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The Book Itself
OGL Cybernet is one of the new core books from Mongoose Publishing intended to present everything you need for a particular genre in a single tome. There's an OGL Horror, Ancients, and Steampunk, too. The cover artwork is dark, appropriately Cyberpunk, and fairly well done. The interior art ranges from pretty damn snazzy (see the painting on p.119) to intentionally cartoonish (p. 60) to a little bit shakey (some of the gun illos on pp. 122-128). Overall, though, I found the artwork to be more than adequate- and sometimes downright smooth. The shakey bits seem to be the static art of equipment, vehicles and weapons. The character art is compelling, and the mixture of styles from the realistic to the overstated to the occasional comic book look mirrors the range that Cyberpunk as a genre has developed over the years as Cyberpunk-inspired properties have diverged from the original 'movement'.
The margins are there but not overly large as in some other products on the shelves these days, and have a good Cyberpunk look to them, especially the interfaced eye in the upper page corners. The sections of the book are marked clearly on the outer margins for easy reference. The pages themselves are double column text in a readable font, but I found some of the headers to be a bit busy font-wise. These are the larger, bolder text bits used to name skills and feats, and generally as low-level headers within chapters. The look is good, and maybe I need a new pair of reading glasses- but I have to slow my reading pace a bit when I hit those headers. It might also be the 'shadow' effect on this particular text style that's done in a blue-green ink against the black text that gives it something of the look of an old 3D movie when you're not wearing the glasses. Overall I like the look of the book. The text density makes for a good amount of content, the tables are readable, just that one niggling issue with the 'blurry' title fonts.
Inside the Covers
The Introduction to OGL Cybernet section is good. It's informative- covering the basic 'feel' of the Cyberpunk-style universe and segue-ing into the Conventions of Cyberpunk Roleplaying section. This covers the ubiquitous "What is Roleplaying", dice, characters, actions, etc. and rolls right into a great "What is Cyberpunk?" section giving a full, if brief, background of the Cyberpunk "movement" and some of its' authors and influences. A+ stuff for the begining 'Punk, and pretty darn good even if you consider yourself conversant in the genre.
Character Creation
Pretty basic D20, with some really outstanding additions. Along with 4d6 drop lowest, they actually note that 3d6 straight down (called "Hardcore") can make for a very gritty game. They allow a point-buy system, but also add a "Heroic" option that creates stats from 9-18. Wow. My players would eat that up...
The main addition to which I referred, that I was very pleased with (in fact, it contributed greatly for some reason to my purchase of this book!) was the GURPS-like tables of abilities, scores, and to whom those scores might belong. It makes it very easy to 'model' characters by matching their ability level to a given score. It also gives a GM some quick shorthand to create NPCs. Another benefit is that in a Cyberpunk universe, with every NPC and their dog cybered and ready to rumble, these tables can help you remember what the 'average' security guy or cop should be capable of.
The obligatory limit on Cyberware is provided by Self- which is derived from Charisma. Cyberware eats away at Self, and as it reaches the minimum level for the current Charisma score, the CHA score drops a point. They hint at something close to the "Cyberpsychosis" of R Tal's Cyberpunk game rather than the "too much metal and you die" mechanic of Shadowrun. Somehow I think psychotic cyborgs are a bit more true to genre... This also keeps players from dumping that low ability score into Charisma.
I have a minor issue with their quick and dirty two-paragraph suggestion on handing out experience. True, they don't bother with Encounter Level or Challenge Rating or anything like that, but the flat awards suggested by the book could make for some looooong waits between levels starting at about L5-6.
OGL Cybernet uses Occupations much like D20 Modern. These are packages that represent a character's experience up until they begin adventuring, and add permanent class skills, perhaps a feat, and repuation or wealth bonuses. For the most part, they seem balanced. If you get a feat, you get less of the other benefits, and vice versa.
Kudos to Mongoose for including Mooks. In a sly fashion, they've returned to the old D&D convention that the teeming masses are 0-level humans. These are called "The Unclassed" and have a basic set of stats, skills, and average HP. This makes for very quick basic NPCs, and ones that the average character will stand out above- but not so average as to be 10,10,10,10,10,10 or anything somesuch. The Unclassed will be good at one or two things, and may even have some combat ability- in the end, however, they are mooks. Thank the Maker, though, that you no longer have to worry about every McDonald's employee or homeless wanderer being a 5th-level something-or-other.
So what about the classes? Glad you asked. The classes are presented much as the D20 Modern classes are- with talent trees more or less unique to the class (some are available to more than one). These talent trees are what make the classes for me, as I think the development of 'schtick' within a PC party is one of the most important elements of keeping a party together. With these trees, you could conceiveably have three PCs of a given class, each of which has distinctive abilities and is very different in approach to their given profession. The classes are as follows:
The Connection - a Fixer or Face. This class seems like it would be a blast to RP. Connections can develop a network of contacts with one talent tree, easy access to goods with another, or the ability to get the hell out of Dodge in a Dodge (IE Vehicular prowess) with a third.
The Corporate - Just like it sounds. The Corp has to wait until second level to use the Corp base ability- but it can be worth it. The ability to boost wealth checks can come in hady- especially given the price nature of Cyberware. Corps can develop a Negotiation tree, or a tree that allows them to 'know people' in the Corporate system that allows them access to things other characaters - even the Connection - might not have. Corps can also create their own companies for the ultimate in Punk self-employment.
The Jacker - Thief. At first, I wondered about the utility of a straight theif-type class, but as I read on I was impressed. The Jacker can develp great defensive abilities, traditional thieving abilities (invisible, nimble fingers), or Danger Senses. They also get a very decent amount of skills.
The Soldier- Brickman. Just what you'd expect. Not so great with the skill points, but 1-for-one BAB and weapons feats out the wazoo. They have access to the vehicular tree of the Connection, but have a Marksmanship and Unbreakable tree of their own to go the Gun Bunny or Brick routes.
The Webcrawler - A Netrunner/Decker updated for the 21st Century view of the Net, right down to giving the Webcrawler server space to work with. Every Cyberpunk game has had it's Console Cowboys, but it's nice to see a new game take a sligtly more modern view of how the Net will work, while still keeping the trappings of Cyberpunk (ICE, Data Havens, etc.) Webcrawlers can develop a Custom System tree, a Codemaster tree, and a Digital Dedication tree to give them some extra abilities.
The Professional - Everybody else. This class initially seemed to be a shotgun solution to every other possible character type not covered by the other classes- and it was, but it works. They get a good selection of class skills, plus the ability to choose any class skill and give it the ability of a free re-roll on a failure once per game. This makes lots of possibilities attractive, from Medics to repair-wizards to medias, rockers, and everything else not explicitly covered. Their talent trees are likewise diverse, with Higher Education, Strategy, and the Corporate's inside-the-system tree available. They can also borrow abilities from other classes at higher levels.
All in all, the classes work well, but a couple of my nitpicks come in at this juncture. One, the Connection gets the Bug Out feat, which I couldn't find in the book. Mongoose has, however, produced a FAQ and Errata sheet that plugs this little gap quite nicely.
The other omission which frustrated me was the lack of Speak Language as a class skill for Corporates and Connections. Soldiers get it, but these other two don't? "Face" characters like Corps and Connections BEG for the ability to easily learn languages- sterotypically Japanese at least. Sure, you can get this from a Career, but I feel it should be included as a normal class skill.
The Skills and Feats section is fairly standard, with a good amount of example difficulty classes for skills. I should note kudos to Mongoose for making the Profession skill attractive by tying it into wealth increases.
The Finishing Touches section reminds me of those nifty tables in R. Tal's Cyberpunk that helped you come up with a look and an attitude for your Punk. D20 is the rule here, and the tables are just as much fun to play with.
The Equipment chapter isn't bad. It covers all the bases we needed for our first session, and reasonably describes each piece of equipment and it's capabilities. The artwork here is a little below the quality of the rest of the book, as has been stated, but otherwise the chapter is adequate-plus. I will note that the use of the D20 Modern Wealth Bonus system is a bit frustrating for some of my players. I had a player point out that the order in which he purchased his equipment made a drastic difference in what kind of equipment he could purchase, due to the automatic success and automatic wealth loss mechanics.
The Weapons section is good, though I found it interesting that only one ranges weapon (the crossbow) crit on anything other than a 20- but this is in line with D20 modern, and only seemed strange after playing D20 Spycraft/Stargate. The Armor available is also D20-Modern faire, with DR over Defense as benefit. Overall, this works much better for a Cyberpunk-style game IMHO.
The Combat chapter is fairly standard, and what we're used to. I won't spend too much time here because we've all seen how D20 combat works. It's pretty standard. The vehicular rules are also here, but I can't wait to add some vehicles of my own with D20 Mecha... Bubblegum Crisis maybe?
The Fame and Fortune chapter explains the Wealth Bonus system. I find this particular mechanic to be out of place in a Cyberpunk game. Not having hard cash equivalencies is a pain when you have to split the take from a datasteal or other such mission between members. It works well for a single character, but when you have to try and split monies up, it gets strange. Mongoose addresses this, too, in the FAQ- but not really to the point that I, as a GM, would like. Points to Mongoose, however, for allowing the Profession skill to assist by bumping Wealth up over the course of time (and levels). Allegiances and Rep bonus are covered here as well, and fit into the Cyberpunk genre seamlessly. Characters with Corporate allegiances and Street Gang allegiances can expect help from time to time, and a great table for determining contact level is present as well for generating contacts.
