If you’re really excited, and I mean really excited for Cyberpunk 2077, then you’re likely familiar with the fact that the base for CD Projekt RED’s game was originally a tabletop RPG called Cyberpunk 2020. However, now you can get into the world of Cyberpunk even further by buying the tabletop RPG Cyberpunk Red.
A brand-new tabletop RPG game that was developed by R. Talsorian Games, the original creator of the Cyberpunk 2020 game, Cyberpunk Red was developed in cooperation with CD Projekt RED and is a prequel to 2077. Instead of taking place either in 2020 or 2077, it takes place in 2045, 33 years before the game.
In the game’s backstory, a conflict known as the Fourth Corporate War has just ended, and the various megacorporations of the world have retreated to nurse their wounds. In the chaos of the post-war world, this leaves anyone with the proper guts and skill and wit to pick up the pieces.
The Cyberpunk Red kit comes with everything that you need to play a game in it, including two booklets (one containing lore on the setting and the other containing the rules), six pre-generated characters you can use, and various maps and standees you can use to bring the game to life.
However, at the same time, the kit that comes with the game when you buy it now is only a beginner’s guide, aimed to get people into the game and familiar with the rules. A full rulebook will be coming later, but the Jumpstart kit, as it’s termed, will help you get into the game.
Mike Pondsmith, who created the universe originally, also gave his own thoughts on Cyberpunk Red and where it fits into the main game’s timeline. He compared it to Star Wars, saying that while Cyberpunk 2077 was essentially Return of the Jedi or the period beyond it, Cyberpunk Red is The Empire Strikes Back.
A Cyberpunk card game will be coming out next year, but for now you can buy the Jumpstart kit yourself on DriveThruRPG.com or wait until next April to play Cyberpunk 2077 when it comes out on the Xbox One, Playstation 4, and PC.
