with several stellar moments in the adventure	Combat Skills were absolutely critical to the Character in this game session, allowing the Character to defeat a major opponent or long-term nemesis single-handedly	Player's participation in supporting the group was a very important part of helping the group work together to accomplish its goals	Player's use of investigation or exploration to uncover an important person, place, clue, or thing was critical to the Character in this game session	Roleplaying actions were critical to the Player in this game session (changed personal game outcome through convincing roleplaying)
70	Group’s mission was a resounding success, accomplishing all of the mission goals set forth and also several side goals of the session. Group also showed strong cooperation and teamwork	Combat Skills were absolutely critical to entire party in this game session (without Character's help, party would have been totally defeated)	Player's participation in supporting the group was a critical part of helping the group work together to accomplish its goals	Player's use of investigation or exploration to uncover an important person, place, clue, or thing was critical to entire party in this game session	Roleplaying actions were critical to entire party in this game session (changed entire game outcome through convincing roleplaying)
80	Group’s mission was legendary, accomplishing all of the mission goals set forth and also all side goals of the session. Group also showed exceptional cooperation and teamwork	Did something really incredible in a combat encounter (hole in one shot, took down impossible enemy or nemesis, saved entire party)	Did something really incredible to support the group and help it work together to accomplish its goals	Player's use of investigation or exploration uncovered something really incredible in this game session	Did something really incredible in roleplaying, such as a heroic speech, star moment, or amazing influence on game outcomes through roleplaying

The Neocorps

The 4th Corporate War ended the age of corporate rule. Even if they were not actively involved the War, many megacorps found their operations fatally crippled through the breakdown of communications, NET information systems, global transport disruption, and collateral damage that the fighting caused.

In many cases, local or regional offices continued to operate in a reduced capacity—if they could get the materials and funding to do so. These companies sometime renamed themselves but continued, where possible, to provide the services they were known for.

Corps in the Time of the Red are, if anything, even more power hungry. There are fewer rules out there and ambitious players in the front office are willing to do practically anything to gain the advantage over a resource or market. They may not be able to field giant armies with tanks and troops, but they can still deploy powerful covert ops squads and bribe the right governmental overseers.

The Corporate Ladder

Corporations are usually organized as a vast hierarchy, with a President and Board of Directors at the top, and a huge sea of workers at the bottom. In the middle tiers, one finds the realm of the Corporate executive, a struggling middle class overachiever, usually with the single-minded goal of grabbing as much power and privilege as possible.

The average corporate begins as a junior exec, "bossing" a particular project or group of people. At the next level, they become a manager, controlling a specific department or production area. The major infighting begins here—only very successful managers get elevated to the position of assistant vice president, where they control entire factories or other operations. They are, in turn, bossed by vice presidents, who control entire divisions of the company.

Their boss is the president, who answers only to the board of directors (major stockholders) and the Chairman of the Board. Theoretically, Corporate advancement is based on merit. In reality, the Corporate world is rife with nepotism, deal making, brown nosing, cheating, lying, and credit stealing. Extortion, blackmail, and frame-ups are common.

Teamwork Is Everything

Almost every corporate exec employs at least one force of highly trained covert operatives specializing in espionage, sabotage, and counter-terrorism. In extreme cases, measures like assassination and terrorism are not unknown—whether against other corporations or within the corporation itself.

A corporate covert operations arm is usually made up of weapons specialists, computer technicians, and various "hired guns"—almost all of them cyber-enhanced with the best technology available. Covert action arms frequently search the dead zones and arcologies to recruit promising young criminals, promising them high pay, the best enhancements, and a life of glamor and adventure.

Golden Handcuffs

In the savage world of big business, it's not unusual for an executive to jump from firm to firm, looking for a big success.

To prevent this, most Corporations require their employees to sign Employment Contracts, specifying how long they must work for the firm until they can quit. Contracts may run from a year for a low-level executive, to an entire lifetime for a key researcher or company president. The penalties for breaking the contracts are severe, ranging from garnishment of wages, to lawsuits, and even loss of licenses in the case of lawyers or physicians. Corporations have also been known to use sabotage, software, and deadly booby traps to ensure loyalty.

Blackmail is common. Assassination and kidnapping are expected. This makes Corporate "headhunting" (hiring away another company's staff for use by your own company) a deadly game of cat and mouse. Most Corporations have their own "extraction teams" of Solos who, like the KGB or CIA, arrange "defections" of key personnel from one side to the other. Headhunting can be especially lethal as most Corporations will use any and all means to stop a rival extraction team.

Power Shifts

Since the end of the 4th Corporate War, most national governments are no longer in the uncomfortable position of having to let the multinational Corporations do pretty much as they please. Where once they paid lip service to pollution control, product safety, and minimum wage rules, the modern Megacorp is now forced to strike a bargain with the local government. Sometimes this may be as simple as a bribe to the right places, or military support for the local dictator.

In the more scrupulous New United States, Corporations tread especially lightly, going out of their way to hide their more illegal operations, and make sure to toe the line in their more visible ones; Washington D.C. is watching and its fist is like iron, ready at all times to crush a miscreant. But in Night City's looser Free State environment, it's more often a case of trading power, influence, or money with the right leaders: a judge or police chief here, a councilman or official there.

The Rule of the Faces

One final thing that has come about since the end of the 4th Corporate War has been a rewriting of the rules of Corporate responsibility. No longer can a Megacorp hide behind the "Corporate shield" of the past that allowed so many CEOs and their Boards to evade responsibility for their more nefarious activities. As an absolute requirement for filing legitimate Articles of Incorporation in the EuroTheatre, China, the Free States, and even the New United States, a Corporation must assign the single largest stockholder of the Corporation as its "Face," a living person who is personally responsible for any malfeasance committed by the Megacorp they control.

If the Corporation is found out to have committed murder, fraud, or other illegal activities, the Face must legally take the punishment for the transgression. This could end up as a long prison term or, in the most egregious cases—like industrial accidents such as the infamous Union Carbide Bhopal disaster—even the death penalty. Obviously, this is intended to ensure that the current "Face" keeps their company out of trouble. Or at least makes sure whatever trouble it gets into isn't connected directly to the management of the Corporation.

Arasaka

Corporate security, Corporate police, and various Corporate suboperations

Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
Regional Offices: Offices throughout the world
Chief Officer: Hanako Arasaka
Employees: 1,000,000

If you want it protected, these are still the people to talk to. Even after a major war, Arasaka still maintains one of the largest armed forces of any Corporation. And though their operations are severely reduced and their headquarters are limited to the Japanese mainland, Arasaka has managed, even in defeat, to hold on to most of its assets thanks to its strong alliance with the official government of Japan.

Most of the time, post-War, Arasaka troops are covertly licensed out to other firms around the world as Corporate security guards, couriers, and mercenaries, but usually wearing the uniforms of their new "employers." The best trained and hardest operatives in the security business, they follow their client's orders second only to Arasaka's. To the Arasaka Corporation, however, they are loyal to the point of death. Arasaka is more about protecting its own damaged assets than protecting other companies, so they often use their position of trust with major Corporations around the world to gain inside information, contacts, and advantages that will help them to realize their ultimate goal of returning to the political and economic heights they once held.

Arasaka may be under the nominal control of Saburo Arasaka, but as in any powerful organization there are always factions vying for dominance. As of the 2040s, there are three major factions struggling to come out on top. All the while hoping that Old Man Saburo will eventually hand the crown over to them. The Arasaka Factions as of 2045 are:

The Kiji 雉 (Green Pheasant) Faction

Led by Hanako, this faction is basically a continuation of the mainline, Saburo-controlled regime. But as Hanako is something of a recluse, more interested in her Netrunning experiments than in gathering power, the Kiji faction is mostly trying to maintain the Corporation according to Saburo Arasaka's sweeping vision.

The Taka 鷹 (Hawk) Faction

Led by Yorinobu, Saburo's second son. He's still a renegade who opposes the other factions to his own ends. Thought to have been Soulkilled by his elder brother Kei, it turned out that the person who ended up under the probes was a body double; Yorinobu made sure that during the War he was impossible to find. As long as his father Saburo (or the Kiji Faction) are in control, Yorinobu will still be out there trying to bring about its downfall.

Hato 鳩 (Dove) Faction

Centered on Michiko Sanderson (née Arasaka), Kei's only daughter and Saburo's granddaughter. This faction has allied itself behind the American-born Arasaka, although in truth the youngest member of the clan wants nothing to do with her family's machinations. But as a figurehead, the Hato Faction considers her a valuable asset that will provide them legitimacy should they take command after Saburo's death.

Face: Hanako Arasaka

The eldest Arasaka daughter, Hanako has always been a bit of a recluse. A Netrunner of high skill, she has always preferred to work on her digital projects, particularly a revised version of Soulkiller that will allow movement into clone bodies (only she grasped the true meaning of Alt Cunningham's work). However, with the fall of Kei, the remainder of the Old Guard (mostly old commanders under Kei) have unified around her and want to continue Saburo and Kei's plans as the Kiji Faction. They represent the faction that hopes for a peaceful reconciliation with the New U.S. and Hanako is their figurehead. She is also instrumental in getting her brother, Yorinobu to reconcile with the Family.

Biotechnica

Genetic engineering, microbiological, and biochemical research

Headquarters: La Jolla, California
Regional Offices: London, Bonn, Paris, Seattle, Dallas, Night City, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro
Chief Officer/Designer: Nicolo Loggagia
Employees: 36,256

When the fuel crisis really began to affect the industrialized community in the late 1990s, Biotechnica, then a small firm with only one office, came up with the answer: CHOOH2 TM (pronounced 'chew two'). CHOOH2 (not its actual chemical formula) is a complex grain alcohol produced by genetically engineered yeasts and wheat strains created by Biotechnica.

The potential of CHOOH2 was realized almost immediately after it was introduced, and within a few years, all fuel-burning vehicles and power plants had converted to the new product. Although Biotechnica held worldwide patents, it lacked the production facilities to meet worldwide demand, forcing it to license production to several large Agricorps and PetroCorps.

These deals made Biotechnica an extremely wealthy, but still not particularly large, company. Biotechnica is also probably the closest thing to a "good guy" Corporation in the Time of the Red. Its labs have provided much of the tech that enabled the Pacific Confed to develop new bio-engineered "replacement species," and Biotechnica is active in restoring both animals and habitat throughout the blighted environments of this era.

Face: Nicolo Loggagia

A brilliant but erratic biochemist, Nicolo Loggagia has taken what began as a small company based out of an industrial park in Rome and made it into one of the most important Corporations in the world. Biotechnica is still relatively small, hardly what constitutes a true "Megacorp," but it punches well above its weight with the scale of its creations, such as the CHOOH2 development that powers most of the vehicles in the world. And behind almost all of these is Loggagia: a slight, white-haired, dapper man with a slightly abstracted air about him.

Loggagia likes to make things. Useful chemicals. Biological tools. Artificial life forms. He doesn't often think of what he'll do with his creations; he leaves that to his grandson Mario and his wife Luchessia, who handle most of the business aspects of the firm. But that's because Nicolo is pursuing a dream. Since childhood, Loggagia has wanted to restore the biosphere of the planet, starting with endangered flora and fauna and working up to recreating some of the most interesting (to his far-ranging mind) extinct animals throughout history.

Loggagia, however, is a practical man. He knows if he recreates such now-extinct wonders as pandas and koala bears, the greedy and rapacious forces of the world will soon destroy his reborn creations. So Nicolo has redesigned many of his favorite animals with both defensive and offensive capabilities that they previously lacked—koalas with venomous fangs, for example.

