Welcome back to the Neon Arcade for a ton
of glorious Cyberpunk lore and history. This will be a comprehensive video illustrating
all you need to know about the history of the Cyberpunk world, and all the main standout
points of the Cyberpunk timeline from the source material of Cyberpunk 2013 and 2020,
which 2077 is based on. If you are interested in learning more about
the lore, RTalsorian Store has you covered with all the details spanning an incredible
number of books. Link in the description and pinned comment. Most of this video is spanning all of Talsorian’s
countdown to the dark future episodes, which are the integral parts of the cyberpunk lore
and history that have been distilled down from thousands of pages of Cyberpunk sourcebooks. With that being said this video will cover
everything from Night City, Bars, Cyberware, Gangs, The Net, US History, The Wars, Media
figures, vehicles, weapons, trauma team and much more. This is going to be a long one so sit back
relax, grab a beer or coffee, and enjoy. If you’d like to jump to a certain section,
there will be timestamps in the description, as well as supplementary videos if you’d
like to know more on a certain topic! The famous band Samurai was discovered in
2003 by Jack Masters, an executive at Universal Music. Jack signed the band after seeing them play
at the rainbow cadenza, a backstreet bar in Night City. The members were Johnny Silver hand on the
vocals and guitar, Kerry Eurodyne also on the vocals and lead guitar, Denny as their
Drummer, Nancy as Keyboardist and Henry on the bass guitar. Their first single, Blistering Love, was number
one on the Eurocharts. Samurai split up in 2008. Nancy aka Bes Isis went to jail for 7 months
for throwing her abusive husband out of their 83rd story apartment through a window. The band firmly supported Nancy, but the 7-month
lull proved they were each going in different creative directions. Henry went to work on a human interface prototype. An accident fried his brain and he’s had
to rebuild his mind. Denny joined a band called Mastermind. Nancy took the name Bes Isis and became a
major media presence on Network News 54. Johnny Silverhand and Kerry Eurodyne went
onto successful solo careers, often touring together as a double ticket. After Samurai split up, the DMS music label
attempted to sign Johnny Silverhand by any means they could, including threats, violence
and ultimately blackmail. They discovered Johnny was a deserter who
left the USMC while serving in the wars in Central and South America. Instead of giving into the blackmail, Johnny
signed with Universal Music and went public with the information. His first solo album, SINS of your brothers
was released in 2009. The songs on it explained his own actions,
the reality of the wars, the government lies, and the experimental cybernetics program many
soldiers and marines were forced to go through. The popularity of the album and the message
it conveyed lead to increased awareness and support for veterans of the Central and SouthAm
wars. While Cyberpunk 2020 is the most famous edition
of the tabletop game, it isn’t the first. Cyberpunk: The Roleplaying game of the dark
future was first published as a box set in 1988, which means 2018 marked the games 30th
anniversary. The original version of Cyberpunk was set
in 2013, which is why many fans refer to it by the nickname Cyberpunk 2013. The Cyberpunk 2013 boxed set included 3 booklets. View from the Edge: The Cyberpunk Handbook
contained character generation and non-combat rules. Friday Night Firefight laid out the combat
rules. Welcome to Night City: A sourcebook for 2013
introduced Night City and the Cyberpunk Universe to the world. The boxed set also included a 6 and 10-sided
die and 4 player reference sheets. Cyberpunk 2013 marks the first appearance
of several iconic characters. Five of them first appeared in Never Fade
Away, an adventure story written by Mike Pondsmith as an introduction to the Dark Future. This includes Johnny Silverhand, the iconic
rockerboy, Alt Cunningham, netrunner turned ghost in the machine, Thompson, a reporter
who hates Arasaka, Rogue, a solo with only one weakness her ex Silverhand, and Santiago,
Rogues partner and future leader of the Aldecaldo nomad clan. Famous media Bes Isis, who was a keyboardist
for Samurai, also appeared in 2013 as a byline in an article about gang violence in Night
City. Cyberpunk 2013 established the core three
concepts to achieve the essence of the Cyberpunk Universe:
Style Over Substance meaning it doesn’t matter how well you do something, as long
as you look good doing it. If you are going to blow it make sure you
look like you planned it that way. Attitude is Everything: Think dangerous, be
dangerous. Think Weak, be weak. Never walk when you can stride. Don’t sit around waiting for the next job,
be there when the party starts. And Live on the Edge. The edge is where risk-takers and high-riders
go. On the edge, you’ll risk cash, your rep,
even your life on something as nebulous as a principle or a score. Edgerunners aren’t just in on the action. They are the action. According to Fax on File, a date term program
available to the general public, when visiting Night City, you should wear medium weight
clothing, with a light armor jacket or ballistic-cloth overcoat optional. A filter mask and supplemental oxygen are
highly recommended due to acid rain and inversion smogs. Acid-proof slickers, umbrellas and masks are
readily available from sidewalk vendors for 20 to 35 eurobucks. Temperatures normally range from the low 50s
to the high 80s. Rainfall is 21 inches per year, 35% of which
is considered toxic by government standards. Jets and aeroydynes regularly arrive and leave
from Night City metropolitan Airport. Traveling to the Johnson Space Platform requires
transferring to Los Angeles International for a connection to the Mojave Orbital Air
Facility. Security on all flights are at the passenger’s
own risk. Low-velocity rounds are suggested, so as not
to penetrate the outer wall of the cabins. Airlines operating out of Night City Metro
include Atlas, TransContinental and Western Pacific. Pan-Pacific Phoenix-class aero-zeps, the luxury
cruise ships of the sky dock at Night City Metro. Security is tight and there will be a full
weapon and cyberware lockdown for all passengers. Flights leave once a week for Hawaii, Tokyo,
Washington and New York. Due to the Free access act of 2018, holders
of legitimate Free State of NorthCal issues disabled Holoplacards may use weapons to clear
illegally parked vehicles from blue zones, which are designated for their use. Red zones indicate no parking. Yellow Zones are reserved for corporate-owned
vehicles and may only be parked in for half an hour. Green zones indicate a ten-minute limit for
all vehicles except the police. Red and black zones designate a no parking
zone except during free fire emergencies. Night City PD and other offices are not responsible
for damage taken by or the destruction of vehicles illegally parked in these zones. Fax on File recommends two different Child
Care Agencies in Night City. Child Creche offers care at an affordable
price of 50 eb per day, with cryotanks inspected weekly by licensed members of Trauma Team. Children under Child Creche care are pleasantly
plugged into their parent’s choice of braindance chips for pacification purposes. Safe Child is more expensive at 350 eb per
day, but has nannies trained in Europe and child psychologists on staff. Trained 24-hour Arasaka guards with on-call
tactical squad support means parents can rest easy, knowing their child won’t be extracted
by agents of a rival corp or caught in the crossfire of a nearby gang war. The “Night City” is a mixture of tequila,
raw wood alcohol and several drops of turpentine, all garnished with a dead worm. It is only served in the rougher bars in the
city and is often used by gang members as a way to prove how tough they are. The average cost is 6eb. The “Euro” is a recipe imported from France
and quite popular with rich corpos. It’s a blend of fruit juices and bourbon
served over cubes of pure, frozen gin. The bar needs a special freezer unit to store
the gin cubes. Average cost is 15 eb. The “Blade Runner” is a Chooh2 and champagne
mixer, served in a cocktail glass with mealworms in the bottom. Avg cost is 6 eb. Places to shop in Night City include Everything
and More a middle-class department store with good security to keep gangs at bay, Long Last
Books A store which only sells indie titles and rare books their resistance to corporate
pressure has earned the store respect from the local gangs. Weird Stuff, a techie haven selling all sorts
of wires, gadgets doodads and pieces. You can buy just about any diode or chip here,
assuming you can find it in the mess. Golden State Pawn features Clothes, Jewelry,
Books, programs and cyberware. It’s all here. The people of Night City are divided into
the following categories: Powerdealers are the elite. CEOs, world-famous celebrities and internationally
influential politicos. Corpzoners are Execs at the top of the Corporate
game. Movers are amibitious young corps looking
to scale the ladder and claim that corner office. Edgerunners are Cyberpunk who find success
in unorthodox and dangerous ways. Mallplexers are the struggling middle class
who make up the majority of the faceless hoards. Beavers are low level corp managers and high-level
techs who live in Corp-controlled suburbs. Streetscum are the urban poor and a demographic
