The cyberpunk genre remains one of the most iconic on the tabletop. With classics such as Shadowrun and the rather straightforwardly named Cyberpunk, there's no shortage of misfits fighting against megacorporations. That said, the cyberpunk premise alone isn't what makes Lightfish Games' Cyberdark RPG stand out. The game combines the genre's technorevolution with the brutal vibes of an OSR game.
Cyberdark RPG puts players in the role of darkrunners, daredevil outlaws who use the net to gain wealth and infamy. However, the life of a darkrunner is constantly torn between two worlds. Firstly, the Meatgrid, a derogatory name by darkrunners towards the physical world and its dangers. On the other side, the Cyberdark represents the seedy underbelly, separating humanity from the horrors beyond the techno veil.
The game runs on a modified version of the Shadowdark system, popular among many tabletop RPGs. Games are fast and lethal, befitting the adrenaline-filled lifestyle of darkrunners. Players with experience in any d20 system will find Cyberdark RPG easy to pick up. Many of the same tropes and rules still apply, though modified for maximum cyber cruelty.
Keeping in theme, the futuristic classes mirror their fantasy counterparts, Breaker for Warriors, Slicer for Thieves, Codecaster for Wizard, and Synthsmith for Priests, though each have their own strengths. Given my penchant for percussive maintenance when I had a stint as IT, Breaker is very me-coded.
If you're still not convinced, the developers provided players with a free RPG Quickstart for Cyberdark. With streamlined rules, pre-gen characters, and a full adventure, the sampler lives up to its name. As a fan of OSR and the cyberpunk genre, this game really scratches two itches at once for me. Unfortunately, the sampler means I'm now itching even more to play the full version.
The Cyberdark RPG Kickstarter ends on November 19, 2025.
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