Cyberpunk Red takes place in an alternate universe’s year 2045, between the events of previous editions Cyberpunk 2020 and Cyberpunk 2077. It deals with the aftermath of the Fourth Corporate War ending in the detonation of a nuclear device in its core setting, Night City.

“Netrunning” is a subsystem for hacking in Cyberpunk Red. While in previous editions, a hacker or netrunner worked remotely, in Red they wear virtual reality goggles that allow them to access the Net from alongside the rest of the party. Hacking occurs concurrently with other events in the game, and a group’s Netrunner must balance their actions in “meatspace” with the actions they take to hack ever deeper into a system. Each system has a number of levels based on how secure it is, and each level is guarded by a code, passwords, or anti-hacking software that attacks Netrunners who intrude. When a Netrunner defeats all the levels of security in a system, they can access it to get whatever they’re looking for. But watch out! You’ll need to rely on the rest of your crew to ensure you’re not vulnerable in meatspace while you do it.

How does Netrunning work in Cyberpunk Red?

To play Cyberpunk Red, you’ll need a character sheet, dice, and a group of friends! All of these can be physically or virtually present, and at least one of you should understand the basic rules. Usually, that’s the Game Master, the player who prepares the scenario, presents it to the players, and facilitates the game. This player can help the rest learn as they play, creating characters and letting the job unfold!

Cyberpunk Red uses an updated version of the Interlock system, streamlined from earlier editions. The core mechanic involves rolling a d10 and adding stat and skill bonuses to beat a target number, and it has several subsystems for such cyberpunk activities as combat and hacking.

At minimum, you’ll need one ten-sided dice and one six-sided dice, as Cyberpunk Red uses only d10s and d6s. Some cases may require multiple dice, however, and players may want to have an extra d10 and a few extra d6s as well.

The core mechanic of Cyberpunk Red involves rolling a ten-sided die, adding bonuses from the character’s stats and skills, and comparing the result to a target number to determine success or failure. Characters are highly customizable, built with a “lifepath” system, a narrative method of character generation that determines the career and backstory of your character, in addition to player choices about which skills to specialize in and what gear to purchase. Cyberpunk Red also has special rules for combat and for “netrunning,” or computer hacking. 

How to play Cyberpunk Red

You’ve played the Cyberpunk 2077 video game, you’ve watched all of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, what comes next? Cyberpunk RED is a different take on Night City, one that you play with your imagination and with friends. Cyberpunk RED is a tabletop RPG, or TTRPG, game. In it, you and friends create characters that try to survive and thrive in the dark world of Cyberpunk. You can wield weapons, hack, and augment yourself with implants just like in the video game. In fact, Cyberpunk 2077 takes a lot of inspiration from the TTRPG. Cyberpunk RED bridges the gap between the classic Cyberpunk 2020 TTRPG and Cyberpunk 2077 by placing its adventures largely in the 2040s.