Welcome to the dark future where style matters more than survival and every choice could be your last
The neon-soaked streets of Night City await you in Cyberpunk Red, the latest edition of the legendary tabletop RPG that defined the cyberpunk genre. Whether you’re a veteran of other systems or completely new to roleplaying games, this comprehensive guide will equip you with everything needed to survive in a world where corporations rule, technology has outpaced humanity, and life is cheaper than the chrome in your arm.
Understanding the World of Cyberpunk Red
Cyberpunk Red takes place in an alternate timeline that diverged from our own in 1990. It’s Earth, but not as we know it – a grim future where technology advanced rapidly while society collapsed around it. The world is dark, violent, and unforgiving, where death lurks around every corner and your character’s survival is never guaranteed.
The average person can afford cyberware that would seem futuristic today, yet they might still live on the streets with nothing but a cyber pillow built into their arm for comfort
The setting brilliantly juxtaposes extreme technological advancement with societal decay. One day you might attend a glamorous corporate party in a secure zone, rubbing shoulders with Arasaka executives, and the next find yourself fighting for survival in a combat zone or fleeing into the wasteland where barbaric nomads rule and infrastructure is a distant memory.
Core Game Mechanics
Dice and Skill System
Unlike many RPGs, Cyberpunk Red keeps things simple with its dice requirements. You’ll only need:
- One D10 (ten-sided die)
- Five to six D6 (six-sided dice)
The game operates on a skill-based system rather than levels. Your character maintains the same hit points throughout the campaign unless modified by cyberware. Instead of gaining levels, you improve by increasing your skills, which range from 1 (terrible) to 10 (best in the world).
Making Skill Checks
The basic formula for any action is straightforward: Stat + Skill + 1D10 = Result
This result is compared against either:
- A Difficulty Value (DV) set by the Game Master
- An opposing roll from another character or NPC
Character Creation and Life Path
The Life Path System
One of Cyberpunk Red’s most compelling features is its Life Path system. During character creation, you roll on charts or make choices that determine your character’s history, including:
- Family background and current status
- Friends and enemies made along the way
- Significant life events that shaped who you are
- Contacts and favors owed
This system creates instant narrative hooks for both players and Game Masters. Your past isn’t just flavor text – it actively impacts gameplay. That corporate executive who owes you a favor? You can cash it in when needed. That organization hunting you for stealing their data? They’re still out there, waiting.
Role Abilities
Your role (class) ability defines what makes you unique in Night City. Each role has a distinct ability ranked from 1 to 10 that fundamentally changes how you interact with the world. Whether you’re a Solo focused on combat, a Netrunner manipulating digital architectures, or a Fixer making connections, your role ability is what sets you apart when everyone is expected to defend themselves.
Combat: Fast, Deadly, and Unforgiving
The Three-Second Rule
Combat rounds last exactly three seconds, with everyone acting once per round based on initiative order. This compressed timeframe emphasizes that everything happens nearly simultaneously – while you’re shooting at one enemy, another is stabbing you, and a third is lobbing a grenade your way.
Armor and Damage
Armor provides Stopping Power (SP) that reduces incoming damage. However, each hit that penetrates degrades your armor by 1 SP. This creates a death spiral in prolonged fights – even if you win, your SP 11 armor might be reduced to SP 5, leaving you vulnerable for the next encounter.
Critical injuries occur when damage dice roll double sixes, potentially causing collapsed lungs, broken ribs, or worse. These injuries make subsequent death saves harder, adding another layer of danger to combat.
Death Saves
When your health reaches zero, you make death saves by rolling 1D10 against your Body stat. Roll over it, and your character dies permanently. No resurrection, no second chances – just another corpse in Night City’s endless body count.
The Art of Survival
Talk Before You Glock
In Cyberpunk Red, violence should be your last resort, not your first. The game emphasizes social interaction and problem-solving over combat. Even the most skilled Solo can be overwhelmed by numbers, and there’s always someone deadlier waiting around the corner.
Reputation and Face-Downs
Your reputation score (1-10) represents your notoriety in Night City. It determines whether people recognize you and can be used in face-downs – social confrontations where reputation determines who backs down. Win a face-down, and your opponent suffers penalties to all social interactions with you.
Style Over Substance
Appearance matters in Night City. The clothes you wear, the weapons you carry, and your cyberware all communicate who you are and where you belong. Walking into a corporate zone dressed like a street punk will draw unwanted attention, regardless of your combat skills.
Living in Night City
The Loop
Most Cyberpunk Red games follow “the loop”:
- Get a job
- Do the job
- Get paid
Simple in concept, complex in execution. How you acquire jobs, negotiate payment, complete objectives (or change them mid-mission), and handle complications defines your story.
Lifestyle and Hustle
Between missions, characters must pay lifestyle costs covering rent, food, and maintaining their image. The hustle chart determines what your character does during downtime – smaller gigs that keep the bills paid and might create new opportunities or problems.
Key Takeaways
- Death is permanent – There’s no resurrection in Night City
- Combat degrades resources – Even victories leave you vulnerable
- Social skills matter – Often more than combat abilities
- Style defines status – How you look determines where you fit
- Everyone has an agenda – NPCs aren’t throwaway characters
- Money keeps you alive – Not just for gear, but for survival
- Your past shapes your future – Life Path events have ongoing consequences
Conclusion
Cyberpunk Red offers a unique RPG experience where every decision carries weight and survival requires more than just firepower. It’s a game that rewards clever thinking over brute force, style over stats, and connections over isolation. In Night City, you’re not heroes – you’re survivors trying to make it through another day while the world burns around you.
The dark future awaits, choom. Will you rise to become a legend of the streets, or just another flatlined nobody forgotten in the combat zone? The choice, and the consequences, are yours.
Related Topics
- Netrunning mechanics and digital combat
- Cyberpsychosis and humanity loss
- Night City gangs and factions
- Cyberware installation and modification
- Vehicle combat and chase rules
- Creating memorable NPCs for Cyberpunk campaigns
- Homebrew rules and modifications
- Converting Cyberpunk 2020 content to Red