Cyberpunk in SR Options

[thejadedgm]

Alot of people as me, "Why would an average guy get a cyberlimb?"

In my games, a person without cyber is either a freak or a mage. Even an everyday wage slave probably has some sort of cyber (comm-links, data-jacks or what-not).

It is to me a style preference. Admittedly, I played Cyberpunk prior to SR, so I like the twisted sense of distopian fantasy of a person who cuts off a perfectly good arm to get a high-chrome cyberarm. If style has gone so far beyond the pale, that to be 'cool' a person has to undergo surgery at a boutique in the mall, well... isn't that true Cyberpunk?

I dunno, being a big Gibson fan, I like grit. The streets of the sprawl smell of urine and ozone, most 'average joe' pedestrian wears breathers and carries some sort of personal defense when leaving their corporate arcology. Those not in the arcology probably have a PanicButton contract at least.

I think SR can support this, but being a stylistic choice, I have no doubts that some people will disagree.

[James McMurray]

I don't think anyone will disagree that SR can support it.

edit: I don't think anyone will seriously disagree that SR can support the sort of world where anyone that can afford cyberware gets it. It isn't necessary for the game, nor even desirable in some peoples' eyes, but there's nothing in the rules that would preclude it.

[JonathanC]

Minor cyberwear (datajacks, for example) are common place among regular people...that's how office workers connect to their computers, after all. Fashionistas and such are commonly described in SR as having all kinds of weird animated tattoos, exotic cybereyes, etc. Elf and Ork posers achieve their look via surgical procedures...I'd say the spirit, and to a certain extent the letter, of what you're talking about is present in SR canon.

Though personally, I've always felt SR owes more to Heinlein's "Friday" than Gibson's work, but that's just me.

[thejadedgm]

I agree, though I tend to inject more Gibson than most.

[GoblynByte]

My $0.02

Remember that cyberpunk isn't just the cyber. The greater message of cyberpunk is the struggle, and in many cases outright rebellion against the oppressive nature of technology and those that would use it to further their dark intentions. A common theme of cyberpunk is the technological singularity. The point at which technology develops faster than can be dealt with by the "average person." The powerful prey on this ignorance by using technology that isn't understood by the general masses. Through this they keep control. It's all about the control.

But I don't see the edge runners and shadow runners as "average people." The cyberpunk is a person who decides to fight fire with fire. They refuse to be a victim of the technology and refuse to be controlled by what they themselves can take control of. So they emerse themselves completely in the technology so that they can shove it right back in the faces of those who think they can control the ignorant. So in a sense, every piece of metal they put into their body isn't just a style statement, but a big screw you! to those who think that they have control. No matter how "useless" the piece of cyberware is in a practical sense, it holds a lot of power in a political sense.

In my opinion Shadowrun is no different in this view. The great thing is that they even opened this up beyond the cyber piece of cyberpunk to include magic. It's all a way for those with power to keep power by maintaining control. Unfortunately for them, magic proves to be a lot less controlable. :)

Again, just my $0.02.

[JonathanC]

[Aaron]

[JonathanC]

Strange Days is another chrome-free cyberpunk story...well, *I* consider it cyberpunk, anyway. Probably the only movie made about chipheads that I can think of.

[Ravor]

Well personally in my Shadowrun Universe strolling down mainstreet you would tend to see at least a few of the following...

(1) People with tails, hoofed feet, horns, fur, and other exotic 'fashion statements'.

(2) At least one Crome Limb, including the occasional Cyberskull.

(3) Datajacks set in strange places, such as set in one's forehead or even Eye Socket.

(4) A full Body GeneMod Conversion, I.E. A person who has paid alot of money to have their DNA rewritten and combined with another creature, think of an extreme example of (1).

But then again, I sometimes I tend to get confused on the differences between CyberPunk and CyberFreak.

[Samaels Ghost]

If that stuff was all used comestically I doubt runners would have a hard time getting a hold of it. Gene therapy, would that cost essence? To what extent is DNA really changed in that process?

[GoblynByte]

[Ravor]

You know, I've never actually had a player want a *full* GeneMod, so I've never had to make any rules for it, just used it as scene fluff to show the extreme ends that spoiled rich kids will go to rebel against 'mommy'. My gut however would be to charge a bunch of Essence for the 'ability' to be a Side-Show Freak for the rest of your natural life. (For a plot reason I once ruled that the process couldn't be reversed without killing the subject...)

