Cyberpunk (role-playing game)

Cyberpunk is a tabletop role-playing game in the dystopian science fiction genre, written by Mike Pondsmith and first published by R. Talsorian Games in 1988. It is typically referred to by its second or fourth edition names, Cyberpunk 2020 and Cyberpunk Red, in order to distinguish it from the cyberpunk genre after which it is named. Cyberpunk exists within its own fictional timeline, which splits from the real world in 1990. The timeline has been extended with each major edition of the game, from the first edition set in 2013 to Cyberpunk Red set in 2045. The backstory begins with the United States becoming embroiled in a major conflict in Central America in the 1980s, causing a significant economic collapse ending in a military coup resulting in the European Common Market and Japan as superpowers and the Soviet Union not collapsing. This is coupled with the development of orbital habitats that become independent states and the rise of megacorporations that fight amongst themselves for dominance. Other disasters have included food blights causing disastrous famines, and by the late 1990s, the Middle East is a radioactive desert after a nuclear conflict. Bioengineering, against a backdrop of warfare, has resulted in the rapid development of cybernetic prosthetics and direct human-machine interfaces. With the lack of government and police due to the Central American wars and economic situation, casual violence is endemic. Many also suffer from "technoshock", an inability to cope with a world of synthetic muscle tissue, organic circuits, and designer drugs. The main location for Cyberpunk is the fictional Night City, situated on the West Coast of the United States between Los Angeles and San Francisco. With a population of five million, it presents a stratified society of gang warfare, corporate rivalries, and political machinations in which the players must survive. The rules of Cyberpunk are built on R. Talsorian's Interlock system. A core game mechanic is the concept of Difficulty Values, used to gauge whether a player succeeds or fails at any given task.