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A Cyberpunk Red Campaign

Just_Bri_ThanksJust_Bri_Thanks Seething with ragefrom a handbasket.Registered User, ClubPA regular
I have been tossing around the idea of running something, but I am inexperienced as a GM. My wife Red Cat will play, but I think I need one more player to start a game. I don't want a large group since I want to go light until I get my feet under me. I am hoping to play over Discord. Also, very nervous about playing with people I don't know! I don't want to start a game and have it fall apart after a few weeks! I don't want people to be judgey! I have social anxiety!

Am I looking for a (1) player who will put up with a new GM? Yes! Do I know for sure this is going to work out? No! Do I have good ideas on what to do? God I hope so!

What do I hope for this thread?

Discussion of Cyberpunk Red and the versions that predated it.
A Guinea pig brave volunteer.

If it goes well, I will maek poast with how the game is progressing.

...and when you are done with that; take a folding
chair to Creation and then suplex the Void.

Posts

  • evilthecatevilthecat Registered User regular
    perhaps include a time frame and date for when this game is happening!

    tip.. tip.. TALLY.. HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
  • Just_Bri_ThanksJust_Bri_Thanks Seething with rage from a handbasket.Registered User, ClubPA regular
    Don't have one yet other than not Wednesday. That's something for anyone who's interested to help decide

    ...and when you are done with that; take a folding
    chair to Creation and then suplex the Void.
  • Just_Bri_ThanksJust_Bri_Thanks Seething with rage from a handbasket.Registered User, ClubPA regular
    OK, I have a group of three players and we are going to be playing every other Saturday in person.

    ...and when you are done with that; take a folding
    chair to Creation and then suplex the Void.
  • Just_Bri_ThanksJust_Bri_Thanks Seething with rage from a handbasket.Registered User, ClubPA regular
    Aero was dragged out of sleep by the new urgent message tone from her Agent. "Who would be messaging me at..." she struggled to focus her eyes "11 in the morning. Huh."

    The notification was from Deverough over at Danger Gal. Meet at the usual place at midnight.

    *****

    "Two Corp execs have a divorce on the horizon." Deverough told her as she approached the end of the pier. Aero liked this spot. Good sightlines, and the neighborhood was one with better security.
    "The wife hired us to see if the husband is hiding assets." He held out a data chip which Aero plugged into the bottom of her Agent. The picture of a guy named Vandersmithe showed on the display, shaking hands with another man of much rougher disposition.

    "He was seen in the company of a Fixer who goes by the moniker of Double Action. Double is a local supplier of weapons to anyone who can pay, and I want you to see if he has anything to auction from Vandersmithe." Deverough tossed the spent cartridge from his vape into the water and fished another out of his pocket. He continued as he waved it in Aero's direction. "He set up shop in an abandoned parking garage at the north end of the Zone. Address is in the file there."

    Aero did a quick perusal on the data.

    Seeing the conversation was over, Deverough headed for the parking lot and his waiting car. "I'll talk to you again when you have anything I can use."

    ...and when you are done with that; take a folding
    chair to Creation and then suplex the Void.
  • Just_Bri_ThanksJust_Bri_Thanks Seething with rage from a handbasket.Registered User, ClubPA regular
    Double Action was surrounded by squatters. Looking up at the parking garage, Aero guessed that the building had to be full of them. Most were asleep this time of the night, some were not; either lost in some drug haze or doing whatever passed for acceptable late night activates in a building full of tents.

    Doing her best to avoid prying eyes, Aero headed for the basement. The ramp down to that level was clear of tents or encampments. Looking back at the wall at the top of the ramp, the scars from uncountable weapons fire told the tale. Halfway down was a burned out car blocking the ramp, and at the bottom were a dozen or so improvised obstructions, mostly drums full of concrete. The bottom of the ramp marked the start of the indoor firing range Double Action had set up, with some targets and a few more burned out cars at the far end.

    9 meters out from the ramp, and stretching the full 33 or 34 meters of the building was a scratch built wall. Mostly ply boarding and razer wire. A stout double door stood at the near end.

