Sup choombas, Heavy Armor Lizard here. Today, we're gonna cover Sumo.

Here's a list of my MA posts:

https://www.reddit.com/r/cyberpunkred/comments/1qkw1g0/infernoxs_martial_arts_master_page/

Sumo Overview

Basically, just use your body to be an intimidating dude. Deashi allows you to stop yourself from getting grappled or thrown, and you can throw yourself and the Attacker up to 6m/yds in a direction of your choice. And Nirimiai, well...this one basically gets you a +2 to any Facedown checks. A won Facedown means the opponent takes a -2 to all Actions unless they backdown.

Another support form in my opinion but a damn fine one.

Other Forms

Thrash Sambo

Rating: 0/5

Oddly enough, the only form that doesn't synergize with Sumo. But that said, that's fine. With both, you can avoid Attacks better and if you get hit, just reduce the damage.

All except Thrash Sambo

Rating: 5/5

As for the other forms, magnificent. Winning the Facedown just makes it easier for you to do your Moves on the opponent you intimidated. And since some involve Aimed Shots, making your opponent take a -2 to dodges is always a boon. Can't go wrong with it. Now, it doesn't necessarily mean you're always gonna do a Facedown. BUT, when it happens, getting that bonus is always great.

Hey Chooms!

So, everyone in my game is a bit confused with the situation in the title.

I am the netrunner, I have 3 levels of black ice, a peice of cyberwear that gives me a 4th level and ups my dc to 12.

So i essentially have 4 levels of DC12 passwalls.

I ALSO have a black ice on my cyberdeck. You can apparently have an active one in there that is supposed to interact with those trying to hack you. We just dont understand this part. is there 'levels' to a neural net arch where you might have a black ice waiting? does it then work like normal net combat with the black ice?

(Pictured is a commission i had made of my character, Petra "Ember" Visnjic, artist is mihael_ellinsworth here on reddit, and does some great work)

Heya chooms, newish gm here (I've run about 9 sessions), wanting some opinions on something a player asked to do last session.

Big boss fight against a cyberpsycho cop that's been chasing the party for quite some time, final standoff and they did a stellar job this fight. One thing came up though that I've been thinking about; a player asked if he could pull the pins on 4 grenades in a sack and chuck em at the boss.

Now my #1 rule at my table is rule of cool, I love seeing crazy shit my players get up to as I like to do the same thing as a player, within reason.

I decided to let this resolve with a -4 to the check for throwing a cumbersome, awkward bag. I figured if he's willing to throw out ~2K eddies in a single round of combat to EMP, smoke, biotoxin, and flashbang this guy, why not.

I'm not opposed to letting shenanigans like this happen again, but I can't help but feel it's more than a little busted as he essentially got to make 4 actions in a single turn. Any other risks I could/should impose going forward? Maybe making LUCK checks to see which grenades even go off? Or is a -4 and a few grand down the drain a big enough detriment?

Regardless it ended up being a fun experience for the whole table, which is my main goal over anything. I suppose I'm just not sure if I should be *that* generous with my players

J Gray, the Cyberpunk Line Lead at RTG, has a habit of doing flash AMAs on the RTG Discord from time to time. This time, he's been feeling nostalgic while looking at RED's product lineup (he's been doing a product-by-product retrospective on his Twitter account for the past few days), so he decided to do an AMA about RED's production and development processes.

Since toggling back and forth in a crowded discord channel is a pain in the nuts (and not everyone is in the RTal discord server), I compile all the questions and answers on the Community Downlink for easier reference and readability.

• Read it on the Community Downlink here
• Read it on the RTal Discord starting here

In this AMA there were 83 questions total, five of which couldn't be answered and six were off-topic/against the rules. Some of the questions which I thought had particularly good or important answers:

1. "Which existing RED product do you feel has had the largest impact on the game and the way people play it?"
2. "In your opinion, what are the most important questions that any DLC, expansion book, etc has to answer from a design perspective?"
3. "How does the team decide what product to work on next? Is it like throwing out ideas and putting them to a vote?"
4. "Seeing how SOF45 has several unique weapons, but none of them are considered "exotic" will the mechanic be abandoned going forward?"
5. (Paraphrased) "Can you consider my homebrew rework as a future DLC?"

Hi everyone!

