EIGHT ADVENTURES FOR CYBERPUNK® * BY WILLIAM Moss 7 exe aa Cae Te Te aw faak INTRODUCTION Reha cheatin PL Ramen Scere en est ee ees enrae en eee ene ce ees Pee ene etna Peer eet ence eee P40] 0) A Ree ee Se enter Pe VETERANS OF THE CYBERWARS any American Soloscut their teeth assoldiersin the Cen- tral American Wars. They left the U.S. as many things; farm-boys and girls, fresh faced high school graduates, earnest college graduates, blue collar laborers and career soldiers. Upon returning home they found them- selvesa breed apart. Most had been in country atleast two years, ome as long as five or six. They were veterans of the toughest combat units; Rangers, SEALS, Green Berets and black ops groups so secret that they hhad no names. Their reactions had long since adapted to survival under combat conditions in the inhospitable mountains of Central and South America. Some suffered from the aftereffects of combat drugs. Many ‘more had combat eyberware. While their comrades in arms readjusted to the drone of everyday life, these few struggled to find their niche. They were creatures ofthe edge, addicted to the adrenaline rush, with only one ‘marketable skill In the end, itwasinevitable that they become Solos. And, itwas only natural that they sek the company oftheir own kind. Forlorn Hopeis an adventure pack and source supplement based around a Night City club owned and run by South American veterans and frequented by Solos and Cyberpunks of various backgrounds. The supplement includes a description and history of the bar and detailed backgrounds ofthe staff and most interesting clients. The har can serve ‘asa backdrop for any number of adventures and maket.a good hangout and rallying point for player characters who are tough enough to prove that they belong there. The people who patronize and work atthe club form a useful pool of NPCs to draw from. Use them to cover for weak- nesses in player character teams, or just to flesh out your adventures, Remember, ifthe NPCs seem powerful this is because they are primarily tools to keep adventures moving. If used wisely, they will add to the action without overshadowing the abilities of player characters, Remem- bberalso that most of the NPCs are older and more experienced than the average Cyberpunk characters This supplement contains eightshort adventures, each designed to bbe completed in one play session. The adventures are not connected plotwise, Buteach isbased around a major NPC from the bar. There are detailed descriptions ofall adventure-related NPCs, Feel free to impro- vise off ofthe adventures and adjust the power level to fit your group of players. The adventuresare designed to be run in sequence, but thiscan >be changed with minor modifications, ‘When running adventures from Forlor Hope or when using the bar in your adventures itis important to capture the atmosphere, The patrons ofthe bar are. close-knit group. Unfamiliar faces wil be treated ‘with distrust, reticence or outright hostility. New patrons must prove themselves in some way before they are accepted. But once accepted, a character will have few friends as loyal as those he or she makes at the Forlorn Hope. The firs time your characters hang out at the bar, make sure they know that theyare not part of the group. The firstadventure or ‘wo willbe their chance to earn the respect of the NPCs, Now, relax and enjoy yourself as slightly gonzo Media C.J. O'Reilly takes you on a guided tour of the Forlorn Hope and its personalitest Willam MossCONTENTS THE HOPE A HARD ROAD TO GO 34 THE IMPALERS 43 GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT 53 COLOMBIAN COOKOUT G4 FALL OF THE AXEMAN 74 TOUGH AS NAILS 85 THE LAST LONG RIDER 94 FORLORN HOPE CLOS! 62,63,72,73 MAPS STAFF TALES FROM THE FORLORN HOPE Written By William Moss From an Original Idea By Frank Frey Edited By Derek Quintanar SE. ArtDireetion Matthew Anacleto Layout Ted Talsorian Matthew Anacleto Readers Lisa Pondsmith Dave Ackerman Chris Robin Grey Janis Sellers Villiams Mlustrated By Darrell Midgette Chris Hockabout Additional Art Matthew Anacleto Ted Talsorian Cover By Doug Anderson ©1991 R. Talsorian Games P.O. Box 7356 Berkeley, CA 94707 Copyright © 1992 R. Talsorian Games, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Cylerfunk © is, R. Talsorian’s Trademark name for its adventure game of the dark future, All rights reserved under the Universal Copyright Convention. All incidents, persons portrayed with- and any similarity, out satiric intent, of characters iv dead is strictly coincidental cpsi2i ISBN# 0.937279-218Solo of Fortune Special Editions, Solo of Fortune Special Editions returns this : re J. Coast forthe eat few weeks looking fais travels recently took him to Wight City, club Populated by an unusual cage Sf THE FORLORN HOPE—BACK FROM THE FAR SIDE OF CHAOS Special to Solo of Fortune By C.J. O'Reilly already in decay. deal a at May bo to believe. With the death of Night city. rer rtan Society came space for those who live outside + Tm talking about Solos. I'm taliing about you ane ora, there 1s a hairs. Tt ts they've all been to the edge Like you and I, they seek the com; own kind, in a place where the - Pehavior is their own. Where people understand | ‘why your eyes are always Rever resting on one thing for more : seconds. Where people take the hardware fer | £ Granted. Where people keep the stove been there themselves il be there when it ‘the customers “me ‘among Solos, Nomads x nee you've been | 1769. vcs intrigued [hopes ‘rough Night [1641 T spent two hours eitting in my ‘ine brushoff, when the phone finally ‘Freeman, owner and and if i was okay with ‘sted that T oome down to the b deep me the run of the place for ® couple of Gays: T agreed. given, It turned cut to be & ‘neon sign over the wide, previous sign asore bar, The Forlorn Hope is in the grand Joby, of the old Hotel Sierra, and bar The Foor Hope back ofthe rom, diagonally oppo rye once as, gad may way through the crowded tables eeroes oom. Tt felt ike a day and half. {for me To aash table, the people attng tare would grow sents Teoutning their conversations only onoe 1 “At least T got & good look at the layout ‘tne room. The lobby had been extensively ‘par. To the left, wher . there was a projecting "yurther left was 8 wide started in the Saretroly lined with more booths. About twenky Se ‘small tables dotted the floor, Gnough free space for a small dance-floor. T+ was nig opeble to tell what else ongupled the Upper evel or lower, if any: 1 reached the bar before dying of acute self-consoionnsee, put only barely. Behind the bar was ange women dressed in a black outfit that clashed nicely with her shocking pink hair. Tcod Inne S00 DIE,” sho corrected. Sho gave the counter in front of Tange Uke tt left behind more than Wt ploked up, Swen Aisadvantages of staying sober, and ordered a double John Freeman ‘me a swipe with a rag that T weighed the advantages and Jack Daniel's, “So I gather. Why a: {A few of my regulars have read some of [Zou wouldn't know it from the reception, “My wite aid.” “Your wite?* ‘Marianne, the gir! with the pink hair.” “She got my name wrong.” 's her hobby. She even does tt to me.” © twist and chewed on it for a mom because you were there. In South am." in Military History, but rapidly became Uncomfortable in the grind of everyday life Hventually he returned to the people he felt moat Comfortable with: soldiers and ex-soldiere, If he couldn't fight with them, he would provide fox them, and help to maintain the fraternity that he 50 loved. In 2011, with the help of several people with whom he had served, he bought and Testored the Hotel Sierra, and opened the Forlons Hope in the lobby. It's been thriving ever since, The Prof met and married his wife, ‘Marianne, during the construction of the bar. { asked him to tell me a bit about her, ‘a. qo pn jee NEwqarianne’s a cut-up. You see, ene Tenra Tim too aerious all the time. 5be cainkthe The Straight Man. Her solution cae fe comedian enough for the both Of 1 ta rie my surrogate sense of MUmor” and she just barmalds?” cOnno,.” the Professor corrected me, agne's the real power down here on $6 | (ie Toversee the management of te | foe" put ene actually does tt. Keeps oo bes on eho supplies and financing, DAC Ee the payroll, all that good bus! the time to handle the Syope. TIL let you in on a uttle senna change. She wai mal ‘n her twenties. 