Cyberpunk for Tabletop Roleplaying Games: Tips for Playing in a Cyberpunk Setting
In a cyberpunk future, mega corporations exploit the marginalized and impoverished for their own gain. Artificial intelligence stands as a second voice to capitalism, with excessive technology tangled around every corner of society from public housing to prisons. Bioengineers work to perfect genome manipulation, cloning, and gene editing under the watchful eye of corporate accountants. And lurking under all this technology is a sinister AI that controls everything.
Well, sometimes at least. Cyberpunk is one of those genres of speculative fiction that readily lends itself to tabletop game design. The genre’s emphasis on technology and the near-future setting make it a perfect fit for games that explore the possibilities of science and magic in the modern world. If you’re unfamiliar with what cyberpunk is, here's a quick rundown. Cyberpunk takes place in the near future, with early works often taking place in the 2020s. The genre frequently features philosophical themes, including elements of Japanese-inspired transhumanism and the prevalence of morally ambiguous artificial intelligence known as “cybernetics” (a term coined by British AI researcher Norbert Wiener). Another key element of cyberpunk relies on conflict between the players and the setting itself, often in the form of man vs machine or the question of what humanity means in a setting where technology has overrun so much.
Player characters might be anything from hackers who break into secure databases for fun to cyborgs that can upload skills directly into their brain using virtual reality software. They might be detectives in this cyberpunk dystopia or criminals performing illegal activities like kidnapping prominent scientists or stealing experimental artificial intelligences. A cyberpunk setting is an exciting place for your tabletop roleplaying game because there are so many ways it changes the classic fantasy game you probably know and love. Read on for some tips on how you can introduce cyberpunk into your next campaign.
Balancing Style and Substance
It's often said that cyberpunk as a setting is all about style over substance. While this may be true for the setting, you can’t let that emphasis on style overtake the substance of your game. As the GM, it's a good idea to get an early grip on the rules of whatever game system you're using. Make sure you've gone over the core book for your system in as much detail as possible and taken notes for anything you feel you might need to frequently reference. Now, this may seem like obvious advice for running any game but it becomes particularly important in a cyberpunk game where cybernetic implants and other technological advancements are constantly reshaping the landscape of the game.
Encourage Player Collaboration
A lot of the cyberpunk media focuses on singular protagonists grappling with the reality of their landscape. In these stories, characters who try to help others are often getting themselves into trouble. Obviously, most tabletop games are going to take things in the opposite direction, focusing instead on the actions of a group and how they work together to tackle their problems. As the GM, you can encourage a group dynamic where players are brought together through mutual goals or philosophies. Look beyond the current story hook and encourage the players to really think about why their characters are together. What is the underlying thread that ties them to this particular set of people as opposed to any others that may have the same skills? When you encourage your players to think about questions like this it can help them set up their characters to form a bond that lasts beyond the immediate adventure.
Cybernetics Are Everywhere
You might want to take a step away from cybernetic implants and give your players the option of transhumanist augmentation. While cybernetic implants are mostly limited to physical enhancements like better eyesight and stronger limbs, transhumanism allows your players to transform themselves as much as they want. This might be as simple as taking a drug that lets you see the infrared light that most humans can’t see, or it might be a full-body transplant from a genetically modified species. Don't let yourself get boxed into the bare-bones ideas of what technology in a cyberpunk setting has to offer.
Everyone is a Netrunner
Well, perhaps not literally but if you want to emphasize the cyberpunk elements of a setting it can be helpful to remember (and to remind players) that everyone they deal with is also grappling with being human in a technological world. Everyone from the cook at the local breakfast cart to the security guard at a corporate office to a hyper-pop star on a world tour is constantly running up against the realities of both capitalism and technology that have been allowed to eclipse much of the rest of society. Some of these people may grapple with the philosophical side of living in a cyberpunk world more deeply than others (some may even try their best to ignore it and live as close to blissful ignorance as possible) but all of them are ultimately going through the same challenges as the player characters. Keeping this in mind as you create and play out NPCS can be a great way to create an immersive experience that really differentiates our world from a cyberpunk one.
Emphasizing Cyberspace
A good way to get players excited about a cyberpunk setting is to emphasize the cyberspace elements of the game. If your players spend most of their time in a virtual world, their actions may have less impact on the real world, and vice versa. As the GM, you are responsible for setting the tone of the game, so make sure you establish early on that there may be another world running alongside the physical one that players may have their characters interact with. One way to do this is by establishing that VR technology is available and that it’s as easy to use as a smartphone. Describe advertisements for the technology that allows characters to interact with cyberspace, show NPCs spending their time in the virtual world, and maybe even have the players enter cyberspace specifically as a part of a quest.
Conclusion
Hopefully these tips will help you make the most out of your next cyberpunk tabletop roleplaying game experience.
If you are interested in some materials to support that check out our selection of cyberpunk themed tabletop supplements by clicking the link below:
