Neon Lights
"Happy Twenty-Twenty, Night City."Night City
January 1st, 2020.
Night City, Northern California
Happy New Years, sang out the crowd as the ball dropped in Night City. The Neon Lights of Old Downtown berated those below it while party goers lived what was seldom in Night City - Peace. Of course, the drugs, the sex, the grit retained itself in the city like it always did. Night City, a technological haven for the west coast. In the last few decades, America had been subjected to a series of unnatural disasters which hindered its abilities to operate domestically. Some states thrived, while some became wastelands for the Nomads to roam. Washington, still boasting its Federal power continues to tax the remaining states. The more you pay, the more freedom you have as a state - so it goes. Northern California, has had some trouble making their dues. Red Tape, Political Scandals and Assassination attempts against Governor Porter have geared the state legislation to two sides of the board. For the Fed and Forget the Fed. A vote of succession from the union could be coming and with implications of a civil war.
Who cares about the politics? Some say Night City is its own state, a city-state in this day and age would be unfeasible and unimaginable. Night City is fine as it is, some say at least. Whispers of net runners hacking into the city mainframe, downloading city and corporate material. Classified material. They're just whispers, rumors the real deal is with the combat zones - the booster gangs. Running into houses, killing families, decked out in heavy armor and cybernetics. That's what's scaring everyone right now, Night City Police try their best they are the best and brightest in blue but fighting the combat zone is like picking a scab; it'll grow back. The elusive C-Swat, brains in a suit of armor and carrying military fire power only ever seem to deploy in the combat zones. Some say they are accompanied by a janitorial unit, most say their arrest rate is 0% and the kill rate - well you know the rest.
It's all about making euro bucks, the jack, the scratch. The last physical currency in the states, you use it if you aren't some wire head decker who probably has six figures of credits in his swiss bank. We all need to make it, with Night City on the edge of running the risk of more combat zones and The Fed clamping down on Northern Cali - living is getting expensive. You'll see more people on the streets sleeping in coffins then in derelict housing. That's why you decided to join a gang, whether cash on the side or your full-time gig you're in the crew now.
So pull your weight, choob.So what's the deal, Ace?
Welcome to Neon Lights, a role play that revolves around an upcoming gang starting out in one of the districts of Night City. Why are you in the gang? To make money? Become powerful? Maybe you'll take down the the Feds or State Government, or maybe you're a thrill seeker looking to get off on some killing. You come from different walks of life, Night City Police - a dirty pig who got caught biting off too much. A reporter looking for a hot story, or maybe a gun for hire just doing another job. Unemployed or not, you're dedicated to this crew, whether you volunteered to join - or were persuaded.
A sign of what's to come
Mature Themes - are expressed in this roleplay, violence, sex, and all that fun stuff. Adult themes. We won't be typing paragraphs on how Zach's head looks after ten 10mm rounds blow through it nor will we be hosting any lewding. Romance is PG13+, anything further is fade to black on the thread.
Choices - matter. In the end, the world reacts to what you do. Be it spit back at you or praise you, the people you help, kill, injure. The corporations you aid, destroy, steal from, will come back for you one way or another. Your gang will pick sides, your characters will pick sides. The story has multiple endings, I want to make sure player characters have an impact on which ending happens. Remember, fuck with the fed - you'll end up dead.
Freedom - is something me and @tfd always want to have in our role plays. The ability to do side quests, develop your character or to have fun. By freedom we don't mean turning the gun on other player characters, of course killing NPCs is fine but killing the main one will have implications on you and the story of course. Our policy is usually IC is IC, this applys to pretty much everything besides player killing. Be wary.
Death - will be common in the roleplay, if you find your character killed you are free to make another. Be careful of your actions, you could die within seconds of combat. That being said, as you progress the more bodies the drop the harder it will be hard to drop bodies. Pile the bodies high enough and you'll meet, National Guardsmen, C-SWAT, and Federal Soldiers. There are rumors of the Neo-Soviet Union, apparently, they'll invade. They are just rumors though.
Realism - is a mechanic we hope to strive towards, of course, it's cyberpunk, a sub genre of sci fi and there is advanced medicine and pseudo science. However, if I shoot you three times in the chest then you shouldn't be walking it off. People die, like people. Expect the economy to be grueling, people untrustworthy and the world that doesn't owe you anything - but it'll take and take from you until you are just pink slime in the drain. Expect a challenge.
Cooperation - plays a huge part in the story, working as a team will bring the story together. Of course, there will be solo moments, in private or in encounters/side missions. Actively becoming the epic hero, or the edgy silent guy who doesn't interact with anyone won't fly.
Future-Shock - conveys the atmosphere of the Cyberpunk genre, we hope to capture Night City in its fullest, dirty, corrupt glory. The universe, culture, media and down to the smaller things we hope to make enjoyable and immersible for the players.
Storytelling - remains a great passion of ours, in this role play we hope to tell an interesting story. Actions will effect it, we want players to reflect on their choices. There will be moral choices, nothing is black and white in cyberpunk and not everything is as it seems.