16 & tat she's 0 change, except that she can't Mor wis.” on, 80 don't answer i if you're ny Remfortable. Does st ever bother You sot ner, and thet'e how T've aways thot gh, of her. She’ and to angie tem with the WAY she 1 well, the bar hore, end ret, i's a pace for Bolos, FIxers, virthe Professor gestured Out ScTOss ‘are disoussing deals ‘Srunk, but everybody needs & sqet's s00, we 6b seoure conference and meeting rooms, worwe got w job roterral service, We're Sr wee nouse Pipperdoe downstairs.” Te "Prof leaned Wreveed and said in & conspiratorial voice, ‘iets good too. He ought vo be, this often enough.” nee en make those services availanle ail your customers?” “ 7 le to ood get out on tne stock, ASO, people who come oa oped off, That makes for good Past ‘One That takes a lot of my time. "we run a safe house and “ee too long, and are getting Shaky.” “well, kids oid some heat, sympathetic ears to talk ‘and if necessary, Semewhere safe where they CAT ‘T asked the Prot ‘We took the short tour. jand one below. The 1ows the secure conference Toms Upphistiosted ttle set up. Other do ‘and maintenance lockers, mene bulk of the ground floor mere is a bockstage area end Greased Ty There is also a new staircase and name for the club. CPreeman told me thee room fray.) There are aso & Series OF storage rooms other jue equipment for the club, The Dae offiee is located slechsogne hancoopy and SOFtWTaTe TeCOTAS 1OF ‘the club.soldier down on his: ure just how far Dollar John Freeman 00 i} is the man who oth legit sometimes recruits ‘The Band “ir good clubs have to have a house band, ‘and the Forlorn Hope 1s no exception. ne Group 18 the «Slaughtered Lambs.” Tt doesn | roahy conjure images of romantic ballads and re music, does 1? With a name like thay woud expect to walk into the clip ene | Yomoaiately be assaulted by nigh tonne wpm matio rock at the Kind of volumes thet ive marine fe dle-offs in the 7 if it hadn', already been poliuted wees oblivion. Surprise, surprise! The to {Nt en and two men are a tasteful and slcileds wrney play lots of standards Cat somewnet eg. ‘The other woman in the band 6068 Walteessing at the bar when the band isn’t ‘ntention of making it to the ig time, but and of the members eix fect under and one Tor met az blew New York for Wight City. He AgNe that if on nero, i's going wo De as an ensployee, of me ‘voughest Solo bar around. siying, 22 shares table waiting duties with Bander‘the edge for a long time. They know what it’s like, ey don’t have to explain it to Sbout wernt ow Mey certainly don't need some wet-noso wannabe telling thems tatnees a tales spotting mnelass accomplishments in combat, netrunning, or streetdealing, The regina ne ‘00d at spotting holes in contrived stories. ‘The younger you are, the more likely you are to get hassled in t are South Am vets, running toward thel think they've seen it all. Conversely, you can show them to your ‘makes you an instant target the other security people, and the table servers are all ‘authorized to use weapons to keep the peace in the bar, and they are all more than ready to do it. Weekday evenings the Hope closes at two AM, Professor's little clique. TheseForlorn Hope NPC Stats These are the stats and skills for the characters covered in this section, including our intrepid journalist. ‘There are more ‘PGs in the next section. GJ. O'Reilly, Media, Age 40 Ort 0, Rev 6, TECH’ 6, COOL 10, ATR 7, LUGE Oy MA 8, BODY 7/9, RMP 8/6, SAVE 9, BTM 2. Beate puiity 8, Awareness/Notce 8, Composkan ceeation and General Knowledée 4, Bate: Cree aot Tale 8, Siroatrse 6, Pnote end Pa Wetorview 7, Personal Grooming 3 Persungiorand sie, Expert: Miltary affairs 9, Bxper: ime. ast 8, Brawling 7, Handgun 5, File ink, Data Term Link, Interface Plugs, Chipware Socsss, a an Square Marquee, Image Enhancement. Gear: SP 18 ‘The Professor (Dr. Freeman), Fixer, Age 45 Tranter INT 10, REF 7/8, TECH 8, COOL 8, ATER fy serie MA 6, BODY 6, EMP 9/7, GAVE 8, BTM S. State: Tefrodtdeal 8, Awareness/Notice %, Handéyn Judo 6, Melee 6, , Leadership 6, “4 Interrogation 4, Strecbwise 6, Bdvosvon ‘and General Knowledge 7, Expert: \Gawory 8 Expert: Special Operations 8, Exper: Construction &, Library Search 3, Wilderness tary ©, Daaving 6, Weaponsmith 8, Heavy Weapons &, Full © processor, Kerenzikov Booster Level 1, Sewreety Link, Interface Plugs, Chipware Spowet, Basic Cyberoptio, Targeting SeoPe, Lames Square Manquee, Basio Cyberandio, Rado {ink, Amplified Hearing, Level Damper. Gear: Varies. Bussell ‘state: INT 7, REF 6, TECH 9, skills: Jury Rig 8, Awarene: 3, Blectronies 4, Weaponsmith 8, Export: Construction 6, Streetwise 5, Speer: Mixology 6, Accounting ©, Management 7» ‘Brawling 6, Melee 3, Handgun 4. ‘Gyberware: None Gear: Varies. Fred Seitz (Gunsights), Cop, Age 40 Bred Selth (oF 0, TECH 8, COOL, ATTR 6, LUCK &, MA BODY 0, EMP 6/4, SAVE ®, BTM S. State: Ce crontgy 7, warenoss/Wotce 7, Handgun, one ‘pesoptign 8, Athletics 1, Bducation and SS dhUL hr streetwise 5, et Tig, Leadership 2, Shadow/Trask 8, Driving &, Bs Wilderness Survival S, Survival ges, Chipware Sooket, Smartgun Link, Texter Plugs, Greate Boope, Times Square Marquee, Reslsksnn"VOFvereT eight) with Thickened Microwave/EMP shielding srowave/ EM sno chippea mauteeh Avenger, SP 14 Jeckst and SP 10 Tshirt. , Media, Age 38 ‘Stata: INT 10, REF 7, TEOH 4, , MA 8, BODY 8, EMP 10/7, SAVE 6, BTM S, Bulls: Credibility 7, Awar . : Jon and General Knowledge 6, Se ‘fim 4, Interview 4, Interrogation 8, Permutiey ojogeal Warfare 7, exports Propagande 6, RiNe Cubmachinegun 8, Handgun 8, Melee 3 Karate 4, stealth , Driving 6. . Saat 5, Pras Proceso, inerface Plugs, Sarton NY Data Term Link, Interface Gybereetipware Socks, Audio/Video Recorder, Pay * Sooropti, Targeting Scope, Times Square Pings, Co rLitr, video Camera cinked to recorder), Basie Cocraudio, Mioro-Recander Link, Wide Marg scanner, Sound Baiting, Radio Link. ‘Gear: Varies. Max Johnson (Ieepick), Solo, Age S4 Max JopnerEF 10, THOH 6, OOOL 8, ATTR 6, LUCK S, MA 9. BODY 7, EMP 6/3, SAVE 7, BIM-2.Gyberware: Basic Processor, Pain Editor, ea aslo Cyberoptie, Tangoting Goope, Times Square Marquee, crapped Tate emer {Akot, mono-knife, Armalite “ta hese chipped submachinegun. Johnnie Peterson (Ringo), Solo/Bartender, Age 38 sein? 7, REF 10, TECH 8, COOL 7, AYR 8, LUCK & Ie 7, BODY €, EMP 8/6, SAVE 8, BYM-3, Patna Sense 8, Awareness/Notice 4, Handgun io" Brawling 6, Melee 4, Weaponsmith 7, Rifle Boduuatics @, Heavy Weapons 8, Submachinegus &, oer 5, Streetwise 4, Expert: Mixology 8, Geduction 4, Persuasion and Fast Talk 2, Widerne Survival 8, Hide/Evade 5, Driving 4° Ambidextrous, gvperware: Basic Processor, Smartgun Link, Sandevistan Speedware, Interface Plugs, Chipware ‘Sookst, Basie Cyberoptio, Times Square Marques, ‘Targeting Scope, Low-Lite™. Gear SP 18 armor jacket, twin smart-ohipped Golt Pesseneseee William Dolarhyde (Dollar Bill), Stata: INT 10, REF 6, TECH 5, COOL 10, Driving 3, Pilot Vectored Thrust 4. Gyberware: Basio Processor, Gear: Varies. Very wealthy. Annie Capolino ‘Trigger, fate INT OEP 10 Te 2 Melee 5, Weaponsmith 3, Rifle 6, lurance 3, Streetwise 3, Persuasion. ‘Track 4, Wildemess Survival 4, DrivingAge 29 eee MN 7, BODY 6, EMP 7/4, SAVE 6, BTA 2, ab, Cybertech 7, Diagnose 4, Baveation eet i geaneh 