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The Cyberpunk series is a pen & paper RPG created by Mike Pondsmith and published by R. Talsorian Games.

Overview[]

Created in 1988, Cyberpunk was heavily inspired by the novels of Phillip K. Dick and William Gibson, and in particular the 1982 film Blade Runner.

The world is set in an alternate future in which crime is at an all time high, murder is a common sight on the streets, and corporations have become more powerful than world governments. The core series is set in Night City, a fictional west-coast metropolis situated between Los Angeles and San Francisco. It is here where players act out their own custom campaigns as characters in a variety of roles and engage in the deadly Friday Night Firefight combat system. Night City is home to a variety of vicious gangs, corporations, organizations and famous celebrities. After a lengthy hiatus, the series continued in the form of a new corebook from Talsorian, Cyberpunk RED, and the video game Cyberpunk 2077 by CD Projekt RED.

Canonicity[]

As per Mike Pondsmith's words:

To clarify what I said in interviews; what I do in 2030 affecting 2077 is not about the 203X background, but the chronological timeline overall. When I wrote 203X, we hadn't even heard of CDPR, so the needs of the future video game weren't a factor. Now when I talk about matching up the post 2020 timeline, I'm basically talking about how events from post 2020 will need to match up with the outcomes we're developing for 2077. So no, the chances you'll get whaleboys showing up in 2077 are pretty slim to nonexistent. Stick to what you see in 2020--it's a safer bet.[1]

Timeline[]

Series Image Timeline

Main canonical series[]

The main canonical series is authored or co-authored by Mike Pondsmith, is an officially licensed product by R. Talsorian Games that takes place within the series or developed as part of the video game series by CD Projekt RED.

Revised timeline canon[]

  • Firestorm series – Most of the books lore is canon with the exception of some events.
  • Cyberpunk Version 3.0 – Also known as 203X. Previously published as the sequel to 2020, it has since been removed from the canon, but some elements might be carried over to the main timeline.
  • CyberGeneration – Called CyberGeneration Revolution 2.0 and published in 1995, it was originally part of the second edition. It later became its own alternate universe, differing from the main timeline.
  • Any old material that goes beyond the year 2020 might not be fully canon. See above to know more.

Non-canonical series[]

  • HardWired Sourcebook – This sourcebook ties into the novel Hardwired by Walter Jon Williams. It was published alongside Cyberpunk 2013.
  • When Gravity Fails - Sourcebook for Cyberpunk 2020.
  • Every additional content or adaptation of the pen & paper RPGs that have not been published by R. Talsorian Games are considered non-canon.

References[]

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