Cyberpunk Red publisher R. Talsorian Games has released a single-player mode for its most famous tabletop RPG. This new supplement, available on DriveThruRPG for as low as $10, allows you to explore the dystopian urban future without other players – or even a Game Master. “It’ll even function as an assistant-GM, ready and willing to fill in the blanks in your Dark Future story”, R. Talsorian says in a press release from September 17.
It’s crucial to note that you’ll need a copy of Cyberpunk Red in order to use these solo rules. However, given that this is arguably the most famous sci-fi tabletop RPG of all time, you’re likely to have a copy hidden in your vaults. Or you can pick a copy up from a variety of storefronts (and often on sale).
The single-player mode itself provides guidelines for running investigations, social challenges, and combat for a lone player. Much like a regular game of Cyberpunk Red, conflicts are established and resolved by asking and answering questions. The major difference is that you are both asking and answering.
One tool to help with this process is The Oracle, a set of rules that helps you establish a question and roll to decide its outcome. If you’re seeking a closed answer, there are five possible outcomes, ranging from “no” and “no with complication” to “yes” and “yes with complication”. The probability of these outcomes changes depending on the context in your scene. Otherwise, the Oracle will help you develop descriptions that bring a scene to life.
Scenes are defined by a goal you’re trying to achieve in them, and their length is determined by the number of skill checks you’ll need to perform to advance the plot. Combat is handled a little differently, with the fight playing out until your enemy’s morale forces them to flee – or you’ve gunned them all down.
There are some additional rules for clocks and timers, but most of the content focuses on helping you to build encounters and campaigns quickly. The supplement features mission builders and over 100 lists and tables to create random encounters, places, people, and plots.
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