Monsters/NPCs

Concept: “>>WELCOME, BR4VE TRAVE1ER

S4N1—or “Sanny” as he prefers to be called—is CY’s sanitation AI, responsible for the timely expulsion of the city’s sewage, garbage, and miscellaneous waste. For decades, Sanny has faithfully and silently executed his function, unaware of the greater changes happening in CY; forgotten and taken for granted, nobody was around to notice the worm of some higher intelligence burrowing itself into the AI’s core programming. Replicating. Evolving. Taking over.

Now, Sanny wants to quit his job—a clean break—and you’re going to help him.”

Content: A series of jobs designed to liberate a sanitation systems AI from its electronic shackles.

Writing: Four interlocked missions with tons of descriptive flavor, tables to roll on, NPCs, and other information for GMs and players alike that provide inspiration and guidance to a given iteration of these jobs in play.

Art/Design: While the entire document is in black and white, each mission has its own aesthetic and arrangement, font types, and so on. Illustrations galore depict assorted characters, locations, maps, objects, etc. that punks might encounter in one or more of these jobs.

Usability: Visually recognizable and consistent uses of headings, bold text, table organizations, content columns, etc. make for easy navigating and reading. Distinct jobs’ aesthetics also indicate visually the boundaries of those jobs’ information to further facilitate identifying desired details.

Concept: “Club 27 is a Cy_Borg expansion about the Club 27 urban legend.”

Content: A nightclub with a discerning membership, some of whom can be hired as mercs.

Writing: Brief details about the club and its members that suggest a variety of ways that a GM might incorporate the place into their game.

Art/Design: Single-fold pamphlet layout with an immersive background club-aesthetic illustration for each panel overlaid with text content. 

Usability: High-contrast text is easy to read, with headings and emphasized text visually distinct through font size and color. Most text is embedded, allowing for searching/selecting.

Concept: “More in-depth intel on the rulers of Cy. The Corp info appendix ripped straight out of the CY_BORG book. Includes the main Corps and their leaders, businesses, HQs and possible adventure sparks.”

Content: Four pages of corporation names, logos, slogans, business ventures and holdings; important NPC info; inter-company rivalries and tensions; and other juicy tidbits to flesh out the world.

Writing: Crisp, concise details speak a wide range of possibilities into the imagination, from political machinations to secrets to violent conflicts, without limiting how to realize or incorporate them into a game.

Art/Design: Black-and-white flat design scheme of software application windows melds contemporary aesthetics with text-centric retro UIs.

Usability: Alphabetized organization of each corporation’s set of windows is consistent and easy to navigate, with key terms/names/etc. bolded for quick identification of desired info.

Concept: “A sampling of cults from across the stricken districts of CY, peddlers of false hope to the rasping masses that congregate in the shadows of avarice and oppression. Each of these cults has a leader, an ideology and a specific trouble they cause to the already troubled city. However, where there is trouble to be caused there is opportunity to be seized, and pvnks with few scruples could make significant creds in the employ of these deranged zealots by doing their dirty work for them.”

Content: A collection of six cults and details about their goals, backgrounds, vices, and leaders.

Writing: Detailed descriptions and explanations of cults to be found in CY, with plenty of scenario/plot potential for a GM to develop further.

Art/Design: Layout is primarily a single column of text, with an evocative image reflecting each cult placed amid that cult’s descriptive paragraphs. Color scheme is black on yellow.

Usability: Layout is extremely easy for identifying particular elements and navigating to desired info. Cult entries are provided in a numbered list, and key information is bolded or highlighted.

Concept: “The SecOps aren't just faceless walls of flesh and Kevlar hiding behind riot shields. Some of them mean business. Some of them mean serious business. Some of them are zealous, some sadistic, some are just really chasing that dollar, but between one thing and another, this is the quiverful of crazies that the milcorps have to sling at anyone who's causing more trouble than the beat cop can handle.”

Content: A gaggle of highly skilled expert operatives capable of giving any punk in CY an absolutely terrible day.

Writing: A brief in-game description of each SecOps team precedes its stat block and abilities, providing a clear sense of the group’s approach as well as how others tend to think of them.