    ...and when you are done with that; take a folding
    chair to Creation and then suplex the Void.
  • Albino BunnyAlbino Bunny Jackie Registered User regular
    For what it’s worth I don’t have time for another campaign but also literally wrote the Reddit posts on ‘how to make the new hacking make physical sense’ so I’m down to help you with mechanics if you’re new.

  • Just_Bri_ThanksJust_Bri_Thanks Seething with rage from a handbasket.Registered User, ClubPA regular
    Absolutely I'll listen to anything you have to say.

    ...and when you are done with that; take a folding
    chair to Creation and then suplex the Void.
  • Just_Bri_ThanksJust_Bri_Thanks Seething with rage from a handbasket.Registered User, ClubPA regular
    The door was of course secured from the other side. Walking down the wall, Aero checked for any other ways in. Nothing. Moving back to the ramp up to the first floor, she climbed into the trunk of the burned out car to wait. Looking out past the back seat gave her a good view of the door.

    At about 8:10 Double came out of his makeshift office and chained the door handles closed, securing them with a stout lock he pulled out of his pocket. Cursing the analogue lock, Aero waited a few minutes after he disappeared up into the first floor before coming out to take another look around. Picking the lock was frustrating. Perhaps the door was cursed? She got it open after far too long fucking about with it, and muttered "What's behind the door?" to herself as she pulled open the door.

    An automated turret looked back at her from the far side of the room, about 50 feet away. The world went silent except for the hum and whir of its servos as it tracked onto her.

    She closed the door. "Is there a better door, somewhere?"

    The turret didn't turn her into swiss cheese through the door. Thank the goddess for small favors.

    ...and when you are done with that; take a folding
    chair to Creation and then suplex the Void.
  • Just_Bri_ThanksJust_Bri_Thanks Seething with rage from a handbasket.Registered User, ClubPA regular
    Walking down the wall, Aero scanned for access points. Close to the far wall, at the end of the building she picked up the faint edge of one.


    Whoever set up Double Action's system was an idiot. Or he pissed them off, perhaps. "Either way, I win!" she exclaimed to herself as she logged in. A few minutes later she had the data she needed. She also heard footsteps echoing on the top of the ramp.

    "Crap, the door!" She rushed back down the plywood wall to lock it again, and then 40 yard dashed right back down to the end of the firing range to hide among the burned out cars that served as convenient targets. "If there is a god out there, please let no one shoot until I can get out of here!" she muttered quietly to herself. Luckily, Double Action just went back into his hideout, taking the lock and chain from the door with him. Aero heard the thunk of a bar dropping over the door from the inside.

    Later, back in her dump of an apartment she sorted the data. Junk, junk, more junk.... Bingo! Vandersmithe had given Double Action three pieces, scheduled to be auctioned in two weeks.

    Aero messaged Deverough. Time to get paid!

    ...and when you are done with that; take a folding
    chair to Creation and then suplex the Void.
  • Just_Bri_ThanksJust_Bri_Thanks Seething with rage from a handbasket.Registered User, ClubPA regular
    Another day, another 500 euro. Deverough was as happy as Aero ever saw him, once she handed over the pertinent section of Double Action's inventory on a data chip. She spent the next day or three fleshing out her software arsenal.

    Until the power died in her apartment.

    "Where did I put that flashlight?" she mumbled as she fumbled around for it. Just as she found it, a voice like nails on a chalkboard came though the room that was supposedly empty of everyone but her:

    "I want answers!"

    Stifling a reflexive gasp, Aero pointed the flashlight at everywhere someone might have been hiding. Which didn't cover much ground in an apartment the size of hers.
    Marshaling her courage, she called out to the disembodied voice "This is not an episode from some primetime drama, who are you and what do you want!?"

    "I want what you gave Deverough!" the voice screeched, seemingly coming from one side of the room, and moving across to the other.

    "And who is asking?" challenged Aero, bravely.

    "...Fluid..." the answer was a long drawn out and low hiss.

    Aero wracked her brain for who that might be. She knew she had heard the name before, but came up empty on details. It was probably a safe assumption that it was someone dangerous.

    "If you want what I was working on, you can ask Deverough at Danger Gal. I have nothing for you!" she deflected. The scary voice needs to go away now.

    "Deverough is dead!" the voice shot back, from one side of the room and then the other.

