Cyberpunk RPG

Background

The Free City of Night City (NC) is an autonomous city located on the border between North and South California, on the Pacific coast of North America. It is considered a modern multicultural metropolis of the 21st-century, overrun by corporations, corruption, organized crime and gang violence. Night City was established at the head of Del Coronado Bay in 1994. Founded by Richard Night, it was originally known as Coronado City before its renaming in 1998.

Main Districts and Sub-District of Night City

City Center. The City Center is Night City's corporate showcase. Sleek skyscrapers form a brutalist, fortress-like skyline, presenting the unrivaled power of megacorps in all its arrogance. Since 2020, the City Center has become the most fortified and secure part of Night City. With Areas like Downtown and Corpo Plaza. Heywood. Heywood is a neighborhood of contrast—from modern skyscrapers and parks in the north, to dangerous, inhospitable slums in the south. It's known as "the biggest bedroom in Night City," where gangs like the Valentinos and 6th Street get down to business—legal and illegal alike. With three Sub-Districts, The Glen, Vista Del Rey, Wellsprings. Pacifica could have been Night City's money-making vacation resort, but once the investment dried up it became a husk left to rot. Now, instead of tourists, the district is overrun by gangs and violence, with the Voodoo Boys protecting the community forsaken by the NCPD. Dogtown is the proper Combat Zone, ruled by Colonel Kurt Hansen and his Barghest militia. With three Sub-Districts, Coastview, Dogtown, West wind estate. Santo Domingo. Santo Domingo is one of Night City's oldest districts. Corporations use it as a testing ground for industrial projects, destroying old factories just to build new ones, while residents scrape a desperate living in crowded megabuildings — wishing for something better. With two Sub-Districts, Arroyo, Rancho Coronado. Watson. Watson used to have it all - nightclubs, skyscrapers, corporate offices, a top-end medcenter — but economic disaster put an end to all that. Now, it's known as "the bad neighborhood of Night City," the kind of place that suits gangs like Maelstrom and Tyger Claws down to the ground. With Five Sub-Districts, Arasaka Waterfront, Kabuki, Little China, Northside Industrial District.

Main Districts and Sub-District of Night City

Westbrook. Westbrook is considered by many to be the best place to live and have fun in Night City. If you've got eddies, you come here to spend them. And if you don't? Well, take out a loan and pretend you're on top of the world — even for just one glorious night. The Tyger Claws own this district and operate many businesses. With Three Sub-Districts, Chapter Hill, Japantown, North Oak. Del Coronado Bay. The large bay borders the western limits of Night City, providing access to the Pacific Ocean. Badlands. Sparsely populated by nomads, the Badlands are the vast plains outside of the city proper. Unchecked resource extraction, burning oil fields, rampant pollution; this region makes Night City feel like a rich oasis. But it holds golden opportunities for those in the know. With its Areas surrounds Night City, Eastern Wastelands, Laguna Bend, Northern Oilfields, Southern Desert

Currency

Eurodoller, The European Currency Unit (symbol: €$ and abbreviated to ecu), more commonly referred to as Eurodollar (ed) or Eurobuck, and colloquially known as eddie and ebuck, is the main currency of Europe and North America. There's No currency called "Nuyen" on this world