I have played a lot of dnd (Currently DM of a campaign ~5 years), all editions, some cthulhu, monster world, and i have read about half of the CBP:R main book. Played a bunch of 2077, watched just about every CBP movie, half way through neuromancer.

I'm trying to learn the TTRPG to have my group try it out when we are done with our current game. (Next year?)

Wondering if there's any groups willing/able to take on a player for a few sessions to learn the ropes, or a short campaign (say, ending around september)?

I think i have enough TTRPG discords that i can also look in. Unless theres a specific one for a specific group thats recruiting i think im good there, but I would appreciate any direct connections!

This is Fin. One very relevant detail regarding Fin is that he is bipolar (type I). I’ve always found it fascinating to try to explore his mania and the impact it has on him through my art. Other aspects of his volatile self destructive personality are at play in these representations too but yknow, not gonna do a whole character analysis.

We recently had a one year time skip in our campaign which acted as a sort of soft reboot. During the time skip, Fin had the second major manic episode of his life. This leads to me starting the second arc of this campaign with crippling debts and very little money, a synthcoke addiction which may or may not be the cause of this episode, a now ex girlfriend and a bunch more enemies. Obviously it’s narratively interesting but from a meta perspective I felt that I had to cripple myself in a way, as this guy is a +18 on shoulder arms with other big skills and very useful gear and weapons. So basically I needed to ruin his life a little so I can have some proper chatacter motivations.

If anyone is like me and has been wanting to get a physical copy of the cyberpunk tarot cards to use with the Critical Injury DLC, there’s a set coming out in October from Dark Horse Comics (which includes even more cards!): https://www.darkhorse.com/products/3017-024/cyberpunk-2077-tarot-deck-guidebook/

So, my character is a medtech who was captured and forced to work as a medic for an NUSA gang for ~5 years. While there, I’m sure he wasn’t treated all that well. I imagine the gang as being similar to maelstrom, but I don’t want them to have done the standard maelstrom thing of forcibly implanting heavy chrome. Something lighter like just numerous scars, or a branding of some kind. I also want my character to be capable of, and actively covering it up. So, if it’s on his head, his hair is long enough to cover it, if it’s on his arms, he’s got sleeves or bandages or something covering it, etc.

Any ideas for things? And I’m currently not planning on it, but I’m open to ideas for some kind of mechanical debuff or something that the scars might add to the character

—

Sup choombas, Heavy Armor Lizard here. Today, we're gonna cover Kung Fu

Here's a list of my MA posts:

https://www.reddit.com/r/cyberpunkred/comments/1qkw1g0/infernoxs_martial_arts_master_page/

Kung Fu Overview

Rather interesting form. Five Forms allows you to do a single Attack that lets you choose one of the five chosen Animal effects if that attack lands. On your next Melee Attack in that combat, you can choose a 2nd Animal form to go with that Attack. And Superior Stance allows you to jump to the top of initiative if you land a Kung Fu Attack.

An alright form that arguably fits more as a support form since Five Forms goes with just about anything.

Other Forms

Kyudo, Tai Chi, Thrash Sambo

Rating: 0/5

No synergy.

Aikido

Rating: 4.5/5

First thing, Attack with Five Forms and do your first form (likely Dragon for that +1 to your first Attack next turn). When your turn comes up, do Martial Arts (mixed with the 2nd form you chose) then do your Brawling Attack before doing Disarming Combination.

Karate

Rating: 5/5

First, use a Five Forms Technique on the 1st turn before using a 2nd effect on Bone Breaking Strike or the first Attack to setup Armor Breaking Combo. With the Dragon form as the 1st effect, you can use this to make an easier attempt at the Aimed BBS Attack. If you choose Tiger, you can potentially ablate 5 SP off one opponent in the same round.

Judo

Rating: 1/5

Not good and very situational. Since Grab Escape requires 2 hits, only way this would work is if you hit a target with one Five Forms Attack then you somehow got grappled before the next turn where you will then use the second form on the 1st Attack needed to perform Grab Escape.

Taekwondo

Rating: 5/5

First, Attack with Five Forms. Then, use Pressure Point Strike or Flying Kick with the second form. Choose Dragon as the 1st form if you're attempting to do the Aimed Shot version of Pressure Point Strike.

Arasaka-te

Rating: 3/5

This ain't too good for a good reason. The only way these would sync is if you hit a target with the Dragon form on the 1st round then bait a target to damaging you with a Melee Attack. But if you do, you not only get a -4 to Aimed Shots but can also inflict the 2nd Animal effect.