Rules
"Know your place drekhead, or we'll bag and tag you!"
- Myself and @tfd are GMs when we make decisions please respect them as they are final
- Obey guild rules, or the god-emperor was known as Hank may appear. Mercy is unheard of.
- Any OOC Drama should be dealt with off thread, in PMs or whatever medium that isn't the IC/OOC/CHAR
- CS are to be posted in OOC, or PMed to me and TFD. If you have any requests or questions about your character and want to speak so in private.
- Post at least once per week, or you'll be dropped.
- If you are away or unable to post, please let us know.
- One char per player
- Don't god mod/power game or we'll eat you.
- Realistic and semi-realistic (concept art, drawn etc) are allowed. No anime, or it's the bricks for you.
Backgrounds
"So you got a story?"
Rockerboy/girls - are punk musicians in the One and Twenty, a rebel rocker who uses music to rebel against authority. Usually on the stage jamming out, playing to crowds big and small. On tour, across town, state or country. Remember the three A's. Axe. Attitude. Audience.
Solos - are ex-military, killers, hitmen, assassins. All for hire, they live and die by the sword and the gun. You point and they shoot. Doesn't matter who if the money is right, they pull the trigger and don't look back. Allegiance is from wire transfer to wire transfer, they usually work for the corps some on contract while others as security forces.
Netrunners - are geeks, the nerds who hit the net hard. They live for the thrill of cyber space, bustin' into dataforces and taking everything they can. It's not about gaining all the corporate secrets, government intelligence or blackmail. Getting better, getting faster. In net space, you never age, you're never slow. Unless your frontal lobe is fried by another runner, then what does it matter - if you're dead.
Techies - like to play Frankenstein, a lot. Need a grenade launcher in that cybernetic leg of yours? Done, need your augs tuned up. Done. Suffering from cyber-psychosis and don't want C-SWAT turning you into scrap? Call the Techies. Techies love technology and are absolute tech-o-files about it, don't touch that combat chip their working on, you could break it. If they could, they'd go full cyborg. If only we could live fully metal, no flesh. Some do surgery, ex-doctors, vets it's all the same. You get shot, you get fixed if they are good enough at least.
Media - searches for the truth, no matter what. The story is what matters, through thick and thin. Reporters hit the ground, security detail or not they will traverse a combat zone to interview survivors or record that fire fight that's raging by old city hall. Maybe you're a news caster, you cover the big story's on the big screen while your entourage of interns works on making you perfect. Down and dirty or high and mighty? How will you crack the story? Does it matter, the danger is the thrill anyway?
Cops - Local, State or Federal. Cops are the arm of the law, the enforcers of justice. You play it safe, write tickets and do traffic duty. Or you do your job for real, break arms, shoot first and ask questions when it's convenient. You're a loose cannon, you hate your sergeant and just want to get back to when society was simple - back in the old twentieth. Things aren't that simple anymore, maybe you're off the force or still on. Criminals who know you, want you in the floor or don't want to see you ever again.
Corporate - just seem to never have any problems in their life. The cars, girls, wealth it's all there for them. Either they inherited daddy's money or made it on their own in a mega corporation. They'll never know wage slave work, or the insecurities of one of those degenerates on the streets. If they want something they'll get it, somehow. For most, it's about the power, not the cash, if you cross a corporate, you can kiss your life goodbye as they send a security team to send you and your family's life. Watch your mouth, you dirty shit.
Fixers - have everything, everywhere. Need that new rifle that Militech just dropped, a Fixer has it. Need to know where your boss lives? Not a problem, he has that information on his network. Need a fix of Hardfire, it's a call away. A Fixer has connections everywhere, big time Fixer's have connections to Washington and the military. Alone, a Fixer is just a common thug but with resources - a Fixer could take over a city.
Nomad - are homeless, no his home is on the move. He rolls in packs of dozens, maybe hundreds of others like him. Men, Women, Children all on the move in vehicles. Armed to the teeth, living off the land outside the cities. You see, if a pack comes into the city The Law will drive them out unless the cops or gangs haven't already. They are the cowboy of the One and Twenty, the law has never been in their vocabulary and never will be.
While there are preset archetypes these are just guidelines for characters, players are free to make their own whether they bind into a role or not.
Disclaimer
The roleplay is set in the world of Cyberpunk 2020. There is a wealth of information on the setting that you can find and read up on, but all the necessary information will come to you as you play. Find a copy of "Cyberpunk 2020 2nd Edition" by R. Talsorian Games. We will be using source material from Cyberpunk 2020, all credit is to R. Talsorian Games.
Applications will be up when the OOC is up, we thank everyone who applies. We will be basing selections off merit, quality, originality etc. Make sure you take your time on CS.
Applications will be up when the OOC is up, we thank everyone who applies. We will be basing selections off merit, quality, originality etc. Make sure you take your time on CS.