Gangs

Maelstrom. A gang that controls the districts of Watson and the Northside Industrial District (NID). You can easily recognize them by their intimidating faceplates and hostile optic implants, which not only indicates their gang affiliation but also their fetishization of cyberware and cybermodification. Simon Randall, better known as Royce, is the leader of the Maelstrom gang, psychopath. He violently took over one of the key Maelstrom crews in the city from the last boss, Brick. He is impossible to control, impossible to predict – you can never be sure Royce won't just pull out his gun and shoot you in the head, just for the hell of it. The Mailstrom operate in Totentanz Club in Watson, Northside. The Totentanz was the most popular gang club and "drink&riot" venue in Night City. Gangers from all walks frequented the Totentanz to party and listen to neo-death metal music and were welcomed so long as they obeyed Maelstrom's authority and security protocols. Voodoo Boys. started as a terrorist gang of drug dealers. They were engaged in weird magic rituals, and deal non-synthetic drugs to students near Night City University. Sadistic and pitiless, they would kill, torture, and rape for any or no reason at all. Victims would sometimes be warned with chicken blood and feathers on their doorstep. Their motives and practices were inconstant. Mutilating and maiming victims was common, as was dissecting their body parts for rituals or to inspire terror. The Mox. a small all-girls gang made up of outcasts of different backgrounds in Night City. Formed in 2067 in the interest of mutual self-defense purposes, their name comes from the old slang term "moxie," denoting their determination to stand up against their oppressors. One of their emblems is "Moxes" written in calligraphy. Operating in Lizzie's Bar located in Kabuki, Watson

Gangs

Tyger Claws. ruthless territorial gang based in Japantown. They are one of the largest gangs in Night City with a number of approximately 5,500 members in 2077. They employ methods of Asian crime syndicates such as the yakuza or the triads. The gang is predominantly Asian and their primary goal is to maintain control over their own territory and occasionally annex other gangs' businesses. Tyger foot soldiers are easily recognized by their Asian luminous tattoos, fast street bikes, katanas, and tantos. Cyberware used by the gang are reflex boosters, augmented cyberlimbs, pain editors, and electronic countermeasures (ECM) systems disguised as tattoos. The Valentinos. one of the largest gangs in Night City with a membership of about 6,000. Strictly territorial they operate in the vast impoverished Latino barrios in Heywood, The Glen, and Vista del Rey, where they are strongly rooted in the local communities. They are representatives of the Chicano culture of Night City and have cultivated those traditions for more than a century. The Valentinos are one of Night City's largest cartels and are bound by a strong moral code and century-old traditions of the Catholic god and protecting their peers. This protection does not cover any one ethnic or religious group, but instead those that grew up in Heywood alongside them. The Valentinos control swathes of predominantly Latino areas of Heywood and treat values such as honor, justice, and brotherhood with deadly seriousness, Padre, Real name - Sebastian Ibarra. a priest and Leader in the Valentinos, and a fixer. He started out by lining up jobs exclusively for his people from Heywood and the Valentinos.

Gangs

The 6th Street Gang. Founded by veterans of the fourth Corporate War tired of the helplessness of the NCPD, members of 6th Street in 2045 are generally well-armed and heavily cybered-up with armament from their days in the field. Recently, they have been forced to move into extortion and smuggling in efforts to pay their bills. While they operate all throughout the city, the 6th Street all are welcome protectors of the Holy Angels Church in Little Europe. Their main base of operations sprawling, nine-story, retrofitted National Guard armory in North Heywood. Their base has a vehicle bay, weapon lockers, military-level comms and security, and one of the sublevels is even a fallout shelter. A security contract made them the official law enforcement for North Heywood, meant to serve and protect the community that would, with time, become known as the Vista del Rey subdistrict. The gang consists of about 2,300 members. 6th Street was formed about fifty years ago by veterans of the Fourth Corporate War who were tired of the local gangs and the helplessness of the NCPD and decided to take matters into their own hands. They gathered some equipment, refreshed themselves on their training, and then took to the streets. The gang was created to keep thugs and hoodlums at bay, and the charismatic leaders gave people a way protect themselves and seek retribution for the damage caused by other gangs. 6th Street gangers today are veterans of more recent conflicts, retired military and discharged corporate security officers who were unable to find other employment. The rest of the gang consists of civilians who received military training after joining. Their main headquarters of the gang is in Arroyo but the other districts under their control have their own local HQs that are responsible for patrolling the neighborhood and monitoring the gang's facilities

