Abigail Spark was 24. She was a single mother, barely making ends meet, just like the several thousand other residents of Heywood. She had family. She had chooms. She had her favourite E-Viz programs and breakfast kib and celebrity gossip channels just like everyone else. She was a fan of Lizzy Wizzy, and been hoping to get tickets to her next show at some point. She made a point of lunch with her toddler every Saturday morning at Bimmy’s, because she liked supporting her local diner. That’s just who she was as a person: that’s is what everyone who knew her will tell you, while they hold back the tears.
Given how I’m writing about her in the past tense, it probably won’t surprise you to know that Abigail Spark was gunned down on Emmerton Street at 10 in the morning on Tuesday. But it wasn’t a from crossfire between the Valentinos and 6th Street, it wasn’t a random mugging gone wrong, it wasn’t a cyberspycho attack, and it sure as shit wasn’t an accident. It was an automated Militech hit squad, killing a civilian in broad daylight.
Karel let the first few paragraphs of the narration stew in his head as he walked across the night street towards the nearby food stand. The fight tonight had been a foregone conclusion. Ramirez had won. Again. And Karel, fool that he was, had wasted eddies on the other guy, because he couldnt help but back an underdog. At least Adams would keep most of his teeth, thanks to Victor’s ministrations.
At 9:30 CST, three Militech automated drones hovered down over Emmerton. They were hunter killer models, not simple criminal suppression units: they were designed to literally go out and eliminate targets with extreme prejudice. Who or what these targets were is known only to their handlers, and their handlers in turn, but because of their corporate license and because Militech practically owns a good chunk of this city, the NCPD did nothing to contest their movements. And so these drones narrowed in on one 24 year old woman walking down to the record store, and opened fire. The aftermath was described as gruesome, as something out of a horror BD. NCPD units responding barely had a body left to identify.
He stood in front of the kiosk, perused the menu through his eye implants, blink-clicked an order. A second later, a carton of two sticks of something that could, under a certain light, pass for meat, were shoved his way. He took a bite from one. It was good. For scop, it almost tasted like the real thing. Almost reminded him of kielbasa.
The official press release from Militech was that this was that this was a facial recognition error: that Abigail’s facial mods– something she had recently bought and installed after saving several months of wages– had made her appear similar to a known terrorist in the corp database. Militech’s MO was to act immediately and decisively, without hesitation, without double checking if they were making a mistake, “for the public good.” To date, they have offered her family neither an apology nor compensation. Her infant daughter is going to grow up without her mother, and, according to Militech, for all intents and purposes, it was Abigail’s own fault.
Chewing a mouthful of surprisingly decent scop, Karel glanced up to pay his compliments to the vendor. A blank, shimmering face stared back at him, and said something in Japanese. A hologram. A preprogrammed vending machine.
Every day, our contact with, and trust of, fellow human beings erodes little by little. We trust machines to drive us to work, to compile our taxes, to feed our cats, to give us sound medical advice, and, perhaps most pressingly, to kill the bad guys. And, it seems, we can’t even trust them to do that.
This is not simply a case of automation gone wrong, though. This is another instance of the corps feeling like they can play god with us mere mortals, and that they are above consequence. And they ARE above consequence: there is no power in Night City willing to challenge them other than rival corps. People in Night City live, die and suffer caught in the crossfire of invisible corporate conflict, and to those at the top of the pyramid, it is simply a fact of life. And to those at the bottom of the pyramid, it’s more frequently a fact of death.
He slid into the metro, catching a night train that would take him all the way back up into smoggy old Watson. Along the way, he stared with mute, jaded indifference out the window, seeing the passing kaleidescope of vast hologaphic billboards and reality TV segments, unbidden advertisements popping into his optic implants as he glanced their way. Towering figures the size of skyscrapers shimmered in the night, turning their colossal heads to stare right at him to entice, to seduce, to threaten him. Ads glimmered along the sides of Night City’s luminous cityscape or hovered, kite-like in the night sky, offering him things to ingest, to buy, to masturbate to, and to fear and to fear anew. The new constellations, he thought. The tabloid pantheon, the friezes of the gods of corporate materialism, vampires and angels both.
What made it all the worse was that it was all so eerily, hypnotically beautiful.
It is not that people are blind to what is going on. That is the worst part: everyone, and I mean everyone, knows that the corpos rule things. That they are self-serving, untrustworthy, concerned only about the bottom line. They all know how little the corpos value their lives. It is not blindness that allows the corpos to stay in power, it is complacency. People do not want to disrupt what little in their lives that they can truly call their own, and can you blame them? What value is the truth when your kids are hungry, when YOU are hungry? People just nod and accept that that is how life is, and go along their merry way, not paying attention to how their control over their own lives is eroding bit by bit.