However, for the much milder (And reversable) examples of (1) I don't charge Essence, but then again the I've ruled that the changes are purely comestic in nature.

[AngelWuff]

my game seems to have dropped to strange fantasy... lessee

I got a heavily cybered, SURGEd porcupine street sammy chick.

a SURGED fox street mage and con artist

and a soon to be SURGEd (yeah, dropped the 'SURGE fully goes away after one year to increase my silly mutant score) moogle(?!) technomancer...

though I'm going with SR4's style. less blatant cyber, but a lot more minor things. nano tats, fiber optic hairs, odd skin colorations. and this is outside the 'club scene' where things can get really odd like 'kid stealth' legs for that demon look, wanna be elves, orks, vampires, shifters, demons, angels, furries, ect... then there's the 'flesh is a design flaw' group....

though like RL, most average people have a small thing, since jobs frown on customer service people being purple and having cat ears added on

[WhiskeyMac]

I tend to throw in a good mixture of GitS, Gibson, Philip K. Dick and humor. Most of my game is serious but there are times when funny shit has to hit the fan. Nothing like seeing that drone trash truck run over the chromed-out leader of a go-gang and then having bums fight over the corpse. Almost every character I make has the weirdness magnet and it gets good mileage :D

[Samaels Ghost]

Which Philip K. Dick books do you suggest if I were looking for a Shadowrun/cyberpunkish feel? Any?

[GoblynByte]

[Brahm]

If you are going to check out movies definately check out A Scanner Darkly. It, unlike most all previous movies based on Dick's writing, is fairly close to the book. Probably a testimate to the original itself more than anything. The book itself is a real twisted piece of work. Certainly not for everyone, but not completely inaccessable.

It is not particularly futuristic outside of the funky suits, but it certainly is set in the fringe of society and in the criminal realm along with The Man having somewhat decended into facist madness.

[Samaels Ghost]

I just saw A Scanner Darkly and am in the process of turning it's themes into something useable and not out-right plagarism to use in my own games. I really did love the movie. I think my runners are going to have to be more wary of satelite surveilance from now on :D

[Demerzel]

Heh, in the Minority Report story the John Anderton character chose to commit the murder for which he was framed in order to preserve the precrime division, and was given a extremely lienent sentance for doing it. The move was hardly even an approximation.

[DireRadiant]

"We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" 1966 short story used as the basis for "Total Recall"

Most of his written materials and the corresponding movies do not intersect well.

[GoblynByte]

[ornot]

I far preferred the director's cut of Bladerunner and actually know few people who prefer the original release. Decker being a replicant adds a whole "are we really who we think we are?" slant to it.

Getting back to SR, I've been influenced by the comic Transmetropolitan a lot lately. I think the "technology overload" of traditional cyberpunk has been overlaid with a sort of "information overload".

In my games heavily chromed individuals are quite rare and political intrigue and muck rakeing provides more work for my runners than prototype theft. If my players weren't so damn moral they'd have wet work every month! "Councilmember X has voted against me for the last time!"

[Critias]

I think one of the reasons you don't run into very much "just 'cause I can!" cyberware in Shadowrun is hard Essence caps, that never, ever, go away. In CP:2020 (for instance) you roll dice for how much empathy is lost for most cyberware (so you might end up not losing much at all), you've got an amount of empathy to "spend" based upon an attribute (not an across-the-board 6), and that empathy comes back over time, as you get used to having that metal/plastic/whatever in your body.

Shadowrun? Nope. You've got a finite amount of Essence/Bio Index (or whatever it's called this week) to spend. The only way to get any back is to tear out old chrome. Therapy doesn't help, the passage of time doesn't help, nothing helps; every piece of you turned into datajack is a piece of your soul gone forever. Magicians lose the most, but even mundanes are wasting "space" -- if not for that useless "my poop smells like strawberries" bio-job your street sammie got, he might've had room for that new reflex recorder. That cybereye option just pushed your essence to 2.99 instead of 3.01, sorry, healing TNs have gone up for you...

...and that sort of thing.

And, well, let's not mention the actual nuyen/dollar costs of some of this stuff, compared to the similarly-powered modifications in CP:2020. One good job in CP can net a near-newbie Solo just about every piece of chrome he'd ever need; one good job in Shadowrun might pay your Rigger or Street Sammie's bills for a month.

[Arz]

[Brahm]