New Faction: Cyberpunks

Cyberpunks & Anarchy: Origin of the first Punks
The rise of the cyberpunks followed the ‘cleansing’ of Shi Yukiro territory of many of its less desirable citizens. To be less desirable all you had to do was have a track record of being open minded, a criminal record for a minor crime or in some cases just dress too strangely. Unlike the outlaws that can be found in any dark place on the Earth, these now homeless citizens still possessed wealth and a plethora of skills. They also, it turns out, developed a healthy disrespect for The Man.

The first anonymous networks rose soon after the refugees made land fall in week 22 of 2549. SY Citizens had to circumvent the firewalls and blocks that stopped all WDN traffic in and out of their home land so they could communicate with those still there. The only signals able to reliably make it across the Sea of Japan were very low bandwidth and disguised to look like any other stray radio signal; everything else was either jammed or would lead to the sender/receiver being discovered. There were very few free citizens still left above ground in Tokyo, but in the surrounding cities there were a few ingenious people who had jury rigged networking hubs to get the word out; The people of Japan were being imprisoned by their own Corporation.

After the earthquake of week 25 and the mass exodus of other Shi Yukiro citizens wanting to escape their new homes (or rather, cells), Shi Yukiro agents were sent to every population centre to prevent S.Y secrets falling into enemy hands. The WDN was closely monitored for the slightest sign of information leaking out. If any was identified then the Agents would find the source and shut it down.

The only way for citizens to avoid S.Y agents was to group together to defend themselves and to communicate using the newly established anonymous networks. They used refined versions of those used during the cleansing, hiding their signals in plain sight using heavy encryption and camouflage. Shielded from common knowledge and corporation scrutiny, the networks flourished and evolved into a hot bed of anti-Corporation and anti-authority sentiment. The networks began to join together using long range transmitters and even satellites acquired by the more wealthy members of the movement. The cobbled together system became known as something very distinct from the heavily moderated WDN. Anarchy was born.

Groups such as terrorist cells, criminal gangs and anyone with a distrust of the UIG began to use Anarchy. The tiny amount of bandwidth became overwhelmed by the data being transmitted. Something had to be done to prevent the entire system crashing to the ground. For a time it was feared that no one could help or organise Anarchy, given its distributed nature and innate hatred of leadership. Then the Architects emerged. Influential members of the community and owners of the networking hubs somehow reached an agreement. Anarchy would become text only. Anarchy would become the world’s largest message board, used exclusively for communication and organising efforts to bring down the UIG, destroy the Corporations and show the world that it no longer needed any kind of government.

Cyberpunks
A regular member of Anarchy is generally referred to as a punk or cyberpunk. The similarity between the dystopian science fiction genre of the same name is quite deliberate. The mega-corporations envisioned by past works have now come to pass and, as shown in the stories and art of the genre, must be resisted at all cost in the name of freedom. The Cyberpunks seek to use their technology to bring down the UIG and anyone else who holds more authority than the punks think they should have.
A low level cyberpunk, or ‘Noob’ is stereotyped as a disillusioned teenager, unhappy with having to always follow the rules. In reality, the lower ranks of Anarchy are made up of people from every possible background, and most of them do not run around the streets throwing Molotov cocktails at police stations. Cyberpunks of this level may get up to mischief such as vandalizing corporate property or spray painting anti-UIG graffiti in hard to reach places. Performing simple acts like this will earn a punk respect on Anarchy and they will slowly gain the equivalent of rank points.

As a punk’s missions become more daring and dangerous they will accrue more and more rank until they ‘level up’ on Anarchy. The rank table is shown below.

