RTG and Open Gaming + Black Chrome Sneak Peek Mark 2
We’ve got a lot to share today so we’re going to try to be organized and tackle this in order. If you’re here for the Black Chrome Sneak Peek, you can skip to the middle of this post. First, though, we’ve got a statement from RTG’s bosses on Open Gaming and Community-made content.
Hello, everyone!
Recent events have brought the discussion of creating and publishing third-party content via various methods, including Open Licenses, Creative Commons, and Community programs to the fore. We’re aware this moment is a pivotal one in the history of tabletop roleplaying games capable of changing the shape of the hobby as a whole.
This isn’t the first time an earthquake has rippled through gaming. And we would know! After all, R. Talsorian has lived through most of the history of roleplaying games, from the unofficial roleplay aids of the 1980s to the birth of the OGL in the early 2000s to multi-million dollar crowdfunding projects and animated shows based on Actual Plays to the questions and concerns being raised today by the community. We’ve seen the industry suffer through multiple devastating crashes, forcing old friends to move on to other pursuits and companies we admired and loved to go out of business. And we were, in fact, one of the earliest experimenters with a form of open license and system reference document in the form of Fuzion.
In other words, we know how even seemingly positive changes can have unexpected and unintended consequences for creators, for companies, and for gaming as a whole. This is why we aren’t leaping feet first into any specific plan to allow outside parties to professionally publish work based on or compatible with our own.
Monumental changes require monumental thought.
We do see the work people put into their homebrews and their honest desire to publish works based on or compatible with our own and we know the tools exist to create amazing, professional-looking content at home. We acknowledge it and applaud the work. Many amazing publishers, our’s included, began with one person or a small group asking, “Yeah, but what if…?” and we believe a diversity of gaming ideas is the bedrock of a healthy hobby.
Honest truth here. The solution to the problem of “How does R. Talsorian Games allow others to publish content compatible with their own” isn’t an easy one. Nor is it one we want to rush and get wrong. We’ve all seen, in recent days, how something believed to be true at the start of a process can change or be reinterpreted years down the road. And, being honest again, the games we currently produce don’t fit well into most traditional open license frameworks. They’re shared worlds and any solutions must involve consideration for our partners and their future plans as well as our own. We can’t commit to any plan without serious thought and the ability to read the fine print.
One lesson we’ve learned after over thirty-five years in the business? Always read the fine print.
And that’s our statement. We aren’t, at this time, committing to any specific open license framework or program. We are, however, actively considering the possibilities, working out the ramifications, and seeking a solution designed to share what we can of our worlds. We know this isn’t the announcement some were hoping for but we do want you all to understand it isn’t a question of should we when it comes to some sort of open or community game creation plan but how should we and how do we keep within both the bounds of our existing legal agreements and our moral and ethical obligations to our employees, our freelancers, our partners, and the hobby as a whole.
As soon as we’ve figured it out, we’ll let you know. Please be patient. For now, we’ll wish you happy gaming and hope to see you at the table soon.
R. Talsorian Games
And now, for another preview of Black Chrome! In case you didn’t know, Black Chrome is our upcoming Tech and Style Guide for Cyberpunk RED. It will contain around 170 new items for use in the game, as well as information on the 2045 economy, six new Night Markets, and a ton of new lore in the form of item listings. In other words, this is a book of stuff and how you get it.
And what gear book for Cyberpunk RED would be complete without cyberware? This week we’re taking a look at the metal you can implant into your body coming in Black Chrome.
Let’s start with Hardening. Why should your cyberlimb get all the fun in being immune to EMP blasts? With the Borgware Hardened Shielding and Internal Body Cyberware Hardened Shielding, you can keep your big and internal chrome safe. And the Hardened Cybereye Casing will do the same for your cyberoptic!
Looking to spend less on cyberware? The Budget Chipware Socket, Discount Cyberaudio Suite, good old Neo-Soviet Cyberarm, and Sponsored Cybereye will give you the benefits of chrome for less eb. Just ignore the side effects!
Want some more options for your cyberlimb? The Flashbulb, Popup Net Launcher from Pursuit Security Inc., and Popup Shotgun will add to your combat options while Rocklin Augmentic’s Extra-Jointed Cyberlimb Upgrade will increase your flexibility and the Reinforced Cyberlimb Upgrade will decrease your risk of breaking an arm or a leg.
Need the perfect gift for a certain someone? For your forgetful friend, consider the Explicit Memory Stimulator chip! The Integrated Cyberdeck Upgrade is aces for the Netrunner in your life. And for the Exec? May we recommend Biotechnica’s new Heuristic Health Monitor so your loved one can participate in, and win, the inter-office competition with their amazingly high Healthy Persons (HP) score?
What about cyberware for the thrill seeker? We’ve got you covered! Get a Reflex Co-Processor and dodge bullets no matter how slow your Reflexes are! Pick up a RacerBracer from Rocklin Augmentics and you’ll never worry about whiplash again! And the Trauma Response Nanomatrix will keep your Skinweave or Subdermal Armor in perfect shape no matter how much punishment it takes!
Of course, none of the above is as exciting as the return of Dynalar’s Cyberfingers line! When it comes to cyberfingers, you’ll need either a boring, normal five fingered Modular Finger Cyberhand or the revolutionary new eight-fingered Dynalar Modular Finger Enthusiast Cyberhand (pictured above). And what cyberfingers are on offer in the relaunch of this iconic cyberware line? Take a look!
- Airhypo Cyberfinger
- Ballpoint Cyberfinger
- Bullet Storage Cyberfinger
- Dartgun Cyberfinger
- Flashlight Cyberfinger
- Homing Tracer Cyberfinger
- Laser Pointer Cyberfinger
- Lighter Cyberfinger
- Lockpick Cyberfinger
- Microphone Cyberfinger
- Mini Air Supply Cyberfinger
- One Shot Special Cyberfinger
- Spray Paint Cyberfinger
- Squirt Cyberfinger
- Standard Cyberfinger
- and Wirecutter/Scissor Cyberfinger
Collect Them All!!!
That’s all for this week! We’ll be back next Friday with another Black Chrome Sneak Peek at the Fashion and Armor in the book! Until then, stay safe on The Street!
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