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I'm not talking about the game Cyber-Punk, the actual genre of game. Has anyone created or know of a home-brewed setting. I know Rifts, especially in the Burbs and Japan, can be used successfully for that style, but I'm looking for something specifically cyber-punk. If no one knows of any I will start working on one this weekend, and will post tid-bits (if anyone is interested) as I go along.

The first hurtle will be whether to make it an S.D.C. or M.D.C. setting (I'm leaning towards S.D.C.). The next will be if I want to add in things like magic or psionics. My fear with including those two is it would become a Shadowrun rip-off, and I'm going for a unique setting. Despite that I am leaning towards including psionics, as they have a very futuristic new human feel to them.

Anyway, let me know if you guy (and girls) know of anything already out on the web, or even if you have some suggestions.

Ninjas and Superspies would work.

If nothing else, I would have recommended look at GURPS Cyberpunk, GURPS Cyberworld and GURPS Cyberpunk Adventures as good background source material. You don't have to use the actual stuff therein, but you'll get a very good idea & feel from reading them.

Heroes Unlimited lends itself extremely well to this genre especially if you're leaning towards SDC.

I don't own it but from what I read the Rifts Black Market book seems like it's heavily reminiscent of this sort of setting.

The setting of scrappers, is good for cyberpunk. Not in my opions the super powers.
Cybernetics book is a must, merc town would be a good place to run it in the standard rifts setting.
Same with center.

Also i wouldnt worry about pulling a bit of shadowrun into it......not the whole setting but they have pretty well held the crown for the setting and feel for a long time for a reason......they do it well.

You could do a good game in say ngr as well.

Bill wrote:Ninjas and Superspies would work.

I plan on pulling heavily from Palladium's existing works, especially the cybernetic/bionics from N&SS and HU2. I'm also planning on working in some of the various mega-corps mention throughout the game lines, such as KLS, Cyberworks, Triax, and even more obscure ones such as Bio-Spawn (allowing me to throw in gene-engineering along with cybernetics and psionics). If I go with the standard troupe of having the United States consisting several different smaller nations I might even throw in a Michigan based arms manufacturer named Northern Gun; between them and Triax it would give me a wide-range of already published vehicles and weapons if I go M.D.C.

Juicers and M.O.M. will definitelybe part of the setting.

I hope I have time to start this weekend.

If you are looking for a system for computers/cyber-decking (where a person's mind/spirit goes into a computer network to do things), I would suggest looking at TORG. It is a cross-genre game, but has a 'cyberpunk catholic theocracy' realm that has a lot of good ideas (even if you toss out the theocracy fluff. You'd have to find used copies on ebay, but look for the main TORG book (original or 1.5 ed)Cyberpapacy sourcebook, Godnet for the Cyberpapacy sourcebook, and perhaps Tharkold (a terminator/hellraiser mix-match realm), which also has cyberdecks. the rules for cyberdecking are nice and show how to run scenarios where some party members are in the 'net and others are not.

Another potential resource if you go the SDC route is the Aliens Unlimited Galaxy Guide, as it has additional robotics and bionics you can use with the N&SS stuff and the HU2 material. It also has rules for cyber-space combat I believe.

If you want ideas for setting check out the books by William Gibson. he was one of the big writers for the Cyberpunk genre. His short story Burning Chrome started it and then lead to several books where he fleshes out a very dark and gritty world where the bionics and cybernetics are first choice and even desired and taken first.

Garm wrote:If you want ideas for setting check out the books by William Gibson. he was one of the big writers for the Cyberpunk genre. His short story Burning Chrome started it and then lead to several books where he fleshes out a very dark and gritty world where the bionics and cybernetics are first choice and even desired and taken first.

His books are excellent, I agree.