The Drug chapter is well done, and neccessary to the genre. Rules for addiction and withdrawal are present, as well as rules for tailor-made designer drugs. There's some nasty stuff in here that characters would do well to stay away from if they know what's good for them- but when has a Cyberpunk known what's good for them?
Cybergear. The REAL reason my munchki- er- players - play any Cyberpunk game. Inside OGL Cybernet you'll find all the standard equipment players will look for as far as what is found in the core books of other Cyberpunk games. Reflex boosters, artificial limbs, cyberoptics with telescopic vision, it's all here. Only the funkier items found in auxiliary books for other systems like Chromebook or Shadowtech are too strange to be here. This can be a sticking point with long-time genre players who are used to such wild equipment, but the list is as complete as that in Cyberpunk 2020 or the Shadowrun core book. Cyberware is 'Graded' by complexity, which is a bit confusing to Shadowrun players as the same terminology (Alpha, Gamma, etc.) is used with different meanings. It's not really a problem unless your players are long-time Shadowrun wonks who need to re-learn the cyberware system. By only real gripe about Cyberware and the way it works is the COST. It's difficult to have a starting character begin with any Cyberware at all. In Shadowrun it was possible to start with an obscene amount of money, and in Cyberpunk 2020 costs were a little less jolting. OGL Cybernet has no obligation to emulate either of these games, but again- the expectation level of the players may be missed a bit here.
The Web. The basics of Cyberpunk are here, from your Deva- the web icon that represents your Webcrawler, to ICE, to the combat and defense programs, custom decks, and other trappings common to Cyberpunk games. A nice change here is the use of web parlance we're all used to hearing- servers, accounts, etc. This gives a more 'it could happen' feel to the Web than previous incarnations rooted firmly in the 80s vision of what the Net would be. The mechanics are pretty much D20 combat with some new terminology, avoiding the SR pitfall of a completely separate system for web work.
Advanced Classes. You get Merc, Gunslinger, Master Thief, Runner, Field Scientist, Field Medic, Tech Savant, Detective, Celebrity, and True Hacker. Each of these comes with new talent trees that help establish niche abilities. I was particularly interested in the "robotechnology" (note the lower case "r") ability of the Tech Savant to build drones. Pretty cool stuff.
This brings me to the final item in the book. The character sheet. Sorry, Mongoose, but I hated this sheet. Bonus points for it being photocopy-ready, not a full-color monstrosity like Decipher's Star Trek sheets, but it's simply not attractive nor is it particularly functional. The boxes for the modifiers for Melee and Ranged combat are HUGE. Skills are on the back sheet rather than the front as has become D20 custom, not a real issue- but it becomes one when you donwload Mongoose's expanded sheet where skill are their own page in a three-page character sheet. Lots of wasted space around the skills block on the expanded sheet. Inititative could have been labelled better, rather than having two "Misc. Modifier" boxes, since your Reflex Save is always an Initiative Modifier, one of them could have been labeled "Reflex Save".
There is an index, it is functional. No points gained or lost there.
Finally, there are Edge Dice. These replace the IMHO horrible Action Points of D20 Modern, and are closer to the type of bonus dice granted by Spycraft or Stargate, which replenish every game instead of every level. I didn't notice that the mechanics for Edge Dice were left out of the book, as I was so used to the way they worked in Stargate I never had to look for the rules in Cybernet. An omission, yes, but one which Mongoose has rectified with a full explaination of Edge Dice on their web site.
Overall, I really liked D20 Cybernet. There were some issues and omissions, but Mongoose has been pretty good in making the fixes for those available on their web site. Given the volume of product Mongoose turns out, some of these errors are forgivable, if regrettable. The group here had a blast taking the Cybernet rules for a spin this previous weekend, and the game got a thumbs-up all around save for the Wealth system and the problems it carried with it. I recommend Cybernet as a stand-alone game, and possibly as a basis for a hombrewed D20 Shadowrun conversion. Not perfect, but a good, solid product.
BTW- Although I haven't read Digital Burn, by Living Room Games, I will say $40 for 256 pages for Cybernet makes $35 for 160 pages look even less attractive that it did before Cybernet hit the shelves. No digs on LRG- Earthdawn 2ed is a great game, but it is an example of price points getting higher and higher for books that just aren't 'big' enough to justify their price on a casual glance. DB may have the most revolutionary Cyberpunk rules in the industry, but for it's size, many gamers won't look past the price tag...
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