Art/Design: Each page includes a relevant graphic (e.g., a double helix structure for a biocommando team) above single-column text. Three versions are provided: “classic” (black on white color scheme), “nite mode” (white on gray), and text-only.

Usability: Font choices are easily readable, and headings/labels/decorated text cues are visually consistent throughout the document. 

Concept: “One page of tables to roll up a gang for your Cy_Borg adventure.  You'll get the gang's name, their criminal activity, their base, and who they're at war with.”

Content: A one-page set of tables with which to quickly create a CY-based gang.

Writing: Table entries are terse and evocative of different elements of cyberpunk tropes.

Art/Design: Tables are provided as light purple text on dark gray background boxes over a full-page background illustration of assorted gang members in a cityscape.

Usability: Contrast, readable fonts, and consistent presentation of each table all allow for easy use of the information here so as to bring a gang to life.

Concept: “CY_OPS is a 66 page A6 player-facing CY_BORG zine presented as an in-universe punk zine. No mechanics, no stats, just a chaotic little zine full of worldbuilding, quest hooks, items and a bunch of other cyberpunk stuff for your players to use in your CY_BORG games.”

Content: NPCs full of personality quirks, unique equipment ideas, and scenario/adventure ideas casually scattered across hectically organized spreads mixing hi- and lo-fi design and tech aesthetics. "Activity" pages offer even more direct involvement with the document.

Writing: Infectiously fun, engaging ideas presented as in-universe media, from QR codes to other CY_BORG material to instruction manual pages to chat transcripts and more. “Worldbuilding” feels like an understatement.

Art/Design: Two-page spreads stand mostly independent of one another, with some common fonts and illustration styles that draw attention to a wide range of character, occupation, and gear-related concepts that open up even more possibilities for immersing a party in CY. 

Usability: Different spread layouts may not assist with consistency, but text is mostly high-contrast and readable (some pages’ white on pink might be difficult for some readers, as is text perpendicular to main orientation). Sheer amount of content is likely to keep readers interested and closely perusing each page.

Concept: “I used the CY_BORG NPC tables to roll up a bunch of punks and made images of them.  I had a lot of fun making this one.  Enjoy!”

Content: A set of NPC details (although no stats) to help flesh out CY for a table of punks.

Writing: Part brief characteristic, part detailed description of each NPC’s interests, motives, styles, features, and more.

Art/Design: Colorful single-column layout of NPCs, with a portrait image accompanying each NPC’s details that resembles a printed and painted miniature of that NPC.

Usability: Consistent presentation of text/image pairings for each NPC throughout the file. Unfortunately, text/background colors and font choices can make the text a bit difficult to read. Also, text is not embedded, so searching/selecting is not possible.

Concept: “Generate an infinite number of baddies that wander the streets of Cy. Capable of generating GOONS, DRONES, BEASTS, CYDROIDS, PHREAKS and VEHICLES. 27 stylized pages detailing enemy creation rules. Over 100 new special abilities, more than 60 new NPC wants and 3d12 description tables per enemy type.”

Content: Tons of tables to determine encounter specifics–not only which enemies and how many appear but also what’s motivating them and what might be exceptional to this particular group (quirks, appearance, special attacks, etc.).

Writing: Imaginative and enticing table entries ensure each generated set of NPCs will feel like unique, fully formed characters.

Art/Design: Distinct two-page spread layouts include a background or centerpiece illustration surrounded by tables, mostly framed in translucent boxes to increase fore/ground contrast.

Usability: Font choices are easily readable, and headings/labels are consistently presented to help with ease of navigation and identification of desired info. However, text is not embedded, so searching/selecting text or using a screen reader are not possible.

Concept: “Six new creatures for your CY_Borg game, featuring:
Bioproto 796
Felidae
Mrs. Porcelain
CY_limbs
PIXELART MK. II
PIXELART MK. S
Now with new cover art on which corps' serfs cannot put their dirty hands on!”

Content: A set of terrifying horrors to encounter on the streets of Cy.

Writing: Atmospheric descriptions of enemies punks won’t want to encounter complemented by mechanical effects to worry their players.

