Free League Publishing announces the release of CY_BORG RPG
Have weird and feverish dreams about an apocalyptic RPG infested with nanomachines in which misfits and Cyber Punks Rage Against Relentless Corporate Hell? Now, those dreams are about to come true. Free League Publishing and Stockholm Kartell announce an editorial partnership for the CY_BORG tabletop role-playing game, coming to kickstarter on November 13th.
CY_BORG RPG will be a cyberpunk spin-off based on and compatible with the award-winning artpunk, apocalyptic heavy metal RPG MÖRK BORG. CY_BORG RPG will stand for noise music, industrial hiphop and underground as MÖRK BORG stands for doom and black metal. Light rules, heavy fury. A feverish dream of technology, punk and fury, of fighting against a failing future.
CY_BORG RPG, the game
CY_BORG RPG will be an RPG about climate collapse, about out of control consumerism , on the commodification of personal data, on capitalism at the last stage, on transhumanism and on senseless violence. One hundred and sixty pages of cybernetic upheaval. It will be a messy mirror image of MÖRK BORG. It will be similar in tone and approach to the design of the game and the book, but improved and enhanced. CY_BORG RPG will include an introductory scenario and around sixty random tables to cover every cyberpunk need that Masters can think of.CY_BORG RPG will see players take on the role of punks and cyber misfits raging against a relentless corporate system, corrupt police forces, bloodthirsty street gangs, and cult worshipers of aliens and nanomachines. The setting will be the dystopian metropolis Cy, the only city that matters.
In addition to an introductory scenario, the 160-page core book will be packed with tables to generate an almost infinite game, including missions, NPCs, places, guilds and cults. CY_BORG RPG game will use an updated version of the original MÖRK BORG rules, keeping it light and simple and adding elements such as automatic fire, cybertech and hacking. The six optional classes include the Shunned Nanomancer, the Burned Hacker and the Renegade Cyberslasher.
Similar to the apocalyptic prophecies in MÖRK BORG, a campaign-defining countdown mechanic will dramatically affect and shape the game world, regardless of the actions of the players. In CY_BORG RPG, this will come in the form of Miserable Headlines: Disasters and events reported by corporation-owned news bulletins will come out with varying regularity, until the catastrophic conclusion of the total of seven titles. Nothing is ever static. The city is a living, or rather dying place.
CY_BORG RPG is written by Christian Sahlén, a veteran of the Swedish OSR scene, with illustrations and graphics by Johan Nohr (MÖRK BORG RPG). Like MÖRK BORG, the game will be printed and distributed by Free League Publishing (ALIEN RPG, Tales from the Loop RPG, The One Ring RPG) through the Free League Workshop sub-label, which deals with independently designed games. >
Since its release in 2020, MÖRK BORG has fostered a vibrant, creative and productive community and so far there are nearly a thousand titles released for the game, under third party license. All of these are, with little effort, adaptable to CY_BORG RPG. Just give them a cyberpunk touch.
