Cyberpunk Red RPG Rulebook Breakdown Made Easy

[@XPLovecat]

What challenges have you run into with Cyberpunk Red?

[@jupiterrising887]

Personally I think the biggest challenge is just adjusting to the setting. You really need to know your stuff if you want to run this game, since the world of Cyberpunk focuses on immersion, and if you aren't able to sell those details and differences you won't be able to really deliver the full Cyberpunk experience for your players.

[@XPLovecat]

@@jupiterrising887 This is sooo true. Immersion is a huge part of cyberpunk so the GM has to be extra knowledgeable on the lore and setting to really deliver what was meant from the game

[@Borktholemview]

@@jupiterrising887 that's interesting because I actually chose to take it out of the world of the books and I made my own worlds(a solar system) and let my players design their home planets and we had a lot more fun just making a crazy absurd and violent universe of our own

[@franktaylor7978]

I just bought the starter kit. Am completely lost.

[@silkaverage]

@@jupiterrising887 I agree, there's a slightly chunky lore drop involved with starting CP RED, an hour on the CP wiki is time well spent imho.

[@simonfernandes6809]

I played Cyberpunk 2020 back in 1990 - we had a blacklight and wore mirror shades. A huge blast! Back then 2020 was a dark future of the real world. These days Cyberpunk Red is an alternative reality and THAT'S the hardest sell to players.

[@XPLovecat]

That's such a great point! It can be tough to get the immersion and setting right.

[@RealDogDad]

I spent about 2 sessions letting the players 'build' their view of Night City. They chose a bar name, helped describe some of the big names and gangs. We even went so far as to create an overworld activity that players can choose to respond to. I think CpR sells itself, we as GM just need to build in that autonomy of choice.

[@petezthegangsta4750]

I don’t know the year 2045 in Cyberpunk Red doesn’t look all that crazy as a possible future.

[@bot4hire202]

@@petezthegangsta4750 ON GOD BRO. People be talkin about CP2077 like we don’t already have massive conglomerates that pay massive sums of money to change the very laws that keep them in check.

[@rodneykelly8768]

I have been collecting Cyberpunk Red figures. They are produced by the Monster Fight Club, and are of good quality. The archetype characters are available, as are "children," (the eight year old with a M202A1 looks only slightly unbelievable.) The size of the figures are equivalent to WarHammer 40K/Necromunda. The Monster Fight Club also produces urban terrain, but it looks more CoC than Cyberpunk. I’ll tell you how they compare to the Altered Carbon figures when I get them, (they’ll be shipped when the “Hello Unicorn” bag is finished.)

[@XPLovecat]

Those figures look beautiful. I loved the one in their gallery with the cat ears, Blades! Also, Altered Carbon looked cool when I saw it a few months ago. Have you had a chance to look at the rulebook? I wondered if you thought it looked like a fun system.

[@rodneykelly8768]

@@XPLovecat I'm sorry. I didn't notice you reply until now. The system is interesting. They use a system where, as the character gains skill, the dice get larger. 1d4 through 1d12. The main problem is that "Altered Cardon" feels like just another "Cyberpunk." The thing that made Altered Cardon different from Cyberpunk is the Elder Civilization know colloquially as "The Martians." In the stories, the elders seem to be just bellow the surface; making human society feel like a house built on a burial mound. While in the game, they barely get a mention. The figures are very nice. Their only problem is that they are 40mm. Because they were a limited run, there won't be any more. The only game I could find that had minis that size was "Rumbleslam," by TTCombat.

[@willtijerina5149]

Excellent breakdown. Very useful jump off point for getting started. Would love to see more videos going over specific sections such as character creation and combat. Thank you.

[@XPLovecat]

Thanks for your feedback. A character creation video is in the works and I will add combat to the list!

