Newer cyberpunk games?

[Magic Myrmidon]

Hi, everyone,

I've been struggling to find a cyberpunk game for the last year or so. But I haven't really found anything that really caught my interest.

I've looked at Shadowrun 5e. I like the setting a lot, and it would work really well for my group, since half of the players have said they really prefer fantasy. Since Shadowrun still has magic and elves and such, I figure it would be a good way to ease them into it. There's a problem, though. I like to think that I'm good with RPG rules. I'm the guy people go to when they want some rule clarifications, and I've nearly memorized three quarters of the spell list in 3.5. But when I look at the Shadowrun rules, I just can't penetrate the huge walls of text, rules that bounce all over the place, and sheer volume of rules, equipment, subsystems, and such. It's the most complex system I think I've seen. (Sure, 3.5 had a lot, but it was my first RPG, so I was able to process it slowly and completely). So. I started looking for something simpler.

I looked at Savage Worlds, having previous experience with it. As of now, it's my front runner. Easy rules, could probably use the shadowrun setting easily, has some cyberpunk supplements already. However, I am honestly not a huge fan of Savage. Characters often feel too generic, as does the whole system. Furthermore, I don't really like how Daring Tales of the Sprawl handles cyberware, recurring villains, or hacking. I saw that Interface Zero exists, but it advertises "bioroids, full-metal cyborgs, vat-grown simulacra, genetic hybrids, Human 2.0, and even androids", which is a little more sci-fi than I was looking for.

Then I started searching on forums. I've seen Cyberpunk 2020, but it's a little aged, and a friend says it's tough to run a long-running campaign with it. Then there's assorted other ones that I haven't found much information on, and the information I have found didn't sell me.

I've been looking for some newer systems with some modern design sensibilities that aren't really as complex as Shadowrun. Is it hopeless? Is there some other universal system that could easily be modded?





tl;dr: I'd like to see some newer cyberpunk rulesets. Preferably easily modded to be more like Shadowrun setting, but simpler rules than that. I'd be happy with just traditional, no-magic cyberpunk, too, though.

Thanks for any ideas!

[Madeiner]

Hey,
i recently opened a thread about this.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...em-but-lighter

TLDR: sixth world is good, as is interface zero 2.0, based on savage worlds
IFzero is modular enough that you can avoid using races you don't like.

[Vknight]

Eclipse Phase set before the Fall/without the PSI elements can and could make for a great cyberpunk setting.

[Anonymouswizard]

Eclipse Phase set before the Fall/without the PSI elements can and could make for a great cyberpunk setting.

Eclipse Phase is already cyberpunk, just rather high-tech and a touch less oppressive (unless you're in the right bit of it).

To OP, I love Eclipse Phase, but the system isn't the best. It's much better organised than Shadowrun 5e (...seriously the SR3 book is set out in almost the exact same order and is nowhere near that confusing), but the rules can still be a bit dense. A good thing to remember is that half the rules in some sections are 'fluff rules' and not strict crunch. Also, if you want SR matrix-style hacking then it's not the game for you, it's hacking has a more realistic basis.

On the other hand I do plan to write out a document for how to use it for a more traditional cyberpunk world at some point.

[Lacco]

I like Shadowrun fluff, but can't really handle the amount of crunch .

I tried playing SR in Fate system - and it worked pretty well.

[Magic Myrmidon]

Thanks, everyone. I picked up Interface Zero 2.0, and I'm surprised to find how much I like it, even in the default setting. I'll probably go for that one.