A Cyberpunk Kind of Game (Full 04/07/2012)

[Cold Heritage]

Deus Ex: Human Revolution went on sale on Steam a bit ago, and I picked it up at the recommendation of friends. It got me sort of craving a cyberpunk kind of game.

I had in mind, however, a game world more in line with Shadowrun with the magical elements excised. In a nutshell, intense global privatization gone hand in hand with incredibly powerful global mega-corporations ends up creating a world where governments are little more than fronts and the cops are owned by the same people who own the big burger chain, and they own the hospitals too. Everything's dark and dingy at the street level with a perpetual noir-inspired fog, and the mega-rich live up in penthouses that are clean, sterile white plastic edifices with more wealth in their cups of coffee than a thousand workers see on their dinner tables in a week.

The basic idea in my mind is that we would get a small group or 5 to 6 players and a like number of characters to be operators who form a team to do shady under the table stuff that people in cyberpunk tend to do (alternatively, the group could work for a corp, as Adam Jensen works for Sarif Industries). We could have some street samurais, a hacker type, a planner/face type, or whatever. Everyone would be able to shoot guns to an extent, since that's fun to do, but the street samurais would be extra good at it and also have augmentations to tank and/or dodge other people shooting them, and the hacker type could lug around a laptop and wire in because transferring large amounts of data is better done through wires than wi-fi, and the planner/face could chomp cigars and love it when a plan comes together. Roles don't have to be so strictly segregated, but we're not going to have someone who's good at everything (although it's freeform so technically I can't really stop someone from hacking the Gibson while going guns akimbo as they go super-saiyan because they know kung-fu and have over 9,000 megabytes of hot RAM). You also don't have to be a burnt-out, drug- and drink-adled, world-weary jaded cynic with an extra thick bastard coating to your extra hard bastard center (wide-eyed naiveté is also discouraged).

I had an idea for a first mission entailing the rescue and protection of a hostage for someone with mega-bucks. It's pretty straight-forward but could dovetail into deeper mysteries. Or it could just be pink mohawks gunning down Corpsecorp goons while generic metal plays in the background. Either is good.

Does that stir the muse in anyone?

[Pumpkin Seeds]

Sure, I'll stick my hand up for a street-samurai type.

[MzHyde]

Hee! I like your style and your A-Team references. I'm in.

[RecklessRapscallion]

I am sooo down! I call dibs on face!!!!

By the way, you had me sold at Cyberpunk and kinda sealed the deal with the Neuromancer reference.

[Scribbles]

Interested, but only if we can add in some rock between the metal tracks.    :-)

[1SAZ]

Doubly interested thanks to so many awesome movie and tv references AND the setting. Thank you for the Hackers reference. Such an under referenced movie. :D

[Cold Heritage]

Gotta be straight, I didn't finish Neuromancer - lent my copy out and never got it back.

I'll type up something more informative to set the scene tomorrow. I'll also aim to get a character sheet. Your obligatory black trench coats and reflective sunglasses will arrive shortly and are to be worn at all times.

[Cold Heritage]

It is 2144 A.D.

The end of the world is not here yet. Some people say it is getting close.

National governments are, in the main, superceded by megacorporations, which are, in essence, nations unto themselves. Corporate employees and holdings enjoy extraterritorial privilege, and as such are free to pursue their interests unrestricted by anything save internal policy. Most utilities are contracted to a private firm, and through the web of subsidiary ownership, many megacorporations extend their power outside of what is strictly theirs - Wal-McDonald's reach does not end when you walk onto the street when the law is enforced by Stillcreek Security Solutions which is ultimately owned by Wal-McDonald's through a complex series of shell companies.

Science has come a long way. The dream of expanding out into the stars is within humanity's grasp, with several megacorporations having colonies on Luna and Mars. The incredibly wealthy live in O'Neill Cylinders far above Earth's surface. Human augmentation is a ubiquitous reality - all megacorporation office workers undergo at least some cognitive enhancement, and private security or military workers frequently receive combat enhancements. Augmentations mechanical, chemical, and biological are available to those with the money and connections to secure them.

The concept of war has changed in the face of these developments. Nation-states fielding thousands of soldiers is a thing of the past. Corporate espionage is the new war. Deniable, expendable assets - individuals with no corporate ties and a loyalty only to their own bank accounts - are the cat's paw of choice, although many corps do maintain their own private strike teams for jobs that absolutely must be performed by in-house assets. This necessity is why workers are permitted to strike out on their own from megacorporations, despite the considerable time and expense that goes into crafting an individual with the particular skills and enhancements that makes them suitable for wet work. A preferential rate to one's 'parent company' is expected. Although considerably less common, some individuals manage to make a name for themselves without going through the corp mill. Frequently, these individuals hone their skills as part of a criminal syndicate or interest . . . but such syndicates are much less forgiving and amenable to losing assets.


Your character will be essentially, a soldier of fortune. They are known by many names - a temp, independent contractor, short-term consultant, non-permanent asset - but the job is the same: dirty deeds done at mutually satisfactory rates. You may be called upon to steal, murder, kidnap, sabotage, protect, or destroy targets of interest to whomever you are paid by. Your professionalism and discretion are expected, lest your reputation - and thus, continued practice of your profession - be soured. Corporate representatives who come bearing job offers are frequently referred to as HR-men and women, although head hunters, sharks, and other less polite terms are common in the wet worker subculture.