He's also been experimenting with creating new bio-engineered flora and fauna to restore his favorite ecosystems: the color shifting pattern-panthers now moving into the Northwest forests, or the spotted ptero-raptors that have started to infest the heights of the Canadian Rockies. Nicolo is a pleasant and likable man who exudes an old-world charm that immediately endears him to those he meets. On the other hand, he may well also be the Doctor Moreau of the Time of the Red.

Continental Brands

Organic and synthetic food and drink

Headquarters: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Regional Offices: Chicago, Atlanta, Baltimore, Seattle, Dallas, Night City
Chief Officer: Olivia Forsythe
Employees: 147,000

Petrochem's monopoly on the production of CHOOH2 in the United States meant that any surplus crop of Triticum Vulgaris Megasuavis, the wheat from which the fuel is made, had to be completely absorbed by the company. Having no additional incentive to produce more CHOOH2 in any given year within the walled garden of their American monopoly, Petrochem turned to their subsidiary food business, Continental Agricorp of Tulsa, OK, to answer this problem.

Petrochem tasked the Continental Agricorp's American New Products Division with an important mission: find new ways to sell Americans more food than they bought the previous year. With each passing year, surpluses of T. megasuavis in the U.S. became larger, and the work of selling through the wheat fell increasingly heavy on the American New Products Division.

The constant pressure to produce exponential year-on-year growth, combined with a lack of oversight from their parent company, created an office environment so toxic that it seemed to eat people alive, only to replace them just as rapidly. What rose from this poison swamp was the cross-factional alliance of the New Beverages Marketing Director, Olivia Forsythe, and the New Foods Marketing Director, Lewis "Mr. Moo-Moo Burger" McAllister, each served by brand mangers loyal to them alone. In secret, in the summer of 2040, they drafted a plan to cut out the ultimate middleman in their business: Petrochem.

They began to consolidate power—and over the course of three years they put half of Petrochem's American Agribusiness into the legal equivalent of a large sack and hoisted it over their shoulder. In preparation for their move they brought half of Petrochem's CHOOH-4U gas stations, lobbying, and research and development in-house. One morning, all affected staff were made aware. Continental Agricorp was no longer their employer, but Continental Brands was. While they were no longer affiliated with Petrochem, the move came with a tidy pay increase.

In court, Petrochem's legal team in their home state of Texas argued that it was the greatest single theft of property, both intellectual and otherwise in recorded history, but the case was quickly dismissed. In a final twist of the knife, Continental Brands had stolen the judge, too.

Face: Olivia Forsythe

The Face of Continental Brands is Olivia Forsythe. To the public, she is the Kibble Queen, a persona created entirely by her marketing department. The Kibble Queen is best known as the mascot of their Oasis stores, which launched shortly after they "left" Petrochem to capitalize on the food instability created by the Time of the Red. Their business model was simple. If an Oasis was the only place to reliably purchase food and only sold their brands, then profit was assured.

Once an Oasis is established, the community is entered into the Oasis Community Loyalty Program. Pleasing the Kibble Queen by purchasing large quantities of foods or electing local representatives supported by Continental Brands earns points for the whole community. Likewise, displeasing the Kibble Queen by importing food from outside the community, growing your own food, or publicly organizing against Continental Brands results in a point penalty.

High loyalty values bring community-wide rewards like prioritized shipments of food, more chips in every bag of ChocoKibble, and upon first reaching Gold status a royal visit from a body double of Olivia Forsythe, throwing company merch from an AV-4. Low loyalty values result in punishments like lowered food quality and increased prices. Known enemies of Continental Brands hiding within the community will have old-fashioned "Wanted" posters drawn up and put outside their local Oasis, with point bonuses given for informing on their last known address. The worst community punishment is admission into the Discovery Program, which forces the community into testing a single new flavor of kibble by removing all other offerings until their loyalty score improves.

Olivia is a home-grown monster of the Corporate world, filled with malice toward everything that does not directly benefit her. She detests the Kibble Queen character and is rarely seen in public unless forced by her duties as a Face. She also unilaterally hates the brands she worked for on her way up the company ladder, with the exception the first brand she helped bring to market for Petrochem, Triti-Fizz, which she considers her greatest achievement. Habitually, she drinks six cans a day and does two lines of synthcoke in the morning. She hates the spotlight put on her by being a Face and wants nothing more than to slink back into the shadows of the Corporate office, where she's always done her best work.

Danger Girl

Private investigation and security firm

Headquarters: Night City
Regional Offices: New York, Miami, Montreal, London, Rome, Zurich, Night City, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Toronto
Chief Officer: Michiko Sanderson
Employees: 1,800

As the Arasaka Corporation faced defeat at the hands of the U.S. military, it was forced to pull almost all its operations back to the core zaibatsu in Japan. The loss of the current operations chief, Kei Arasaka, eldest son of the family-owned business, threw control of the vast security firm back into the hands of the family patriarch: the centenarian Saburo Arasaka. Even at his advanced age, the elder Arasaka had not lost his ability to plan strategically, or to inspire both loyalty and utter terror in his subordinates.

But in America, Kei's only daughter, Michiko, faced her own dilemma. Her family company was now hated worldwide as one of the instigators of a terrible war, as well as having a reputation for mass-murder based on the accusation that they had detonated a nuclear device in the center of a major American city.

Michiko, a sheltered seventeen-year-old high schooler, had, of course, known very little of her elder family's world-spanning machinations and her father had made certain to keep her away from the more unsavory side of the family business. With the Arasaka Corporation now persona non grata in the Americas, Michiko faced being deported to Japan, a distant nation that, as an American-born and raised teenager, was utterly alien to her.

Michiko's solution was to lean heavily into her strengths. She was young, adorably cute, and possessed of a high IQ. She already had thousands of devoted young fans all over the world who were willing to take it as gospel that she was an innocent caught up in her "evil" family's misdeeds.

She started by traveling to Washington D.C. to meet with the President, Elizabeth Kress, to both apologize for her family's part in the War and to plead her case to remain an American citizen. It's not entirely known what Michiko and Kress discussed, but in the end Michiko was allowed to remain in America to finish her high school career and then enter Stanford University, where she majored in—of all things—criminology. When she graduated three years later, she started her own business.

As a detective.

Danger Girl is the name of Michiko's new company. On the surface, it is a private investigation firm specializing in cases for celebrities and other socially important clients. As its perky, unstoppable head, Michiko is a staple of parties and events from New Hollywood to the hot spots of recovering Europe.

Her visible naivete and irrepressible charm disguise the fact that she's also a highly competent criminologist. It also obscures the fact that behind the scenes, she's fulfilling one of the directives she agreed to perform as part of her deal with Elizabeth Kress to remain on American soil: locating and dismantling any Arasaka Corp operations in and around the United States.

Danger Girl is a carefully constructed fiction. While Michiko's clients are all well-heeled and socially prominent enough to pay her astronomical fees, the company also has access to a slush fund provided covertly by President Kress, as well as access to much of the covert databases left behind in the Arasaka estate in New Westbrook. She also has access to a bodyguard, Kenichi Zaburo, once one of Arasaka's top Solos and her personal bodyguard since she was four.

For two decades, Danger Girl has been making headlines with its high-society cases and daring exploits, all the while playing a lethal undercover chess game against the warring factions of her deadly family. Don't let the bright pink logo of the "Little Detective" icon fool you. When you cross Danger Girl, you're messing with fire.

Face: Michiko Sanderson (née Arasaka)

You couldn't invent a better Face than Michiko Sanderson (her new name taken when she married her partner, detective Marc Sanderson, after a particularly exciting case). Now in her thirties, she still exudes the same bubbly, enthusiastic charm that won the world over in her teens.

A constant sight at almost any important social gala, Michiko has a string of successfully solved cases that have made Danger Girl the detective firm you want to handle your case, whether it's to recover a stolen diamond-encrusted cyberlimb, or to extract your Executive husband from the clutches of a dangerous Megacorp.

Michiko has grown into an elegant, lovely woman who can read a room like a book and yet never reveals anything to her suspects other than her happy, cheerful facade. Behind her, although not as visible as he was in her early career, is still the formidable figure of Ken Zaburo, the only man who could take on Morgan Blackhand and battle him to a draw. If you see Michiko Sanderson wink at you, run.

Militech International

Arms manufacturing and distribution, mercenaries

Headquarters: Washington D.C.
Regional Offices: New York, Miami, Chicago, Montreal, London, Rome, Zurich, Night City, Washington, Los Angeles, Toronto, Tokyo, Beijing
Chief Officer: Gen. Donald Lundee, USMC (ret.)
Employees: 350,000 (700,000 Contracted to the U.S. Military)

One of the major players in the 4th Corporate War, MTI fought rival, Arasaka Corp to a bloody standstill that ended only when the Megacorp was ordered to stand down by the President of the remnant United States. This didn't set well with Militech's hotheaded and proud CEO, Gen. Donald Lundee, an ex-Marine who took his war with the renegade Japanese security Corporation very personally. Currently, even as it labors under controls from Washington D.C. as a nationalized Corporate asset of the New United States, MTI is secretly rebuilding back to its former role as a combination of arms merchant and mercenary army.

Even though greatly reduced by wartime losses, MTI is still the world's largest producer and seller of all manner of military weapons. From revolvers to tanks to jet fighters, MTI is a major military supplier to the re-uniting New United States. The New United States, in turn, is MTI's largest customer. But MTI will deal worldwide with anyone who has money, and its mercenary forces and in-house weaponry still make it the most militarily powerful company in the world, if not economically.

Discussion of Militech can't be complete without talking about its primary leader during the 4th Corporate War. General Donald Lundee retired from the USMC as the Collapse was just beginning, helping to reorganize Armatech/Luccessi into the Militech Arms company. Since then, he remains CEO and one of the most, if not the most, influential persons on the Board of Directors. Although he doesn't own enough stock to control the Corporation, his force of personality, allies, and success record have kept him on top despite internal struggles.

Lundee is also half of the equation that culminated in the 4th Corporate War. Over the years, he'd set himself and Militech up against Arasaka so often and for so long that he became personally involved, making it a matter of pride to defeat the Japanese and their attempt to take over the global arms market (because he already intended to do so). Not an easy man to get along with, his closest confidant is his second-in-command, ex-Marine Corps General Samantha Lee Young. Possessed of a fiery temper, Lundee's made more enemies than friends. And it's that same temper and arrogance that resulted in a dogged determination to see the war through to the bitter end, only brought to heel by President Kress' reactivation of his commission, and her command to cease hostilities.

Lundee's convinced that he was a good general—in truth, he's not bad—and that if Kress hadn't interfered, he would have won his war. Even though his mercurial temper and impulsiveness resulted in some defeats for Militech (like the opening assault on the Osaka Arms Works) and plenty of headaches for his top soldiers, he's still capable of mustering the troops and putting an enemy to the sword if need be.

Face: General Samantha Lee "Sammy Lee" Young

Tall, confident, and possessing an imposing military bearing to go with the rank, Marine General Samantha Lee Young (ret.), was an up-and-coming military strategist and brilliant tactical general when she was talked into resigning her commission and going to work for General Donald Lundee. Multiple victories in the grueling combat environment of the SouthAm Wars had already earned her troops'—whom she often led from the front—undying loyalty and the nickname "Sammy Slaughter Lee." So, she was a natural to lead Militech's most elite forces against the armies of their rival, the Arasaka Corporation. Up until President Elizabeth Kress—a fellow soldier in the past—pulled Militech's leash and forced an end to the War, Sammy Lee's tactical foresight was starting to fold Arasaka into a defensive posture. And while Kress didn't reactivate Young's commission, the two experienced warriors soon reached a peaceful understanding that awarded each other the highest respect.