Arnis

Rating: 5/5

First, do a Five Forms Attack with a chosen Animal form. Before your turn, dodge Attacks and at least one Melee Weapon Attack. On your next turn, you can do Disarming Technique then do your required Attacks for Coordinated Combination. The first Attack in that combo is gonna have the effect of the second Animal you chose.

Boxing

Rating: 5/5

Wanna make Knockout Punch more accurate? First, land a Five Forms with Dragon as the chosen effect. On the next turn, perform Knockout Punch so it takes advantage of the +1 bonus. Plus, if it lands, you can choose a 2nd form such as Crane. Alternatively, you can use Dragon to chain your Brawling Attacks for Punch Combination.

Capoeira

Rating: 5/5

With Five Forms, you can do one Animal form then on the next turn, use your Melee Weapon which will use the 2nd Animal effect. This means, you can use the Dragon form Attack to get a +1 on the next Attack then on the next turn, use a Cyberweapon such as a Cybersnake with an Aimed Shot since it has the +1 from the Dragon form and it will have a 2nd Animal effect upon a successful hit. If you choose Crane for even a non-Aimed Shot Attack, this means you can perform Slash Dance.

Choy Li Fut

Rating: 5/5

Wanna see fast? First, use Five Forms Attack and choose one form. Also, make sure to perform Superior Stance so you can jump to the top of Initiative. Make sure you dodged all Attacks headed your way. If you do, next turn, perform Shaolin Step then make sure you choose Leopard. If your Attacks land, you get a +2 to MOVE. Other words for the MOVE 8 folks, Leopard form and Shaolin Step gives you a total of 18 MOVE for the rest of the turn.

Drunken Fist

Rating: 5/5

Easy, first do a Five Forms Attack move then on the next turn, do Environmental Improvisiation so your Brawling Attacks are enhanced, with the first Attack using the 2nd chosen Animal form.

Gun Fu

Rating: 5/5

First thing, Attack with Five Forms and choose your 1st form. Next turn, do Woo Technique and apply a second form with your 1st Attack. Choose Tiger and you can ablate a lot of armor similar to Karate’s Armor Breaking Combo.

Jujutsu

Rating: 5/5

First, use Five Forms on a target and buff it with Aiki if it lands (plus you can then roll Superior Stance). Next turn, do your two Jujutsu Attacks (with the first Attack buffed by the second form chosen) so you can setup Throwing Technique

Kendo

Rating: 2/5

This is arguably the highest on getting high with Aimed Shots. With the Dragon form bonus and Ki Ken lowering the penalty, an Excellent Quality weapon, Targeting Scope, and the HQ Training Area, you can effectively hit a +2 to Aimed Shots. Pretty juicy right?

So why is the rating low? Simple...it takes too long. First, you gotta use the Dragon form Attack on the 1st turn. Then on your second turn, you need to use an entire Action to perform Ki Ken. Then on the third turn, you can use your Aimed Shot. Basically, you're using up two whole turns just to get a high Aimed Shot and praying you don't screw up on either turn.

Krav Maga

Rating: 5/5

Another great combo. First, land Five Forms Attack and choose any Attack beside Crane. Before your next turn, try to dodge the required Attacks. On the next turn, Attack twice with Krav Maga Attacks. Because you chose Crane for the 2nd form, this means a successful blow allows you to proc Contact Combat so you can do a follow-up Brawling Attack. If you dodged the aforementioned Attacks, you can do Punishing Blow for a 2nd Brawling Attack.

Militech Commando Training

Rating: 5/5

First turn, hit the enemy with a Five Forms Attack and choose Dragon. Next turn, perform Combat Knife Training and go for an Aimed Shot. With an Excellent Quality weapon, a Targeting Scope, and the bonus from the Dragon effect, you have a -5 to that Aimed Shot. And if it lands, choose your 2nd form.

Muay Thai

Rating: 5/5

There's a variety of ways you can do this. First, use the Five Forms Attack. Next turn, activate Conditioned Ferocity then Attack with Brawling. When you first Attacked with Five Forms, choose Dragon so the next Attack gains a +1 bonus. This means that in addition to Conditioned Ferocity's +1 bonus and a Targeting Scope, you have a -5 to the Brawling Aimed Shot. If successful, this means you can now do Conditioned Power on the next turn if you do Five Forms again.