Name:
Age:
Appearance:
History:
Skills:
Enhancements:
Additional Information:


Infodumps'R'Us

Enhancements

There are, generally, three different types of enhancements available to a person - mechanical, chemical, and biological - and they do not typically play nice together.

Mechanical Enhancements

Mechanical enhancements entail replacing body parts with artificial, mechanical components. It is an umbrella term that encompasses mechanical limb and organ replacements, adding data processors to the brain, and passive enhancements such as subdermal ceramic antiballistic plates or titanium skeletal reinforcement. The first mechanical enhancements, which did not so much enhance as provide an approximation of normal functionality, were developed and marketed in 2032 A.D. With more than one hundred years of advances, mechanical augmentations are the most common and reliable enhancements available on the market. One can purchase a cyberlimb at any Wal-McDonald's - and although their products are shoddy, plastic examples of mass production with minimal quality control - that is nevertheless stronger than the flesh and blood limb of a 20th century Olympic athlete at the peak of their career. Apart from extremely rare individuals, rejection of mechanical enhancements is a fear of the past.

The ubiquity of mechanical augmentations affords some advantages and disadvantages. The skills and facilities to repair mechanical augmentations are widespread and commonly available, through legal and illegal channels. Replacements for enhancements damaged beyond repair are easily acquired. Mechanical enchancements that improve virtually every aspect of human performance are available on the market - and beyond. Cybernetic eyes offer their user vision spectrums without the need for clunky goggles. It is even possible to install a port in the skull to receive artificial skill software, providing an otherwise unskilled individual with the knowledge necessary to perform a task at a level of competence roughly on par with an entry-level trained worker. Some skillsets are sufficiently complex that this is not truly possible, but many workers in data-entry positions are little more than slot jockeys who plug in a chip for ten hours and unplug at the end of their shift.

On the other side, the maturity of the technology means that it is easy to discern when someone is mechanically enhanced, even if cosmetically they appear to the unenhanced eye to be normal. Another is vulnerability. Although mechanical enhancements are some of the most secure pieces of hardware available - depending on the brand, of course - it is possible for especially complex or high-end examples to be hacked or compromised by electronic means. Most products are hardened against EMP, but it is nevertheless a concern and specialized anti-cybernetic measures can render mechanical augmentations inert. Mechanical enhancements can achieve a degree of improvement over baseline human capability no other type of enhancement can, but to reach the peak of what is possible the enhancement invariably hinders performance in other areas and will appear undisguisedly artificial.

A unique mechanical enhancement is the Mind-Interface Unit. It is a particularly invasive augmentation that enables a user to directly interface with pieces of technology of sufficient sophistication. Earlier models required a physical connection between the MIU and the technology to be manipulated, but contemporary models allow for wireless interface (although a wired connection is more secure and more efficient, allowing for faster exchange of data; defeating intrusion counter-measures of any contemporary system without detection and in any reasonable time frame is next to impossible with a wireless connection). It is the hacker's most important tool of trade.

Chemical Enhancements

Chemical enhancements are good old fashioned drugs. The least effective means of enhancement, their use nevertheless persists. Stimulants, depressants, and other chemicals that alter the body chemistry fall under this umbrella. One can purchase drugs to make one happy, sad, amoral, psychotic, and everything in between. Many low-level office workers employ chemical enhancements to improve their focus and reduce boredom, and some private security firms employ combat drugs to make their operatives fearless during riots. The positive effects of chemical enhancements are fleeting, but many have undesirable effects associated with long term use that make them unpopular - though for some purchasing a new liver is more affordable than a biological or mechanical enhancement.

Chemical enhancements are for the most part incompatible with mechanical enhancements - designer steroids have no effects on hydraulics after all, and extreme alterations in body chemistry often have unforeseen and deleterious effects on more specialized biological enhancements - combat drugs that produce a blood rage may produce stimuli a cultured gland cannot properly process, retarding its function.

Biological Enhancement

This type of enhancements represents improving the body through biological means, whether that be gene therapy, grafting cultured tissue onto existing tissue, or otherwise manipulating organic elements of the body. It is relatively new field, with the first successful biological enhancement performed in 2100 A.D. in the form of grafting vat-grown muscle onto existing musculature, and the first successful gene therapy procedure was only performed in 2133 A.D. Biolimbs, skeletal and dermal reinforcement, increases in healing speed and efficacy, digestive improvement, transgenic features and organs are all possible.

Biological enhancement enjoys greater popularity due to its novelty, but it is limited in comparison to mechanical augmentation. While it is extremely difficult to detect biological enhancements - of a sedate nature; if you have your hair replaced by quills only the blind will fail to notice - and they will repair themselves, it is much more difficult to acquire a replacement in the event of damage or dismemberment or malfunction. An adrenal gland designed to release on command failing to trigger or triggering more frequently than is desired is beyond the skill of the average medical technician to correct. And while an off-the-shelf cyberlimb may be installed in an hour or two, barring complications and assuming the required peripheral enhancement is in place, grafting a biolimb is a much lengthier procedure, to say nothing of gene therapies. There is considerable extra expense in biological enhancement versus mechanical, and biological enhancements simply cannot offer the same range of capabilities: bio-eyes offer vision that is improved over 20/20 in every way, but they will not allow you to switch between low-light, infrared, or thermal imaging at will. That said, biolimbs offer better overall performance compared to cyberlimbs before focus in one area causes a loss in performance in others.

