CBR+PNK

Cyberpunk Forged in the Dark

[TEXT-ONLY] v1.0 ◿11/2021

CBR+PNK is a minimalist Forged In The Dark hack for cinematic one-shot sessions. Player characters
are a team of RUNNERS — mercs, criminals, activists living on the edge and running in the shadows of
a gritty, ultraviolent world.

Their fixer is an anonymous figure with a flat voice known as OPERATOR. The Operator believes that
Runners are disposable — if one dies, another one will come along and finish the job.

The BACKGROUND can be any, as long as you abuse from the genre elements: high tech, class
struggle, intrusive advertising/propaganda, corporatocracy, privatized low-quality automated services,
over-crowded megacities, climate crash, the search for humanity amongst all this, and so on.

In each game we play an entire new cast of characters doing their LAST RUN.

CBR+PNK is a game by Emanoel

This work is based on Blades in the Dark, product of One Seven
Melo and published by The
Design, developed and authored by John Harper, and licensed for our
Cabinet of Curiosities
use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
emanoelmelo.itch.io.

PLAYER CHARACTER/⬝
Handle
What they call you on the Net and streets.

Angle
What ultimately you run for:
〉Get out 〉Learn the truth
〉Make them pay 〉Push the edge
〉Look after them 〉Take a stand
〉Get a life upgrade 〉error: ‘agency’ is NULL

Hunted
You’ve been traced. Who is out there looking for you and what for? Whenever you attract unwanted
attention as a Complication, it may be them pinning you down.

Approaches
How you do things. Assign 2, 1, 1 and 0.

AGGRESSIVE force/intimidation/destruction EMPATHIC charisma/leadership/diplomacy

SMART creativity/cunning/perception CAUTIOUS discretion/precaution/precision

▔ 01
Skills / Expertise
How good you are doing the thing. Assign 8 points. The third point on a Skill counts as an Expertise —
write it down below the skill name. When using an Expertise, you can trade 1 die for an Edge.

Skill list: Close Combat, Endurance, Hacking, Influence, Mobility, Observation, Piloting, Ranged
Combat, Rigging, Sciences, Streetwise, Survival.

Cyberware
You start off with 1 free Cyberware. Write down its name and a brief outline of its primary feature, e.g.
Ashidetm Racing Legs. Large rigs may take up to 2 LOAD. Explain how it can be used as part of an
Action roll and pay the price accordingly:

Push [2 Stress]: Enhances a capability (therma-vision, wired reflexes, neuralink, augmented strength)
or produces/conceals a particular compact asset (chemicals, blade, nanobots). You still gain the Push
special action benefit if you are making a roll.
Special Armor: Mark Special Armor to resist against a specific type of Consequence: integrated
emotion recognition, neuralink firewall, anti-thermic skin coating etc.

For each extra feature or Cyberware, choose a drawback:

⏣ It is unstable or damaged beyond repair. Mark it as glitchy.
⏣ You never really paid for it. You are HUNTED.
⏣ It has damaged your body or soul. Start off glitchy on an Approach of your choice.

Gear / Loadout
During the Run you may declare a gear on hand by marking it on your list — up to a number of items
equal to your LOAD. You only run out of ammo as a result of a Complication — roll to Resist or mark
ammo in your gear to reload.

1-3 LOAD (Light): Move quickly, go through small spaces, blend in with the crowd.
4-5 LOAD (Normal): Look conspicuous, ready for trouble.
6 LOAD (Heavy): Move slowly, draw lots of attention.

▢ A blade or two ▢ Ammo

▢ Handgun ▢ Special ammo
▢ Submachine gun ▢ ▢ Demolition tools
▢ ▢ Large/Heavy weapon ▢ Special grenades. EMP, GAS, FLASH.
▢ Exotic Weapon ▢ Microtronics Tools
▢ Cyberdeck ▢ Spare parts
▢ Drone [small, fast] ▢ Survival Kit. Mask, Ration, Water/Air Purif.
▢ ▢ Drone. Medium, versatile ▢ _____
▢ Medkit ▢ Armor
▢ Disguise ∟▢ ▢ Heavy
▢ Infiltration gear ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ Creds

▔ 02
 GAMEPLAY/⬝
Action Roll
When a Player Character faces a risky situation, the outcome is determined by the Action Roll:

1. The player describes what they want to accomplish and what Approach, Skill and Gear they
will employ to do so. There is no “wrong” Approach to a situation, but some may have reduced
effect or even increase the danger, prompting the Player to rethink their course of action to
improve their positioning.
2. The GM assesses if any or both sides have Edge. If so, they will then inform what Threat (T)
and Effect (E) Levels can be expected.
3. The Player can then raise or lower both T and E simultaneously to improve their impact at the
cost of a harder consequence or vice-versa.
4. The Player gathers their dice:
〉A number equal to Approach+Skill ratings.
〉Adds bonus dice from Push or Assist.
If they end up with zero or less dice to roll, they roll 2 dice and keep the lowest.
5. The Player rolls all the dice and reads the single highest result. Player and GM work together
narrating the action, but the latter has final say over the outcome and is the one declaring the
Consequences.