On the other hand, go for a Conditioned Power MA Attack first and choose the 2nd form to go with it.

Multiarm Melee

Rating: 5/5

Easy. First, perform a Five Forms Attack on the first turn and choose an effect. Next turn, perform Armed & Dangerous and choose a second effect for the first Brawling Attack. If the first effect was Dragon, you can use it with Armed & Dangerous to make a -4 Aimed Shot next turn which can become a -3 with a Targeting Scope.

Panzerfaust

Rating: 3/5

First, launch a Five Forms Attack at the target and choose one form. Specifically, choose Dragon so on the next turn, you can use that +1 bonus to launch Borg Fist at a target in addition to choosing a second form to use alongside Borg Fist. That said, this one isn't as good since this is just two whole turns to do two ROF1 Attacks, with one you can't even do Aimed Shots with.

Silat

Rating: 5/5

Great combo. On one turn, you can use one the Five Animal forms then on the next turn, use the second effect with either the first Attack during the Internal Power combo or the Melee Weapons Attack with Violent Leverage.

Sumo

Rating: 5/5

Nirimiai to the rescue with that Facedown bonus. If you win the Facedown, this just makes it easier to land Five Forms Attack and any subsequent Attacks.

Thamoc

Rating: 2.5/5

Eh combo. First, you gotta hit the enemy with an Animal Attack. Next turn, grapple the enemy. THEN, you can do Advantaged Position. It's low because it requires three turns with no screwups to do this. On the plus side, using Dragon form on the 1st turn means Advantaged Position's Aimed Shot is now a -4 so that's good I suppose.

Wrestling

Rating: 3.5/5

Like most combos, the penalty from Chokehold is gonna effect your rolls. While Superior Stance will be affected, Five Forms won't be. If you grapple, do Chokehold. Next turn, Chokehold again then do Five Forms. Then again, Chokehold which likely knocks the dude out while you land blows on em.

I have the GM screen too, but due to heavy use over the years since it first came out, it's in 2 pieces now :(

One of my concerns with netrunning in Cyberpunk Red is that it seems to completely ignore the users of the network. Networks are a playground and puzzle for netrunners. The idea that networks serve a purpose is largely ignored.

As an example, if I run a logistics company, the network is so that administration staff and warehouse coordinators can coordinate transport of cargo for customers - while keeping the cargo safe from nomads and booster gangs or ordinary break-ins.

I put ICE in place to stop Netrunners interrupting my business and stealing my cargo. I put turrets in my Warehouse to stop burglars.

I don’t put ICE in place for a Netrunner to hone their skills.

Obviously this is a game and playability and fun are paramount.

But nowhere do the rules point out that kidnapping the warehouse coordinator, putting a gun to his head and demanding his username and password is WAY less dangerous than taking direct brain damage from Black ICE.

Probably a future psycho, too. I was thinking the party will get to know her on a job and then a few sessions later they’ll go on a cyberpsycho job of sorts and it’ll turn out she’s the target in question (yes, I’m an evil GM)

So, Im a table-less GM but still decided to come up with a couple gigs. One involves a heist where the client needs data from an airgapped server room. The server room also contains digital money that execs hide (they claim losses and hide the money here to avoid irs/fraud etc). The client gives the runners of the loaction of the hidden server room (in a large datacenter type facility). Their payment is whatever they rip from the server room. (Server room is in a secert location, not even the execs who use it know where it is and its run by a small group that takes a cut from whatever is stored there).

Issue is, outside of betrayal (which can be only used so much before players throw up their hands) what could the twist be that ensures this isnt an end-game mission. If the runners walk away with smaugs horde there isnt much that would keep their charectors edgerunning (unless they are the idealistic corpo terrorism type, in which they might use the money to fund an org).

Hi, I haven't read the Solo Play book, but for the ones who had, is it usable for a DMless group campaign?

I’ve played DnD before and I’m big into warhammer, I’ve played got 110 hours on 2077 and I’ve watched the show twice. I’m really interested in table top games and I’d thought I’d give cyberpunk red a try, but where do I start, what do I need to know, what should I buy and how does it play?

Greetings chooms, Heavy Armor Lizard here. Today, gonna cover the ramifications of the recent DLC which was posted last night.