4, Biology 4, Pharmaceuticals 6» EEPT: 0 crrogy 6, Bioszenice 2, Wardrobe and Style S, ‘sureotwise 4, choi Li Fut 4, * puiving 3, Motoreycle 8. achine/Tecn Tink, Data-Term Link, Snverface Pgs, eeoe, afioro Optics, Low-Lit™, Superchrome® ‘yberarm (right) with Toolhand. croerevaries. Fully equipped clinic Forlorn Hope, to (Banger), Rockergirl/ Waitress Age 22 SREP 7, TECH 7, 0OOL 9, ATTR 9, LUCK 8, 0, 8, BODY 5, EMP 10/9, SAVE 8, BTM -2, 3, Perform 7, Wardrobe end Style 6. , Brawling 4, Play a preetriso 8, Seduction 4, Personal Grooming 2, Persuasion and Fast Talk 4, Yaetos 3, Handgun 4, Dance 5, Singing 2. oo 5, Hiipwrare Soeket, Basie Cyberaudio, Enhanced Hearing Range, Level suds: 6, Brawling 2, Play Instrument 3, Motoreycle 8. “Gyperware: Basic Processor, Interface Pings, Machine/Tech Link, ‘Wearman. Gear: Varies. Robelarde St. James (Ras Angabo), Motrin age 2? Se €° Opy 0, BMP 6, SAVE 9, BIM <3 Buills; Interface 8, ‘ajvostion and Generel Knowledge 4, System nowledge 4, Cybertech 2, : 6, Blectrontcs 2, 7, Play Titrument (Keyboards) 7, Singing Se ‘Gulbure and Religion 6, Expert: retian Voodoo 3, Language (French) ©, . Dodge and Escape 3- Hallan "gre: basio Prooossor, Sandevistan Speeawars pe nterface Plugs, Cipware freer paslo Cyperoptic, Tmos Square Marcuse, Sooke ioe. Rirema LPD-12 Cyberdeck. Programs Vary. CONVERSATIONS AT THE FORLORN HOPE ack Again Fine following evening I was back at the Yo thas the easton to my entrance was considers, that Pe rossor for some time, ang spending the beter “guess people considered me Protiy Aros T expect I still w ike such e pariah anymore. In fact, my booth. Tt made a nice break then I got down to business.Precarious positions. Boog ave. They run a big ak by detlng with me Bown ao they dolce dealing Sounds like you don’t really like it, Te runs oounter to what T'm tying really retire from the agency (shrugs)may bo one chance ina thousand, but someunes ale oo Tor ‘A freelance team 18 may De one cable, especally when they nave no ides who O69 fworking fr. et oe kena ec freiaers oat ey T8 eR eT NN To Pea ee ‘work for. But bi ae nem tg don't Tm the pergon who breaks them sn » ATer Chey've run @ mission in IAP e,Ee they're more lable to be weloome in the bar. TNs so any else would Miiitech Use ee Freelancers are sometimes the ‘better. Sometimes & nee ot atout throwaways? You know, suicide missions Ponstie] Torr’ know about other atest reps, Boe 5 through me, got a code here. I do high risk, + ot but my teams are well compensated, and ¥ nee > inom on any mission T don’t think we have & reasonable shot of completing suooessfully. ‘So you accompany your teams? Soyo tel Tam a Solo, not some damn desk jockey | SAFE accompany the team. thats one of the reasons I won't take suicide missions, ‘Other street reps let teams € ‘That's on¢ Gln’ believe in that. “Course, some veams G5 ‘uppity end don’t want & 1 may person along. That's tough. 1 got e persons Stake in the outcome. T don’t Grant a mission failure on my head. ‘What happens to you when the mission fails? Tdunno. Ain't happened yet. (Grins). Wolf OU came to Wight City from Burope, His Bndlsh = & Hale rough, and he nae i eenip when we talked, T've cleaned up his Baglish & bit, but some of ccrnaity syntax remains. He's got a heck of an. scent 0, where are you from, Wolf? Bo, where Garmany . - the North. But I used to work ail over Burope, What ‘What Nino usual freelance stuft: extractions, body Susrcg and go on. But T ‘was nag a specialist in recovering escaped criminals and other fugitives, ‘Like a bounty hunter? Like tyr A bounty hunter. T am good at tracking Poh, both long term and ie 1 once brought & man back to Switzerland from Kind of stuff here? nig more work for the private otizens and smell seatpollce, T like to track people. It's always I= Pe om, ike &. Puzzle. 1 algo do other sbuff, WHAdves BS Jobs are not as gely'to find here, There are more Solos, Amemeate ‘watch too many movies, wants to be & Solol In Burope there are 165s, 0 there is more demand. 2 Sot Tenn a if workin easier to get there, why net 20854 aa eration. EBM, in my native country, did 6 10% nad been extracted by Orbital Air. Y tracked "weit 1 nad recovered him, and I was going to Dring im o Konya, He wes poly shit af EBM and they decided a a wast Din Paable, They didn't want him to work for Orbis) fot “put since they didn't want um back either, they didn’t like to pay me tha best, and my price was very big. Since this met, tre toe terms of the contract. As goon as T Drought tae rhb whole thing, and EBM would owe me a million Baro, Teake it they solved their dilemma at your oxpens take honed tho snan over to EBM, anid they Killed Ris: Ty ‘wanted to idill me too, vot pemoepod So to cover up, they said that T had broken ‘contract and asked for ‘more money. to cover UP Hd, nen they efused to giv me more money, Tiel co‘the man instead of turning him over. My reputation in Europe was ruined, No one Would give me Jobs, and my money was seized by EBM. So I came here. It is still hard to find work though. Some people over here believe EBM Are you trying to clear your name? Ib is my biggest dream, but EBM is very. . hard, very big. It is difficult to fight ‘them. Maybe soon I will succeed, Roxxi and Kissy Roxad and Kissy are two young women who work together as a team, They are nearly inseparable, spending all thelr time together, on the job and off. G.J.: I'm told that the two of you are always together. How aid this olo. relationship come about? Roma: Well, we don’t do everything together [glggiesl, just almost everything! Kisgy: Except for that once, when that guy from Cleveland . . .you remember, the cute one with the huge. Rona: [elbowing Kissy] Shut up! Yes, wo're great friends. We always do Jobs together. I think our skilis are complimentary. [Kissy giggles) Not like that! Kissy: Besides, we have fun when we work together. Going solo is e000 boring) Oh, Tagree. Kissy: Silly! Roxx: But it's more than that, Kissy's pretty young, just elghteen. We've been, Working together for about two years. I'm showing her the ropes, Kisay: (To Roxxi] Oh, miss old lady. Big twenty-three! Rod: Older than you, Shorty! [fo Kissy] S0, are you learning anything from your big sister here? Kissy: Well, Roxod thinks I'm too violent. She's trying to “mellow me out.” But I don't Ike to fool around, I like to take, you know, the direct route. Roxod: Last time the direct route involved blowing up an entire office building! Kissy: So? Some guys were shooting at us. There was no one else around, Roxa: Except mel ‘Kissy: Like you should care! I remember when you sunk an ocean liner! Roxx: That was differenti It was out at sea. The fire didn't spread. ‘What kind of jobs do you girls like to do? Rox: Oh, anything that looks like itl be fun! We don’t like Jobs where we have to do lots of sitting around, waiting for things to happen, Kissy: Yeah! We like the exolting stuff. Where we go right in and get to work. Also, we don't like Jobs where people get real uptight and start telling us how to do things. (Makes stern face and talks tn Uptight-corp votoe| *No this, no that, no the other thing. And stay quiet, and don’t be violent, and don’t scratch the paint work, and keep off the grass.” Bleagh! If we're gonna do a job, we're gomna do 4 our way. Roxod: (Begins to sing I dia it my way . . immediately silenced by a hail of balled-up, wet napkins and peanut shells.) How come you hang out at ‘Kissy: Haven't seen any tonight, though. (More napkins and peanut shells.) Zora Zora is a native of the ex-Sov Bloc, and a former Russian Highrider. She's been freelancing in the U8. for some years 0, Zora, you're from the Soviet Union? Zora: 1 guess so, in so far as it still exists. But T was born and raised in the Ukraine, and 1 think of myself as a Ukranian first and foremost. ‘That attitude is pretty