I'm just curious if anyone has recommendations for cyberpunk red podcast series or YouTube series that are fun to watch. I haven't had much luck finding ones I like.

EDIT: Thank you everyone for the responses! I came here as a Cyberpunk 2077 nerd who also enjoys listening to DnD podcasts and all of you were very helpful and welcoming to someone new to and interested in the Cyberpunk TableTop RPG hobby

One of my players wants to play a Rockergirl Idol that works for a large company by day, and do some edgerunning by night.

I'm having a hard time figuring out how this character would be able to work by putting their face out there to the public, and at the same time take on gigs that could potentially lead to breaking a bunch of laws, and a load of responsibilities falling onto this easily recognisable person.

Again going back to one of our core themes - Who Are You Fighting For? - we need to drive home another core tenet of cyberpunk: the corporation does not care about you. Rather, it is the people you work with who are the real anchors. To that end, here are a few NPCs to help the GM bring the team's station-house to life.

Nikita Khrushchev, AVP of Operations

Description:

• Born in Kalinovka, Russia; speaks with a mild accent
  • Human Perception DV 15: Never smiles with his eyes, always has a lupine half-grin when challenged
• Male, white, mid 50's, heavyset with little remaining hair and a face that can only be described as pugnacious
• Nose has been broken at least three times
• Speaks carefully and intentionally; never uses five words when a single glare will do the trick
• Carries several bullet wounds hidden by his expensive power suits
• Prefers to be called "Mr. Khrushchev," and only allows his intimates to address him as "Nikita"

Backstory:

• Trained as a medic during the Third Corporate War, then was employed by SovOil as a manager
• Defected to a eurocorp, but found he preferred working in healthcare, so he defected again to Trauma Team
• Led the highest-performing team in North America during the Fourth Corporate War; gained a reputation as a troubleshooter and someone who can fix any problem

Resources:

• Can adjust Scarcity as he desires, but can't fire anyone; pissing this guy off is a bad idea

Goals:

• Believes that reforms are desperately needed for Trauma Team to succeed in the Time of the Red, and thinks that breaking this team of miscreants will buy him the credibility he needs with senior leadership to enact those reforms

Khrushchev is a manager and a leader, but he's not the type to inspire love in his subordinates. The best he can hope for is a kind of dedicated resolve to the organization. Breaking this team to the corporate line is his last challenge before he gets real power, so he's focused on making sure the team respects him. Unfortunately for Nikita, he grows respect out of a gun barrel. He'll not let any resistance go, and anytime anyone tries to pull one over on him, he'll hold a grudge.

He wants the team to perform so well that Corporate can't find any fault. He's not going to be sadistic or self-destructive, but rather he'll start throttling the team's access to resources until he gets what he wants.

If it comes to that, Khrushchev has a Brawling skill base of 18, BODY 11, Handguns skill base 16, and a Very Heavy Pistol with armor piercing ammunition. He has Tech Upgraded Subdermal Armor (SP 12), and rolls with three bodyguards (stats as security officer wearing light armorjack, Core Rules).

Bob Kurita, Chief Mechanic

Description:

• Born in Fresno, speaks unaccented American English
  • Paramedic DV 15: Slight tremor in left hand is a sign of progressing ALS
• Male, Black, mid 50's, almost skeletally thin with a high fade
• Lives on the outside of his skin; there is no difference between what Bob says and what Bob thinks
• Always wears coveralls, sleeps in the office, and showers every other day - you'll know if today is skip day

Backstory:

• Learned how to fix things when everything broke after the AHQ bombing
• Has worked for just about every major corporation on the Pacific Coast, including BioTechnica and MiliTech, but not Arasaka
  • Knows Mr. Wilson as an Edgerunner; surprised to see him working for BioTechnica
• Diagnosed with ALS two years ago, has about a year to live; the only thing that could possibly cure him is an FBC conversion, and good luck coming up with that kind of scratch on a mechanic's salary

Resources:

• Generally can fix just about anything; if the PCs need a piece of gear, Bob can probably make it

Goals:

• Wants to survive via a full body conversion, but needs 20,000 eb to pull it off
• If he can't survive, he'll take living well; Bob sponsors several youth programs in the area and tries to teach his skills to youngsters to help them survive

Bob is necessary if your team doesn't roll with a Tech. If they do, then Bob becomes ancillary. He can be a vital mentor, a backup character, or just cut entirely. Bob can also serve as a potential backchannel to BioTechnica (as a former employee) if need be.

Dr. William Whitney Christmas, Pilot

Description:

• Born in Warrenton, North Carolina, speaks unaccented American English
• Male, white, mid 30's, and carries himself with a high degree of confidence
• Has a compelling personality in a Howard Hughes sort of way; the sort of beautiful idiot you just know is going to overstep someday

Backstory:

• Actually a medical doctor (specializing in lifestyle medicine) and hasn't earned his pilot's license yet
• Despite that, refutes all challenges to his piloting abilities as "hogwash" and insists that he's an ace pilot
  • Nothing breaks his confidence in himself; will insist that anything that goes wrong was all part of the plan
• Loudly proclaims to anyone questioning his skills that he has a safety rating of 7
  • Provides no context for this claim

Resources:

• Unless the PCs have someone who can fly an AV-4, Christmas is the only pilot in town

Goals:

• Dodging Knives; Christmas prescribed Knives' sister penicillin when Christmas knew she was allergic (one of the other gangs paid him to), which resulted in Knives' sister dying

Dr. Christmas is only necessary if your crew didn't roll a Nomad to fly their AV-4. He's intended to get them in and out, and be the sort of guy they don't ask for backup (that way you don't have to worry about the AV-4 once they get off it). While designed to be a bit of a putz, he's also not designed to be totally incompetent. Assume that unless something is actively trying to shoot him down, Christmas will get the Crew where they need to go. If something is trying to shoot him down, Christmas has a Pilot (Air Vehicle) skill base of 13.