Technology

In 2144, connectivity to telecommunications and the internet saturates the globe to a degree that would make people of the 21st century murderously envious. There are several dead spots, but they tend to be small. Notable exceptions include particularly hot spots in South America and Africa where bush wars are a constant reality. Others include the Arctic and Antarctica. Consequently, cybersecurity is an incredibly more important industry and experts in the field often command huge salaries and benefits. An entry-level specialist in cybersecurity is a professional with comparable training and education to a lawyer or medical doctor. Artificial skill software helps to fill the gaps in labour demand, but someone with a skillsoft enhancement is a poor substitute for a genuine professional.

True artificial intelligence has not yet been achieved, although it is believed that many megacorporations are close and the systems governing off-world colonies are sufficiently advanced and sophisticated that some might not be able to truly tell the difference.

Human colonies off-planet are possible. Currently Mars and Luna have half a dozen colonies between them, with self-sustaining ecosystems. Terra-forming either planet so that they will be fully habitable by humans is yet beyond what is possible, but extensive research is underway. Eight artificial habitats exist for the supremely wealthy; six of them orbit the Earth, one orbits Luna, and the other orbits Mars.

Pollution resists all efforts to reverse it. Progress is one area is stymied by deliberate carelessness in another; for each corporation that develops a bioform that could eliminate carbon surplus another corporation dumps some pollutant inimical to that bioform.

Guns continue to use bullets. Primary advances include effective caseless ammunition - desirably reducing weight and eliminating spent casings left behind as evidence. Antiballistic defenses have advanced in the form of enhancements and body armour capable of withstanding contemporary weaponry. Restrictions in acquiring low-end weapons are virtually non-existent, and many citizens carrying a 9mm pistol for self-defence as they are both affordable and require no license. Advances in enhancements has expanded the definition of 'man-portable' for firearms, as well. Energy weapons remain laboratory prototypes, and many years of development lay ahead before effective weapons platforms are produced.

Power Players

There are many Megacorporations in the world, and some national governments retain much of the power national governments enjoyed in the 21st century. Criminal syndicates also have a large degree of autonomy and influence with the collapse of bodies such as INTERPOL and the collapse of nation-states and the privatization of law enforcement. Here's a sampling.

Wal-McDonald's Global: The largest megacorporation in the world is Wal-McDonald's. It is the only megacorporation with a AAAA rating, and interests on every continent and off-world colony. The size of the corporation grants it great power, but that power is decentralized leading to great difficulties in getting all of its parts working towards the same goal. Its head office is nominally the Ronald McDonald Orbital Platform, one of the O'Neill Cylinders orbiting Earth, but in practice so long as revenue projections are met and compliance to company policy is within acceptable ranges, large offices such as the Grimace Consortium in New York are permitted a unique amount of independence in the execution of company mandates and pursuits of company goals.

Although Wal-McDonald's has a hand in every industry on the planet, its chief method of domination is not innovation but to undercut all competitors by appropriating advances and figuring out how to make it cheaper. This invariably results in a shoddier product, but given the option of a poor quality, affordable product or going without, many elect to purchase Wal-McDonald's brands.

Wal-McDonald's controls the presidency of the United States of America; election campaigns are little more than social media and reality television stunts designed to produce ratings and advertise products. The actual function of the presidency appears to be nothing more than for a photogenic, bombastic performer to denigrate other countries, extol the virtue of the Big  Daddy Mac (three  double-pounder synth-beef paddies on a genwheat bun with extra bacon and cheese sauce! It's got what Americans crave!), and call other companies bad names.

Corpsecorp Private Security Solutions: North America's largest private military and police firm, formed from former U.S. military and local police veterans. Their market share of security contracts in North America is 68.3% and rising as aggressive marketing and hostile takeovers absorb other PMCs and security firms. The ubiquity of their black uniformed officers has caused the term Corsecorpsman to enter common parlance as a slang for anyone engaged in law enforcement, although old standbys such as pig and 5-0 remain in usage. They are a AA rated corporation. Mars Dynamics has a 30% controlling interest in the company.

Mars Dynamics: A AAA corporation that made its name pioneering the technologies responsible for making the Mars colonies possible, this corporation is also a major name in mechanical augmentation. It has offices only in North America and its off-world holdings, and has an intense rivalry with all the zaibatsus, particularly Blue Dragon Industries. What has caused the corporation to earn universal enmity in Japan is unknown, and corporate officials are not forthcoming.

Blue Dragon Industries: A Japanese zaibatsu with interests in energy production, aerospace developments, mechanical and biological enhancements, and robotics. Blue Dragon Industries is one the world leaders in the development of intrusion countermeasures and cybersecurity whose experts are contracted out and command credit payments in nine figures. They are a AAA rated company but this rating belies their small size; they have only a single interest in an O'Neill Cylinder orbiting earth and are otherwise based in Japan. Rumours circulate that Blue Dragon Industries is years ahead in development of a functioning laser weapon.

Albanian Mafia: The Albanian mafia has made inroads globally, and are the premiere power in organized crime when it comes to human trafficking. Their involvement in drug trafficking is also heavy. A loosely connected coalition of thirty-five families, the Albanian mafia frequently employs shipping companies to launder products and profit. One of their more lucrative criminal enterprises is organ and enhancement black market sales; Albanian harvester gangs are epidemics in several major urban centers. It is said that a skilled Albanian harvester gang can murder and remove the most valuable organs of a victim with surgical precision in under five minutes, leaving behind only a skeleton, skin, and useless or low-value organs.