typical of natives of the separatist republics. Did you ever participate in separatist incidente? You mean was I Ukrainian terrorist? Wel, I suppose ao. I was discharged from the VVKV after the Orbital War. I spent about two years blowing up Soviet military posts and army equipment in the Ukraine ‘Faings eventually got too hot there. That's among the reasons whi I left to come vo Amerioa, Also Tse Toutgrew my wid stage. The only thing we ever accomplished with our acte was selfgratifieaion. eh!It didn't pploom, So I guess it's firet year slowly coming to ‘the Ukraine when the WKY, being getting worse ot family starving after you've “| nave four confirmed satellite kills, vAnd T enjoyed both flying and {Low Orbit Fighter\ ‘ils. Trdoesn’t seem to. I hang out a lot other. {Ace and Rusty are other regulart ‘Bo what do you do these days? Preelanoing. Any flying work T “av sit up and beg. IV's not ‘a real, old fashioned private eye. The ‘people in the cht can get. I'm good in fixed-wing too difficult 10 tor pollar Bil’s meroenary teams, oF for &OUPS 4 trust, And 1V's good took a year ‘for a year. I spent the things up laughs). ‘two stations and six out the VWKV. jets and props, rotor find regular work. 1 nired out of for free drinks. ress 18 ‘Most of them are r arca solos, But you're a detective. Tellme about i "hrom the streets, 0 it's probably oversimplstying ‘things a little to say om my background. I was born and raised on ‘he stayed Solos because they leaped into a hot LZ, Tey tel you different. But I've been in street them tor course, street violence is tele different from ‘warfare, ‘wrhere do you get your thrills? ‘Puzzles. I do private eye the ploves together, of uncovering something thet Po Voyeuristic streek In me, because 1 ike walling “Real Raymond Chandler stuff, eh? ‘a romantic. violence in your job- v's not the object of the job. In fact, fistfight. When a case goos that smoothly, mestigations” if you leave a trail of dead bodles ‘So, what kind of cases do you get? Thave % Hey, you got it. Call me So, you must Of course, but ‘weapon or got in & the plug *Confidentia! x thrille? _sigations, shadowings, things lke that | eno thril of putting ‘been lost or hidden. T ‘people, peeking through windows, think T've also got a bit of @ ‘taking funny photos. if a case goes well I should never have to draw 8 julate myself. 1S ‘and broken noses behind you. hard to live up to admit, most of them are pretty ‘poring. I take everyman cases, you know. I'm not smooth corporate center investigator. I'm a strect private eye. I get a lot of‘ay husband $s cheating on me” or “I think I've been swindled,” and stuff ke that, 1 do get some interesting cases, though. ‘What kind of cases? Tao toto of south-of-the-freeway work, s0 people call me to solve cases that the police have no interest in. They don"t consider it worth their time to solve another combat-zone murder. When the pace won't help out, people come to me. For & lot of folks on the street, I'm the only shot at justice they have. ‘Can combat zone people afford your rates? ‘My man, anyone oan afford my rates! Nails Main is a Federal Marshal, Uke Gunsights. In fact, she is Gunsighte’ now partner. I understand that thelr relationship is still a litle rocky. ‘cry: Bo you're a marshal, huh? Dont take this the wrong way, but you look a ittle young. Sater teaughing) Don't worry, I'm not going to get insulted. I'm actually twenty- tour but T only just went through the academy. I've had my badge for about..Ive months, ‘Just starting out, oh? Whats ike? Shave iot more work than I thought it would be. I mean like paperwork and desk wore, but it can be pretiy exciting tool I think we have more fun than the regular tty cops hv Tean almost guarantee that. So you're glad you decided to do this? Sevier, Mr. Sette (Gunsighte] is a really great partner. He's been doing this long time, end he really ienows his stuff. Pm learning so much from him that Tan barely remember ital ‘What kind of stuff are you learning from Gunsights? Tin so now at thia job, you know, I stil try to do everything by the book. I have au tho loosons from the academy floating around in my head, and I'm always following The Rules, whether I try to or not. Mr. Seitz said the first thing he was fping to do was purge my head of all that “academy garbage” so I could start developing my own style and instincts ‘sit working? Trsooms to bo. T'm not as stff aa I was a couple of months ago. Of course, the instructors probably would think thet Mr Seitz is ruining all thetr hard work. But T think I'm beooming a better agent because of his advice ‘What led you to want to be a Marshal? Tiked the idea of having some seourity. Tt seems s0 risky to go Solo and be & freelance. You have no organization, no resources to fall back upon. T Uke knowing that I can draw on those things if I need to ‘Some people consider the freedom worth the trade-off. Tnurnose so, but we all have to work in the environment that is most comfortable. Also, I put in my time as a soldier. I was two years in the Militach seircenaty forces, I wanted a change, a job that wasn’t so combat-oriented. Being Tivarshal, T get enough exeltement to make the job interesting, but I'm not aways worried about getting kiled. ‘So what Kind of stuff do you and Gunsights do? On all ports of things. We do fugitive tracking work. We escort prisoners across the country. We do international extradition missions. Those are really Suiting. We also work with the CIA's domestic LawDiv on some missions, Ike drug stings and orime organizations, ‘Do you get along with the crowd in here? Yoah, pretty well, Since I'm not a freelance, I feel a little different somednes Meet Gunsighte fought in the war with the Professor, and I think people figure that, #f he CStratee me, T must be O&. omen Mats §57-1831Interview NPCs ‘These are the stats and skills for the NPCs interviewed by C.J. O'Reilly. Bach of these characters is also central to an adventure, sO refer to this section when running. Robert Cronenberg (Kronos), Solo, Age 51 Robert rover © TCH 0, COOL 16, ATT 8, LUCK 8, MA 6, BODY 7, EMP 100 Sor 7, BM 2. Suills; Combet Senso: 8, Awarencss/ ‘velo 5, Meice 3, Weaponsmith 5, Rifle 7, Shas: Combes Scmaninedun 2, Seal &, Personal Grooming &, Wardrobe a5 BS interrogation 8, shots 1, Subital 6, Education and General Knowledge 6, Shadow/Trask 8, Driving %, Blectronic Sireotwss ‘Demolitions 2, Chemistry 2, Export: Intelligence Agencics 6 Security 8 Poasio Processor, Smartgun Link, Interface Piugs, Ohipware Sooke, Basic Cyberoptic, Creer reg Marquee, Low Live™, Tangeting Soope, Image Enhancement Gear: Varies. ‘Traci Jo Marlowe (Marlo), Solo, Age 33 react a 6, REF 10, TECH 5, COOL 10, ATR 8, LUCK 8, MA 10, BORY 7 EMP 6/4, SAVE 7, BTM 2. State: MEbnbat Sense 6, Awareness/Nowce 8, Handgun 6, Karate S., Doves ‘and Escape 3, Melee 7, Sale: comith 8, Rifle 4, Athletics 6, Submachsnegun 4, Stes ‘Streetwise 4, Leadership 4, Wearonsrt ilderness Survival 8, Driving 8, Miltech Rep & (ects as Resources 2), Bleotronies 5, Expert: Communications 6. Sgberware: Basic Processor, Smarigun Link, Data Term Uni, Chipware Socket, Kerenzikov Cyber ware, Level 2, Basie Cyberoptie, Times Square Marquee, Targeting ‘Scope, Rippers, Basic Cyberaudio, Radio Link, Phone Splice. Gear: Varies. gang Reimann (Wolf), Solo, Age 50 See rr——rh—————“—™C*F BIM <3. CH Oo tie 6, Handgun 6, Boxing 6, Melee 6, Weaponsmith 4, Rite Os sis: Combat Sones Ona, Stealth 5, Porsonal Grooming &, Wardrobe and Gus & Puss 1, a Oe goo 8, Hide/Bvade 6, German (ative), Bngish 8, Shedow/Treek 1, Driving 8, Fencing 3, Electronic Beourity 5. ee —r—T——_—i cc chipware Socket, Creare Implant, Muscle and Bone Lace, Brhanced Antibodies, Skin Weave Gear: Varies. Wolf; stat Roxanne Colton (Roxxi), Solo, Age 23 Roxanne Cotto (Bon 4, COOL 8, ATTR 10, LUGK 