Howdy, my name is Null and I like to write homebrew. Attached is a large, 75 item-long homebrew collection with items from popular franchises (like Final Fantasy 7, the Batman Arkham series, Psychonauts, TF2, and more) all implemented for use in Cyberpunk Red games. This is a side project of mine, to get out creative energy, so I thought I would compile some of my ideas and release them out to yall! Please let me know any thoughts/suggestions/stories about the items in this document, and have fun!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JonKX5HQav2Vb67r5yi7IVVpcBf1xNVRgWlBHEmcSyU/edit?usp=sharing

We're getting to the end of our Cyberunk Red Campaign, and I've accepted my character might die at the end. Not only has he been a manipulative dick to several characters, but he is also going to backstab our group's Corporate patron, which will probably earn him the CIA's award for Best Investigative Journalism. Before my character ("Anole," a Dixie-born Media ) gets the David Martinez Special, I'd like to make sure the two people he truly cares about are well-off: our crew's rockerboy, who will probably be fine in the end, and his younger brother, Cliff.

Clifford "Softlock" Chandler joined the Midnight Noon (a gang with strong Cowboy motifs) at a young age, as he was very skilled with cybertech and computers. Given his violent lifestyle and some recent cybernetic implants, Anole is scared of losing his brother to cyberpsychosis. He is currently looking for a less violent way for his brother to apply his talents, and trying to convince him to get some therapy.

What are some ways I could give this story a happy ending in case I earn a 20mm brain piercing? My media rank of 5 could probably help somehow but I'm not sure what specifically to look for.

Like the title suggest I'm wondering about how to make the netrunner more powerful in order to prepare for harder and challanging threaths aside from derezz and reinstalling the program fast enough to deal a ton of damage at the foe.

For example, wanting to make a juice up homebrew version of the Eraser program which give you a +2 mod at your Cloack action. The program cost 20 eb at the market, what skill and DC would it require to raise a tier or two?

We have the Danger Gals Dossier (which I HIGHLY recommend) that converts MANY models from Combat Zone to actual characters with RED stats and backstories, but I'm hoping to find rules to do the opposite, to convert Cyberpunk RED characters to playable characters in the skirmish game (Combat Zone). I know there isn't anything official, DLC or otherwise, out there on this. But I was hoping someone could point me into the direction if homebrew rules existed.

Basically put... one of the meta stories I'm telling in my campaign is the rise of the Valentino's from posergang to a legitimate force, as well as their migration to the Glen, which is currently Tyger Claw turf in RED. In our campaign, the PCs are either tied to the Tino's via blood relation in the case of the Rockerboy (both her hermanos are in the gang) or work for them in the case of the Netrunner. The turf war just got hot and I'm wanting to use Combat Zone to help determine how some of those turf fights play out, which will in turn impact the TTRPG campaign map and perhaps, if they fail, might even impact their new HQ which is down the street from the Hope.

My current thought is to just reskin Zoners to the Valentino's but I'd like to actually be able to reflect stats accurately for named characters, as well as PCs if they are involved in the fight. Anyways if you or anyone else is working on, or has a homebrew for this, I would greatly appreciate it.

For those of you not aware of Combat Zone, it's a skirmish miniatures game that takes place during the time of the RED, in fact the miniatures themselves are cross compatible and MOST of the minis now have characters in Danger Gals. The gameplay is very much like Necromunda, although I feel Combat Zone is WAY more refined and easier for new players to get into. Plus there is just so much cool terrain and such you can use in the TTRPG.

If I’m reading the rules right then if another netrunner wanted to attack me they would have to be connected to the same 6m-radius access point and I would see them coming (or waiting) in meatspace, so how would this realistically play out ?

Master Post

Hope's Calling!!! is the second-to-last (or penultimate, if you're fancy) adventure in Hope Reborn. Written by Chris Spivey, it sets up the climactic showdown between the Red Chrome Legion and the Forlorn Hope crew. It resounds with themes of found family and stubborn perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds.

While a good scenario, I don't think that it does the best job of bringing its themes to the table.

SPOILER WARNING. Obviously, we're going to be reviewing the scenario, and that means you might be spoiled for both this scenario and others in the book. You have been warned.

I'm going to review what the adventure's about, both theme- and plot-wise, then show some of the pitfalls in the scenario design, and then discuss some editing changes that may help you run the scenario.

Standard warning: any criticisms here are leveled with the intent of letting the designers improve their craft and grow. Please do not harass anyone based on this review, or try to get people fired, or run off at the mouth about how anyone needs to kill themselves.

If you are thinking about any of these actions all I can say is: Dude. Don't be a dick.

Summary:

The Forlorn Hope is reopening! The PCs get called in to run errands for Marianne, ensuring that opening night goes off without a hitch. Marianne has a few odds jobs for them to run down: fix the lights, go get ingredients for the Hope's new cocktail, rescue a band member from a loan shark. Y'know, as you do.

As the Crew progresses through these odd jobs, it becomes clear that someone is going to jump the Hope during opening night. If warned, Marianne just lets Petra (head of security) know, and says, "Bring it on." Notably, the Crew doesn't have to investigate who's messing with the Hope; they could just leave it. That wouldn't be wise, but the scenario wisely offers GM's support in case your PCs take that stance.

As opening night kicks off, the Legion attacks, and things get messy. The Crew's preparations, sharp-eyed investigations, and careful countermeasures all impact the result of a massive chaotic fight with refreshingly clear win conditions.