Even in her sixties, General Young is still a force to be reckoned with. Her impeccably maintained cyberware, long silver hair, and ramrod military posture positively reek of experience and expert command. She never loses her temper, unlike her superior Gen. Lundee—she responds to most provocations with a wry smile and a dismissive chuckle. But although few talk about it now, many survivors of the SouthAm still recall the Sammy Slaughter Lee who once led her division into the rebel stronghold known as "The Hellmouth," and brought them back victorious. She's definitely more than just a "Face"—she's an unstoppable force.

Network 54

Nationwide broadcasting service

Headquarters: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Regional Offices: Atlanta, Chicago, New Orleans, Dallas, Denver, Arizona, Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, with subsidiary stations in most major cities.
Chief Officer: Michelle Dreyer
Employees: 62,000

Network News 54 is a wavelength monopolizer, operating on the same frequency across the country. Accordingly, no matter where you go in the country, Network News 54 is on Channel 54, although since the War their reach into the broadcast markets has been severely curtailed. Despite its name, News 54 offers many diversions in addition to news.

Every regional office offers a slightly different schedule to its district, with syndicated series, non-prime-time movies, and independent local news programs. Certain elements of the broadcasting are universal nationwide, such as prime-time series and bi-hourly national and world news shows.

Under the control of Michelle Dreyer, widow of the original founder, the actual Corporate offices are located on the vast prairie spread at Fifty Pines Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Face: Michelle Dreyer

When her long-time and much-beloved husband, Edwin, passed away, the disconsolate Michelle swore she would keep her sweetheart's dream of a media empire alive. However, since she wasn't getting any younger, Michelle took out an insurance policy to make sure she would be around to shepherd Edwin's legacy.

Over the years, first with moderate cyber repairs and later more extensive cybernetic enhancements needed to hold off the ravages of aging, Michelle has by now almost entirely replaced her original body with a perfectly designed Gemini full-body conversion, fixing her apparent age at her mid-fifties.

But Michelle is still uncomfortable with her augmentations. After all, she's a good, God-fearing woman from Albuquerque, where people don't hold with messing with the Almighty's Plan. Perhaps because of this, she has become a recluse in the past few years.

A Few N54 Shows

Tune into Net54 at any given moment you might see one of these fine programs:

Cooking with Kibble

A fun and frenetic cooking competition sponsored by Continental Brands. Contestants make gourmet meals using the many delectable flavors of Continental Brands Kibble.

The Elflands Online! Chronicles

A cheesy, but surprisingly well-shot series about a Netrunner named Daedalus who gets trapped in a mystical fantasy world after loading a mysterious Braindance chip in a strange Night Market.

Hot Zone Divers

A long running reality show about a group of "salt of the earth" Nomads who retrieve broken tech in the Hot Zone and sell it at local Night Markets. It's well known that none of the cast are actual Nomads and the Night Markets are all Corporate sets.

La Pasión Dorada

An over the top telenovela about an Exec on her way up the Corporate ladder. The shocking plot twists and frequent guest stars make it popular across Heywood.

Petrochem

Petrochemical products and agribusiness. Worlds' largest CHOOH2 producer.

Headquarters: Dallas, Free State of Texas
Regional Offices: New York, Washington, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco, Tokyo, London, Hamburg, Paris, Rome. Oil fields in Many Canadian Territories, Texas, Alaska, California, and Antarctica. Agricultural areas in California and the Midwest and Southeast.
Chief Officer: Angus Youngblood
Employees: 338,000

It was nicknamed "The AV Gas War" by the press during the conflict, but it's also been dubbed "the war within the war." Early in the 4th Corp War, Militech and Arasaka simultaneously realized that they were headed for a major clash, and began squirreling away ever more fuel to prepare. Then both Petrochem and SovOil cheerfully sold these Corporations almost their entire reserves of aviation fuel, realizing that doing so would cause the appearance of a shortage and allow them to adopt massive price increases with impunity.

However, even with this unexpected windfall, Petrochem had its own problems to worry about with its far-flung assets vulnerable to attack. This resulted in a general mobilization of Petrochem's military assets. Some press outlets even noted that the American Midwest in this time became the most peaceful in decades, thanks to the preponderance of Petrochem security forces nervously patrolling the area.

In the end, although they were never directly involved in the 4th Corp War, the need to protect their valuable wells and fields—as well as fight off sporadic SovOil attacks as opportunities presented themselves—drew so heavily on Petrochem that it entered the post-War period seriously depleted.

With the collapse of most multinational fuel companies after the 4th Corp War, Petrochem is keeping the world running. Literally. They're the world's largest producer of CHOOH2 (under license), and control millions of acres of arable land across the un-incorporated United States—land chiefly used to grow the genetically altered wheat that is used to make the synthetic fuel known as CHOOH2.

Petrochem is also one of the world's largest oil producers, but with the oil supply dwindling most remaining fossil fuels are used to make plastics and other synthetics. Petrochem also has more fertile oil fields than any other company. All of these assets are huge, and accordingly hard to protect from other companies that would like to usurp Petrochem's wealth.

With such vast interests to protect—and due to recent loses to Continental Brands—Petrochem has invested huge amounts of money in protecting itself, maintaining an armed force worthy of a small country. Still chafing under its CHOOH2 license from Biotechnica, it's only a matter of time before Petrochem's wily CEO finds a way to absorb the smaller biotech company for good.

Face: Angus Youngblood

Before the War, Angus Youngblood was a rich, young Australian investor who became a major shareholder in Petrochem in 2013, when the company bought CHOOH2-growing land from his family's huge agricultural holdings in New South Wales. Once the third most powerful member of the Petrochem board, the devious Youngblood used his support of the aging Board Chairman Ellen Trieste as a tool towards his plan to take over the vast fuel empire. Youngblood used Trieste's infatuation with him to talk her into a marriage of convenience, combining his stock with hers to form a large controlling interest. Now that Ellen is dead, he no longer must cater to her romantic fantasies, as unwanted as he once found them.

Always suave, witty, and stylish, Youngblood is still handsome and healthy in his later years, sporting an air of competence and control. He's well known for his wit and casual bonhomie; a front that has served him well by disarming many of his worst rivals, including his ambitious younger brother Malcolm. But make no mistake about it, Angus Youngblood is as shrewd and as ruthless as ever and has no qualms when it comes to mercilessly disposing of his enemies. Angus particularly loathes Olivia Forsythe, for her role in stealing billions of dollars of intellectual and physical property from Petrochem under his watch.

Rocklin Augmentics

Cybernetics and structural enhancements specialists.

Headquarters: Austin, Free State of Texas
Regional Offices: Washington D.C., Chicago, Denver, Atlanta, Baltimore, Seattle, Dallas, Night City
Chief Officer/Designer: Jacinda Hidalgo
Employees: 125,000

Founded in 2004 by Andrew Rocklin, Rocklin Prosthetics was a major supplier of artificial limb technology to the Veterans Administration after the Central American Police Actions. But as prosthetic devices evolved from simple medical aids to full cybernetic enhancements, Rocklin found itself eclipsed by more aggressive Cybercorps like Dynalar and Kiroshi. While the Corp eked out an existence through their old government contracts, they found their sturdy but basic products falling out of favor in the hyper-charged markets of the Cyberpunk Age.

Then, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Rocklin was radically reborn in 2030 as Rocklin Augmentics. Now led by Andrew's daughter, Jacinda Hidalgo, the Neocorp burst onto the scene with an entirely new catalog of enhancements: bleeding edge designs that emphasized their artificial qualities and unique aesthetics. Still boasting the Rocklin reputation for reliability and strength, these new enhancements refused all pretense at organic simulation with open frameworks, bizarre color schemes, and proportions and variations that seemed brazenly inhuman. Public response was immediate and enthusiastic. Hidalgo followed up with her "Signature Cybernetics Series," each created by a popular artist, from street calligrapher Visser with her daring post-human-punk aesthetic, to the Art Nouveau-inspired stylings of Hamilton Welch. Rocklin still offers a selection of good-quality, domestically-made cybernetics in more conventional styles, albeit with greater sophistication than before, but it's Rocklin's more outré lines that are burning up the Data Terms, and Hidalgo keeps pouring CHOOH2 on the flames.

RA has grown like a Siamese fighting fish since then, with new facilities in several New U.S. and Free State cities, and has garnered a sizable portion of the domestic augmentations field, focusing on cyberlimb and skeletal enhancement systems. There are no overseas manufacturing operations; Rocklin has proclaimed itself an American company first and foremost, even as the term ‘American' is being rapidly redefined. They employ a lot of people displaced during the Time of The Red and enjoy a strong populist reputation with the public.

Still, controversy erupted in 2041 when an independent Media, Duel Murata, posted interviews with two of Rocklin's former designers who claimed that they were instructed to sign their names to prototypes that they were handed by management; baroque designs that implied the possibility of a "cyberware gestalt," uniting augmentations from multiple individuals. They cited the work as truly next level and possibly a violation of the AI Protocols. Netwatch quickly stepped in, determined to ferret out any illegal AI experiments. But despite a thorough sweep of all Rocklin facilities, including a Warrant Watchdog on all intercompany data traffic, no charges have been filed as of this date.

Naturally, Rocklin responded with a new advertising campaign: "Rock Aug! Cyberware for Humans, by Humans!" Rocklin has since filed suits against both the designers for slander and violation of their NDAs, despite the fact that one of them has been missing for almost two months now.

Face: Jacinda Hidalgo

Jacinda Hidalgo lost both her legs to a landmine in Costa Rica at age 10. It was while she was getting a set of cyberlegs at the Rocklin clinic in Dallas that her mother, Leticia, met Andrew Rocklin. They married two years later, with Jacinda adopted as Andrew's legal heir. She became known as something of a wunderkind around the Rocklin offices and soon attended the Texas Institute of Technology, graduating with honors in 2022.

Unfortunately, Andrew Rocklin disappeared in 2023, the rumor being that he died during the War (or flew off to Mars; post-DataKrash records vary). Jacinda took control of the Corporation at the age of 26, and quickly applied her energy and vision to remake Rocklin into a company that could compete in the brutal post-Corporate War market. She held true to her father's tenets of strength and durability, while bringing her own unique sense of artistry to the tech.

Now 42, Jacinda still has the face of a young woman, but much of the rest of her body has been made into a display case for Rocklin products. The exact extent of her augmentation is unknown, although she was recently seen sporting a Hamilton Welch cyberarm in addition to her matching cyberlegs, and extensive endostructural enhancements seem likely. She changes cyberlimbs like evening dresses, often displaying her company's creations with acrobatics that would be the envy of trained martial artists. Co-workers describe her as intensively creative and driven, with a no-nonsense, direct management style and take-no-prisoners competitive attitude. Her enemies have given her the nickname ‘The War Orphan' to which Hidalgo has responded, "They don't know what war is. But they will."

SovOil

Petrochemical products and agribusiness.

Headquarters: Moscow, Russia
Regional Offices: Toshkent, St. Petersburg, Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Manila, Ho Chi Min City, Havana, Night City
Chief Officer/Designer: Central Committee (actual membership unknown)
Employees: 245,000

By 1997, the Neo-Soviets had the capacity to recover only a fraction of the vast fields of oil lying under their federation. After a massive program of expansion and modernization, KeroSov, the previous state-run oil industry, became strong enough to break away from the oligarchs of the Federal Central Committee and become the Neo-Sovetskiy Neftyanoy Kombinat (Neo-Soviet Oil Combine aka SovOil).