Rank	Title	Description
1	Noob	A new member or Anarchy. Noobs are free to donate credits and post message, but will not gain much respect or attention.
2	Punk	You have proven your dedication to the cause by raising hell and/or donating significantly to Anarchy.
3	Cyberpunk	A fulltime member of Anarchy. You serve an important purpose such as data running and performing simple missions. Player “Agents” start at this rank.
4	Captain	Captains are successful and popular cyberpunks. When a Captain speaks, others will listen. You can often recruit lower ranking cyberpunks to your missions in a pinch.
5	Mod	Mods preside over a real-world area of Anarchy. You make sure interesting information gets to the right people and organise real world missions. Mods may gain access to Anarchy hardware if they are well respected enough.
6	Admin	Admins are responsible for the maintenance of the Anarchy network. Real-world hardware must be acquired, installed and protected from The Man.
7	Hacker	Hackers are a force to be reckoned with in the real world; they take on the forces of authority directly and do all they can to cause damage, chaos and awesomeness. Some call them terrorists.
8	Wizard	While Hackers go on the offensive, Wizards defend the network and improve it. Wizards program new code, direct the Admins and keep Anarchy free.
9	Root	Root are Wizards and Hackers who hold so much respect and knowledge that they can call entire cities into action. They direct actions that span over the entire Anarchy network and plan for the glorious future without corporate oppression.
10	Architect	The architects built the Anarchy network. They started before anarchy encoding was used, so no one knows if they are even still around. If someone claims to be an architect, then they aren’t one.

Screen Names
The network is anonymous, but a new member must choose a screen name. This name will follow them for the rest of their Anarchy career and cannot be changed. Each screen name is linked to an Anarchy Encoder, which is a real-world object that allows the punk to connect to the network. If the Encoder is ever lost or destroyed then they will need to get a new screen name and lose all of their previous achievements. The Encoder is about the size of a credit chip and is easy to hide on your person, or anywhere else, and is immune to EMP damage. Building or locating an Encoder is the first step a Noob must take to join the network and requires dedication. The plans for the device are scattered around the quiet, dark places on the WDN, but the most certain way of finding one is to speak to other punks.

Cyberpunk Missions
Standard cyberpunk missions are listed below. Any task can be put forward as a ‘mission’, but the ones listed below are more likely to earn credits from the Anarchy network.

Excessive Vandalism (EV)
Find a corporate asset and trash it. This is not as simple as it sounds, because there will always be some form of protection around for truly important facilities and possessions. Common acts of EV include destroying UIG officers’ patrol cars while they are responding to a call out, bringing down UIG invigilator droids, locating and destroying corporate weapon stashes and burning down corporate office buildings.
You are going to get shot at, and the corporations are going to try to hunt you down and murder you (and possibly your whole family). Have fun punks!

Data Running
There is no bandwidth for file transfer on Anarchy and the WDN is closely monitored by both the UIG and space alien AIs of god-like intelligence. Therefore, the network needs Runners to haul data on encrypted memory chips to get it place to place. Ideally, this would be a quiet and stealthy affair, but the open nature of Anarchy means that if you know where to pick up and drop off data, so does everyone else. Locations and times are given in cryptic clues that must be solved quickly so a runner can reach the drop point before the authorities. After that, they are likely to be tracked and hunted through the streets. The best data runners tend to be free runners, skaters and cyclists, since they can access routes that UIG vehicles and corporate forces have trouble following. Do not use motor vehicles; they have tracking chips in them. Data Runners are some of the best paid cyberpunks, but also the most likely to get brutally killed on the job.

Downloading/Uploading
Not really anything to do with data acquisition. Downloading is a slang term for stealing real world objects and Uploading is stashing them somewhere secret for Admins and Mods to use later. This includes weapons, computer equipment, cybernetics and even people. Not as glamorous as some of the other roles, but vital for the continuation of the movement.

“You wouldn’t download a car”
- 21st Century Anti-Piracy Advertisement

Investigative Journalism (a.k.a Gonzo-ing or Going Gonzo)
If there is one thing that cyberpunks like doing more than destroying corporate assets, it is destroying a corporation’s public image. Sneaking into a factory, lab or training facility and revealing some kind of crime (or anything morally bankrupt) to the general public will earn a lot of respect on Anarchy. These kinds of action will build up support for the cyberpunks and other anarchist allies.

“The pen-gun is mightier than the sword.”
- Stan Smith, American Dad

Earning Credits from Missions
Anarchy is a crowd funded movement and relies on all the members pitching in a few credits to pay for the work of others. In order to get paid for a mission, you must show the other punks what you have done by uploading video evidence under your screen name. You will need to put it onto the WDN, so make sure that you are not identifiable. When your adventures are uploaded the members of Anarchy will send you a small number of credits (usually 1-5 each) by voting for you. The act of donating credits has many slang names, including bumping, liking, up-voting, +1ing and supping (supporting). The higher your rank and the more exciting the mission, the more likely you are to get donations.
For the really daring punk, you can earn more credits by posting about your mission in advance so that word will spread and more users will know about your mission. This gives your target a small amount of warning though, so it is pretty dangerous.
If one of your team has access to a streaming video system and a WDN connection you can also stream your mission live and link to it in areas of Anarchy dedicated to this. Once again, this will earn a lot of credits, but is also likely to get the UIG on the scene in no-time flat. Warning a target of your approach and then filming it live will earn you incredible riches, but will also almost certainly get you brutally slaughtered.