Russian Mafia: The Russian mafia are the heavies when it comes to arms and mechanical augmentation trafficking. If you want milspec gear, the best place to look is with the Russian mafia. Of course, it requires carefully cultivating a good business relationship before one can purchase the good stuff. Within the Russian mafia, there is exists a divide between the old-fashioned vory v zakone - those who adhere to the code of thieves that arose from Tsarist and later Soviet era prisoners - and the 'new' Russian mafia who more closely resemble corporate businessmen in operation and outlook.

South American Cartels: The various South American cartels traffic drugs and small arms, and are a major player in human trafficking. Although they have generally banded together in a pyramid format following their unopposed rise to power after the fall of nation-states ended the War on Drugs, many corporations take a dim view of the use of non-corp recreational drugs and oppose the cartels and those who collaborate with them.

More can be added/integrated as the muse strikes and/or in response to your questions.

[MzHyde]

Are they true mercs for hire or should they all work for one corporation? What's the limit on enhancements and skills?

[AKunoichi]

Is there room for a runner/courier/razorgirl?? I love cyberpunk. The original Deus Ex was one of my first real video games.

My idea is a cross between Molly The Razorgirl from gibson's books and Faith from Mirror's edge. A punk girl who makes a living transporting information too sensitive for the nets (Hackers get everywhere these days)

Name: Lulu (last name unknown)
Age: 21
Appearance: An athletic young woman of mixed racial heritage (1/4 black, 1/4 native south American, 1/2 Japanese), light brown skin short black hair, Brown asiatic eyes, Elaborate tattoos on arms, legs and back hiding implant interface ports, stud Piercings on ears, tongue, nipples, navel, and clitoral hood. Wears leggings, armwarmers, fingerless gloves, and a thong. Goes topless when acceptable and a sports bra when not. Throws a coat on when she has to be presentable.
History:Street kid, grew up in the slums and hung out with boostergangs, working as a lookout and messager at a young age, learning to get around the city. As she got older she expanded into more physical work, armed robbery and prostitution (sometimes both at once). However her ability to move across the city quickly and evade any pursuers remained her most marketable asset. Recently her underworld contacts have fitted her with a Neural implant, allowing her to access the nets, and to store large amounts of confidential data. She now makes a living running information across town. Slower than the net, but much safer. The work has brought her into the possession of large sums of money, which she is mostly blowing on enhancements and drugs.
Skills: Parkour (free running), Streetsmarts, Underworld contacts, Capoeira (Breakdance fighting).
Enhancements: Advanced neural hub with high density encrypted data storage module, wireless communication module, audio visual entertainment module, and anti tampering explosive device, Retractable fingernail claws, Blood oxygenation system (allows her to run faster and hold her breath), Headphones disguised as earrings (vibrates her ear bones directly), microphone disguised as a tongue stud (alows her to 'talk' silently via subvocalization), several other mundane body piercings.
Additional Information: Lulu has no idea what kind of information she is carrying, or who she is working for. She does know however that If an authorized individual tries to tamper with her neural hub or access the information inside without the right key, a Hiden explosive device will activate, destroying the data and killing her. She hopes to eventually earn enough money to get it removed and move on to better work.

[AKunoichi]

Are they true mercs for hire or should they all work for one corporation? What's the limit on enhancements and skills?

I would also know these things. I made my character's backstory open ended and made her augs more entry level to get a jump start however.

[Cold Heritage]

Are they true mercs for hire or should they all work for one corporation? What's the limit on enhancements and skills?

Let's go with true mercs for hire to start out with.

As for enhancements and skills, as a general rule you can generalize or specialize. If you want to be able to be bulletproof, or fly, or have lasers in your eyes and fingers (which is a big deal since functioning laser weapons are something regarded as years down the road in the game world), that's what you can have to start. If you want to beat Olympic records across the board, you can do that.

[AKunoichi]

What about a skull gun?

[1SAZ]

I have to ask since there are a few points in mechanical augmentations that lean towards it, but are full cyborgs possible and how common are they? Also, would they be more Ghost In The Shell-esque where the only way to spot a full cyborg is their weight and the well hidden jacks at the back of their necks, or more like Robocop with very obvious modifications?

[Cold Heritage]

I have to ask since there are a few points in mechanical augmentations that lean towards it, but are full cyborgs possible and how common are they? Also, would they be more Ghost In The Shell-esque where the only way to spot a full cyborg is their weight and the well hidden jacks at the back of their necks, or more like Robocop with very obvious modifications?

The technology does not exist to dispense with a person's brain and spinal column. Those are the minimum biological components required.

It would be possible to build a mechanical chassis that could defeat all scans and 'naked eye' examination so the only tip-off that it's mechanical is weight and a jack somewhere, but that's all it would end up doing. It wouldn't offer superhuman - over even peak human - performance or much extrahuman functionality (e.g. you would be free from having to eat, drink, and respire, but you could not have infrared vision, active camouflage epidermis, joints that could flex 360 degrees, etc.), and it would be prohibitively expensive (you would require military grade cybersecurity and signal dampening, for example). Having such a thing would probably be something someone very rich and very old purchased to preserve and extend their life before breakthroughs in biological enhancements came about.

