r/cyberpunkred

Hey choombas,

I got tired of wrestling with PDF layers and image editors every time I wanted a new screamsheet for my Cyberpunk RED games, so I built a browser-based screamsheet generator you can use straight from your phone or laptop.

You can try it here (completely free, and going to stay that way):

screamsheet.vercel.app

What it does right now:

• Lets you fill out headlines, bylines, body text, and sidebars directly in the browser and see the layout update live.
• Uses a screamsheet-style layout so it looks like in-world media your players can actually read on laptops, tablets, VTT or mobile.
• Exports as a clean image/PDF (depending on your browser tools) so you can drop it into Roll20, Foundry, Discord, or print. Or you can send it as a link to your players and have it live online, where they can download at will.
• Designed for quick prep: spin up a screamsheet in a few minutes between sessions instead of spending an hour in Photoshop or GIMP.
• It does have a "GM Key" thing so that everyone isn't seeing everyones screamsheets but maybe I could have a bulletin thing or something in the future where people opt in to displaying the screamsheet? What do y'all think?

I’d really love feedback from Cyberpunk RED GMs and players:

• Is the layout readable at the table? I have a n = 5 pool of data right now (my table) and they're too nice to say too many bad things about something I made for them.
• What fields or templates would you want added (NCPD bulletins, corp memos, braindance promos, etc.)?
• Would random content generation (hooks, factions, locations) be useful, or do you prefer it to stay mostly “manual”? (This would lowkey be turning it into a different kind of tool but I am open to it if the demand is there, I don't know how I would do it yet but something to figure out).

This is very much a live project, so I’m planning to iterate based on what this community actually uses. If you end up using it for a session, I’d love to see your screamsheets or hear how it went.

Thanks, and hope it helps make your Night City headlines easier to make.

Hey folks,

I'm a GM in a 2070+ campaign rn and am having a hard time coming up with good NPC names/handle names and alot of the names/handles I find from generators online are either ripping off each other or are too generic for what I'm looking for at the times.

Anyone have any recommendations for better name generators or coming up with better names generally? 'Cause I am clearly struggling rn. Specifically for gangers from each of the different gangs, especially to indicate the role they play in said gang.

I've skimmed the contents of CEMK but can't find anything on making a custom edgerunner for this module. I have all the other cyberpunk red core books, so I can help my crew make characters there but I'm worried importing them will break the module's scaling. Is it possible to have custom characters in The Jacket without breaking the scaling and if so, how?

Got a math question for all my real hardcore stats nerds out there.

Question: Is it possible to, while still using the 2d6 roll, affect probabilities in such a way that the ends of the spectrum become more likely than the middle?

Expanding On The Question: As everyone knows, the Critical Injury table is a 2d6 roll, which in a probability distribution looks like this:

My math teacher would be so proud of me!

Right now, the 7 is the most likely outcome. I would like to split this so that the edges of the distribution become more likely (and equally likely) than the middle of the distribution. I know I can affect the center of the curve with a flat modifier, but that doesn't quite do what I want - I don't want a shifted curve, I want a U-shape.

Context: I'd like to try something with Expansive Ammo* (the regular one from the Core Rules). I'd like it to have the standard probability to crit, but to have a more likely probability of inflicting a really nasty crit, which means it would have to fall on either end of the 2d6 table. This is why I don't want to just shift the bell curve. If I say that any Critical Injury inflicted by Expansive Ammo just has a -3 (minimum 2) to the 2d6 roll, then someone could roll an 11, and have that turned into a less-impressive Injury.

*Yes, I know they have Hyper-Expansive in Solo of Fortune, and I really don't like them.

Anyway, let me know if you have questions or if what I'm asking for is impossible. Thanks!

This gives me an idea.

Hardened Security Operatives are Mooks with Autofire 14. Modify their armor at your discretion. Hell, give them a PQ SMG with Cyclic Internals instead for CQC carnage

Add a touch of Synthcoke to each of them for an extra +1

Tracer Ammo for some extra kick

For extra carnage, one of these guys has Tactics 13...

to use with Tactical Overwatch in the Segotari Power DLC to buff the squad's Autofire Attacks.

If you don't get it, Hardened Security Operatives have Base 14 with Autofire. Synthcoke gives em a +1 to REF so they're hitting with a +15. And Tracer Ammo adds a +1 so they now hit with a +16. And this isn't unfounded. A GM can spawn a special Hardened Mook that has a Base 16 in Autofire.

