The last article looked at the Rule Book and Edgerunner’s Handbook for the Cyberpunk Edgerunners Mission Kit. Now it’s time to dive into the adventure, The Jacket. This review is spoiler free, so don’t worry about it!
NOTICE: R. Talsorian Games provided me with an electronic copy of the Cyberpunk Edgerunners Mission Kit and additional media for review purposes.
Background
It’s common practice with starter sets to include an introductory adventure that allows all the players to get their proverbial feet wet in the game, learn some mechanics, and see if the vibe matches what they’re looking for. The Cyberpunk Edgerunners Mission Kit is no different, and includes an adventure, maps, tokens, and cards. In short, it’s everything you need to kick off.
The Good
This is an adventure that’s all about exposure. Most introductory adventures are about learning the mechanics and getting a taste of the game. This adventure does that, and more. Specifically, it takes the player characters all over the environs and immediate areas around Night City. As an introduction to the setting, a key component of the Cyberpunk brand, it stands out above its peers.
Maps and tokens. Nothing is left to chance with this adventure. There’s maps and tokens to make sure everyone can maintain a sense of space, and they look good. They’re not trying to be fancy, they’re trying to be practical and it works. Additionally, there’s notes about scaling the adventure to the capabilities of the players that directly reference the number of tokens you put out. It’s a great reminder for the GM that just because you have tokens, you shouldn’t spam them.
GM fun is taken seriously. There’s a narrative in the hobby that GMs are there to provide a fun time to the players and that their fun is secondary to that of the players’. CEMK’s adventure directly addresses that with this: “As Gamemaster, you have the most complex job of anyone in the group, but remember it is still a game. It is easy to be overwhelmed but, as the GM, you should be having as much fun as the Players are! If the game isn’t enjoyable, you’re free to pause, take stock of the situation, and make a decision as to whether you want to continue or not.” I love it. It’s the kind of direct communication that I want to see more often to set expectations in a game.
Lore connectivity. No spoilers, but the adventure ties directly into both Cyberpunk Edgerunners and Cyberpunk 2077. And it’s good. So for people coming to the tabletop from these fandoms, it’s doing to be like sliding into a comforting pool of familiarity. And for people already at the tabletop and in the scene, it’s a great way to bring them up to speed.
The Bad
It’s literally nitpicking to find anything “bad”. All I can really say is that I wish R. Talsorian Games would pick an art style and commit to it for this game. The labelled/icon tokens are tokens and that’s fine, but the maps are rendered in a semi-realistic art style, the edgerunners are a scribble line blend of western comic and manga, and then there’s the interior art that’s drawn directly from the anime. It’s throws the vibe of the game off because all the differing art styles are sending different messages about the game and setting. This is something I’ve touched on previously in other reviews of Cyberpunk RED and appears to be an ongoing issue after the core book.
The Ugly
There’s nothing ugly. It’s a solid operation.
Final Thoughts
I don’t usually review adventures, but I’m glad I looked at this one. It’s a well crafted operation that’s a love letter to the anime and videogame in a good way. And it’s a real adventure. It’s not a quick in-and-out, learn the mechanics now go buy the full book operation. It’s 42 pages of quality design and obvious effort. Rank S, strongly recommended. The preorders for the Mission Kit are ongoing and available here.
