Cyberpunk 2077 has quietly become a hit franchise. The video game overcame a disasterous launch, put out a fan favorite DLC expansion and dropped a classic anime series on Netflix. It’s a fantastic dark mirror to hold up to ou own world at the perfect time we need to think about where we are and where we’re going.
The video games and TV shows sprung from the Cyberpunk tabletop role playing game created by Mike Pondsmith and published by R. Talsorian Games. The most recent edition, Cyberpunk RED, introduced a new generation to the streets of Night City while welcoming back long time fans excited to explore the timeline between the original tabletop game and the video game. Let’s look at some of the latest releases that expand the game into an online toolset, a neighborhood building campaign and an old school boxed set that opens up the year 2077.
Cyberpunk RED Nexus
What’s more futuristic than playing a tabletop role playing game on a tablet, phone or a laptop? Demiplane launched the official digital companion of Cyberpunk RED as part of its Nexus program. Fans who want a digital library that cross-references multiple books can enjoy it now with a character builder coming in Q1 of 2025.
Curently the corebook is available to use along with a few expansions. Black Chrome gives players access to more gear for their characters like cyberware, vehicles, weapons and more. Players can also pick up a digital version of the big Gen Con release this year, Cyberpunk Edgerunners Mission Kit.
Cyberpunk Edgerunners Mission Kit
When Cyberpunk RED came out with a Mission Kit in 2019, it offered a bit of an old school experience. The original Cyberpunk was a boxed set that introduced the world to this classic setting in 2013. The Cyberpunk RED Mission Kit was full of characters, dice, adventures and a short rule booklet build to update the timeline to the Time of The RED, around 2045.
Cyberpunk Edgerunners Mission Kit pushes the timeline further to sync up with the Cyberpunk Edgerunners TV show which takes place about a year before the events in the video game. It shows what’s changed about Night City and what has sadly stayed the same. It includes a mission that connects directly with characters from the show and gives players a chance to play some factions against each other.
Much like the Cyberpunk RED Mission Kit it also offers a preview of what the future of Cyberpunk holds. A Cyberpunk 2077 setting book seems like a natural next step offering players a chance to return the the city they love without having to wait for the next video game. Pro tip: make a tabletop character in the Cyberpunk 2077 character editor, screenshot it and use that for a portrait during play.
Cyberpunk Red Tales Of The RED: Hope Reborn
The latest release for Cyberpunk RED gives groups a chance to return to one of the iconic locations from the original game. The Forlorn Hope was at the center of a collection of Cyberpunk adventures called Tales of the Forlorn Hope. Tales Of The RED: Hope Reborn gives players a chance to see where the story of this place goes in the next chapter of Night City.
What makes this campaign stand out is the focus on building a community. Cyberpunk missions are often stories about slick killers and criminals pulling off desperate jobs. While some of the adventures here have those elements, the overall story is about protecting a neighborhood and carving out a good place to live in the shadow of power.
Cyberpunk RED continues to thrive even as it moves forward into the future. There’s no better time than now to put on some mirrorshades and disappear into the city, choomba.