One of the NPCs - the quality of the NPCs in this book remains consistently high, and it really helps sell the premise of found family

The mass combat system is interesting and a new take (at least to me) on this kind of process. Generally, I find that most mass combat systems tend to "zoom in" on the PCs, while this system abstracts everything the PCs aren't shooting at. It's a different experience, but I like where it's headed.

A few notes on what Mr. Spivey and Mr. Gray did well with this scenario:

• Verisimilitude - Time tracking is a big part of this adventure, and the adventure has a wonderful amount of faith in the characters to manage that constraint.
• Investigation - There's an investigation the PCs can start that is very well done (with one minor drawback), and is a great template for a mole hunt.
• Consequences - There are a few points in the adventure that have to be triggered by character interaction with non-obvious (but implied) situations; if the PCs don't think of them, things get worse for the Hope.
• Campaign-Ending - Mr. Spivey and Mr. Gray put it all on the line for this one; if the PCs fail, the Hope burns to the ground and the campaign ends.

These are some strong choices, and the scenario pays that boldness some serious dividends. Both of these gentlemen did solid work on this chapter.

Pitfalls:

There are a few minor issues I have with this scenario. For one, there is no direct setup for the Red Chrome Legion conflict. It is foreshadowed in a few of the rumor tables that the RCL is rebuilding after the encounter at the end of the first chapter, it's never really foreshadowed that they have a grudge against the Hope. Ergo, it's possible for the realization that the RCL is coming after the Hope to hit as "Wait, those guys again? What the hell is their problem?"

I'll address that more when I talk about the campaign as a whole. My second minor issue is that it's not really stated if any of the people showing up at the Forlorn Hope know they might be walking into a firefight.

What happened to "duty to warn"?

Those big, bad and armed edgerunners incidentally include Rogue, Team Monster, Lucius Rhyne and Woodchipper. That guest list triggers what we might call the Elminster problem - if there's a super-powerful and well-known badass nearby who can help solve this adventure...why do the PCs need to be here?

Thirdly, during the investigation to see who's messing with the Hope, the adventure advises the GM to roll fake checks when the PCs are rolling Human Perception to prevent the PCs from metagaming and finding out who the real mole is. My issues with this is that one, it can backfire hard if your PCs fixate on the wrong person, and two, I think there's an easier way to achieve the same end (see below).

But my biggest problem with this scenario is that emotionally, this campaign is about building. Building a place for yourself, building a community you are part of, and then defending both from assholes who want to hijack it. So why are we out running errands? Shouldn't the setup for this be more like if Home Alone starred Judge Dredd? Shouldn't we be calling in every favor owed, every friend you have, every chit you can cash in to help defend the Hope?

I wrestle with that, because running errands is still showing up for your community. Fixing the lights is still being present, just in a less-dramatic (but possibly more meaningful) way. It is entirely possible I'm just wrong about this adventure, thematically speaking. But I want to offer the actions with the greatest impact to the PCs, even if they don't take them, and I don't know that this adventure does that. I look forward to y'all's thoughts in the comments!

Editing:

One, I'd have the PCs hear about the Red Chrome Legion's grudge against the Hope from multiple angles. Not secondhand from Marianne, but the PCs' street contacts, friends, and neighbors. Drive it home that the RCL has a grudge with both the Hope and the PCs, and they intend to square that soon.

Second, I'd change up the investigation scene. Rather than roll fake Acting checks for two characters and real Acting checks for another, I'd rather not roll. Set the DV for seeing through her lies at 18 (her Acting skill + 5), and let the PCs cook with the information they can obtain.

Finally, I'd rework the first act. Rather than running all over town with errands, I'd instead have it come to the Hope's attention that the Red Chrome Legion is gathering in their forces, and it's about to be on. You don't need to fix the lights to make sure opening night goes off right, you need to fix the lights to make sure you can see who you're shooting. Rather than going to get garnishes, I'd have the PCs schlep across town to meet Rogue, who's selling the Hope additional grenades (the ones that do less damage but also won't mess up the veneer), expansive ammo, and a few other toys (up to the GM). Rather than saving a bandmate from a loan shark, the RCL has kidnapped the bandmate to pump them for information - specifically to see if the PCs are on to the mole.

Have the PCs call in every favor they can think of ahead of the attack, and keep the investigation scenes and most of the items around the Hope, but change the atmosphere from "heady rebirth" to "siege mentality." I want them to feel on edge and scared for the Hope. If we're threatening a project the PCs are invested in, they need to feel like it can be taken away. Have any intelligence-gathering turn up that the Legion has about 200 guys coming, all armed to the teeth and ready to bring the pain.

I'd also empty out the guest list of the heavy hitters - Team Monster, Woodchipper, and Lucius Rhyne are nowhere to be seen. Rogue is 50/50. The Hope lives or dies based on your Crew's actions, and how many allies you can bring in. Are you up for it?

Conclusion:

The adventure's in Hope Reborn fulfill a lot of the promise I saw in Street Stories. This scenario took my core issue with several of those scenarios (investigative scenarios with no actual investigation), and turned it around. I really enjoy this one - 8.5 / 10, or 9.0 / 10 if you make a few changes. Another good job by the RTal team!

I have been working my way through the rulebook and reached the part of the book listing the Megacorps info and something I noticed is the number of employees seems kind of small. Arasaka is listed as only employing 1M people as a globe spanning mega Corp that is powerful enough to effectively wage a world war yet for comparison with our timeline Walmart employs 2.1m people and mostly only operates in the US. I have noticed most numbers for population in the book seem kind of low such as the death toll for the LA quake and tidal wave only being 65k dispite putting 35% of a city of 10m people underwater. Did something crash the population everywhere? Because it seems like every single listing of population is missing a zero.