Now sitting on top of the world's largest remaining oil reservoirs, SovOil's oligarch leaders know that the oil won't flow forever. But they're still a wealthy and powerful Corporation, with unmatched access to an incredibly valuable commodity, plus a variety of other products and industries. Unfortunately for them, developments like Biotechnica's CHOOH2 have rapidly undermined their strategic dominance.

In the mid-2010s SovOil and Petrochem fell into a disagreement over territories in the South China Sea, leading to a short, but savage, war that grievously wounded both Corporations. The result was that Petrochem decided to concentrate its efforts towards emerging CHOOH2 fuel technology, while SovOil was forced to dedicate its own to exploring the untapped oilfields of the long untouched Siberian region. But both sides knew that they would eventually meet again in a final match-up.

The 4th Corporate War has only delayed that reckoning. SovOil's Central Committee is already moving the pieces around in their long game, making plans that will carry the company into the next step of its evolution, when oil is no longer their prime source of income. The first step toward ensuring the company's survival is diversification. SovOil is the major economic force in the Neo-Soviet Union and much of Eastern Europe, and the company has a guaranteed market share in these areas.

The more services and goods SovOil can provide the people of these regions, the better off the company will be when the oil runs out. SovOil is already active in mining, shipbuilding, research, and CHOOH2 agriculture. It's just beginning to move into aircraft, computers, synthetics, CHOOH2 power systems, and general agriculture. By 2050, the board hopes to have a product base diverse enough to fight the coming war with their Petrochem rivals, who have yet to fully recover from the chaos of the last Corporate War.

Face: Anatoly Novaragov

Large, loud, and ostentatious, Anatoly looks exactly like the Western idea of a Russian oligarch. He wears bright and expensive shirts open to the navel, drapes himself in gold jewelry, and favors expensive cars, strong alcohol, and beautiful women. But those who know him well recall an earlier Anatoly: a rather faceless bureaucrat who used to wear shabby suits and scrupulously horded his money to the point of miserliness. This has a lot of important people wondering, is this the real Anatoly Novaragov going through a midlife crisis?

Is this a clever ruse put on by the Central Committee to distract its Petrochem enemies? Or could it be an actor taking the place of a Novaragov long ago buried behind the dacha of a powerful political rival on the Committee itself? No one knows, and no one's talking. Even Anatoly's ex-wife, Irina, has been quiet on the subject, although a astronomically generous divorce settlement may have had a lot to do with her reticence.

What hasn't changed about the current Anatoly Novaragov (whatever his provenance) is his reputation for ruthlessness. Even before he took on his peacock finery, he was well known as a cunning operator who leveraged a number of connections with the old KGB and the fearsome Bratva (Russian mafia) to make enemies and rivals disappear without a trace. Or to sometimes resurface months later as collections of unidentifiable body parts liberally strewn in parks all over his native city of St. Petersburg. Don't let the flashy side of SovOil's "Face" fool you; he can play nasty with the best of them.

Trauma Team

Ambulance and paramedic services.

Headquarters: Seattle, Washington
Regional Offices: Most Major North American Cities
Chief Officer/Designer: Carrie Lachanan and Bob Jones
Employees: 15,000

Still one of the largest private medical firms in the world, Trauma Team provides ambulance services and paramedic support for a client base of at least fifteen million people. Equipped with top-line AV type vehicles, Trauma Teams provide an essential service in the 2000s: recovering wounded clients from the field. Dispersed as needed among the offices are 1,305 AV-4 aerodyne vehicles, thirty Corporate jets, twenty-two Osprey II aircraft, and four C-29 heavy cargo jets. Each franchise office also has its own surgical-capable infirmary and arrangements with local hospitals for high-need patients.

During the War, Trauma Team International became even busier than ever and the company's capabilities were stretched to the limit. To keep the number of cases down (and to preserve its neutrality) Trauma Team declared that they wouldn't respond to any alert from a member of Arasaka or Militech. They just couldn't to be honest: one battle would tie up every TT team in an entire city otherwise. Instead, TT would only respond to civilian requests, and they'd be charging the combat rate if anyone so much as fired a weapon within half a kilometer. Even with those extra costs, TT was swamped with calls after every Militech/Arasaka clash.

Trauma Team survived the 4th Corporate War but only as regional providers. The conflict not only drew heavily upon their limited resources, but also upon their suppliers. Repair parts for their fleet of AV-4s and jets are hard to come by, as well as medical dressings, key drugs and vaccines, and even trained personnel. With the War's end came another problem, as hospitals and clinics collapsed, throwing ever more desperately ill or wounded patients onto the Trauma Team rolls.

Not all of these patients can afford TT's high response fees, but groups of Edgerunners have been known to chip in to buy a single card that they break to call in the Trauma Team in the hopes that the TT paramedics will at least patch the rest of the team up.

The War has also changed TT's Corporate look as well: in the past, their crisp blue and yellow uniforms were a comforting sign of their competence and capability. But endless street battles and the availability of surplus military hardware has forced the Trauma Team to armor up almost as heavily as the worst Psycho Squad.

The uniforms are still blue, but the new helmets are mil-spec, heavy duty combat rigs, coupled with heavy armor, power armor support systems (yellow), and self-contained combat medipacs. This coupled with the lack of qualified Medtechs, has given Trauma Team a new face: harried, overworked, angry, and impatient.

Faces: Carrie Lachanan and Bob Jones

Trauma Team is unusual in that it has two Faces, each representing a different area of the Company. Although both Lachanan and Jones are top rated Doctors/Medtechs, Lachanan specializes in the day-to-day operations of the company and its franchises, while Jones covers the manpower and materiel side of the equation.

Both, over many years of marriage (each maintains their original name as they married while both worked together in the early days of the company) have become mirrors of each other: weary, fed up, no-nonsense medics who put their patients first. Because the current rules of Corporations require that they present a "Face," they put up with the formalities, but it takes a major act of persuasion to drag them into any Corporate hearing or event.

Ziggurat

The backbone of modern communications and data infrastructure.

Headquarters: Night City
Regional Offices: Most North American Cities
Chief Officer/Designer: UR
Employees: 115,000

Ziggurat seemingly appeared from nowhere in 2030 in Night City with a plan to transform the old fiber-optic Data Term network into a new system and restore cheap and reliable communication across the whole of the metroplex. With a grant from Night Corp and buy-in from the fractious City Council, the brand-new CitiNet was up and operational within months. Ziggurat further increased usability by overlaying the CitiNet with the first Data Pool, an open protocol for displaying and sharing data that anyone could use.

Ziggurat quickly spread out from Night City to other metroplexes in North America, repeating the process. By 2040, most cities in the New United States, the Pacifica Confed, Canada, and the Free States had CitiNets and Data Pools courtesy of the company. Ziggurat also helped restore communication between metropolitan regions by providing simple and inexpensive city-to-city communication via hourly data-packet burst transfers along a cobbled together patchwork of reclaimed phone lines, free-space optics, and even Nomad couriers. This long-distance communication only works via text, voice, and video messages. Direct audio and visual contact still requires a contract with the more expensive WorldSat Comm Network.

Almost immediately after the Night City Data Pool went online, Ziggurat published the first set of apps to make use of it. This allowed them to not only collect fees from the government for setting up and maintaining CitiNets and Data Pools but monetized their use by collecting and selling data, selling advertising space, and supplying users with in-app upgrades.

Among Ziggurat's most popular app offerings are the Ask Alex Anything pseudo-AI data crawler, the BabelChat chat app, the ZPost electronic mail service, and the Ziggurat Editing Suite for text, audio, video, and app creation. While there are minor competitors, most content on North American Data Pools is created using Ziggurat Apps and consumed via the Garden, the company's one-stop platform for sharing content.

Any Garden user can, at no cost, set up their own Garden Patch, a space on the Data Pool made specifically for sharing their text, audio, virtual, and braindance creations. Patches can be customized using a limited variety of free overlays or more functional—and thus more expensive—templates.

Once setup is completed, users can populate their Patch with text, still imagery, audio and video, virtual, and braindance creations that other users can consume and comment on. Ziggurat runs targeted advertisements before, after, and during Garden content, cutting the creators in for ten percent of revenues.

Most modern PopMedia stars in the Time of the Red get their start on the Garden and most performers and companies, no matter how big, maintain their own Patch in order to reach the broadest possible audience with their entertainment, commercials, and products.

In 2043, Ziggurat opened offices in London and Melbourne with the intent of penetrating the European and Australian markets but has met stiff—and often armed—resistance from local competitors.

Face: UR

The founder and visionary behind Ziggurat, UR (pronounced "You Are"), represents the can do, by the bootstrap spirit of the modern Corp Executive. Little is known about them from before they burst onto the scene in 2030 with an ambitious plan to rebuild communications in the Time of the Red. Extremely charismatic, UR's ambition and enthusiasm united a normally heavily divided Night City Council long enough to build one of the first CitiNets and Data Pools in the world.

UR regularly publishes their thoughts and ideas in the form of video journals on their Garden Patch and constantly seeks to redefine themself. Over the last two and a half decades, they've chased several fad diets and promoted a broad selection of life philosophies. UR has also explored multiple spiritualities, including a brief but controversial stint spent as a member of a small but intense religion that worships a long-dead Rockerboy, known as the Church of Elvis.

One thing that has remained consistent no matter what trend UR chases is their enthusiasm for bodysculpting. Since 2030, UR has undergone at least three transformations, from a typical tech to a young-Elvis-inspired look, to their current elegant appearance. Most recently, they began adding elements of Exotic sculpting. Rather than undergo complete overhauls, UR changes appearance gradually, tweaking eye color here or lip shape there until they arrive at a fully different form. It has become something of a game for UR's fans to compare the Executive's current appearance in their latest video journal to their last one to discover what the latest tweak is.

Rumors about UR abound but few can be confirmed. Despite regularly recording and releasing video journals, they rarely give away much about their private lives to the public. Those who make a habit of watching UR's video journals have noticed one possible bit of personal information: UR regularly mentions the infamous Rache Bartmoss in a way that indicates the founder of Ziggurat either has, or believes they have, a personal connection to the renegade Netrunner. However, given the volume of misinformation surrounding Bartmoss, this clue provides little insight into UR's life before the Time of the Red.

Zhirafa Technical Manufacturing

Manufacturer of drone, autonomous robotics, and construction mecha.

Headquarters: Vladivostok, Russia
Regional Offices: London, Paris, Tel Aviv, Mumbai, Singapore, Night City
Chief Officer/Designer: Artyom Sokolov
Employees: 225,000

In the wake of the 4th Corporate War, the Neo-Soviet Union was weakened by antiquated technology and an unstable economy based almost entirely on fossil fuels. The major economic power of the nation, SovOil, had managed to make a killing in the last Corporate War but everyone was painfully aware that sooner or later the oil would run out or CHOOH2 would finally make fossil fuels obsolete and the Neo-Soviet economy would come crashing down.

Where many other countries used technology to aid in their recovery and shore up their economies, Russia's ability to compete in the international tech market was still extremely limited. Russia's few technical exports weren't going far and were largely recognized by the rest of the world as poor-quality garbage.

This changed in 2039, when a street tech from Moscow brought the GRAF3 to the market. This new construction robot entered the market at a reasonable price point and proved itself to be durable and easily repairable. But most importantly, the GRAF3 was perfect for cleaning up the remaining destruction of the War. It was cheap enough to be bought by local governments in bulk, and small communities could buy one and be sure it would last them years.