Cyberpunk Agents
When playing a cyberpunk game, it may be fun to begin as Noobs and work your way up, but this will involve a lot of very minor crimes and not very much reward. Generally you will begin as a ‘Cyberpunk’ level agent, and it is assumed that you have acquired the basic agent load out during your career. If not, you may have a very hard time completing missions that involve getting shot, run over and/or plummeting several storeys into the pavement. The starting equipment you should really have is detailed below:

• Smeaker
  
• AI Chip (level 1)
  
• Basic Process socket
  
• Synaptic Modulation
  
• I.C.E
  
• A hacking computer (+2 to hacking rolls that use it)
  
• Advanced Hacking software (illegal, but gives +2 to hacking rolls)
  
• ID Chip Scrambler
  

Cyberpunk characters start with the above and 9000 credits to spend. This seems like a lot, but their living expenses will not be paid for by a corporation. This includes important things such as food, R-Drugs, rent and transportation. Most items, such as weapons, will have to be acquired on the black market if they do not have the correct licenses, which is much more expensive.
Cyberpunks do not have the law enforcement license like agents; they are normal citizens who have taken up a cause. As such, a cyberpunk character will start with only 5 (UIG) rank points and 5 points to spend on licenses.

Cyberpunks start with the following trainings for free if they meet the prerequisites and may take only one additional training at character creation:

• Underground Operations
  
• Hacking
  
• Domestic Trade
  

Cyberpunk Trainings
These trainings are only available to cyberpunks and can give an agent the edge in the world of underground hacking and Anarchy.

Cypherpunk
Prerequisites: Computers & AI 8
Decrypting and encrypting data is your bread and butter, your hobby, your true calling. This doesn’t help in day to day hacking, but it does grant you the following bonuses:

• +15% chance of success when hacking ‘secure’ smeaker signals
  
• +4 to rolls to use the UIG Scanner (see Mind Unbound)
  
• +2 to rolls made by your computer systems to resist being hacked

Kickstarter
Prerequisites: Street Culture 6
You know how to stir up a storm of interest and advertise your mission results when you post on Anarchy. Any mission that you advertise ahead of time will receive an additional 50% in donations.

Crowd-Sourcing
Prerequisites: Cyberpunk Rank 4
You are well known enough on the Anarchy network to get discounts when buying cyberpunk equipment from other punks. You will receive a 50% discount.

Anarchist Chef
Prerequisites: Science 4
Everything can be made into an explosive. EVERYTHING.
You can mix up small explosives from household items at a rate of one damage dice per hour. These include the following:

• Small explosive charges
  
• Frag Grenades
  
• Incendiary Grenades
  
• Smoke Grenades

Each dice of damage costs 10 credits, unless there is a free source of cleaning supplies, food additives and scrap metal, such as shop lifting or borrowing from a friend.

Master Chef
Prerequisites: Science 5
Anarchist Chef training
Your explosive-cooking skills have become legendary and you have advanced to the next level of discount devices of destruction. You can now make the following devices using the same rules as in the Anarchist Chef training:

• EMP Grenade
  
• Medium explosive charge
  
• Knock Out Gas Grenade
  
• Flashbang

Cyberpunk Equipment
Equipment built by cyberpunks is usually jury rigged, unreliable and often downright dangerous to use. However, if you want to take on corporate agents and only have a shoe-string budget, these devices are invaluable. If you make a post on Anarchy you may be able to send another cyberpunk credits in return for them constructing the equipment and then uploading (hiding) it somewhere nearby for you to pick up. The costs in brackets are how much the equipment is generally sold on for on Anarchy while the true ‘cost’ is the price of the raw ingredients.

Emergency ID Chip Scrambler
Cost: 25 (250)
Mechtronics 5
An emergency ID Chip scrambler is built from spare electronic components, tin foil and a wrist watch. When worn over the wrist it grants a 70% chance to hide your ID chip from remote chip scanners.