He blinked, marking the document for editing and publication, and attached a donation link to Abigail’s orphaned daughter, just in case his readers were feeling generous. As he always did, he made sure to sign off afterwards.
I’m the Last One Out, and like it or not, I’ll be with you on this crazy ride to the end.
******
Character Name: Karel Orzeck
Handle: The Last One Out
Role: Media
Role Ability: Credibility (4)
| Int | Ref | Dex | Tech | Cool | Will | Luck | Move | Body | EMP |
| 8 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
Humanity: 60
| Awareness Skills | LVL | Stat | Base |
| Concentatrion (WILL) | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Conceal/Reveal Object (INT) | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Lip Reading (INT) | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| Perception (INT) | 6 | 8 | 14 |
| Tracking (INT) | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Body Skills | LVL | STAT | BASE |
| Athletics (Dex) | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Contortionist (Dex) | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Dance (Dex) | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Endurance (Will) | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Resist Torture/Drugs (Will) | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Stealth (Dex) | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Control Skills | LVL | STAT | BASE |
| Drive Land Vehicle (Ref) | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Pilot Air Vehicle x2 (Ref) | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Pilot Sea Vehicle (Ref) | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Riding (Ref) | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Education Skills | LVL | STAT | BASE |
| Accounting (Int) | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Animal Handling (Int) | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Bureaucracy (Int) | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Business (Int) | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Composition (Int) | 6 | 8 | 14 |
| Criminology (Int) | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Cryptography (Int) | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Deduction (Int) | 6 | 8 | 14 |
| Education (Int) | 2 | 8 | 10 |
| Gamble (Int) | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Language (Int) | |||
| -Streetslang | 2 | 8 | 10 |
| -Native | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| Library Search (Int) | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| Local Expert (Int) | |||
| -Your Home | 6 | 8 | 14 |
| Tactics (Int) | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Wilderness Survival (Int) | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Fighting Skill | LVL | Stat | Base |
| Brawling (Dex) | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| Evasion (Dex) | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Martial Arts (x2) (Dex) | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Melee Weapon (Dex) | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Performance Skills | LVL | STAT | BASE |
| Acting (Cool) | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Ranged Weapon Skills | LVL | STAT | BASE |
| Archery (Ref) | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Autofire x2 (Ref) | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Handgun (Ref) | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| Heavy Weapons (Ref) | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Shoulder Arms (Ref) | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Social Skills | LVL | STAT | BASE |
| Bribery (Cool) | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Conversation (Emp) | 6 | 5 | 12 |
| Human Perception (Emp) | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| Interrogation (Cool) | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Persuasion (Cool) | 6 | 7 | 13 |
| Personal Grooming (Cool) | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Streetwise (Cool) | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Trading (Cool) | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Wardrobe & Style (Cool) | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Technique Skills | LVL | STAT | BASE |
| Air Vehicle Tech (Tech) | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Basic Tech (Tech) | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Cybertech (Tech) | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Demolitions x2 (Tech) | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Electronics/Security Tech x2 (Tech) | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| First Aid Tech (Tech) | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Forgery (Tech) | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Land Vehicle Tech (Tech) | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Paint/Draw/Sculpt (Tech) | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Paramedic x2 (Tech) | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Photography/Film (Tech) | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Pick Lock (Tech) | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Pick Pocket (Tech) | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Sea Vehicle Tech (Tech) | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Weaponsmith (Tech) | 0 | 3 | 3 |
WEAPON:
Heavy Pistol- DMG 3, Ammo 8, RoF 2
| Armour | SP | Penalty |
| Head | 11 | 0 |
| Body | 11 | 0 |
GEAR:
Agent- A pocket-sized machine which functions as a computer
Audio Recorder- Records up to 24 hours of sound on a single Memory Chip.
Binoculars- Good for seeing far away. x2 or x3 magnification.
Computer- Laptop or desktop computer.
Disposable Cell Phone- Phone Makes calls. Easy to dump if needed.
Flashlight- 100m/yd beam of light. Lasts 10 hours on a charge.
Radio Scanner/Music- Play the hottest music or tune into radio bands within 1-mile.
Scrambler/Descrambler- Scrambles/descrambles communications.
Video Camera- Record up to 12 hours of audio and video on a single memory
LIFEPATH:
Personality: Boistrous and confrontational
Motivation: Truth
Your (General) Cultural Region: Eastern European
Clothing Style: Gang Colors (Dangerous, Violent, Rebellious)
Hairstyle: Mohawk
Affectation You Are Never Without: Tattoos
Languages: Polish, Street Slang
Your Original Family Background: Reclaimers. You started out on the road, but then moved into one of the deserted ghost towns or cities to rebuild it. A pioneer life: dangerous, but with plenty of simple food and a safe place to sleep. You were home schooled if there was anyone who had the time.
