All the Matrix's Many Faces: Cyberpunk RPGs

The cyberpunk genre always lends itself so naturally to an RPG context. I guess it's not too surprising -- there are lots of gameable aspects to it. And, to be honest, I'd be surprised if there was some established genre that wasn't being mined for content by game designers. It walks that edge between a dark, near-future dystopianism that's very relatable to a modern audience and far-side, high-tech science-fiction -- and walks it in a way that feels very natural and is invariably appealing. And, of course, liberally peppering it all with a hearty dose of the film noir aesthetic will only make it even more appealing to a gamer's palate. Multiple great tastes that taste great together: it's like a role-playing sundae. (In which case, what's the butterscotch? The gritty, urban landscape? Certainly, though, the cherry at the top has a monofilament stem.)

I decided that, instead of doing another installment of my prior RPG Tasting Menu series, I would share a few, quick thoughts on the cyberpunk RPGs that I've played over the years, then focus some future posts on a connected project that I've been working on. 

RPG Tasting Menu #1: Low Fantasy Gaming

This session marked the start of my RPG Tasting Menu series. The idea here is that we would play a one-shot session of a particular game that we'd never played before, a way of test-driving the game and seeing how we liked it.

Low Fantasy Gaming

There is an important disclaimer that I should put front-and-center. I am a Patreon supporter of Stephen Grodzicki and Pickpocket Press, the creator and publisher behind Low Fantasy Gaming. I've been oddly drawn to this game ever since I stumbled across a listing for the original edition of it on Lulu, marked at an astonishingly reasonable price. The cover of the book, with its shadowy, hooded sentinels standing guard at the mountainside entrance to a dungeon, were a perfect reflection of my nostalgia-laced memories of childhood D&D campaigns. And the game's blend of specific genre trappings, grim black-and-white art, and interesting take on d20 mechanics were an instant appeal. So it's possible that I'm a less than disinterested and dispassionate reviewer. Nonetheless, the view expressed here are sincere and honest. Though I'm clearly familiar with the game itself, in the true spirit of the Tasting Menu, this was my first time running or playing LFG.

The following sections of this post contain spoilers for an adventure published for this RPG! Be warned before reading on.