Anyone up to date with popular gaming has probably already heard that Cyberpunk 2077, a much anticipated game from The Witcher series developer CD Projekt Red, has been delayed into 2020. It’s about what people reasonably expected, but still a letdown, since The Witcher trilogy’s massive success has placed a lot of faith in Projekt Red and its productions. Perhaps as a way to tide people over until its release, the game is getting a prequel; in the form of a tabletop RPG.
The name of this tabletop RPG is Cyberpunk Red, and it’s the latest version of the original tabletop RPG, Cyberpunk 2020. A starter set called the Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit goes on sale August 1st at Gen Con, which is the largest convention for tabletop gaming in the United States.
The publisher of the game, R. Talsorian Games, released an image of the box cover art today, as well as the first images of the custom dice that will come with the special edition mentioned above.
During E3, the creator, Mike Pondsmith, stated that he had been very busy unifying the timelines of the original tabletop game and the upcoming video game we are all expecting in 2020. That being the case, this Jumpstart Kit will be the first look of many into the updated lore of the universe, though it’s unclear how much of an impact this lore will have on the video game and its plot.
The August 1st edition will come with a lot of nice bonuses; aside from the custom dice, it will also have a lorebook, an adventure scenario tailored specifically to new players, in-universe news clippings, four physical maps, and six pre-generated character templates. As stated before, it’ll be available at Gen Con in Indianapolis, at the R. Talsorian Games booth for the price of $29.99. An online version will go on sale on the same day, while more physical copies will become available at a later date.
One might think tabletop RPGs can’t possibly be all that popular, but after Cyberpunk 2077 was announced at E3 last year, the interest in its source material skyrocketed. Allegedly, sales of the original Cyberpunk tabletop game increased by 400% as gamer interest in the universe and its lore increased. Naturally the sales increase following this year’s E3 weren’t quite as high, which is likely due to the fact that everyone knew about the game beforehand.
Either way, the fact remains that people are very excited for Cyberpunk in all of its forms, and tabletop games are no exception. There’s no doubt that many people are looking forward to getting their hands on Cyberpunk Red come August 1st, and then Cyberpunk 2077 when it comes out in our 2020. Whether or not either of these games will live up to all the hype remains to be seen.
Cyberpunk 2077 — Official E3 2019 Cinematic Trailer (for mature audiences only)