What this does is give Hardened Mooks a way to better hit the max multiplier and even be able to better hit bullet dodgers attempting to evade their Attack. And if you're worried about players looting bodies, they won't be scavenging a Neural Link, Smartgun Link, or even an Excellent Quality gun. Best they got is a Poor Quality SMG/Assault Rifle and some Tracer Ammo left over from the fight. Plus, these guys are still Mooks. The Hardened Security Operative has 30 HP and poor Evasion & Brawling. They'll die quick, especially if you give them lower SP such as Kevlar. Very definition of glass cannon.

The con of this method? This really ratchets up lethality. In no Evasion games, these guys can hit a x4 multiplier with a 60% chance. And this is even worse if you decide to use the Tactical Overwatch rule. So long as the special Mook passes that DV15 (which is 80% of the time btw), they can consistently give an extra +1 to the Mooks. So now they got a +17 which means getting a x4 multiplier 70% of the time.

So yeah, scary way to make accurate Autofire Mooks while keeping their budget low. Just...mind the lethality. This makes fights a meatgrinder.

Hi everyone!! So I’ve been a cyberpunk fan for a little bit (played 2077 and watched edgerunners), always wanted to know more about the lore, and I’ve always been interested in TTRPGs but never had the chance to learn or get into them, so why not start now. I’m really interested in getting into red and maybe finding a group patient enough to help a play with a newbie (I’m a quick learner, promise), and maybe some resources on possibly playing it online since I doubt there are any IRL groups/communities for it where I live, or at least they’re very rare. Any help is appreciated, and thank you in advance!

Hey, I was thinking how to play using RED sources and lore, and vibe and mechanics of 2070s CEMK.

The idea is that the Time of the Red is ending. The city is still full of unfinished districts, Combat Zones, and post-war scars, but reconstruction is in full swing. Corporations are returning, the economy is recovering, and technology is rapidly advancing. The things are not as good as in 2077 but not as bad as in RED.

And I will use all the info about the Night City as if it was 2045.

Mechanically I use corebook and CEMK.

Working title- Cyberpunk: Renaissance (2060)

- Has anyone run something similar?
- What would you add to make this transition period feel unique?
- Are there any lore events between RED and 2077 that are worth highlighting?
- Have you created any house rules or changes for this era?
- Are there any fan projects or homebrew settings that explore this period?

Thanks!

Title. Prepping to run a campaign for some new people and looking to make my own battlemaps as I like doing. I use dungeondraft personally, does anyone know where I can the resources (assets mostly) to easily make more cyberpunk appropriate battlemaps? Most of what I can find is fantasy focused.

Furthermore, this is somewhat connected, I have heard foundry is usually the best vtt for running cyberpunk, is this the case still and where should I go looking for info how to set it up?

Hello, I'm curious about Cyberpunk Red. Are there any other settings fleshed out like Night City, or is Night City the only location? Are their books going into detail about the city?

Also, does the game provide tools for creating your own cyberpunk setting?

Adam Smasher is clearly one of the most recognizable and fearsome characters in the franchise. He can put up a tough fight against even the most prepared edgerunners.

But I have a question... has your GM ever introduced their own version of Adam Smasher? A character who's just built different, covered head to toe in chrome, with psychotic tendencies.

If so, who were they? How would you describe them?

My group was playing RED a while ago and a player finally decided to play a Netrunner. Our group's first true Netrunner PC. My group wants to try every class eventually, so we were thrilled to see how it would play.

But when the PC started doing his Netrunning thing, I we ran into some issues.

First, Access Points. There is no useful guide for where to put Access Points for Netrunners. They have to roll to find them, but GMs can put them anywhere and they have the same range as Bluetooth. How do you decide where to put them and how many?

Worse, I found myself in an uncomfortable situation as a player: stuck watching someone else play the game for an extended period. Like 10 to 15 minutes or more. I think his first netrun took half an hour.

Part of this example was us getting used to the rules. "New system, who dis?" As my group likes to say. Everybody understands and accepts that. We want to get things right. I want the Netrunner to do their thing and look cool doing it.

But, in the case of Netrunning, it was the nature of the system itself.

One of my personal hells as a player during a session is feeling stuck or otherwise powerless, unable to affect the action. Someone having an emotional scene is one thing. But taking that long every time a PC wants to do their thing is ridiculous and complicated.

My question is: how do you run Netrunning effectively? How do you not waste time running it? How do you ensure Netrunners can do their thing and not bog things down or be denied their opportunity to shine?