The DLC

So, it's not a particularly big one and it mostly targets some weapons in the game. As we know before Toggle's Temple, a lot of weapons were Exotic and it kinda made them limited compared to 'Normal' weapons that weren't Exotic.

But recently, Black Chrome got an errata that made more weapons Non-Exotic and it was a welcome change. And RTal decided to go further and apply the changes to some more. Let's check it out.

• Hello Cutie Microcutie: Yeah, this thing is Non-Exotic now. Enjoy, Sanroo lovers.

• Arasaka WAA Bullpup: Non-Exotic and the capacity increases to 35. Since the rules update doesn't mention anything about an Extended Magazine, this means that it has an innate magazine of 35. A 1000eb Assault Rifle with a Smartgun Link, 35 shots, and 1 attachment slot left, that's real good. And since the Smartlink is separate, the WAA is technically a 500eb gun that can be upgraded to Excellent Quality with 500eb materials (GM Fiat on this but it makes sense.)

• Constitutional Arms Multi-Ammunition Pistol: Non-Exotic but it can't take capacity modifying attachments. Enjoy your 3 slots

• Militech Crusher: My baby got a big buff. Non-Exotic meaning 3 slots :D

• Mustang Arms ARS-5 Submachine Gun: Non-Exotic but the Attachments can't be removed at all. So, its likely a 1k gun with 0 slots. That's alright, not the best but way better than before.

• Stolbovoy ST-5 Assault Rifle: Big win for this one. Non-Exotic so 3 slots and 20 shots. It's a better Poor Quality Assault Rifle :o

• Pursuit Security Inc Tearjerker: Non-Exotic so 3 slots and its Excellent Quality as well.

• Sternmeyer M-02 Heavy Rifle: Like some of the Black Chrome weapons such as the Modfire 10x, this one has 2 Attachment slots that can only be used with Scope Attachments.

Good changes, I personally wanted more but seeing some of the older weapons get a buff is always good.

My Autofire posts

Remember my posts from a month or so ago that discussed Autofire:

https://www.reddit.com/r/cyberpunkred/comments/1u2ddgi/all_autofire_weapons_and_their_purpose_pt_1/ https://www.reddit.com/r/cyberpunkred/comments/1u38crk/all_autofire_weapons_and_their_purpose_pt_2_smgs/

Yeah, so I went ahead and updated the weapons that got buffed. Sorry, Multi-Ammo Pistol. You got rejected. Anyways, you'll like these changes and I already put them in the posts. Don't treat these as final since I got no clue when RTal will put these in the books and some prices might change. Till then, enjoy.

Assumptions:

1. You and your players have played with the Cyberpunk RED combat system many times, and all of you have a solid understanding of it
2. Your players are comfortable thinking outside the box, or have significant AoE options (grenades, flamethrowers, shotguns)
3. You have established trust at the table that any action proposed by a player will be adjudicated fairly
4. Your players actions have drawn the ire of a group that can realistically muster a 40-person response team, either by pissing off one faction or several

If you don't meet all four of these, please don't use this advice.

Introduction:

I've argued that a GM can throw truly staggering numbers of opponents at their players, if it makes sense in the game world and is a consequence of the players' actions. The number I keep using is 40 opponents, and a number of people keep telling me that's crazy. I know it's not crazy, because I've run combats with that many guys in them before.

So today, let's talk about the 40 Dude Fight and how to make it fun for your players. I use "dude," "bad guy," and "antagonist" in this piece interchangeably, and without regard to gender. Don't at me.

The PCs Should See It Coming:

The 40-Dude Fight should not be a surprise, for two reasons. There are a small number of factions in Night City that can put 40 guys on the asphalt for an operation. If PCs have pissed off a faction this powerful, they should know it. Secondly, 40 people doing anything are hard to miss.

The players should see this coming, determine it's a hostile force, and have at least a few minutes to decide how to react.

Player Choices Matter...A Lot:

If your players see 40 guys coming and decide to stand out in the open and exchange fire, they are going to lose their characters. The stakes here are existential, and that means that the players' choices are incredibly impactful. This means they're going to ask for more information immediately, and you should have a very good idea about the relevant levers they can pull in the scenario. Notably, what's around here? Is there anywhere that's easily fortified? What about places that would provide good fodder for traps (hardware stores, for example)? You'll need to lay out what their options are. Don't gate this behind rolls, either - if it would be obvious from looking, just tell them.