A Robocop style chassis is also possible, and of the two, it is more common, but regarded more like a tool than an actual body one lives in. It is commonly seen in special operatives of remaining national armies and PMCs or forces analogous to S.W.A.T. teams. They look obviously inhuman, provide superhuman and extrahuman performance and functionality, and are very useful for shock and awe. Most of these people will have an off-duty chassis that is, while still obviously mechanical, less of a platform for mass murder that enables them to engage in human activity and maintain a lifestyle conducive to a healthy mental state and overall mental well-being. People who inhabit these kinds of chassis 24/7/365 are probably psychopaths who make their co-workers nervous and dream of killing electronic sheep again and again. An African warlord or a Mafia hitter or black operative sent in when you need a problem to go away with absolutely no loose ends are examples.

There are some hardcore transhumanists who go as fully machine as possible, but the bodies they get tend to fall between those two extremes.

In any case, it's not very common at all. Most people like to drink, eat, smoke, get drunk, and enjoy vices that are only properly appreciated by having meat parts. A cybernetic tongue can approximate the taste of a Big Mac Daddy, and synthflesh and plasteeth can approximately the mouthfeel of all that juicy All-American synthbeef and crisp smoky bacon, and a cyberhand will approximate the feel of hot FREEDOM running down your hands (as well as telling you the exact viscosity and temperature thereof), but it simply cannot compete with the real true experience of biting down with real flesh and blood.

As general thing, characters probably should not start out more than 45% enhanced matter, just so we all have somewhere to go.

[AKunoichi]

The 45% rule sounds good.


Is there any plans for what kind of mission we will be doing yet? And what kinks will be in this game?

[1SAZ]

Thanks. I was more curious than actually planning a character of that sort. As for extra function though, I have to point out that the 'modified' body would be able to house anything a modified limb might have or such, so it's up to how much money you have to determine the full extent of the possible abilities of the new body. Just my take though and you're welcome to disagree.

In any case, I have a few character ideas I'm toying around with, so I'll be a little bit before I actually get my character up.

[Cold Heritage]

Is there any plans for what kind of mission we will be doing yet? And what kinks will be in this game?

No real plans for missions yet. I will have a better idea when I get a better idea of what people want to play.

As for kinks . . . I don't plan on any. This is intended to be plot-driven.

As an aside, you should revise your character's appearance to actually be wearing clothes.

Thanks. I was more curious than actually planning a character of that sort. As for extra function though, I have to point out that the 'modified' body would be able to house anything a modified limb might have or such, so it's up to how much money you have to determine the full extent of the possible abilities of the new body. Just my take though and you're welcome to disagree.

In any case, I have a few character ideas I'm toying around with, so I'll be a little bit before I actually get my character up.

The point I'm striving for is if one wanted a body that can fool every cyber-detection method barring a weigh scale and someone finding an easily concealable port, then that's all the body will be able to do for its occupant. If one wanted it to do more than that - say, a Robocop style thigh compartment - there would have to be compromise on the ability to defeat detection methods - stuff that would have been there to fool sensors and jam signals would be replaced by the mechanisms to make that compartment accessible and whatever was going to go inside it. It is a limitation of mechanical enhancement: push anything to 11, and other areas suffer for the demands that thing being at 11 impose. As things stand in the game world, no amount of money is going to get someone 11 across the board.

No rush on the character front. Take your time.

[AKunoichi]

No real plans for missions yet. I will have a better idea when I get a better idea of what people want to play.

As for kinks . . . I don't plan on any. This is intended to be plot-driven.

As an aside, you should revise your character's appearance to actually be wearing clothes.

I don't mind plot driven, in fact I prefer that, as long as they are not mutually exclusive.

As for clothes, these are clothes, it's a degenerate dystopian future. I can have her wear a top more often if you want thought.

[Muse]

  A cyberpunk RP with some of my favorite people in it, huh?  Am I too late to chime in? 

[Fetwick]

I would also like to know if it's possibly too late to join in on this?

[MzHyde]

Before I work out a profile, would this be acceptable? I mean dress-wise and the implants, visually.

[Cold Heritage]

I don't mind plot driven, in fact I prefer that, as long as they are not mutually exclusive.

As for clothes, these are clothes, it's a degenerate dystopian future. I can have her wear a top more often if you want thought.

I don't think what I want and what you want line up. I think you should go pursue other games.

  A cyberpunk RP with some of my favorite people in it, huh?  Am I too late to chime in? 

I would also like to know if it's possibly too late to join in on this?

Seems like there is room for you both, but you would be the last.

Before I work out a profile, would this be acceptable? I mean dress-wise and the implants, visually.

That's fine.

[Fetwick]

Actually, I realized I don't know much about Deus Ex. So if someone wants to take my spot, they're more than welcome too! Sorry for jumping the gun there.

[Cold Heritage]

There's nothing specific to that franchise that anyone would be required to know to play. I regret even mentioning it.

[AKunoichi]

I don't think what I want and what you want line up. I think you should go pursue other games.

Well what do you want? Kicking somebody out without offering alternatives or seeking compromise is a bit harsh. Especially since I showed interest and actually made a character. I made a cyberpunk with a nice potential plot hook, who just happened to dress and act like a slut. A common troupe of cyberpunk is a degration of common morality, but if you are the GM and I can tone it down if you want. At any rate I wouldn't spend the whole campaign getting laid.
I made this character to be a streetsmart bitch who uses parkour to get around and gets involved in things she probably shouldn't. I also decided that because this is an adult RP form, and that because adult themes are common in cyberpunk literature, that it would be fun to also make her overt in her sexuality. Highlighting the physicality of her character.
But if you want something else, that's cool, just tell me what you want and let me adjust instead of shoving me out in the cold. Deus Ex is one of my favorite games and Gibson is one of my favorite authors.