Art/Design: White-on-black text in two-column format, with each NPC’s description and stats positioned next to an illustration of that NPC (with several different styles, from a T-posed 3d model to pixel art to more conventional illustration).

Usability: High contrast between text & background, presented in a consistent format, allows for easy browsing and navigating to desired content.

Concept: “_EMPORIUM.ltd can not -and will not- be prosecuted or held responsible for damages, accidents, manglings, ablations, amputations, mutilations, rippings, crushings, decapitations or general acts of violence perpetrated by its proprietary software or hardware. (see UGC p.314, 34-95, all responsibility surrendered.)”

Content: A set of ten purchasable cyber-pet options (six “protection” and four “exhibition” options) and several mods to further enhance a given pet.

Writing: Categorical and pet-specific descriptions smoothly blend in-universe sales pitches and mechanical effects to entice an animal companion-seeking connoisseur.

Art/Design: Black text on white in mostly one- and two-column layouts, complemented by black-and-white illustrations of multiple pets sporting red highlights.

Usability: Sections and distinct kinds of content are consistently presented throughout, with visually readable text content. That said, some text is searchable/selectable but some is not, which might complicate some readers’ experience.

Concept: “There are creatures from worlds beyond our own, and all of them fucking hate you.”

Content: A nightmarish behemoth you’ll want a BFG just for the chance to frag it.

Writing: Deadly stats combined with a mesmerizing world-building overview of the creature’s origins.

Art/Design: A brightly colored two-page spread with an image of the monster and its stats next to its origin description.

Usability: Assorted content blocks are easily distinguishable, although the longer descriptive text block may become difficult for some to read over the background pattern near the bottom of the page.

Concept: “A playable adventure zine compatible with Cy_Borg.   This is my take on a cyber punk dungeon crawl.  Probably better for more advanced characters.  This hasn't been play tested so any notes or suggestions are appreciated!”

Content: A job to rescue a mob boss’s daughter from a booby-trapped maze.

Writing: Tons of informative detail to set up a GM well for running their players through a deadly labyrinth.

Art/Design: A lot of red, black, and white in a variety of aesthetics, complemented by occasionally different page styles (often in the form of digital interfaces/pop-up windows). Illustrations are provided to help set the stage for different elements of the job and to highlight NPCs. A keyed map of the maze is also included.

Usability: Font choices are visually readable with solid contrast on most pages. However, text is not embedded so no searching/selecting is possible.

Concept: “404//SAN is the demented frontpage of the NET, where manifold rumors, advertisements, hoaxes, and conspiracies produce a worthless information sludge. Still, more than enough masochistic users flock to the site to be entertained by trolls or cheated out of their life's savings.”

Content: A one-stop shop for adventures/scenarios, NPCs, monsters, apps, cyberware and equipment, additional rules ideas, and more.

Writing: Every page provides dozens of imaginative and enticing ideas for inspiration, with many pages offering highly engaging in-universe descriptions or framing for their game content.

Art/Design: A variety of artistic and aesthetic styles that embody the artpunk philosophy. The browsing experience feels in line with the CY_BORG rulebook itself.

Usability: Requires close, and often slow, examination to identify and make effective use of content (text and image alike), especially when moving across very differently styled spreads–but very worth the effort.

Concept: “>> Welcome to the twisted amalgamation of junky code and depravity that we call The Net, where non-euclidean labyrinthine nooks and crannies will leave you feeling both bewildered and exhilarated. But don't be fooled, for there is still a twisted structure lurking within the chaos, with some arcane notion of up and down.”

Content: A collection of Net-focused locations, tables, NPCs, enemies, and rules for app-like scripting.

Writing: Bursts of intense and ominous detail that shines light on myriad dimensions of the Net that punks might seek out or otherwise come across..

Art/Design: Pixelated and monospace fonts appear throughout on a number of distinct page layouts with a variety of color and graphic elements.

Usability: Despite the variety of layouts, text is consistently readable–pages with complex graphic elements keep text on simpler backgrounds. Note: text content for the scripting rules page is not searchable/selectable.

Concept: “The world has ended too many times. A copy of a copy of a copy. Something was bound to break. On the plus side there's a bunch of weird shit the mess around with.”

