Editing Cyberpunk (role-playing game) (section)

==History==
[[File:Mike Pondsmith, Gamelab 2017 (35483365351) cropped.jpg|thumb|left|The game was designed by [[Mike Pondsmith]] (pictured in 2017).|alt=A 2017 photograph of Mike Pondsmith]]

''Cyberpunk'' was designed by Mike Pondsmith as an attempt to replicate the gritty realism of 1980s cyberpunk science fiction. In particular, [[Walter Jon Williams]]' novel ''[[Hardwired (novel)|Hardwired]]'' was an inspiration, and Williams helped playtest the game. Another key influence was the film ''[[Blade Runner]]''. Many also assume [[William Gibson]]'s ''[[Neuromancer]]'' was an influence; however, Pondsmith did not read the novel until a later date.<ref name="cpinfluence">{{cite web |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/feature/cyberpunk-red-rpg-almost-killed-us-mike-pondsmith-interview |title='Making Cyberpunk Red almost killed us': Mike Pondsmith on the return of the tabletop RPG, catching up with 2020's future and Cyberpunk 2077 |last=Allison |first=Peter Ray |date=February 26, 2020 |website=Dicebreaker |access-date=May 23, 2020 |quote=Although many assume William Gibson’s Neuromancer was a source of inspiration for Cyberpunk, it was only much later that Pondsmith read Gibson’s groundbreaking novel. Instead, the designer cites his own key reference points for the game as the film Blade Runner and the novel Hardwired by Walter John Williams, who also helped playtest the RPG. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200713191348/https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/feature/cyberpunk-red-rpg-almost-killed-us-mike-pondsmith-interview |archive-date=July 13, 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Other sources included the film ''[[Streets of Fire]]'' and the anime ''[[Bubblegum Crisis]]''.

===First edition===
{{anchor|Cyberpunk V1.0|Cyberpunk V1|Cyberpunk 2013|First Edition|2013}}
The original version of ''Cyberpunk'' was published in 1988 by R. Talsorian Games. The game components of the boxed set consist of a 44-page ''Handbook'', a 38-page ''Sourcebook'', a 20-page ''Combat Book'', four pages of game aids and two ten-sided dice.<ref name=dragon149 />

A number of rules supplements were subsequently published in 1989:
* ''[[Rockerboy]]'' (sourcebook for the Rockerboy character class)
* ''[[Solo of Fortune]]'' (sourcebook for the Solo character class)
* ''[[Hardwired: The Sourcebook|Hardwired]]'' (based on the Walter Jon Williams novel)
* ''[[Near Orbit|Near Orbit: Space Supplement]]'' (with rules for space travel)

This edition of the game retroactively became known as '''''Cyberpunk 2013'''''.

===Second edition: ''Cyberpunk 2020''===
{{anchor|Cyberpunk V2.0|Cyberpunk V2|Cyberpunk 2020|Second Edition|2020}}
In 1990, R. Talsorian Games released the second edition of the game, titled ''Cyberpunk 2020'', which featured updated rules for combat, Netrunning, and character generation. The game's timeline was also [[retcon]]ned to accommodate the [[German reunification]] in 1990. It was released as a boxed set that contained a 222-page softcover book, and a 24-page reference guide and adventure.<ref name="cp2020box">{{cite web |url=https://waynesbooks.games/2019/06/16/cyberpunk-2020-box-set-1990/ |title=Cyberpunk 2020 box set (1990) |author=Wayne’s Books |date=June 16, 2019 |website=Wayne’s Books |access-date=March 9, 2021 |archive-date=April 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427003628/https://waynesbooks.games/2019/06/16/cyberpunk-2020-box-set-1990/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

R. Talsorian Games released two revised versions: ''Cyberpunk 2020 version 2.00'' (1992), and ''Cyberpunk 2020 version 2.01'' (1993).

A total of 28 rules supplements and sourcebooks, and 6 adventures were also published by R. Talsorian Games between 1993 and 1996. In addition, [[Atlas Games]] published twelve adventures under license between 1991 and 1994.<ref name="cp2020boooklist">{{cite web |url=https://datafortress2020.com/booklist.html |title=The Master Books List for Cyberpunk 2020 and All Things Related |author=Deric Bernier |date=July 22, 2016 |website=Datafortress 2020 |access-date=March 9, 2021 |archive-date=March 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304180508/https://datafortress2020.com/booklist.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Dream Pod 9]] released ''Night's Edge'' in 1992, taking the ''Cyberpunk 2020'' setting and adding a horror theme, including vampires and werewolves. Dream Pod 9 published ten other supplements and adventures in this setting between 1992 and 1995.

An [[alternate world]] sourcebook, ''[[Cybergeneration]]'', was published in 1993; it centers around teenagers with unusual, superhuman skills gained from a [[nanotech]] virus epidemic. The first version of ''Cybergeneration'' required the ''Cyberpunk 2020'' rulebook, but a second version became a standalone game.