Hi Chooms, I got a session written up for tomorrow but was wondering how section i have planned out should go? I read the source book rules for vehicle combat, so I understand the basics, I was wondering how a transition from driving to on foot combat should be handled.

The basic gist is that the crew is driving when they are then brake checked by an unmarked SUV (a REF check for the driver), if they fail the check then the corpo security in the van will get out and engage them in combat. Sorta like a drive by, so how should this work with RAW? Should they have advantage since they caught the crew off guard?

Two cardinal rules here:

One: Always check with the players ahead of introducing anything with this technique. If they say no, that's it - kill the idea.

Two: If the thing you're using from your player affects that player's character, be extremely careful to avoid GM fiat. Any checks to avoid something should be tilted in the player's favor, and it should never remove their agency.

Some folks seem to have misread this post. Let be absolutely clear: My position here is that you should be bending over backwards to respect your players' boundaries for any number of reasons. The first and most sacred is simple humanity. The second is that we're gathering together to play a game, and if we're not on board with what's "out of bounds," that game is going to suck. So yes, absolutely lead with rule 1, and absolutely do a rock solid Session Zero. Period.

Credit to u/Peregrine_GWJ and u/EmperessMeow for suggesting this clarification - it was needed, and thank you for the feedback!

The Actual Post

When I say, "the player's demons," I'm not talking about the character. I'm talking about the player. What are the things that piss your players off? What are the agonies they are dealing with in life? Put representatives of those things in your game and let the players fight them, but never let the players completely destroy them.

For example, if one of your players has a loved one battling cancer, then it's completely OK to drop in cancer diagnoses in your game. Just make sure the diagnoses are rooted in something the player can punch. For example, maybe the wave of cancer diagnoses are related to poisoned groundwater, and Arasaka is trying to cover it up. Or maybe the diagnoses are false positives, used by a shitty doctor to keep people on the hook, paying out for false cures over time. Tailor it to their circumstances in a respectful way.

Just never let them come up with an in-game cure for everyone's cancer. If they find a cure for a specific kind of cancer, then make the cost to get the cure proportional to how important it is to the player. If the player really wants this, then put it on Crystal Palace, behind a firewall, with armed guards on every inch of the place. The more meaningful it is to the player, the more work they'll need to do. If you make it free, you are sort of backhandedly insulting them. After all, if it's free in Cyberpunk, well, that's just great for cyberpunk, isn't it? I guess it's my fault for not being that much of a badass that I can't just solve the problem I'm having - what a shitbird I am.

The point is not to punish the player. The point is to honor the difficulties their life is presenting them with, and give them a chance to really go to town in a way they'll never get to do in real life.

Why should we let our players fight their demons?

Because people occasionally love being able to feel like they can hit back. You and I can't do anything about chronic illnesses and brain fog, for example. But by saying that the chronic illnesses affecting this one group of imaginary folks is being caused by Bad Person X, you give your player a relief valve to let them punch back against a thing that's making their life worse. After all, they're never going to get to strap up and face down Bad Person X in real life. But by letting them do that in the game, you're letting them experience some vicarious amount of hope that things can get better.

Am I understanding the corebook correctly in that basic driving is meant to be extremely difficult for most characters?

The rules for "Basic Driving" in the corebook (pg. 192) state that any character with a Base 9 or lower in Drive Land Vehicles must use their action to attempt a DV 9 check at the start of every round or lose control of their vehicle. "This is why you probably don't let your kid drive in the first place," the book says, which makes it sound like this check has to be made when Performing basic driving under any circumstance (albeit not necessarily as frequently), not just during combat.

The top comments I've seen online suggests that this is, indeed, how driving functions, with most people saying that, at the very least, you need to make a check every time you try to drive from point A to B. AFAIK, there is no other rule clarifying this, and the Corebook Errata does not mention the topic.

Aside from the Nomad, none of the other Streetrats or Edgerunners start with any points in Drive Land vehicle, meaning that even basic driving would be a challenge for them under this rule. Unless they have 7 or 8 reflex, they still have to make this check even with a Drive Land Vehicles skill chip.

Other observations: the corebook describes a Base 10 in Drive Land Vehicles as the caliber of a competent professional driver. Night City 2045 notes that 52% of Night Citizens own at least one motor vehicle. Of the statblocks in the Everyday People DLC, only the Construction Worker, Forklift Driver laborer, base Paramedic, and Taxi Driver have a Drive Land Vehicle of Base 10 or higher. Does this just mean that people are getting into car accidents constantly?