Sprawl Goons: Upgraded - Talking Biocops

Following on from our discussion of Cybrids, Gregorius21778 and I have had another chat about my vision of the Sprawl Goons setting, and this time we talked about the biocops of the Cognition Verification Bureau, whose job it is to hunt and retire the very cybrids we looked at in March.

Here's the LINK

While the inspiration is obviously from the movie Blade Runner (and it's imitators), there are enough little tweaks to make them their own thing in SG:U, where they will be running around The Flow, tracking down all manner of dangerous synthetic and artificial persons brought into the world by transnationals like Clavel Industries.

And you can even play a PC with the Agent background (from page 14):

Cognition Verification Agent

You were a biocop for the Cognition Verification Bureau, hunting down and retiring illegally manufactured and modified rogue cybrids, and other dangerous synthetic intelligence, like the prohibited ATIDs smuggled in from the Zones. You worked in tandem with the cops and Homeland to bring down your prey. You were good, the very best, but you walked away when the deactivations started to feel like murders.

Once again, the interview (link above) consists of 10 questions, each adding detail to the Bureau, and the men and women of that 'thin true line'.

Let me know in the comments if there are any other aspects of the Sprawlverse you'd like to know more about.

Thanks for looking.

Artwork from the Blade Runner 2039 comicbooks.

ALL TITLES 20% OFF

 

It's my birthday, so to celebrate, here's the Geist Hack Games Birthday Brainware Blowout,

with 20% OFF ALL TITLES until May 8th!

Go grab yourself a bargain.

20% OFF TITLES ON DTRPG

20% OFF TITLES ON ITCH.IO

 

SG:U - The Flow Deluxe A3 Map Pack

I've been meaning to get this one released for a while now. Glad to announce it has finally gone live!

So, what do you get for your bityuan?

A set of large A3 300dpi colour map files of the city known as The Flow, the default setting from the SG:U Carbon Edition.

It includes 20 high-res jpeg images, showing 38 street gangs and their zones of influence, the subway network linking to Core Transit, locations of the beleaguered FPD precincts and the reach of the contaminated Containment Zone 9, and combinations thereof.

Also included in the pack is a high-res, print-ready PDF, so you can toggle data on and off, depending on what you need to focus on!

And its stat-free, so will work as a setting for any cyberpunk RPG. Requires the use of The Flow sourcebook, also from Geist Hack Games, but if you are rocking the Carbon Edition, you already have all the data you need to fully make use of the map pack.

And, as is my want, the map pack is available on both itch and drivethru.

LINK TO THE PACK ON ITCH     LINK TO THE PACK ON DTRPG

Thanks for looking!

 

Sprawl Goons:Upgraded - Talking Cybrids

Cybrid geisharoid model from Kanawa-Mendez.

The ever-excellent Sprawl Goons supporter and content creator, Gregorius21778 has posted an interview with my good self on his blog regarding Cybrids, the synthetic humanoids of the "Sprawlverse".

So, what is a Cybrid?

My inspirations were the synthetics of the Alien movies, the replicants of Blade Runner, the michikoids of The Peripheral, the hosts of West World and the androids of Hyperion, amongst others.

From the Sprawl Lexicon on page 3 of Sprawl Goons:Upgraded Carbon Edition:

Cybrid - A bioplastic synthetic, like an android or replicant.

Clavel execs observe the first printing of their latest R&D model.

And you can choose to be a cybrid player character, with the following background from page 10 of the Carbon Edition rulebook:  

Fugitive Cybrid

You’re a cybrid, a bioplastic synthetic, designed and fabricated by the Clavel corporation. You’ve endured the hardships of indentured labour in hazardous assembleries; combed toxic coastlines for reusables; repaired habitats in the cold vacuum of space. There’s an RFID shard implanted deep inside you, and your owners will undoubtedly be looking to recover their investment. What happens if they find you? What are you willing to do to remain free?

But outside of my carbon-fibre skull, that's all we knew. Until now!

In the linked interview, I answer 10 questions that define the technology, the social impact, who makes them and how to identity them (if you know how). Find out more here.

Hopefully, there will be more of these articles outlining the elements of the game-world in the future!

On the streets of the Flow, revolution is coming.

The Flow

 

The Flow is a city.

The Flow is also people, finance, goods, data, all channeling through the filthy arteries of the metroplex, 24 hours a day.

And it's what the locals call their corner of this decaying sprawl of stratoscrapers, assembleries, habstacks, arcologies, multi-malls, company hubs, geodesics and hive-slums; a metropolitan axis that stretches all the way from Boston to Atlanta. Nobody on the street can remember what this place used to be called anymore.

---

A system-neutral cyberpunk city sandbox, including a map and 80 DETAILED LOCATIONS spread across 21 dystopian districts. A perfect place to set your cyberpunk campaign. Its out now.

DTRPG LINK

ITCH LINK

**NOTE: If you already own the Sprawl Goons: Upgraded CARBON EDITION, you already have the contents of this PDF! This is being made aviailable for those who don't.**

An Update

Apologies for the recent radio silence! Here's an update about what I've been up to. ;)

In mid-March of this year I came down with Covid. It wasn't too bad and I managed to continue to work through it (from home) for the nine days it lasted. Once recovered, I had a couple of weeks where I felt perfectly fine.

Then, towards the end of the month, I started to have some gastric problems and a fever. I assumed it was a post-Covid thing and that it would pass in a couple of days. But it didn't. The fever persisted, as did the delightful gastric issues. My better half grew ever more concerned, calling an ambulance as I was talking gibberish (nothing new!) and hallucinating quite badly. I was rushed to A&E, where I was admitted to the Resus department. At this point, I had no clue as to what was happening.

The excellent NHS staff helping me quickly diagnosed me as having sepsis and I was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit. I spent a week in ICU full of cannulas and tubes, hooked up to a bank of monitors, while they saved my life. In all honesty, it was a frightening and intense time.

So, since early April I've been home and recuperating. I got to celebrate a very poignant birthday in May. I've now been weened off the steroids and regained the weight (plus some extra!) and I'm getting fitter and stronger by the day. But, it will take some time to fully recover.

I'm very grateful to still be here and I'm eternally grateful that we have a service like the NHS here in the UK.

Going forward, I'll be gaming again and writing some more. I have lots of plans and ideas and I'll be posting my ramblings on this blog again soon.

Thanks for reading and thanks so much for your patience.

Paul

SG:U CARBON EDITION – OUT NOW!

Salutations.

I am very pleased to announce that the CARBON EDITION is now live and available to buy and cherish! And there are options!

Both printed A5 hardback and digital copies can be found at DriveThru (buy the book, get the PDF free):

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/425040/Sprawl-Goons-Upgraded-CARBON-EDITION

And the printed A5 hardback is also available at Lulu (for my non-US chums):

https://www.lulu.com/shop/paul-d-gallagher/sprawl-goons-upgraded-carbon-edition/hardcover/

For those who just want the updated and improved PDF version, head to itch (also on DTRPG):

https://p-d-gallagher.itch.io/sprawl-goons-upgraded-carbon-edition

Happy gaming!