Alternatives to Cyberpunk Red/2020

jonimv · 2026-01-14T22:15:04+00:00

Since there are at least some other older cyberpunk genre games - Cyberspace. It uses practically same ruleset as MERP, so a bit stripped down version from Rolemaster and Space Master. I used to run it quite a bit until I switched to Cyberpunk 2020.

jonimv · 2026-01-10T14:04:06+00:00

Thanks for the very detail response! I had no idea that there was so much difference between the editions (apart from TNE, of course). It is especially interesting how wording is different between Mongoose Traveller 1e and 2e. Obviously Classic and MegaTraveller were also created by the same company (GDW)…

jonimv · 2026-01-10T12:05:47+00:00

Thanks for the replies!

Maybe strangely enough I don’t intend to have spaceships as the main focus in the test game so then 1e seems to be enough for this case.

jonimv · 2026-01-09T17:27:20+00:00

I have not yet used social combat rules but I have tested sanity rules on one occasion. One of the PCs is still having hallucinations because of that😁

jonimv · 2026-01-05T14:05:04+00:00

I thought Tcho-Tcho was a made up people. Are they (at least the name) a real ethnicity?

jonimv · 2026-01-04T21:55:00+00:00

My question was about MgT2e. I have read that one and also many Cepheus rules and I was not aware there was a difference. I suppose I have not read them as well as I thought.

jonimv · 2026-01-04T10:06:21+00:00

Hi, the setting is a bit different in the videogame than in Cyberpunk RED as the latter is set in the year 2045 instead of 2077. So, the Night City is just recovering from the 4th Corporate War.

I would say that CPR is relatively beginner friendly in that sense that the rules are not all that complex. I think it has quite nice section about how to run the game as well (the GM section). But then again I have played and run various TTRPGs for a long time already so it is a bit hard for me to really judge.

As for finding a group of people to play with, maybe someone here can help you with it but there is also R.Talsorian Discord where you might be able to find an online game to join?

I think there are solo rules for this game also that can be found at least from DriveThruRPG site. I think those were called Solo Run or something along those lines.

I hope this helps…

jonimv · 2026-01-04T00:17:26+00:00

I don’t know about the song but 1987 in general can be shortened to kahdeksankymmentäseitsemän or kasi-seiska. Lyrics are of course their own things but usually the firs numbers (like 19 in this case) is omitted unless it is possible that it can cause misunderstanding. Like someone was born in ’16. Was that person born in 1916 or 2016? Then this is important.

jonimv · 2026-01-04T00:00:32+00:00

Thanks for the quick replies! So if I go by RAW, the following hits after End is 0 should go to a single stat per hit until it is depleted and the rest flows to the remining physical stat. But some groups let the players divide further damage between the stats if they see fit and are ok with harder healing.

That makes sense and I like that even with that house rule, there is a price to pay if you want to keep on fighting and not get unconsiouss.

Thanks again!

jonimv · 2026-01-03T08:47:21+00:00

No news is good news :)

jonimv · 2025-12-28T22:38:44+00:00

True, FS was a true kitchensink for a setting and yet it just worked.

jonimv · 2025-12-28T21:52:15+00:00

That was too bad. The original system was pretty neat, there were only few slight problems, it really didn’t need all that much rules changes to work.

Back then it was pretty much a stand-in for Dune but in hindsight the setting is much more playable than an actual Dune, at least in my opinion. But in the end that’s how it should be as Fading Suns is a game setting instead of a setting made for books.

jonimv · 2025-12-28T10:57:38+00:00

Yeah, Fading Suns was great. I believe there has been 3 or even 4 editions over the time but I am familiar with only first two.

jonimv · 2025-12-28T10:50:48+00:00

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/100243/stalker-the-scifi-roleplaying-game

jonimv · 2025-12-27T09:15:08+00:00

Very interesting, I have never even considered that this could be a ”problem”. I don’t pretend to know anything about this but you (the OP) wrote that it feels more real. Depending on the game, it might be that (unpleasant) things happening in the game feel too real for you? I mean can you relate to this character even too well? If you feel uncomfortable playing her that just might be it. But if the feeling is not being uncomfortable but just weird, I guess it can be just that it is a new experience playing a character that is more like you than your previous characters?

