Altered Carbon RPG, based on the sci-fi Netflix series, hits Kickstarter

Dystopian cyberpunk series Altered Carbon, which was adapted into a Netflix TV show based on the 2002 novel of the same name, is getting its own official RPG.

In Altered Carbon, the human mind is broken down to digital code, which is saved and stored in a ‘Cortical Stack’. As such, you can transfer your consciousness to any body you can afford. If you’ve got the cash, you can shift your consciousness around over millennia, effectively becoming the equivalent of an immortal god.

As part of the Kickstarter launched Altered Carbon: The Roleplaying Game, you can move your consciousness to a new host when you die - but at a cost. That said, death is possible if your ‘Stack’ is destroyed.

You’ll explore Bay City which is split into three major parts: The Ground, where laborers reside; the Twilight, in which the middle class services the city’s technology and bureaucracy; and the Aerium, that houses upper class ‘Meths’ who live among soaring skyscrapers.

Set in 2384, the RPG promises a sci-fi sandbox full of different types of adventure. Within the core rulebook, you’ll find the components of a neo-noir narrative, such as plot twists, red herrings and multi-layered mysteries.

In addition, it includes two starting adventures, a range of character archetypes - such as the civilian, the official and the soldier - plus a tier-based trait system that allows you build your own character archetype.

Also included is an expansive range of technology and equipment, such a bunch of futuristic weapons.

Mechanically-speaking, Altered Carbon: The Roleplaying Game uses the Hazard System, which was created for the RPG. In it, you roll skill dice up against a target result assigned by the game master. Rolling equal to or under that number makes for a success. So for example, if you’re a master at something, you’ll roll a d4, whereas if you’re just plain awful, you’ll roll a d12. Luck and bonus dice can be used to bolster rolls.

Altered Carbon comes from publisher Hunters Entertainment, which is behind storytelling RPGs Icarus and Kids on Bikes, plus the upcoming roleplaying game Werewolf: The Apocalypse 5E.

Altered Carbon: The Roleplaying Game is live now on Kickstarter today and is looking to raise around £15,000.

The campaign will run until March 4th and is estimated to arrive with backers in August 2020.