6, MA 7, BODY 7, EMP 10/7, TD pm 2 erina, Combet Sense 8, Awareness/Notice 8, Handgun 7 1, Rifle 4, Balle; Cos ubmachinegan 6, Stealth 4, Wardrobe and Style 3, Sredtwiee f, Athetie 6 b Heavy Weapons 6, Drivin 6, Motorcycle 4, Bleotronse Semi Pick spam, Basie Processor, Sandevisian Specdware, Smarigun Tick, eis ‘Plugs, Chipware Se Lr ——— eee square Socket, ContreesTemnancoment, infrared), Basic Cyberaudio, Warman, Amplified ‘Hearing, Level Dampers. Gear’ EP 18 armor Jacket, 6 variety of weapons. ‘Kimiko Sanchez (Kissy), Solo, Age 18 Kimi ooRET 10, TECH 4 COOL 10, ATTR ©, LUCK 8, MA 7, BODY 6, Hi 7/3, SAVE 8, BTM 8. Stats: THT chat Genee 4, Awaveness/Notice 6, Handgun 8, Caposria &, elt 7, Rifle 5, Athletics 4, See ctnegun 4, stealth 4, Personal grooming 8, Wardrobe and Skye * ‘Intimidate 1, Streetwise 6, Submechinese ble 1, Hide/Evade 1, Shadow/Track 1, Dance 4, Fencing 2, ‘Demolitions 5, Heavy ‘Weapons 2. Osnerware: Biomonitor, Skinwatch, Basic Processor, Sandevistan Speedware, Interface Plugs, Smarzgun Link, Basic Cyberoptic, Targeting Scope. Gear SP 20 armor jacket, Kendaicht mono-katana.2. reatc Processor, Sandevistan Speadware, Interface Plugs, Chipware Socket, Contraceptive Gaplant, Baste Cyberoptic, Image Enhancement, ‘Teleopties, Infrared, Gear: Varies. Axel Mankievicz (Axeman), Stats: INT 10, REF 8, TECH 5, COOL 1 ‘Skills: Combat Sense 6, 4, Stealth 6, Interrogati uns something a little darker, My three days at the Forlorn Hope had given me @ chance to better understand the‘omer feelings. The dark side 1s, this resuits in the cerraion of most other people. The soldiers of ‘combat for so long, and in such Dorrifying and isolating conditions, that they wore Toread to rely only on one another, Cut off from Gher American troops for weeks at a time, they || Gane immersed in conditions where anyone who Was not part of the unit was an enemy. The war ip Conral Amerioa was not a war of Mberation or & cent salvation, %t was a war of annihilation. 1% War total oyberwar. Civilians were an inoidental ‘hindrance at best, bitter enemies at worst, flag was someone to ‘Under conditions such to draw exclusively upon each other. The more time the 3 fent to each other. Even when Lime (reue or Florida the group would stick together. Ane conditioning against Eun oye outside the uni began to apply to everyone, Bet just the enemy. ne vimity the strike teams felt, the result was dramatic. se they returned to the States. But for those ‘not 80 easy. Many never overcame their vy at ease with anyone else. After the wars ta be with those whom they trusted, whom they Serre» wonder that they became victims of this synésem Was o¢ey ave stil comfortable only around those who nave Toyalties are still reserved for each other. agreed to meet at the Forlorn eSudoe that there was no disruption in the activity Hn gave me friendly waves. I made the the ca ar ouple tables, exchanging pleasantries Wit) 6 fom ‘of the freelancers 1d interviewed the Frevious evening. The Professor joined me presenti wha we retired to the booth we'd sat in forty-olght hours previously, roe ay first uncomfortable evening in the club, The Prof and I talked for over three pone. Me following are excerpts from that discassio® ow. he following oie about the history of the unit, and Row You 6% ete 0.3.80 01 ‘yan commissioned in the Rangers in 2001, 9+ 660 ‘twenty-four, I was pursuing @ graduate degen in Miltary Bistory, but T got a litle burned out vind pored, and decided to try it out first-hand. ceeree gna war on when I Joined, and no one seine etieved the rhetoric about using massive saerery force to intervene in the drug wade, Well, that wae ® ‘major miscaleulation. Two yesrs later, the war. military applications ert that point. Research continued wntll they be sng onnangod solaiers. Mine was one of those units. We were ispatched ‘a captain by then. unit. fan of the romance of war. We were trained 19 d9eP, “hur official designation of LRT-601 until wo were Jekname for ourselves, “The Long Riders.” ‘people used to talk about hot units 4m the bara. I definitely remem! ‘on yen? You shouldn’ have heard about us ‘profile. But that’s the way it iron Fun Yon sn Pe ca te Jou a, ae er 2 et ea al werkt att must have originated out of Company Corman. Meorey: ‘we were the Long Riders, and we soutiieyhere and do anything, and we prided ourselves on 21ng ie with a minimum of cyberware set aldart everybody in the unit have cybernetics?‘Yup. But we had lots of low-key stuff, lke chipping, smartweapons, optics, communications, and 50 on. Wot many limbs, weapons, and heavy duty stuff like that. We thought we were above it. That was pretty ‘arrogant, but American arrogance was the name of the game in Managua, 2005. The war wasn’t & deathtrap quite yet, and many of the cyber-teams had good morale and high hopes. We figured that the ‘yber-soldiers would tip the balance of the whole thing, Of course, it didn’t work out that way. No, Hindsight shows that. The cyber-teams were an advantage, but they didn’t win us the war. So who was in LRT-€01 at the outset? On, most of the same people who were in it at the end. That's one of the things that made our team ‘unique, No, two of the things. One, we were astoundingly lucky as far as casualties were concerned. We only lost six people in four years, Two, those of us who came in at the beginning and survived the whole thing ware down there in combat for four years. ‘Yet the standard tour was only eighteen months. ‘That's right, but that was the price of free cybernetics. You stayed down there as long as Uncle Sam ‘wanted you there. You see, in those days, even the most basic modifications were worth tens of thousands, ff even hundreds of thousands of eurobucks. The Army couldn't afford to wire us up and then use us for only a year. They were only budgeted for so many cybertroops. ‘Go who madeit through all four years of LRT-601? ‘Myself, the six other LRT vets you've met, and a couple of guys who don't hang around here. ‘Toll me a little about what each person did. Well, I was team commander, of course. Hunter Murdoch was my Ueutenant, He was also our paychologioal warfare, interrogation and propaganda man. That was a thankless job. Propaganda never did ‘much good down there. The pay-ops were a different matter though. At least in the early stages of our career, the South Ams were terrified of oybernetics. Murdoch exploited that very nicely. Gunsights was a aff sergeant, and a eniper and weapons tech. Ringo was a private, and hell on wheels with a squad ‘automatic. Sundance was our medic and qybertech. Marlo was a communications specialist. And, of course there was Icepick, who was on loan to us from the Navy SEALS. He was among the first Naval officers to be fitted with cybernetics. He was @ lieutenant, and had been a team commander, but he was answerable to me, Murdoch and Gunsights when he was attached to our unit. That really gave him no end of frustration. Anyway, he was an advisor on some special ops and an outstanding demolitions and heavy weapons man. ‘You said you had two members who survived all four years, but don’t hang out here. ‘Yup. One was Thomas “Tango” Thompson, the best vehicle tech, driver and pilot a team could ask for. He extracted us from hairy situations more than once, and he could make a deuce and-ahalf do stuff that would amaze most XC-class road racers. We used to do both HALO parachute and low-altitude AV insertions, and we could always count on Tango to get us to the right place at the right time. I guess he was the only one of us who could get a good job on the outaide. He's a consultant for some vehicle-electronies firm in Texas. ‘Are the other team members resentful of his re-adjustment to nine-to-five living? aw. They're just amazed that he oan tolerate it, Hell always have a place here if he wants