Childhood Environment: In a huge “megastructure” buildingcontrolled by a Corp or the City.
Your Family Crisis: Your family lost everything through betrayal.
How Do You Feel About Most People? People are untrustworthy. Don’t depend on anyone.
Most Valued Person in Your Life? A brother or sister
Most Valued Possession You Own? A piece of jewelry
Your Life Goals: Gain fame and recognition.
ROLE SPECIFIC LIFEPATH:
What Kind of Media are You? Documentarian
How Does Your Work Reach the Public? Monthly magazine
How Ethical are You? Ruthless and determined to make it big, even if it means breaking the law. You’re a muckraker.
What Types of Stories Do You Want to Tell? Political Intrigue
TRAGIC LOVE AFFAIRS: Genesis Gan, Royal Rost
FASHION: Generic Chic Bottoms, Generic Chic Footwear, Generic Chic Tops, Leisurewear Jacket, Urban Flash Mirrorshades
ENEMIES: Ethelbeart Hearon
-Caused by a major public humiliation
-They can throw an entire city or government agency at Karel
-If that happens, Karel will likely go into a murderous rage and try to physically rip
their face off.
*****
Before I made an entry for Cyberpunk RED, I was conscious of two things. The first was that a lot of people on Reddit had warned me NOT to play Cyberpunk RED, declaring it to be a needlessly messy, clunky and convoluted mess system. The second thing I was conscious of, though, was the fact that I nonetheless absolutely loved the bleak, dystopian, neon-studded world of Night City.
Blame Cyberpunk 2077 if you must, as not only is it an incredibly good and incredibly detailed open world game, but its story was possibly one of the best (if bleakest) that I’ve experienced in the past decade or so in video games. Go further black and blame Cyberpunk: Edgerunners if you must, as that limited-run anime was such a well written, tragic gut punch of a show that it got me curious about CP2077, and about the futuristic world of Cyberpunk in general. Prior to this, I had only thought of Cyberpunk as “Shadowrun without the magic and monsters and shit,” and…..well, let’s be honest it is. But between Edgerunners and 2077, I also now know that Cyberpunk essentially embodies the genre that it is named after: dystopian, anti-corporate, and highlighting themes such as the question of humanity in the face of increasing augmentation, and the loneliness of the individual in an increasingly materialistic, and interconnected, world.
I could talk about Cyberpunk for hours, so instead, here is a very good video essay by Thane Bishop on why a soulless, materialistic shell of a place like Night City is also so attractive a setting.
For Cyberpunk RED, I did not have a character concept ready, so I went to the RPG’s official site and made use of their (admittedly quite good) character creator. After fiddling around a bit, I ended up with Polish immigrant working as a freelance media, a fearless and angry documentarian who had made it his mission to expose the many, many evils of the corporate world, and this character stuck with me. In writing him up even further, I found myself partially inspired by two real life friends of mine who are Polish Canadian, and who are irreverent shit disturbers in real life; in part also I was also inspired by anarchic gonzo journalists like the real-world Hunter S Thompson and the fictional Spider Jerusalem.
The end result, in my mind, is a character who is determined to take on the white whale of the corporations even if it means his death. A media who has vowed to be a tick on the hide of Night City, forcing its people to look at uncomfortable truths, until either he gets swatted or until the great beast is bled dry.
As for the system itself: I will admit, I like the life path system for Cyberpunk RED, and further like the many options it gives you at character creation– facets such as ethnic background, place of origin, common attire, etc; it gives you a lot of examples that you can just take and run with. While I cannot comment on the actual gameplay of Cyberpunk RED, the character creation system feels very solid at not only helping you create a fleshed out character, but giving you plenty of good ideas with which to do so.
As for whether or not I would actually play Cyberpunk RED: maybe, with the right group and a competent DM. I find it would be a difficult setting to run, partially because I have often struggled with rules-heavy systems in the past, and partially because if I did do Cyberpunk, then I would have to honour the theme of “no one gets a happy ending” that you get in Cyberpunk 2077 and Edgerunners, and I’m not sure my players would commit to an RPG where their characters are ultimately doomed.
In the interim, after writing this post, I may just go ahead and give Cyberpunk 2077 a replay, this time with its added DLC content. And as for RPGS…well, if nothing else, there is still always Shadowrun.
NEXT: Likely a short break, and then after…The Elder Scrolls
Ars Scripta 