In the year of 200XX, humanity's elite have fled the dying Earth. Some settled on the face of the Moon, while others set off to explore beyond the outer rim of the solar system. What once was our Earth is now a galactic slum of mile-high structures gleaming with neon, ruled by corporate greed and infested with gangs of mutants and cyborgs, while the Moon has been developed into a city of carnal pleasure, glamour, and excess. The march of technology has been unstoppable; the dead can return in robotic Shells, genetic modification has vastly improved the lives of some- but disadvantaged the lives of many.
On Earth’s surface, most people are employed by the megacorporations that provide all products, services and even law, using Earth’s population as an endless source of cheap laborers. There are those, however, who slip through the cracks of the iron-fist rule of the wealthy and make a living through much more adventurous and much less legal means.
They are the smugglers, the hackers, the assassins and the freedom fighters;
They are the ones who stand between humanity and its subjugators.
They are the ones whose story we will tell.
Welcome... To the year:
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This roleplay is based on the Tabletop RPG “200XX”, a homebrew cyberpunk-themed text campaign devised by Plutoniarch, who has also supplied me with the amazing pixel art you're seeing. I have been part of an ongoing campaign GM’d by Plutoniarch and have been enjoying myself so immensely in this engaging cyberpunk story, that I gained his permission to bring the story to a roleplaying format.
Although we will not be using the rule system that the campaign is based around, I would like to repeat its core tenement: MASH, or Make Awesome Shit Happen. Nothing is impossible 18,000 years in the future- so let the Rule Of Cool be your guide!
As stated, in this RP our character will be members of society’s fringe, criminals in the eyes of society- but heroes, perhaps, in the eyes of the downtrodden. Creating your character will require you to choose a Race, some of which I will describe in detail below, though you can run your own idea for one by me. You have a great measure of freedom to play with the character creation beyond that!
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[RACES]
“LOONIE” (Moondweller Human)
The moondwellers are egregiously wealthy and it shows; Most are spoiled sick and regard Earth as nothing more than their personal factory and a zoo of undesirable humanoids. Generations of high-grade genetic modification have made them elegant and desirable, enhancing their inherent social sway. Not all Loonies stay evil; A growing movement exists of activists who have realized the abuse and injustice their companies put Earthlings through, and seek to bring change, through whatever means necessary. Death is not the end of a Loonie’s life, as they are equipped with the IBASU In-Body Analog Storage Unit that will store their neural activity at the time of death, ready to be transferred to a clone of the user’s body.
“SPACER” (Human Space Colonist)
Spacers left the solar system in their communal ships, filled to the brim with ambition. Now, their distant offspring is scrambling meekly back to Earth. Colonies established on distant worlds are mostly small, starving and lawless; Earth might not be paradise, but it’s a place to make a living. The unique conditions of lives spent mostly on starships have left the Spacers physically weaker, but nimbler.
“NOBODY” (Revived Android)
The death of an Earth citizen too poor to afford proper cloning tech usually results in the creation of a Nobody, a robot shell with a serial number etched into it for the recently deceased to inhabit. Nobodies lack legal rights, which often leads to their suffering at the hands of the corporate machine; however, their lack of a legal identity makes police and corporate identification nearly impossible, so some gravitate to a life of vigilante work or crime.
“MUTE” (Mutated Hybrid Humanoid)
Rampant genetic experimentation by the Loonies led to the birth of the first Mutates, or Mutes in shorthand; Human-animal hybrids who quickly became the servant class of the lunar palaces, treated inhumanely and as disposable assets. Those who found their way to Earth discovered that their unique features made them perfectly suited for certain kinds of jobs. The clawed became fighters, the quick became infiltrators. Today, Mutes are an unremarkable sight, and inbreeding has led to Mutes who can easily pose as humans. They boast improved strength, speed and athletics in comparison to most, but age quicker and rarely live past sixty.
“GAMMA” (Earthdweller Mutant)
"Gamma" is the informal term given to sufferers of Unstable Genetic Nonconformity Syndrome. The syndrome causes spontaneous mutations in development, causing mental confusion and a variety of abnormalities such as extra limbs or bodily regeneration. Although there are drugs designed to aid Gammas in focusing, their availability is kept down by the corporate governments, and most Gammas find themselves unable to think straight, choosing instead to serve as the muscle for their groups.
“TECHIE” (Earthdweller Cyborg)
A certain strain of the Unstable Genetic Nonconformity Syndrome created a subset of humans whose bodies suffered from the syndrome so badly they need cybernetic and mechanical augmentations their whole lives to function; Their brains, however, aren’t clouded like the Gammas’ and are uniquely suited to skills relating to robotics and coding. Techies are made dependent on corporations for the maintenance of their vital augmentations, leading to a cultural undercurrent of rage against corporations that drives many of them to an underground lifestyle.
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If you’ve chosen your character’s race, it’s time to think about their background and their motivation. Are they a Loonie who has turned their back on society, smuggling dangerous goods armed only with relentless charm and a plasmatic pistol? Are they a Mute thief, relieving the rich of their valuables? A Spacer mercenary who snipes from the rooftops and before slinking into the shadows? As long as they end up in Neo York at the start of this RP, and are amenable to a “team assigment” with fellow low-lifes, be as imaginative and inventive as you like!
Here is a bio template for your convenience- a ready-to-use version.
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Species:
Look:
Weapons:
Personality:
History:
Skills:
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It’s worth noting that the most exciting aspect of the world of 200XX, to me, is the fact that it isn’t a locked-in setting beyond the lore I’ve described so far. The goal of the setting is to incorporate whatever we enjoy most about cyberpunk fiction, which means that YOU get to pick and choose what you need to assimilate the character you would most enjoy playing!
I will only moderate entries if I feel like the character would be too OP during the roleplaying. Remember that Flaws are as important to making an interesting character as Talents are; The joy of roleplaying is figuring out how your character overcomes their struggles.
Those of you who are interested can ask me any questions you want to ask in this thread, and if your character is finished, you can post their biography here too!
I wish you lots of fun from the year…