it. ‘Who was the other one? ‘The other guy was Rico Estevez. He was a specialist in hand-to-hand combat, knife work, ‘and alternative weapons, like bows. He was a great guy, the team comedian. He disappeared after the team was deactivated. I don’t think anyone here has heard from him since then, So, whom id you lose over the course of four years? Lel’s see, We lost a CIA Uason who was with us on an intelligence gathering mission. We lost a couple of special weapons people. We lost three security experts. We went through security breach types like they came by the dozen. You know why? Those guys had the biggest, attitudes, They all thought they oould get into anything, I eaw two of them get killed by booby traps, and one got shot by come peasant guard after spending three hours silently breaching a perimeter security system at this one plantation. Td've laughed if it hadn’t nearly blown the ‘mission. ‘What kind of missions did you specialize in? ‘We were a long range reconnaissance and strike team. We would be secretly inserted deep in plantation territory, usually with one of two missions. The first. was to investigate the strength of a given plantation or stronghold, in preparation for a larger assault. Couldn't satellites accomplish that? In part, but the Keyholes and Snoops had a lot of trouble penetrating jungle cover, even. with infrared and other bizarre wavelengths. And some things you Just get a better idea of upelose, We could snuggle right up to a plantation or factory and watch who came and who ‘went, twenty-four hours a day, for two or three weeks. Try doing that with a satelite thatsecond Pe Grould go i, penetrate & plantation, 6°, obs snstallation, and either , oF plant explos! end bring the whole thing down. Oooasto plans or trom plantation files, computers or Personnel for the ‘Asmy Inteligence. “And these missions also ‘All the time. Usually we we would have to stick net themselves rather than be taken alive by tbe plantation lords. cheerful Mat went on iB the basements of those plantalice Plansavignd warehouses. And I've seen the evidence 10 Prove tt ‘What kind of evidence? evidenort plantation torture vietims more than once while > raids, aso. wouldn's have been possible, Not in thelr ones ‘These people sm with torture drags, oF experimental Grugs; Ten) ‘nad been ih Gum out of Uelr misery. Te was tbe hardest thing ever akes sometimes. tions include moving e soldier and vee, oF ending their torture quickly and humanely, what option do you ave been abendoning them. Znding 1 Tmumediataly was the hardest and best thing we heart that not one of those ids tnrough the end of 2 Mert aisn'. in 2008, six months before the US: 7 ‘a chest full of shrapnel from & colombian National Army artillery shell. They BA % 3. I wag lucky to make tt ‘through alive. at Ary ey pany eres AY HP Oo ee throug? Smanders, but none of them could contr) Sas SET fh wean’t that I had any special talent, t's vtfo one else knew how to handle them. Tt didn't make much wae nany of the original cyber-troope 6% thelr ‘Tt didn’t take long for the aia it? Nope. About three or four years. ‘T got in touch with Bill Dolarhyde, ‘who had been our controller, and was need well 8 cWvilian. Together we built the HRs Meseemed kind of natural that all our old rae ates would reappear. I wouldn't have ft any other WAY. Leaving the Forlorn Hope "Eventually, the Prof and I wrapped uP Our, sumnpiove ana the bend, and then called It 8 atmosphere 225 on in apace que Ike it, Bub T think can 90° Ys the une, Perhaps I'll see you thereWHEN THE GOING GETS TOO TOUGH— ‘The Forlorn Hope is desi naracters; to weld a new Cyberpunk team together with some qnedium-weight action. But, you may Ala i re a ar ala re bom already well-developed group through them. Now, we all Know ‘that Cyberpunk players are some of the most savage PCs ever, and you qnight be moaning, “They'll rip through these people like @ chainsaw through a chicken!” Here's how we fix that: Honoring the Threat— Your NPCs must match, if not exceed, the players in ability. First, we check Special ‘abilities: the Forlorn Hope NPCs must have abilities 2 the PC’s 8.A.s, usually bY ‘+1, or +2 at the most. They can much help if they're not just as good, can ‘they? The chief villain(s) of each paventure must also have 8.A.5 = to the players. It’s a balance between an easy ride, and Darth Vader every week. ‘you may be good, but you ain’t the Best— Identify the two primary (most Sten used) skills in both the Hope NPCs, and any ‘bad guys the party might crak, The best way to do this is to look at the Character Skill Packages in Gp2020 and decide which skills get constant use (this is really dependant on campaign style). Bxample: for & Solo—any Weapon skill and cMyareness ; for a Nomad—Drive skill and ‘Brawling, for a Techie—Basic ‘Tech and any one other tech, for & ‘Netronner—System Knowledge and Programming, and so on. These skills should be equal to the PCs in the case of secondary NPCs, and +2 or higher for the chief villain(s) and NPCs No pain, no gain!). one way to do this is to scale the campalg> by how tough you (the Ref) eT ‘this value to the primary skills Of the NPC's as described above. The table ‘also has a few suggestions for aE FT the typical Cyberpunk "power gamer" who is armed to the teeth. Game Level Main NPC Secondary NPC ‘Weapons/Armor Tough +2. +0 ‘ivy Armor, weapons +3 +1 Metalgear, Full Auto Weapons 4 48 ‘anything they want With this sort of tailored response, You avoid “milk runs”; the bane of any Qyberpunk ref. The bottom line is: know your player characters, and qhat’s on their character sheets! UBlY surprises are no fun for anyone. Have Fun! The RTG CrewTALES FROM THE FORLORN HOP! i 1 this adventure, Kronos’ past comes back to haunt him, ashe is contacted by his old organization to run a mis- istobe executed by 1, and Kronos hires the player characters asa freelance team. sion involves the covert pene- Tocal consulate and the extrac. ‘of sensitive information. The objective is to discover the name of a boat which the CIA suspects is being used to insert foreign black ops teams into the U.S. The boat is believed to be in Night City, and once revealed, itis to be sunk, ‘The adventure will require three to six Solos with skillsin covert penetration, secur ity systems, interrogation and demolitions. ANetrunner, and someone with skills in ‘maritime operations (scuba, marine demo- litions, et.) will be helpful. necessary, use Ras Angbo and Icepick to round out the team in those areas, PART ONE: MAKING A SALE hen this venture begins [et trcer se be new at the Friern Hope They have eo prove selves to the regulars. This mission wil give them a chance to do that. At the outset, do your best to make the players feel a litle ‘uncomfortable, Noone is speaking to them; conversation dwindles a litle when they walk by tables. They should feel a little relieved when someone finally talks to them. That someone will be Kronos. Kronos will approach the characters’ {able and ask ithe might be allowed to join them fora few minutes. t'sup tothe players todecide how they wil respond, but Kronos will always remain polite and professional. If the playersare friendly, Kronos willimmed ately ive into business, explaining thatheis,aK prepared to hire the characters to run a ‘mission that will not only pay well, but will sive chem chance to make some points withthe erowd atthe Hope. If the characters are interested, Kro- ‘nos will explain the basics ofthe mission and offera fee. Hisspeech will run ike this (you may quote directly, or paraphrase, depending on how much you have modi- fied the adventure): ERONOs' SPEECH “This mission isa hands-off job for me. It needs to be done, but it must be done by people who can't be traced back to my ‘employers. This enables them to point the blame elsewhere and avoid