[@KoryLunaa]

*Timestamps* *Lore* Page 22-23 is an introduction to Tabletop RPGs in general (2:20) View from the Edge (2:01) Welcome to the Dark Future, timeline of the world (7:10) The Time of the Red (7:22) - Inspiration for writing your own stories - Major Corporations (Corpos) *History of the City | Welcome to Night City (**7:34**)* - Key Landmarks - Different Zones - Map of Night City - Notable People - Notable Gangs *_Skip to Page 295 for Current day city information_* *Everyday Life (**8:05**)* - Crime - Punishment - Transportation - Food - Media - Rent *New Street Economy, equipment (**8:20**)* *_Starting at Page 340 is the full list of equipment (weapons, ammo, armor, gear, clothing, drugs, cyberware, housing, etc.)_* - History of the economy - How best to make a living based on the role you picked *Character Creation* - How Character Sheet is laid out, what to look for in Character Creation | Pg.120 (2:34) *How to Soul and the Machine (**2:55**)* - Roleplaying Tips, The 10 roles (their story), 3 different character creation methods | - The 10 roles mechanics Page 142 *Tales on the Street (**3:33**)* - How to make your lifepath (a guided backstory) *Fitted for the Future (**3:56**)* _Reccomended to work through as your making your character)_ - Skills, Stats, fashion, gear - Overview of weapons, armor Netrunning | Hacking (6:13) _If your playing Netrunner_ Putting the Cyber into the Punk (4:21) Cyberware *GM Guidance* - Running Cyberpunk, how to structure the game (8:43) - Improvement Points (Experience and Level up basically) - Stats for Enemies *Screamsheets, newspapers (**9:20**)* Not recommended for players to read because GM might use them *Story* *_Reminder that the game is set during 2045_* Never Fade Away, 2013 (1:31) The Fall of the Towers, 2022 4:45 Black Dog, 2045 (9:32) *Core Rules* *_Most things work off of_* *Roll of d10 + Stat + Skill* *Getting it Done (**4:50**)* *_How to play the game in general_* In-depth explanation on how dices are used (called d10 system) - Different measurements - Overview of Combat *(**5:10**) Describing your proficiency in a skill depending on how much you did or didn't invest in it* *Hacking | Netrunning (**6:13**)* For GM, Recommend to add it later Here if you pick Netrunner *Trauma Team (**6:26**)* *_Health System_* - Taking damage - In-depth on Trauma Team (Combat Paramedics) - Drugs - Traumas - Therapy *(**6:50**) Cyberpsychosis,* going insane from too much Cybernetics (Deep dive this as a GM for PC Consequences *Friday Night Firefight (**5:41**)* *_In depth look at combat_* - Initiative - Actions - Armor - Vehicle Combat

[@XPLovecat]

Wow. You are the best, thank you

[@JayHay63]

Super helpful! Thanks to the both of you!! :D

[@EdwardCullenBby]

OH MY GOD THANK YOU 😭😭 I’ve just gotten into the TTRPG world and these books are so overwhelming and hard to navigate. Your video makes my heart so happy. THANK YOU❤❤

[@WookieeRage]

Just picking up the game now. Thanks for the overview!

[@hanng1242]

I'm just glad that the Mr. Studd survived into this edition.

[@Karajorma]

I'm about 3 sessions in to a Cyberpunk campaign with friends and this was a really nice video on the book (which I end up flicking back and forth through desperately trying to find the detail I read a month or two ago while all the players try to tell me what they want to do). This should help a lot. I think there are two major (related) challenges for me. First, Cyberpunk is all about immersion, but since the setting is so near in the future (only 20 or so years from now) everyone has a good idea how things work and how much things cost. Which makes it important to get the little differences right otherwise it feels like the game is just happening in a messed up version of New York rather than a dark dystopian future. The second challenge is that since the scope is smaller, you can't make the players lift their heads from the small stuff to look at the big picture. There is no big picture. While 4th level D&D characters might be part of a campaign where the eventual goal is to save the world, in Cyberpunk the goal is to survive till next month, to pay your rent and to maybe make enough money to not have to eat kibble again. That's great, but it pushes you hard back into the immersion again. That said, I'm loving it so far.

[@XPLovecat]

Both great points! The little details definitely make a difference. As far as the bigger picture, I think there is opportunity for campaigns with larger stories to be played in Cyberpunk Red, maybe that could help players work both to survive and to achieve a larger goal. Maybe something like solving some interconnected crimes that all lead back to a gang that your players are tasked with eventually eliminating. Or teaming up against a major corporation to take them down.