In the chaotic post-War atmosphere, there weren't many people who questioned how Zhirafa got founded or how it spread its influence so far across Russia so quickly after developing their first project.

Officially, Zhirafa was founded by its CEO, Artyom Sokolov, with a few of his Edgerunner friends and a healthy savings built on mercenary work during the War, but rumors persist that the meteoric rise of Zhirafa can be attributed to the activity of the Bratva criminal syndicate and their groups of allied Russian Nomads.

After breaking into the market with the giraffe-like GRAF3, the Corporation went on to rocket Russian tech to new heights with the release of several lines of drones and robots built for variable tasks. Besides the GRAF Line, the most notable and ubiquitous development of Zhirafa is the Savanna Line, a line of aerial and terrestrial combat drones for use by security and law enforcement. By the year 2045, many governments and Corporations across the world use Savanna Eagle and Savanna Panther Drones for security and law enforcement.

Face: Artyom Sokolov

The Founder and CEO of Zhirafa is an ex-Edgerunner named Artyom Sokolov. Zhirafa is quick to mention that Artyom is a self-made man who grew up in a grubby arcology in the heart of the Neo-Soviet Union and his mission statement is to spread affordable technology to the masses and push technological development forward no matter what. They're less upfront about his history on The Street, focusing on his most daring exploits and omitting his time spent as a Corporate soldier protecting SovOil assets in Africa, and the messy nature of his defection.

Artyom is a volatile, charismatic figure who maintains a relaxed, simple streetwear style accented by extravagant, custom cyberware that could pay an Edgerunner's rent 'til 2077. Artyom is often cited as being off-putting and unprofessional by rival tech companies due to his casual approach to business and his eccentric life. In the office, Artyom is known for rarely taking anything too seriously.

Advertisements greenlit by Artyom are casual and honest, often lamp-shading the techniques of other Corporations. When faced with opposition, Artyom has earned a reputation for humiliating challengers with blackmail and humorously doctored photos. And of course, the subsequent disappearance of any particularly stubborn opposition has never been linked to Zhirafa or Artyom.

In his personal life, Artyom runs in eccentric circles, hosting parties in starscrapers with the glitterati and known Bratva members and sponsoring bizarre and often radical artists and musicians.

However, despite his strange and lavish lifestyle, fans of Zhirafa are always quick to point to the many interviews Artyom has given on the trajectory of Zhirafa and the future of robotics. In these interviews it's easy to see the glint of inspiration in Artyom's gold-plated cyberoptics even if it may be difficult from time-to-time to keep up with the technical jargon he runs through in his almost stream of consciousness style. It's hard, even for Artyom's detractors, to argue that the man isn't a driven tech with a complex understanding of robotics and technology.

Other Corps of Note

Not every Corp gets to sit at the table with the big players. Here are few of the second tier players who never seem to make the screamsheets.

Constitution Arms

Prominent arms manufacturer. Produces extremely heavy weaponry.

GunMart

Low-quality weapons manufacturer.

Kendachi Arms

Japanese arms manufacturer. Specializes in mono-molecular blades.

Kiroshi Optics

A leading Corp in Cyberoptics design. Still dominates the market.

Merrill, Asukaga & Finch

Highly exclusive investment/financial counseling firm.

Raven Microcybernetics

Once-powerful cybernetics Corp. Knocked down a peg by the arrival of Rocklin Augmentics.

Thornton Motor Company

Mid-tier vehicle manufacturer. Builds extremely durable ground cars.

WorldSat CommNet

International communications Corp. Still rules direct A/V communication between cities.

Zetatech

Software and heavy machinery manufacturing Corp.

Local Corps

Local Corps make great cannon fodder for your Cyberpunk RED games. They have just enough hardware and clout to make the local baddies take notice, but are still easy picking for the Big Guys.

Local Corps often need to hire freelancers, so you can set up "temp jobs" connected to a local Corp right from the start of play (Arasaka isn't going to be hiring the Characters until they show their mettle at the local level and work their way up so they catch the notice of the larger Corps.).

Also, local Corps are more likely to hire and pay the Characters with the promise of stock or ownership (they usually don't have a lot of cash hanging around) which can be a great plot hook and gives Characters incentive to keep them around and help them grow.

Who knows; the PCs in your game may even end up running their own local Corp!

The Apartment

The player's characters all live on the third floor of the same apartment complex, which is owned by one of them. If any of them have dead parents in their lifepath, say they inherited it three years ago. It’s one of the few apartments in the city that is not owned by a corporation, and is four blocks away from the combat zone.

The edgerunners aren’t alone; their families could be with them, depending on their lifepaths. The building is also full of other tenants, some of whom are listed below. Their rent helps cover needed repairs and bribes needed to keep the building safe, and it breaks even, barely. This close to the zone, nobody comes to collect property tax, but that also means there are no city services available in the area.

So long as the local fixer (Rex) is paid regularly, most of the boostergangs don’t bother the building’s inhabitants. It’s a good situation, and paradise when compared to the rest of the city. The roof even has a view that could be on a postcard.

Of course somebody wants to take it away! WorldSat has already determined that the apartment complex will be the location of their latest communications tower and won’t give up their plans without a fight. WorldSat’s actions are up to the GM, but some options are included in Parts Two and Three.

In Part One, try to get the edgerunners as invested as possible in their apartment building. In Parts Two and Three, WorldSat corporation will try to take it from them. The crew must fight to defend their little slice of urban paradise.

Part One: Meet The Neighbors

After you’ve explained their situation with the apartment, have the players introduce their characters one by one. Ask them about their lifepaths. Are they in a relationship? Are their parents dead? Do they have siblings? etc. Their lifepaths are useful to you as the GM for making them feel invested in the world. They have control of their characters, but you have control of everything else, including their friends and families. Feel free to make some of the neighbors into their friends or family members. Maybe they even live with the character.

Once all the crew have introduced themselves, it’s time to introduce their neighbors. This area of Night City attracts those driven out to the fringes by the circumstances of the dark future. Some would be eaten alive if they lived any closer to the combat zone, and this is the furthest they can afford to run. Others like living near the criminal element because it makes it work easier to find. Pick some of the NPCs to share a wall, ceiling, or floor with any of the edgerunners:

Gina Zepada

Gina has been living alone in her apartment since before the edgerunners moved in. Sounds of squawking and mimicked human speech can be heard coming from her apartment. When asked which of her three pets, Rico, her salmon–crested cockatoo, Puddles, her aldabra tortoise, or Spooky, her veiled chameleon is her favorite, she refuses to answer on principal, or to use the word “pet” to describe them—she has three “roommates” that she takes care of.

Strangely, all three of these animals seem to be completely natural, and not—like most animals—created by Biotechnica. Gina doesn’t like to talk about where she got them, but will sometimes refer to them as “her rescues”. If she doesn’t trust someone, she won’t let them anywhere near her roommates.

Gina used to be a member of “a pro–nature group” that took “direct actions” against the corporations, until her name and face got too recognizable and she was forced into hiding. Biotechnica would love to get their cloning reference animals back and would pay good money for information leading to her arrest by corporate security. She keeps a loaded shotgun for the day they try.

(Use average citizen, add; drive land vehicles 4, shoulder arms 6, a poor quality shotgun and shotgun ammo x25.)

Average Citizen

Body Armor None

Head Armor None

Hit Points 30 (Seriously Wounded 15, Death Save 4)

INT REF DEX TECH COOL

4 4 4 4 4

WILL LUCK MOVE BODY EMP

4 — 4 4 4

Skill Bases: Athletics 6, Brawling 6, Concentration 6, Conversation 6, Education 6, Evasion 6, First Aid 6, Human Perception 6, Language (local) 10, Language (Streetslang) 6, Local Expert 6, Perception 6, Persuasion 6, Stealth 6

INT	REF	DEX	TECH	COOL
4	4	4	4	4
WILL	LUCK	MOVE	BODY	EMP
4	—	4	4	4

Rico Robinson

Rico is another long aterm tenant of the building. Everybody seems to know him, his music, or his old band. Each morning on the fourth floor of the building is accompanied by Rico’s music, which begins with scales and evolves seamlessly into experimental melodies. Though he typically begins in the morning with the trumpet, and switches between several instruments before the afternoon, recording as he goes. During lunch, he mixes everything, adding guitar and drums.

He doesn’t stop playing when asked, but nobody has asked in a long time. When Rico was younger, he was part of a band called The Night Children, who broke up almost as fast as they got famous. Now, he's is semi-retired, but occasionally plays clubs around the combat zone, accompanying himself with his own recordings.

He is good friends with Gina, and they often share meals. Her salmon–crested cockatoo isn’t named after him—that’s merely a coincidence. Rico is good friends with the bird that shares his name; whenever he comes over to visit, it always greets him, “Hello Rico!–squawk– Hello Rico!”

(Use rockerboy)

The Andersons

The Andersons, led by twenty-five-year-old matriarch Molly, used to live on the street in the combat zone until they were able to pool together enough eurodollars to crawl out of that hellhole. A total of five people live squeezed into their single apartment, all members—biologically or otherwise—of Molly’s family: Judie; the tall one, Maurice; the short one, and Marco and Andy; the twins. “Family” is Molly’s word for it, but they are clearly a gang, and their matching "A–N–D–E–R–S–O–N" knuckle tattoos make it very easy to make that inference.

Having survived the daily trauma of life in the Combat Zone together, the Andersons have become one cohesive unit that serves Molly’s will without question. They all, however, claim they have never killed anyone they didn’t have to. Nowadays, the Andersons do much less crime, violent or otherwise, than they used to, and as a rule, never steal from anybody living in the apartment building. Lately, Molly has gotten into the good graces of the local fixer, Rex, to keep the family’s criminal acts sanctioned by the local underworld.

(Use fixer for Molly, boosters for the rest of the family.)

Dr. Carver

Dr. George Carver moved into the apartment building only recently, to cut down on his nightly commute between Trauma Team shifts. Moving closer to the “action” also allowed Dr. Carver to set up a second source of income for himself, an unlicensed surgery ward for illegal cyberware, colloquially referred to as a Ripperdoc. George isn’t a medical doctor, but he knows his way around machines, which lets him get by, as most of his patients are more machine than human. Shortly after he moved in, he rented the apartment neighboring his, converting it into a sterile environment.

He spends most of the day sleeping, and works every night. To drown out the ambient sounds of gunfire, Rico’s guitar, and Rico the cockatoo’s squawking, Dr. Carver lined his walls with sound–dampening foam, which has helped him get a lot more sleep. The foam also keeps the screaming of his patients to a minimum, which helps the rest of the apartment get more sleep. It’s a win–win. He would be happy to repair any of the Characters’ damaged cyberware in exchange for a break on the rent.

(Use tech.)

Grant Jung (Royal)

Grant is a solo who works primarily for the local Fixer, Rex. Professionally, he goes by the handle Royal, and his room is paid for as part of the building’s yearly payment to Rex, that keeps the building safe from the area’s many boostergangs who would love to terrorize it. Rex has made it known far and wide that Royal lives in the building, and that alone is a great deterrent. Despite the reputation, he isn’t a bad neighbor.

When he isn’t running jobs for Rex, Grant loves to unwind by playing cards. Every month, he organizes a poker night on the roof of the building. Bets are made exclusively in mini liquor bottles. Nobody cheats. The younger members of the Anderson family learned quickly not to play pranks on him after one of them had to visit Dr. Carver afterwards, for which Grant apologized. Grant doesn’t like people standing behind him, and his eyes reflexively scan any room he enters. Even when relaxing, he doesn’t like to take his armor off, except behind his apartment’s specially installed reinforced door. He won’t talk about it with anyone who wouldn’t understand.