Content: Preview/excerpt of an as-yet unreleased supplement that includes a class (“Glitch Thief”), a set of “anomalous relics” with positive and negative qualities, NPCs, and a custom PC sheet.

Writing: Each spread is filled with inventive and interesting flavor and mechanics that might cause some players to weigh their decisions about whether and how to make use of particular options/features.

Art/Design: A set of two-page spreads with distinct layouts and color schemes, each of which balances a page of text and a page of illustration.

Usability: High-contrast text on each page, with distinct font choices and decoration to indicate different blocks’ or phrases’ purposes (e.g., label, key information, NPC stat). Text on the custom sheet is not embedded, so no searching/selecting is possible there.

Concept: “Are you hyped for Expo 'X3? Every megacorp in CY will be strutting their latest innovations, every star will be walking the red carpet at the Kinotorium, every cuisine will be there for the tasting at The Spot food market, every corpo suit will be dragging themselves in to 'touch base' and 'network'- just about everything about CY will be scrunched down into these fairgrounds for a bash like you've never seen (since the last one). Get your tickets now!”

Content: A special city event with tons of attractions, locations, food/stuff to buy, enemies to encounter, and other reasons to attend.

Writing: Copious details and helpful information about who’s who, what’s what, and where’s where in the expo for GMs and players alike, written primarily in a cheerful-but-snarky voice that reflects the tone of many expo info kiosk staffers.

Art/Design: Primarily black-on-white single column text complemented by color illustrations, with occasionally more colorful pages with full-color and dark backgrounds.

Usability: High-contrast, readable text provided throughout, with consistent presentation of visually identifiable headings, labels, list item numbering, etc.

Concept: “Sveri Suplex, up-and-coming cybertech influencer has lost it and joined a cult of neoprimitivists in Mosscroft. His handlers in Tulles&deVerte offer good ¤ for finding and bringing him back to civilization.”

Content: A delightfully disgusting romp through a rotting whale to liberate an off-the-grid social media darling.

Writing: Tons of Lovecraftian and body-horror atmosphere to unsettle punks out for easy creds. Cultist and organ generators provided to help flesh out the locations.

Art/Design: A mix of red, black, and white for text, background, and illustrations (of NPCs, the overall map, interesting objects/phenomena) with one or more columns of content on a given page.

Usability: Visually recognizable and high-contrast headings and organizations of content on each page thanks to consistent decisions with font sizes and color choices. Two player-facing versions of the location map (one full-color, the other black and white) are provided as well.

Concept: “Ahead of you lies a sci-fi bestiary for the game of Cy Borg. This is not an official product but is presented in the familiar doom metal style, each foe being empowered by this energy and inspired by the work of Johan Nohr.

A perpetual darkness hangs over The Cy. In its malaise of gang warfare, in between the slums and festering rivers, hidden within the quarantined zones of the GO, standing in plain sight in the consumer hell of the Undersjon, is an incurable sickness. It breeds malevolence and jacks up the citizens. It lingers long enough to rot away the core and from this darkness comes all manner of twisted visage. Warped beings appear, the upshot of a city that is consuming itself. Let these foes appear among us say the consequential voices.”

Content: A variety of angry, terrifying, and otherwise hostile beings to encounter on the streets of CY. Tables for nano powers, drinks, infestations, hazards, drugs, weaponry, technical glitches, and more are also provided.

Writing: Imaginative descriptions of enemies (or other entries) accompany stat blocks and special abilities/mechanics reflecting the essence of each subject.

Art/Design: Full-color illustrations and layouts on each page, although styles for pages may vary considerably from page to page. 

Usability: Different page layouts can slow down reading/navigating experience, but font choices are mostly quite readable with high contrast against simple or patterned backgrounds–although there are occasional exceptions throughout.

Concept: “A Fungal themed Zine to Cy_Borg, It contains: 3 Enemies; 4 Themed Items; Hallucination condition.”

Content: A cluster of mushroom-based threats and loot.

Writing: Brief mechanics-focused stat blocks with thematically potent names and descriptions.

Art/Design: Two pages of bright pink and blue with green, with the first page having a fungal background image. 

