# Cyberpunk Oh, **Cyberpunk**, the RPG – not to be confused with its visually dazzling, bug-infested video game cousin, "Cyberpunk 2077". This is the pen-and-paper bastion of nerds who think neon mohawks and mirrorshades are the height of future fashion. **Cyberpunk** is a role-playing game, developed by Mike Pondsmith and published by R. Talsorian Games, that revels in the dystopian near-future, where corporations rule, technology is god, and humans are just meatsacks waiting for their next cybernetic upgrade. The game launched back in the dark ages of 1988, with several updates gracing the shelves over the ensuing decades. The world of **Cyberpunk** is one of gritty urban sprawl, corporate espionage, and techno-babble that makes even the most dedicated tech-heads swoon. Its unique mechanics include a life path character generation system, where your character's background story affects their skills and resources, and the infamous "Friday Night Firefight" combat system – both of which are as convoluted as they sound, ensuring players will spend more time arguing over rules than actually playing. Why might anyone care? Well, it's a cornerstone of the cyberpunk genre in tabletop gaming, influencing countless other games and media with its dark, neon-lit vision of the future. Plus, it's a delightful time capsule back to when leather dusters were cool, and the internet was a neon grid in the collective imagination. So, grab your dice and your disillusionment with corporate society, and dive in. ## Links - [Buy the Core Rulebook]: https://talsorianstore.com/collections/cyberpunk (Here's where you can exchange your hard-earned corporate credits for a slice of dystopia.) - [Official R. Talsorian Blog]: https://rtalsoriangames.wordpress.com/ (For the latest musings and updates from the lords of cyber-doom themselves.) - [Cyberpunk Wiki]: https://cyberpunk.fandom.com/wiki/Main_Page (A compendium of all things dark and digital for when you need to argue about the specifics of netrunning.) - [Fan Community]: https://www.reddit.com/r/cyberpunkgame/ (For those moments when you want to dive into a sea of equally disillusioned fans and discuss why your netrunner's mohawk is the most aerodynamic.)