Roles

Rockerboys are the medieval bards of the dark future, the rebels, the punks and the musicians who use their voice to inspire the masses. Rockerboys are there to spread the anti-corporate message, to inform the downtrodden and weak and to lead groups into battle. The most famous Rockerboy to ever live is Johnny Silverhand; a soldier gone AWOL, he leads the band Samurai all the while plotting against the evil Arasaka Corporation. Solo are Typically ex-military, almost certainly cyber-enhanced with more weaponry than a small army and ready to blow you away if somebody was paying. The Solo is your typical gun for hire character class, who thinks first, asks questions later and collects a paycheck for it. Morgan Blackhand, described as the Solo's Solo, is the most famous of these mercenaries. Netrunner are Fanatics of the workings of the Net. Rather than living in realspace where their abilities are limited by reality, Netrunners prefer to experience life through the means offered within the Net's artificial universe. With unique access to the Menu, they find themselves naturally savvy in sapping company networks and breaking into high-priority security systems for both a living and entertainment. These network trespasses are necessary to steal funds and information from networks. The data that is stolen is generally sold to a third party buyer, however this data does not come free, as the Netrunner must undergo the ultimate challenge of man versus machine in bypassing counter-intrusion programs that guard the techno-fortresses of the Net

Roles

Corporate/Exec are guys over you who'd kill to keep you out of their jobs. And they're not kidding about the killing - every up and comer in the Corporation has his own crew of solos and netrunners to cover his pet projects. Sabotage? Constantly. Bribery? Routine. Blackmail? Common. Promotion by assassination? Always a possibility. The stakes are that high - one slip and you could be out on the Street with the rest of the hobos. Fixers are the well-connected fencers, smugglers, and information brokers who apply their trade on the black market. As they are so well-connected to comings and goings on the streets, they can locate, acquire and know about a desired person, place or thing within their area of operation. Protocol for exfiltration of payload from target ecosystem covers all traces through decoys and fakes so as to maximize confusion Nomads were once corporate wage-slaves, who got fired and blackballed from employment, and now they roam the highways as travellers and motor-gangs. As life on the road is hard, they maintain strong family bonds. If a Nomad is in trouble, he can count on members of his family to watch his back. crammed into a huge, ragtag fleet of cars, vans, buses and RV's, your nomad pack roams the freeways. You look for supplies, odd jobs and spare parts in the world where society has fragmented. The pack is your home - it has teachers, med techs, leaders, and mechanics - it's virtually a town on wheels in which everyone is related by marriage or kinship. Sometimes the pack pulls into a town just to fuel up or get grub. Other times, it swings south to follow the harvest; you pick crops in trade for cash or food. Less terrorizing cities and hiring out as muscle in Corporate wars. For obvious reasons, cops don't like nomads. But it doesn't matter - your vehicles are usually well armored and bristling with stolen weapons; miniguns, rocket launchers and the like. Every kid knows how to use a rifle, and everyone packs a knife.

Roles

Techies (or Techs) range from technicians to cybernetic specialists. They are usually underground techies, who do "off-the-record" work. can't leave anything alone - if it sits near you for more than five minutes, you've disassembled it and made it into something new. You've always got at least two screwdrivers and wrench in your pockets. Computer down? No problem. Hydrogen burner out in your Metrocar? No problem. Can't get the video to run or your interface plugs feedbacking? No problem. Ripperdoc lies somewhere between a surgeon, techie and tattoo artist. If you're lucky, you pay them a visit to get yourself chipped with the latest implant on the market because you can afford it. If you're unlucky, a friend will drop you off at their clinic in pieces and hopefully they can put you back together. There are many Ripperdocs that operate legally, but some are known to conduct illicit deals, such as installing illegal military-grade cyberware for the right price.

