From: ecrjbruce@economics.adelaide.edu.au
Newsgroups: rec.games.cyber
Subject: Re: Fixes for Cyberpunk 2020
Date: 14 Sep 92 04:40:26 GMT
Organization: Economics, University of Adelaide
Content-Type: text
Archive-Name: rgc607
Content-Length: 7068

In article <1992Sep14.021018.18835@Veritas.COM>, dhoberma@pearl.tufts.edu writes:
> SUBJECT: RTG 2020 Fixes
> 
> This file was produced by the efforts and playtesting of two individuals.
> 	David "Dobie" dhoberma@pearl.tufts.edu
> 	Phil "Doc Mnemonic" U95_Pnadeau@vaxa.stevens-tech.edu
 
 
> First I usually limit starting specialty skills to +6 unless the player can
> give me a very good reason not to. This leaves room for improvement, and
> prevents the Solo with a handgun of +8 and a combat sense of +8.

I just started my campaign.  Rules for career skills were +2 in everything with
20 points to spend.  This way you get good distribution through all the skills
a certain class should have.  Also I allowed 1 skill at +6, 2 at +5 and the
rest as whatever.


> Metal Gear: 5000+eb. 


heh heh, my Solo hates you, my GM streak loves you....

> 
> Costs for most weapons are fine. Restrict or disallow most starting heavy weaps
> (remember that concealment factor! let 'em buy it and say "Gee..how you going
> to get that back to your apartment?"

Last night one of my solo players startedcarrying an assault rifle around in
what was essentially a large dufflebag.  The party met 4 lace addicts as a
random encounter (love those tables when they start thinking too much....) and
he went for it.  I told him OK that takes you 3 rounds (I figured 10 seconds
was reasonable).  By the time this emp3 guy had his weapon out the addicts were
all dead!  An assault rifle is not a weapon of convenience.  If you want auto
firepower in a city then get SMG and skills - that's the only advantage smg's
have- concealability.

> 
> <You should give the players an idea of just how hard it is to get ahold of
> really big things anyway. In Shadowrun they did this by dividing the catalog
> into two parts...the legal part and the "secure" part, where they stuffed
> all the fully auto stuff, heavy weapons, and "For Law Enforcement Use Only"
> type of devices. Do that to the chromebook. Make a list of things that the
> players can get on the street or from specialty mail order and give them ONLY
> that sheet. Then write down everything else and make it available only to the
> military types and ESWAT cops (and have them make a professional ass-kissing
> roll) for it. By NO means should the characters get to carry around an HE
> Wrist Racate unless he is a Psycho Squad cop on duty. Maybe you can allow
> characters with a military background to pick ONE sick weapon, and not a
> heavy wepon, but maybe an assault rifle, and buy that.>
> 

Who cares just as long a the cops and the enemy NPC's outgun them!  Hey isn't
that the Cyberpunk way?

> Armor layering rules.  

CP doesn't adjust well to vehicles in any event.  Essentially it's a manpowered
game.

> <Armor doesn't hinder movement if you're used to it. Try this: Maximum of two
> layers on the torso and one layer on the limbs. Skin weave and other cyber
> implant plating (like cowls) don't count towards the limit. So
> you could have a trenchcoat and t-shirt (and maybe pants) but not a trenchcoat
> and jacket. Exception: Metal Gear+Anything Else is right OUT. Exception to the
> Exception: Metal Gear plus Skin Weave is still okay. If you are willing to pay
> that much money (over $10000 euro in all) then you deserve to be invulnerable.

No way then you bring out the bazooka's.....

> Remember that it will take your players most of a game year to save this much
> money. Don't restrict them TOO Much.

Garbage (with a huge smiley).  Resrict them as much as you can.  I told my guys
to add 1 to all values for ref loss.  If they layer armour then total the ref
loss and multiply it by the nimber of layers.  eg Leathers plus flack jacket.
>From memory this is ref loss 0 and 1 (flak jacket = vest).  Ref loss become 1
and 2 for a total of 3.  They have 2 layers so total loss is 6!!  That'll make
em think.....

> 	A jacket, t-shirt, and pants would probably be the best, most
> realistic, and least noticeable combination, and wouldn't really hinder REF.

Ever worn this stuff?  Even a flack jacket is very encumbering hence costing
ref.

 
> 	So to reiterate: Armor does not make you clumsy. It WILL slow you down
> if it is too heavy for you to carry, or if you try to do backflips in full
> plate. For things like manual dexterity, guns, driving, and just about any
> other non-athletic task, YOUR REF SHOULD STAY THE SAME. This is the realistic
> approach to armor, and therefore more complicated. But just ask any expert on
> medieval plate armor, or on modern body armor, or the SJG technical staff. They
> will back me up on this.>

Not my own experience.  I hate the stuff but appreciate it is neccesary.  This
makes it a trade off the players must decide on.

>                     
> If you let HE ammo into a normal CP run..caveat emptor.

Hey only if they get it off the bad guys!!  And the bad guys play to kill too
don't they....
 
> Keep track of Movement rates. Too many players think it is a useless stat.
> Use it to show them it isnt.

Does anyone not do this?  When you're running from that vat grown assassin it
suddenly becomes important.

If you really want it to be vital put them in real time simulations.  eg last
night the team broke into a warehouse to recover a secret New Classic Coke
formula to pay off coke for a favour they needed doing.  They broke in but
triggered an alarm (they used the 2 electronic cards they found obviously on
the guard.  One of the solo's came up about 1 second later and said "hey look
what I found, another card, but this one was concealed on him"(the guard)" 
Quick glance from techie to fixer, grimaces, GM ruling "you can expect the cops
in 5 mins of REAL TIME!).  They then had toirun through the warehouse etc. MA
became very important and they were running from the exit just as the cops came
down the alley.  A newsflash  that evening showing the fixer (no stealth skill)
sprinting away from the scene.....


> Use attractiveness. same reason.

I love this man!!  Ugly paople get very negative reactions, sad but true.

> 
> <I approve.>
> 
> Rules for stun shock\body saves for hulks with body over 10.
> Roll a d10. If it is a 10, roll again. Pray to get below the remainder of your
> Body. (ex.. BD of 12. Rolls a 10. Roll again. Rolls a 1. safe. If he had 
> rolled a 3 he would be in sorry shape (failure))

I thought this was standard.  In the lace confrontation mentioned above the
rockerboy (bod 12) took a hit in the leg, all but 1 point absorbed.  "Roll stun 
0 Greg". <rolls> "oh sh*t, 10" <rolls again> "3 I don't believe it!!"
"OK the rockerboy goes out cold at the sight of his own blood..."
 
> Netrunning. Keep it simple. Try to keep it integrated so that the other 
> players aren't bored. Either keep it short or alternate..switching scenes
> every five minutes [Meanwhile...back at the lab..]

Throw out the class, as no-one else can interact and it gets mucho boring. 
Have NPC's do the work where needed, esides this gives you more control over
the flow of information....

I like your attitude dude!!

Regs

Rob