piercetyler1994 — Roleplayer Guild

Cyberpunk 2020 – A Steel Soul

Cy∙ber (sī-bər): adj. of, relating to, or involving computers or computer networks.

Punk4 (pəŋk): n. a genre of rock music, popular in the early 1980’s, which epitomized violence, rebellion, and social action in a nihilistic way.

METAPLOT: 
“Microtech® to unveil the next generation of robotics at NIGHT CITY TeXPO*TM
Posted Monday, January 13th, 2020

Night City, CA (N54) – We all know that robots are a valuable and necessary commodity in modern America and the world over. From manual labor in dangerous environments to caretakers in our homes, robots are only one step behind in only subject; being human. Microtech® is looking to change that with the official unveiling of their prototype robot with fully self-aware artificial intelligence. Microtech® have publicly stated that ‘while we fully understand the risks that comes with artificial intelligence, we also believe that the rewards of such will greatly outweigh those risks’. For those who would like to attend the expo, passes are available for purchase next week, on the 20th of January. The expo itself takes place on Wednesday, February 5th.”

SUMMARY: As if you couldn’t already tell, this RP is based off of the 1990 tabletop RPG of the same name. Named after the genre of the works of William Gibson (“Neuromancer”), Bruce Sterling (“Mirrorshades”), and Rudy Rucker (the “Ware Tetralogy”), just to name a few. The subject matter of Cyberpunk is usually described as “neo-noir”, focusing on the degeneration of human nature through the over-abundance and the hyper-advancement of technology; often described as the opposite to typical apocalyptic scenarios (a sudden catastrophe or depravation of a necessary resource(s)). Think of how dirty and violent big cities in the 18th and mid-19th centuries used to be. Now, with that image in your head, imagine for a second if they suddenly had the technology of today at their fingertips. You would probably get a similar reaction handing a chimpanzee an M60A1 Machine Gun.

HISTORY: It should go without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway. Because the year “2020” isn’t too far away in real life, it’s safe to say that Cyberpunk 2020 takes place in an alternate universe. Basically, history, for the most part, remains unchanged until 1990. It should also be noted that I’m including every event for every year; just ones that everyone would probably know about.

1990 – The Soviet Union dissolves and breaks up into smaller states, East and West Germany reunited; US Marines engage in interventionist operations all over Central America (Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador are “hot spots”).

1991 – CHOOH2 developed by Biotechnica® as a possible replacement to gasoline; primitive artificial muscle fibers are being developed at Stanford Research Center in California; first ever arcology project started construction in what was Jersey City, NJ with a planned 16 “arcos” slated for completion by 2000 (they go on unfinished, even today).

1992 – The Treaty of 1992 establishes the European Economic Community or EEC, controlling regulations and tariffs of major nations such as the U.K., France, United Germany, Italy, etc. and disband the use of national currencies in favor of a common currency, referred to as the “Eurodollar”.

1993 – After being engaged in a lengthy drug war, Columbian warlords unite their efforts to detonate a tactical nuclear device hidden in the subway of New York City, 15,000 is the initial death toll and 17 blocks in Manhattan are vaporized.

1994 – Due to billions of dollars’ worth of stock information at the NYSE being wiped out due to the TacNuke’s EMP last year, a massive stock market crash is felt worldwide, dubbed “The Death of Money” and “The Crash of ‘94”. 

1996 – Overwhelmed by unemployment, homelessness, and political corruption all caused by the Crash of ’94, the United States Government collapses along with most of its state governments. Rioting ensues and we see the first appearance of primitive “Boostergangs”. US Constitution is suspended and martial law is declared.

1997 – The growing tensions in the Middle East reach a crescendo when a nuclear exchange occurs, reducing most of Iran, Iraq, Libya, and many other nations into nothing more than an ocean of radioactive glass.

1998 – Two major ecological disasters occur; 1.) A significant drought hits the American Midwest hard enough to turn lush farmland into a parched wasteland, more akin to a desert and 2.) The “Big One”, a massive 10.5 magnitude earthquake rocks all of California. A powerful tsunami all across the west coast drowns millions and submerges most coastal cities (for reference, 55% of Los Angeles was inundated).

2000 – Y2K Riots: “Millennium cults” begin to run amok in the streets all across the US. Reports of “vicious insanity” and “orgies of violence” come in all day on January 1st. Most cultists end up committing suicide.

2001 – Framework of what would later be known as “The Net” is established by the construction of The WorldSat NetworkTM.

2004 – First growth of cloned tissue in vitro successful, considered “the greatest medical discovery since penicillin”; First “Corp War” begins over control Trans-World AirTM.

2005 – The CybermodemTM is invented. First Corp War ends.

2006 – First growth of human clone in vitro ends in failure; clone born braindead and lives for only 6 hours. Seen as a major setback and cloning research halted.

2007 – Second Corp War begins because of disputes over oilfields in the South China Sea.