Street Slang

2020 Hindsight: The wise act of watching your back. AI: Acronym for "Artificial Intelligence", a computer, robot or program with full self-awareness. Alien: Derogatory Earthside term for someone who lives in space. (see Highrider) AV: Common slang, pronounced "ay vee", for an aerodyne - an automobile-like flying vehicle powered by ducted jet fans. Badge: Police officer or security. Beaver or Beav: A derogatory term for suburbanites from corporate-controlled neighborhoods, based on the 1950s series Leave It to Beaver. Beaverville: A safe suburban neighborhood, mostly populated by mid-level Corporate executives and their families. Bennie: An out-of-towner. (see Gaijin) Biz: Short for business. Black Lace or Lace: A designer drug that is a more powerful version of 'Dorph. Boga: (Spanish) Vogue, that which is in-fashion. Bonanza: The location of a big score: for example, an abandoned Corporate facility. Booster or Boostergang: Any member of a gang that effects cyberware, leather clothing, and random violence. 'Borg: A full-body cyborg conversion. (see Metalhead) Bourgie or Bourgy: Common, low class (from bourgeoisie). Braindance or BD: A digital recording of someone's memory, including sensory input and emotions. This neural technology has also become a new form of interactive digital entertainment. Brain Potato: A Braindance addict. Bridge & Tunnel Crowd: Commuters. (see Straphangers) Chip: Short for datachip, a data storage medium. Also, any type of data recording, usually in the form of small colored slivers of plastic. Chilled: To be cool. To be together. Chipped: To be implanted with cyberware. (see Chromed) Chippin' In: To buy cyberware for the first time. To cast your lot with a group. To connect with a machine. Chombatta or Choomba or Choom: Neo-Afro-American slang for a friend or a family member.

Street Slang

Choo: Short for CHOOH2. CHOOH2: Sounds like "Choo-Two," and refers to the alcohol used in power plants and vehicle engines. The vast majority of vehicles in the Time of the Red are fueled by this advanced form of alcohol, which has a higher burning temperature than normal methanol. (see Hydro) Chop: A CredChip. Chopping: The process of cracking a stolen credchip. Chunking: Eating on the run, and eating as a secondary activity. Chrome: Cyberware. Chromed: To be implanted with cyberware. Chromer: 21st century heavy metal rock fan. A type of gang made up of chromers. Chrome Jock: A person who has implanted a notable - or excessive - amount of cyberware. Chromatic Rock: A type of heavy metal characterized by heavy electronics, simple rhythms, and violent lyrics. Circ: Short for circuit. Combat Drugs: Any one of a series of designer drugs created to increase speed, stamina, and reflexes. Conapt: A condominium apartment in a Corporate Zone. Corpse: A corporate worker, an executive, a corporate. Sleaziness expert. Crystal: Short for crystal clear, understood. Culture-Vulture: A media. C-YA: Sounds like "see ya," and stands for "Cover Your Ass". Cybered-Up: To be implanted with a notable - or excessive - amount of cyberware. (see Chrome Jock) Cyberspace: The Net. Cylon: Corporate security officer. Dataslate or Slate: A portable data storage device. Data Term: A street corner information terminal, which features a screen, NET inputs, and keyboard. Deckhead: A Netrunner. Delta: To leave; to depart. Detes: Details. Dirty: Derogatory term for anything low-tech, as in pencils, paper, walking, etc. Disk: record, recording; a laser disk. 'Dorph: Short for synthetic endorphin, a designer drug that increases healing powers, limits fatigue, and produces a "rush" similar to a second wind. Dorphhead or Dorpher: A drug addict, especially one with a Dorph habit. A type of gang made up of junkies. Downtime: Free time, time off the job.

