Welcome to Neo-Tokyo. The year: 2031. Technology has been on the rise for the last decade and the upcoming fusion between man and machine has dawned upon humankind. Legacies of a once dreamt future have become the very reality many citizens of Japan, alongside the rest of the world, live within. Implants and enhancements to the human body have occasionally doubled the working power of each working citizen, allowing nations to further prosper off of their ever-growing industrial enterprise. And yet despite this fascination with the fusion of biology and artificiality, the world couldn't be any less of a horrific nightmare to live within. The passive reminder of a once bleak, shallow past constantly hangs over the citizens of Neo-Toyko in particular, to the point where it has directly brought the fragmentation of society to their doorsteps. A looming desire to take back the past that was stolen from them has thrived in the recent years, and it was all because of one push of a button.
2012, the year of fire. At the dying breath of a once powerful and ruthless Korean dictator, Tae Jeong-Mun, the order to send his legacy out in a blaze of glory came from the international breach of peace. Three nuclear arsenals were prepared for launch. International espionage operators noted these findings to their superiors and a coalition campaign set to disarm these warheads under covert conditions was approved. Spearheaded by Japanese officers and primarily tied to their government, teams of expert special operations forces were deployed into Korea to seek any means of disrupting and disabling the ability to launch. The clock was ticking and the hours were bleeding away. A growing anticipation for launch was flaring up. One team successfully disabled one of the nuclear warheads, however the other two were caught in complications that would cost several million lives. On the announcement to the public of Jeong-Mun's passing, Korean officials launched the two remaining warheads as a public show of might, aimed directly towards the Japanese home isles upon finding their involvement in the coalition against them. One missile landed in the Pacific Ocean, however one hit its target: Tokyo.
Half of the city was blasted and devastated by the blast. Whilst it was a minor bomb in comparison to many counterparts, it was still enough to rain havoc upon the populace for the coming decades. The clouds cleared and the shock and awe behind the devastating act of war shook the nation. Hundreds of thousands were announced dead, and many more were presumed lost to the flames of the agonising firestorm. And from there, everything fell quiet. Words were barely uttered of the inter-period of nothingness. Ultra-nationalism began to see its rise once more in Japan and Article 9 was abolished, allowing the military off of its leashes. Within its ranks, the infamous Jinrai was forged. An asymmetrical warfare group fuelled by the able bodies of many nationalistic forces. In their eyes, it was not only about the defence of Japan, but the revenge against its aggressor. Soon enough, its influence began to grow further. Corporations rising in the now reviving of Tokyo took advantage of their prominence by selling them weapons, developing cybernetic gear and increasing their arsenals tenfold. Tokyo relocated itself out of the exclusion zone and formed the now nightmarish Neo-Tokyo, the land of profit and death.
In late 2030, the Jinrai were at the peak of their power. Talks of a prepared surprise annexation of Korea were underway when the snap election kicked in. To the Jinrai's annoyance, a moderate Prime Minster was elected into power. Instead of feeling threatened at first, the military branch felt insulted, resulting in the Coup that would shake Tokyo for the next years. Failing to oust the minister they deemed defective to the revival of a powerful and strong Japan, the government retaliated by initiating its own special operations group. As the Jinrai were removed from the military ranks officially, branding them as a terrorist organisation and exiling them from social normalities, the Prime Minster gained power over the NSF - National Security Forces. Answering only to the current government in power, they began a shadow war of rooting out cells of Jinrai operatives, hoping to restore an ideal balance they once believed they could achieve. And yet despite this, not everything is all black and white between the two sides. In many areas, one might begin to reconsider who they stand with.
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to NEOTOKYO: State of Disarray, a cyberpunk roleplay scenario inspired and based around the original Half-Life 2 mod of the same style. Neotokyo, the original mod at least, is a competitive multiplayer shooter pitting the NSF against the Jinrai, an ex-military nationalist organisation with ideals of installing an authoritarian regime in place of the recent democratic revival. Unlike the competitive style of the games, this roleplay scenario will take a more narrative focus on the unexplored universe, where the streets of NeoTokyo are the secret warzone for these warring factions. Set within a world where cybernetics are becoming more recognisable in the field of war. Whilst common citizens are still trying to gain access to these arrays of human mechanical evolution, those who fight to preserve a side they truly believe in are capable of achieving whatever their superiors have to offer. Be they cloaking abilities, thermoptic vision, targeting assistance, prosthetic limbs, jump-packs or more conventional replacements and enhancements, then surely the NSF and Jinrai are able to get their hands upon them.
And who are you to be? Well, to begin with, the vote came to a narrow conclusion as to which faction we will be starting in. As of the beginning of the RP, all characters will be a part of the NSF, or National Security Force, in pursuit of victory against the Jinrai. With the roleplay continuing, many opportunities may arise to splinter from your original starting place if you so disagree with their motives, or find the intrigue of the character to be elsewhere. I will admit, the ability to switch sides will not come immediately and will require some time to develop more the characters and plot together, but hopefully those options will come to us at some point. In the mean time, you will take up arms for the NSF and the Prime Minister, going from there to see where your story goes. I cannot promise that there will be any good sides along the way, just ones that you prefer to support or stand for. Shadow wars breed malcontent, and so it is only a matter of time before the lines between good and evil are blurred before your very eyes. The men and women of Japan and operatives from slightly afar will be entering the fray of close quarters combat, investigations and raids across NeoTokyo.
The roleplay itself will consist of a blend of combat and character interaction/narration. Combat isn't going to be the only focus as developing the characters is critical for them to take their own stances later in the game. Investigations will offer the chances for you to go into your own Jinrai or third party search parties to follow objectives of your own choosing. There will be some free reign in objectives, as long as they are accepted by the GM of course. This will give you more stuff to try out outside of group raids, armed police missions and future operations too. Not only that, but a potential slice-of-life aspect will come into the roleplay too, showing their daily lives occasionally outside of their respective factions. These can include side jobs, home life, friendships and spicy romances forged with other characters and NPCs, and so on. These interactions are my favourite part of course, as it breeds life into the story we inhabit. Gotta love those spicy dramas too.
So, for a character sheet, its pretty simple. Character sheets can evolve overtime if they change allegiance or fall under new management. This can also be used, optionally, as a way to keep track of relationships with characters in a documented form. Using it is not necessary. You are free to edit and add to the design of your own sheet as you wish, as long as the necessary information is within the sheet itself. Some information can be combined or removed, as long as it tells us enough about the character that will and may affect interactions, actions and their appearance.
As the story progresses, we will develop more plot lines, learn more conspiracies and slowly uncover more nefarious plans of the extremely volatile political landscape that is now Japan and NeoTokyo. Here in the new world, the Battle for Tokyo and potential shadow war of Japan may be what sets the future for all of East Asia, if not the world global theatre as humanity knows it. Choose your allegiances wisely, as your friends may soon become your enemies. Keep loved ones close, be they other characters or established family beforehand. And most importantly: good luck out there.
