Cyberpunk is the role playing game of the dark future. It is set in the very near future (2020). In the world of Cyberpunk technology is evrywhere, from the streets filled with gangs and worse, to the penthouses of the corporate suburbs and zones. The world is not often pretty and is almost always not nice. The streets are dark places where life and death are everyday occurances. In the poorer sections of town, crime reigns rampant with boostergangs, chromergangs, and posergangs fighting over contested territory. Shootouts involving automatic weapons and machine guns are common. The murder rate is skyrocketing and no one bothers counting thefts and the like. The cops don't like to go down into this section without heavy artillery, which fortunately they do have. In the corporate section of town, everything is clean and well guarded so that the "trash" living outside can't get in. The corps have their own security forces patrolling with heavier firepower than the cops can usually muster.
You are an edgerunner, living on the edge and trying to do some good where and when you can. You choose between 1 of 10 differnet types: Medias, Nomads, Netrunners, Techies, MedTechies, Solos, Cops, Corps, Fixers, and Rockerboys. Everyone has the one rule to live by: Style over substance.
Medias are hard hitting news reporters who go to the edge for a story. They are not afraid to cross the lines to get to the truth. They are always trying to get the inside scoop on whatever hot story they have, no matter who it hurts. Max Headroom's Edison Carter is a good example of this kind of character.
Nomads are the biker gangs that roam where they want in the world. They are usually displaced farmers who got squeezed out by the corporations and have nowhere else to go, so they ride the roads together in a pack for mutual protection and to find places to work and survive. The people Mad Max found in "The Road Warrior" are good examples of nomads.
Netrunners are the net cowboys of the time. They make runs to find the information and get it to where they need it to be. No datawall is safe. No datafortress has been built that is unable to be tapped. Remember, in the Cyberpunk world, INFORMATION IS POWER!!. Johnny Mnemonic was a Netrunner.
Techies are the fix-it men and women of the future. With all the technology at hand, someone will need to fix it or build new pieces. Techies do all the dirty work for corps that develop new technologies and make sure that the mechanisms of society keep on working. MacGyver is a good example of a techie at work.
MedTechies are the doctors who perform the transplants and cybering of people in the hospitals or down to the backroom on the street. With the advances of cyberware it bacame important to have people who could put it in. This and treating the sick continue to be the main jobs of the MedTechies who get the job done. Henry Rollins's character in Johnny Mnemonic is a good example of a Cyberpunk MedTechie.
Solos are bodyguards, hired killers, and enforcers. They are the best in combat and they spend their lives training at it. They kill people for their own reasons and are very effective. Irritating a solo is not generally a good idea. Kyle Reese from The Terminator is a good example of a solo, as well as the guy with the fingernail whip in Johnny Mnemonic.
Cops are the police who patrol the mean streets of the city. They are maximum lawmen in a corrupt town. They are split into two groups: Regular and CyberSWAT. Regular cops are the "normal cops" who hunt down the criminal element. CyberSWAT teams have taken the place of the SWAT teams of the late twentieth century. They are heavily armed and almost as psychotic as the cyberpsychos they are after. A good example of a CyberSWAT cop for cyberpunk is Robocop.
Corps are the businessmen who make deals and run the gigantic megacorps. They live to advance over their competitors any way necessary. Advancement by assassination is never a remote possibility. Some at least are out for change, and they work at it from the inside. The security head, Ishihara, in "Rising Sun" is a great example of a corp character.
Fixers are the street dealers and pushers in the world. They make their deals on the streets and serve much the same function as gangsters. They sell anything from illegal weapons and drugs to hookers to air(which is a commodity in Cyberpunk). Al Pacino's character in Scarface is a good example of a fixer.
Rockerboys are the true revolutionaries of the Cyberpunk world. They are out to change peoples opinions through song and protest when needed. Their story is generally anti-corp but really can boil down to anti-authority. They are the bards and philosophers of the age. Bill & Ted from "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" were rockerboys(after they learned to play).
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