If you would like poorly edited essays on why you should put more "gotcha" moments and TPK in your games, you can pay for it here. Or you could just search the internet and get likeminded GM to say that it is better to assert power over your PC.

I strongly disagree with this position, and frankly resent the idea that conflict should (or even can) be resolved with passive-agressive methods like those recommended here. Even having recently kicked a player for the first time, I prefer reconciliation (to be fair, some essayists make a passing reference to reconciliation, but overwhelmingly assume it will fail).

Some advice "nuggets" from the book include:

1. the idea that you should come up with a story first and then try to find players that will fit your vision, or else compel them to take skills and backgrounds that will fit;
2. the idea that "power players" merely want to annoy you or steal your authority and must be punished by unbeatable NPC or unwinnable situations;
3. taking away from players the things that make their PC cool or interesting because you should punish "abusive power gaming";
4. finally, this gem of a remark: "gaming has been for too long the hiding place of pseudo-intellectuals... watch out for them"

Take the author's advice and "watch out" for the pseudo intellectuals that authored this document. I genuinely cannot reconcile the overall ratings with the content of this book. Not recommended.

I was 15 when I got my hands on the old black box cyberpunk 2013. I took that thing with me everywhere. Dice, mechanical pencils, character sheets and of course the books were stored inside. The box is long gone today though I still have the books clinging on to their staples just barely. They got a lot of use as did my 2020 books. - Mid 40's now and my excitement for Cyberpunk RED has not diminished. It goes to work with me, back in the car to and to home again... Cyberpunk RED is a wonderful addition to the Cyberverse. I highly recommend picking up a copy if you are a fan. My son and his friends are still playing Cyberpunk 2020 and Cybergeneration. Our First cyberpunk RED game will be this weekend. My family would like to thank everyone at R. Talsorian Games for two generations of entertainment and imagination. May there be many more at all of your tables as well.

an essential for more options for players and characters. this book has options to make youre look like a specific animal. it's out there, but creative!

another essential book for cyberpunk, this book is great for tech, fashion, and more cybernetic options.

i wish majority of rpg books do this, have a book with all of the weapons from all of the source books in one book. it is literally a book of guns. it's super handy for your players and rping shopping.

THE sourcebook to have for your Cyberpunk game! it's a reason why it is considered an ESSENTIAL book. while the cyberpunk 2020 book had information on Night City, this book expands on every building, street, where is where, what street gangs runs what, and so on.

get it! you won't regret it!

TL;DR - a fun and awesome cyberpunk game while crunchy, is really good for roleplay and combat is deadly and fantastic setting that you can homebrew up. Net running is very weird and hard to run. homebrew Red Netrunning rules.

i bought this in the Humble Bundle that went on a couple of months back. read through this game and it is dated, as of this review, it is 2021 and the setting is in 2020. you can easily make it as an alternative timeline or add 10-20 years, some players even homebrew this into red and it's in 2045 or even 2077 (look at that!) i love sci-fi and cyberpunk is really cool and very punk rock.

the roles aren't like your traditional dnd classes, they're more or less your jobs in the world of cyberpunk. from rockerboys, to hired assassins and mercenaries Solos, to even roaming Nomads and media journalists. you'll find a role that'll fit any play style and game that you want to run. just one clarification that the book doesn't really do, is have a seperate section for Med Techs, as they're bunched in with the Tech sections. Cops/Lawmen and Solos are seperate so its something to be mindful of.

one of my favorite things about this system, is the Life Path system. you can easily make an in depth character and grow attached to your character really well! the answers are general statements so you can write however you want to make it your own. from how you grew up, wwhat happened to your family, are your parents still alive? what happened after the age 16 and what you're currently doing? did you make friends? did you made enemies? it covers all the bases and i enjoyed running character creation with my players.

Combat encourages that high octane action like the Matrix, John Wu, and other action packed movies. in dnd once you hit a certain level low level creatures are a joke. in cyberpunk, a switchblade can easily mess up your character and guns will ruin your life if you're not careful. there is a risk vs reward type style of combat, do you stand still to make the perfect shot? or do you run in dual wield uzis and hope you hit your target while dodging incoming fire? it's pretty detailed in covering explosives, and even drugs. roll for skill checks is interesting as it take your stat + skill and roll a d10 to determine your result, for guns depending on Rate of Fire you can roll up to 3 times depending on the gun, and damage, plus if you have cyberware to make your accuracy higher, it can get crunchy at time.

