What are the Differences between High-Fantasy and Futuristic/Cyberpunk Games?

[Bagpuss]

I like how SR4 handles this. By making everything wireless, the hackers can travel alongside the rest of the group. They also got rid of the complex Matrix maps that the hacker (and only the hacker) would navigate.

They pinched that idea from Cybergeneration....

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Cyberpunk, at its core, is dealing with society that has been altered by technology... not about the technology itself.

For me, CP2020 is the only true system to run a Nueromancer/Snow Crash/Altered Carbon kind of game.

The big difference is how complex your plots can get. In a normal fantasy realm the speed of information is too slow for complex political landscapes, keeping most adventures linked to 3 or 4 major players. In CP2020 the information can slip around the world in micro-seconds and attract numerous players to the game. "Information is power and currency in the virtual world we inhabit."

You will have to agree, with your group, as to what sort of game you are playing, as so elequently put by Clueless way up there in post #2. Then select a system that encourages that play.

As to the Matrix, you need to have basicaly two levels to work with.. simplified mechanics for when the hacker is traveling with the group.. use skill checks vs a DC and maybe have it take enough time the group has to protect his back.. and full-virtual game within game for those times you can have the hacker(s) in a side quest without the rest of the players there.

As to problems: Full Borg conversions. Anything that amps the power of a player over another... in my case I had a player running a Full-Borg and I had to pull out the big guns, like the .50 cal, to even touch him. That meant if I ended up targeting a meat character they were toast.

 

[Deekin]

Do they go over PLs in the source books?

D20 Future and the MSRD

PL 0: STONE AGE
The major achievements of a Stone Age society are the use of fire, the domestication of animals, and the invention of agriculture.


PL 1: BRONZE/IRON AGE
Early human civilizations began to work metal toward the end of the Stone Age. The malleability of copper led to its becoming the first metal to be “tamed.” Adding tin to copper created a much stronger alloy: bronze. This advance allowed for the crafting of tools and weapons of great durability. In turn, those improved tools made possible the working of iron, which soon replaced bronze as the metal of choice for tools and weapons.

PL 3: AGE OF REASON

The Age of Reason is an era in human history when the development of ideas and systems of thought takes precedence over technological invention. The scientific method improves humankind’s understanding of the world. The study of the various scientific disciplines—chemistry, electromagnetics, medicine, biology, and astronomy—flourishes.

PL 4: INDUSTRIAL AGE
In the fourth Progress Level, the theoretical knowledge of the previous era matures into widespread practical application. The harnessing of hydraulic, steam, and electric power creates an explosion of commerce and industry.

PL 5: INFORMATION AGE <--Now
The Industrial Age relied on chemical power, but in the Information Age, computer technology and electronics rule supreme. Satellite information systems and the Internet connect the globe digitally. This Progress Level also sees the introduction of fission power and weapons reducing the importance of fossil fuels.

PL 6: FUSION AGE <-- Most Cyberpunk
The development of fusion power provides an efficient, nonexpendable energy source that almost obliterates the need for chemical fuel sources. Computers become even more accessible, reliable, and powerful, leading to the development of virtual systems and widespread access to the global Internet.

PL 7: GRAVITY AGE<-Most Cyberpunk Cybernetics
As this Progress Level opens, the invention of two key technologies herald humanity’s climb to the stars. The gravity induction reactor systematically replaces fusion power as an even more efficient source of energy that can be miniaturized with great ease. With the use of the mass reactor, world powers explore, divide, and colonize the entirety of the local star system. For the most part, life on the home planet is unchanged.

PL 8: ENERGY AGE <-Where that cloaking field is from.
The continuing miniaturization of induction engine technology allows power plants the size of marbles to harness the basic forces of creation. Powerful personal force screens and energy weapons dominate the battlefield, as projectile weapons finally disappear after ruling the battlefield for a thousand years. Miniaturized sensors, shields, and engines allow mass production of small, practical starfighters. At the other end of the spectrum, advanced construction techniques allow humans to build enormous, self-sustaining cities in space.


PL 9 AND HIGHER
Generally, these Progress Levels are beyond reach or comprehension, although isolated worlds or undiscovered species may exist that have access to them. In many cases, the signature technologies of an earlier age are abandoned in favor of more elegant and more powerful technologies.

Practical control of matter at the subatomic level, the ability to travel through time, or the power to “fold space” to shorten travel distances may be possible at this stage of technological development.

As for Hacking, you have two choices. One is the simple skill roll that de-emphiss hacking, where Comp use is a minor investment. It becomes a skill like open lock, in DnD, where only one person needs to take it, and the mostly used out of combat to get the treasure. The other option is the Grid rules, which can be found in the D20 Cyberscape book, and the D20 Future web enhancement HERE.

The Grid option requires more work, but is up to you if you want to use it.

 

[Clueless]

The main reason I make sure that my plots require decker and rigger interaction is honestly because I don't want to leave a player snoozing on the couch the whole game. If I had a player ok with that (and I can think of one in my current group who would be actually) then I'd be fine - but most of my crew aren't that engaged unless *their* character is engaged. Be that good or bad, it's something I do to accommodate them.

 

[Deekin]

As to problems: Full Borg conversions. Anything that amps the power of a player over another... in my case I had a player running a Full-Borg and I had to pull out the big guns, like the .50 cal, to even touch him. That meant if I ended up targeting a meat character they were toast.

And as All problems do, they have counters. I like EMP Grenades. In a world where tech is the answer to all your problems, a guard with an EMP grenade and low-tech firearm can put you in world of hurt, with very little collateral damage.

 

[iwatt]

And as All problems do, they have counters. I like EMP Grenades. In a world where tech is the answer to all your problems, a guard with an EMP grenade and low-tech firearm can put you in world of hurt, with very little collateral damage.

A cheap Mordenkainen's Disjunction

 

[tylermalan]

D20 Future and the MSRD

As for Hacking, you have two choices. One is the simple skill roll that de-emphiss hacking, where Comp use is a minor investment. It becomes a skill like open lock, in DnD, where only one person needs to take it, and the mostly used out of combat to get the treasure. The other option is the Grid rules, which can be found in the D20 Cyberscape book, and the D20 Future web enhancement HERE.

The Grid option requires more work, but is up to you if you want to use it.

So, does every item have a PL attached to it, or do the PLs only really apply to the setting?

 

[tylermalan]

Anyone know of any good published cyberpunk adventures for d20 Modern?

 

[Deekin]

So, does every item have a PL attached to it, or do the PLs only really apply to the setting?

Both really. Most Items have an attached PL, if you look in the equipment chapter of d20 Future, the equipment is divided into PLs. It also affects the setting based on what is available, e.g. the Cyberrave example at the back of Cyberscape has PL 6 Baseline with PL 7 Cybernetics. It's really up to the DM.