2010 – Network-54® now controls 62% of all media broadcasting in the US. Second Corp War ends.

2013 – NetwatchTM established in a joint US/Euro effort. Microtech® begin researching and looking for applications for what they think will be a game changer in the field of robotics, artificial intelligence.

2014 – After a tech crash early in the year, The Net gets a considerable overhaul in terms of redesign, especially in its wireless capabilities.

2016 – Third Corp War begins (and still goes on today). In an effort to mitigate human loss, this war is fought on The Net.

2017 – After numerous setbacks and nearly 10 years since the initial failure, the first self-aware human clones are born successfully (a set of fraternal twins, one boy and one girl, aptly named “Adam” and “Eve”).

2020 – Today...

SETTING: After being racked with catastrophe after catastrophe and after being rebuilt so many times, most of the major cities in the United States are world-weary and decrepit and they’re all drowning in neon lights and adverts. Unless you’re in a district for the ultra-rich, you’re surrounded by grime and grit… and I’m not just talking about the environment. Crime and corruption run rampant; you’ll get mugged on the street, be beaten within an inch of your life and you’ll be the one to end up in jail for “disturbing the peace” because you screamed for help. Charmed, I’m sure. As for all the land in between the big cities is nothing but unregulated roads, nomad packs (think “The Road Warrior” in the US) and the odd shanty/ghost town.

RULES:
NO godmoding, trolling, flaming, or spam.

Use correct grammar and spelling

Sex is allowed, but use it in moderation. 

Swearing is also allowed, but, again, use in it moderation.

No player killings without my discretion. 

Multi-Characters are allowed, but I (personally) wouldn’t recommend it for this kind of game.

While not a rule per se, it’s still worth mentioning. Be as detailed as possible. Use common sense when not to be detailed (i.e. sex, just to name one).

Be realistic... or as realistic as possible in a Sci-Fi universe.

Feel free to ask me anything pertaining to the role-play. If you have any questions, I’ll come up with the answers you request. Be sure to PM me.

Last, but certainly not least, have fun. It took time to make it as enjoyable as possible. I hope you enjoy it as much I had making it.

CHARACTER SHEET: You can post your character in the OOC, but I would really appreciate it if you PM’d me instead. Thank you!

Handle(s): Name or names that you’re known by, such as call signs, nicknames, usernames, etc.

Name: Your real name, the one your mom and dad gave you.

Occupation: What you do for a living, currently or most recently.

Age: Include years with a birthday (the date the game takes place is on Feb 5th, 2020; base it off of that).

Birthplace: Where you were born.

Ethnicity: Caucasian, Asian, Black, etc.

Nationality: American, French, British, Russian, etc.

Style:
Clothes – High Fashion, Leathers, Combat Fatigues, Chic, etc.
Hairstyle – High Fade, Afro, Mohawk; include color
Affections – the little details like tattoos, scars, piercings, etc.

Family Background: Are they alive, dead, you don’t know? Give a number of siblings only if your character knows.

Motivations:
Traits – Your character’s wherewithal, what makes you “you”.
Valued Person – The person you care about more than anything in the world.
Value Most – What means the most to you; money, love, power, drugs, etc.
Feelings Toward People – Does every person matter or are people just things?
Valued Possession – Something that your character that the will not ever part with.

Life Events: You can replace this section with “Biography” if you want to be a little more narrative and dramatic.

Weapons: A list of weapons you’ve collected/purchased on your adventures.

Skills: Abilities, talents, and areas of expertise that your character is proficient in.

Augmentations: Cybernetics, exoskeletons, replaced limbs, etc.

Equipment: Ammunition, cybermodemsTM, vehicles, etc.

USEFUL LINKS: Cyberpunk 2020 Character Creation Guide and Datafortess 2020
*=(OOC: Stylized shortening for “Technology Expo”)

Cyberpunk has been a incredibly popular genre that a lot of creators use in their works. Movies, books, video games, even radio dramas take Cyberpunk's stylistic aesthetic as inspiration. So, with a subject so popular, I think it's only befitting that the original namesake of Cyberpunk deserves some CLASSIC love. And with that, I feel that a Cyberpunk 2020 RP is in order. So, take your mind to the late 80's and early 90's. 

CONCEPT
So far, what I have got in my head is that not all of Cyberpunk is filled with action left, right, and center. Some events are rather mundane like real life, no shit. What usually leads to action is society's degradation into corruption, violence, theft, sexual assault, fraud, and mankind's general failure to coexist. In terms, of a meta-plot to join all of the characters together, it's a very basic concept of man's first foray into the next generation of robotics and a very touchy subject on ethics, even IRL; Artificial Intelligence.

Again, this concept is only in it's infancy. What I need from all of you reading this, is to input your feedback, write your comments, concerns, and complaints. Positive or negative, your feedback is greatly appreciated.

P.S. - This topic is also acting as a placeholder for whenever I update this in the future. Thanks again!!

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