Almost two years later, Cyberpunk Edgerunners' starter set for tabletop RPG Red will finally see a release
Explore Night City in the wake of Edgerunners' anime conclusion.
Cyberpunk Red’s bridge between the celebrated tabletop RPG and smash hit Netflix anime Edgerunners finally gets a release date. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Mission Kit, first announced in 2022, will land in June of this year and send players deep into a Night City changed in small but meaningful ways by Lucy, Rebecca and the rest of the crew.
Developed by R. Talsorian Games in coordination with Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red, this box set will give anime fans a comprehensive and easy access into the tabletop world of Cyberpunk as first imagined by creator Mike Pondsmith. No former knowledge of Cyberpunk Red is needed to start running and quickhacking, but veteran players will enjoy a version of Night City that’s closer to the 2070 era of this futuristic, dystopian world.
Tucked inside the box will be a handbook of broad lore and worldbuilding so that you can understand the difference between chooms and gonks, along with a rule book that explores the nitty-gritty of rolling dice, dodging suits, installing cyberware and everything else. If you’re unfamiliar with the system, it uses a single 10-sided die that you roll during contests before adding relevant skills, attributes, bonuses from gear and other bits. That number is compared to a difficulty value (DV) set by the GM in order to determine success or failure. There’s a lot more going on, but the core gameplay involves doing a risky thing and then rolling for success or complications.
Also included in the boxed kit is a full-length mission titled The Jacket. A crew of player characters will jump into the action directly after the anime as a new crew of Edgerunners, picking up the pieces and dealing with the aftermath. Players can either build their own characters or take advantage of seven premade Edgerunners with new artwork illustrated by the anime’s director, Hiroyuki Imaishi. Everything else you might need - themed dice, standees, tokens and maps - can also be found in the box.
As if that wasn’t enough ties to the Edgerunners anime, writer and producer Bartosz Sztybo contributed new backgrounds and biographies for David, Lucy, Rebecca and every other member of the crew. R. Talsorian Games’ designers included stat blocks for any table that wants to revisit the past or weave them into their own table’s exploits. Obviously, quickhacking is a new skill for old hat Netrunners, but look out for plenty more cross-pollination between the 2077 depicted in the latest video game and anime series - the tabletop designer really wants audiences to try out this world’s dice-derived roots.
The Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Mission Kit will hit retail in “mid to late June”, according to the publisher - though they do hold out a caveat for “unforeseen circumstances”. Physical boxes will be available from R. Talsorian Games’ website (and local hobby shops later), while digital versions can be purchased from DriveThruRPG. Virtual tabletop conversions for Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds should roll out shortly after release.