Tabletop RPGs have a tendency to morph into something much larger than their designers could ever imagine. The classic example, of course, is Dungeons & Dragons, and while R. Talsorian Games’ Cyberpunk hasn’t quite reached the same level of cultural weight (yet!), it is another RPG which has inspired a whole range of spin-off content, including novels, tabletop games, and one of the best-selling video games of the last generation.
The latest entry into this ever-expanding dystopian future is Cyberpunk Legends: Into the Night, an expandable cooperative narrative-driven card game, which is live on Kickstarter right now with just over 2 weeks to go at the time of writing.
In Cyberpunk Legends, each player takes on a different role within the Cyberpunk universe (the base set comes with a deck for the Netrunner, Nomad, Rocker and Solo, with Kickstarter add-ons available for additional thematic decks), and as a group the team must progress through a scenario deck made up of various challenges using a unique cooperative poker mechanic. Most of these challenges are ‘Obstacles’, which are overcome through a round of what might be called combat (although it just as often might represent a non-violent encounter, such as hacking a computer grid or persuading some bodyguards to let you in the backdoor).
Other than Obstacles, players might encounter Scene cards, which might allow players to choose where to go next, or Clue cards, which can be set aside and referenced later to solve a puzzle or make an important choice. After a scenario is completed, they can use any in-game currency they have earned to purchase new cards and upgrade their deck before continuing on to another scenario.
The base set contains at least three scenarios (with an ever increasing likelihood of a fourth being added through a stretch goal), but as an expandable card game, Night Crew Games have plans to release additional content regularly so that players can continue their exploits in Night City. With additional sets, a campaign might consist of perhaps seven to eight scenarios completed consecutively, and the publisher is also adding a rogue-lite Gauntlet mode for players who are up for a more random, less polished challenge.
To celebrate the Kickstarter for Cyberpunk Legends going live (and being funded within 20 minutes!), I caught up with the lead designer on the game, James Portnow of Night Crew Games, to ask him a few questions about the game.
Q. Some of our readers might know you from your work on Extra Credits. For those who don’t know about your more recent work with Night Crew Games, can you give us the ‘elevator pitch’ for Cyberpunk Legends?
Sure! It’s a 1-4 player co-op campaign card game set in the Cyberpunk universe. It takes five minute to set up and ten minutes to learn.
Oh! And this is an officially licensed Cyberpunk game, so expect to see Johnny Silverhand and some of the crew on your playthroughs.
Q. Where did the idea for the game come from?
I was working on it during the pandemic. I wanted a campaign game, something we could play for a number of sessions when lockdown was done, but truth, a lot of my friends just don’t have the time for the big box games. Anything that’s going to take an hour to setup is right out. So I started looking for a quick, easily portable campaign experience that would give us at least a little bit of that RPG feel…and I didn’t find anything. So I sort of just started to build it instead.
Q. You’ve got some pretty extensive experience with video games, including Call of Duty and League of Legends. How does working on a card game like Cyberpunk Legends compare to working on a video game?
Honestly, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I love how deep into pure design I can get here. There are no technical hurdles, there’s no constraints based on hardware, no engineering black boxes that affect design. We can iterate as fast as I can scribble things on a sticky note and slap them on a card. I’m back where I want to be.
Q. When Cyberpunk was first created, it was very much a ‘dystopian future’, but nearly 40 years later, it now has elements of ‘alternate history’, with the Cyberpunk Legends base set taking place in 2012. What’s your favourite prediction that Cyberpunk got right, and what do you wish it had?
Truth? I wish it hadn’t gotten as many predictions right? Mike always jokes with me about how his kids tell him to stop predicting stuff.
I guess my favourite prediction is actually one I have to believe is true. I love that Cyberpunk says that no matter how stacked against you things seem, there’s always a way to fight the system.
I do wish I could get a little more chrome though…
Q. Have you got a favourite card in the base set? (Bonus points if it’s a spoiler that we can show off exclusively!)
Ha, I mean I love all the Johnny cards but here’s one of my favorites that you can be the first to spoil! Party Favors is strong, 3 Damage is actually a lot in this game, but it requires that a team communicate well. It’s one of the few cards in the game where, if people aren’t talking it can really throw a wrench in things, but, if players are using the tabletalk rules well, this will land, won’t hold anyone else back and you’ll walk right on by those bored guards whose night you just made a lot more interesting…