which grows bigger by the day. Trauma Team in an international corporation
which operates in North America and Europe. They specialize in paramedical services and
take pride in their promise to reach a client, once summoned, in seven minutes or less. They are headquartered in LS and have nearly
17,000 employees worldwide. A standard Trauma Team crew consists of a
driver, a senior medtech, an assistant medtech and two security officers. Most crews travel in a heavily armed and armored
McDonnel-Douglas AV-4 Tactical Urban Assault Aerodyne loaded with advanced medical technology
including a mobile cryotank. Trauma Team Tower in Night City is located
near the NC Convention Center. It houses the Night City branch’s corporate
offices as well as local operations including dispatch, armory, maintenance and launch pads
for the company’s AV-4s. NCDP gives Trauma Team Tower a security rating
of 3, which means highly sophisticated locks and alarms, incapacitating security measures,
constantly monitored security feeds, military and swat level guards patrolling in groups,
and black ICE to counteract intruding netrunners. There are at least a dozen active Trauma Team
units on call in Night City at any one time and their employees are always the best of
the best. A Trauma Team pilot can land an AV-4 on top
of a parked car and the senior MedTech in any squad has a Medical Tech Skill rating
of 8 or higher out of 10. Thanks to cybernetics, cryotanks, biotechnology
and drugs, medical science is so advanced by 2020 that Trauma Team and other medics
bring people back “from the dead with some regularity. It is so common in fact that Trauma Team has
established a scale of dead they call “Death State”. It runs from Dead 1 which means just flatlined,
with resuscitation being almost certain, to DEAD 10, no resuscitation possible. As a general rule of thumb, a patient slides
up the Death State scale once every minute, although circumstances such as environmental
conditions, cybernetics, drugs and administered CPR can slow down the rate of progressions. The Lifeline Act of 1994 allows citizens to
register as a parts donor. Anyone who delivers the body of a registered
citizen to a donor center earns a county based on the condition of harvestable limbs and
organs. Although medical coverage, charged on sliding
scale is guaranteed for all citizens of the European Commonwealth, trauma services such
as those provided by Trauma Team must be paid for by the patient or another responsible
party. Trauma Team is not the only trauma service
operating on the continent and EC law requires a trauma service to pay a rival’s expenses
should they pick up a subscribing patient first. All EC countries have regularly placed SOSBooths,
nearly indestructible shelters which can house up to 6 people. Anyone can enter an SOSBooth, but if a trauma
service subscription card or credit card is not slotted and validated within 10 seconds,
the booth will flood with anesthetic gas. Once subscription or payment is verified,
a dispathcer will arrange for police and trauma services to respond. Trauma Team charges quite heavily for their
services, at a rate of 100 Eurobucks per minute from the time a call for aid is received to
the time the patient is delivered to a hospital or other facility. The patient is also responsible for the reimbursement
for the cost of any ammunition fired during the rescue, among other fees. The cost can be mitigated through the purchase
of a service plan. Corporations often offer Trauma Team coverage
as a perk for higher level employees and Edgerunners sometimes negotiate for a one-use Trauma Team
service plan as part of their payment for a job. For those paying their own way, plans run
from 500 eb plus expenses up to the mid-five figures per month depending on their level
of coverage. Trauma Team values its employees and provides
even their MedTechs with armor for use in the field. The company has contracted with Bodyweight
Systems to creat and supply the MediGear Combat Medical Armor. MedicGear is a hard-shell armor with a protection
ranking equal to a standard military grade flak vest. Standard features include a built-in drug
analyzer, techscanner, drug injector, sprayskin applicator and palm mounted shock panels. For more intense situations, Trauma Team has
worked with Militech to create the tb/o Lifeline, a powered armor suit designed specifically
to allow emergency responders to operate in any situation, no matter how dire. This light but tough armor has a chassis weight
of 158kg and comes standard with a full suite of medical equipment, heavy tools, climber
claws and a power saw. CityMed is a not for profit which offers medical
services to those who can’t afford it. They function thanks to donations and receive
quiet support from several corporations who realize having a base level of care available
to the destitute can help prevent a pandemic, something which can harm even their bottom
line. CityMed is run out of Miami but has chapters
in most major cities. The majority of staff work on a volunteer
basis, including some Trauma Team MedTechs. Trauma team recognizes the publicity value
of their employees volunteering for CityMed and encourages them to do so. CityMed offers emergency surgery, medicine,
vaccinations and examinations to those who need it but have a policy of not offering
such services to wanted criminals, Edgerunners with a bad reputation or members of particularly
vicious gangs. The foundations for the body enhancement technology
commonly known as Cyberware were laid in 1991, when the first aritificial muscle fibers were
developed in the United States and in 1993, when the first biological interface chips
were developed in Germany. Early cyberware was field tested by implanting
it into soldiers serving in the Central and SouthAm Wars without warning the test subjects
of the potential side effects. By 2020, cyberware is pervasive in society
for utilitarian reasons but also as a fashion statement. Its hip to have high tech grafted into your
body somewhere and the trendsetters who walk the red carpet are as likely to boast about
who designed their new arm or eyes as they are to talk about who made their outfit. Cyberware is usually divided into 10 categories. Fashionware are cosmetic enhancements made
to the body. Examples include Biomonitors, Light Tattoos
and techhair. Neuralware are processors plugged into the
nervous system to modify or enhace it. Examples include neural processors and smartgun
links. Implants are devices adding specific functions
to the body like gill implants and chemical analyzers. Bioware are enhacements built along biological
rather than mechanical lines. Examples include grafted muscle and nanosurgeons. Cyberweapons are most illegal weapons implanted
directly into cyberlimbs or the body. These include Vampires, wolvers and chainripps. Cyberoptics are cameras which replace biological
eyes. These include color shifting irises and image
enhancers. Cyberaudio devices are plugged into the auditory
nerves to enhance hearing. Examples include Radio Links and Amplified
hearing. Cyberlimbs come in any color and style you
want and include reinforced joints and tool hands. Linear frames are exoskeletons grafted onto
the body, and feature low to moderate and high strength boost models. Body plating are plastic or metal covers to
protect the body or as a mounting urface. Examples invlude the front optic mount and
a torso armor plate. Interface plugs are one of the most common
forms of Cyberware in the world of Cyberpunk 2020. They’re the starting point which allow people
to stud into vehicles, firearms and computers to control them, providing the user has the
right neuralware. Information and skill chips can also be slotted
into interface plugs, allowing direct mental access to them. Interface plugs are usually installed directly
into bone and tap into major nerve trunks. Most people mount interface plugs into their
wrists but others like to show them off. “Plugheads” mount them at the temple. “Frankensteins mount them just behind the
ears. “Puppetheads” prefer the back of the skull. It isn’t uncommon to see an interface plug
inlaid with precious metals or decorated with custom caps. Humans aren’t the only biologicals who can
be fitted with cyberware. Upgraded animals are usually purchased by
the wealthy or organizations looking to fill a specific need. Most are cloned as fully mature, then fitted
with cyberware and trained via chip for specific behaviours. Buyers looking for animals with a naturally
developed personality must pay extra. Animals from the wild cost 50x the base price
due to both their rarity and the difficulty in overriding their natural instincts. Dogs are the most common type of cyberpet
but cats, horses, primates, rodents, birds of prey, sharks, dolphins and even bats can
be purchased. Common cyberware for pets include sensory
boosts, bersek chips which activate a frenzy mode, cyberlimbs, cyberweapons, and harnesses
to transform larger animals into mobile weapon platforms. Full body replacement is perhaps the ultimate
expression of cyberware. The process of turning someone into a borg,
as they are commonly known, replaces almost all biological material with cybernetics. This includes the skeleton, organs and skin. Borgs retain their original brain, though
it is intensely modified. Borgs do not need to eat, drink, or breathe. Instead biological components receive nutrients
