Great White Games/Pinnacle Entertainment Group

HawaiianBrian · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 4:26 am Post subject: How to do Cyberware?

I tried to search the boards for this but came up dry. So let me see if I can get some ideas from all of you...

Next week the characters will be going to a "cyberpunk" reality set in Japan. It's matrix fashion, cybernetics, doublecrosses, and Yakuza, in a nutshell. I'm torn on how to work the cybertech and I need to finalize it pretty quickly so I can write the adventure notes and make some baddies.

My question is, How to best do cybertech? I have the Sci-Fi Gear book and "Savaged Cybertek," both of which have three options:

1. Arcane Background, then choose your cyberware as Weird Science gadgets. Not bad, but then you're dealing with power points, which don't seem to make much sense in the context (cyberware running out after a couple rounds of use?)
2. Edges. Better, but that means you have to wait until you've gained a few experience points before you can get the surgery?
3. Gear. Probably the most logical option, especially for someone who remembers playing the old Cyberpunk RPG, but the drawback to this method is that it forces us to keep track of how much money characters have, which is not that interesting to me.

Drawbacks all around. I'm stymied. For those of you who have used cyberware in your SW games, which method (or combination thereof) did you choose?

Also, anyone have a much longer, more comprehensive list of cyberware? Balanced, preferably?
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DerFinsterling · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 4:48 am Post subject:

In my Savage Cyberpunk game I used the cyberware-as-gear approach.
I've made a list, pretty basic, where an item gives you the option of an edge-like or monstrous-like ability (ie, infrared vision for cybereyes), but they all cost money. And you lose humanity. The more you lose, the more distant you become, suffer charisma penalties and risk going all cyber-psychotic.

Pretty much a straightforward conversion of CP 2020.
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steelbrok · Veteran Joined: 07 Aug 2005 Posts: 792 Location: UK

OK, I went for combination, in my Traveller conversion I make it acquisition via edges during Career (an add on to character generation) but once play starts its straight gear purchase.

jblittlefield · Legendary Joined: 13 May 2003 Posts: 7472

HawaiianBrian · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 5:22 am Post subject:

DerFinsterling · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 5:34 am Post subject:

I used the same mechanic as in CP 2020: You take Spirit, multiply it by 10 and that's your humanity. That way, I could use the cyberware-list from the CP2020 book without much hassle. A cyberarm causes the loss of 2d6 points of humanity in 2020 and in my conversion doc.

Yes, it's one more thing to keep track of, but it allows for quick additions I hadn't thought of before.

If you don't like that, the simplest thing seems to be: "You can install a number of cybersystems equal to your Spirit die."

A cybersystem would be one eye, one arm, stuff like that.
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Sitting Duck · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 8:48 am Post subject:

dap6000 · Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 10:11 pm Post subject:

my totally un-playtested method would be to allow cyberware to be purchased like gear, but grant benefits modeled on edges and powers. i'd toss in some sort of draw back probably based on reason from rippers. so that's sorta like a combination of 2 of your 3 options in the poll.

SlasherEpoch · Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 10:34 am Post subject:

I tossed ideas around with a friend of mine, and we arrived at a hellish combination.

Some cyberware functions like powers: The built in plasma pistol, for instance, works like Bolt and needs to recharge every so often.

Some stuff required an investment of time, like Edges: We figured you can't just give a person's nervous system a complete overhaul and not spend time in physical therapy.

All of the cyberware cost money.

Anyway, that's how we handled it. We also had a "tech tree" approach to things (you couldn't get skeletal reinforcement without an exoskeleton, for instance).
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Fastidious Monk · Novice Joined: 06 May 2007 Posts: 37

nonefornic · Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 8:12 pm Post subject:

Don't know if this clears the water or muddies it, but I've got a friend who, for his cyberpunk games, divides cyberware up into three categories; common commercially avalible (gear), uncommon commercially avalible (edge), Miltitary/Government only (arcane background).
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marshal kt · Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 1:22 am Post subject:

rippers.

do the exact same thing that rippers does. it's basiccly the same idea, but living.. so to speak as opposed to metal.

since rippers is a product available for sale, i don't want to go into detail, but in rippers, you can basiclly rip a monsters part out, say a vampires teeth, implant them into yourself and you you have it's bite.

thats an over-simplified example, but you get the idea.

hence the name, rippers. just change the setting, and you have 2 perfectly good games for the price of 1. [rippers and cyber-punk].

#1icon_bow

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