Using Single Player Mode to Make You a Better Referee
Learn how Single Player Mode helps referees build sharper Cyberpunk RED sessions from prompts, beats, and complications, with author Peter Norton.
TYPE
SYSTEM
LANGUAGE
EXPERIENCE
AGE
$30.00
/ Session
Details
Once / Monday - 11:00 PM UTC
Oct 5
Session Duration / 1.5–2 hours
3 / 15 Seats Filled
Top Game Master
One of StartPlaying's top-rated GMs, a player favorite and highly recommended.
Report Adventure
StartPlaying Money Back Guarantee
If your game doesn't happen, we guarantee a refund. Just reach out to StartPlaying Support. Refund Policy
Meet your party members
3/15
About the adventure
This 90-minute workshop shows Cyberpunk RED referees how to use Single Player Mode as a practical tool for building sharper, faster, more responsive sessions. Led by Peter Norton, author of Single Player Mode, this class focuses on turning solo procedures into techniques you can use at a live table with real players. Single Player Mode was written to help people play Cyberpunk RED without a GM, but that means it has tools that emulate many of the things a good referee does: creating structure, answering questions, generating complications, sparking ideas, and keeping the story moving when the unexpected happens. In this session, we will use Beat Charts to build the shape of an adventure without needing to script every scene in advance. You will learn how to create a strong hook, develop complications, build towards a cliffhanger or climax, and leave yourself enough room to respond to player choices at the table. We will also look at how small random details can become powerful story prompts. A strange item in someone’s pocket, a scrap of evidence, or an odd result from a table can become a clue, a secret, a lie, a side quest, or the spark that makes a session feel alive. Instead of treating random tables as filler, you will learn how to turn them into useful referee fuel. The workshop also covers when to zoom in and when to zoom out. Not every fight needs a full tactical battle, and not every netrun needs to take over the session. You will learn how to abstract less important battles and netruns while keeping tension, consequence, and momentum in play. We will finish by using random encounter tables as side quest sparks. A random encounter does not have to be a speed bump. Used well, it can reveal the world, introduce a future problem, create a moral choice, or connect back to the main story in a way that makes the game feel deeper than your prep. By the end of the session, you will have built the bones of a Cyberpunk RED adventure using prompts, beats, complications, abstracted scenes, and side quest sparks. This workshop is ideal for Cyberpunk RED GMs who want to prep less, improvise better, and make their sessions feel more alive.
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(16)
Less than a year on StartPlaying
27 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Beginner Friendly
About me
Hello, I am Peter, a professional Game Master and storyteller with more than thirty years of experience in tabletop roleplaying. I focus on clear structure, steady pacing, and story driven play that gives every player room to shine. Through my work on Hollowponds Solo Sagas, and as a published game author whose works include Single Player Mode for R. Talsorian’s Cyberpunk Red and several roleplaying tools and guides, I have developed a consistent style that blends character focused storytelling with solid rules support. My tables are welcoming, organised, and calm, with guidance for new players and space for experienced players to push the story forward. What you can expect from my games: • Smooth pacing and clear communication • A friendly relaxed atmosphere • Fair challenges that respect player agency • Strong story focus supported by the system • Reliable scheduling and preparation About me: I have worked as a teacher, a developer, and a Scrum Master, all of which help me run focused and respectful sessions. I am a trained Mental Health First Aider and pay close attention to accessibility and the needs of neurodiverse players. My goal is always to create a table where everyone feels able to contribute. I run a range of systems including Daggerheart, Cyberpunk Red, Coriolis, Dragonbane, Savage Worlds, and more, and I tailor each session to the tone and pace the group enjoys. You are welcome to see how I run games here: https://www.youtube.com/@HollowpondsSoloSagas
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
No character creation is required for this workshop. This is a teaching and design session rather than a standard play session, so attendees will not need to build or bring a Cyberpunk RED character. We will be creating adventure material, prompts, beats, complications, and referee tools rather than playing through a full scenario. There will be an assumption that attendees have some background knowledge of the Cyberpunk RED rules system, although full rules mastery is not required. A basic awareness of the Cyberpunk genre, Night City, Edgerunners, Fixers, gigs, netruns, and the general tone of the setting will help you get more from the session. Attendees will need access to their own copy of Cyberpunk RED: Single Player Mode. The book will not be provided as part of this workshop.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
This workshop will use Discord for voice, chat, and screen sharing, and Fantasy Grounds for the workshop material. Before the session, please make sure you have a working Discord account and can join the server link provided before the class. Discord will be used for audio, questions, discussion, and workshop chat. You will also need to download and install Fantasy Grounds from the official Fantasy Grounds website. Fantasy Grounds is free to use and will be used to share the workshop material during the session. Please also have access to your own copy of Cyberpunk RED: Single Player Mode, as the book will not be provided as part of the workshop. You do not need to create a character before the session. A microphone is recommended if you want to join the discussion, but you are also welcome to ask questions in text chat. To keep the session clear, attendees may be asked to use Push to Talk or remain muted unless speaking.
What Hollowponds (Peter) brings to the table
This is a practical workshop rather than a traditional play session. I will provide a guided 90-minute class using Discord and Fantasy Grounds, with examples, discussion, and short exercises focused on using Single Player Mode as a referee tool. The session will focus on clear, usable techniques rather than theory for theory’s sake. We will look at how to use Beat Charts to shape an adventure, how to turn random prompts and pocket contents into useful story material, how to abstract less important battles and netruns, and how to use random encounters as side quest sparks. My style is conversational, practical, and focused on helping you leave with something you can actually use at your own table. There will be space for questions and discussion, but the aim is to keep the session moving and focused on the workshop outcomes. By the end of the session, you should have a stronger understanding of how Single Player Mode can help you build sharper Cyberpunk RED sessions with less wasted prep, stronger prompts, better pacing, and more confidence when the players do something unexpected.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Pen & Paper
Platforms used
Safety
How Hollowponds (Peter) creates a safe table
This is a workshop rather than a traditional play session, so we will not be roleplaying through intense scenes or exploring personal character material in depth. The session will focus on Cyberpunk RED adventure design, referee techniques, prompts, beats, complications, and practical examples from Single Player Mode. Discussion will stay focused on the craft of running games and creating usable session material. Cyberpunk RED can involve mature themes, violence, crime, corruption, exploitation, and dystopian subject matter. We will keep examples suitable for a workshop environment and avoid graphic detail. Attendees are welcome to step away, mute, use text chat instead of voice, or message me privately if anything in the discussion needs to be steered away from. The aim is for the session to be useful, respectful, and comfortable for everyone involved.
Content warnings
Safety tools used