via cybernetics. Borgs do sleep for psychological reasons. A number of companies offer full body replacement
models. The IEC Alpha class is an all purpose model,
the Dynalar Aquaris is designer for underwater, whilst the Cybermatrix inc Copernicus functions
best in space. At 8 feet tall and 620 pounds the IEC dragoon
offers the ultimate in battlefield performance. The Bioexotics line allows clients to become
something other than human through intensive transformation using a variety of techniques. Most exotic packages involve forms resembling
an anthropomorphized animal. Various mammalian forms are the most common. Fantasy race forms such as elves, dwarves,
and orks are also available. Among the most extreme options are aquatic,
dragon and insect forms. While initially intended for the wealthy,
it has become increasingly common for gangs, cults and “secret” societies to offer
their valued members the bioexotics profess as a reward. In such cases, the forms selected always match
the organizations theme (animals logo / tiger sculpt)
In cyberpunk 2020, the figurative “war on drugs” of the 1970s and 80s turned into
real wars in the 1990s when the actions of drug cartels were used as excuses for the
United States to send military forces to Central and South America. By 2020 those wars are over, but the trafficking
of drugs remains illegal in many American states and cities. The problem has been made worse by a wave
of potent synthetic drugs entering the market. Most law enforcement agencies which still
care classify ilicit substances as Type A, B, or C with Type A being the highest priority
for enforcement, and C the lowest. Trafficking a Type A substance carries a sentence
of 1 to 10 years in medium security. Type A carries a sentence of 15 to 20 years
in maximum security plus mandatory Braindance reform therapy. In 1992, the United States Drug Enforcement
Agency released several bio-engineered floral plagues around the world. These plagues were custom tailored to target
coca and opium plants and were incredibly effective, destroying approximately 98% of
the world’s crop. Several governments propped up by the drug
economy collapsed virtually overnight. A second set of bioweapons was released in
2004, wiping out plantations run by the Golden Triangle in China, which had been growing
strains of opium and coca resistant to the previous plagues. Since then, the golden triangle have specialized
in creating synthetic versions of old drugs in addition to new variants. So long as the Golden Triangle focuses their
efforts on exporting product to America and Europe, Chinese authorities are content to
turn a blind eye to their activities. Illegal and even many legal drugs in Cyberpunk
2020 are lab designed to be addictive in order to create a captive market. While the wealthy can afford designer drugs
tailored to their specific physiologies in order to get a high without side effects,
everyone has to make due with generic synthetic drugs sold by criminal organizations or from
the even more dangerous experimental drugs dumped onto the black market by Corps looking
to recoup the loss of a failed project or field test a potential new product. This is all made worse by the large number
of underground chemists working as either individuals or in groups. These black-market entrepreneurs sell both
copies of legal medicines they’ve cracked the patents on, and new mixtures of illegal
drugs they’ve spiced up to make interesting. The illegal drug market is constantly evolving,
which means it can be difficult to keep up with what’s new on the streets. However, here’s a few with staying power”
Synthcoke is a variant of cocaine, made more potent in the lab. Boost is a common study drug to which you
develop a quick tolerance to. Dorph is a pain negator which can damage the
nervous system Mr Ex will keep you awake for days on end. Char is a mood dampener which installs an
inhuman sense of calm Smash is a legal drink similar to alcohol
but with a harsher downside. Think a foamy energy drink laced with uppers. Starlight is a powerful and addictive euphoric. In general, the European Commonwealth maintains
a harsh stance towards street drugs of all kinds. The EC takes pride in its reputation as a
civilized zone in a mad world and has implemented intense measures to maintain it. Non-citizens arrested for a crime, no matter
how minor, are usually deported or jailed. Custom agents are especially diligent in their
duties when searching for contraband. The one major exception to this is the Scandanavian
Bloc. They maintain a “neutral market” which
includes the common availability of “soft” drugs in most bars and “harder” drugs
from specialized and licensed salons. Combat drugs are completely illegal and not
tolerated. While Scandanavian governments allow, and
even encourage recreational excess, they do not tolerate violence against citizens. Combat drugs are used regularly by militaries
and corporations to enhave the capabilities of their forces. The higher ups are generally more concerned
about results than they are about troop health, While soldiers and mercs generally take an
expedient viewpoint. Surviving and dealing with the consequences
of whatever chemicals are being pumped into their system later is a better outcome to
combat than being dead. Here are some examples of combat drugs. Prime narrows the subjects focus and imbues
a sens of ultimate calm, increasing battlefield awareness and reducing incidents of panic. Timewarp sharpens reflexed but at the cost
of real damage as muscles are overextended in the process. Berserker is used by commanders who want to
turn soldiers into suicidal killing machines. Legal drugs are big business for Corporations. Biotechnica is one of the most obvious pharmaceutical
firms in 2020 but they aren’t the only ones. Arasaka and Militech both produce combat drugs
for example. Trauma Team International initially developed
a suite of drugs for in-house use, but has found them to be in high demand and now sells
the full line to hospitals, clinics and even rival trauma services. Rumor has it the drugs they sell to their
rivals are less potent than the versions they keep for themselves. Products in the Trauma Drug line include
Stim which increases responsiveness and reduces pain, Surge an intense stimulant and appetite
suppressor which reduces the need for food and sleep, and Trauma I a last ditch method
of slowing down the slide down the death state scale. The Forlorn Hope in Night City was founded
by John “The Professor” Freeman and his wife Marianne as a home away from home for
veterans of the Central American War. Mant of those former soldiers turned to running
freelance jobs to pay the bills, so, overtime, the bar became a watering hole of choice not
just for the vets but for edgerunners of all kinds. The Forlorn Hope doesn’t advertise. You only hear about it if someone in the know
tells you it exists. The hope is a bar and club, complete with
a house band, the Slaughtered Lambs. There are also bunks to rent and rooms where
edgerunners can meet with clients, a ripperdoc clincic, and a weapon repair shop. The Professor also runs a safehouse for veterans
and solos on the edge who need to get their head together. Club Atlantis in Night City occupies the top
3 floors of the Piper Memorial Sports Arena, which hosts a number of different blood sport
events. The Atlantic itself is favored by both up
and coming corpzoners and Edgerunners who have made a name for themselves. The clubs interior is intentionally designed
to disorient. Cleverly placed cantileverd stairs, angled
mirrors, animatronics and specific lighting effects combine to give the illusion of defying
the laws of physics as customers move about. The Atlantis is high end and most customers
know the score. The Black Hole is located in the Crystal Palace
in Earth’s Orbit. Everything about the Crystal Palace orbital
habitat speaks of influence and wealth. The public areas sparkle and the resident
(as opposed to the workers) have the best looks money can buy. There are even real trees here. The Black hole is a marvel to behold. Holographic tech is used to create the illusion
of stellar gasses slowly swirling around the room until they vanish into a disorientingly
realistic “black hole” on the floor. Gravity in the Black Hole, as with most of
the Palace, is .8x Earths normal and drinks are up to 100x more expensive. The patrons of the bar dress in the trendiest
fashions or in custom body paint and fashionware schemes which both scandalize and inspire
awe. The Afterlife in Night City is a solo bar
that has been appropriately converted from a mortuary and is partitioned into 3 areas,
The Antechamber, The Crypt and Hades. The regulars who frequent the Afterlife self-divide
themselves by ability. Each chamber is darker and more dangerous,
with the Antechamber being for newer solos with potential while Hades is nothing but
the most storied combat vets. The Solos who frequent the Afterlife follow
a strict code while inside. When they brawl, its for fun. They hit hard but they don’t strike to maim
or kill. No one in the Afterlife needs to prove themselves. Fixers looking for professionals rarely visit
the bar directly. Instead, they leave a message which is circulated
around. Interested solos can then contact the Fixer
for further details. Night City has 3 particularly popular taxi
services. Red Cab Inc is the largest and keeps a fleet
