Screamsheets

Today I implemented two new Discord channels for Cyberpunk Red - the Bounty Bar, and Screamsheets.

For the Bounty Bar, they had a little random encounter in play by post with an incompetent bounty hunter named Frank Schwartzwelder. It was a little story piece to get their characters wise on the Bounty Bar app, where they can take bounty jobs, similar to the program on Cowboy Bebop called “Big Shot.”

More interesting from a world building perspective are the Screamsheets. It’s a channel where I will post little news pieces. Some will be there just for fun and worldbuilding. Others will be there to trigger things for players to do, and some will start innocuous enough but then continue to develop over a period of days or weeks.

Here are the two I wrote today.

Tue Mar 25 4045 - Who Wants Ta Know? By Johnny Creosote

You think that when Richard Night put the skeleton of this shit hole together that he ever could have predicted a inner city war, a tactical nuke, and the fuckin' skies turned red after? We all got problems, but takin a bullet to the head just because you was being a nice guy? Talk about getting the screws put to ya.

Makes it hard to trust nobody. I been walking these streets for years - in and outta combat zones, gun to my head more times than a cyberpsycho seen a ripperdoc - a rogue media Mook who went straight to tha top fast. And why? Cuz I kept my mouth shut when I needed, and I told the truth when I needed.

Survivin Night City ain't hard if you're resourceful. But it's way tha fuck easier if you know when to zip your lip. If it's your first time here, welcome and sorry - cuz you ain't leaving anytime soon. Not outside of a body bag anyway. But if you listen to your pal Johnny, keep your nose clean and your tongue tight, you got a better chance than most.

So the next time some Gonk asks you a question, hit em with what makes sense - give em a "who the fuck wants to know?" Show em you got balls, and 9 times outta 10, you'll keep your body lead-free!

Tue Mar 4045 - Massive Chemical Explosion north of Night City

This morning at 0845 there was an explosion at a Kiroshi owned chemical plant 2 km north of Night City. This plant produced optic reagents, but has since been shut down entirely while Kiroshi officials work to uncover the source of the disaster.

"We are seeking answers, and we will find them." Says plant manager Hoi Karama. "So far we can determine this was not an internal incident. We are currently reviewing with our security department, but we suspect members of the Maelstrom gang were involved."

Workers at the plant are distraught about the incident.

"I was twenty fuckin feet outside the buildin when it went off. A big green ball o' smoke and the sound of a rocket goin' off. Let's just say I'm glad I brought a change o' pants.".

More on this story as it develops.

I want to make my Night City a living world, and there is no better way to do so than leveraging the heavy emphasis on media. There is an entire class dedicated to it for heaven’s sake.