[@Karajorma]

@@XPLovecat Oh you can definitely do it, but it's nowhere near the ease of D&D. The fact that the GM of a D&D game needs to plonk down bigger and bigger monsters each session means that the threat to the world instead of just the players almost writes itself. And it's pretty easy to come up with a reason why it's the PCs who have to kill the dragon rather than say the town guard. In Cyberpunk its harder to come up with a reason why its the edgerunners who have to save the world, why someone else can't do it. I'm not saying that it can't be done, just that any reasons you come up with are going to need to be personal to the character and are going to need a deeper understanding of the world than you could get away with in D&D. It's definitely a challenge, but it's one I'm enjoying so far.

[@grenadierhaast]

Looking forward to my first game!

[@Ryanironwolf]

Great video. I love both games and am always interested in more vids on either. Thank you for making them!

[@XPLovecat]

That's great to hear, thanks for watrching!

[@derekjefferson6485]

Dnd 5e was my first ttrpg and I got into cyberpunk through edgerunners and 2077. In love with the universe and am so excited to get into cyberpunk ttrpgs

[@K_i_t_t_y84]

This is so helpful, thank you so much. Also side note, your curls are AMAZING ♥

[@arthurviani1278]

Your videos are so good! Well written, you are easy to understand, not boring at all, have great personality and also has great speech skills.

[@sith7183]

I'm currently reading this book. Hoping to run this with my group once I finish reading.

[@joshuachambers9302]

This video is a life saver 🙏, clear, concise and makes sense of the rulebook. You've saved me hours if scouring the rulebook.

[@XPLovecat]

That's awesome to hear. I hope it makes Red easier to get into!

[@CptnHammer1]

played my first game yesterday, now I'm consuming everything about this. this could be a dnd killer imo

[@XPLovecat]

I'm so glad you had a great time playing! I just love the setting, it's really unique and lends itself well to campaign play.

[@paulll47]

I've been asked by a friend to play cyberpunk red, what little experience I have is on Chronicles of darkness so from what my friend told me and based on this video, I guess its more about the day to day lives of the characters instead of the more focused storyteller system of WoD and nWoD, I'm cool with this since it looks interesting.

[@XPLovecat]

Exactly! I think Cyberpunk Red is best played with a focus on immersion into the world for the players. How do they find enough eurobucks to pay their rent? And what interesting characters and gangs do they meet along the way?

[@JD-fz2wd]

Just discovered this vid! I greatly enjoyed it! I’m a pretty big cyberpunk fan and look forward to watching your other videos

[@XPLovecat]

So glad you like it, thanks for watching!

[@WhatsUpGazpacho]

I played my first game last night and it was really interesting. I really like the setting and can't wait to get my hands on those lovely eurobucks to buy sexy cyber clothing options for my Rockerboy Forty from the starter set

[@XPLovecat]

Yay! Welcome to the time of the red choomba!

[@WhatsUpGazpacho]

@@XPLovecat What is choomba? I keep seeing it everywhere. Is it money? Status? XP?

[@XPLovecat]

It is slang for friend in Cyberpunk Red :) Check out pg. 24&25 in the rulebook for more!

[@WhatsUpGazpacho]

@@XPLovecat Oh I see. Well I only just played one session so I'm not going to rush out and buy that hefty book just yet, but never say never

[@kevinbirge2130]

Never mind video games. Cyberpunk is meant to be played live with books and dice.

[@jupiterrising887]

Really helpful guide, thanks a lot.

[@tys9610]

Aside from reading the book maybe look into cyberpunk 2020 stuff for lore but if you have a next gen system or pc play cyberpunk 2077 it'll help you set tone and describe areas of night city

[@XPLovecat]

This is a great recommendation!

[@ShoutingLivingroomActress]

Great video. This is so hard game to understad 😬. I have only played DnD and Call of Cutulhu before.

[@XPLovecat]

Yep, Cyberpunk Red is definitely a different animal so it can take time to get used to the rules. I hope you get the chance to try it out and thanks for watching!

