Long, long time ago, in this galaxy and on this planet, there were times when people did not stare at screens all the time. Some of them watched music videos, some played soccer, and some sat in the basement and rolled dices. When playing fantasy pen & paper RPG’s (like Warhammer or DnD) got boring, you could reach for Cyberpunk. Yes, the old one published in 1990 for the first time by R. Talsorian Games Inc. RPG.
Vision of shitty future, full of modern technology and flying cars was interesting to say the least. The power was in the hands of mega-corporations. Dark allays were full of neons, there were cyber implants, hackers linked to the network through body modification. Overall the role-playing decriptions suggested game possibilities different than before.
While creating you game character you could choose between roles in the game that determined you character’s style (and thats very important in this game), and rules of being a cyber-punk:
Rockerboy
Rebelious rockman, who fights authorities using music and guids the revolution.
Solo
Hitman, solider, murderer for hire.
Netrunner
Cybernetic computer hacker.
Techie
Renegade mechanic and doctor.
Media
Journalist who puts his life on the line to find the truth.
Cop
The most righteous man on the street as far as the twenty-first century goes.
Corporate
Stock market speculator and multimillionaire.
Fixer
Broker, smuggler, organizer and informer.
Nomad
Gypsy warrior who chose to cross the highway.
The chosen role determined how the player’s hero would manage in a grim, hard world.
As you can guess, our breathtaking Johnny is a true Rockman. Street poet, rebel, transmitting the message for the revolution in the lyrics of his works. To make it more interesting, often the activities of rockers are not in the taste of the government or corporations.
Silverhand is an iconic figure for the world of this RPG. At the very beginning he is quoted to better reflect the atmosphere of the game world:
” Always take it to the edge. It’s the Cyberpunk way “
JS
Every now and then you can come across a text written directly by him. And as the above text suggests, Johnny does like to rock.
Where did our Rockman come from? And why does CDP Red using trailer for Cyberpunk 2077 winks to the paper RPG players?
Johnny is a war veteran from Central America wars. He did not like the war, so he left from the front and changed the industry. After some time, thanks to his musical talent, he founded a very popular Samurai band (yes, the name often appears here and there on the trailer). He is known for his romances and silver hand. He does not move anywhere without his heavy jacket (just like the hero on the trailer).
We get to know him better at the moment in which he gets beaten after the concert, and his girlfriend is kidnapped. Where do we meet him? Yes, in a dark alley full of rubbish, when red indicators of life are flashing on electronic eyes. Someone finds him and helps him, and that’s why he survives.
Wake the fuck up Samurai, we have a city to burn.
JS
If someone would like to know how the story ends with Miss Silverhand named Alt, he should reach for the textbook and play an adventure prepared there.
In the meantime, one wonders how digital Johnny got into the head of CP2077 creators, and what will he want from us? CDP certainly will not make him a simple tutorial helper, and the trailer comment suggests a blasting game on the edge.
I just wonder how much will the Trauma Team insurance cost?