(Use solo.)

Part Two: There's Somethin' Strange in Your Neighborhood

The edgerunners should have some time to interact with their neighbors before they notice a black car has been parked across the street from the apartment all day. Near the vehicle, two security operatives in Militech uniforms guard a man standing in front of an easel, making measurements while operating a set of cameras mounted to each of his shoulders.

The edgerunners can’t see what’s displayed on the easel unless they get closer. If they go investigate and are spotted, the private security will approach and tell them to move along or they will be shot. One warning is all they get.

In the event of a combat, use booster statistics for the man behind the easel, who gets into the car as soon as possible to drive as far away as he can. An extraction team of four more security operatives will arrive to secure him in an hour if he’s captured or unable to escape.

Edgerunners who get close enough to the easel to get a glimpse, or beat information out of the man, learn WorldSat is planning to tear down their apartment building to install a communications tower in its place. Even more distressing, scribbled near the bottom of the plans is tomorrow’s date.

Judging by the fact that they haven’t already asked, they probably aren’t going to. If the crew aren’t able to get this information, either by the means listed above, or their own research, they simply aren’t warned in advance of what’s coming next.

Part Three: Corporate Wrath

Later that day, the CitiNet goes down in a quarter mile radius centered on the apartment building, rendering communication via agent useless, and making the data pool inaccessible. Simultaneously, discreetly placed radio jammers all over the same area shut down radio communications. WorldSat giveth—WorldSat taketh away.

People panic, and 90 percent of the apartment goes into hiding. The remaining 10 percent (including the neighbours) arm themselves. What happens next is up to the GM, but here are four options, suggested for specific roles the players might be using.

Where There’s Smoke

Recommended if someone is playing a Tech.

During the chaos, a fire truck speeds toward the apartment building with its lights on, parking across the street. A team of five fully armed firefighters (use security operatives) begins earnestly doing their job, setting off the fire alarm and ushering people out of the building.

While they may be dressed like firefighters, they aren’t and there isn’t actually a fire. They’ve been hired by WorldSat to empty out the building for demolition. Their disguises are excellent, and they’ve rehearsed their roles well. After clearing out some of the first–floor apartments, they set up smoke emitters in them—to add to the ruse—and lock the doors to said rooms to keep them from being discovered.

Seeing through their costume requires a DV16 Perception check. The smoke emitters are also a dead giveaway. If the "firefighters" suspect they’ve been discovered, they draw concealed weapons and open fire immediately.

The second phase of WorldSat’s plan begins: The smoke emitters planted on the first floor are also rigged with timed C9 explosives, which were set to explode in one hour. When the players learn of this, twenty minutes remain on the timer. Defusing one is a DV18 Basic Tech check. Half of the time remaining on the timer disappears whenever the check is failed or the bomb is jostled.

There are three such bombs hidden on the first floor. If they all go off, the building is completely demolished. If only one or two bombs go off, the building falls to the left or right, taking down its neighbor in the process.

If all of the bombs are disabled, the threat is contained—for now—and WorldSat must re-evaluate their plans.

Unknown Caller

Recommended if the players and/or GM love combat.

During the chaos, somebody’s agent rings, which is strange because everybody’s agent is jammed. The voice on the phone asks to speak to the owner of the apartment building. Should they attempt to hang up the call, their agent won’t be able to drop it. The person on the other end of the phone claims to be an employee of WorldSat who wants to end this situation without violence.

They offer 100,000 eurodollars for the building, and will show the money if they come to the window to see it. If anyone goes to the window, two security operatives 25m away on the street shoot at them. If they don’t fall for the bait, combat begins shortly thereafter—the shots meant for the owner destroy the window.

When combat starts, two additional security operatives breach the apartment building’s first–floor entrance. They arrive at the third floor in three rounds. The voice on the other end of the line taunts the crew during the firefight. That voice is Julian Adder—better known by his handle: Streamline—a solo that works almost exclusively for WorldSat, who is watching the firefight from hiding on the sixth floor of the building across the street, putting him 25 meters away from the action on the third floor of the apartment building. A DV20 Perception check uncovers Streamline’s hiding spot before he reveals himself.

When the tide of the battle seems to be turning against his forces, he enters the firefight—from range if possible. If the fight has moved away from the window, he fires a zip line down to the apartment nearest to the fight—crashing through the window to engage in close quarters.

After the fight is over. WorldSat backs off for now, forced to re-evaluate their plans, having lost a key asset.

It’s Just Business

Recommended if the players like their neighbors.

The crew wait for something bad to happen, but nothing does. Two of the neighbors stand beside the party, ready to defend the apartment building alongside them... or so it seems.

One of the neighbors has an idea, to search the building room by room for the jammers blocking communication, starting from the top floor. They’ll need half of the crew to accompany them to speed up the search. Another neighbor wants to gather a group to go talk to Rex, the fixer in charge of this area. The streets aren’t safe after dark, so they invite the other half of the party with them.

If the players agree, one group heads into an alley where a single security operative waits to ambush them, and the other group heads to the fifth floor of the apartment building where another security operatives hides for an ambush. Both ambushes happen simultaneously, and the crew realize their trusted neighbors have betrayed them—when they turn their guns on them during the ambush. Combine both of these encounters together if the players refuse to split the party but still follow their neighbors into one of the ambushes.

Their reasons for betraying the players are as follows:

Gina: Blackmailed by WorldSat with things from her past.
Rico: His old band member is WorldSat’s hostage.
The Andersons: WorldSat offered a great deal of money.
Dr. Carver: WorldSat offered a new corporate contract.
Grant: Hired through Rex by WorldSat.

Whatever the reason, their betrayal culminates, most likely, in their death. After the tragic scene, no reinforcements arrive from WorldSat. The failure causes the Corporation to rethink their plans, and they decide on a new location for their communications tower.

Hack Attack

Recommended if someone is playing a Netrunner.

Amid the chaos, a helicopter approaches the roof of the apartment. It’s carrying a strike team, composed of five security operatives and a secretive netrunner known only by her handle, Crunch.

After the strike team lands on the roof, they split into two groups: Three of the security team head downstairs to eliminate the owner of the building, who they know lives on the third floor. The other two back up Crunch as she accesses the building’s network via a company backdoor built into the satellite dish on the roof.

Once in the building’s NET, Crunch quickly gains access to the building’s control nodes. Using the nodes, she can mess with the building’s sprinklers, fire alarm, apartment lights, hallway lights, and elevators. Immediately, she triggers the sprinklers and fire alarm in the building owner’s room on the third floor, killing the lights as well for good measure.

The combined annoyance gives a -5 to any roll attempted in the room. The strike team’s plan is to flush the owner of the apartment into the hallway, so the team of three on third floor can gun them down. If players hide in another room, Crunch makes that room equally awful.

If one of the players is a netrunner, they can enter the building’s network architecture via access points located near the fire alarm or elevator to put a stop to Crunch’s meddling.

If the crew dispatch the team of three private security, Crunch orders the remaining two to go finish the job. Once they reach the third floor, if she is still in control of the building’s network, Crunch cuts all of the building’s lights and shuts down the elevator. Using the fire escape on the roof, she abandons the gig, as she’s not about to get killed over it. Once the fifth shooter expires, no reinforcements arrive from WorldSat. For now, the apartment building is safe.

The Apartment Building’s Network

Level	Encounter	Ability (DV)
1	Password	(Backdoor DV15)
2	Control Node (Sprinklers, Fire Alarm)	(Control DV12)
3	Control Node (Elevators)	(Control DV12)
4	Control Node (Lights)	(Control DV12)

Conclusion: What Happens Next

If the apartment building is still standing in the morning, the players are victorious. Sometime during the following day, the jammers hidden in neighboring buildings are discovered and destroyed, and CitiNet access is restored to the area.

The other tenants in the apartment building throw a party for the crew, and for a short few months after the incident, pay their rent on time with greater frequency, which makes their landlord's job much easier.

While the players are no richer than they were before, their reputations have grown to level 3 around their neighborhood. Jobs will be considerably easier to find—and will pay better. Who knows where they will go from here?

You should have some ideas by now, but if you need help figuring that out, check out the following mini adventures.

Wood Pirates

Biotechnica is looking for a team to stand guard over one of their reference forests in northern California. There has been a recent string of thefts from other sites and they believe that the next location to be hit will be Site RF003. The corporation isn’t looking to hire people that will do more damage than good. They want a crew who are sensitive to the ecosystem in the Reference Forest and will leave a minimal footprint.

Biotechnica will provide access to forest security drones, 1,000eb per person, and room and board while the team is there. Any team that accepts the job will receive this briefing from professor Geri McKennel:

"As you are aware, in the last few months, two of our reference forests have been hit by wood pirates. Whoever they are, they have cut down dozens of valuable trees and removed a few dozen burls. At first, we thought it was Green Fist or a similar activist group, but it’s looking more like someone out there doesn’t want us cutting into their business ... no pun intended.

They have hit at night when the forests are unattended, and based on the locations targetted so far, site RF003 is the next logical location for them to attack. Your job is to go into the forest, ambush these pirates and find out who is funding them. Biotechnica doesn’t care—or want to know—what happens to them after you get the intelligence."

The crew is flown in via a VL-11 Corporate Bus (Helicopter) and dropped just outside of RF003 at a Biotechnica ranger station. The forest is dense and the trees tower over the surrounding region. It looks like RF003 was established in the last decade.

A Biotechnica rep is waiting for them at the station, beside the access road that leads into the forest. He will point out the value of the forest, rambling on about Dalbergia—which isn’t native to the region—and how Biotechnica is able to acclimatize it through genetic splicing. The forest is also densely populated with mahogany and oak.

The rep will give either a Netrunner or Tech access codes for the security drones (Mini Air Drones). This will allow the team to control what they see and allow them to maneuver drones as needed. They also provide a link for agents that offers a standard video security feed.

The rep also provides the crew with an access key to a firewatch tower located at the heart of RF003. He mentions that there is a decent supply of food inside along with hammocks. If there are any questions the rep answers with vague responses and just points into the forest, wishes everyone good luck, and in a not-so friendly way emphasizes avoiding damage to the ecosystem.

It takes about an hour to hike to the firewatch tower. It’s constructed from fireproof materials and has a center lift, along with a ladder that goes to the top. Access to the lift needs the access key. The inside of the watchtower isn’t very high tech, but it does offer a 360° view of the forest.

There’s a solar panel that provides power for computers, communications, security monitors, meteorology equipment and a high quality seismograph. The hammocks are not well made or comfortable. There are two metal folding chairs next to the computer console.

The food comes in the form of freeze-dried packets but there isn’t a sink. Water must be carried up from a rain catch basin at the bottom of the tower. As for a toilet, there is an old wooden outhouse that smells like death.

GM Notes

The 'pirates' hitting RF003 are actually working for one of the Biotechnica investors out of the Free State of Washington. The idea is to drive Biotechnica to move all their operations out of NorCal and invest in the Free State of Washington instead. That would make millions for all the investors.

There are two teams of wood pirates that will hit RF003. There are a number of them equal to the number of edgerunners; half with chainsaws and half with SMGs.

The first team will strike from the east while the other attacks from the northeast. The seismographs will go nuts because each team is driving large logging trucks that are unmarked and don’t have any forms of identification of ownership inside. The seismographs going off it will give enough time to get close to where the trucks are going before the pirates can do too much damage. The drones will show the trucks going deep into RF003. The chainsaws are loud and will cover any approach by the players.