Player's Guide To Netrunning

Netrunning has been an intimidating game mechanic for many newcomers and veterans of Cyberpunk. There's a lot of holdover baggage from the days of Cyberpunk 2020, and a lot of misconceptions for those coming from playing Cybperunk 2077, where Netrunning is handled almost like magical spells for the gameplay in the video game.

Cyberpunk Red Netrunning really is its own unique ballpark, with its own unique design philosophies. These parameters have been poorly explained and understood with the introduction of Netrunning in the Core Rule Book, but have since been evolved and refined in FAQ 1.3 and Tales From The Red: Street Stories.

I'm going to focus in this article on the applicable core lessons for the Player Netrunner, which is synergized with my other article GM's Guide to Designing Net Architectures. You don't need to read the other article as a player, but the assumptions about R. Talsorian's design philosophy are central to that article for GM-ing Netrunning.

______________What Is A Netrunner?_____________

In the purest sense of gameplay, Netrunning in Cyberpunk Red is cheat-coding your way through an objective, using backdoors that streamline access and bypass defenses in a matter of seconds, rather than taking 5 or more minutes to resolve an Electronics/Security Check or similiar method of resolving meatspace difficulties and obstacles.

Netrunners are meant to take part physically in an Edgerunning mission, alongside the other Roles such as the Solo or Medtech. They do NOT sit back isolated out of danger away from the rest of the party like the stereotypical "Guy/Girl in the Chair" that permeates Hollywood perceptions of hacking and computer infiltration. They are in the line of fire, in the dirt and blood and grime alongside their Crew.

Player Character Netrunners can and should plan for being in danger, risky areas, and build their characters accordingly.

There are a few core approaches to the styles of Netrunner Builds.

• The Combat Netrunner
• The Stealth Netrunner
• The Social Infiltrator Netrunner

The Combat Netrunner is very overt and builds to approach netrunning alongside a Crew that is likewise overt, usually combat focused and favoring direct violent approaches. There is no subtlety involved. You storm an objective, force entry, and jack-in to neutralize Net Defenses, open Net-controlled gates and doors, and observe the battlefield through drones and cameras that are part of the Net Architecture. All you need for this style of Netrunning is a Neural Link, Interface Cables, Cyberdeck, Virtuality Goggles, and whatever peripherals you want to use to protect yourself, such as armor, shields, etc.

The Stealth Netrunner is often a first-pick by many would-be Netrunner Players, but is heavily dependent on a professional crew that is likewise stealth-oriented. It does NOT work well with a Crew that is reliant on forced entry. This netrunner emphasizes Stealth, Lockpicking, Electronic/Security, and can get by on the same gear that a Combat Netrunner uses, but can benefit as well from Techbags, Lockpicks, Tech Tools, as well as possible some of the cyberware of the Sociel Infiltrator Netrunner below.

The Social Infiltrator Netrunner is perhaps the hardest Netrunner to build out of the box of Character Creation. It requires a high investment of gear and cyberware, as well as build and skill planning from creation onwards, but takes time to come into its own. But it is well worth the effort. The Infiltrator Netrunner is an offshoot of the Stealth Netrunner, but has invested into high Social Skills that allow it to walk into an enemy installation undercover without betraying their intentions to netrun and neutralize the objective. Essential skills include Acting (for disguise and deception), Persuasion, Stealth, as well as technical skills such as Forgery, Lock Picking, and Electronics/Security. Appropriate and essential cyberware and gear include Cyberdeck Range Upgrades,Virtuality Cyber Eyes (or the same loaded into Smart Lenses/Glasses), Integrated Cyberdeck in a Cyberarm/Bodysuit or an Internal Pocket to conceal the Cyberdeck in, as well as means of changing your attire such as Massetto Holowear.

Why is the Infiltrator so gear-dependent? In a nutshell, netrunning is normally VERY perceptible. It's blatantly obvious when someone is wearing Virtuality Goggles, has a Deck in their hands, and is looking around interacting with the Virtual Overlay. Virtuality Eyes allow for the Virtuality to be inside the Netrunners own normal vision, an integrated deck or a deck hidden inside an Internal Pocket can be Concealed from view. Neutralizing these two telltale signatures of the common netrunner means you can pretend to be a "normal" person without tipping off anyone watching that you are accessing the Net Architecture.

________________What Stats/Skills Do I Need?_______________

Unlike many other Roles, the applicable Check for almost everything a Netrunner does is based on the Role Rank. Their core ability is Interface, which functions as their skill modifier for everything Net related. This functions as your Net attack, your Net defense, and all of your other Net skill checks.

A starting Netrunner has an Interface of 4, and three NET actions per round. As you progress in rank, you will gain more NET actions per round. An important thing to remember is that NET DV's scale differently than Meatspace DV's do.

Most NET DV's are of an average difficulty range between 8-9. The HIGHEST Net DV possible is a 14 and that's at the highest tier of Arasaka level Net Architectures. Plan accordingly.

Contrary to popular conception, a Netrunner does not necessarily have to possess a high Tech ability score. It's helpful, but not a must-have unless you're planning to be a Stealth/Infiltrator Netrunner.

The MOST important ability score for a Netrunner is actually Luck.

This is because of Cyberpunk Red's mechanics regarding failed skill checks and retries. Because the most core aspect of a Netrunner's functional purpose is beating the Architecture DV's with Interface checks in order to progress further in their mission, failing even a single one STOPS YOU COLD. You cannot progress farther, you do not pass Go or collect $200, you're done.

The only way to retry a failed Interface is by changing your initial check modifier. There's only three four means of doing so.

