First time

hOW TO PLAY

Those who enjoy attending Larp events experience a special way to have fun: pretending to be someone else. After all, this is what children do all the time: "let's pretend I am...". In Cyberpunk all we do is to remove the social taboo according to which adults are not allowed to pretend, to lie, to interpret, and by doing so we lay the foundations for a great and unpredictable collective tale.

Cyberpunk is just that: a game of "let's pretend", played by adults.

The center of the game is you, along with the character you choose to play. You don't have to be an actor or have acting experience. As long as you stay in your character and react to what's going on around you as if it were real, you can't go wrong. The only rule is "Everything is as you see it" (What You See Is What You Get). Everything that exists in the game world is physically present in the real world. Likewise, every action your character performs must actually be performed. You are not allowed to mime a gun with your fingers, or describe in words an action you want to perform.

Speak and act like a Choomba from the near future: don't be afraid to use the slang words typical of a Cyberpunk setting!

YOUR CHARACTER

In this game you play a member of the desperate society of the near future. You will be provided with a character description by our writing staff. This material includes a brief introduction of his or her past life, relationships with other characters, personal ambitions, and some hints with which to start your game. The Character Sheet is the starting point for the action. It defines your character's social network, position, roles, and ambitions at the beginning of the game. However, it is not a script to be followed to the letter! The course of the game and the choices you make may take you to unexpected places.

You will choose your character from a public description (or Teaser), accessible to everyone, and then you will receive in private all the information reserved only for you. A short example of a character Teaser might look like this:

Ratz, the bartender at the Station. He is the first person everyone meets when they arrive here, and usually the last person they see as well. He's seen everything in his bar. Yes, literally everything. And he's survived it all. He doesn't talk much, sure. But you can only wonder how many secrets and truths he's learned over the years. That's why, Choomba, I suggest you put the gun down, say you're sorry, walk away and never come back. Wait. I want to make sure you heard me correctly: DON'T. COME BACK. EVER. AGAIN. This guy can call in a lot of favors, to a lot of powerful guys. You don't, really, want to mess with them. "

Play together

The best thing about an event like this is that no one plays alone. Everyone builds a great collective experience together. That's the only real purpose. That's why everyone has to help each other to do their best and create a great atmosphere.

Everyone loves different styles of roleplaying, and many mix different approaches as they play. If you've never played or you don't have a favorite style, let yourself be carried away by the desire of the moment, what you enjoy, are interested in, or are most drawn to. There are many ways to approach gaming, and none is right or wrong.

Sometimes you like to find yourself immersed in the situation, to abandon yourself with your imagination in the atmosphere of a life in another world. Go eat some street food in the middle of the market, and get lost in the neon signs.

Other times you'd rather take action. Take matters into your own hands, plan an assassination or the heist of the century: load your gun and be ready for anything!

A great way to have fun is to see the event as an evolving show, and create intense, dramatic scenes for everyone. Have fun surprising yourself and your teammates-you don't have to love the limelight to enjoy the adrenaline rush of the moment.

Try to imagine what your character really wants, and take action to get it. Your goals may be written explicitly in the Character Sheet, but that doesn't stop you from finding new ones! Betray your cause in exchange for a promise of power, lose yourself by empowering yourself to the extreme, or try to chase an evanescent memory.

Rules of Interaction

The central rule of Cyberpunk is What You See Is What You Get, or: "Everything is as you see it." Everything that exists in the game is physically present in reality. Likewise, every action your character takes must be physically interpreted, whether it's a physical confrontation or the dramatic reconciliation of a lost memory.

This is a game for adults: we expect that you won't mind furious fights, simulated violence, and gruesome scenes. After all, this is a dystopian future.

However, your integrity and health are important, and you won't be asked to endure situations that make you uncomfortable. Just as you'll be the one creating the game situations, you'll be the one deciding each time how far you want to go. Just know that everyone plays differently.

Choosing the character

Some people prefer to play characters who are a version of themselves in another time and place. Others prefer to play someone extremely different from themselves.

There is no right or wrong way: both can lead to exciting results.

You'll have a rich list of characters to choose from: find the one that gives you the most satisfaction, and enjoy it to the fullest. Don't be afraid to change your approach throughout the game, and create something unpredictable!

Have fun and let yourself go

The game is an immersive event: during the episodes you never have to leave your character. But every now and then you can decide to take the time to relax, and have fun in the shoes of your alter ego. Set aside plots and ambitions for a moment. Laughing, drinking and dancing may fill your game time aswell. Be careful, though: keeping your distance from the intrigue won't stop the intrigue from finding you....

Have fun

Cyberpunk invites you to play a dramatic story of profound proportions: you'll have the opportunity to give your character grandiose goals and set him up for spectacular failure. Use it. Playing a truly wicked character and then letting him get what he deserves is cathartic and fun. The path of uncompromising idealism or good feelings is poetic and powerful even if it ends in tragedy.

let go!

Remember: you are not your character! Don't be afraid to have your character perform mean actions. Don't take personally the misfortunes your character will experience. Every action you decide to take or that you experience lives and dies in the reality of the game. At the end of the game we take off our masks, and everyone will embrace their traitor, laugh with their enemy, congratulate their murderer, proud to have contributed to an unrepeatable staging. But during the game, don't hold back: we came up with some simple methods to play safely (see below the Rules of Interaction). The only limits are the rules of decency, common sense, and the law.

Playing with feelings

Finding yourself in difficult situations is at the heart of any drama.

Many players have the time of their lives pretending to go crazy, getting strangled, falling desperately in love. Whatever character we play, we can have strong experiences in pushing our characters into powerful emotions.

ALL HERE. YOU ARE ADULTS. USE YOUR BRAIN. HAVE FUN!

(Freely excerpted from Inside Hamlet's "How to Play.")