“…the street finds its own uses for things”
- William Gibson, Burning Chrome

Im Tumblr “Thai Flood Hacks” sind ein paar großartige Beispiele zu bewundern.

Cubicle 7 still lists “Genesis Descent“, a Cyberpunk 2020 Campaign Setting, as due late 2011. We allready talked about a delay in the schedule. Cubicle 7 had a booth on SPIEL 2011 in Essen – I asked some guy (I think it was Stuart) about Genesis Descent. He didn’t say so, but I got the impression that R. Talsorian has not yet licenced the product and is not likely to do so soon. “Today we would not annouce Genesis Descent at all”, I was told.

Das von Cubicle 7 angekündigte Genesis Descent (war hier schon mal Thema) kommt wohl eher gar nicht. Auf der SPIEL 2011 in Essen hatte ich Gelegenheit, mit den Herren von Cubicle 7 zu sprechen (ich glaube, es war Stuart). Es klang durch, dass die Probleme wohl in den Lizenzen von R. Talsorian lägen. “Heute würden wir Genesis Descent nicht mehr ankündigen – so unsicher ist das Datum.”

Wäre ja auch  zu schön gewesen.

[Another thing I found on my harddrive.]

Fashion for the enterprising Cyberpunk in 2020

Author: Karsten
Based on an idea by Jan Ivanauskas

From Anne Klein, the most innovative fashion designer of this decade comes the ultimate in todays fashion! The Smartsuit V2020 is the fusion of hightech and fashion. Bringing together the two statements which define this decade it also allows the wearer a maximum in indiviualism that no fashion could ever offer before!

The Smartsuit V2020 is a extremely thin and tight fullbody jumpsuit. Because of the latexlike feel and the transparancy of the basic suit it has allready the streetname “Condom” or “Fullbody Condom”. Even in this more then revealing state the Smartsuit is allready helping you to enhance your natural beauty. But as soon as you have charged the included battery and plug in a chip, you smartsuit includes these great functions:

• Pushup bra
• Corsett for a slim waistline
• Pushup slip for him
• Muscle enhancing

All this functions can be turned on and off as you desire!

The Basic Smartsuit V2020, with these great options allready included, is only 3700eb! A special nanite spray keeps it clean and fresh smelling. Buy now and get 2 bottles free! (Replacement bottles are 25eb and hold enough nanites for a month.)

Even this function would fully be worth the more than moderate price of the Smartsuit V2020! But there is more! Hidden in the left armpit is a small interface which accepts specially designed plug-ins.

These plug-ins can color your Smartsuit V2020 to your desire. Even moveable motives are possible.

• Rio de Janeiro: A bikini outfit. The colored parts are oscillating and moving in colors from banana to mango. (40eb)
• Triangles: Well known from your cyberdecks flatscreen. Several Screensavers have allready been adapted. (35eb each)
• Stud: A special electic blue lighning color in your crotch. The suits special ability to form your body accents your sex in the most favourable way. (120eb)
• Moving bar: This great option colors the suit in a primary color of your choice. But this is not all. A transparent bar moves randomly all over your body, exposing it. Be sure to attract a lot of attention as spectators hope to get a glimpse of your… (90eb)
• Las Vegas: It won’t get less subtle…. A blinking heart on your bottom, moving color circles on your breast, Big Arrows pointing at your advantages, even the sign: “Enter here” is not missing. Great to show what your want from him.

A lot of plug-ins are allready available. Ask your local dealer or call 0800-ANNE-KLEIN to get more information and a list of authorized dealers in your area.

Attention: Some plug-ins are considered indecent in some juridical areas. Please be sure to comply with local laws to avoid consequences from fines to crucification.

Game Note: Plug-ins can be programmed. A special interface is required as the plug-ins are not standard storage chips. (v. diff. Electronics roll). Base difficulty to program is 15, use modifiers from Programming 101 (Basic Sourcebook). SP: 0 (not possible to armor). If Battery flattens (or the suit takes 4 Points of damage, the suit is damaged and switches to transparent. Benefit is ATT +2 and Personal Grooming +4. But your GM might want a Style&Wardrobe throw to see if you chose the right plug-in. Las Vegas is not the plug to wear to todays Board Meeting…

The Gambler

Author: Karsten

(and yes, I gave myself the permission to publish this. If you want
to publish it too, go ahead. I require you to keep my copyright notice
intact, and would love get a mail from you to learn about your doings.)

The Gambler

I once saw a film with Robert Redford playing a professional gambler. The
setting was Havanna, Cuba, just before Castro overthrew the Batista dictatorship.
I don’t know the name of the film in english… Ford smuggled, played poker,
fell in love, was engaged in combat – and he solved all the problems he
faced in the way of a gambler. Bluffing, threatening, raising the ante
till the others dropped the cards. I realised that no character class of
the CP 2020 system mirrored that way of dealing with life. Even throu I
am almost violently against adding new character classes to the system,
I felt the need to create this one. Because its new (and features a new
way of looking at problems). Solos shoot problems. Cops arrest them. Dealers
deal with them. Techies build a device to overcome them. Gamblers gamble
against them. Thats new, and requires a new character class. That is, unless
you use Ocelots Classless Charactergeneration System…

The Gambler is a character class that requires a lot of roleplaying
skill. To bluff someone into doing something is basically the art to manipulate
people, their interlect and emotions. To do that, more then some rolls
are required…

The Special Ability: Lucky Sense

Like Combat Sense, the special ability of Solos, Lucky Sense is used as
a modifier to increase some skills in certain situations. Lucky Sense is
always added to Gamble OR Sleight-of-hand. (This depends on the
way the Character ‘plays’. If he plays by the rules, its added to the gamble
skill. If he wins by cheating, the Lucky Sense is added to Sleight-of-hand).
In gambling (of both kinds) situations it is added to Awareness and Human
Perception, too. Clever players would define ‘gambling situations’ not
only as classic poker games but also every situation in which the character
tries to bluff somebody else to do something or to make somebody to raise
his stake in a ‘game’.

By now I did have players take this package. Unless you are to lax in defining
‘game’ situations, its a good one. It forces players to roleplay – and thats
what we all want!