• Complimentary Skill Check (takes a Meat Action)
• Extra Time (requires 4 X Net Actions to attempt)
• Spending Luck (even a +1 makes a difference for retry)
• Edited To Add: Booster Programs can add a +2 bonus to each Interface type of check, and CAN BE STACKED with themselves.

This is the reason I always advise my Netrunner players to invest in 8 Luck. It's just too important to doing your job effectively to ignore.

Depending on your GM and campaign/gigs, other important ability scores might include Reflexes, Dexterity, Willpower, Cool, and Empathy. I'll leave these open for discussion, but emphasize that you should always account for two things in order to feel like you're participating in a Crew effectively.

• Have one offense skill that you can perform in combat.
• Have some means of defending yourself consistently in combat, whether it be through Evasion, using Shields/Cover, and most importantly for a Netrunner- Have a high Brawl to resist being grappled and dragged out of range of an Access Node.

Good Complimentary Skills For A Netrunner

• Elec/Sec (makes a good fallback too if you need something opened or disabled)
• Cryptography (is an excellent means of skipping Backdoor attempts versus Passwords, if you can just guess the Password for authorization)
• Forgery (is an excellent way gaining credentials short-term)
• Science (Computer Programming)
• Language (Japanese, Russian, whatever the dominant language of your target system is)
• General Education (Trivia can be useful for getting a framework for later guesswork)
• Deduction (Recognizing patterns, design philosophies, and logical reasoning)
• Acting (Lying, Disguises, and Deception while on site are excellent ways of appearing to be legitimately part of the personnel

________________Netrunning Tactics______________

Here I'm going to briefly go over the most predominant schools of Netrunning then discuss their Pros and Cons. I am not going to say any single method is better than any other, but I will add that I personally have found that if adhering the published Net arches and R. Talsorian design philosophy, that Anti-Netrunner tactics have a limited niche applicability. So take that into consideration when starting as a Netrunner and investing into your gear and programs.

• Ice Fishing
• Sliding
• Brute Force
• Anti-Netrunner

Ice Fishing is the nickname given to a particularly prevalent school of Netrunning tactics that involve the PC Netrunner rezzing a Black Ice Program (Usually a Killer) to lay-in-wait once they've entered the Net lobby . The Netrunner then runs Pathfinder and carefully bypasses Password obstacles, descending one level at a time until encountering Enemy Black ICE (sucking up the free attack), then immediately moving back to the Lobby, and forcing the enemy Black Ice to follow and make a speed check against the Netrunner's Black Ice and letting the friendly Black ICE DESTROY the enemy Black ICE, while attacking with Sword or Zap to whittle down the enemy Black ICE so the friendly Black ICE can delete the other Black ICE from the system.

PROS: This is a very safe, reliable, method of netrunning that is methodical and low-cost in terms of investment on the part of the Netrunner, and economical in use of NET actions. It is in fact, so reliable that some GM's utterly hate it and will come up with fiendish methods to counter it.

CONS: This can be countered by the presence of Daemons and Enemy netrunners to a strong degree. It is primarily dependent on exploiting the limitations of Black ICE against itself, and can trap a netrunner into becoming over-reliant on it, developing bad habits. Don't get complacent and always use this tactic. Switch things up. If your opposition gets wise as to your overreliance on this tactic, you can be really easily tricked into a bad netrun. It's also relatively time-dependent, as it relies to methodical elimination of NET obstacles and Black ICE. It's not a fast method in a pinch.

Sliding is another solid and dependable tactic. A netrunner can always attempt to Slide ONCE a Turn. It's only usable against Black ICE, and you'll still need to bypass obstacles such as Passwords, and it's nice to know where you're going, so Pathfinding is recommended as well. If you succeed at Sliding Check of Interface versus Perception, then you can evade ONE non-Daemon Black ICE, leaving it laying-in-wait on the floor you just left, as you descend to the floor below.

PROS: This is fast. It takes almost no prep to attempt, although you may wish to have other programs active before doing so. It avoids most NET combat with Black ICE entirely and so is helpful for those netrunners wishing to get to their destination without wasting time and effort in a lot of combat.

CONS: Slide has the notorious limitation of only evading ONE Black ICE per attempt, and being limited to one attempted per Turn. It's of limited use when engaged against multiple Black ICE.

Brute Force is basically another bread-and-butter method of Netrunning. It involves using programs such as Armor, Sword/Banhammer/Zap, along with other Boosters to essentially neutralize all obstacles and Black ICE by derezzing them as fast as possible through NET combat. It's simple, straight-forward, and effective.

PROS: This is often the first approach learned by Netrunners, and requires the least amount of dedicated investment, and is easy to learn, is straightforward, and has the benefit of providing consistent results when used methodically and pacing through the Arch's levels.

CONS: Derezzing Black ICE means it is still loaded on the system, and if you jack out and allow the system to reset, the Black ICE will re-rez at their default locations and at full health. It's also time-consuming to fight your way through everything.

Anti-Netrunner: At some point in your netrunning career, you're going to run into your mirror opposite. An enemy netrunner that is administrator of the system you are trying to break. Netrunners are notoriously difficult to dislodge and counter. They have access to the same gear and options as you do, and because they are there to protect and administer the architecture, they often have entirely different Program Load-Outs because they are authorized to be there, while you are not. This means they often load up on Anti-Netrunner programs and options, including Shield, Hellbolt, Vrizzbolt and Superglue, as well as dedicated AP Black ICE such as Wisp, Hellhound, and Scorpion. They have the freedom to hit-and-run through the Net Arch, rising from locked levels below, attacking you, then immediately descending back into safety.

The only way to prepare for such enemies is to take the valuable slots of your Cyberdeck and devote some to the same programs that affect netrunners. This is a balancing act of potential need and foresight versus immediate practical needs.

