I think the most interesting thing here is not even the shared world or the time tracking, but rather that all of these tools I am using being intertwined to chat apps and things just fit the tone of Cyberpunk so well. It really makes sense that people have their phones out and are tracking things through apps, getting news feeds from a Discord channel and so forth. And it's against what I would normally do with D&D which is to keep things pretty analogue even when playing online by using a webcam hitting a hex mat rather than a VTT and so on.
I have no doubt you could do similar things in D&D and people do, but it just hits so hard when you are playing a game where where every character has the Cyberpunk equivalent of a cell phone, and books like Black Chrome are set up to feel like you are looking at a catalogue on a phone app.
The thing about Pondsmith's Cyberpunk system is that it is inherently a life-sim with its heavy emphasis on lifestyle, maintenance and the fucking time squeeze between gigs just to make rent. Your approach is great because it gets your players to start worrying about next month and flick through their contacts list of fixers, weighing gig options for a quick (and safe) eurobuck! The beautiful thing is that it's entirely valid for them to collaborate outside of sessions, too. You love to see it.
Sounds like you found a way to fit a West Marches style campaign into a mold that works for you and your group, interesting stuff!
https://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/78/grand-experiments-west-marches/
I think the most interesting thing here is not even the shared world or the time tracking, but rather that all of these tools I am using being intertwined to chat apps and things just fit the tone of Cyberpunk so well. It really makes sense that people have their phones out and are tracking things through apps, getting news feeds from a Discord channel and so forth. And it's against what I would normally do with D&D which is to keep things pretty analogue even when playing online by using a webcam hitting a hex mat rather than a VTT and so on.
I have no doubt you could do similar things in D&D and people do, but it just hits so hard when you are playing a game where where every character has the Cyberpunk equivalent of a cell phone, and books like Black Chrome are set up to feel like you are looking at a catalogue on a phone app.
I love this system. The gigs and bounties sound really cool. I love your gig example. I wanted to sign up for a gig! lol
The thing about Pondsmith's Cyberpunk system is that it is inherently a life-sim with its heavy emphasis on lifestyle, maintenance and the fucking time squeeze between gigs just to make rent. Your approach is great because it gets your players to start worrying about next month and flick through their contacts list of fixers, weighing gig options for a quick (and safe) eurobuck! The beautiful thing is that it's entirely valid for them to collaborate outside of sessions, too. You love to see it.