any messy. accusations. Afterall, everybody knows ‘whata dangerous place Night City can be. “The situation is thist seems that the government of Colombia is using a large yacht to insert black operations teams into ‘American coastal cities. These teams are helping to establish the receiving ends of drug pipelines from Central and South ‘America, and are actively working to hin- der the operations of American authori- ties. We have intelligence that indicates that this ship is at anchor in Night City rightnow. Wewant to take itout. “The problem is that there are over, thirty major yachts anchored in Pacifica Bay right now, and at least half of them could be cour baby. None are registered to Colombia. We've had Neunnersin and outof Colom bian government computers for two weeks, butasnearaswecan tll the information we wantisnotstored on any database, “We did geta break recently, though. ‘The TreatDavies Act of 2013 reestablished diplomatic relations with the South-Ams, and gave them embassy rightsin the US. It ‘costusa valuable agent, but we have reason to believe thatthe information we wants stored in a safe in the office of the Consul. General in Colombia's Night City con: sulate. Unfortunately the Consul himsellis ‘back in Colombia for two weeks, so we can't ‘wring the nameof the hip outofhim That ‘means penetrating the consulate, opening thesafe, finding the correet document, get ting the name ofthe ship,and then destroy: ing the ship before she flees.” If the characters ask why the secrecy, Kronoswill explain, “The Colombians have ‘moles throughout our country, and our government. By using freelancers to run this mission, there's no paper trail to any official organization. Even if you are cap- tured and interrogated, there is no confir- mation anywhere thatyou are anything but independents. This gives us some insur- ance against an international incident. After all, international relations aren"t bout whatyou do, but how you doit” the characters agree to take the mis- sion, Kronoswillofferthem 1000 ebeach. He ‘an be bargained up to 2000if the characters are shrewd. He will ako provde the charac: ters with maps of the consulate, weapons and demolitions material if necessary. The char- acters must accomplish the mission within seventy-two hours. How the characters pene- ‘wate the consulates up to them, PART Two: CRACKING THE CONSULATE he characters’ first objective is r to penetrate the Colombian Consulate building in Night City, crack the safe, find the correct documentorfile,and either takeit, with them or get the information they need on the spot. The Consulates ing in the South City district. The building's lobby is supervised day and night by ‘wo ‘guards leased from Arasaka Security, Sect Fity on the consulate floor is provided by ‘consular personnel who are assumed to be soldiers. Kronos estimates that there are from five to eight soldiers on duty at any given time. There are workersin the buil ing twenty-four hours, bt the nightshiftis ‘considerably smaller than the day shift Kronos will tel the characters that their biggest enemy is likely to be time. ‘The consulate has an account with Arasa- Jka security, and itis hardwired tothe local Arasaka office. That means the alarm sig nal can noc be intercepted bya Netrunner. Shipping the line itself will also send an alert to the security company. There are three options: incapacitate the two lobby guards and everyone in the Consulate so that thealarm won'tbe raised, execute the entire operation in under four minutes (the projected response time for an Arasa- ka response team), or accomplish the operation without alerting anybody. The characters can choose any method they feel that they are most suited to. Remem- ber: they have a map of the building, and although they are not sure of the exact Tocation of the safe, they know that itis somewherein the Consul General's office. GETTING INTO THE CONSULATE Although the alarm to the Araraka region- hardwired, the building access and security systems are software-based and can be manipulated bya Netrunner. The team Netrunner should attempt to get into the system before the other char- acters enter the building. (See the map of the building datafortress for programs, ayout and task difficulties.) Once the Netrunner has control of the building functions, the other characters will have ‘an easier time completing their mission. ‘There are a number of strategies the players might try, Bluffing the Lobby Guards: The building hasa metal detector builtintothe alofficedoorway, and the guards will frisk every- ‘one who enters for weapons. People with ‘weapons will be asked to leave them in the lobby unless they have ID certifying that they work in the building. Obviously, the guards willbe skeptical ofa heavily armed ary of ive that claims to have legitimate business at the consulate. Ifthe Arasaka ‘guards are threatened, or notice a prob- lem, they will ry to wigger the hardwired alarm to the company. All IDs will be checked visually and by magnetic strip, and no one posing as maintenance will be admitted without a work order. (See the sidebar for guard stats.) ‘Wasting the Lobby Guards: I's direct, sffiientand cyberpunk, (ifnot particular- Iysublle). The problem with this tactic is thatthe guards will immediately make trig. sgering the hardwired alarm their top pri ofity i they are under atack. The charac- ters wll also run the risk of alerting police cor the consular personnel upstairs with gunfire or alarms. (See sidebar for stat) ‘Saeaking Into the Building: With the helpof the Netrunne,and some Electron ic Security ros, this may be the best way forthe characters to go about getting into the building. Ifthe characters can get ‘onto the roof it will be Fairly easy to get in. (Coming in through the ground floor, they run the risk of alerting the guards. If alarmsare tipped at any time, ther minute countdown will begin. Ifthe char- acters can't complete their mission in four minutes (game time) they will have to deal with an Arasaka Quick Response Team. Ifthe characters come in at the {ground floor they will need a Stealth roll ‘the guards Awareness/Notice to sneak pastthe lobby guards. (See the sidebar for ats. Getting into the building any other ay takes an Electronic Security roll over 20.Failed Security rolls will mean alerting the Arasaka quick response team, failed Stealth will cause the lobby guards to eee fourHK INTHE CONSULATE ‘Once in the consulate, the characters will have to move as quickly as possible. Byen if the hardwire to Arasaka hasn't been tripped, the police may arrive at any time. The police may not be a major factor in Night City, but they sure can ruin an operation if they show up at the wrong time There will be five to eight armed guardsin the consulate, Twowill be posted in the fifth oor lobby, and the others will bbe roaming the floor at random. The lobby ofthe consulate i closed to the pub- lic at night, and the door is locked. The ‘guards will unlock the door to speak to people, but they will demand identifica: tion from anyone who wants to enter In addition to the guards, there will be 2D6 consular personnel on hand. They are not armed, and will interfere with the characters only if presented with a good opportunity. They will try to escape and raise the alarm. GETTING THE INFORMATION Once safely in the consulate, the charac- ters must open the Consuls safe and find what they're looking for. The Consuls office has no windows, and is not access- ble from outside the building. The play ers’ map should indicate which room itis. ‘The Consul’s safe ishidden, and the characterswill have to search forit. Ifthe characters make INT rolls over 20 they will find the small safe hidden behind some books on a large bookcase. The safe has a manual lock and will require either explosives or a Pick