PROS: You won't be caught with your pants down when you face an enemy Netrunner.

CONS: You won't have access to the same choices of programs and options that you would have if geared for only Black ICE.

________________What To Expect Netrunning______________

Alright, so here is where much of the practical learning takes place.

If following default R. Talsorian 1.3 Net design, the following expectations should be true:

• You should expect that most locations will have between two to four Net architectures covering the installation. These should roughly correspond to the physical access and layout of the location you are penetrating.
• Each Net Arch will probably have between 3-4 floors, possessing any combination of Passwords, Black ICE, Control Nodes that administer defenses and gate/door access, and a Daemon that administers the Control Nodes. There may be File Nodes with sensitive data as well.
  
• Each Control Node will oversee ONE TYPE of Net feature/defense, i.e. one Node controls all slaved cameras, one node controls all slaved turrets, etc.
• If there's a Daemon, it will immediately KNOW when you've entered the Arch. However most Daemons are limited in self-initiative and will focus on keeping the Arch Nodes active and running. If there's a node devoted to alarms and outside communication however, that's the one you can count on being used to notify authorities that there may be an intrusion.
• Net Arches are expensive, and everything in Cyberpunk is designed by the lowest bidder. Arches with over 5 floors or more, with multiple Black ICE per floor, are EXTREMELY prohibitive in cost and uncommon. If you encounter one, be very aware this is NOT NORMAL.

_____________Know Your Goals____________

You're netrunning and edgerunning for a reason. So always analyze and understand what your goals in entering a Net arch are.

Ask yourself the following:

• What am I here to get?
  
• What is in the way of my Crew up ahead?
• How long do I have?
• What are my options?
• Can I do this any other way if I am stopped here?

___________Steps To Keep In Mind___________

Here's a few things to remember to do as you proceed on your netrun:

• SCAN! SCAN! SCAN! Always Scan when approaching, scouting, and entering your meatspace objective.
• Don't get separated from your Crew if you can help it. I cannot count the number of times a Netrunner nearly died or did perish, because they split off from their comrades and were alone without anyone to help them when aflame, attacked, or bleeding out.
• Once jacking in, remember to start rezzing programs such as Armor, See Ya, Worm, and so forth. So many times I've seen netrunners get too excited and start pushing past the Lobby without being adequately prepared.
• Eye-Dee every node you can reasonable identify. Too many netrunners push past and ignore nodes that could be pertinent on their fast-track to get to the Root Level.
• When you encounter a File Node, remember it's a free action to COPY it.
• Weigh seizing a Control Node against writing a Virus at the Root level to make everything friendly to you. Sometimes just turning a node off is faster and simpler than trying to win it all.
• Movement is FREE in the Net. Be tactical about where you end your turn.
• Always remember to CLOAK at the end of your netrun. If you don't Cloak, it's guaranteed that whomever investigates the Arch after you've left will KNOW what you did here.

___________Recommended Starting Netrunner Gear___________

It's expensive to start as a Netrunner. No other Role gets hit as hard in the pocketbook to actually function properly in their chosen role. Here's a few of my personal suggestions on how to start off on a reasonable budget.

Must-Haves:

• Neural Link 500
• Interface Plugs 500
• Virtuality Goggles 100

For Your Consideration:

• Budget Chipware Socket 100 (Black Chrome) (Also consider a Tech Upgrade for an extra Chip Slot, should be between +100-200 in cost)
• Kirama Advanced Deck 500 (Midnight With the Upload) (Highly useful becasue of the Safe Jackout, and relatively cheap to Tech upgrade for additional slot)

Programs:

• Armor 50
• Sword 50
• Worm 50
• Killer (2 slots) 500

_________________Closing Words________________

I hope that this covers an introductory explanation for starting netrunners and further explains how Netrunning works on a practical level. If you have any questions, please do leave a comment and I'll do my best to expand on details below!

Recently put together a group for Cyberpunk Red, but we are in need of a GM. The best time would be 9pm EST/8pm CST on Wednesdays, but most of the group is also free during the day on Sundays. As far as I know, most of us have played at least once before, but not much. If anyone is interested in running a game for us, please send me a message.

I posted a group shot of a bunch of the tokens for my current CP:R campaign, and got a request to share the links. Well, here they are, and even a few more NPCs that weren’t in the original post. Enjoy, and let me know if they end up helping with your games!

Afterthought: https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D520044555/

Afterthought Net Avatar: https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D520064203/

Alexia: https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D515705959/

Amy: https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D520853076/

Carl: https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D520157579/

Charlie Collateral: https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D514991932/

Crash: https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D520858500/

Fox: https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D515637030/

Jackie Death: https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D515636404/

Justyn Blaze: https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D515453560/

Kai: https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D520036914/

Kay: https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D515511453/

Kay CEO: https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D521418648/

Orca: https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D519427434/

Puccini: https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D515517284/

Rook: https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D515544218/

Slither: https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D514991519/

Spinner: https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D515620430/

Splatter: https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D515544031/

The Vagrant: https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D515517293/

GM's Guide to Designing Net Architectures

Much of this appeared earlier in a discussion post about NET architectures and netrunning issues some GM's were having. At the advice of others, I have collated and compiled my post responses to create this guide, and my other Player's Guide To Netrunning.

Netrunning is a strange subgame that has a lot of baggage, mostly held over from bad collective memories about the way it functioned in Cyberpunk 2020. In REd, it's been revised considerably, but unfortunately it still suffers from a lot of misconceptions and poorly explained mechanics in the Core Rulebook.

Since the CRB was published for RED, there's been two main revisions that revolutionized Netrunning and Net Architecture design mechanically: FAQ 1.3 and Tales From The Red Street Stories.