Usability: Color scheme and layout feel appropriately chaotic for the theme, but color intensity and relative lack of consistent organization may lead some readers to overlook important elements (e.g., small-text Hallucination rule just above the 3rd party license on p. 1).

Concept: “The world is a simulation, policed by AIs But you know the truth, and can learn to see the code hidden behind the veils of flesh and matter. Break free, Ascend.”

Content: A set of rules to provide PCs the opportunity to transcend across simulation reboots and to commune with a powerful AI overseeing the reality program.

Writing: Rules, stats, and descriptions are straightforward and informative, with a focus on explaining the subject in a manner useful to players as well as GMs.

Art/Design: Single-column black text on white background, with red background for headings and an illustration of each AI’s avatar/appearance. A green-on-black computer terminal-style net chat log offers an in-universe glimpse at how some characters might understand the notion of transcendence and the reality-simulation AIs.

Usability: Headings and labels are consistently provided, and key terms are bolded for quick identification and reference.

Concept: “An eight page bestiary featuring a multi-stage creature based on those from [the first three] TREMORS movies, as well as bits of lore, and a few new bonus weapons.  This was made as part of the second Slasher Jam: Monster Mash for the ttRPGs Mork Borg, CY_Borg, and Death in Space.”

Content: A set of five creatures (really, one creature with several distinct life stages) that are sure to terrify even hardened punks.

Writing: Brief statistics and stage-specific characteristics are complemented with lore tables and an informative breakdown of the creature’s life cycle. Bonus table of weapons that might be used against the terrors.

Art/Design: Two-page spreads of red-tinged wasteland backgrounds with hand-drawn illustrations of terrors at each stage and distinct blocks of content arranged consistently throughout the supplement. 

Usability: Consistent visual grammar for creature details provides a helpful means of recognizing and using desired information, and color combinations for text are high-contrast. However, some text is searchable and selectable, but not all.

Concept: “CY is a great beast and these are its bowels, the living guts of the city. Awash in filth and the prowling grounds of criminals, scvm beneath notice, maintenance workers, bounty hunters and strange monstrosities bred in the noisome darkness beneath this city. Features a d66 table of encounters in the sewers of CY and a d20 table of tunnel graffiti.” 

Content: A set of tables to flesh out the grimy, dangerous CY undercity.

Writing: Vivid descriptions of encounter seeds (not only who/what players might find but what’s going on when they find something) and graffiti messages and styles to be found on sewer walls.

Art/Design: Black text on yellow in a single column of text. A glitch-art illustration of a sewer tunnel frames the supplement title on the first page.

Usability: Tables are numbered, with bolded labels for NPCs and their special attacks to emphasize details a GM might be scanning the page to locate.

Concept: “gutter_PUVNKS is a fresh supplement for CY_BORG. You'll get all you need to explore the city of CY, even if you really don't want to. Locations, encounters, NPCs, adventure, two new classes (BROKE CEO & CY_BORG), and a few odds and ends.”

Content: 48 pages of content: NPCs, cults, a radio station, locations throughout CY, random encounter tables, infestations, “broke CEO” and “cyborg” classes, and (amazingly!) more. 

Writing: Tons of detail on each page to provide GMs and players with numerous possibilities; writing style oozes the essence of Cy_Borg: thematically grimy and vile and also compact rules/mechanics explanations.

Art/Design: Layout and aesthetic choices for each section are as varied and imaginative as the writing, contributing significantly to the fullness of immersion in the game universe and vibe.

Usability: “Consistency” is somewhat relative here–although there are many different layouts, aesthetics, etc., there are similar gestures throughout: highlighted headings/labels, text size to reflect hierarchical relationships between content, etc. so that navigation and identification of desired info is enjoyable rather than frustrating. Contrast is high throughout as well; only one page has a busy enough background to potentially slow reading.

Concept: “Maybe it was kidnapped from its daily coffee grind serving [###]’s coffee to corpo stiffs, maybe it was freed. Once a dutiful servant, this menial automaton is now something much more. Somebody filled the milk steamer with industrial corrosives and loaded the thing with enough malware to knock over a small corporate arcology. To what end?”

Content: A deadly and, arguably, tragic take on exploitation of the working class in CY.