6,6 Critical. They succeed and gain an extra benefit (most likely increased Effect).
6 Success. It goes as well as intended.
4/5 Partial Success. They do it but also suffer a Consequence: harm, reduced Effect, lost
opportunity or complication.
1-3 Fail. Things go bad and they suffer the Consequences.

Threat & Effect

Threat Level (T) informs the danger posed by the situation and what/how much the PC can lose on a
bad roll. Effect Level (E) gauges how much is accomplished on a favorable roll. They are both set to
Level 2 by standard.

Each side may have an Edge from how they are using gear, tactics, environmental aspects or the
opposition weakness to their advantage — only the most significant factors should be considered.
Edge can Increase or Reduce both levels in the respective sides favor:
1. If the Threat has an Edge that allows them to respond more effectively, Increase Threat. An
Edge that could improve their defenses or diminish the PC efforts might Reduce Effect.
2. If the PC has an Edge that can avoid or mitigate retaliation from the Threat, Reduce Threat.
An Edge that increases their action effectiveness might give Increased Effect.
〉If using an Expertise, they can trade one die for an Edge.
〉They can choose to Push themselves for Increased Effect.
〉While OVERLOADED, they have Increased Effect.

▔ 03
Special Actions
Describe how you do it.

Push: mark 2 Stress to either add 1 die to your roll or Increase Effect or Act when OUT.

Assist: Mark 1 Stress and expose yourself to the Consequences to give 1d to a teammate’s Action
Roll. Only one PC may assist a given roll.

Setup: Make an Action Roll to give an Edge in anyone’s future Actions. E.g. provide cover, distract an
enemy, plant evidence etc.

Lead Group: All participating PCs make the same Action roll and pick the best result among them. The
LEADER marks 1 Stress for each PC that failed. They are all exposed to any Consequences.

Protect: Take the Consequences for a teammate’s failed action. You may Resist it as normal.

Flashback: Invoke to roll for an action in the past that impacts your current situation — without
changing what is already established in the fiction. In addition to other eventual costs (Creds, favors,
Hunted status), the GM sets a Stress cost depending on its plausibility:
〉1 Stress: A standard activity, likely to have occurred.
〉 2 Stress+: An elaborate plan involving unlikely circumstances.

Glitch
When a PC adds dice from a Gear, Approach or Action marked as glitchy, one of the dice will be a
GLITCH (an easily discernible die). If the GLITCH rolls a 1-3, regardless of the action outcome, the PC
suffers a Consequence. This Consequence can be Resisted as any.

Consequences
〉 Reduced Effect / their E is reduced.
〉 Harm / deal Harm to the runners involved.
〉 Complication / create and/or advance a danger’s Progress Bar, deplete resources (e.g. ammo).
〉 Worse Position / remove one of their advantages or put them on a bad spot.
〉 Lost Opportunity / circumstances shift. They must change their approach to the situation.

The Threat Level informs the Harm level, the ticks on a Danger bar or the severity of the Complication.
Combine these as the fiction dictates. E.G. a runner trying to fight a Level 3 Threat rolls a 2. As a
Consequence, The GM could deal a level 3 harm or level 1 harm plus give the threat an Edge over them.
Each Consequence can be Resisted separately.

▔ 04
Progress Bars
Threats and dangers are represented by Progress Bars with 4, 6 or 8 segments. They are mostly used
when the GM needs to track something over time. e.g. the endurance of an obstacle (like an enemy's
stamina or a systems integrity) or impending dangers (a time bomb, reinforcements arrival). The GM
can also set two opposed bars to represent a race, e.g. one ticks towards hacking a terminal, while the
other represents security closing in on the hacker.

When progress is made, tick a number of segments in the Progress Bar equal to T (when the Threat
advances) or E (When PCs advance).

Sample Threats
Most goons can be taken out with a single success. while nested bars may represent more complex
threats.

KING
Enhanced bouncer. A greedy bastard.
▢▢▢▢

GHOULZ A small gang armed with guns & a SMG.

▢▢▢▢

POISN Vet hacker with a neural-linked defensive deck & light weaponry.
▢▢▢▢▢▢

SECURITY AGENTS A few detachments. Crowd-control light armor, guns and rifles.
▢▢▢▢▢▢

TASKFORCE TM Paramilitary elite squad. Heavy armor and weaponry. Loads of enhancements.
▢▢▢▢▢▢▢▢

DOZER Bipedal drone enforcer. Heavily armored, arms as machine guns.

▢▢▢▢▢▢▢▢

ARTEMISIA-I Basic defensive program.

FIREWALL Barrier protocol, traces and blocks intruders and deploys an I.C.P.
〉
▢▢▢▢▢▢

I.C.P. Intrusion Countermeasure Protocol, attacks the hacker’s brain directly.