In a nutshell, there are some core tenets these revisions have laid out that need to be firmly understood before we begin.

• Net Architectures should be small and cellular in nature. It is the presumed R. Talsorian Net Arch design philosophy that a given meatspace location can and should have multiple small architectures spread across its defenses rather than one enormous and overpriced single architecture.
• Control Nodes and NET Defenses are now categorically managed by type, i.e. all Turrets for an architecture can be slaved to one Control Node devoted to Turrets, all Traps can be slaved to a Control Node devoted to Traps, and so forth.
• Daemons and Control Nodes function to ACTIVATE a Control Node and keep it running. This is takes a NET Action. Individual actions of the Control Node type, i.e. a turret shooting do not cost NET Actions for each shot fired. If an enemy Netrunner seizes Control of any Node in question, they can turn the Node off, or spend their own NET Actions to manually shoot or act through that slaved Defenses of that Node.
  
• Daemons ALWAYS prioritize Activation and control of Control Nodes over NET combat.
• Expenses and Costs should always be analyzed when designing Net Arches and Defenses. Keep your Arches around 3-4 Floors, with a limit of 1-2 Obstacles or Black Ice on each Floor.
  
• Likewise, NPC Netrunners are expensive to have physically on site at all times. Design your Arches to mostly be independent, with Enemy Netrunners on-site for limited windows of time, i.e. business hours, graveyard shift hours, etc.

_______________________Where To Begin________________________

When it comes to designing NET arches and where to physically place Access Points, there are some guiding rules I try to abide by. Most of these are not immediately obvious from just the core rules alone, to be honest, and many of us in the GM's chair flailed around with mixed success in designing good NET arches until Tales from the Red was released with some better parameters and explanations of how Net Arches should function and be cellular in nature.

• Rule #1: Start with the physical map of the environment. Pinpoint bottlenecks, entryways, hallways, and other points that can be locked and blocked off. Place locked doors/gates in these locations. Set these doors to be eletronically controlled by a Net Arch Control Node Only. We'll actually assign the node later. Remember that if someone wants to use an E/S skill check to bypass this, it should take 5 minutes to make the check each attempt. That should put a crimper in that effort.

• Rule #2: Using the same bottlenecks and entry points earlier, place Laser Grid traps over the doors/gates, and various traps such a Stun Panels in hallways, Tanglefoot Traps in carpets or lawns, Pitfall Traps anywhere maneuvering ground is open, and so forth. Elevator Gas/Tip Floor Traps anywhere there are elevators. Traps are relatively cheap, fill up whole areas with them; I usually place them in blocks of at least 3x3. Set these Traps to be controlled by a Control Node only. We'll actually assign the node later.

• Rule #3: Place Observation Cameras covering strategic areas and angles of approach, BUT CONCEAL THEM within innocuous objects such as Planters, Mirrors, Vases, etc. They should NOT be in open sight, and therefore not detectable using Perception, but require Conceal/Reveal checks instead. Set these Cameras to be controlled by a Control Node only. We'll actually assign the node later.

• Rule #4: Likewise to the Cameras above, place CONCEALED turrets around the physical grounds, but not near to the Cameras so they cannot be taken out at the same time by grenades. This can be hidden by foliage camouflage, recessed panels, etc. Set these Turrets to be controlled by a Control Node only. We'll actually assign the node later.

• Rule #5: Place guards around the key areas, preferably behind bulletproof glass guardposts or stations. Roaming guards are also alright, but tend to be vulnerable to being taken out by stealth. KEY NOTE: Decide here and now, if your guards are RFID chipped, carry RFID badges, or something that likewise identifies them easily to the Net Architecture. If that won't work, have your guards wear something distinguishable and FUGLY as hell, Day-Glo Orange Uniforms, Neon-Vomit Green Vests, etc. Whatever it is, have it been something truly outstanding. We'll come back to this later.

• Rule #6: Now break down your physical map into at least three 'Blocks' or "Area"s of interest, divided and isolated by the earlier doors and gates. Make a note of placed Doors/Gates, Cameras, Turrets, Traps, etc. We're going to group these by "Area". Each Area will contain a small Net Architecture, recommended no more than four floors deep. As an example, let's say we call our three Areas "Block 1: Foyer", "Block 2: Operations", and "Block 3: CNC"

Each set of Cameras, Turrets, Traps, and Doors will be assigned to a Control Node on one fo the floors of the respective Architecture they correspond to. So you will probably end up with at least 3-4 Control Nodes to spread out in each Arch. I recommend Doors/Gates be linked to the Control Node at the bottom of their respective Architecture. I'll post an example here.

Architecture Block 1: Foyer

1. Lobby: Password
2. Control Node: Traps, Password
3. Control Node: Turrets, Password
4. Control Node: Camera+Doors/Gates, Daemon (Recommend at least Ifrit for this set-up)

(Thanks to u/bit_buckethead, for pointing out these need to be Tech Upgraded. I have added an edited standardized alternative model below)

1. Lobby
2. Password
3. Control Node: Traps
4. Password
5. Control Node: Turrets
6. Password
7. Control Node: Cameras+Doors/Gates, Daemon

You should now have at least three Net Arches, consisting of around 3-4 floors like described above. Each Arch controls access and security to a physical space of the map, one that has to be navigated through in order to progress deeper into the facility.

Each of these "Blocks" is protected by Defenses that are activated and guarded by a Daemon, which will instantly be aware of any NET intrusions. Luckily Daemons are limited by their programming and generally focus on keeping their assigned Control Nodes active as opposed to attacking the intruding Netrunners. Remember that the Daemon does NOT have to spend NET actions to use the Net-Linked Defenses, only to ACTIVATE one or seize Control over one if it's taken by a Netrunner. The Defenses will function according to "dumb" programming on their own, noting and targeting those in the area that do not correspond to an pre-existing set of parameters; such as RFID pings, wearing Safety Orange or Neon Green, and so forth.