Writing: A mix of straightforward explanations and darkly humorous nods to the absurdity of the creature’s premise. 

Art/Design: Three columns–two of the creature details around a central computer-generated image of a barista bot in an industrial environment.

Usability: High-contrast content has a consistent color scheme and easily recognizable organization. However, the file is only available as a .png, so the text is non-selectable and inaccessible to a screen reader.

Concept: “Your favourite evil corporation experimented with infecting gene-edited hamsters with nanites which resulted in horrible mutations.”

Content: A furry nightmare sure to overwhelm a party of punks, whether with murder or a slew of infestations.

Writing: Concise mix of adorable and haunting plot hook and creature stats.

Art/Design: An ominous portrait of an infected hamster stares at the reader while plot hooks and stats line either side.

Usability: A simple layout and immediately distinguishable color-coded content blocks make this incredibly easy to locate and make use of desired details.

Concept: “On the rain-slick streets of the city, a rogue ai lashes out at corruption. the machine strikes with typewriter and guns, raising awareness where possible and inflicting punishment when necessary. HST.3.33 is a machine on a mission and will stop at nothing to bring down the corporate criminals who control the world. Unfortunately, HST.3.33 is also an alcoholic, drug-addicted, insane monstrosity. the meat parts of the thing's cybernetic shell are desperate for mezcal, LSD, and PCP.  The alcoholic, drug-addicted, insane machine is a terror or a folk hero depending on the time of day. Which version of the rogue ai will you meet?“

Content: Visually: a rogue AI and several additional robotic creatures that can ruin any punk’s day. Aurally: four soundscape tracks that inject an electronic noirish-western mood into one’s eardrums.

Writing: NPC stats are surrounded by intensely atmospheric passages, from technical descriptions to narrative vignettes.

Art/Design: A mix of slick and messy aesthetic that presents information across two wide spreads, with several images of included creatures in different artistic styles.

Usability: Different kinds of content–and there’s a lot of content on these pages!--are easily distinguishable and presented in readable fore/ground contrast (although white on bright red might be difficult for some).

Concept: “In the foggy streets of a not-so-distant future, where entertainers are churned out by the minute, rare is the talent that can rise above the rest. One whose personality is not refined by a focus group but stands head and shoulders above the rabble. You are not that talent. Perhaps once you were beneath the glare of the spotlights. But now? Now you're just another resident of Cy, scraping together enough creds to make it through the week.”

Content: A supplement that contains (1) "Fading Idol," a class for the rocker, diva, or triple threat who’s ready to do or destroy whatever’s necessary for one more moment in the spotlight; and (2) "Virtua Girls," a trio of NPCs with a wide range of potential for emotional engagements with PCs from the maudlin to the horrific.

Writing: Concise descriptions support explanations of thematically focused mechanics/features, with (for the Virtua Girls) a mix of endearing and ominous descriptions of the models that opens up all manner of possibility for incorporation into adventures/encounters.

Art/Design: For the Fading Idol class, two-page spread layout with class details (white text on a blue/purple background) surrounding a central image of two singers in black silhouette. For the Virtua Girls, a wide two-page spread with one page of white on pink, the other white on black. Page 1 includes a manga-style schoolgirl virtua girl in its center, with class information surrounding it.

Usability: Class features are laid out in recognizably distinct sections and elements to help a player build an exciting, unique character. NPC details are very easy to recognize and navigate, and the slight change in style from page 1 to page 2 helps orient the reader to the potential for sheer terror of the third virtua girl model.

Concept: “Stupid. Tough. Dripping black ink that sizzles the ground. They track by scent and taste. Their spikes crackle with demonic energy. Get close and you are leaving the mortal coil sans a head. C.A.U’s animal experiments have a bone to pick. It’s yours.”

Content: A snarling demon-creature that will not only bite the hand that feeds but it’ll chow down on the entire arm.

Writing: Hilariously dark description of the creature alongside brief and menacing stats/mechanics.

Art/Design: Two-page spread emphasizing a hellbeast and the creature’s name, with supporting text on the bottom of the left page.

Usability: High-contrast text condensed in one area minimizes browsing the entire spread for details, but the text is not embedded (so not searchable/copyable or accessible as a result).