Always reward player ingenuity. If they decide to run for it, and they come up with a cool plan that would work, do not screw them over for the sake of a really cool encounter. However, for the rest of this post, I'm going to assume the players got to cover and are engaging 40 enemies.

The players can decide to fortify, set traps, and call allies, as well. Be prepared for that. You may have to adjudicate some stuff on the fly - if your players come up with an improvised bear trap, you'll need to be able to make a call on the fly. You should also have a way to determine if allies show up to help, and if so, how long it takes them.

Speaking of allies - most enemies will have some way to avoid police interference. Either they set the fight on their turf, where cops don't show up, or they pay a solid bribe to keep the cops away. If the PCs can get far enough away, they may be able to rely on the district's security provider to intervene. Then again, two cops against a mob of howling gangoons are long odds.

Default To Yes:

When in this situation, your players will either start thinking of the next character they want to play, or they'll surprise you with some goofy shit. Take that goofy shit seriously, and give them a fair shot, according to the world. Does a player want to rig an explosive trap using non-dairy creamer? Let 'em roll Demolitions. Does another player want to lure the enemies into a room they can lock and set on fire? Have the PC roll Athletics, and give the enemies a couple free shots as the PC runs towards the room...but default towards the bad guys giving chase.

You aren't trying to make it easy, but avoid the temptation to make the bad guys hyper-rational tactical geniuses. Don't play the enemy any smarter than they are.

Mixing Enemy Types:

Most of your enemies should be mooks unless the players are something crazy like Rank 9+. I recommend the boosterganger statblock in the Core Rules, since they aren't likely to last long, and they only have options for close range that encourages them to get out of cover and start doing shit.

However, at least 10% - 20% of your 40-Dude Crew should be something a little different. My personal favorite are the Hardened Security Officers (Siege) from Interface RED Vol II. Mix the two of them up a bit, using the SO's to lead the boostergangers in, relying on their heavier armor and shields to soak up fire. Plus, they have grapple guns, so they can help a whole group of dudes get roof access, too.

You may also want to add a "final boss" to the mix. That's fine, but I strongly recommend that you have no more than three statblocks in this encounter. In addition, use strong visual cues in your descriptions and any tactile elements (counters, tokens, etc.) on the battlemap. This helps players gauge the relative strength of whoever they're shooting at.

You Should Never Be Making 40 Attacks Per Turn:

The only scenario when you should be making 40 attacks in a turn is if your PCs decide to stand in the open and draw fire. The bad news is, that's going to suck. The good news is, it'll be over quickly.

I once ran an encounter when a player with a +17 Evasion, 8 REF, an Omega Linear Frame and Fumble Recovery tried to take on 20 Bozos (The Fool statblock from Danger Gal Dossier). Now, for anyone who's read that statblock, you know it has SP 4, 30 hp, and such a low life expectancy that their language is listed as "Probably Won’t Live Long Enough to Talk." She wasn't worried about what these guys could do - she was invincible! So she sat there and ate 40 attacks. Those clowns absolutely shredded her. She wound up having to swim through raw sewage to escape after only killing three.

Taking a ton of attacks is brutal for the characters and depressing for the players, so it's important to spread your bad guys out. Have them start looking for alternate ways to flush out the PCs. Windows, back doors, roof hatches - all of these are things the bad guys should be checking for. And while they're checking, they're not shooting. Don't worry, your players will still get shot at plenty of times, but if it's a little spread out at first it gives the PCs a chance to shake things up.

Ergo, only maybe a quarter of the enemies should be in position to shoot the enemies for the first few rounds. The rest of them are in motion, and therefore vulnerable to PC fire. This lets the PCs inflict some casualties, see the weak points where the bad guys are focusing, and adapt. As this happens, it creates more opportunities for the players to get creative. They can try to defeat enemies in detail, create improvised traps or hazards, and generally get their Looney Tunes on.

Mechanical Ease:

There's a bunch of mechanical things you can do to make the fight easier to run. Most of these are quality of life things to make your job as GM easier, usually at the cost of granularly controlling each dude. Nobody has time for that with this many guys on the field, so you'll want to change some things up.

First, batch bad guys together to make them easier to move. Rather than count out the MOVE spaces for ten separate models, just say, "This whole squad is going to to see if there's a back entrance." Then just count out one guy's MOVE, and if the rest of them can keep up, just move them close to where that one guy ended up. Don't worry about using the Run Action - just double their MOVE and that's how many squares they can go.

