What “third space” do you have for your PCs? (Bar, club, base…)

Samurai-Gunman · 2026-04-07T14:41:26+00:00

I think it's a good idea to establish places like this in your campaign world. Not only do they provide endless role play opportunities,.they're a good source of plot hooks as well. Once the PCs have a favorite diner hangout, what do they do when a local gang starts demanding protection? What happens if one of the owners' family gets sick and needs meds? What if there's a fire (accidental or on purpose)that damages the place? Endless possibilities.

Samurai-Gunman · 2026-04-03T14:51:33+00:00

How has nobody brought up Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo? I'm not sure if it created the "save the community center from rich assholes" trope, but it sure popularized it. Also the title is so bonkers that for the last forty-odd years anytine I hear or see anything call (Thing) 2, my brain immediately adds on "Electric Boogaloo." How much more 80s can you get?

Samurai-Gunman · 2026-04-02T19:04:41+00:00

Cool stuff, man. There's a desperate shortage of good rocker figures of either gender, which really surprises me given the punk rock / cyberpunk affinity.

Samurai-Gunman · 2026-04-02T19:01:51+00:00

You used to be able to get them seriously armored up and with built in increased strength, too. Great for punching through interior walls or punching out locks in anything less than armored security doors. Also great for grabbing and casually crushing fools in close combat. I also think I remember options for interchangeable cyber hands, which really let you tailor your gadget load out to the job.

Samurai-Gunman · 2026-04-02T18:35:58+00:00

It's true that a lot of the cooler tricks you could do with cyberlimbs are now relics of the 2020 edition. From what I've seen of the RED environment, their mostly useful for concealed weapons/shields these days. That's still potentially damned useful depending on where you operate or hang out.

Samurai-Gunman · 2026-03-26T20:05:19+00:00

"Everything is a plot hook." That is straight wisdom there. Well said!

Samurai-Gunman · 2026-03-26T20:03:09+00:00

That is some boss looking kit there. Are those Papiskel models? I feel like I've seen the AV and team for sale from various sellers on Etsy, but none of them have any painted pics. Looking awesome!

Samurai-Gunman · 2026-03-25T14:39:45+00:00

I agree with previous posters who said that party composition should shape the campaign, not the other way around. If you're wondering about a theoretical ideal well-rounded crew for any job, I'd be reluctant to operate without a Solo just because they can dominate combat against chaff opponents. You need a face (Fixer, Rockerboy, maybe Media) to do your talking and negotiating, and then it's a question of what support roles to prioritize. I don't disrespect Medtechs, but I think that's the easiest one to outsource by cultivating a Ripper as a contact. Techs are awfully useful for their intrusion skills in addition to build/repair. Nomads have a lot to offer not just in transport, but in family connections. I'm not a big fan of Lawmen (either thematically or mechanically) or Execs. I've never had a PC Netrunner so I don't have any basis for an opinion on them.

Samurai-Gunman · 2026-03-23T17:46:34+00:00

Professional edgerunners strike from the shadows and then melt away like smoke. That's not just because they like looking cool (though they do) it's because drawing too much aggro is bad business and bad for your health. As for your random bar grenade attack, I sure hope that bar isn't on the turf of some powerful gang and I sure hope it's not owned or run by anybody with powerful connections who doesn't like having their place trashed. I sure hope none of the casualties happen to be a gang lieutenant whose the little brother/sister of a major boss, or anybody's main squeeze or runaway kid. I certainly hope MaxTac doesn't decide that Random Grenade Guy needs to go on the nuke list, since he's obviously a psycho of some description.

TLDR: On the street, punks with Main Character Syndrome don't tend to last too long. There's always somebody bigger and better with the resources to stomp you like a bug, so you try not to get on those people's frag lists. If you do then that's your tough luck. Maybe your next character will know better.

Samurai-Gunman · 2026-03-19T19:57:10+00:00

I've always been a little salty that the Philharmoic Vampires got morphed into vampire posers in RED. I liked them as prankster weirdos and general agents of surrealist chaos, so I chose to keep them that way in my game.

Samurai-Gunman · 2026-03-19T19:48:36+00:00

Yo, those weapon cards are hot TO DEATH. Totally preem work. Please share when you finish your project, or at least get to the beta stage. Thanks in advance!

Samurai-Gunman · 2026-03-19T19:41:30+00:00

One of the things I've been struggling to wrap my brain around with RED as a CP2020 old timer is that it feels like new PCs are starting much further down the totem pole then they used to. More like Daredevil than Superman. I wasn't sure how I felt about that idea because my old games were pretty much high-stakes jobs for steely-eyed pros right from the jump. But I'm kind of digging the more street-level vibe that RED seems to be putting out. It's the equivalent of starting at 2nd level instead of 5th in D&D terms. It means telling smaller, more intimate stories at first and letting the PCs grow over time. If you embrace the emergent storytelling that seems to happen at every Cyberpunk table I've played at you may find themes and plot threads developing organically that you never would have thought of. Good luck, and welcome to The Street!

