A Terminally Online Idiot

There are several homebrews out there to adapt Ghost in the SHell's cyberbrains and cyberbrain hacking into 2020, and those i've seen have been good, each person's take and working somewhat simple but effective, yet I thought to myself ¿isn't there somethign similar in 2020? and Micronetrunning came to mind, so this is kind of a way of bringin that into 2020.

Cyberbrain: A cyberbrain works very similarly to an interchangebale biopod from chromebook 2, with the addition it has ways to interact with the outside world via voice, can be given visual or braindance or net access through several methods, works as a basic neuralware processor, has at least 1 interface plug (likely with universal link from the interface magazines), 1 additional chip slot, and a custom communication system similar to a phone splice and radio link that allows for communication between cyberbrains, this communication of cyebrbrains can also share sensations and part of feelings, with extra things coming from custom desings or the cyborg body.

How to do ghost hacking

That's the somewhat easy part, it works mainly like micronetrunning, but there's no need to have direct access, if it's plugged to the Net it can be hacked like almost everything is in the GitS universe, but usually in GitS media we see it used within a same Metropolitan Area Network but it doesn't mean it can't be used worldwide. A cyberbrain can be put in "autist mode" negating all external communications, cutting from the Net and thus preventing cyber/ghosthacks, it also means you're isolated from the benefits the Net or other comms can give you. And special point of cyberbrain hacking is that you're not limited to hacking only stuff in the micronet of the cyberbrain, but wiht a navigation check you can go to the micronets of other cybernetic implants that someone with a cyberbrain has installed.

Cyberbrains

Since Ghost hacking is more common in GitS the difficulties surrounding micronetrunning have been altered so they're more permisible for the players (and NPCs).

• Basic/Advanced Cyberbrain
• Number of MicroCPUs: 16/20.
• Functions: Same as Complex Cybernetic. Additionally functions for stuff around the "Ghost" that could alter memories and behaviours.
• Connection DV: 20/25 Interface check for remote. 15/20 Electronics check for direct access. Scrambler gives increases remote difficulty by 5.
• Navigation DV: 15/20 CyberTech check. Can move to the microNet of a connected cyberware if in a cyberbrain.
• Control DV: 15/20 if the cyberware is passive, 20/25 if it requires conscious effort. Both checks are Programming.
• Alter DV: 20 programming check. If targeting memories and similar (like for the garbage truck worker) an additional forgery check or psycology for behaviours might be asked with a high DV around 25.

Usually ghosthacking is subtle trying to not alert the target, but depending on the action they might be ticked off, maybe by being notified their memories are false, because they're seeing their arm flail wildly without their control, or by installing cybernetics capable of detecting and alerting intrusions as another example. At any point a character can try and fight anyone within their cyberbrain micronet, this is done with an opposed check between the hacker's INT+Interface+1d10 check vs the target's INT+COOL+Interface+1d10, on a successful roll the hacker is removed from the micronet for 10 seconds per difference on ther roll, more than enough time to activate autistic mode with an action.

Netrunners are instantly aware of this. Or if you desire another ruling, the GM can roll awareness in secret vs the hackers connection roll to see if the netrunner notices pasively. A victim of ghosthacking can try to revert the effects of a hack by rolling an interface check that surpasses the hacker's alter roll. A character has control over their cyberbrain so their only relevant rolls is that of Alter or passing the hacker's roll, otherwise connection, navigation and control is an automatic success.

If a character doesn't have a cyberbrain then they don't have this automatic access and are like any other joe trying to enter and edit the cyber's microNet. Electronics usually work like this without being instantly aware and in control as they're not conected to the cyberbrain.

And I guess this can be used for 77 quickhacks. Just change the range to 50m if you follow RED's Edgerunners Mission Kit or 400m if you want to keep the numbers of LOCATE/CONTROL Remote from the 2020 corebook.

After some conversations around the Net and with myself, I've gone around thinking of ways to adapt the Cyberpunk Edgerunners Mission Kit aka CEMK, for Cyberpunk RED into Cyberpunk 2020, I could use it as it's written, it's perfectly serviceable that way, but I feel like 2020 has other vibes, ones where big chunky d6s in Humanity Loss and Humanity Gain feel weird, looking at the cyberware list in the core rulebook of 2020, I see a lot of fixed HLoss values. Usually around 1 or 2, dices are more an exception to this. Of course looking at the later books or a general all together cyberware list like in the Ref-A-Rules v5 you see a lot more d6s being used for cyberware. But still, my gut reaction was to make something more on fixed numbers (but also having d6s in the mix like cyber). This is very likely to change, the first writing are just some vague ideas that if I revisit I'll note down with more certanty.