〉
▢▢▢▢

Harm
Harm is a lasting condition or injury dealt as a Consequence. Each Harm Level implies a penalty to
pertinent Action rolls, which may be disregarded with drugs. When you take Harm of a level already
filled, move it on to the next level. If a PC takes Harm and there is no slot left to fill, it is time to die.
Level 4 harm is fatal if not resisted and should be dealt only when the stakes are clear.

▔ 05
Resistance / Armor
When Resisting a Consequence, you reduce or avoid it entirely (GM's discretion). Declare how you do
it and roll the appropriate Approach:

Crit 2EZ. Clear 2 Stress

6 Solid. Mark 1 Stress
4/5 Not bad. Mark 2 Stress
1-3 Close call. Mark 3 Stress

Alternatively, you can mark Armor to Resist an appropriate type of Consequence instead of taking 1
Stress.

Overload
By marking your last Stress, you OVERLOAD. An Approach of your choosing becomes permanently
glitchy and incurs a complication, like:
⏣ You are taken out of action (while Overloaded).
⏣ You expose a team’s weakness.
⏣ You make the team lose an advantage.
⏣ You damage or overlook something crucial.

While OVERLOADED, you gain Increased Effect but can’t perform actions that would require Stress or
make Resistance rolls. You clear the OVERLOADED status after you TAKE A BREATHER.

Take a breather
Once per Run, convey how the fiction provides you with the opportunity to unwind — take a pill, turn up
the volume, punch a wall, check in with a loved one, patch yourself or another teammate up. Roll the
appropriate Approach, +1d if you bring out your ANGLE:

Crit: You've been through worse. Clear all Stress -or- ignore Levels 1 and 2 Harm penalties for the
rest of the Run.
6: That should work. Clear 3 Stress -or- ignore Level 1 or 2 Harm penalties for the rest of the Run.
4/5: Suck it up. Clear 2 Stress -or- ignore Level 1 Harm penalties for the rest of the Run.
1-3: Take what you can get. Clear 1 Stress.

GM Protocols
⏣ Convey a vibrant world with neon lights, loud music, greedy corps, high tech and low life.
⏣ Don’t say no, just make it more complicated, riskier, require specific gear, etc.
⏣ Build upon their choices and follow the fiction.

▔ 06
The Run
This gig should be a big, important operation, designated for veteran runners. Have a few Run
OBJECTIVES for the Players to choose from — use this table for inspiration. Elaborate a couple of
locations, potential assets and 8-12 obstacles that may be encountered.

OBJECTIVE WHO/STATUS

1 〉Assassinate / Tag 1 〉Political leader / Undercover

2 〉Escort / Protect 2 〉Corporate officer / Missing
3 〉Steal / Extract 3 〉Celebrity / Hostage
4 〉Smuggle / Courier 4 〉Scientist / Institutionalized
5 〉Raid / Defend 5 〉A.I. / Retired
6 〉Plant / Sabotage 6 〉White Hat / Refugee

LOCATIONS (EXTERIOR/INTERIOR) PAYLOAD/ORIGIN

1 〉Highway / Corporate tower 1 〉Biological matter / Offworld

2 〉Docks / Underground facility 2 〉Data / Corporate
3 〉Street markets / Apartment complex 3 〉Weapon(s) / Crow-sourced
4 〉Entertainment zone / Nightclub 4 〉Rare artifacts / Paramilitary
5 〉Slums / Powerplant 5 〉Energy source / Governamental
6 〉Luxury gardens / Monorail train 6 〉Unique prototype / Syndicate

Take note of the PC’s ANGLES and HUNTED statuses. Ask them about enemy gangs, corps, allies —
use those to make the Run personal. When everyone is ready, state the Run’s OBJECTIVE and cut to
the action.

1 〉Coming in Hot
Detail the LOCATION and circumstances the PCs start in — they already successfully dealt with
legwork, minor inconveniences and now engage their first significant obstacle. This situation must
call for immediate action: a shooting, a chase, an unexpected checkpoint, etc. During the scene, have
the OPERATOR checking in with them for status updates. Remind them to take advantage of
Flashbacks (plan on the fly).

2 〉Something Unexpected Occurred

Complicate things by subverting the main elements, possibly changing the PCs' priorities or interests.
This is an especially good opportunity to bring up their ANGLES. Maybe the data they were stealing is
the first known awakened AI; The rogue synthetics show empathy towards their creators; This gig’s
client is revealed to be the Runners' common enemy; Some shady organization is also interested in
the target. The final obstacle is resourceful, powerful, resilient.

3 〉Logging off
When the Run’s OBJECTIVE is concluded (successfully or not) and there are no more immediate
threats, it may be time to montage out. Wrap the current scene up and go around the table letting
each Player narrate their character’s prelude. Ask them to convey a brief scene detailing how that Run
changed their lives.

✖
▲ END OF FILE

▔ 07