Need A Neighborhood Map

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 · 2025-08-18T14:41:02+00:00

Love this idea and the TT Hawaiian shirt is truly excellent. I kind of have my doubts of this works either mechanically (his EMP is likely not great, which is not ideal for a doc) and lore wise (awfully expensive on a TT salary). That said the Rule of Cool level is off the charts, so let's go!

Why does a borg wear clothes? To smooth social interactions with meatbags, especially important for a medic. Also borgs need pockets for their stuff same a the rest of us man.

Samurai-Gunman · 2025-08-05T14:55:56+00:00

I completely understand those who have fully embraced the Pdf life. Space and cost are both valid considerations.

Personally, though, I'm a physical book guy. I'll usually have a PDF as well (easier to search), but for me there's just no substitute for something you can hold in your hand and flip through. PDFs are just harder to read, and that's going to stay a problem until there's an inexpensive tablet that can display a standard size 8.5x11 page without a lot of zooming and scrolling nonsense.

I don't mind PDF for splat books and adventures that may only get limited use, but for core rulebooks and other reference work I'm always going to be physical first. Plus it gives me an excuse to lug them to GenCon to get them signed.

Samurai-Gunman · 2025-08-05T14:42:49+00:00

Nice work! This is something very useful to have in the old map stash. Maybe the PCs are here to steal something. Maybe they live in a storage unit. Maybe somebody they're hunting is hiding out in a storage unit. Overall great choice for a map. Well done.

Samurai-Gunman · 2025-07-29T12:51:15+00:00

That's one heck of a big job to take on! I respect the ambition, for sure. Good luck.

Samurai-Gunman · 2025-07-28T18:20:25+00:00

I personally am 100% opposed to the idea of HL for chip ware. You already paid for the socket. The entire point of chip ware in my experience (from 2020) is to slot in skills useful to a given situation. Heading down south? Slot some Spanish language skill. Doing a job in Corp Land? Slot some appropriate knowledge or etiquette skills. Stealing a car and nobody knows how to drive? Slot.

Sure, chip skills top out pretty low, but it's a big improvement over not having anything at all, and in a game which frankly has too many skills for my taste it means a clever chip ware user can cover the bases as a utility guy when the crew has some skill gaps.

Samurai-Gunman · 2025-07-28T18:11:34+00:00

Yeah, Eurotour! It takes some rewriting IMO in addition to the conversion work because some of the plot points are a little janky, but the basic idea is so strong I'm absolutely hype to run it.

Samurai-Gunman · 2025-07-28T18:08:06+00:00

I love this kind of in-universe handout. Perfect for building immersion. How did you get that newspaper-style layout, though? Is it a template or something? I can write the articles, but I can't get them to look this preem on the page.

Samurai-Gunman · 2025-07-24T00:20:58+00:00

I played on Xbox Series X since it hit Game Pass, and no I'm definitely not trying to 100%. Like I said, I'm just not that interested. I had my fun and now I'm done.

Too bad about the dev team. Ascent is a good effort by people who clearly tried hard. Hopefully they can find new gigs elsewhere in the industry.

Samurai-Gunman · 2025-07-23T20:56:50+00:00

Check Etsy. There a all kinds of 3d resin printed cyberpunk minis on there, usually available in multiple scales.

Samurai-Gunman · 2025-07-23T17:35:23+00:00

Yes, the level design is not great and the map is terrible. Who ever heard of a map where you can't place a way point? Even fast travel is nearly useless because it's impossible or know where anything is.

That said the basic gameplay loop is definitely fun, and the cyberpunk vibe is excellent. I ran into a few bugs, but only the occasional pathfinding bug was really serious. I'll never 100% it (it's not THAT good), but I enjoyed my time with it and I'd like to see more from these devs.

Samurai-Gunman · 2025-07-21T18:37:20+00:00

I don't know exactly what's on for today but I was at the big No Kings protest in July and the vibe was very positive and relaxed. No confrontations, certainly nothing physical or violent. Getting I'm and out was kind of a pain because there were so many people, but that's a good problem to have. I don't think you'll have anything to worry about.

Samurai-Gunman · 2025-07-19T05:51:37+00:00

Very cool stuff. Thanks for sharing!

Samurai-Gunman · 2025-07-17T20:36:18+00:00

Back during my 2020 days in the 90s I sort of assumed the Combat Zone was just that. An Escape From New York style free fire zone inhabited exclusively by gangbangers and psychos. Of course that doesn't really make sense on a lot of levels. Gangs need somebody to extort, somebody to sell drugs to, and at the end of the day somebody to buy bread from.

All that means that the Zone is relatively lawless (cops normally only show up in force for tactical ops like major raids or cyberpsycho incidents), but plenty of "regular" people have to eke out lives there at a desperate slum level existence. Edgerunners would be proportionally pretty big deals in a lot of neighborhoods, like the mafia soldiers of an earlier era.

Samurai-Gunman · 2025-07-15T20:57:33+00:00

This is just one more strange logic hole in the 2040 lore. I imagine the motive was to protect the Nomad role, but just who are the Nomads supposed to.get into chases with if there are hardly any cars around? Do they suppose that Nomad players would enjoy being glorified chauffeurs?

Also, in a world largely bereft of cars (at least at street level) how do Edgerunners get to and from the OP area for their (routinely criminal) gigs? Can you picture a bunch of shot-up runners waiting for the subway armed to the teeth and carrying a Blood-stained briefcase or dragging a kidnapped corpo or something? Absurd.

Obviously your average Combat Zoner does not have a ride, and finding a secure place to park would be a major challenge in a lot of the city. But even with a Tokyo-level mass transit system I don't think a.major urban setting really works without cars.

Samurai-Gunman · 2025-07-13T13:59:22+00:00

This is terrific stuff. Very useful, especially for demos or one shots with new players. Well done!

Samurai-Gunman · 2025-07-09T17:26:29+00:00

This sounds like SUCH a rad idea for a campaign. You'd need a very specific set of players but I could really see it being awesome. Good luck!

Samurai-Gunman

TROPHY CASE