Two ''Cyberpunk 2020'' novels were published, in 1995 and 1996.<ref name="cp2020novels">{{cite web |url=https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/stephen-billias/cyberpunk-2020/ |title=Stephen Billias's Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0. books in order |website=Fantastic Fiction |access-date=March 20, 2021 |archive-date=April 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427003628/https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/stephen-billias/cyberpunk-2020/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Third edition: ''Cyberpunk V3.0''===
{{anchor|Cyberpunk V3.0|Cyberpunk V3|Cyberpunk 2030s|Cyberpunk 2030|Third Edition|2030|2030s}}
''Cyberpunk V3.0'' is set in the 2030s, and was published in 2005. It takes ''Cyberpunk'' into a [[transhumanist]] setting in the aftermath of a fourth Corporate War. The global NET has been corrupted and rendered unusable, as has much hardcopied data, throwing human history into doubt. Six new subcultures have emerged, known as Altcults; one such group are the Edgerunners, successors to the cyberpunks of previous editions.<ref name="cpv3rpgnet">{{cite web |url=https://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/14/14681.phtml |title=Review of Cyberpunk v3 |last=Cowen |first=Richard |date=February 1, 2010 |website=RPGnet |access-date=May 16, 2020 |quote=See, ''Cyberpunk v3.0'' isn’t actually a cyberpunk setting, in the same sense that the previous editions where. It’s more or less a post-human setting these days. And that’s where the setting falls apart. You see, ''v3.0'' can’t decide what it wants to be, and exemplifies its inability to decide by splitting society into six ‘alt-cults’, each latching onto a particular ideology... |archive-date=April 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427003636/https://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/14/14681.phtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

The third edition uses the [[Fuzion]] game system, rather than [[Interlock System|Interlock]]. The artwork in the book used photographs of [[action figures]] and toys instead of hand-drawn art like in previous editions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Thorough and Objective Review [Cyberpunk v3.0] {{!}} Cyberpunk V3.0 |url=https://rpggeek.com/thread/664758/thorough-and-objective-review-cyberpunk-v30 |access-date=September 27, 2022 |website=BoardGameGeek |language=en-US |quote=Most of the images are pictures of 80s and 90s toy action figurines with modifications trying to make them look futuristic. |archive-date=March 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307101319/https://rpggeek.com/thread/664758/thorough-and-objective-review-cyberpunk-v30 |url-status=live }}</ref> Both the change of setting and the artwork within the book received negative criticism.<ref name="cpv3bgg">{{cite web |url=https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/664758/thorough-and-objective-review-cyberpunk-v30 |title=A Thorough and Objective Review [Cyberpunk v3.0] |author=Peter |date=June 16, 2011 |website=BoardGameGeek |access-date=May 16, 2020 |quote=On a personal level, Cyberpunk v3.0 was a let down on every level. The art, rules, setting, even the system wasn’t used to its full potential in my opinion... |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200713155455/https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/664758/thorough-and-objective-review-cyberpunk-v30 |archive-date=July 13, 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

From 2007 to 2008, two sourcebooks were published to accompany this edition.