Cybernetics is interesting, it can be complex where you intentionally replace live meat for a cybernetic limb or vain as skin change changes or hair color changes, or iris color changes. the humanity system is really clever in that it is tide to your empathy stat, cyberpychosis is a real thing, which i tell my characters that if they do not have any humanity left, they can no longer play that character because they have lost their mental state and can no longer "function" properly.

one of my biggest (and many others) complaint is the Netrunning system, it's complex and clunky, and i could never get it to make it fun. netrunners in this game, don't really need to be with the party, which that can be an issue in of itself. most gms just make an npc netrunner to bypass this problem, or homebrew it. i recommend if you must have a netrunner, is to get the quickstart Cyberpunk Red rules or the core rule book on Netrunning, way more streamlined and fun for everyone. before you homebrew it, try to run it yourself, and see if you can make it work. essentially, for netrunning if i can make sense of it, it boils down to a game of Mine Sweeper and currency to spend in cyberspace, and you'll need a seperate graph paper to run this, which turns into a pizza break for everyone, except the gm and netrunner, and it can really slow the game down.

finally, Night City, the functional city that is in California and it's location is very lively and if you want to explore Night City further, get the sourcebook Night City and you're in for a treat! my campaign is primarily in Night City, and having information of where everything is handy. just the core book for night city has plenty of information to get you going.

overall, this game is a classic and fan favorite for a reason, while dated in technology, a lot of that can be homebrewed and it's just a great system. i HIGHLY recommend you pick this up if you're looking for a High Tech Low Life game while having style and being a punk. see you around choombas!

This game is broken in many many ways. You're much better with the new RED Rules they are a clear upgrade in every imaginable way. There is no reason to continue playing 2020 in 2021.

Cyberpunk RED is great. This is by far the best edition to get into the game. I'm running 3 games on Roll20 as a DM and can't complain.

THE GOOD

• Lifepaths are brilliant!
• RED feels and plays like a fixed CP 2020 game.
• New FNFF (Friday Night Fire Fight) rules ar much simpler and play better and faster: Hitzones and armor are simplified which is a big plus, Critical hit tables are cheesy! Autofire skill is a cool fix for what used to be an OP "delete oponent" option.
• 2X skills bring balance to combat oriented play and put a real constraints on munchkin builds.
• Role abilities are meaningfull and relevant. The solo is no longer the best role.
• Martial and Melee combat are actually balanced vs gunfighting - which wasn't the case before.
• Multiple ways to build a character. PROTIP: use the streetrat tables for your NPCs.

THE BAD

• The "hold" action is the single most important battle-action in this game. If you play RAW and are entirely new or you join from 2020 this is far from clear. It took my group multiple sessions to figure this out. Basically following RAW you can't hit anybody who is in cover. You need to use the hold action to hit your target when he pops out of cover to do his thing. This makes combat VERY tactical but this is ABSOLUTELY unclear when reading the rules during a first pass. At the start this is a bit weird to manage but once you get the hang of it everything gells together for the better.
• Recommended starting stats are WAAAAAY too low. At 62 points you won't hit anything. As a result combat is a bit of a drag. Start as a minor hero at 72 stat points and go full cheese from there. It seems like the game wasn't playtested at these lower stat builds.
• They should have diversified the stats even more. Splitting REF into REF and DEX is smart but they should have doubled down on this concept. Why not tie the Autofire skill to the BODY stat (like you need a big frame to handle the recoil). Social encounters suffer a smililar problem and are very bland as all skills are tied to the same stat. I'm missing a seduction skill (based off COOL) and the persuasion and interogation skill should have had different underlying stats.
• Not enough emphasis on non-combat play. D&D has the same problem yet cyberpunk is in a unique position to fix this but doesn't.
• This game could have been more self-critical/self-reflective. RED is a 2020 Fix and Pondsmith could have added a chapter to explain how he fixed things and why. This could have helped many new GM/DMs run better games.

THE UGLY

• The Netrunning role still breaks the action economy. This is still an example of bad game design. However I suspect Pondsmith to have settled on this version as Netrunning is such an integral part of the lore/setting. Word of advice though - do not allow an unexperienced player to run a Netrunner and limit the amount of Netrunners at your table to one.
• The rules are all over the place. This sourcebook is hard to navigate even with the linked index.
• The game lacks advice for new GM/DMs on how to handle classic cyberpunk problems such as how to handle the parts/hardware hoarder and the player that wants to cut everybody open for parts. Weirdly the solution is in the book but this is not addressed explicitly. Just give all enemies inferior quality gear. As a seasoned GM/DM I would have liked that Pondsmith would have made this more clear.
• Pondsmith needs to look real hard at the Dark Horse Cyberpunk 2077 Worldbook. That's how you do a sourcebook/splatbook in 2020. Missed opportunity! The lore is way to dense. In 2020 people don't/can't read anymore.
• Where are the adventure modules?
• Limited Roll20/VTT support.

I wish I found this earlier in my life. I can't stop playing. this is amazing. If you like CyberPunk, UltraViolence, Gritty Cities and Urban settings, High octane adventures. Wild role play and tenses conversations, where success, failure and utter chaos can happen depending on decisions made during conversations, negotiations, investigations ... the stories I leave these table top sessions with are all amazing and worth retelling. This was my first TTRPG... I can’t get enough >.<

Highly recommend if you want to play the role of one of the interesting class types available in this core book and more. Welcome to Night City. Maybe I’ll see you around >.

Ring Side Report-RPG Review of Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart

Originally posted at www.throatpunchgames.com, a new idea every day!