or armored, well-maintained ground cars. Their fleet is big enough that a Red Cab usually
arrives within 5 minutes once summoned by dataterm, phone or email. Aerocab prefers the skies to the streets,
and maintains a fleet of recondition AV-4s, aeroygyros and a few new AV-7s. More expensive than a ground cab, Aerocabs
provide pad to pad service for customers looking to avoid the danger of the Night City ground
level entirely. Combat Cabb is not the largest service but
it is the best armed. Combat Cabb has the most skilled battledrivers
in the business and is the only service which will take a customer anywhere, guaranteed,
no matter the risk. Combat Cabb is famous not just because of
their “go anywhere” attitude but because of a long running dramedy series produced
by Diverse Media Systems focused on a fictional version of the company. The series extends the fame of Combat Cabb
across North America and the world and, as a result, one of the most popular activites
for tourists visiting Night City is to hail a Combat Cabb and take a ride into the Combat
Zone just to say they’ve done it. The Combat Cabb vidscreen series airs on Thursday
nights and follows the adventures of Harrick, his partner and lover Emmanuelle Moore, and
the rest of their tough and battle ready but lovable cast. The real Harrick founded Combat Cabb in 2011
and still runs the operation. Red Cab was founded in 2012, when Russian
Immigrant Alec Belavits bought out the yellow cab sompany he was a senior driver for and
revamped it. He painted the cabs red in honor of his beloved
homeland and made sure they were all armored. Alec had been a cabbie in Night City for almost
a decade and he knew the score. Mass Transit in Night City is maintained by
NCTC: The night city transit corporation. This includes all bus lines, which are considered
to be the most modern in North America. The megacorps of 2020 are nearly nations unto
themselves, with their own laws, infrastructure and militaries. They are almost fully autonomous, paying heed
to local law only in the most public of ways so as to avoid a PR disaster. In actuality, megacorps are powerful enough
to buy any politician, bury any unfavourable law, and avoid any penalty for bad behavior. Megacorp offices hold a status roughly equivalent
to a national embassy. Employees carry corp-issued passports and
identity cards. If an employee is charged with a crime by
a civil authority, it is common practice to ship the accused to the home office. This prevents civil police from attempting
to execute warrants on corporate grounds while a possible extradition is negotiated. Most local cops are happy to go along with
it. Corp security is almost better armed and armored. Conditions in 2020 favor the employer, not
the employee. Unions are a thing of the past, either so
weak they are ineffective our outlawed altogether. Lax labour laws mean employment contracts
can dictate terms ranging from minimum length of employment to debilitating penalties for
even minor infractions. Headhunting in such an environment can be
deadly. Corporations often have a team which specializes
in extraction of key personnel from rival companies, whether they want to or not. On the flip side, most corporations would
rather see an employee dead than working for the enemy and sharing company secrets. Mediacorps are conglomerates of music, video,
news and publishing subdivisions with a power which spans continents. It is perfectly possible for an individual
to go their entire life and consume only media from one specific mediacorp. The largest mediacorps are Network News 54
which, despite its name, controls more than just the news, World News Service the most
respected and underhanded news service in the world, and Diverse Media Systems, with
a reputation for eating its own employees alive. Because only a handful of corps control the
majority of the worlds media, they hold an unprecedented amount of influence over public
opinion. Politicians, celebrities and high level corp
exectuvies all know getting on a mediacorps bad side is a great way to destroy a career. When corps act like countries, war is an inevitability. The first corporate war was between Eurobusiness
machine corporation and Orbital Air, both of whom wanted to purchase Transworld Airlines. In the end EBM lost. This war marked the beginning of corps using
military might to obtain a desired outcome in their deals. The second corporate war was between energy
giants PetroChem and SovOil. In the end, SovOil won. The war dumped billions of barrels of crude
oil into the Pacific and ruined the economies of several small nations. The third corp war was fought almost entirely
in the net between financial firms and represented the first large scale virtual conflict. The war ended with one of the participating
corps utterly destroyed. The fourth corporate war began as a conflict
between two aquatech companies: OTEC and CINO. Each brough in major muscle to fight for them. OTEC hired militech. CINO hired Arasaka. What should have been impersonal quickly became
personal, as the long standing rivalry between Militech and Arasaka overshadowed the small
conflict they were fighting and became a war of its own. By 2022, the war had become an all out brawl
between the two largest security forces on the Planet. The 4th corporate war was devastating. Governments and even other megacorps, were
dragged into the conflict just to protect themselves, though some chose sides. It ended only when both the United States
and Japanese governments stepped up and forced a resolution at the executive level. By then, it was too late. The world had already changed. The most prominent Megacorporations are as
follows EBM is the worlds largest manufacturer of
computer technology. Zetatech is a new megacorp specializing in
software ad hardware technology Network News 54 is an American broadcasting
and media company. Orbital Air deals in cargo and passenger transport
in lower earth orbit. Microtech is a small mainframe and workstation
designer company. Biotechnica is responsible for Genetic Engineering
and Biotechnology. They own the CHOOH2 patent but licenses it
out. InfoComp is a data firm. If knowledge exists, chances are InfoComp
has it recorded somewhere. Merill, Asukaga and FInsh is an investment
bank and financial counceling firm. WorldSat communications Network is a monopoly
controlling satellite communications. Arasaka is responsible for corporate security
and private inteliigence services. Militech is an arms manufacturing and private
army service which is closely allied with the US military. World News Service is the worlds most trusted
and dangerous source for news. PetroChem is a producer of petroleum products
and the world largest supplier of CHOOH2, Trauma Team International is a global ambulance
and paramedic service. A combat zone refers to any urban area which
has been mostly abandoned by the local government and law enforcement agencies. Combat zones essentially represent an unspoken
treaty, where municipal and corporate forces won’t bother gangs and criminal groups so
long as most of the violence and bad behavior stays within the designated area. Most combat zones are born from poor communities
where policing became too expensive or dangerous. Cities first ramped down law enforcement activities
in those areas, then ceased them altogether as municipal budgets tightened and ran to
deficit. Those unfortunate enough to live in such areas
found themselves trapped in a cycle of poverty and violence from which few can escape. The combat zone of Night City began in the
late 1990s. After Richard Night’s death in 1998, Corporations
and organized crime carved up the city’s resources and as a result the NCPD became
completely ineffective. Gangs, backed by corporate and mob sponsors,
established themselves in the suburbs south of the city center. In time, the gangs became so entrenched the
only way to remove them would be to demolish the entire area and start from scratch. Many gangs have a presence in the Night City
Combat Zone, New ones spring up all the time, only to be slaughtered and absorbed by the
others. The blood razors are a nasty booster gang
full of violent psychopaths responsible for an average of 40 murders in Night City per
week. They are perhaps the largest of the gangs
centered in the zone. Warrior heart is a combat gang constantly
seeking to improve their fighting skills. The piranhas want to party and have fun but
their idea of “fun” can be something of a sadistic mystery. Blood and Tears are a gang whose trademark
is the removal of the victim’s eyes whether cyber or natural. Death in the afternoon is more of a nihilistic
cult versus a real gang. No one goes into the Night City Combat Zone
unless they absolutely have to. Even the hardest Solos know getting in and
out can be a roll of the dice. Entire security teams have gone in an vanished. Only two organization, Combat Cabb and Trauma
Team, will enter the Combat Zone willingly and that’s only in well-armed and armored
vehicles and with backup. Because no one goes into the Combat Zone,
information on the geography and demographics are hard to come by. Old maps from before the Zone went to hell
are outdated and anyone who actually enters and leaves does so as quickly as possible. They aren’t stopping to record map coordinates. Urban legends abound of pre-Collapse cashes
of weapons, money, drugs and tech hidden even from the gangs in the Combat Zone but good
