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<blockquote data-quote="lyle.spade" data-source="post: 8468725" data-attributes="member: 30042">I am torn over Red. I played CP2020 a ton way back when, and loved the system, setting, and tone of the books. Only Vampire: the Masquerade matched the degree to which CP's authors presented their world through the tone and wording of their supplements and rulebooks. I remember the combat system working well, and even quickly, when everyone knew the rules and their characters. I also remember Netrunning never being part of the game at the table, and our group never having Netrunners as PCs, for the reasons you cited.Red does offer some improvements over the old system, particularly in the area of character special abilities, and right after that the Netrunning system, which is nicely tied as a set of mechanics to the 'new normal' of computer networks in the era of Red. These are clear improvements over CP2020.And yet...Red feels flat. I've run it several times and the system just feels stale, stuck in time, ignorant of 20+ years of game design evolution. That, and the smart-mouth tone that was throughout the 2020 has been replaced by a somewhat self-conscious, muted cynicism that lacks the 'twinkle in the eye' vibe of the old stuff. Sure, society was a mess and the world was falling apart...but you look good and the kid behind the counter at the 7-11 is almost out of ammo, so you might live through the night. There was a grimness to it all, but that sat behind a youthful excitement about living life to the fullest. At least that's how I remember it.Red, on the other hand, is just grim, coupled with a vanilla system that does what it must, but provides nothing to help invoke or support the supposed feel of the world. It might as well be Savage Worlds - just a task resolution mechanic.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="lyle.spade, post: 8468725, member: 30042"] I am torn over Red. I played CP2020 a ton way back when, and loved the system, setting, and tone of the books. Only Vampire: the Masquerade matched the degree to which CP's authors presented their world through the tone and wording of their supplements and rulebooks. I remember the combat system working well, and even quickly, when everyone knew the rules and their characters. I also remember Netrunning never being part of the game at the table, and our group never having Netrunners as PCs, for the reasons you cited. Red does offer some improvements over the old system, particularly in the area of character special abilities, and right after that the Netrunning system, which is nicely tied as a set of mechanics to the 'new normal' of computer networks in the era of Red. These are clear improvements over CP2020. And yet...Red feels flat. I've run it several times and the system just feels stale, stuck in time, ignorant of 20+ years of game design evolution. That, and the smart-mouth tone that was throughout the 2020 has been replaced by a somewhat self-conscious, muted cynicism that lacks the 'twinkle in the eye' vibe of the old stuff. Sure, society was a mess and the world was falling apart...but you look good and the kid behind the counter at the 7-11 is almost out of ammo, so you might live through the night. There was a grimness to it all, but that sat behind a youthful excitement about living life to the fullest. At least that's how I remember it. Red, on the other hand, is just grim, coupled with a vanilla system that does what it [I]must[/I], but provides nothing to help invoke or support the supposed feel of the world. It might as well be Savage Worlds - just a task resolution mechanic. [/QUOTE]

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