UIG Frequency Scrambler
Cost: 200 (2500)
Computers & AI 6
Mechtronics 6
Science 3
This box of wires and chips will blanket an area’s radio signals in white noise. Smeakers are not effected by this, but anyone using a hand-held radio or phone will receive nothing but screeching, hissing and static. This is not much use against agents, but security guards and sometimes even UIG CROs will usually be affected by this system.

Bazonga “Energy Drink”
Science 4
Medicine 4
Cost: 150 per dose (500 per dose, sold in six-packs for 2500)
A mixture of foul tasting drugs and chemicals modelled after Konanga. Drinking it enables a human without synaptic modulation or I.C.E to ignore knock out weapons and pain just like an agent for 1D10 × 10 minutes. The drink has harsh side effects which will appear after 12 hours, including vomiting, diarrhoea, hallucination, muscle spasms and short term memory loss for the next 20 hours. For every can of Energy Drink consumed after the first over a two week period there is a 5% cumulative chance of the user requiring medical treatment and being hospitalized for the side effects.

Anarchy Encoder
Cost: 50 (N/A)
Computers & AI 4
Mechtronics 3
Every Noob must find the plans for an Anarchy Encoder and build it themselves in order to access the Anarchy network. To find the plans a player can search the WDN (Intelligence + Computers & AI) or ask around the criminal underground (Presence + Street Culture) for a week of downtime.

Hack & Crack
Cost: 400 (4000)
Computers & AI 7
Mechtronics 6
The Hack & Crack is a small device that looks like an air freshener or power adapter. It is plugged into a power outlet in a target facility and then left to hack everything it can using its WiFi system. The Hack & Crack will only be able to compromise systems that are rated as ‘domestic’ (see hacking rules in the core book), but it is fine tuned to take control of the following systems in corporate offices:

• Fire suppression systems (e.g. sprinklers)
  
• Fire alarms
  
• Crude and normal electronic locks
  
• Assistant droids such as Sir Helpsalot
  
• Networked Printers
  
• PDA/Mobile phone ringtones

Every 24 hours that a Hack & Crack is in place there is a cumulative 1% chance of it being discovered by someone in the facility (or 10% if they perform regular sweeps for bugs).
When it is time to use the Hack & Crack a cyberpunk can send an encrypted signal using their smeaker to try and take control of a particular subsystem. For every 24 hours that the device has been in place there is a 10% chance that a subsystem has been hacked. This is rolled each time the hacker tries to use the subsystem. The device can also be detonated like a small charge.
A Hack & Crack will rarely work in a secure corporate facility, but in a normal office it can give a cyberpunk a vast array of hilarious options.

Chip Smuggler’s Pill
Cost: 10 (50)
Mechtronics 2
Medicine 2
The euphemistically named Smuggler’s Pill is a small ball of plastic large enough to contain a single credit or data chip. Data runners can swallow it to keep the chips more secure and make them much harder to detect. Anyone attempting to spot a Smuggler’s Pill will require a medical scanner, a UIG scanner or an X-ray capable cybernetic. The scans will suffer a -8/70% penalty.
Retrieving the smuggler’s pill is often the hardest part of the job for a data runner. Hopefully it will come out the same way it went in, otherwise it will take up to two days to pass through their body so it can be collected.

Neural Socket Adapter
Cost: 2,000 (5,000)
Mechtronics 6
Computers & AI 7
Cybernetics & Robotics 4
Every hacker dreams of owning a Datanetica Neural Jack, but only a tiny fraction of them have the 25,000 credits and cybernetic upgrades needed to buy one. The Neural Socket Adapter is a more affordable solution to this problem that anyone with a standard agent-grade processor socket can use. The device is the size of a briefcase and includes two X-pin ports. One leads to an agent's process socket and the other is inserted into a computer system. The Adapter then emulates a Neural Jack by acting as a direct conduit between the user's mind and the computer. The device grants +4 to hacking rolls, as with a neural jack.
However, using the processor socket this way is highly dangerous, lacking in many of the safety protocols that the neural jack has as standard. Whenever the hacker fails a hacking roll they lose 10TE as their brain is affected by data feedback. If they are reduced to 0TE during a hacking attempt then they will fall unconscious for 1D10 hours.
If a user fails their hacking attempt (not just a single roll) because the targeted system defeats them then they will be afflicted with TBA.