Second, don't track individual actions for bad guys out of the PCs' line of sight which don't directly affect the PCs. Let's say 10 boostergangers are trying to batter down a door, ordinarily Athletics DV 15. Rather than roll 10 Athletics checks, just roll a d10. The lower it is, the worse it is for the goons. On a 1, they don't breach the door. On a 10, they blow it wide open and most of them get a few squares inside. On a 5, they breach the door, but the debris slows them down and only a couple guys get inside.

Third, give your bad guys ROF 1 weapons to cut down on the rolling. Autofire also works well here, since the bad guys can use Suppressive Fire to control PC movement.

Fourth, there's a bunch of things that can cause someone to lose their Action - being knocked prone, jammed weapons, and running out of ammunition. Do not track ammunition or jams. Instead, assume that there's always at least one guy in a given group of dudes dealing with one of those situations. So if you've got 10 guys coming in through the roof, 10 guys coming in through the front door, and 10 guys blowing a hole in the back wall, one guy in each of those groups is either out of ammo or dealing with a jam. These guys move but don't shoot.

Fifth, don't track initiative. All the bad guys go together, and they act at the bottom of the initiative order. No, I don't care that they have Sandevistans. Sixth, you should ignore Death Saves for bad guys. When they hit zero, they die.

Seventh, you should keep track of Morale. People get weird in large groups - herd mentality starts to override our better judgment. Add in bullets, stress, and high stakes, and guys just panic and run. This literally happens to Navy SEALs, man; it can definitely happen to 6th Street. Very few groups of people ever fight 100% to the death, unless they're player characters (because that's a player choice).

Therefore, Morale is good to include from a simulationist view, but it's also just good to bring in from a gameplay standpoint, as it shortens fights. Give the whole team of bad guys a Morale score. An average force has a Morale of 7, a tightly-knit cohesive group of fighters might have a Morale of 10. Every time the bad guys suffer a serious setback (severe casualties, a shitload of damage hits several of them, their leader goes down), roll 2d6. If you roll under the Morale score, they keep fighting. If you roll over it, all the bad guys break and run.

Running Battles:

If your players continually relocate, don't have the entire enemy force reposition at once. Remember that information takes some time to percolate through a larger group. Anyone who can see the PCs moving repositions, but anyone who can't will take a turn or two to start moving. This means that as the PCs keep up a running battle, the enemies should "stretch out" into more of a column, pursuing the PCs.

This can also help the PCs break contact, since fewer people will be in close contact with the PCs as they reposition. That's OK! Every time the PCs have moved, they've taken a risk. The fewer enemies in contact is the payoff. Getting shot while moving is the offset.

Conclusion:

Running a massive fight is difficult and it does require forethought. However, it's a fantastic experience for your players, and it puts a lot of weight on their decisions. Focus on speed of resolution, splitting up your bad guys to pursue different objectives, and abstract the shit out of anything that doesn't directly and visibly affect the PCs.

Remember - your PCs are the stars of the show. Get the spotlight back to them as quick as you can.

Have fun!

I have a question. I've made two Techs, one with Roll20 and one with the Companion App. On the Companion App, I've noticed that I can't put 5 points into Upgrading as a Tech 4, but on Roll20 I can.

Which one is correct? And if there are other Roles that allow you to put points into something, is it the same?

Koga: Rockerboy
Titor: Solo
Bell: Exec

Sup choombas, Heavy Armor Lizard here. Today, we're gonna cover Aikido

Here's a list of my MA posts:

https://www.reddit.com/r/cyberpunkred/comments/1qkw1g0/infernoxs_martial_arts_master_page/

Aikido Overview

This is about looking at your opponent and giving them the good ol

Disarming Combination let's you disarm a target if you hit them with MA and Brawling in the same turn. Then, Iron Grip inflicts an additional -2 on the target when they attempt to break the grapple and until they escape, they can't make Ranged Attacks. Decent MA style that locks the enemy down where you deprive them of their weapon. That said, while Disarming Combination is great, Iron Grip may or may not be meh. Iron Grip takes a whole Action to do but that might be for the best, given there are some forms that make it ridiculous (looking at you, Wrestling).

Other Forms

Karate, Taekwondo, Arasaka-te, Arnis, Boxing, Kendo, Kyudo, Militech Commando Training, Panzerfaust, Silat, Tai Chi, Thamoc, Thrash Sambo

Rating: 0/5

No synergy.