Product- Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart System- Cyberpunk Red Producer- R. Talsorian Games Inc. Price- $10.00 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/279014/Cyberpunk-Red-Jumpstart-Kit?affiliate_id=658618 TL; DR- Good appetizer to the whole system! 90%

Basics-Choombatta, it’s time to make some EB! Cyberpunk Red is the latest version of the popular Cyberpunk series, taking place decades after the last edition. Players try to survive in Night City as gangs, governments, and corporations all fight for dominance. What will you do in the dark to make money? Let’s do a breakdown

basics-This is a 1d10 based system. You roll a d10, add an attribute, and a skill and you are done. If that number is better than the difficulty value (DV) or higher then your opponent, you win. That’s it. Hacking, fighting, seducing, it's all 1d10+stat+skill. Slick and simple.

combat-Combat is the same as above with 1d10 + stat for initiative and each round you get a move and an action. Attacking vs defending is again 1d10+stat+skill vs 1d10+stat+skill. You will roll each time for damage and attack. You crit on a 10 and roll another 1d10 to get bonuses to hit. Beat the defender and do damage based on melee, ranged, or how much chrome cyberware you are sporting. Armor protects you but each time you take damage over its protection value, it degrades. When you take enough punishment, you gain penalties to all your rolls. Eventually you get knocked out and you need help ASAP or you die quick! Healing is slow as this is a realistic game where bullets hurt!

hacking- Hacking uses the same basics as above except your net actions are accelerated as you get multiple actions in a round if you have better gear. You also hack in/jack in physically and have to stay close unless you get dumped out and bad things happen. Once you are in, basically all computers operate like buildings with elevators. You investigate a floor and see what’s there. Black ICE and other hackers defend places, so keep your wits about you as you dig for pay data and machine controls to keep yourself alive and paid!

Ok, that's the basics of the box. Now for my thoughts.

Mechanics or Crunch- Cyberpunk is a solid game that is realistic, but maybe a bit slow. The base mechanic of roll dice, add, and done is good, but this is a combat heavy game. I like the speed that regular rolls have, but I feel that rolling to dodge slows down games like this. D & D is as heavy a combat game, but I feel that the static defence value helps with that speed. Otherwise, it's a pretty slick system where you do move quickly getting past obstacles and negotiating the dark underbelly of Night City. 4.5/5

Theme or Fluff- This book does a solid job explaining the world, but I would like a bit more for the included adventure. Night City and the world it is in feels real. You can tell this was written long ago in the long ago past of 1988 (god I am getting old!) as it has the feel of what they thought the future would be back then. The world is well built and I’m glad to see a future where Africa doesn’t take the brunt of the world going to hell. My one minor concern is the adventure that is included. I want a run where I can score money and fame. This one is more an Assault on Precinct 13. Not bad, but I wanted something else. Overall, this box portrays a solid world with only a few issues. 4.5/5

Execution- PDF? YEP! Hyperlinked? Yes! Starting strong! Overall, the layout is good, but I have some issues as some small things are left out or included in areas away from the revelivent text, like how armor degrades. It’s here but it's mentioned in one place and fully explored later. It is a quick, fun read,, but the jumpstart format always leaves a few things on the cutting room floor that are needed. I do enjoy the maps and other pieces, and the book flows well. This is a decently executed book that only has a few minor issues. 4.5/5

Summary-Overall, this is a solid introduction to the world of Cyberpunk. I am left wanting more, but I don’t hate what’s here. I want more adventures and such. The intro one is good, but not the adventure I wanted. The world is well built, and the crunch is solidly designed. I have small issues with game speed and book odds and ends, but those are minor compared to everything else. This was like a solid taster to a good meal. I want more, and I look forward to the whole meal. I like Cyberpunk, and I can’t wait to play and see some more Cyberpunk Red! 90%

It is fitting that a steampunk inspired game by the writer of Cyberpunk can be both ahead of its time literally and figuratively. Buy this if you want to see how a game and its lore can be raised to the level of art.

A handy little introduction to the game, logically presented with some gorgeous illustrations to whet the appetite for the main book. It does leave you wanting more, though. I only lasted a week before caving in and shelling out the extra cash for the full version.

Great map. Wonderful quality. Can be used with any cyberpunk/near-future/sci-fi setting or system.

I also recommend the Night City Sourcebook, Sprawl Sites (from Shadowrun) and Augmented Reality for a good collection of cyberpunk essentials.

This does a great job of stripping away a lot of the crunch of a fairly advanced system to make is still very deep and meaningful but easy to follow for new player's and referee's alike.

For people new to both TTRPG's and Cyberpunk this is an axcellent game to have. There is plenty of foundation for veterans to add their own stuff in too.

I think this is a great balance, especially for all the new players who are getting this book as it is streamlined from previous editions and easier to run. Which is great for the hobby as it helps ensure new players enjoy the game and stick around to play!

The overall quality is excellent and it was definitely worth the wait.