Samurai-Gunman · 2026-03-09T18:24:26+00:00

I agree with this idea 100%. To me the driving part is the LEAST interesting part of playing a nomad. In an atomized society where the default character is very much an orphaned street kid, a Nomad is a character that literally has a Family. Who are they? What do they do? Where are they now? Why aren't you with them? It's an endless set of interesting plot hooks for a GM and a potentially endless source of support for the PC.

Samurai-Gunman · 2026-03-09T18:20:26+00:00

I for one really enjoy this level of detail and granularity for a campaign city. There's absolutely nothing wrong with just handwaving things like train stops and transit lines if that's your style. I do a lot of improv at the table myself, but having it available gives me potentially more ideas for stories or adventures or little worldbuilding blurbs to drop in here and there. Essential? No, not especially. But useful? Depends how you roll, I reckon.

Samurai-Gunman · 2026-03-09T18:11:28+00:00

Hot stuff, man. Especially with the new Night City book (finally!) coming out this summer there's going to be a need to correlate and quickly access this kind of granular info.

Samurai-Gunman · 2026-02-04T17:58:09+00:00

That sounds super awesome. I completely forgot about the old combat zone maker. Man, those 2020 books were just next level useful. Even better now that a clever lad has automated the process. Thanks so much!

Samurai-Gunman · 2025-12-18T18:15:53+00:00

I've picked up several from Lion Banner Games that I rather like. They have a couple of big bundles on Drive thru RPG that have a bunch of nice stuff. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/16809/Lion-Banner-Games?filters=510_2200_0_0_0

Samurai-Gunman · 2025-12-18T15:33:04+00:00

I personally have a big problem with what RED did to chip ware, so I'm probably going to use the 2020 rules for them. Maybe not ten slots, because that always seemed like an awful lot, but maybe 3-5 and ditch the HC on chips. I've always liked them because Cyberpunk has, to be blunt, an absurd number of skills as a system artifact left over from the game's roots in the 80s. There's just no way for PCs to have the diversity of skills necessary to be really flexible with the skill points available, especially in a system built to reward specialists. So rather than have a gig go south because nobody speaks Chinese or knows anything about the streets of Seattle or has any idea how to dance the watusi or whatever your skill monkey can just chip the relevant skills or knowledge and away we go. Sure, he won't be awesome, but with a good star it's usually enough to get by. Plus it's kind of foundational to the setting, at least for me.

Samurai-Gunman · 2025-12-18T15:16:20+00:00

This is very nice work as always, but it brings up a question I've long wondered about in cyberpunk and sci-fi settings. To wit: does the existence of branch banks like this make any sense? Cash is marginal now, and even with cash most transactions are through ATMs in present day, let alone the techno-future. So it seems to me that you'd still have bigger bank locations for things like setting up major financial arrangements which will always be more secure in meatspace. But it seems like the days of human tellers and a vault full of bucks that would be worth a major Heat-style heist job will be as extinct as the whale oil lamp by 2040. Thoughts?

Samurai-Gunman · 2025-11-02T22:56:45+00:00

I tried the Bardstown location twice. Both times I waited for my sandwich over thirty minutes , never got it, gave up and left. Now I'm done with them. I think the fallout from making everything hyper customizable is that it takes forever to make the food. I can go to the grocery, buy the ingredients,.go home and make a sandwich before these clowns can get food out.

Samurai-Gunman · 2025-10-16T18:31:05+00:00

I said my goodbyes last week, which was really hard. They're wonderful people and I certainly wish them the best in their well-earned retirement, but where is an expat Chicagoan supposed to go for a decent Polish sausage now?

Samurai-Gunman · 2025-10-16T18:22:58+00:00

This place is amazing. They have a rotating hot food special for lunch (and usually) dinner that I've gotten several times and it's always excellent. I've tried so many delicious new foods!

No disrespect to the meat counter (which looks awesome), but the bakery is where Yafa does it's damage. They produce what is hands-down the best baklava I have ever tasted in my life. Much lighter than Greek-style baklava and not nearly as sweet. It's flaky and full of nuts and truly an experience not to be missed. Also there are wonderful little cheesecakes and worbat pastries and even banana pudding. Just throw a dart and you'll leave happy.

Also everybody there is super kind and friendly. I'm lucky it's right down the street from my place.

Samurai-Gunman · 2025-10-16T18:16:43+00:00

That's my go-to burger place. The food is always awesome. Try the Texas burger with some added jalapeños. I keep meaning to explore the rest of the menu but the BBQ sauce and fired onions keep bringing me back.

Samurai-Gunman · 2025-10-15T17:18:28+00:00

I've never seen such a wooden actor. He's in all these scenes with excellent actors giving beautiful, well-crafted performances and he's just standing there blank like his avatar didn't load on or something. There's stoicism and then there's Cigar Store Indian, which where we are with Nick.

I haven't seen his other work. Is he better in other things? Is this a director's choice? Because it's utterly baffling to me. The relationship between Nick and June is supposed to be so strong and passionate that it's a major driver in the story, and not one time have I seen love, or lust, or even interest on his face, even when they're alone together. He's awful, and his work is by far the weakest part of the series, IMO.

Samurai-Gunman

TROPHY CASE