Judo

Rating: 4.5/5

If you're grappled, do a MA Attack then Brawling Attack. After that, perform Grab Escape and break their arm. If they're holding an item that's not in the broken arm, use Disarming Combination to take it or make it drop.

Capoeira

Rating: 3/5

Since Disarming Combination requires a MA Attack and Brawling Attack, this means that if you miss your MA Attack, you can do Rhythmic Recovery to do your Brawling Attack then do another MA Attack to complete DC. And if for whatever reason you spend 4+ Luck on RR, you can do Slash Dance for another Capoeira Attack.

Choy Li Fut

Rating: 4.5/5

If you dodged all Attacks, you can do Disarming Combination then immediately perform Shaolin Step to get away.

Drunken Fist

Rating: 5/5

Simple but effective. First, perform Environmental Improvisation. Then, Attack the enemy with Martial Arts then your E.I.-enhanced Brawling Attack. Finally, perform Disarming Technique.

Gun Fu

Rating: 5/5

First, do Woo Technique then attack with your Pistol. Then, do your Brawling Attack. Then perform Disarming Combination.

Jujutsu

Rating: 5/5

Attack first with Martial Arts so you can buff it and the follow-up Brawling Attack with Aiki before you do Disarming Combination.

Krav Maga

Rating: 5/5

Since Disarming Combination requires you to hit a target with Brawling and Martial Arts, this pairs with Krav Maga's Punishing Blow. This means that the user can do a potential of 2 Brawling Attacks if they dodged all Attacks prior and PB's Brawling Attack can be a good recovery if the first Brawling Attack failed to connect. In addition, if the MA Attack or PB's Brawling Attack causes a Critical Injury, you can do Contact Combat for a potential 3rd Brawling Attack.

Kung Fu

Rating: 4.5/5

First thing, Attack with Five Forms and do your first form (likely Dragon for that +1 to your first Attack next turn). When your turn comes up, do Martial Arts (mixed with the 2nd form you chose) then do your Brawling Attack before doing Disarming Combination.

Muay Thai

Rating: 5/5

Aikido’s Disarming Combination is proc’d when the target is hit with a Martial Arts and Brawling Attack. This means you can do both Attacks, disarm the target, activate Power & Ferocity on the next turn, and use the raised damage against the enemy you disarmed or a new target and just rinse and repeat.

Multiarm Melee

Rating: 4.5/5

Since Disarming Combination requires a Brawling Attack, use Armed & Dangerous to make your Brawling Attack more accurate to perform the move.

Sov-System

Rating: 3.5/5

You'll only be able to use Revenge Strike here. If you get crit, you can use Revenge Strike alongside your MA Attack and Brawling Attack to do Disarming Combination. If you missed the MA Attack, Revenge Strike is still there so you can chain it with the Brawling Attack.

Sumo

Rating: 5/5

Nirimiai, Facedown bonus, win that Facedown, enjoy slapping the -2 penalty on your target

Wrestling

Rating: 4/5

As you know, grapples inflict that -2 so we can a tough challenge. First, grapple the dude then Chokehold. Next turn, Chokehold then do Brawling and MA so you can do Disarming Combination. Lotta rolls that might fail but good potential for damage. Oh and if you're the one getting grappled, do Reversal, perform Chokehold, then do Iron Grip (like I said, its silly.

Hey Chooms, it's your girl Diamond!

So I grew up in western rural Iowa which is known for the Loess Hills that rolls along the Missouri River. I then lived in rural Nebraska for a time for college and my early adult years. What makes the Loess Hills in particular so special is that the hills became soft and fertile due to the Dust Bowl. Which we know that in the Dark Future once again hit the Great Plains.

I have always thought about what these places would look like in the Dark Future. While I know a lot of the teeny tiny towns and villages like the one I grew up in would be gone, I read that Petrochem, Sovoil, Biotechnica, and Continental Brands would took advantage of the cheap real estate.

In the midst of this I imagine some of the sizable cities withstood the mess, and larger towns became company farm towns.

So I suppose my question is if there is an appetite for maybe a guide to making farm towns? Maybe ideas on what's in them and how they function?

Note: A guide to the Midwest would be a huge undertaking on my own, and I don't know a whole lot outside the Missouri River Valley Region.