The Netrunner, no role in Cyberpunk Red has more of a love/hate relationship with the fan base. Nothing is “wrong” with having them, in fact they are essential to the techno dystopia that is Cyberpunk as a genre. The mechanics (and lore), however, have been problematic for some. I will attempt to provide some clarification and ideas for Netrunners and their place in CP Red. This is going to be a long post, so please bear with me.
What is a Netrunner?
Simply put, a Netrunner is a computer hacker, it seems trite, but its the truth. The cool part is that they are cybernetically enhanced hackers who jack their brains directly into cyberspace in order to steal data, manipulate security systems and wage digital warfare. Instead of typing in lines of code and exploiting vulnerabilities, the advances in technology has allowed these cutting edge hackers to enter a world where their programs and their minds fight potentially lethal defensive measures to get what they want.
The Netrunner role ability is called “Interface”. It covers the training and knowledge of computer systems/hardware in the form of Net Architectures and Cyberdecks and the associated programs that are used to assault with and defend themselves against during a netrun.
By necessity, a Netrunner must accompany their party in order to hack. Most Architectures are air gapped and the only way to do this part of their job is to be onsite. Typically within 6 meters of a Net Access Point (This range can be extended with equipment upgrades). Gone are the days when computer hacking is done remotely from across town/state/country. This means they have choices to either take a “meat” action in the real world or to take “net actions” as part of their turn.
Netrunners also have the ability to design their own Net Architectures. There are rules and costs in the core book covering this aspect. While building a larger system is possible, so is building smaller, more portable architectures. With these, they can operate advanced drones that they can control within their own system, making a netrunner handy for all kinds of hijinks like surveillance and combat.
The 2077 Paradigm
There are two versions of netrunning between two versions of the game. The first is the standard rule set within Cyberpunk Red which is explained above.
The second comes from the Cyberpunk 2077 video game and its associated properties like the Edgerunners anime and the Edgerunners Mission Kit. In this part of the timeline, netrunning has returned a little bit to it’s roots in that “deep diving” from a remote location is possible (to be expanded on in other supplements or homebrewed). Another major addition is “Quick Hacking”, the ability for a netrunner to quickly hack into another persons cyberware and cause havoc with those systems from a short distance away. The ability springs from the Neuroport a centralized operating system that all other cybernetics are built upon.
Some people really enjoy the idea of quick hacks, but they aren’t my cup of tea. It essentially turns a Netrunner into a wizard and because it is based on content from the video game it feels very video gamey. Your miles may vary, but I don’t use any of the 2077 changes in my game.
Media
Although Netrunners (and other hacker types) have become an integral part to Science Fiction, there is a relative lack of media that revolves around them specifically. They operate in a space that is in a constant state of flux in our real world. What is modern one day becomes obsolete in six months. The genre can only anticipate to a point and then its all speculation (remember the weird video pay phones in Bladerunner?).
Netrunning by itself is just a set of rules within a game system. The Netrunner, however, is where the story lies and, like all of the roles in Cyberpunk Red, are up to the player’s interpretation. Here are a few ideas about computing, technology, hacking and the paths they can take.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (Anime)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011 Movie in English)
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (Anime) The novel and Swedish film are good too.
Halt and Catch Fire (Television)
Ready Player One (Movie) the novel is good as well
We are Legion: The Story of Hacktivists (Documentary)
Homebrew
A Netrunner is more than the sum of their cyberdeck and programs. They are also more than the game mechanics that players and GMs love/love to hate.
Mostly, and this isn’t really homebrew, I make sure that the Netrunner gets some of tools of their trade easily at character creation. This is the one role that really needs some extra, slightly expensive, gear right from the start. Giving them a very basic cyberdeck and a couple of programs that are serviceable but not awesome will go a long way to making the player want to improve their lot in life.
The player might also show interest in possibly creating their own programs. Cyberpunk Red encourages players to get creative. I took the inspiration from the Tech role and allow Netrunners to create their own programs (much like I did with Medtechs and pharmaceuticals). Just don’t let them create something that will break the game that you will regret down the road. I also allow them to create copies of most of the programs from the books. All it takes is time and some money.
Personally, I don’t have a serious problem with the way Cyberpunk Red portrays its hacking. It is definitely a smoother system than the Cyberpunk 2020 method that tended to bog down an entire session. Cyberpunk Red also has a netrunner deck that can be purchased that may help those new to the system and give a visual aid to the party.
Yes, the player and GM need to know the netrunning rules, but they aren’t hard. They’re based on the same core game mechanics as everything else. A sufficiently motivated group should be willing to learn these rules.
The design of the Net Architecture can be a hump for the GM, and it is where games can slow down. Some pointers from personal experience are:
- A large system doesn’t need to be one enormous Net Architecture.
- Breaking down a large system into more focused parts helps to give a player goals they can latch onto.
- Break them down into things like “Security Camera Server”, “Data Archive”, “Active Defenses”, “AI Core”, “Accounting”, “Super Duper Secret Projects”. Specific floors or departments can also have different servers, instead, so the Netrunner knows where to go physically to get into the range of that particular access point. It also forces them to think strategically about where they want to go and do rather than just burning the architecture to the ground.
- Fudge the occasionally die role for the sake of narrative fluidity, especially when they seem like they’re about to get stuck and it won’t hand them the keys to the castle to do so.
- Remember that a Netrunner can also build out their own Net Architecture. With a portable system they can load it with daemon programs and drones to become a force multiplier. They could also use their net actions on their own to personally pilot those drones. This is a great alternate use of the role if the player doesn’t want to be some kind of hacker whiz.
Multiclassing is also encouraged. Because the Interface role ability doesn’t depend on a specific stat for its roles, a Netrunner is free to stat themselves out in all kinds of ways. From a combat capable front line assault runner, a quiet and stealthy data thief or a more typical tech oriented hacker, a Netrunner becomes more than a cliche’.
At my table, none of my players have chosen to play a Netrunner, but we’re an older table that remembers how clunky the rules used to be in Cyberpunk 2020 and similar games of that era. We did have a player that came for three sessions before making excuses that resulted in him stopping his appearances. He seemed like he was enjoying himself, and he had read up on all the rules. Sometimes real life inserts itself.
While he was there though, his netrunning actually sped up infiltration and information gathering during gigs. It was up to me to create an efficient net architecture, overall it worked out really well.
Conclusion
Despite some of the continuing controversy in the fan community, a little creative thinking about Netrunners can go a long way. I don’t think any game will be able to make this particular flavor of computer hacker work perfectly without hand waving the thing that makes them hackers or adding a system that is overly crunchy and time consuming.
The netrun itself shouldn’t be completely central to a gig anyway, merely a tool to complete objectives, just like guns and cyberware. I believe that the real fun comes from how the Netrunner player colors themselves and the other abilities they bring to the group. The GM’s input is also important, as the way they portray hacking in the dystopian future might change the mind of a player in what role they wish to play.
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