luck surviving long enough to find them. In 2020, the Hong Kong Combat Zone was also
known as “The hell of the Death of a Thousand cuts” due to the local preference for blades
over guns. Using a gun in the Hong Kong Combat Zone is
a quick way to be branded as a member of the Triad, a Corporate spy, or worse, a weak target
incapable of defending one’s self. After all, a gun will eventually run out of
bullets but, in a combat zone, it is always possible to find a sharp piece of jagged metal. By the end of the 4th corporate war, “The
hell of a thousand cuts” is as empty as the rest of the city thanks to a potent and
highly contagious bioweapon which was unleashed within Hong Kongs city limits. The most infamous Combat Zone in the world
may well be the one in Detroit. There, the Zone was so bad the city government
decided to wall the whole thing off. It took years but, in the end the city completed
the task, after which they declared the Zone a minimum security prison. Anyone born there is essentially guilty of
the crime of being alive and anyone trying to escape on the city side can expect to be
intercepted and dumped back or shot. Oddly enough, walls have become a fashion
of sorts in Detroit. Wealthier neighborhoods have put up guarded
walls of their own while poorer ones have constructed razor wire barricades. The Detroit of 2020 has become less a single
city and more a collection of vaguely affiliated townships all afraid of what lies outside
their borders. The Rockerboy movement began in the early
1990s, when James “Rockerboy” Manson’s second album, Bum’s Rush released with an
overtly political message. He continues to defy authority and release
songs ceneterd on change and rebellion until 1997 when he was clubbed to death in front
of an audience, by British Police at an Amnesty international concert. His death inspired the Rockerboy movement,
which was named in his honor. People continue to argue about the impact
of Manson’s legacy. Many point out his musical talents were rather
mediocre and some believe his message of protest was a ploy to generate sales. Others say it doesn’t matter, since he started
a cultural movement which lasted over 20 years. Most of the music available to the public
is prepackaged noise, algorithmically generated to sell the most tracks and albums while pushing
a pro-corporate message. Rockerboys of all genders work to get their
message out to the public anyway they can. Some, like Johnny Silverhand are famous enough
to push their songs out through the traditional channels unchanged. Smaller independent Rockerboys sometimes call
themselves sonic terrorists, work through underground distributors, independent networks,
and the darker corners of the net to get their music heard. A few underground labels exist but most independent
bands release their own music, often for free, hoping their words of protest are heard. Much like the rest of the world, Rockerboys
love their cyberware. Popular options include a Neural processor
with machine link, which allows you to stud into your instrument and play it with your
mind, Romanova cyberlegs which have gyroscopic balance and can add 6 inches in height, as
well as the NewThroat, an extensive vocal replacement. While James Rockerboy Mansion started the
movement and Johnny Silverhand is the most famous rockerboy in 2020, there are other
notables including: Destiny, who has been called one of the most
provoking bands of our time. They started off as a pop band but grew ia
heavy political edge thanks to the influence of bandleader Jessie Moore. More than one concert has ended with the band
and their crew fighting off corporate assassins backstage. The Silver slash’s first single released
in 2017 was Stand for your world, a call to action with lyrics in English, French, Swahili
and Japanese. The band has inspired many around the world
to enact “positive change” in society, including the Night City guardian gang of
the same name. Not all rockerboys are musicians. As the movement has gorwn, others have claimed
the label for themselves, including Street poets who are often part of a local performance
gang trying to get their message across through words not music, and performance artists who
stage visual representations of movement and style to express their rebellion. Civic organizers and activists are also rockerboys,
leading crowds to march, chant, protest and occasionally riot. Some believe James “rockerboy” mansion
knew he was going to die on August 3rd, 1997. Just hours before he was beaten to death on
stage, an act that triggered a riot where over 500 people died, he said the following
to his audience. “To live in ignorance of the political state
around you is no excuse. It is your responsibility as well as mind
to spread the word. One great nation is dead; will your’s be
next? If you have something to say then don’t
keep quiet, tell them how you feel. Don’t let their oppression silence you!” Those words have become a talisman to the
rockerboy movement. In the Cyberpunk world, lack of regulation
in the US and other regions resulted in an increasingly changing and unpredictable climate
which made agriculture nearly impossible. By 1998, the Midwest US was a little more
than a dustbowl while acid rain, drought, wildfires and toxic waste had destroyed the
orchards of California, Texas and Florida. In 2020, much of what once was the breadbasket
of the world is now a polluted wasteland, so less food is being produced and it is being
produced in new places. Due to rising temperatures, areas which were
once too severe and cold for large scale agriculture now offer new farming opportunities. Northern Canada has become of the world’s
leading suppliers of real food and Alaska is one of the few parts of the US where farming
can still occur on an industrial level. Most Americans eat manufactured, processed
foods in 2020. The most commonly eaten food is kibble: dry,
grainy nuggets laced with vitamins, minerals and a small amount of actual protein. Like potato chips they are offered in a variety
of flavors, textures and brands to the general public. Kibble makes up to 70% of the average American
diet. SCOP, a vat grown protein genetically tailored
to mimic the textures and tastes of various foods makes up roughly 20% of the average
American diet. Because SCOP looks and tastes vaguely like
real food, it is more expensive. Little farmland is left in the United States
and most of that is dedicated to growing the genetically modified grain used to make the
fuel CHOOH2. Some Agricorps grow food crops in hydroponic
farms but the majority of fresh food in the US is imported from Canada, Europe or the
USSR. Fresh food makes up as little as 2% of the
average American diet. The wealthy of course, eat differently than
the average American. Powerdealers eat real food prepared by real
people every meal. Corpzoners manage fresh food an average of
4 meals a week, never eat kibble and rarely eat SCOP. Movers live mostly on SCOp but occasionally
spring for fresh food to impress. Everyone else? They eat what they can. Most meals in America are eaten outside of
the home. Few living spaces come equipped with food
preparation units and only the more expensive apartments and houses have actual kitchen
areas. Unless an area is Corporate-controlled or
specially patrolled, there are almost always a variety of food vendors available on any
city street. Those vendors do their best to dress up kibble,
SCOP and whatever else they can find to be as attractive and appetizing as possible. Soups and stews are offered when enough fresh
water can be found. More expensive eateries offer a mixture of
soy, SCOP and fresh food. In the European community, food in theory
is controlled by the Food Commission. They ensure the yeast farmers and kibble manufacturers
produce enough food to feed the masses of Europe. They also oversee the laws governing farming,
fishing, livestock and water processing. The food commission plays a constant game
of catchup, trying to navigate the thorny politics of local agribusiness while imposing
quotas and subsidies in an effort to stabilize a constantly changing market. Few people in Europe go hungry. The food commission supplies everyone with
basic meals and even real food is fairly cheap. Most citizens with employment can purchase
and enjoy vegetables daily and actual meat once a week. The golden kids and new nobility of course
eat real food every meal. Two companies, BudgetArms and Dai Lung have
made a name for themselves for creating firearms at a cost can afford. The BudgetArms C-13, a light pistol, costs
half as much as the Federated Arms X-22, which is the industry standard for plastic “fire
and throw away” weaponry. The Dai Lung CYbermag 15 is even cheaper and
comparable to the X-22 in every way but accuracy. More recently, BudgetArms has attempted to
enter the higher end firearms market with the Laser-Niner 9mm. It comes standard with an integral lasersight
and a full auto mode. Snail drum magazines are optional. Militech’s firearms are a standard of the
industry worldwide. Their Ronin model is a durable and accurate
accurate light assault rifle which uses 5.56 ammunition while the Militech Crusher SSG
is popular with solos due to its compact nature and power. A pistol sized shotgun, the Crusher works
extremely well for close combat and roomsweeping duries but conceals nicely in a bag or under
a jacket. The standard weapon for Arasaka Security,
