So, I've been reading through Cyberpunk 2020 and I'm thinking of possibly running a game as I like the rules. However, I'm having a hard time understanding one of the "Roles," primary abilities. That being the "Corporate's" influence ability. At a ten rating it suggests the skill can more or less get you anything your corporation has access to. Now, the Cop and Fixer and Nomad have similar abilities, but they're all very localized or tied to local structures technically capping what you can possibly do with your skill, even maxed. The Corporate's ability on the other hand implies you have pull with a monolithic organization on par with a world power. It's one thing to be able drum up a shipment of illegal weapons or thugs, or equipment you don't own and have on lone. It's another thing entirely to able to glass a city block or have a mech delivered to you, or have an actual army show up. How do you balance that ability, or am I just seriously over reading what it can do?
So, I've been reading through Cyberpunk 2020 and I'm thinking of possibly running a game as I like the rules. However...
bump
Each corporation can only get you things that corperation makes.
The rulebook says: A Resource ability of +2 might get you access to a company car. An ability of +6 might allow you to use a company jet or hire a solo team from the corporate security division. A Resource of +9 would allow you access to almost all levels of the corporation, as well as the ability to requisition almost any company resource.
You could do something like this:
Company car (TN 15)
Company armored limousine (TN 20)
Company AV, helicopter or jet (TN 25)
Company orbital shuttle (TN 30)
Basic security kit (kevlar jacket, handgun with spare mag) (TN 15)
Tactical kit (helmet, flak vest, flak pants, assault rifle with spare magazines, handgun with spare magazine) (TN 20)
State-of-the-art cyberdeck (TN 25)
Experimental piece of gear (TN 30)
Bob the lonely rent-a-cop (TN 15)
Pair of security agents, surveillance drone (TN 20)
Team (6) of corporate SWAT or pair of elite bodyguards (TN 25)
Eurosolo, ninja, precision air strike (TN 30)
TN 15 & 20 items are immediately available
TN 25 items require 4d6 hours to be available
TN 30 items require 1d6 days to be available
Skill roll modifier:
Same department +1
Different department -1
Enemy department -3
Character's superior approves the requisition +3
Character's superior doesn't approve the requisition -3
Item is required for more than 24 hours +1 per 24 hours
Also think that the corporation doesn't want any bad press. Request that are highly visible, like air strikes on urban areas, and might generate negative press might simply be refused or get cancelled by your superior or some competing corporate.
To put pressure on the PCs, the request might be granted at first and while the PCs are operating in the field their request gets suddenly cancelled. If resources get lost, the corporate PC who made the request will suffer the consequences - that is unless he can put the blame on someone else. The company might not care about losing a shitty car, but they won't be happy at all if an AV-7 crashes (especially not if it crashes on a crowd and they have to spend millions of eb's on PR).
Apart of that, congratulation for your choice! Cyberpunk 2020 rocks!
I think you have to consider what that characters life is like at that level.
He is going to have access to near anything his (likely medium sized) company has. But that doesn't really mean he can do anything with it. Misappropriating company assets is a thing.
So at higher levels you are going to get lower level stuff easily and routine (a company car permanently assigned perhaps), but that higher level stuff comes with risk. You may be able to do nearly anything (with some roleplay to make it happen), but you might only be able to do that anything one time.
The other thing to consider is that these should probably be taken as guides for the GM on things to set up. So rather than the corp bumps his ability from two to six and can now do X, the GM should instead use that as a guide for the player to RP gaining access to those assets.
The corporation should feel like an actual entity with its own rules and culture that the player is moving up. That movement should result from RP with the ability level giving a guide/max as to where the player should be at.
The same could be said for any of the connection level abilities. Side quest and mini game here.
What the skill can do depends ultimately on the corporation. Biotechnica won’t be able to do an orbital bombardment. EBM won’t be able to provide you battle tanks, but they might have the latest cyberdeck and deadly black ICE (and probably also the people to use it). All corporations can provide small arms, basic armor, civilian and paramilitary AV’s, surveillance UAV’s, basic security personnel, common vehicles, airplane tickets, etc.
I agree. Cyberpunk is not only about going in, all guns blazing and blood saturated with combat drugs. It’s also about making and using your connections.
>You make me a favor, I’ll do you a favor in return.
>My friend’s friend is my friend.
>My enemy’s enemy is my friend.
>We aren’t friends, we’re just allies.
>or get cancelled by your superior or some competing corporate.
What you mean is "by major shareholders" to which the character truly is beholden to. Also, remember that once you have an elevated position in a corporation, you have sharks seeking desperately to replace you.
It’s exactly what I meant.
What exactly is the Mr. Studd implant?
Cybernetic dick replacement with massage function for her pleasure.