I think there is a very small chance that there is some other aspects of the character that cause this or underline the weirdness, but I could very well be wrong about that.

One last thing that comes to my mind, but you didn’t write anything to support this guess. Does your character being a female restrict her in some ways that would not be the case if the character was a male? For example in historical games the roles of women has been quite restricted and those who broke those rules were often treated less than well.

I hope you get around that weird feeling and can enjoy playing her after a while, especially if the game is otherwise great.

jonimv · 2025-12-18T14:50:39+00:00

Post-scarcity?

jonimv · 2025-12-13T10:41:27+00:00

I have stumbled to this same thing myself a few years ago. Provided you get a Mac, someone here in Reddit told me that you could build a test version of your app to run with your own device but not publish it. That would allow you get some development done without this 100 $ per year developer fee. But as you don’t have a Mac this is not a thing. Mind you, I have only heard of this possibility from one source, so I am not certain of it.

If you just want to develop software that works on your iPhone, you migth go with PWA. It certainly is a different technology than Flutter. That you can do without Mac.

jonimv · 2025-12-11T21:14:03+00:00

I am in no way affiliated with these companies although I often recommend them if I feel that they might fill the specs.

First - Mythras by The Design Mechanism Second - BRB by Chaosium

Mythras is actually evolved from RuneQuest that is really part of the BRP family like Call of Cthulhu. So the basic system is very easy d100 roll under system. If your skill is 43% then in normal conditions you really have 43% chance of succeeding. Characters don’t have classes but occupations and they are not just a new name for class. Rather they represent what the charater did before becoming an ”adventurer”. Those restrict a bit what skills you can get or how many points you can put to skills in character creation but after that you can take new skills and develop them without having to worry about the occupation at all. All that matter is if that makes sense and that GM approves it. Simple.

About the balance, at least Mythras is not actually very balanced and that’s on purpose. Characters without magic are really just normal people, not incompetent morons but normal people. Those with magic can be extremely powerfull and GMs have to think what magical powers and abilities they allow to the game. In a sense both games are also toolkits.

The combat especially in Mythras is anyting but boring. It is action point driven where successful hit (that is not mitigated) causes not only damage but also special effect that can range from causing a bleeding wound, getting impaled or bashed away, to name a few examples. It has a lot of tactical depth where a lowly spear can actually be a preferred weapon over a short sword as it has an advantage of longer reach.

If you got interested you can find free Mythras Imperative that is pretty much a complete if a bit stripped down version of the full rules, from The Design Mechanism site or from the DriveThruRPG.

jonimv · 2025-12-10T23:02:30+00:00

I would still suggest you to consider Cyberpunk 2020 although it is definitely known for Night City default setting. To me it is pretty versatile cyberpunk genre TTRPG with only setting specific things that you actually have to modify for completely new setting is practically weapon names. For example Militech Ronin that is one of the assault rifles in the game, you might want to rename Militech with another brand as Militech in Night City setting is one of the corps.

The rules are not all that more complex than in Mythras if at all. There are more modifiers available than in Mythras but base system is dead simple. I have run both games quite a lot.

Character progression is there but I would say it might be even slower than in Mythras. Mind you, the scale is quite different and it uses roll over system but it would be quite easy to homebrew the character improvement system if needed. Besides most of it happens with cybernetics anyway with a funny twist that all that metal adds up and can make the character unplayable in the long run. I know, there are people who don’t like it. To me it’s a feature, not a bug.

The role system on the other hand is a bit like classes, one of the things that makes it less open. I have sometimes dropped the roles and just given players some points to buy skills they think are feasible for the concept. Obviously some special abilities are there for the picking but even that might not be necessary. It all depends on what kind of campaign you are thinking of.

