This is something I never understood about Cyberpunk. We have phone's today that can function as both a two-way radio and cellphone, why doesn't the game? lol

Teknoshock: the Future that Wasn't - Cyberpunk 2020 has its roots in an alt-history universe where the 80's was cutting edge and beepers still made sense: if you comb through the books cellphones are the old style cellular bricks rather than the digital devices we have now and computers are laughably slow, bulky and can store less than an iPod Mini, much less a smartphone. Thing is, rewriting the universe from the ground up and scrubbing the Gibsonian-taint free of the universe robs the setting of something. At the same time, I want technology to work in ways we recognize.

So I'm asking for a little suspension of disbelief on your part.

Rules-wise all you need to know is that cellphones will act like the cellphones you know of today: prepaid burner phones that just make calls run a few Euro, smart phones run a few hundred and there's a range of options in between. If you run with a smartphone it acts like a smartphone and for in-game purposes you have a mobile access point to a public E-terminal wherever you go. You can't netrun from it, though. Or, rather, you can but it is slow, cumbersome and makes you easy prey for some enterprising console cowboy. Also, for computers and other tech devices: at a bare minimum double any memory or storage capacity, battery life or cellular range. If you need a specific number for a particular device, we'll deal with it then; use this rule of thumb for planning purposes.

But.

Remember that these devices are going to have that slightly retro 80's aesthetic, and are going to exist alongside public e-terms and vidphone booths, and where the default color scheme is mirror-shades, neon and chrome rather than iApple white or matteMS black. Cyberpunk 2020 had the mission statement of Style over Substance: stick to the style and the we'll let the substance follow. And remember, choombatta, a little bit of cognitive dissonance isn't always a bad thing.

The NCART train was approaching the city centre when Jonno's cellphone beeped with an incoming text. It was LadyKoi's number with an address in the University District.
A glance at the route map showed the train would have to loop several stops north to reach the university area, or he could get off at Japantown and walk across the edge of the park, probably 10-15 minutes march.
After weeks cooped up in a one room apartment, he decided to get off at Japantown and walk.
He quickly texts LadyKoi back as the train pulls into the station.
On my way. ETA 15 minutes.


OOC - Unless the GM throws me a random encounter (or I've misread the map), Jonno should be at Phoenix house in 15 minutes or thereabouts.

Game note, Reputation is the roll you need to determine if you know someone. You have to roll under the Reputation and it's a simple d10 roll. That means for new people your Rep is 0, so know that doesn't actually know you, hasn't heard of you. For the existing players from the original scene you do have a Reputation, though small, so people could have heard of you.

That is Overrider, Salaryman and Prodigy now.


PGs 54-55 for Reputation.

NCART is safer than walking. And given the map has no actual scale, I wouldn't say it's a short walk. Given the opportunity to be stopped by any number of issues. If you're walking I'll see what falls out of that.

Just waiting on info from rolls

I'm going to give LadyKoi a few more minutes dialogue before Jonno shows up at Phoenix House.