the Minami 10 SMG, is popular around the world for both its durability and affordability. When the situation calls for heavy firepower,
Arasaka Security preders the Rapid Assault Shot 12, a high-powered auto-shotgun that
can spit out 10 shells in less than 4 seconds. Malorian Firearms Incorporated, is a bespoke
weapons designer and manufacturer based out of Night City. Their motto is distinctive firearms for distinctice
people and it shows in the care they put into the creation of each weapon they produce. The firm was founded by famed gunsmith Eran
Malout, who has designed weapons for among others, Solo Morgan Blackhand. The most famous weapon designed by Eran Malour
is the Malorian Arms 3516, which was custom made for famous Rockerboy, Johnny Silverhand. This one of a kind 14mm heavy pistols titanium
frame was manufactured in space, allowing for an almost zero chance of imperfection
in the casting. An integral cyberlink means only someone with
a cyberarm and smartgun link can take full advantage of the pistol’s features. In 2018, the US government held a competition
to develop the next generation of advanced infantry firearms. Forces within the government content with
the weapons the military already had, sabotaged the project by putting in place seemingly
impossible design standards. Of course, Militech rose to the occasion. The M-31a1 marries a 4.5mm assault rifle using
an advanced liquid propellant firing system with a pump-action 25 mm grenade launcher. The liquid propellant system was designed
by famed gunsmith Eran Malour and licensed to Militech while the revolutionary small
mini-grenades were the design of Militech weapon techs. Paired together the two form one of the most
high-tech combat weapons available. Integration of firearms and chrome has been
one of the goals of cyberware design pretty much since their invention. Smartguns are modified versions of normal
firearms which use various scanning systems to continually paint targets and feed the
data to either the brain or a set of goggles. This allows for more accurate aiming, as combatants
no longer have to rely on anything so crude as the organic human eye to guide their shots. Over the years, various companies have also
created weapon mount options for cyberlimbs. Popup pistols and SMGs are common but flamethrowers,
grenade launchers and micro-missile launchers are also possibilities for those with enough
cash to pay their ripperdoc. Energy-based weapons are usually only found
in the hands of military personnel or specialist corporate agents. Such weapons are rarely found on the street,
both for legal reasons and due to the cost and technical skill required to operate and
repair them. Laser weapons like the Militech LaserCannon,
are rifles powered by batteries and have a dial allowing for variable output. This means the laser can be set from a lower
power setting which does no more damage than a light pistol to a powerful shot which hits
as hard as an assault rifle but drains half the rifle’s battery power. The Techtronica Model 009 Volt Pistol meanwhile
is a taser with a twist. It uses a low-intensity laser to ionize the
air along its path, then discharges electricity to form an artificial lightning bolt to strike
the target. The unique threat of cyberpsychos and full
borgs have led to a number of unusual developments in weapon technology. Microwave-based weapons can cause cybernetics
to perform poorly or malfunction. However, the exact effects are hard to predict,
giving microwavers a poor reputation with cyberpsycho squads. More reliable and expensive is the Rhinemetall
EMG-85 Kinetic Energy Railgun which delivers a 15-gram Mylar-coated slug at hypersonic
velocity, meaning it can punch through all but the heaviest of armors. The irony is, the extreme weight and recoil
of this weapon means it is often being used on full borgs by full borgs, as few other
people can properly wield the weapon without mounting it to a vehicle first. Most gangs in Night City are built around
a central theme, often taken to cultish levels of obsession. In the Dark Future, where there’s little
to hope for, people are so desperate to feel purpose and belonging they will build their
identity on any scrap they can cling to. Boosters are gangs obsessed with replacing
meat with metal. They are cyberware addicts who see the future
as one where flesh is dead and chrome lives forever. Chromers are gangs inspired by the Rockerboy
movement, often building their theme around a specific musician, band, or even single
song. Combat gangs are obsessed with battle. They range from those who consider themselves
noble warriors, striving to perfect their art, to all out brawlers, who just want to
beat the tar out of anyone they can. Cultists are gangs organized along religious
lines, often following one leader’s spiritual guidance. Many cultgangs are nihilist in nature, believing
the world is beyond redemption and needs to die in a blaze of glory. Dorphers are gangs focused on the acquisition
and use of drugs. They can range from blissed out junkies to
amped up monsters, depending on their vice of choice. Often cops can be trusted to do their jobs
and that’s when Guardian gangs come in. They band together to protect their neighbourhoods,
but despite good intentions some guardian gangs still rob and kill to pay the bills. Juvie gangs, also known as Youth Gangs or
Yo gangs, have many themes but all have on thing in common: Most members are early teens
or preteens. Pgangs adopt themes from pop culture and base
their lifestyle and looks on them, often with the help of surgery and cyberware. Prankster gangs are dedicated to practical
jokes that can have a dark side. Pranks range from “smash every red car’s
back passenger window” to “add psychoactive drugs to the local community center swimming
pool” to even nastier tricks. Party gangs only want a good time. They are hedonists and their tastes often
grow jaded as their idea of a good time evolves to darker and bigger highs. Professional gangs blur the line between guild
and gang coming together for protection in a world where freelancers and performers are
vulnerable to threats. Puppets are corporate sponsored gangs, who
are used as weapons to point at enemies while maintaining plausible deniablilty. The thinking man’s boostergang, Braniacs
prefer skill chips and neuralware over less elegant, clunkier cybernetics. Not directly violent, the Braniacs prefer
to outthink rather than outfight. In once incident, they nearly wiped out a
chapter of the Blood Razors by manipulating events to bring the booster gangers into contact
with an Arasaka security force. Each Braniac wears a small silver coin around
their neck to identify them as a member of the gang. Part boostergang, part combat gang, Maelstrom
was born from the shattered remainds of several other gangs with one thing in common: a grudge
against the mysterious Inquisitors. Members prefer black leather and chrome, making
a point to visibly display their cyberware for the world to see. Atleast half of the members have succumbed
to Cyberpsychosis or are dancing on the edge. Both guardian and chrome gang, the Silver
slash patterened themselves off of the band of the same name. Gang leaders Mation and Jake Maxwell were
inspited by the band’s hit single, stand for your world, after their son was shot and
killed in a gang scuffle near the Children’s Hospital. Ow, the hospital serves as the gang’s headquarters
and they work hard to keep the local neighborhood safe. Dorpher gangs usually burn out when their
leadership dies in a hail of gunfire or due to an overdose. The Wild Things are different. No one joins without first surviving for at
least a year as a member of another Dorpher gang. As a result the Wild Things are predatory,
cynical, and can hold their own in a fight. The Wild Things don’t have gang colors,
Each member knows the others sight. Their tag is a red circle with a white dot. The Voodooboys are as much about organized
crime as they are about gang activities. They make their eddies by selling drugs to
the students of Night City University. They are also a cultgang, using drugs and
practices taken from Afro-Caribbean religions to enact sadistic rituals. True members of those religions disavow the
Voodoboys as nothing more than twitsted pretenders who have stolen elements of a spirituality
they can’t possibly understand. In 2077, Haitians have emigrated on mass to
strip 2020’s voodooboys of their name reclaiming their heritage linked name. Some gangs succeed despite their sheer lack
of talent or combat ability. A good example are the DJs, a chrome gang
who are better at selling bootleg music chips and fake collectables than they are at making
music. Their one saving grace is a firm understanding
of the music scene in Night City. If you can stand a DJ’s “music” you
can probably pump them for information on where the best parties and underground concerts
are. Like all boostergangs, the Slaughterhouse
believe in packing as much cyberware into their body as possible. The twits is, the Slaughterhouse wants as
much of that chrome to have sharp points and edges. Rippers, vampires, bigripps, slashers and
wolvers. If it can cut or pierce, chances are its implanted
into the body of a Slaughterhouser. Members of the Slaughterhouse prefer black
and red leather. The Bozos began life as just another prankster
gang, organized around a clown theme. Everything changed however, when the Great
Bozo took over the gang. It is whispered the Great Bozo is actually