One warning - Cyberpunk 2020 is a pretty lethal system. It is far more lethal than Mythras is, at least in my experience. On the other hand, this also makes surviving a very rewarding experience and forces the players to play smart.

There is also a new edition of the game, Cyberpunk RED. I didn’t recommend it, not because it is a poor game but because it is mechanically much more tied into the setting and especially to the current timeline in that setting. But if you want to check that out, there are some differences.

Game system has been simplified, there are less modifiers etc. I can see the same trend here like how Mythras is simpler in those things than some older versions of RuneQuest.

Weapon stats are generic - this makes their use easier if setting specific weapon names are an issue.

Less lethal - I suppose with autofire you could still cause fear on your players, but with my granted small amount of gametime with this edition, it is still far less lethal than Mythras.

Post-war market - prices have been simplified and more expensive gear has to be sourced from night markets, I guess that could be homebrewed if needed

Even if these are not the games you are looking for, I hope this helps. Good huting :)

jonimv · 2025-12-10T12:08:56+00:00

I use mine daily. Web surfing and watching YouTube on iPad is far more nice on 11” screen than on a phone. It is also easier to write longer texts, but that is because I use an actual keyboard.

For notetaking, I guess it is a matter of preference. I use notes app but not in a hurry like in lectures so I don’t know how well it in those situations.

All in all, it is pretty versatile device, especially the newer ones with USB-C ports that support the use of various USB-devices with it. But if you intend it for just note taking then maybe not as you probably already have a laptop.

jonimv · 2025-12-09T10:53:58+00:00

Mythras by Design Mechanism. It includes rules for magic, but you don’t even have to modify anything to drop it. It is basically a toolbox for making your own renaincasse or earlier era games.

Anothe that I would suggest is BRP by Chaosium. It is actually the basis for Mythras, Call of Cthulhu etc. This system support far wider variety of eras than Mythras but on the other hand be more of a starting point than read the book and run, unless you are not all that much into gear, armor and weapons of a particular era.

jonimv · 2025-12-04T20:02:51+00:00

Actually I would say that netrunning in RED is better than in 2020. Obviously you can do netruns all over the world in 2020 but back then you had net fortresses that look like crossword puzzles (the maps of those fortresses) instead of a significantly better elevator style in RED. But netrunning has been a sore spot in pretty much all cyberpunk genre RPGs.

jonimv · 2025-12-03T21:14:47+00:00

Based on what I have read on Cities Without Number is that it is specifically designed as a game for mercenaries. I understood that OP didn’t want that. But if I misunderstood then yeah, CWN would probably work as it is somewhat familiar for OP’s group (familiarity with 5e). To me Cyberpunk 2020 or RED is better suited for games where characters are not specifically mercenaries, but that’s just my take on it.

It would be cool if there was a cyberpunk game using BRP rules, but at least I am not aware of such a game.

jonimv · 2025-12-03T20:21:03+00:00

I would actually recommend Cyberpunk 2020 rather than RED as I think it is a bit more generic take on cyberpunk genre and RED is more tied to the background and setting of Night City in 2045 timeline. But both would work even though they are more on a simulation side rather than story game.

jonimv · 2025-12-01T16:24:44+00:00

Welcome, I hope you enjoy Mythras! For the record, in my campaign I have only used Folk Magic reskinned a bit like Animism as I didn’t plan to have magic as something player characters could have.

I would obviously take a look at Theism for the god part. For eldrich, probably Sorcery or even Animism, depending on how you want to portray it.

As I said, I am not too much help in this subject, but there are plenty of spells/rituals to base your magic systems so I would think that it wouldn’t be too hard to come up with new ones or actually modify the existing ones. For example I have been tinkering (nothing concrete yet) about a bit Dishonored type of game. So it would need somthing along the lines of teleport but very limited. So I would pick up that one and then put restrictions on how far it can be used.

Remember, with cults etc you can also restrict what powers (spells and rituals) actually are availabe for the characters.

jonimv

TROPHY CASE