If their crew don’t split up, at least one tree is going to get cut down. The pirates aren’t there to fight, but they also won’t let themselves just get taken, and will put up a serious fight to escape. If a pirate is captured and interrogated, the prisoner’s head will explode right as he starts spilling the beans… Damn undetectable micro bombs—a popular corporate trick.

In the morning, the Biotechnica rep will show up to see how things went. If there was any damage to the forest, he’ll throw a fit and the total pay is reduced by 100 ed per tree lost. He’s really not amused by the fact that they still don’t know who is hitting the reference forests but it’s a start. He’ll offer the team an extended contract to guard RF003.

Wood Pirate

Body Armor Kevlar (SP7)

Head Armor Kevlar (SP7)

Hit Points 25 (Seriously Wounded 13, Death Save 3)

INT REF DEX TECH COOL

4 6 4 4 3

WILL LUCK MOVE BODY EMP

3 — 3 3 3

Skill Bases: Archery 10, Athletics 10, Brawling 6, Concentration 5, Conversation 6, Drive Land Vehicle 12, Education 6, Endurance 5, Evasion 6, First Aid 6, Handgun 10, Human Perception 5, Land Vehicle Tech 10, Language (Native) 6, Language (Streetslang) 6, Local Expert 6, Melee Weapon 8, Perception 6, Persuasion 5, Stealth 8, Tracking 8, Wilderness Survival 8

Weapons

Heavy SMG (3d6), Very Heavy Melee Weapon (4d6)

Cyberware & Equipment

Neural Link, Interface Plugs, SMG Ammo x60, Rope, Flashlight

INT	REF	DEX	TECH	COOL
4	6	4	4	3
WILL	LUCK	MOVE	BODY	EMP
3	—	3	3	3

Smash the Box

Taking to the streets usually offers some adventure, but today is special. The crew hits the asphalt looking for some action. As they hit their first local spot, they come across a Postal Service truck delivering a package to a shop on the corner.

The truck is pretty tricked out with an armored chassis, bulletproof glass, and an onboard machine gun manned by a scrawny kid wearing a flak vest and helmet that look about three sizes too big for him. The postal lady driving the truck is decked out in all black leathers and kevlar.

Her techhair is styled in a way that makes it look like she has cat ears. When she sees the crew, she waves and says "Hello," in an usually squeaky voice.

When it comes to knowing what is going on across the city, the mail lady sees a lot. If asked what's happening, she tells the crew about some work being done two blocks down; close to a gangland border. She also points out that she doesn’t know why anyone would want to do work on the sidewalk there since the block usually gets shot up daily. After, she winks and struts back to the postal truck and then speeds off, laying a rather large black strip.

Sounds like it might be fun to check out what’s going on. It’s sure better than sitting around being bored. As the crew gets to about four blocks away, they can hear the sound of gunfire. It looks like there’s a party after all. At the one block mark the crew can see a large glass box sitting in the middle of the sidewalk. Inside there’s a pile of neatly stacked currency, a pistol, a rifle, and a teddy bear.

Every few seconds someone runs up and tries to smash it, all while bullets ricochet all around them. The street and walkways are crowded with people, guns drawn, shooting at each other. Some of the people blazing away look like they might be gang connected, but there are about a dozen more that are just randomly shooting at the box or each other.

An older man dressed in casual attire approaches the crew and tells them that he could crack into that glass case easily, but there are too many trigger-happy gonks by it. He offers to split the swag if the crew clears out the crowd.

GM Notes

Militech is getting ready to launch their new safe—which they claim is indestructible—and they hired street marketing guru Willy Maze to work his magic promoting it. When it comes to guerrilla marketing, Willy is the man. Without telling anyone, he took the safe to a part of town famous for gang activity and secured it to the sidewalk with massive iron bolts.

Public works is going to be pissed, even though they refuse to go to that block because of the gangs. While his street crew installed the safe, Willys Tech crew set up cameras all around to film the chaos. The safe was left concealed until about mid-morning, and then revealed.

The safe is made from a transparent material (100 HP), so the 5,000 ed, Militech Avenger, Militech Bulldog, and teddy bear holding an envelope, are all in full public view. Inside the envelope there is a private invite to a Militech job fair. There is a large decal on the safe that reads 'Maximum Security Safe.'

In addition to mounted street cameras, there are drones flying around recording the entire show (Mini Air Drones). Any time a shot misses a player, roll 1d10. On a 7-10 the shot hits a camera drone instead.

The two gangs involved are low level boostergangs. The first is a minor local gang called the Albino Alligators (5 total), who are all wearing T-Shirts with a cartoon-like white alligator carrying an assault rifle. Some have the logo tattooed on their upper arms. The second gang is the Piranhas (5 total). The remaining (10 + 1d6) people on the street are a variety of locals, armed with whatever the GM desires.

No one will attack the players unless they try to approach the safe or if start shooting at people trying to get to the safe. If the Albino Alligators lose more than two members, they retreat. If the Piranhas lose three members, they retreat. Both gangs take their dead and wounded with them. The crowd disperses after half of them are incapacitated or wounded.

Once the area is secured, the old man will emerge with a large cylinder on his back and a hose that runs down to a nozzle. He turns the release on the nozzle and a whitish aerosol sprays onto one edge of the safe. It will take about two minutes to do one side. 1d6 streetrats (use booster stats) will make one finaly attempt to take the safe from the players.

These attackers are easily scared and if one of them dies the rest will flee. When the old man finishes, he asks if he can borrow someone’s piece. He’ll take the gun and tap the side of the safe. While the glass-like material doesn’t break, the sealant used to hold it together gives way and all the glory falls to the ground.

If more than half of the players are seriously wounded, the old man then turns the gun on the them. Just goes to show you can’t even trust an old choomba. If not, he takes his share and leaves.

The Big Break

When it comes to cult classic weapons, no one designs them like JayeZK. Her spin-offs of Sanroo’s Hello Cutie line are everywhere. From the ShotFrog (Shotgun) to the Koi Kicker (Heavy Pistol), her creative endeavors have made a name for themselves. Anime fans can’t get enough.

With fame also comes things like big lucrative contracts and unwanted attention from unscrupulous con artists. JayeZK has reached out to the crew because over the last week she’s been getting harassed by a rival artist who goes by the name Gangster 3D. The guy has tried to hack her Agent, blackmail her with less than flattering pictures and vids, and generally shows up to every one of her outings looking for a fight. JayeZK has had enough.

She asked the players to act as her protection next week during a street art show where she’s presenting her new ideas to a rep from Sanroo. She offers 100 ed to each player, and a cut of any commission that is offered by the company.

GM Notes

Gangster 3D is a fake name, which becomes clear is anyone starts digging for more information on the guy. If followed, he will lead the players to the offices of DizCom, a fledgling design firm that specializes in peddling 3D print files, located in a much larger building on the 20th floor. There’s an elevator designated for the public to access the offices, a private elevator and two sets of stairs, one on the north face and one on the east side, both with street access.

There are a number of security operatives at the front desk equal to half the players (add cyberaudio suite and radio communicators) and a number equal to the players, patrolling the building—all using encrypted radio communications.

The ground floor has a NET architecture with an access point in the front desk and on the north face by the door. The exterior stair doors have cardkey locks which can be bypassed (Electronic/Security Tech DV10).

The private elevator has a built-in Sleep Gas system. If the crew can access it, they find that it only has two buttons: Penthouse and Ground.

Ground Floor NET Architecture

Floor	Contents	DV
1	Password	6
2	Control node for the exterior door cardkey locks	6
3	File containing the appointments for a Mr. Frumighter. There are a number of appointments with random people (a DV13 Local Expert Check reveals that they are all minor local artists). Additionally, there are five appointments in the past two weeks with Gangster 3D	6
4	Wisp	—
5	Control node for the elevators	6
7	Control node for the sleep gas	8

The 20th floor stair access has the same security system as the exterior stairs and there is another NET architecture which can be accessed from the 20th floor landing. It has 2 Imps present in it which won't attack a netrunner unless they enter the lower right branch of the Architecture (the one with the control nodes). If there are only 2 players, there is only 1 Imp.

20th Floor NET Architecture

Floor	Contents	DV
1	Password	8
2	Skunk, Killer	N/A
3	Hellhound	N/A
4	Control node for the cardkey lock on the top floor as well as the building's alarm system	8
5	Password.

Floor 7 splits into two branches:

Branch 1

Floor	Contents	DV
7.1.1	Asp	N/A
7.1.2	File containing a comprehensive list of 3D artists and companies across Night City. There are notes about who has been contacted by DizCom and who needs to be "convinced" to join.

Branch 2

Floor	Contents	DV
7.2.1	Control node for the electronic locks on Mr. Frumighter's office	8
7.2.2	Control node for the "Buster Swine" drone	8
7.2.3	Control node for the "Electric Bunny" drone	8
7.2.4	Control node for the "Hyper-Active Hyena" drone	8
7.2.5	Control node for the "Captain Piranha" drone	8

If the crew fails to bypass the door’s security on the first try an alarm goes off (Electronic/Security Tech DV 12 to shut down). Alarms will summon the patrolling security guards who will promptly throw out the crew unless they decide to shoot it out. If that happens, NCPD will show up in 2d6 turns (1d6 officers at first, use security operatives).

When the players eventually get to the 20th floor—be it by elevator or stairs—they come out onto a level that has nice white vinyl flooring and several holo-posters on the walls showing off various properties of DizCom (Buster Swine, Electric Bunny, Hyper-Active Hyena, and Captain Piranha).

As the players walk by the frames, the figures stop dancing and singing as they gaze at the visitors with scowling faces. They have gone from happy and joyful to downright terrifying.

The long hallway leads to an office door with the DizCom logo all in bright blue colors. It’s an automatic door, which opens when anyone gets within 2 meters. As the door glides open it will let out a series of giggles that sound like children. Inside there is a single desk and behind it a door.

A woman is sitting there with an over-exaggerated smile (she flickers slightly). She welcomes the players and asks if they have an appointment. If anyone says no, she will ask if they’d like to make one. If they lie, she looks confused for a moment and then suggests that they are jokers and asks them to leave. Trying to set up an appointment is possible, but the woman says there is a three-week waiting list.

If at any point things become hostile, the outer doors to the office suddenly open. In the hallway the cartoon characters are literally climbing out of the frames. Their eyes are glowing bright red. The secretary’s eyes are also glowing an angry red. The cartoon characters start growling before opening fire on the players.

They are holograms surrounding Large Air Drones with very heavy pistols and observation cameras). Anyone firing at the cartoon characters will notice that the bullets are going right through the bodies and hitting the wall further down. The drones hover inside the heads of the cartoons.

After discovering this, players can fire on the drones without having to make aimed shots. There is 1 cartoon character and 1 drone control node for each player (maximum 4). They are controlled by 2 Imps in the top floor's NET architecture, who each trigger two drones on their turn.

After the drones are defeated players can grill the secretary, who is a pseudo AI, but she won’t say anything. The door to the he management office has an electronic lock (Electronic/ Security Tech DV12). When the office door opens it reveals a bizarre scene: A man’s upper torso is plugged into a massive rig of tubes and wires. There is nothing below the ribcage. Two drones hover next to him with little robotic arms.

The man, named Winston Frumighter, doesn’t want trouble and will confess to being behind the harassment of JayeZK. He reveals that he was trying to scare off the Sanroo rep, then recruit the 3D artist for DizCom. Gangster 3D is just a paid face. He promises to leave JayeZK alone if the crew let him live. If they attack Frumighter, he will fight back (use netrunner with MOVE 0). The two drones in his office have no weapons and do not attack.