an insane, former Arasaka engineer who now uses the clown gang for experiments in cyberware
and surgical techniques considered too extreme and sadistic even by corporate standards. Pity anyone targeted by the Bozos. One might wonder, what sort of person would
willingly join the Bozos and allow themselves to be sculpted and altered int the twisted
image of a clown? The truth is, Bozos take twisted pride in
their recruiting. Once they’ve settled on someone as a new
member, they stalk and prank and harass that person until they’ve been driven to the
edge of insanity. Then the real torture begins. It is unknown how many Bozos were once mallplexers,
corporate executives, or even genuinely decent people who had their sanity peeled away layer
by layer until they embraced their new identity as “one of us”
Among the smaller gangs in Night City are: The tyger claws a gang of Japenese decent,
known to protect citizens of Japantown from outsiders, even if they are known for shaking
them down for protection money. The western stars are a posergang, modeling
themselves after the cowboys of the silver screen, and a combat gang, taking pride in
their skills as a marksman. The willow sisterhood are a group of women
who have biosculpted themselves to resemble famous beauties of the past and present. Each member undergoes extensive training in
combat arts and it is considered fashionable for the rich and powerful of night city to
keep a sister as a bodyguard or mistress. Scratchers replace a person’s fingernails
with metal or carbo-glass. Small compared to other cyberweapons, scratchers
are still dangerous, as the incredible sharpness of the material used make them as deadly as
any razor blade across the throat. To prevent accidents, scratchers are designed
to slice crossways and not downwards, meaning they have to be used in a specific way to
do damage. They are often decorated to make them indistinguishable
from normal nails and are one of the few cyberweapons that are generally legal and available at
any local clinic. Vampires are exactly that one might expect
from the name: implanted fangs. A full set, completely replacing all teeth,
are commonly known as the Sharkgrin Special. Vampires are considered decorative and not
generally illegal, unless augmented with poison injectors. Rippers, a deadlier version of scratchers
are three inch blades which pop out from the fingertips. Fake fingernails are often work to hide rippers,
as they are illegal to possess in most locations. Rippers are usually extended by curling the
hand into a clawlike shape. Wolvers represent the next step in bladed
weapons. When someone with this cyberweapon forms a
fist, thin, triangular blades telescope out from the wrist along channels build into the
back of the hand. The blades are a full foot in length and quite
sharp. With BigKnucks, the knuckles of a hand are
reinforced for weight and hitting power. For brawlers who like punching their problems
away, BigKnucks are an absolute necessity. The weapon commonly known as a Slice N dice
is a monofilament wire spooled into a single finger, which can be extended to use as a
whip or garrote. The Cybersnake is a directable, flexible weapon
which is usually implanted in the throat but can be installed in any body orifice more
than 1 inch long. Upon command, the cybersnake will extend up
to three feet from the orifice and attack. It attacks much like a cobra, darting to jab,
or like a whip to make a slashing attack. When attacking from inside an opponents body
it stabs and twists repeatedly causing internal trauma. Cybersnakes are a favored means of defense
for those engaged in professional sex work, from joy boys and girls on the street to high
class escorts. The mace hand, meanwhile, allows a heavily
reinforced fist to be spooled out on a three foot long, thick cable for ranged attacks. The extended reach comes at a price though,
as reinforcement interferes with articulation and reduces flexibility of the fingers. The BigRipp implants a blade of up to fourteen
inches in the length in your forearm. Simply flex the right muscles and the sharpness
pops out. Because of the way they are mounted, BigRipps
aren’t aws effective at parrying other weapons as a normal blade would be. Edgerunners seeking a subtle cyberweapon often
look at the Bonespike. A vat grown seven inch length of bone, reinforced
with polymer, is installed into the forearm. On the other end of the subtlety spectrum
is the ChainRipp. Upon command a chainsaw blade pops out from
the forearm above the hand and whirs to life ready to rip apart enemies. Night City differs from many American cities
in that its police services are staffed by municipal employees and not a privately contracted
organization. The Night city police department mantains
multiple precinct offices while deputized corporate forces patrol the Corporate City
Center. NCPD keeps order in Night City though the
use of investigative units, a closed circuit camera and monitor system, and aerial patrol
forces. Roughly 40% of street corners in Night City
are home to a callbox which allow citizens and visitors alike to summon an NCPD presence
for the cost of only one eddie. NCPD officers assigned to Traffic Patrol have
pulled the shortest straw possible. Its all the danger and none of the respect,
as they suffer not only the dangers posed by gangs looking to have a little fun and
corporate strike forces unconcerned about collateral damage but also the abuse heaped
upon them by potentially armed Night City citizens irate about getting a ticket or being
caught in the latest traffic snarl. They say the worst thing a superior officer
can tell a subordinate is “you have been transferred to traffic”. If a cop has been assigned to traffic patrol,
it means they’ve pissed off someone with the power to make their life miserable. Airborne patrol uses aerodynes and gyros for
surveillance and support purposes. A standard airborne patrol crew consists of
one pilot, one command officer, two troopers and a medic. A position in Airborne is sought after by
many in the NCPD. Not only do they get to play with some of
the latest technology but it is harder for gangs to lay traps for airborne vehicles the
way they do for patrol cars. A standard vehicle in the airborne patrol
is the AV-3 aka “the Aerocop”, replaced on the civilian market by the more popular
AV-4, the AV-3 was retooled and sold as a specialty vehicle to police forces around
the world. The AV-3 now come standard with good armor,
ground wheels for surface maneuvering when needed and a top mounted turret. In 2020, the homicide division of the NCPD
is busier than ever. The population is growing every year and Corps,
crime syndicates and gangs are all fighting for control of the city’s streets. Mass murders take place disturbingly often
and not every cyberpsycho is an obvious rampaging metal monster. Some look like ordinary serial killers until
it is too late to call in MAX-TAC. Anyone who works homicide develops some way
to cope with the depressing crush of too many cases, many of which will go unsolved. A homicide detective can see up to fifty bodies
a day and anyone who doesn’t find an outlet to help them deal with that stress instead
finds the psych ward or the grave. The Net Security Section, otherwise known
as NETSEC focuses on Night City’s digital streets instead of its concrete ones. Computer crimes and illegal netrunning fall
under their jurisdiction to investigate. In addition, NETSEC provides intelligence
and research for other investigate divisions of the NCPD. NETSEC officers tend to be high strung and
man did not receive normal police training before joining the force. A rare few join out of a sense of civic duty. Most join because NCPD promises them access
to military grade netruning hardwar and software and it is better to have a regular paycheck
from the occasional random hacking score and the constant potential of Black ICE frying
your brain. The Cyborg suppression unit is shorthand for
the C-Swat and more recently as MAX-TAC. This division was originally a part of the
special weapons and tactics section (SWAT) but spun off when it became clear the frequency
with which they carried out their duties merited their own command. Max Tac is a rapid response team of the most
combat capable officers the NCPD has to offer and outfitted with the best in military armor,
weaponry and vehicles. They have on mission: monitor highly augmented
individuals and be prepared to arrive fast, hit hard, and shoot to kill if their quarry
goes over the edge into cyberpsychosis. MAX Tac work in Special purpose assault rescue
teams of six troopers and one officer. By necessity, many members are chromed to
the point they are on the watch list themselves. The occasional MAX-TAC officer is a full borg. MAX-TAC weapons are universally designed to
take down heavily cybered individuals. This can include non-lethal and experimental
weaponry but usually means high caliber rounds capable of penetrating any armor. EMP weapons are rare since they’ll do as
much damage to the team as the cyberpsycho they are trying to take down. Common weapons include the Constitutional
Arms Cyclone Squad Support Weapon and the Remington Gyro Sniper Rifle. No single event contributed to the Dark Future
of Cyberpunk 2020 than the Collapse, an implosion which devastated the US and rocked the world
economy. By the early 90s, the Gang of Four (The FBI,
CIA, NSA and DEA) had been covertly working together to manipulate United States politics