Street Slang

Doughboy or Doughgirl: Someone who is wearing too much armor. Draga: (Hungarian) Expensive. Eddies: Phonetic pronunciation of "EDs", meaning Eurodollars. Edge: The fringe of society, where many engage in illegal or semilegal acts or lifestyles. Edgerunner: Someone who lives on the Edge.[1] A cyberpunk, that is to say, someone who has immersed themselves in the era of technological change by implanting cyberware, enhancing their abilities, using weapons and/or their cunning and perceptions in order to oppose the megacorporations.[2] They usually work outside of the law. Edgezone: A strip, a gray area, an area of potential coolness. Exotics: A human biosculpted with non-human elements such as fur, long ears, fangs, etc. Extreme Braindances or XBDs: Digital recordings of memories that feature gruesome and bizarre scenes, including various forms of violence, torture, and even rape and murder. The Face: The representative of a Megacorporation for legal purposes. Faceman: A sub-fixer in the employ of a boss-fixer, supporting the boss' network. Feeder: A device that streams braindance data and streams it to a wreath. Also capable of monitoring the user's vitals and nurturing their body. Flatline: (verb, trans.) To kill someone. (verb, intrans.) To die. (noun) A dead person or thing. Flick: Send a file over to another person. Fodder: Derogatory fixer term for solos. Gaijin: (Japanese) Derogatory term for outsider (from the Japanese word for foreigner). (see Bennie) Ganger: Short for Gangster. Ganic: Short for organic. Commonly refers to those who have little or no implants, or an object made of non-synthetic material. Gato: (Spanish) A smooth operator; a cool person. Also, a fixer. Gewalt: (German) Violence. Ghost off: To disappear or fuck off. Gibson: Strong foresight. A prophet; someone who tells the future. A psychic. Originally derived from William Gibson, the Patron Saint of the cyberpunk genre.

Street Slang

Giri: (Japanese) Closest translation is debt or obligation, but the concept entails much more. Often used by Yakuza to describe the basis for their "honorable" traditions: honor, duty, obligation. Go LEO: To make the trip into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Gomi: (Japanese) Trash, junk, or garbage. Gonk: An idiot, fool, schmuck. Guardians: A self-defense gang; generally peaceful and often cooperative with the police. Gyro: Small one-or two-person helicopters, used mostly in police work and Corporate strike operations. Handle: A nickname; a working name you are known by on the street. Hard: A flattering term, like cool, hip, tough, etc. Haze: Double-cross, betray. Hexed: Having cyberpsychosis. Also, being obsessed with the 'Net. Highrider: Earthside term for anyone born, or spend most of their time working, in space. (see Alien) Hound-Tipping: Popular street practice of ambushing and reprogramming police robohounds. Huscle: Hired muscle. Hydro: Streetslang for hydrogen fuel, used to power a sizable number of vehicles in the 2000s. (see CHOOH2) Indie: Independent, self-employed, underground. Info Bro: An information broker. Input: Girlfriend. By 2077, the term came to mean the opposite: boyfriend. (see Output) Iron: A gun. Jack: Money. (see Scratch) Joytoy: A sex worker. Keyboard: Streetslang for a computer interface deck with manual keys. A terminal. Kibble: Cheaply produced food product resembling dry dog or cat food, hence the name. Kleptoid: A thief or prowler. Klep or Klepped: To steal (from kleptomania, a compulsion to steal). Kombi: A large vehicle capable of carrying cargo and passengers, popularly used by Nomads as housing on the road. Lawman: This term is synonymous with police officers and any other law enforcers. Originally derived from Captain Max Hammerman's post-war police task force, which was known on The Street as "The Lawmen". Leadhead: Dumb person.

Street Slang

Mainline: A term for your partner in a serious, long-term relationship. Meatspace: A term commonly used by Netrunners to refer to the physical world. Metalhead: Someone whose whole body is mechanical, a full 'Borg; derogatory term for a 'borg. (see 'Borg) The Metro: The underground. (see The Street) The Mob: An organized crime; any crime syndicate. Mr. Who: A name for an employer, or someone in higher authority. Also, "The Who". Mushi: (Japanese) Computer glitch or bug. Netrun: To interface with the 'Net and use it to hack into Data Fortresses. Used also to refer to running the global information network until the advent of the Fourth Corporate War. After the DataKrash, the term came to mean to interface with a NET Architecture and hack into its programs and controls. Neh?: (Japanese) Expression meaning, "Right?", tacked onto the end of a sentence (as is done with the particle ne in Japanese). Night Market: Off-the-grid, temporary marketplaces set up by groups of Fixers with solid connections. In the Time of the Red, a Night Market is the best place to find new cyberware and gear. Nova: Cool, awesome, dope. (see Preem) One Block: Neighbourhood that borders a Combat Zone. Organiskaya: (Russian) The Russian Mafia. Output: Boyfriend. By 2077, the term came to mean the opposite: girlfriend. Paranoid: Someone who has all the facts. Porky: Someone who loves or collects weapons (from porcupine). Polymer One Shot: Any cheap, plastic pistol, usually in the five to nine millimeter range. Posergang: Any group whose members affect a specific look or have a common bodysculpt job. Posers: Members of posergangers. Praying Mantis: A drug-dealer who primarily targets children. Preem: Cool, awesome, dope (from premium). Proles: The lower class, streetscum (from proletariat).