[@ShoutingLivingroomActress]

@@XPLovecat We are starting our game right now. 🐱

[@Henbot]

Be interesting to hear how the vehicle combat works

[@TheMerik26]

Thanks for the great explanation!

[@dataworld44]

Great video! Looking fwd to more videos for newbies choombas of cyberpunk red 😊

[@cantandwont6636]

Me and 2 friends just picked it up and as a dm coming from dnd 5e I really like the lvl up mechanic rewarding active play and paying attention (I have had a problem player in one camapaing) also I recognize two of the arts in the background, they both have been used in Arkham horror the card game one is a mystic card the other is I think one of the ooze related ones for that one shot story called what “the ooze that are everything”

[@XPLovecat]

Yes! The art in the background is from the Arkham Horror The Card Game pre-order!

[@HeroQuestFans]

3:20... the jump start kit is our first real rpg... 5:40 , 8:49 ... helpful

[@roosajarvinen5698]

Trauma team is basically and ambulance. If ambulance operators had machine guns and only serve you if you're pre paid

[@Godhand888]

Thanks for the awesome breakdown

[@XPLovecat]

Thanks for watching!

[@renan6236]

It helped me a lot, thank you

[@XPLovecat]

Yay! So glad to hear it helped.

[@alkaponer1995]

Great bitesized video. Thanks

[@dariofilidei8228]

Hey hello i Just found your YT channel shared by the great JonJon The Wise! I just loved your GM advices on mooks and cyberpsichosis! I think that around the net theres no real tutorial to convert CP 2020 NPC to CP Red. I think it will be really usefull to do a video for that! Thanks in advance !

[@XPLovecat]

Great suggestion and thanks for watching!

[@diedoktor]

This is a great video, but unfortunately wasn't what I was looking for. I'm hoping you've made a video that would be a good intro I can send to my players but they're not going to read the rules. I'm basically going to explain the rules as we go along with them having only read the role rules and easy mode rules.

[@digitalmoonbooks]

great review, thanks

[@XPLovecat]

Thanks for watching!

[@pokemonmasterbj9784]

Praise the ALGORITHM!

[@BINKSGAMING]

Quick question. So when you do damage to someone the armor takes so much of the damage and then the rest comes off of hp. But say I do 12 dmg to an armor with 11sp, is that armor completely gone or so is it still 11 after the attack.

[@rockettp9958]

It gets knocked down a sp so the armor goes from 11 to 10, until you repair it.

[@BINKSGAMING]

@@rockettp9958 thank you

[@mattkomlofske8912]

I'm a musician, so Rockerboy was my role of choice.

[@XPLovecat]

Love this. I am a hobbyist musician so I was attracted to the Rockerboy role as well. What instruments/genres do you play?

[@mattkomlofske8912]

@@XPLovecat I play keyboard and drums, and produce my own music.

[@XPLovecat]

@@mattkomlofske8912 Amazing!

[@mattkomlofske8912]

@@XPLovecat Thanks!!

[@chriskirby9408]

Cyberpunk red? Is this a CoC module I haven't heard about?

[@XPLovecat]

Don't worry, I have plenty of CoC content on the way!

[@Eyeslayer]

oh god another rulebook that is terribly put together i was hoping only world of darkness did that.

[@terrorist_nousagi8747]

It is hard to sell a alternate reality to my players, especially one so "political" as cyberpunk (At least for liberals) What I did was creating a whole new world based on the ideas of Red. I feel like I did something heretic to the Cyberpunk idea of a dystopian future but well, the sessions we had did run well. Your video was incredibly helpful. I couldn't GM this setting without this

[@XPLovecat]

ooohhhh...I'd be super interested to hear more about your new world. What major changes did you make from the red setting?

[@TheLumpyShield]

I can tell you're reading from a script. Your dialogue feels robotic and unnatural.

[@ArrowsInTheMoon]

OK would you rather she just rambled on and lost track or are you going to start paying for her to increase production value? I thought not so maybe just pack it in and learn to be nice to people who make you videos for free.