and legislation for years. Driven by ideology and lust for power, the
Gang of Four took advantage of the covert nature of their various agencies and their
control over much of the information the government received about the world to street policy. In 1993, worries about the rise of the European
Economic Commonwealth as a world power, the Gang of Four began the “Quiet War”, a
series of covert actions to diminish EC power and ensure US dominance. This culminated in hacking by US agencies
into European and Asian stock markets to bolster US corporations and currency on the world
market. United States hacking-based manipulations
of European and Asian stock markets were discovered by European agents in 1994. Rather than take direct action against a nominal
ally, the EC instead leaked the information to the world press. The resulting outrage caused the Crash of
’94. The American stock market was devastated as
shares plummeted and countries which were once friends called for embargos. The ripple of course, spread across the world. Without the United States as a driving force,
many international institutions collapsed. As other countries dealt with the fallout
of the American stock market crash, no single government, or block of governments, could
or were willing to step up to become the new world financial superpower. By itself, the Crash of ’94 wouldn’t have
caused the Collapse but other factors combined with the crash to make it possible. The Gang of Four had already been pushing
covert and overt wars in Central and South America as part of a public relations campaign:
a way of distracting US citizens from noticing an increasingly unstable domestic situation. After the US hacking attacks on European stock
markets was discovered, EEC countries began backing anti-American guerilla groups in the
western hemisphere. This created a quagmire in South America and
resulted in daring terrorist operations carried out on US soil. As a result, resources had to be pumped into
military and security operations, leaving little left for rebuilding a shattered economy
or a crumbling infrastructure. Another factor which contributed to the Collapse
was environmental. Pollution and environmental damage resulted
in the despoiling of US farmlands. The once fertile fields of the American Midwest
had once more become dustbowls. This, combined with damage to American waters
from industrial accidents and pollutants meant the United States was unable to feed itself,
much less the rest of the world. Things reached a tipping point on August 17,
1996, when the president and vice president were both assassinated. The Speaker of the house was undergoing bypass
surgery, and the president of the Senate refused to undertake the oath of office. That afternoon, John Seward the secretary
of Defense addressed the nation and declared martial law. The time of the Collapse was perhaps the darkest
the United States has ever known. Acting President Seward and his cabinet actively
fought against the Gang of Four for control of the government. At the same time, Seward had to deal with
riots across the country, rebuilding shattered global alliances, further environmental disasters,
and a devastating plague. Seward was assassinated in 2000. His successor, General William Newell was
able to convince important members of the Gang of Four to testify against their masters. It took 4 more years, and several assassinations,
to end the power of the gang of 4. Those members who weren’t jailed or imprisoned
saw the writing on the wall and found new masters to protect them: the rising Megacorps. Most historians mark November 7, 2008 as the
end of the Collapse and the beginning of the rebuilding of the United States. On that day, 12 years after martial law was
declared, free elections were held. Unfortunately, the damage was already done. As of 2020, the US government is still weak. Washington’s masters aren’t the Gang of
Four but the Corporations who prop up the economy. According to census reports, nearly half the
population of the United States died during the 12 years of the collapse. Another 25 – 50 million citizens became
Nomads, disenfranchised wanderers. Combine this with Environmental disasters
and the United States has become a country of concentrated urban centers with thousands
of towns and cities now little more than empty rusting shells. The NET of 2020 is the sum total of human
telecommunications, joining together computers, telephones, cellular phones, radios, microwave
transmitters, satellites and more. Everything connected to the NET is a part
of it, from Megacorp supercomputers to computer controlled blenders. The NET has many functions including storing
and sharing information, communications, and remote access and control of real world peripherals. Basic NET access can happen the old fashioned
way, using a visual display and an input device. High level access, though, must be done via
a combination of software and hardware which translates the electronic information of the
NET into sensory data which users experience as “real”. To navigate the NET, a user needs a cyberdeck. The average cyberdeck weighs half a kilogram
and is roughly he size of a box of mac and cheese. Monitors, keyboards and other input devices
are not standard, since cyberdecks are designed to directly engage with a user’s bran and
nervous system via interface plugs. A cyberdeck contains the hardware and software
needed to properly translate the NET into a reality users can experience and interact
wwith. This is done via an interface program which
works with the Ihara-Grubb Transformation Algorithms to extrapolate local data and build
a landscape construct of the NET. The user doesn’t just see and hear this
virtual world, but can navigate through it as if it were real space with merely a thought. Early research into linking computer systems
by militaries and universities done in the 70s and 80s seemed primed to create a global
network which reached into most homes by the 90s. The development of biologic interface chips
in 1993 made this even more exciting as it promised a future where everyone could mentally
travel into cyberspace. Unfortunately, the stock market crash of ’94
and The Collapse which followed delayed development. It wasn’t until WorldSat completed a telecommunications
satellite system in 2001 that a truly global network was born. At this point netrunners, who had been using
primitive interfaces to navigate local networks, could now move globally and get into trouble. In 2005, Kenjiri technologies released the
Cybermodem, the first commercial available computer designed specifically for the purpose
of plugging the mind directly into the NET, using an interface program to translate the
information received into sensory data. These first interface programs were primitive
and came in a variety of flavours, allowing the user to decide if they wanted the NET
to look like a fantasy dungeon or a 1920s metropolis. The lack of standardization in interface programs
sometimes made interactions complex and difficuly, especially when 2 netrunners tried to communicate. Trying to explain that someone should take
a look into a data node is hard when one user sees it as s pulsating squid and the other
sees a simple geometric shape instead. In 2009, NET pioneer Nobuhiro Ihara was extracted
from Zetatech by a consortium of telecommunication companies. That same consortium hired game designer Jan
Grubb away from Kenjiri Technologies. Together, the two geniuses led a team of engineers
and programmers to redesign the NET from the ground up. They developed a consistent and universal
interface system which not only translated data to sensation but also conveyed a feeling
of spatial awareness that meant traveling online truly felt like moving through a 3D
world. Released in September 2014, their Ihara-Grubb
Algorithm ensured everyone on the NET had the same base experience, although they could
still customize the way their ICON, programs and personal network space were presented. While the NET is ever changing, it is roughly
divided into 9 regions, the boundaries of which shift, shrink and expand constantly. Regions, also known as Kingdoms are nominally
controlled by either a single local Corp or Government or a coalition of them. Some netrunners have theorized that these
regions, with all their connections and computational power and the influence of the Ihara-Grubb
Algorithms have spontaneously awakened and gained some level of sentience, becoming Artificial
intelligences. In other words, believers in these AIs think
when a netrunner travels through a region, they aren’t just moving through “somewhere”
but “someone” – They hunt agwe Netwatch began in Europe as a private organization. Their pitch was simple: hire us and we’ll
make sure you aren’t hacked. NEtwatch grew quickly as it was contracted
by corps and governments around the world to monitor and provide security in their local
part of the NET. More aware than anyone of just how vulnerable
having a single central system can be, Netwatch operators work independently or in cells,
spread out across the NET. Netwatch operators do exactly what the organization
name suggest, they watch for crim on the NET. When they find it, they ac accordingly. Somethimes this ends with someones brain melted
by Black Ice, but more often than not, the Operator is content to try to immobilize a
netrunner, then call in the local authorities.