Later that day, JayeZK meets with the Sanroo reps, but they decide not to use her.

Precious Cargo

A well–known fixer approaches the crew while in Night City. They offer a combined 30 percent stake in an armored car heist they’re bringing together, if the players are willing to run point on it and finance their own equipment, other than an anonymous vehicle the fixer is willing to provide. While they’re cagey about the details of the heist until an agreement can be made, they’re upfront that the team has to overcome armed resistance to rob an armored car. High risk, high reward. Could be a big score, if it all goes down in their favor...

GM Notes

The fixer offers to provide them with an anonymous vehicle for the job at a 30 percent stake, but is willing to increase their stake to 35 percent if they use their own vehicles instead.

They also provide the option of a 25 percent stake, where the fixer also provides the crew with a motorcycle (in addition to the anonymous vehicle) which does not need to survive.

A character can negotiate to make a minor concession (5 percent additional stake, add an additional vehicle, etc.) in the terms of the agreement assuming they are convincing enough with a DV17 Persuasion or a DV15 Bribery check.

Once an agreement has been made, the fixer will reveal an important piece of dirt they have on one of the players (from their Lifepath) to discourage betrayal. They stress that they don’t like to threaten people like this, but needs to for their own safety. They are not lying and will send an armored car driven by a nomad and carrying two solos to punish betrayal. The fixer goes into detail about the plan for the heist:

In two days, a lone armored car will leave Night City for a heavily defended compound in the mountains. At one point during its trip—when it crosses a single strip of road between two nomad territories—the vehicle will be particularly vulnerable. At that point, the strike team are to stop the car, disable the tracker it’s probably equipped with, then steal the car and take it to a safe house in Night City so that its cargo can be unloaded.

The fixer will not reveal what the armored car is carrying, except to stress that it is fragile, but not toxic, and that if the cargo gets destroyed, nobody is getting paid.

The armored car has two security operatives inside it, and it’s escorted by one more on a motorbike. There is a tracker in a pack of cigarettes on the dash of the armored car, and the motorbike has a tracker hidden in a storage compartment under the seat. If they are not both disabled, two solos on motorbikes intercept the players during their trip back to Night City. Otherwise, they arrive at the safe house without further incident. The trunk of the armored car is refrigerated and is carrying 25,000 ed worth of authentic Parmigiano Reggiano. The crew are paid according to their stake in the heist.

Just Like Real

After buying the crew some drinks, an off–duty NCPD cop strikes up a conversation with them in a karaoke club and asks if they would like to make some easy money—and maybe even have a little fun, too.

Officer Lantz is trying to recruit a team of serious–looking edgerunners to play the part of a ruthless booster gang during a simulated hostage situation exercise at the police academy. Since the exercise takes place in a new (and experimental) interactive braindance, there will be no danger to the crew (as long as the hardware doesn’t malfunction). The department will be able to pay each of them 300 ed and will buy them lunch afterwards at the mallplex.

Lantz is particularly interested in making the simulation as hard as possible for the recruits, especially for a rookie sniper nicknamed Ten Gallon, who she thinks needs to be knocked down a peg. If he isn’t able to shoot any of the characters in the head during the exercise, Lantz will hook up each party member with an extra 20 ed out of her own pocket.

GM Notes

On the day of the simulation, the crew arrive at the Night City Police Academy, where the receptionist waves them through the weapons detector without inspection and calls for the instructor to meet them in the lobby. The instructor takes the crew into a side room and briefs them, noting down weapons and capabilities while assuring the interactive braindance has no chance of killing them, unlike the old training braindances!

He echoes the claim that dying is completely safe in the new interactive braindance, and if it weren’t, he would have already killed off most of his students. Not that he has as many students now as he used to—before the nuke. The NCPD is struggling just to retain control these days.

The simulation is a simple hostage situation, in which the crew will play the role of a ruthless boostergang holding a VIP hostage in their corporation’s thirty–second–story boardroom during a power outage (which has shut down the elevator and created a standoff). The characters’ goal is to protect their hostage for three hours until the end of the simulation. The students’ goal will be to rescue the hostage from the building.

In the simulation, characters are equipped with whatever they walked into the police academy wearing, and their stats are the same as outside the simulation. A DV15 Basic Tech Check can confirm that the Segotari RUSH Revolution™ systems being used for the simulation, are malfunction–free.

When the simulation begins, a long present in patterned wrapping paper that alternates between cacti and cowboy hats rests on the boardroom table near the hostage. It’s a single use missile launcher. The present is addressed to whichever of the crew Officer Lantz liked the most.

There are ten police academy students taking part in the simulation. Nine of them use the security operative stats, while Ten Gallon is a solo.

Ten Gallon spends the entire simulation 150m away from the building in a police aerogyro, piloted by another student, attempting to line up perfect headshots with his assault rifle. This imposes a -6 penalty to all his attacks, and he only takes a shot when he has a clear line of sight.

The helicopter moves to another side of the building occasionally to keep the characters on their toes. The crew might want to barricade themselves in, but there isn’t enough material to cover every window. It’s also dangerous to set up a barricade while someone is aiming at you. Treat the edges of the provided office map as floor to ceiling windows.

An hour into the simulation, four of the police academy students will attempt to breach the thirty–second floor of the building through the windows on the side of the building that the characters are defending the least, by rappelling down from the thirty–fourth floor.

Two hours into the simulation, the power suddenly comes back on in the building, and the remaining four police academy students attack from the elevator. The crew weren’t informed during the briefing that the power would come back on suddenly; the instructor wanted to surprise them so this could simulate a raid. Should the raid fail, the instructor will end the simulation then and there.

After the simulation is over, as promised, the instructor takes the characters to the mallplex for pizza—along with all ten of the police academy students who participated in the simulation. The students are a bit annoying, and ask a few too many stupid questions, but hey, free pizza.

Definitely Not Kansas

Biotechnica quietly approaches the crew with a lucrative job offer. A new drug, “Emerald City” has hit the streets of the combat zone; it eliminates its users’ ability to feel pain, but side effects include aggressive behavior and delusions (only 225 ed per highly addictive eight–hour dose!).

Biotechnica wants it taken off the market so they can study it without any competition. While normally taking a drug off the black market would be impossible, but Emerald City currently has only one supplier, a new posergang calling themselves The Yellow Brick Road, who have undergone elaborate bodysculpting to look like characters from The Wizard of Oz.

In addition to blowing up the gang’s drug lab (located in the basement under their combat zone hideout), the Corporation wants them to acquire at least 30 kilos of the drug to deliver to them for study.

Biotechnica is willing to pay 5,000 ed upfront, and another 10,000 ed on delivery of the drugs. The Corporation will also supply 4 units of remote detonated C9 explosive packs.

GM’s Notes

An exec within Biotechnica has planned to betray the crew from the very start. The street drug is actually an old prototype of their upcoming designer drug "Securicine", which was accidentally left in one of their secret facilities in the combat zone when it was decommissioned. This later became the hideout of The Yellow Brick Road, who began to produce it and sell it on the black market.

The existence of an early prototype on the black market has the potential to lead to huge losses for the company, as its prototype form would be much easier to reverse engineer than its final form, Securicine. The exec who was responsible for decommissioning the lab would certainly lose their job if this information got to their boss, so they are actually hiring the characters to cover cover up the evidence.

Underhanded sabotage is typically not how Biotechnica operates, and this exec has effectively gone rogue in an attempt to save their job, which they believe to be easily worth more than lives. The are a bad apple in a typically not–so–bad bunch, by Corporate standards.

The C9 explosive packs that the characters receive, have secretly been set up with two separate remote detonators.

They can discover this if they are paranoid enough to inspect the explosives. A Basic Tech check of 5 can detect the second recievers, and a DV check 15 could remove the second receiver from each of the C9 blocks.

The exec sends a solo to shadow the crew as soon as they enter the combat zone, with instructions to blow the charges and bring the building down on them—after they deal with The Yellow Brick Road. The solo is in direct connection with the exec via Agent. A DV15 Perception check can notice him following them faintly in the distance. You should give the characters a chance to make this roll unless they are being willfully ignorant of their surroundings. If confronted early, the exec aborts the sabotage plan immediately, and orders the solo to get out of there asap.

The Yellow Brick Road is made up of twenty–four members, half of which use booster statistics and have bodysculpted themselves into shiny tin men; the other half use ganger statistics and have bodysculpt jobs that make their bodies lanky and thin. Given that they also wear almost exclusively burlap, this makes them look like scarecrows.

Not all of them are present in the hideout at any given time, as many are busy selling drugs all over the combat zone. All of them are breaking the first rule of drug dealing—they’re high on their own supply. This makes them immune to the Seriously Wounded state, and also prone to do aggressive, delusional things like shoot a wall or stab their friends.

The leader of their boostergang is a Tech who goes by “Dorothy, Queen of Oz”, who is only ever present via a custom–built projector and speaker system installed behind a green curtain in the back of the gang’s headquarters. Her private network can be accessed by a Netrunner through this projector. She’s also taken control of the secret cameras Biotechnica installed in the club that the company used as a front and in their secret office/testing facility underneath the floorboards, where the gang now keeps their drug lab.

Dorothy is actually in the building next door, in a room only accessible via the roof, where she keeps her aerodyne. She would have liked to be further away if it was possible, but this was the farthest she could stretch theasd NET architecture, and she really enjoys the dramatic allure of interfacing with her gang in this way.

When the characters arrive at the gang’s headquarters, 5 scarecrows are outside in the street, protecting the main entrance, 2 tin men are inside the first floor of the club, talking to Dorothy’s projection about business, 1 tin man is in the alley where the side entrance is, smashing his head against the side of the wall repeatedly, and 4 scarecrows are in the drug laboratory under the floorboards cooking up a fresh batch; the entrance, under a loose tile in the club’s bathroom floor, has been left open. Approximately 400 kilos of Emerald City are stored in yellowed bricks that line the laboratory.

If the solo shadowing the party is still around to watch them clear out the facility, they detonate the charges the moment they see the crew come back up from the basement. A DV15 Athletics check could get a character out of a building falling down around them, and avoid taking 5d10 falling rubble damage to their body, which can be soaked by armor.

The solo waits ten minutes to see if anyone survived the blast, and attempts to eliminate any who did. The Biotechnica exec plays dumb about the betryal and sabotage if confronted about it, but still pays the 7,000 ed—so long as the crew held up their end of the bargain.

Dorothy’s Private Network

Level	Encounter	Ability (DV)
1	Password	Backdoor DV12
2	File (Contents: Turn Back Last Warning)	Eye–Dee DV8
3	Hellhound (Custom Icon: Lion)	—
4	Control Node (Cameras)	Control DV12
5	Password	Backdoor DV12
6	Hellhound (Custom Icon: Terrier)	—
7	Control Node (Projector, Speaker, Dorothy’s Microphone)	Control DV12

Cyberpunk Neon

GM Reference

for Cyberpunk Red

GM Resources

Example Adventures

Cyberpunk Crews

Neocorporate Teams

Rockerboy Bands

Nomad Packs

Trauma Teams

Media Teams

Mercenaries

Reclaimers

Lawmen

Gangs

Cults and Boostergangs

Don’t Give Up Your Day Job

It’s Always Street Level

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Something for Everyone

Don't Lose the Main Plot

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Coronet Blue

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Kidnapped

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Play a Cliffhanger

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Battle 3: Mini Bosses

Chase

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Lie Revealed

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