• Reason | +/- Humanity

Enviromental causes

• Housing
• Spent most of the month without utilities | -1
• Spent most of the month in a Coffin | -1
• Lived in a warzone for more than 1 week | -4
• Lived most of the month in the combat zone | -2
• Lived most of the month in a moderate zone | 0
• Lived most of the month in a corporate zone | +1
• Lived most of the month in an executive zone | +2
• Good furnishings (Wood, cleaning bot, etc...) | +1 to +3
• Feeding
• Eaten Kibble for the majority of the month | -1
• Eaten Generic Prepak for the majority of the month | 0
• Eaten Good Prepak for the majority of the month | +1
• Eaten Fresh Food fot the majority of the month | +2
• Living
• Spent significant time with a loved one, pet, etc... | +1
• Others
• Worked for a corporation directly or indirectly | -1
• This month you spent more time inside the NET than outside of it | -1d6
• This month you spent more time inside a hospital as a patient than outside of it | -1
• This month you entered MORTAL state | -The MORTAL level reached plus 1
• This month you entered DEATH STATES | -2d6
• You've changed you appearance through sculpting more than COOL/2 times this month | -2d6

Individual time incidents

• Losing most valuable posesion or person | -1d6
• Participated, witnessed, or sufered torture | -2d6
• Legal system was twisted, abused or otherwise used to fuck you | -1d6
• Aquired a big debt | -1d6
• First time eating Fresh Food ever or in a long time | +1d6

Post data: Ianus games Grimm cybertales/Dark metropolis have a stress mechanic that covers daily stress like this if yall are interested.

Inside a discord server I'm in someone just said "Anti-climatic is bad GMing" and this is something I've been thinking about for the last hour. My thoughts are not that deep, for starters this is a subject of table preference, like a lot of things in ttrpg groups this can be resolved with talking, if the players and the GM (let's not forget they're also there to play and not only provide) have agreed to have a easy death game experience, then it's not bad GMing. This is something very akin to shadowrun's 'Black trenchcoat' and 'pink mohawk' gamestyle where the game doesn't change but rather the way things go do, one is gritty and laid to the ground while the other is over the top. And this again comes to table preference.

Let's put a cyberpunk 2020 example:

Two characters are in a car coming home after a gig, they interchange words, and park near one's house. While still in the car the gm has an npc appear next to the window. Suddenly that npc unloads a 12ga slug into the driver's chest for 26 dmg. The character is instantly put in MORTAL states. Combat starts and the death save says the character is dead.

This is anti-climatic and bad gming, out of nowhere someone comes and kills the character, no ammount of 'This is Night City' or that kind of bullshit is going to help the matter 'But this was an edgerunner like you and they just came from a horribly gone job and they wanted the car to run away like a player would' don't care. Night City (or wherever you're playing a cyberpunk setting) is dangerous, but this is no excuse. This could be used to unravel another plot hook of whoever killed their friend and their afiliations, but in general unless a player has asked for an execution of their character it's anti-climatic bad gming

Example part 2:

The crew has accepted a job of stealing something in some facility, they know the guards are no joke but they get spotted by one after a failed stealth, this promps the guard to fire first and ask later, they roll initiative and the guard is first, the guard shoots, unlucky devil the character who just got headshotted for 24 damage, 10 after armor, still it's a headshot, the character is instakilled.

This is anti-climatic and regular gming, as it's the regular game played raw, with a regular encounter and all players agreed to play this high lethality system. If the players decided they wanted a less anti-climatic game the gm could drop this encounter in favour of another one, a rival gang from a characters lifepath comes also to steal that mcguffin. Still it's 2020 and high lethality and quick deaths is something written in the system by itself, players should know what they're getting into. If your player want cyberpunk but not as lethal as 2020 or 2013 try RED and while RED could be considered lethal among other ttrpgs it lends itself better to not have this anti-climatic oneshot deaths.

The thing is: There's not a singular correct way to play ttrpgs