Lock roll over 23 to open. The safe is electronically wired to building security, however, and itwill signal a problem if forced open. If the characters decide to blow the safe the Netrunner will have to be on his or her toes to intercept the alarm signal. Inter- cepting the signal requires an Interface Roll over 20. A failed roll means that an ‘Arasaka quick response team is on the way. Begin the four minute countdown. ‘The characters will have to make aDemo- fitions roll over 20 to successfully blow the safe, A failed roll means the safe is still shut and the alarm is ripped. A fum- bled roll means that the contents are destroyed, and the characters are at an impasse. Inside the safe are anumber of comput: cerdisksand files Theyarenotclearlylabeled, and the characters will not have time to ‘examine them all atthe site, They should take the contents and check them out some ‘where sae, perhaps with Kronos’ help. PART THREE: CHECKING ‘THE INFORMATION nce the characters have suc- cessfully liberated the con- tents ofthe safe, they should retreat to someplace secure to cheek them out. Tewill be much easier tointerpret the information ifthey return, to the Forlorn Hope and show the files and disks to Kronos. One way or another, the characters must move on the boat Within the next sixteen hours, or she will fee the bay. If the Characters Ask Kronos for Help: This will simplify things great Kronos is skilled at interpreting the files, and has the necessary ciphering equip- ment to break some of the Colombian diplomatic codes. He also has a deck which can access the information on the optical computer disks without destroying. them (see below). Kronos will require about one hour with the information. He ‘wil then brief the characters on what he hhas discovered, 1) The name of the ship is “Celeste hy. ing the Norwegian flag. A brief netrun into the Coast Guard or US ‘customs database (No ICE, but Inter: face rolls over 18) will reveal that the ship is nominally owned by a Norwe- sgian millionaire by the name of Kjell, ‘Onsen. Ifnecessary, Kronos can also get this information through the Agency. There is no record of Onsen. being a Colombian sympathizer, but further research will show that he does own a chemical firm which con: ducts regular business with parties in Colombia, 2) Justa few hours hours ago, the yacht deployed ablack opsteamatached to the Mendoza Plantation in Colombia. ‘The team has orders to secure a small, airfield on the outskirts of Night City and prepare it to receive an aircraft ‘ying a major shipment of synthetic “deugsin from the Mendoza Labs. The plane is due in twenty-four hours, after which the team is to rendezvous with the yacht acters Try to Interpret the ion Themselves: The informa: 10 Kjell Onsen, is ll stored on one of the optical disks. There are two problems.One, as soon as the disk is inserted in a ‘compute, this prompt will appear in Span isk PASSWORD? Obviously, the charac- {ers won't know the password, and they ‘may not even have anyone who speaks Spanish. Itwill be up to the Netrunner to {et into the disk and bypass the password, cither through a cyberdeck, or with a key- board and Computer Programming skil, Ifthe Netrunner doesn’tspeak Spanish he ‘orshe wll have to use a Spanish language chip while doing this. A Decryption pro- gram (see the Netrunner program list in Gterpunk 2020) should be used to bypass the password. Cracking the password requires a Computer Programming or Interface roll over 22. Remember the bonus from the Decryption program. & failed role means that the data on the disk self destructs. If this happens, then the Netrunner will have one lastchance tores- ‘ue the data, Use the same skills and roll over 85. Using a Reva program will help (add appropriate bonus). IFthis fils, hen the daiaislostand the characters will have toimprovie. the characters successfully crack the disk, chen they will getall the informa tion detailed in option one, PART 4: THE Coste: Ince the characters have cracked the consulate, they have sixteen hours to get to the Celesteand destroy it. The more time they spend working on the dis, the les time they will have to get to the yacht. The problem: the yacht is anchored out in the middle of the bay, and can only be approsched by air, over the surface of the water, or underwater. IE the characters decide that they want to go underwater, Kronos will provide them Maritime Ops/Scuba +2 MRAM chips, and Swimming +3 APTR chips. Get- {ing the chips will require two hours. Ieepick, who is an expert in this area, can. help outif necessary. Kronos will also pro- vide scuba gear and Zodiac inflatable speedboats (SP 5, SDP 25), courtesy of his network of contacts. If the characters approach by air, Kronos will provide an AV4. If none of the characters can fly it, then Zora will ake the stick. Going by air isnotthe recommended method. Aliule recon will reveal thatthe yacht ‘anchored well away from any ather ves: sels. There are guards atthe railing twenty- four hours a day, and at night the sur- ig water is loodlit. (These are all ‘common practices for the owners of ‘expensive ships in these troubled times.) SS “FOLKS, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO KEEP YOUR WITS ABOUT YoU. THIS JUST ISN'T THE TIME TO BE HARD-CHARGING HEROES, UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE WASHING UP ON THE SHORES OF DEL CORONADO: BRY IN A WEEK." -Kronos ‘SECURITY ON THE YACHT ‘Thereare sixteen crewmen on the yachtat all imes, including the captain, the mate, six other miscellaneous crewmen and eight security men. Ifthe characters strike during the night, half the men will be asleep. The first mate will be on watch on the bridge, along with two other crewmen. ‘One security man will be stationed on the bow, one on the stera, one on the flying. bridge overlooking the ship, and one will, bbe roving. (See the sidebar for sats.) The crewmen are all carrying pistols. The secu rity men have submachineguns. The yacht is fully wired, including active sonar underwater, radar over water, and television cameras ahove and below ‘the waterline. There isa small speedboat tied onto the stern and a fifty-caliber machine-gun (AVY -1 NR 4D10 (20mm /.50) 200 10 ST 400m) atiached to A oud ete ak & mounting on the flying-bridge railing. The machine-gun is covered by tarp. ‘The yacht has an underwater bay for deploying scuba divers. This is how it offloads black-operations teams. The doors are kept shut, and can be opened only from inside the boat, A Netrunner with a cellular deck can getinto the boat and trigger the doors remotely (sce yacht subgrid map). The yacht itself an be con- trolled as a vehicle remote, but the crew will immediately ake the ship's computer off-line atthe first sign of unauthorized control. With the computer offline, the Netrunner will have no access to or con- trol over any of the ship's systems, Ifthe Characters Come by Ais: there will not be much subtlety involved. fe will simply be a matter of raking the yacht with {gunfire from the AV's minigun until it catches on fire or sinks. There isnot much subtlety to this method, and itshould only be permitted ifthe characters are running short on time. The AV may take some fre From the machine-gun on the ship. fit sgocs down in the bay, the characters will have to cope however they can, Good luck If the Characters Come Over Water: If the Netrunner is not blocking it, the (Gestsradarwill pickup the Zodiac assoon as itcomes within a kilometer of the yacht, bbut crew won’t see itas a threat until it ‘comes within three hundred meters. They will then launch the speedboat with four ‘men aboard, Assuming theycomeby night, the characters will not be able to get closer {than about 100 meters before they become visible inthe floodlights. If they have pro- cured some kind of heavy weapon, then