[RecklessRapscallion]

Name: Boqin Zetsou
Age: 25
Appearance:
History: Originally born in the slums of Hong Kong Boqin learned to be a survivor early. His parents both were without work and they had to scrounge for every meal. That was before his parents got ill and died when he was only six. It was a miracle a Welfare organization kept track of the neighborhood he lived in and it was a greater blessing that they took him out of the slums in Hong Kong. A family high up within the Blue Dragon Hierchy. They were not CEO's but eventually his new father became Vice President of Marketing in North America. Boqin was an only child to a loving Japanese family and enjoyed the greater things in life. Getting the best education, and put into a massive Japanese social circle he adapted quickly and well. Too this day he cannot remember much of his life in China only snippets here in there.

Boqin got his first augmentation when he was Thirteen, apparently after several tests his body responded to biological augmentations and due to company policy he qualified for early age adaptive neuro enhancement (EAAANE). Which with a series of biological therapy to increase his mind power to think several times faster then a human. Boqin was already pretty sharp but after that brain boost nothing could top him, academics was trivial, keeping track of gossip was no sweat, and he even picked up a few more languages. At his private school he was nominated class president and very well liked by his peers.

When he graduated high school at sixteen he began his second form of advanced gene therapy but this time for more cosmetic needs with parental consent he got custom tailored pheromones. He always wanted to be the life of the party and make great first impressions, he was already pretty good but he wanted that extra mojo to make everything go smooth. It made his transition to college go by without a hitch, being groomed into the corporation as a possible marketing rep everything seemed good until he partied too much and failed his college drug test. That was the greatest low of his career and it caused his parents to distance themselves to Boqin to save face.

Depressed he decided it would be better for a change and at twenty three he packed up and left Japan for North America. It took in several weeks to adapt but he quickly made friends and in the middle of the raid an old freelancer mentioned that there was good pay for temps. His first run was a bit shaky but he got a massive adrenaline high and ever since then he has been hooked, life has been slightly less glamorous but he did not mind his moderately sized flat and the nightlife is great.

Typically as a freelancer he has been hired to manage teams being able to find the right people for their jobs and coordinate teams so their skills can be combined for great effect, he was groomed for management and uses the talent as a temp.

Skills: Reading emotion, empthisizing with people, making contacts and friends, problem solving, he knows a little judo and Kenpo, and is a decent shot. He also has quite the poker face which makes him pretty good at lying.
Enhancements:

BIO:

EAAANE: Due to early childhood gene therapy his brain thinks several times faster then a normal human with great accuracy. This also allows him to have instinctual emotional management. With mutli-tasking boosts as well he can handle a large amount of information and make quick decisions.

Custom Tailored Pheromones: It helps him make a good first impression, it also gives him a very magnetic aura.

Additional Information:

He is quite good at Networking and keeping track of people with specialized skills he can call upon for help of course he will owe them a favor if he requests AID.

For now I was thinking he has three contacts.

1. One I was thinking is a Street Doctor, decent rates asks little questions good place to go when your in a bind.

2. Ex-Girl Friend thinking she works for City Security in administration very good for giving insight or an Inn to certain locations.

3. A Standard Fixer if you don't know where to get something he will point you in the right direction.

[Niki315]

If this is still going, and there's actually an available slot left (I know you said you were full a few posts back), I was thinking of making a character for this as well.  I have a character concept in my one on ones thread that's made for Shadowrun.  I just edited up real quick to fit in with your world.




Name:  Gemma Mattiazzi
Age:  17 (could be older if necessary)
Appearance:  Gemma still looks fresh and young, and with the regular skin therapy treatments she gets she will continue doing so for decades.  She has replaced strands of her normally dark hair with fiber-optics that she can change the color of at will.  Typically, they are a bright color to create extreme highlights.  Occasionally, she'll load up a program to shift the colors gradually over time when she's trying to catch some attention. Her eyes are unmodified but hold contact lens that load up a HUD connected wirelessly to her mini-pc.  She has an attractive face with some Italian features.  Her body is very fit with breast implants capable of expanding to double their normal size. She has had treatments to permanently remove hair from her arms, pits, legs, and crotch.  She has a wardrobe full of fashionable clothing from medium to high end designers and due to her more dangerous hobbies she has gotten used to the feel of armored clothing like jackets and vests along with practical unrestrictive workout clothes.  Her tattoos are combined with some minor cybernetics and allow for a wireless link up to display different colors or pictures when it suits her mood.
History:  Gemma's family has always had mob connections.  The Italian mafia just isn't what it used to be.  Her parents got into trouble and while they are facing jail time, her uncle has become her caretaker.  Her uncle is a lawyer that frequently advises the mafia and has made a killing litigating for corporates that just want problems to go away.  While she was younger, she was pushed toward gymnastics and other hobbies suitable for a young girl.  Over the years she started to meet up with other circles.

Gemma's uncle doesn't want her to get involved with the riff raff she has been running with, but he has little control over her whims.  Her primary aspiration is to get into simsense direction, a technology that allows entertainment to activate all the sense rather than just auido and visual.  Gemma has had a top of the line implant placed in her brain to record and control sensory input and output allowing her to receive simsense signals and write them to files that anyone with the proper equipment can enjoy.  In order to gain access to storage space for some of these files Gemma has begun chatting online with some clever hackers and owes a few favors.  Her other hobbies include breaking and entering.  By loading programs into her implant she can react slightly faster than average and improve her already exceptional coordination.  She spent a small fortune on a vibro-sword and can load the sensory data of a sword fighter to become an above average street fighter, though she doesn't stand a chance against street sams. 

