Information is power. Information is influence. Information wars are just a facet of the job, but not one that everyone considers. A while ago, I wrote about Going Corporate, a quick guide to Corpo based cyberpunk genre games. Today, let’s dive into the under-explored world of the media campaign in cyberpunk tabletop RPGs!
Background
When I say that the Media role in Cyberpunk RED, the Reporter Playbook in The Sprawl, Influencer in Hard Wired Island, or the homebrewed equivalents in Shadowrun, Neon Rain (Cypher System), or Shadow of the Beanstalk (Genesys) are underrepresented in play and campaigns, I’m not joking. But I don’t think that they’re absent because they’re useless, I think they, and their campaigns, are misunderstood.
The Challenge
One of the core ideas behind the cyberpunk genre is that the characters keep relatively low profiles and try to avoid being heat scores. No one wants fascistic police or paramilitary contractors visiting them in the wee hours because they failed to cover their tracks well enough and ended up on a hit list. And the Media (I’m lumping them all under this term) runs counter that. By their very nature, they seek out information, record actions, and then get the word out. Which is kind of the definition of a heat score. Their actions bring heat, on them and everyone around them.
But that’s okay. Because they’re key to so, so very many jobs and even campaigns.
What Do Media Do
In the crew, the Media has a few jobs. At the top of the pile is intelligence gathering. You heard me. Through their networks of contacts and sources, as well as their own investigative abilities, they occupy a space between open source (OSINT) and closed source (CSINT) intelligence, able to draw on both to varying levels of success. When a crew wants information, the Media should be one of their first go-to people.
Next is recording. Some jobs and campaigns need a record made that gun cams and secondary recording software in cyber-eyes can’t manage. Maybe it’s blackmail material gathering. Maybe it’s a spoof reel for the Netrunner/Decker/Hacker to feed into a system. Maybe it’s evidence gathering. Whatever the task is, they’re going to have the skills to document it in a way that can be used effectively later.
Finally is information dissemination. Getting the word out. But here’s the thing. This isn’t just aimed at mainstream audiences at home tuning in after a hard day at the plankton processing plant. Audiences can be selected. A Media can do a lot to enhance, or even erase a crew’s reputation through carefully placed and designed stories.
Media Campaigns
An entire campaign built around a Media character, or that at least highlights their value? It’s easier than you think!
Accountability Campaign – This is probably the most straightforward Media campaign in a cyberpunk setting. Someone, some organization, somewhere, has done something awful. Maybe a whole lot of awful. Things that make people hire a crew to reveal the truth. Things that maybe affect the members of a crew personally and make them want a bit of the kind of revenge that’s more devastating than just clipping someone. In this campaign, it’s about gathering intelligence, getting evidence, and then getting the word out. There’s a lot of jobs/adventures rolled into that, more than enough to keep all the players happy, but the Media is essential through the whole process, and especially at the end.
Making a Change Campaign – Similar to the Accountability Campaign, but way more political. In this campaign, if the player characters don’t start out as rebels/revolutionaries, they’ll definitely be labeled as such by the powers that be by the end, if not partway through it. Politicians are corrupt. The people suffer. It’s time to make a change. But the year is 20XX, and it’s not just enough to take kinetic action anymore. You need to control the narrative, you need to show the actions happening from where they’re happening. You need to film admissions and tear down the media that insulates the people. Medias are a big player here because they’re recording, editing, and spreading the word. They’re also still pulling intelligence and all that good stuff, but they’re also fighting the information war that keeps the people from rolling on the crew.
It’s All True Campaign – At first, everything is normal, then the Encounter™ happens. Suddenly, the crew is discovering how much of a bigger world if not universe that they live in, and that some of the conspiracies are true. To the point where knowing about them is dangerous, so they need to get the word out as a literal protective measure. After all, they can’t kill everyone, can they? Gathering information, planning next locations to get evidence, trying to break the mainstream media control of the story? The Media is busy in this campaign.
News Team, Assemble! Campaign – This is legit underrated, but what if the crew is literally a news team? Getting the story in a cyberpunk setting isn’t easy, threats are real, and live coverage is risky AF. Sometimes it’s like a black op, other times it’s reporting a fan riot at roller derby when things go hot. The point is that this is a fun campaign. Find a story, develop a story, deploy to get coverage. Added fun? Each crew member might be an anchor for part of the news cast (sports, tech, medicine etc…).
Things to Remember
The Media based campaign setups are unique because they still let all the other members of a crew shine. Why? Because more than the Corpo I covered last time, they’re an integrated part of the team. The missions involve their skills to succeed, but need the skills of everyone else to get there, get out, and keep everything safe.
Another factor to consider is that Media Campaigns, and even just one-shot jobs, are NPC heavy and often more integrated into the setting than other campaigns or jobs. This is a straight up side effect of the Media focus. Embrace it for maximum immersion.
Why Go Media
Media campaigns are where actual change can be affected on the setting. More so than any other focused campaign. Why? Because of the three archetypes in cyberpunk tabletop RPGs, the Media have the potentially longest and strongest impacts on the largest populations. Rockerboys and their analogues are flashes in the pan, their fandoms moving on to the next shiny show. Because Corpos and their ilk have to drink institutional kool-aid to make it to where they can make changes, and by the time they get there, they don’t remember what the changes were. Medias though? They last. They leave searchable evidence and records. They connect the wires and show the patterns.
For tables that want socially conscious games, who want the political intrigue, who want the high stakes of pissing off the most powerful people on the planet? The Media campaign is where they need to be. For people who might want something a bit more lighthearted? Maybe something more X-Files-esque? Also at home in these campaigns.
Final Thoughts
The Media roles/archetypes are underused, unsung heroes in the genre. And their campaigns and jobs can be some of the most interesting in terms of material, interactions, immersion, and potential for actual impact on the settings. But they fall through the cracks all the time. Try doing a Media job to get the ball rolling. Get a feel for it, then go bigger. I’m pretty certain you won’t regret it!