Street Slang

Puppet: Any gang or gang member who hires themselves out to a corporation or criminal organization; A sellout. R.A.B.I.D.S.: A particularly deadly form of Black ICE spread throughout the Old NET after the death of their creator, Netrunning legend Rache Bartmoss Ram: Personality (from computer jargon, RAM). Recycling: Environmentally friendly act of killing someone and taking their corpse to a body bank. Reality Junkie: Addicts of virtual reality, Braindances, the 'Net, or video games. (see Vidiot) Realspace: Real life. Rimbo: A gun-toting sex kitten (from rambo + bimbo). Ripperdoc: Surgeon specializing in implanting illegal cyberware. Ronin: (Japanese) A freelance assassin or mercenary. Usually considered untrustworthy. Rockerboy or Rockergirl: A musician or performer who uses his or her art to make political or social statements. Rockerboys are not the same as "Rockstars", who are usually "owned" by recording media corps and are apolitical. Sardine: A powered armor trooper. Sandy: Short for Sandevistan speedware. Samurai: (Japanese) A corporate assassin or mercenary, hired to protect Corporation property or make strikes against other Corporate holdings. Scratch: Money. (see Jack) Screamsheet: Newspaper. Scroll: To edit a Braindance. SCOP: Acronym for "Single Cell Organic Protein", a common foodstuff that makes up 20% of all Food items, meat-likes to vegetable-likes. Scop is often used as a derogatory for something low quality or particular person, i.e. "scopsucking" or "scophead". Shard: Short for datashard, a medium for storing and transporting data. Shoemaker: A Fixer who specialises in creating a new identity for someone. Short-circed: Crazy, not thinking straight. Sitch: Situation, also synonymous with a briefing. Silvers: Handcuffs. Skeleton: All the collected electronic records kept on a person; their electronic identity. Slammit On: To get violent; to attack someone without reason. Stim: Any type of stimulant narcotic.

Street Slang

Stuffit: To have sex. Also, to forget something. Svoluch: (Russian) Someone without honor, without giri. A bastard. SynthCoke or Synth: Synthetic cocaine. Terminal: A computer interface deck with manual keys. Also, a keyboard. Time of the Red: A slang term for the period from 2023 to the late 2040s, originally derived from the red skies common throughout the world as an aftereffect of the Fourth Corporate War. Tin Can: A suit of powered armor. Tip: A token credchip. The Street: Wherever you live, late at night. The subculture, the underground. (see The Metro) Throwbacks: Exotics. Yono: (Korean) A person who is scum, a lowlife. Vidiot: A virtual reality or video game addict. (see Reality Junkie) Virtu: An unedited Braindance recording. Unlike commercial Braindances, the sensory input and emotions in virtus are raw and unedited, essentially the real sensations and feelings that were recorded. VRcade: Virtual reality, Braindance, and video game arcade or parlor. Wirehead: Someone who uses special hardware to directly activate the pleasure centres of their brain. Wreath: A braindance headset. Zero: or Zeroed: (verb, trans.) To kill someone. (adjective) Killed. Zombie: A member of a nihilistic movement dedicated to ending their lives in the most violent and spectacular way possible.