The incredible popularity of the recent Netflix series, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, has revitalized the game after the unfortunate Cyberpunk 2077 release. With this resurgence, a new Edgerunners themed Night City is coming to your local tabletop! Apogee screamsheet ahead!
For anyone unaware, the Cyberpunk 2077 game which had quite the infamous start was in fact a video game adaptation based on the Cyberpunk TTRPG by R. Talsorian Games. That’s right, the high-tech futuristic game whose name defines the genre started out as low-tech pencil and paper gaming at your kitchen table!
Cyberpunk: Past & Future Edgerunners
The first iteration of the Cyberpunk game debuted in 1988 and is retrospectively referred to as “Cyberpunk 2013” to help differentiate the game from the genre itself. Mike Pondsmith, founder of R.Talsorian Games and big time fanboy of the 1980s cyberpunk sci-fi genre, created the game. As I’m sure you can imagine with the knowledge of today at your disposal, Cyberpunk 2013 was making serious scratch and even had subsequent supplements published the year following its release.
There have, of course, been other editions of the Cyberpunk TTRPG, including: Cyberpunk 2020 (2nd Edition), Cyberpunk V3.0 (3rd Edition), and the current Cyberpunk RED which is set in the year 2045 and serves as the prequel to Cyberpunk 2077. R.Talsorian Games delayed the release of the Cyberpunk RED core rulebook to better align with the 2077 game. The pandemic further delayed the release until November 2020.
CD Projekt Red, the team behind the Cyberpunk 2077 video game worked with Studio Trigger to produce the popular animated series that took Netflix by storm in September of this year. In fact, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was so popular that players were modding the Cyberpunk 2077 game to bring in elements of the show. Things like Lucy’s apartment, a Cyberpsychosis mod, and the sounds of cyberware activation mimic the Edgerunners series. The show has been such an absolute smash-hit that the folks over at R.Talsorian Games realized, why stop the game mods at the video game?
Eyes On The Eddies, Gato Chooms!
An official Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Mission Kit is in development in order to bring 2077 Edgerunning to the TTRPG. The new expansion uses the existing Cyberpunk RED game engine. The official announcement on the R.Talsorian Games site puts the purpose and design direction for the Mission Kit into perspective:
“…guide fans of the series new to tabletop roleplaying through the process of telling their own stories in Night City. At the same time, existing players of Cyberpunk RED will get their first glimpse into the cyberware, firepower, and netrunning skills of the 2077 era.“
-R. Talsorian Games
In order to make sure that the Edgerunners Mission Kit isn’t zeroed on arrival, CD Projekt Red will be working with the R.Talsorian Games team. While there isn’t a whole lot of information regarding the new kit, they did announce that it will be similar to other products like the “Jumpstart” kit released for Cyberpunk RED or the “Starter” set for Dungeons and Dragons 5E. The Mission Kit will contain the essential rules for playing in the Cyberpunk RED game engine, lore for the Dark Future, Night City, and the Edgerunners Team, “and more.” Additional details will be coming as development proceeds and hopefully a release date will soon be on the horizon!
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Only! Vidiots Need Not Apply, Gonks!
I’ve wanted to get a cyberpunk game going with my group for quite a while, but Shadowrun didn’t seem to catch their attention like I’d hoped. Everyone loves the Edgerunners series though, so I’m looking forward to busting this out and finally start chippin’ in to those sweet cyber upgrades I’ve always wanted! What about you, a fan of the show or the video game? Excited to try the Edgerunners Mission Kit at your table? Let us know in the comments and keep an eye out here on GTN for updates as they come!
Til Next Time!