    "I'm not going to take your word for that." Aero was starting to feel fighty about the whole thing. Suddenly her Agent turned back on. She hadn't noticed that it had turned off as well as the lights, which just boosted her paranoia back up to where it had been a minute before. She snatched up the mobile device and called Deverough's Agent.

    "Good evening, Aero. Is there something I can do for you?" the virtual assistant asked.

    "I need to talk to Deverough now. It's an emergency."

    "Mr. Deverough is not available at this time. Would you like to talk to his office assistant?"

    "Yes!" exclaimed Aero emphatically.

    Ms. Trent picked up the call on the seventh ring. She sounded asleep. "Yeah?"

    "It's Aero."

    "Oh. Uh. Can I help you?"

    "I heard that Deverough is dead."

    "Yeah, it happened two nights ago. IA has been grilling the whole team."

    Shit. Deverough was a dick but he was a good paycheck. "Sorry. How are you holding up?"

    "I've been sent back to the pool to wait for reassignment. Hey, don't lose my number. When I get reassigned I will def recommend you for whatever tech stuff we need to look at."

    "Yeah, and thanks." Aero hung up. She looked up as if she could see the poltergeist that was haunting her right now.

    "Deverough had me looking at Double Action. His client was a Mrs. Vandersmithe and she wanted to know if he was hiding assets."

    The lights came back on.

    ...and when you are done with that; take a folding
    chair to Creation and then suplex the Void.
  • Just_Bri_ThanksJust_Bri_Thanks Seething with rage from a handbasket.Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited April 2022
    Her door opened, and a smartly dressed woman walked in. She was wearing a featureless mask and gloves to go along with the tailored vest and slacks over long sleeve shirt and tie. Even the shoes looked expensive. A hat right out of the 1950's topped short curly brown hair. Aero wondered to herself why she hadn't thought to fetch her gun while she was standing there with her flashlight. At least the woman was shorter than Aero was.

    "Show me what you found." came the directive. This woman was comfortable giving orders.

    "First though, what the hell was all ~that~?" Aero demanded, waving vaguely around the apartment.

    "I wanted your attention. I got it." came the reply. Unapologetic.

    "Fine." Aero fumed. She fetched a copy of the chip she had made for Deverough. Activating the projector on her Agent, she showed the pertinent parts of Double Action's inventory. "Double Action has a few pieces of his, scheduled to go to auction in a few weeks."

    The woman looked it over, but her body language was dismissive. "This is garbage. What a waste."

    "What do you mean?" asked Aero, confused.

    "Oh, Deverough's client was the husband, not the wife. He was retained to see if she was cheating on him. Why he had to go and smear the agency by blackmailing his client is beyond me. Luckily, it isn't my problem. That's something for Sanderson to deal with." She gestured at the projection. "Show me all of it."

    Tapping a few buttons on her Agent, Aero brought up the whole list. It scrolled rapidly, but the woman didn't ask Aero to do it again or slow down.

    "Display lot number GN80394."

    Aero did a quick search and displayed the slice of the data that contained that lot.

    "So the question is what do I do with you? You are a loose end and you are at loose ends." The woman asked, still clearly inclined to the projection and not facing her. Aero even more strongly felt the absence of her gun.

    "And how is that not a threat?" Aero demanded.

    "Are you still breathing? Keep doing so quietly. If you don't see opportunity, then maybe you are in the wrong line of work." the woman said sharply, turning her head to face Aero. "Since you are clearly used to off-book, how would you like a new job?"

    "What?"

    "Double Action doesn't know what he's got. If it's a counterfeit or it is real doesn't even matter, either way you don't auction a piece like that publicly. That weapon manufacturer isn't widely known because everything she did was handmade custom work for the top runners of her day; And she died 20 years ago."

    "And?" Aero didn't need a history lesson.

    "Can you acquire that piece for me?"

    "Absolutely."

    Just_Bri_Thanks on
    ...and when you are done with that; take a folding
    chair to Creation and then suplex the Void.
  • Just_Bri_ThanksJust_Bri_Thanks Seething with rage from a handbasket.Registered User, ClubPA regular
    Is anyone caring enough for me to continue this?

    ...and when you are done with that; take a folding
    chair to Creation and then suplex the Void.
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