Last Thursday, we played Cyberpunk.

Last Thursday, we played Cyberpunk. Retrofuture cyberpunk 2020 setting, and the GM has done a lot of work on the system. For setting, think a silly shadowrun.

They used Ghost Echo by John Harper, more or less, this last time.

Here's me turning this back into a super simple pbta hack, with examples from the ridiculous Cyberpunk game we're playing.

Character creation: List three qualities about your character -- whether that's name, cybergear, or high concept. Whatever. One of these must be cybergear, because that's the sort of story this is supposed to be.

Here's the one move:
When you do something dangerous, tell the GM. Write down what you want to do, and the GM will write down an appropriate problem.

Pick up 2 dice. Pick up an extra for each of your qualities that fits. Roll them, and take the best two.

On a 10+: You do it, without a problem.
On a 7-9, You do it and the problem happens.
On a 6-: You don't do it, AND there's a problem.

For example: Boomfist, the street samurai. He's got the qualities: Boomfist, wired reflexes, and bullet proof skin.

He intimidates the crypto fascist guard, maybe kindof sorta threatening the guys family. The goal: get past the guard. The possible badness: the guard calls for reinforcements, possibly while opening the door and running away from the crazy man.

The player picks up two dice, and is all "Boomfist!" to the GM, who decides to be gracious and gives a third die. Apparently boomfist means you are good at intimidation.

The player rolls 3d6, and is super glad for the extra die: 1, 5, 6! The extra die (the 6) turns it from a hard fail to a hard success.

There we go: Quick, straightforward system for cyberpunkin'. Its a ridiculous combination of fate and pbta. There is one move. Done.

What's that, you want xp? OK, sure. Let's revise a little. The GM writes the complication as a PC goal, like "Prevent the guard from calling for reinforcements". Then, add a third goal: Gain XP.

Then, we get:
On a 12: Do all three: Avoid the badness, complete the goal, gain XP.
On a 10-11: Do 2 out of 3.
On a 7-9: Just 1.
On a 6-: Catastrophe all 'round.

Spending XP is also super easy: When you have as many XP as you have Qualities, erase and write a new one. Done.

Remember when Boomfist had a 10+? Well, he'd rather have XP than avoid more combat, so now the guard is calling for reinforcements. Turns out, that's a dozen uber soldiers with swords.

Luckily, Boomfist just hit three XP! The players erases and chooses a new Qualitiy: Dual Monofilament Katanas.

He rushes into the mob of uber soldiers with his monofilament katanas ... rolling 2d6, plus 1 for the katanas, plus 1 for his wired reflex, which matter in this situation. That's 4 dice!

The player's goal is to defeat the uber soldiers. The GM writes down another goal "Avoid taking debilitating injuries"

The player rolls: 2, 3, 5, 6. That's an eleven. The player chooses to avoid the badness and to eliminate the uber soldiers. There's no XP for boomfirst, but the soldiers are eliminated.

Quick & Dirty. I don't yet have money factored in, which'll probably be a secondary system layered on top. And I probably won't be the one to develop it. Personally, I'd keep money as being for lifestyle expenses only, and have all equipment act as a function of Qualities.