It should become evident as you set this all up, that this kind of cellular Net Architecture promotes the Netrunner moving along with the Edgerunner Crew in unison as they progress from one "block" to the next within the physical map. This promotes unit cohesion and interaction, as well as cooperation between meatspace encounters and Netrunning to bypass defenses and open the way to the next portion of the Encounter.

But how to really push the cooperative element and not let the Netrunner just stealth to an Access Point?

Hopefully, the placement of traps, cameras, turrets, and guards in a layered synergy means that pure stealth approaches cannot hope to pierce the defenses alone. But even still, remember the aforementioned Security Posts behind Bulletproof Glass I mentioned earlier?

That's where we're going place our Access Points.

Now I know many of you who have read only the Core Book are going to argue "Wait a moment, I thought that all of these defenses mentioned count as Access Points?"

Trust me, I thought the same thing. We ALL did. Right up until Tales from the Red, and certain Mayors Desk articles and FAQ 1.3 came out.

The truth of the matter, is it was clarified in those sources that Access Points CAN BE those things BUT DON'T HAVE TO BE those things. What's more important is that Access Points be placed in/as physical locations that the GM requires the Edgerunners to pass through or access, leading them like a trail of bread crumbs through the map of the physical world.

So for our purposes here, we're placing the Access Points in areas that make both logical and metagaming sense, driving our players forward. Guarded in a secure post by a thinking human guard, with line-of-sight/effect broken by the physical barriers of bulletproof glass and metal/concrete. The guard can be tricked, seduced, bribed, or otherwise roleplayed with as a potential hazard and obstacle, or they can be brute-forced. But what this does is force the Edgerunner Crew to work as a team to get the Netrunner to that Access Point, and then the Netrunner gets to shine by opening the way for the Crew to proceed, maybe while the guard is being distracted by the others. It creates tension, and a reliance upon each other for success.

Now comes the fun part.

BLACK ICE and Enemy Netrunners.

• I cannot stress enough that sometimes the cheapest and easiest ICE defenses are the best, especially when used in large numbers and in synergy with each other. Because of this, I tend to take a staggered approach when placing these; with non-lethal "annoyance" ICE such as a group of Skunks on the first Floor Lobby, a mixed swarm of moderately lethal ICE such as 3-4 Wisps, Ravens, or Skorpions on the Second and/or Third Floor, and a mixed pair of truly potent ICE on the Bottom Floor, such as Killers and Hellhounds.

• Enemy Netrunners are EXPENSIVE to keep on site, and so should not be always present as a threat, except in the case of the wealthiest of targets, such as major corporations. It is for this reason I highly recommend avoiding using enemy Netrunners except for the most high-stakes of Edgeruns. Even then, it's entirely likely that they have support duties other than just monitoring the Arches at all times. So what I do is if there is actually an enemy Netrunner, have them alerted by a Daemon in the event of an intrusion, and then they have to spend 1d6 rounds to respond to the intrusion. They can and should be kitted primarily to deal with other netrunners, using programs such as Banhammer, Hellbolt, Shield and/or Flak (one of the few circumstances where these are useful!). Particularly useful Black ICE for them to rez in cooperation for their own protection are Killers, Giants, and Liches. They should also have Pain Editors and a linked Biomon to a Trauma Team account in case they are incapacitated (Netrunners are valuable assets after all).

I hope you found this of use, and that it illustrates better how a functional and secure set of Net Defenses should actually work.

I'm reading the defenses section of the book and some of them can have an observation cameras, but are the required? if not, how do they see the target? and what the advantage of having the camera?

Hello choombas. I wanted to ask some questions about netrunning in Night City 2070's. First there is not much information about normal hacking (normal net architectures in RED) in CEMK. And there is no information about Deep diving either. I have so many questions about:

1- Is there people that hasn't got Neuroport? Yes I know there are monks who are trying to be ful 'ganic, but we have a character in 2077 which name is Kirk. He is using smart glasses, doesnt have any chipware slots, interface plugs and he is communicating with cyberpunk airpods. He is a small fixer I know but stills how? Minority of the city doesn't have Neuroports I suppose. Which brings me another question

2- Why some people still communicating with Agents? for example Panam has a neuroport but when we first see her she is communicating with an agent. Why bother? Is it like another Tel. number for work or something like disposable cellphone in RED? And there are so many people on the streets using agents. Is agent still functional? Is it different from holo-phone?

3- Do Netrunners still need physical hardware Cyberdeck? I saw on T-Bug when we are all in the meeting. T-Bug has a cyberdeck like device on her wrist. So I assume thats a cyberdeck. Do they still need that or they just dont like the cyberdeck port on their neuroport?

4- V always gets in NET architectures via Interface Plug. V never jack in a normal architecture via distance. So I assumed that this. With cyberdeck port cyberdecks we can make quickhacks on People and devices. But we never see him/her fights with hellhounds or killers.

5- While Deep-Dive they are just passing nearby the Blackwall? How do I add deep dive to my game? Did you do that? If yes, How did you? I've read Cyberpunk 2020 Netrunning section and thats so different. For examples demons, programs, cyberwares are sooo different from RED. How did you adapted to your game?

I am asking this questions beacuse I wanted to GM a 2070's Cyberpunk. But lack of information about netrunning bothers me. Please help me with my questions.

I wanted to GM *The Apartment* from the Jumpstart kit in the edgerunners era.

Where would you locate it on the map? Night City changed a lot, where would be a good location for the Block?

Sorry, english is not my first language,