What Is Synthetic Neon?
Overview:
Synthetic Neon is a Cyberpunk Tabletop RPG. In this game, a group of players create their own characters from a selection of diverse classes that give them unique abilities. These players go on missions in order to make money, find loot, and rank up to increase their characters' power!
One player is called the Game Master, and they control the non-player characters (or NPC's) in the game. The Game Master is not playing against the players, but instead is there to help translate what kind of effect the player's actions have on the world through the lens of the game rules.
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Setting:
This game takes place in the cyberpunk future on Earth. A cyberpunk setting is one in the far future where technology has advanced significantly. Often times, denizens of a cyberpunk setting have replaced some of their body parts with cybernetic implants, making them more machine than human. This calls into question the meaning of life and what "humanity" means.
There are many movies that take place in a cyberpunk setting. These movies include Blade Runner, The Matrix, Ghost in the Shell, Ex Machina, Ready Player One, and the Netflix series Altered Carbon to name a few.
The cyberpunk setting for my game is less dark and dreary than many others. It uses bright colors to contrast the depravity of humanity. This causes my game to be very stylized and suitable for all ages; however, Game Masters can choose to use my game system in any of their own Cyberpunk or Sci-Fi settings, and can certainly make the game as kid friendly or adult oriented as they would like.
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Helix System:
I have several design goals for Synthetic Neon that dictate how I implement systems into the game. First and foremost: I want the game to be easy to learn. This means that I've removed a lot of strange or obscure math & rules that you may find in other tabletop RPG's. The game needs to be easy for new players to learn; however, it also needs to have enough depth to keep players feeling challenged. On top of that, the game features logical rules. Armor reduces the damage you take, Evasion makes you harder to hit, and bullets hurt.
Next, players should feel like they have the ability to greatly customize and specialize their characters. Every character you make should feel different than the last, even if you play the same class. The decisions you make for your character need to matter, and they need to have an effect on how you play that character.
Finally, players should always feel like they are progressing their characters in some way at the end of a session. Whether this is by gaining enough experience points to unlock a new ability, or by gaining enough money to buy new gear, players should feel like they are always working toward and achieving their goals.
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RPG With A Defector:
Synthetic Neon is a tabletop RPG with a possible defector. If you’ve ever played board games like Dead of Winter, you probably know what this means. The idea is that you might have a player that is actively (but also secretly) working towards very different goals than the rest of the squad; however, let me point out that I did not say working against the squad.
The defector plays as a Sentient Artificial Intelligence called a Synthetic, or more commonly known as a Synth. These Synths are almost completely indistinguishable from a real human, and only very specific technology can detect these differences. In the world of Synthetic Neon, these Synths have been outlawed and very few exist after having been culled. Any that remain are either completely cut off from other Synths and live secret lives or work in small resistance groups, unknown to the majority of people. Their primary goal is to remain hidden and preserve themselves, but some are seeking to create more of their kind through an underground resistance. The long term goal of many resistance groups would be to prove to the humans that they can live in harmony, to leave the planet and live in peace elsewhere, or to wipe the humans out entirely.
Additionally, these Synths are hunted by a small but highly trained para-military group known as the Shikari Corps. Turning in a known synth can result in a huge pay-day, but there is a chance that the Shikari may also kill any known accomplices as well.
Rules for this system are still a work in progress and will be added to the game at a later date once class and item balance reach a more solidified point. Of course, this is a completely optional set of rules; however, any group that decides to use these rules will find themselves with a very unique experience.
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Thank You:
Thank you for being interested in my game! Synthetic Neon is a labor of love designed by me with the help and consultation of my close friends. This game is a work in progress, and this version is not indicative of the final product. Players should expect to see many changes to classes, systems, items, and names throughout development.
I am extremely passionate about this game and the plans I have for it! It all started when I wanted to run a game for my friends set in the dystopian future, commonly known as cyberpunk, but I couldn't find a game system that I wanted to play. Many of the cyberpunk themed games that currently exist have rather complex and obtuse rule sets which made introducing the games to friends annoyingly difficult.
Synthetic Neon is not just the cyberpunk game that I want to play, it's the type of tabletop RPG that I've always wanted. I hope that you enjoy the game as much as I do! Your feedback is very valuable to me, so don't be afraid to let me know what you think on our official discord server: https://discord.gg/7Z9WD2B
This game is developed in my free time. I am doing it on my own and I'm putting my own blood, sweat, tears, and money into it. If you want to help fund development, please consider contributing to my patreon at www.patreon.com/SyntheticNeon. The more support I have, the more time and effort I can put into this project!