Now that she's nearly 18, she's looking to make an actual name for herself.  She wants to get into actual runs with professionals to learn the trade and record the experience. 
Skills:  Managing large amounts of sensory data, stage direction and dramatic effect, shooting in the general direction of a target, getting into serious trouble and getting bailed out by an expert lawyer
Enhancements:  Gemma's enhancements are largely superficial.  Breast implants made with a gel capable of expanding or contracting, tattoos and fiberoptic hair that can all be controlled with wireless signals.  Her sensory recorder and control device are capable of overriding her own senses with programs and files of sensory data, which she can then sort and trim the data into a readable file that can be played by any capable player.
Additional Information:  Gemma keeps a mini-PC with her at all times capable of storing whatever her current work is.   Her contact lenses, tattoos, hair, breast implants, and sensory recorder all maintain a wireless connection to the mini-pc. 

Her current obsession with recording sensory data has made her a bit of a hedonist and adrenaline junkie.  Looking for trouble takes on a whole new meaning around Gemma.

She has friends on the internet that she keeps in regular contact with that are aching for her next update, that often point her to places where she can store large amounts of data whether over the internet or through a hard line.

Her uncle and legal guardian still bails her out of any serious trouble she gets into leaving her with a sense of invincibility.

She also stays in contact with a typical fixer, who has pointed her in the direction of places to get her guns and vibro sword as well as ridiculous exploits that make for good sensory recordings.

[Cold Heritage]

@RecklessRapscallion: Good stuff. Accepted.

@Niki315: Somewhat up in the air as to open spots; I'll keep you in mind if it seems like there is space available.

[Niki315]

Cool.  Thanks for the consideration.  ^__^

[Le Immortelle]

Is there room for another street samurai character? This game looks fantastic! :)

[Pumpkin Seeds]

Name: Miranda Ray
Age: 19
Appearance:
History: Miranda Ray never truly led a normal life.  Certainly moments of the normal creep into her memories and enter her thoughts.  Days spent chasing the family pet through the sprinklers, of movie dates with friends and swing sets at the park.  Memories of her mother fussing at them to stop eating candy or to stop with the holovids because they would rot their brains appear from time to time.  Clips of her past where her father would set her down before a deck, show her the beauty of the Net with endless possibilities.  Moments strung together by a desperate need to have a past that doesn’t give her nightmares.

Nightmares such as seeing her father slouched in his chair.  Spittle at the side of his mouth, his eyes and body twitched as he remained alive in a hell crafted for him on his beloved Net.  Revelations that he was a notorious criminal there that the money he supported his family with was done from ill-gotten gains.  Police arrived, corporate lawyers paraded and her mother cried on the kitchen floor.  Life spun out of control until her mind and talent allowed her to reach out and grasp the day for herself.  Miranda Ray suffered during that time, but she pushed forward with what others could only describe as genius.  A prodigy of the computer world that none could doubt was a gift from her late father.  Miranda Ray despised the association.

At the age of 17 she began a small business.  Calling the consultation firm a firm at all would be far too grandiose for how small the humble origins were.  The goal was simple, to save up money for college so that she could start a larger firm or work for a corporation.  Miranda Ray had no illusions about the world and also no clue about the underbelly.  A bank hired her on her reputation and the few reputable references her father had left to vouch for her skill.  The money went toward her college payments, enough to enroll her for a first semester.  A start on what she hoped would be her new career.

An algorithm along the data walls ended her career.  A simple case of curiosity and inexperience tore her world apart in only a few minutes.  Miranda never thought the flaw she found was real, never thought for a moment the flaw bypassed the fails safes the company had constructed.  The same fail safes she had checked time and time again.  She never imagined that pushing on that flaw, on that simple mathematical distortion would send the walls crumbling.  The defense took a day to disappear and hackers took only seconds to descend like vultures to the carcass.  Over coffee the next morning she saw the headlines and knew her time was short.  Memories from her past, memories of what the corporates do to those that lose their money flooded her mind.  She was only one person in her company, no ties and no security.  So she ran.

Mirage was born from dear and desperation.  A creature unleashed that Miranda had sworn would never see the light of day.  The image crafted from her father’s teachings and his love of science fiction.  Mirage became the way she would cover her tracks, erase her life and keep herself breathing.  Miranda Ray became her father the day Mirage was born.

[Scribbles]

Name: Karen Foster, Cable
Age: 25
History:
Karen was born to a poor family with no mother, no school, an abusive drunk of a father and several siblings, each with their own complex problems. And while she started off by simply wanting to help, it was because of this dysfunctional setting that she grew on the constant lookout for escape, ranging from the common like drugs to the bizarre such as selling her soul to a corporate.

It all began at the bottom as a temp, running small-time assassinations on Weekends while handing out company pamphlets on Weekdays, a life she adapted to eerily well despite how dull the latter could be at times. As for the assassinations, Cable found she had quite the knack for contract killing; all she had to do was picture her father’s face before blowing away the prospective targets. It was an affinity which her company quickly spotted and the reason she was soon hired on as a full time employee, perks and all, one of which was a free cybernetic implant. Before long, Cable was the proud owner of a new set of peepers, capable of switching through types of vision when necessary.