===Fourth edition: ''Cyberpunk Red''===
{{anchor|Cyberpunk V4.0|Cyberpunk V4|Cyberpunk 2045|Fourth Edition|Cyberpunk Red|Red}}
The fourth edition of ''Cyberpunk'', titled ''Cyberpunk Red'', is set in 2045, following the events of ''Cyberpunk 2020'' and serving as a prequel to the video game ''[[Cyberpunk 2077]]''.<ref name="cp2077prequel">{{cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/6/24/18715900/cyberpunk-2077-prequel-red-tabletop-rpg-game-price-release-date|title=Cyberpunk 2077 prequel, a tabletop RPG starter kit, will be out this August|last=Hall|first=Charlie|date=June 24, 2019|website=Polygon|access-date=July 20, 2019|archive-date=March 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200330121305/https://www.polygon.com/2019/6/24/18715900/cyberpunk-2077-prequel-red-tabletop-rpg-game-price-release-date|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="cpred2045">{{cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/reviews/2019/8/7/20756548/cyberpunk-red-jumpstart-kit-review-2077-prequel|title=Cyberpunk Red review: This pen-and-paper game is the key to understanding Cyberpunk 2077|last=Hall|first=Charlie|date=August 7, 2019|website=Polygon|access-date=May 16, 2020|quote=The year is 2045, and CD Projekt’s next game doesn’t kick off for another 32 years. It’s an awful lot of space to fill, and I’m looking forward to getting on with it.|archive-date=August 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807163515/https://www.polygon.com/reviews/2019/8/7/20756548/cyberpunk-red-jumpstart-kit-review-2077-prequel|url-status=live}}</ref> The game is set after a fourth Corporate War; however, the events differ from ''Cyberpunk V3.0'', which is considered to be a separate timeline.<ref name="cp2077timeline">{{cite web|url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/cyberpunk-2077-same-timeline-tabletop-game/|title=Cyberpunk 2077 Shares Same Timeline With the Tabletop Game, Says Mike Pondsmith|last=Garrett|first=Eric|date=May 12, 2019|website=ComicBook.com|access-date=May 16, 2020|quote=... Pondsmith himself cleared the air surrounding the subject, noting how there has been an interview going around the Internet that is not correct. "There's still an incorrect interview floating around the interwebs that states that ''Cyberpunk 2077'' and ''Cyberpunk 2020'' are separate timelines," he said. "To clear this up, I am posting RIGHT HERE AND NOW that the timeline is unified, with the path moving from ''Cyberpunk 2013'' thru ''Cyberpunk 2020'', then through ''Cyberpunk RED'' and up to ''Cyberpunk 2077''."|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200713193352/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/cyberpunk-2077-same-timeline-tabletop-game/|archive-date=July 13, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The ''Cyberpunk Red'' core rulebook was released in November 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|date=October 12, 2020|title=Cyberpunk Red RPG has a release date and price, launching alongside Cyberpunk 2077|url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/games/cyberpunk-red/news/cyberpunk-red-rpg-release-date-2077|access-date=November 5, 2020|website=Dicebreaker|language=en|archive-date=May 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529020247/https://www.dicebreaker.com/games/cyberpunk-red/news/cyberpunk-red-rpg-release-date-2077|url-status=live}}</ref> It was preceded by the release of a simplified boxed set, known as the ''Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit'', at [[Gen Con]] in August 2019. The core rulebook was delayed from a planned release alongside the ''Jumpstart Kit'', initially to allow ''Cyberpunk Red'' game lore to be better aligned with ''Cyberpunk 2077'', and later due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref name="IGNRedDelayed">{{Cite web |last=Purslow |first=Matt |date=May 19, 2020 |title=Cyberpunk Red Tabletop Game Delayed |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/cyberpunk-red-delayed-trpg |access-date=June 26, 2020 |website=[[IGN]] |language=en |archive-date=June 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603213014/https://www.ign.com/articles/cyberpunk-red-delayed-trpg |url-status=live }}</ref> 

R. Talsorian began developing a new ''Cyberpunk Edgerunners Mission Kit''  based on the successful ''[[Cyberpunk: Edgerunners]]'' anime series, itself based on the ''[[Cyberpunk 2077]]'' video game by [[CD Projekt Red]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dempsey |first=Liam |title=R. Talsorian Games Announces Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Tabletop RPG Kit |url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2022/11/07-1/r-talsorian-games-announces-cyberpunk-edgerunners-tabletop-rpg-kit |access-date=November 8, 2022 |website=Crunchyroll |date=November 7, 2022 |language=en-us |archive-date=March 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327093103/https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2022/11/07-1/r-talsorian-games-announces-cyberpunk-edgerunners-tabletop-rpg-kit |url-status=live }}</ref> The missions will use the existing Cyberpunk RED tabletop roleplaying game engine.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Macgregor |first=Jody |date=November 10, 2022 |title=The Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime was so popular it's invading the tabletop RPG next |language=en |work=PC Gamer |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/the-cyberpunk-edgerunners-anime-was-so-popular-its-invading-the-tabletop-rpg-next/ |access-date=November 13, 2022 |archive-date=March 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307101331/https://www.pcgamer.com/the-cyberpunk-edgerunners-anime-was-so-popular-its-invading-the-tabletop-rpg-next/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The sourcebook began development in response to the popularity of game mods created for the video game.<ref>{{Cite news |author1=Wes Fenlon |date=September 23, 2022 |title=The Cyberpunk Netflix show is taking over the 2077 mod scene |language=en |work=PC Gamer |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/the-cyberpunk-netflix-show-is-taking-over-the-2077-mod-scene/ |access-date=November 13, 2022 |archive-date=August 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230804063238/https://www.pcgamer.com/the-cyberpunk-netflix-show-is-taking-over-the-2077-mod-scene/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |author1=Jody Macgregor |date=November 10, 2022 |title=The Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime was so popular it's invading the tabletop RPG next |language=en |work=PC Gamer |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/the-cyberpunk-edgerunners-anime-was-so-popular-its-invading-the-tabletop-rpg-next/ |access-date=November 13, 2022 |archive-date=March 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307101331/https://www.pcgamer.com/the-cyberpunk-edgerunners-anime-was-so-popular-its-invading-the-tabletop-rpg-next/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The new set takes place in the 2077 timeline, with R. Talsorian announcing plans to continue making content for the 2045 setting.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Charlie |date=November 7, 2022 |title=Cyberpunk 2077's Edgerunners setting coming to Cyberpunk tabletop game |url=https://www.polygon.com/tabletop-games/23445746/cyberpunk-edgerunners-2077-starter-set-announcement |access-date=November 8, 2022 |website=Polygon |language=en-US |archive-date=March 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307101335/https://www.polygon.com/tabletop-games/23445746/cyberpunk-edgerunners-2077-starter-set-announcement |url-status=live }}</ref>