Shadowrun: TakeDown is an upcoming cyberpunk campaign game where players become mercenary Runners, completing contracts for megacorporations. Sneak, hack, and blast your way through numerous levels, completing as many objectives as possible!
There are some secrets worth dying for. In a world filled with megacorporations manipulating the powers that be, secrets are the currency of power. Someone needs to learn those secrets if they want to get ahead – it just may cost them everything.
That’s where you come in. Each player will take on the role of a Runner, a trained mercenary who is able to complete any job. Each Runner has their own unique abilities – some prefer the run-and-gun approach, while others keep to the shadows. Regardless of your abilities, it is your responsibility to take contracts as a group and get paid.
There is one unique Runner in play – The Mastermind. This Runner is outside of the map, giving other Runners hints on the next plan of attack by your enemies. Utilize your Mastermind carefully, or you may find yourselves blown to bits.
What can you do with your pay? Get new upgrades and gear of course! Get access to powerful mods and weapons to make your next contract that much easy to traverse.
Want something a bit more competitive? Then check out Head-To-Head Mode! Set your group up into two teams as both sides race to complete the mission. Traverse through massive maps, fight for objectives, and claim victory over your enemy Runners once and for all!
Shadowrun: TakeDown comes out in August, 2024! Back your copy here!
Get all your board game news from The Bag of Loot! www.thebagofloot.com
Get all your board game needs from Three Kings Loot! www.threekingsloot.com
Want to get started in a sci-fi rpg, but don’t know where to gather inspiration from? There are plenty of options, like Star Wars and Star Trek, but if you have exhausted these avenues, what other works are there? What if you don’t want to run a space opera?
Other options may seem elusive, but don’t fear – your inspiration report is here. Here are some movies and books for your consideration whenever you are looking for some sci-fi inspiration.
The sci-fi classic, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep is the inspiration of numerous movies and spin-offs all around the world. The most famous of these is Blade Runner, but also includes Ex Machina, Ghost in the Shell, and Altered Carbon.
Do Android Dream is a pulp detective novel set in 1992 (or 2021, depending on the version) after nuclear war has decimated Earth. With the rich fleeing to Mars, the remaining citizens of Earth are fighting to survive on their own. Of those citizens, bounty hunter Rick Deckard is responsible for ‘retiring’ androids, known as ‘andys’. These androids have been enslaved on Mars, and are now trying to escape from servitude. The novel follows Deckard as he realizes that there may be something more to humanity than just being human.
Do Androids Dream really emphasizes the morality in sci-fi, which is a strong place to lean into when running a game. Sci-fi is a genre that was established to make commentary on contemporary life, so feel free to add social commentary into your game, or challenging perspectives – as long as your players are on board, that is.
Considered the origins of the Cyberpunk genre, Neuromancer is a great inspiration for any Cyberpunk RED or Shadowrun games your thinking of jump-starting.
The story follows a former hacker named Case. His greatest days are behind him after he stole from his employers, leaving him unable to access the online world of the Sprawl. Now, he lives in Night City (That’s right, the Night City) trying to find away to survive. When he’s approached by a mysterious woman, things begin to change for Case as he is thrown into thick of the underworld once again.
The best part about Neuromancer is it’s tone and atmospheric nature. From the first step of the story, you are thrown into a world alien but familiar. The reader feels like anything could happen in this exciting, strange world. The story is also entrenched into high-tech net-running, showing you some crazy things someone could do as a net-runner. If one of your players is planning on playing a hacker, check this one out.
A lesser known sci-fi classic, Roadside Picnic dips into eldritch horror as well as science fiction. The story was the inspiration of the Soviet film Stalker that became a sci-fi cult classic. It is also very clear that this text was the inspiration for the video game Control, which is a wonderful time if you haven’t played it yet.
The novel tells the story of Red Schuhart who sneaks into extraplanar locations known as The Zones. These Zones are believed to be pockets created by aliens, but are otherwise unexplained. Red is a ‘Stalker’, or someone who sneaks into these Zones to smuggle strange items out. However, as things turn desperate for Red, his once careful practices going into Zones become more and more reckless.
Roadside Picnic does a great job adding the weird into sci-fi. Some may think that sci-fi needs to be logical or hard science, but this is far from the truth. Sci-fi can meld into fantastical elements. Feel free to explore these otherworldy avenues – don’t limit yourself in your creations.
Keep up to date about all things board games on The Bag of Loot! https://www.thebagofloot.com/
Get everything Shadowrun and Cyberpunk RED at Three Kings Loot! https://www.threekingsloot.com/