With her new enhancement, Cable instantly latched onto a new addiction, one which would trump all her old druggy habits by far; the addiction of cybernetics and the wondrous heights they could push her to. She swiftly began pouring most of her earnings into implants until bit by bit her humanity was replaced by advanced robotics. As Cable’s body changed, so too did her life, with each upgrade marking not only another victim but an increase in infamy. This continued until finally the growing assassin had acquired her own little nickname within the corporate underworld, “Cable”.

She picked the name up due to an experimental piece she had installed, a pair of cables which she’d shoot from the palms of her hands like a robotic spider-woman. Unfortunately, it not only became her namesake but her unintended calling card as her handiwork began to point in her direction, mostly thanks to the "shocking" deaths and distinct cable marks. This continued until she became too much of a liability and her company had to release her from her contract, an ultimately fatal act.

Thankfully, Cable’s ex-company had nowhere near as much influence or resources as some others, making escape easy enough. With her release from corporate shackles, Cable joined the dangerous but exciting world of freelancing. From there she adapted new methods of killing by training with a mix of blades and guns. This helped break the growing monotony of assignments as well as helped hide her tracks, especially if her old company came looking. She also took on a few leisurely pursuits such as martial arts, to sate the need for beating stuff, as well as night-classes and reading, to regain a little bit of her lost childhood.

Today Cable is between jobs while searching for new implants to add to her collection. To assist in these searches as well as jobless times, she’s already installed a type of relay device which helps keep her connected as well as provides a few other useful functions.

Skills:
Unarmed Fighting Specialist – Cable can exchange fists and kicks with the best of them!
Small Arms Specialist – She’s quite adept at shooting stuff!
Katana Specialist – Nothing gets her blood flowing like an intense sword-fight, where each cut and slice could mean a limb or artery!
Pro Skater/Blader – She can't drive but she's an expert at the best and most fun ways to travel!

Enhancements:
Cybernetic Upgrades – Cable has greatly enhanced strength, speed and jumping, thanks to a few cybernetic implants she's installed over the years.
Optical Implants – She can switch through several visions, including night, infrared, heat, etc…
Internal Relay – While she can’t hack, she can act as a conduit for those who can. She can also boost or drown signals, connect to the net, or make calls.
Cables – Cable can shoot thick cables from the palms of her hands which she uses to wrap, whip or shock targets. Each cable is attached to a small battery which can switch between a brutal electrocution and an EMP. She can also use them for a quick lift or to connect to a device.

[Muse]

Name:  Marco Moreno

Age:  28

Appearance:  Six foot, three inches tall with a body sculpted frame under sienna brown skin.  Black hair in a pony tail.  Chromed eyes.  Strong, pronounced Aztec facial features.  He favors fine slacks and button down shirts under combat boots, a Neo-style longcoat, and mirror shades. 

History:  Born in the gentle embrace of a Mars Dynamics archology, the artificial peace he grew up in never sat well with Marco.  He pursued education and the martial arts with the same fervor.  Born seriously near sighted, he traded his glasses for chromed cyberoptics when he came of age. 
   Upon graduating college with a degree in education, he paid for augmentations to his strength, resilience, and healing.  Then he took a job teaching in a bad neighborhood. 
   While he was sometimes able to make a difference in the lives of his students, he became increasingly jaded towards how the system treated the have-nots.  The legacy of Walton's corp kept them poor and uneducated, which kept them easy victims for the drug cartells as well. 
   After a while, he went vigilante, going to war with the dealers who pedalded poison to his students.  It was at this period that he lost his arm to an assassin and got his students help replacing it with gadget-filled prosthetic.  Eventually, he lost his job and his ideals, and became a mercenary for hire who will take any job so long as he can stick it to the machine. 

Skills:  Academics, Athletics, Computer Operations, Detective work, Kendo and Shotokan, Stealth. 

Enhancements: 
--Implanted wireless computer and VR interface. 
--Optics:  Chromed eyes are adapted for low light, telescopic vision, and targeting enhancement.  They also include a heads up display tied to his implanted comptuer for when he's not in full augmented reality. 
--Balistic fibers woven through his skin provide a degree of natural armor. 
--His muscles and bones are reinforced with synthetic fibers, redoubling his strength and resilience. 
--Dedicated nanite systems speed his healing and repair. 
--Armored left arm airbrushed with two charecters from a 21st century anime-fantasy.  The fingertips have a few useful tools implated, and the palm is hardened for hammering nails.  A pop out mini-missile launcher gives some relatively heavy artillery—but only three shots per adventure.  A grapple line launches form the wrist. 

Arsenal: 
--Paint Ball Gun From Hell:  This 21 round powered air gun can be loaded to dispense paint, sedatives, or acid.  It has nearly as good of range as a typical pistol. 
--Monoblade katana
--Motorcycle

Additional Information:

[Cold Heritage]

@Amazon: At the moment, it does not appear so. If it becomes the case, I will let you know.

@Pumpkin Seeds, Scribbles: Good stuff. Accepted.

@Muse: Good stuff, my friend. Do you think we could stage this game in one of your forums?

[Muse]

*Smiles*  Sure, let's put it on The Lamb 'til it's big enough for it's own board. 

[Cold Heritage]

I'm going to aim to get things started for Sunday.

Did anyone have any strong feelings, one way or the other, to characters starting out knowing each other or if the game will open with them working together for the first time?

[Niki315]

It might make more sense for us to know each other a bit, but it's probably easier just to say we're all getting thrown together for this.