Employing Horror Despite Technology, pt. 1

A recent hypothesis was recently posed to me by a friend about how supernatural suspense/horror would be different with the use of modern technology -- cell phones, the internet, and other forms of instantaneous communication.

Sonic Augmentation

Eidos Montreal and OverClock Remix have sponsored a remix of the original Deus Ex soundtrack, for my favorite price -- free ninety nine.  Check it out.  You won't be sorry.

Easy Cyberpunk Terrain

As I look toward fleshing out my Shadowrun campaign, I find myself toying with the idea of running using miniatures -- something I've not done in a modern or futuristic setting before.  In my searching, I stumbled across a site I initially found when looking to make Warhammer 40k terrain -- a site dedicated to a game called Combat Zone.  On this site, they show how to make 28mm cyberpunk terrain primarily out of old Plasticville model railroad sets, and the results are stunning.  Pictures, and the link, after the jump.

Shadowrun 5: Limits

One of the things I enjoyed most about PAX was getting the chance to test D&D Next and SR5.  My D&D Next thoughts will have to wait, due to my possible playtest participation, but I am free to comment on SR5.  The biggest change SR5 makes is creating limits for each set of stats.

Traveller Mod: Wounds

Too frequently in games, we see our own characters' life as a numerical statistic.  This runs true from video games to tabletop RPGs.  Despite magical full-body healing, or the ready availability of cybernetics and limb replacements, DMs are hesitant to do anything that makes players feel their characters are "crippled."  Yet this is one of the easiest steps to take to show the lethality of combat, while making players at least simulate damage taken.  Traveller's damage is taken from statistics, which is a good start -- but even then, it doesn't feel particularly real.  I want players to think before they get into combat, and consider whether or not a gunfight is particularly worth it.

Cyberpunk 2077 Preview

The Lifepath

Creating depth for starting characters is a difficult task.  Characters that are anything more than their race and class/career only start forming after a few sessions are under a player's belt.  R. Talsorian's Cyberpunk 2020 aimed to change that by developing a new form of character creation -- one that developed fully a character's background before they have a career.  The lifepath adds a quick level of depth not otherwise found.

Cyberpunk 2077

You know how a few months back CD Project Red announced they'd acquired the Cyberpunk 202x license from R. Talsorian?

Old is New: Cyberpunk

With CD Project Red's recent announcement that they would take a stab at making a CRPG set in the Cyberpunk 2020 universe, I decided to take a look at a trend I've noticed.