Editing Cyberpunk (role-playing game) (section)

==System==
The rules of ''Cyberpunk'' are built on R. Talsorian's [[Interlock System|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. A player takes the value of their most appropriate character attribute, adds the values of any relevant skills or modifiers, and then finally adds the value of a ten-sided die roll. In order to succeed, they must beat the Difficulty Value assigned to the task by the [[gamemaster]]. ''Cyberpunk'' was one of the first tabletop games to use this concept.<ref name="cp2020meeple" />

===Character creation===
As cyberpunks, the players embrace body modification, cybertech and bioengineering. They live by four tenets:
# Style over substance.
# Attitude is everything.
# Always take it to the Edge.
# (Break) the rules.<ref name="cp2020meeple">{{cite web |url=https://www.meeplemountain.com/reviews/cyberpunk-2020-retro-attitude-modern-relevance/ |title=Welcome to the first article of Retro RPG Reviews! |last=Gibson |first=Than |date=March 28, 2018 |website=Meeple Mountain |access-date=May 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200513134121/https://www.meeplemountain.com/reviews/cyberpunk-2020-retro-attitude-modern-relevance/ |archive-date=May 13, 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

There are ten key roles, each with their own special abilities. These include charismatic musicians ('rockerboys'), bodyguards and assassins ('solos'), computer hackers ('netrunners'), road warriors ('nomads'), street experts ('fixers'), investigative journalists and reporters ('medias'), mechanics ('techs' or 'techies'), doctors ('medtechs'), corporate executives ('corpos'), and police officers ('lawmen').<ref name="cproles">{{cite web |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/news/cyberpunk-red-lifepath-medtech-reveal |title=Here's an exclusive first look at character creation, abilities, Lifepaths and the new Medtech role in the Cyberpunk Red tabletop RPG |last=Elsam |first=Sara |date=March 5, 2020 |website=Dicebreaker |access-date=May 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200713191725/https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/news/cyberpunk-red-lifepath-medtech-reveal |archive-date=July 13, 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A choice of rules are provided for character creation, either by assigning points to purchase skills or by rolling [[Pentagonal trapezohedron|d10s]] for a more random outcome. A system called Lifepath is provided to develop each character further, by generating goals, motivations, and events from their past. Finally, they gain money, cyberware, weapons and other equipment, including fashion and lifestyle goods.<ref name="cproles" /><ref name=dragon149 />

Further character development is skill-based rather than [[Experience level|level]]-based; for successful play, players are awarded points to be spent on improving their characters' skill sets.

===Combat===
The combat system is called Friday Night Firefight (FNFF), and emphasizes lethality. Unlike role-playing systems where characters amass hit points as they progress, allowing them to survive higher amounts of combat damage, the amount of damage a character can sustain in ''Cyberpunk'' does not generally increase as the character develops.

Each round, characters are permitted to take one move action and one other action. There are rules governing the use of autofire, armor, and cover, including specific instructions for using people as shields. Alternative ammunition types for weapons are available, for example a shotgun can be fired with buckshot instead of slugs. Character skills can be used to improve both ranged and melee combat.<ref name="blackgatecpred">{{cite web|url=https://www.blackgate.com/cyberpunk-red-style-and-substance/|title=Cyberpunk Red: Style and Substance|last=Kanouse|first=Patrick|date=December 14, 2020|website=Black Gate|access-date=December 15, 2020|archive-date=December 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215120027/https://www.blackgate.com/cyberpunk-red-style-and-substance/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Additionally, there are rules covering other forms of damage such as drowning and asphyxiation, electrocution, and being set on fire.

===Netrunning===
There are also rules for cybernetic hacking, called Netrunning. When characters "jack in", they can interpret the [[cyberspace|NET]] in several different ways, including as a classic ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' maze, or perhaps as a star-filled galaxy.

Netrunners engage in the virtual world with interface plugs, ''cyberdecks'', and the Interface special ability. Cyberdecks include slots to contain Programs, selected ahead of time by Netrunners to assist in tasks such as evasion, decryption and detection. Combat and other actions in the NET are fast, taking place second-by-second, as opposed to three second combat rounds in the physical world.<ref name="cp2020rpgnet">{{cite web |url=https://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/15/15106.phtml |title=Review of Cyberpunk 2020 |last=Lafayette |first=Lev |date=December 31, 2010 |website=RPGnet |access-date=May 25, 2020 |archive-date=March 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240306201254/https://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/15/15106.phtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

The destruction of the global NET in later editions of ''Cyberpunk'' turns the attention of Netrunners to local private networks. The effect on gameplay is that Netrunning is no longer a remote activity; Netrunners are embedded within their team and, with equipment such as ''[[augmented reality|virtuality goggles]],'' can alternate their actions between both physical and virtual space. Closer integration with other activities was a game design choice to ensure all characters have a part to play during a hacking scene.<ref name="cpjumpstartgn">{{cite web |url=https://www.geeknative.com/67697/review-cyberpunk-red-jumpstart/ |title=So, you wanna be a cyberpunk? A review of the Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit |last=Girdwood |first=Andrew |date=July 23, 2019 |website=Geek Native |access-date=May 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200714152756/https://www.geeknative.com/67697/review-cyberpunk-red-jumpstart/ |archive-date=July 14, 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Empathy and cyberpsychosis===
The acquisition of cyberware—cyberweapons, cyberoptics and other implants—carries a Humanity Cost.
Every ten points of Humanity Cost causes the loss of an Empathy point, the character attribute that measures how well they relate to other people.
An Empathy level of zero represents a complete loss of humanity, a state known as cyberpsychosis; in the case of players, their character becomes a [[non-player character]] controlled by the gamemaster.<ref name="cp2020meeple" />