This cyberpunk random scenario generator was created by Antony Johnston in May 1997. With his permission, it has been recreated as a Chartopia random generator. The original source material can be seen on the non-fiction section of his website. His site is at antonyjohnston.com
TABLE 1: WHAT’S GOING DOWN tells you what the situation is, from a gang war in the streets to a media celebrity coming to town. Try to get the PCs involved directly in these situations (some suggestions for this are given with the entry descriptions), even if it’s not their usual line of work. At worst, it should happen around them as they try to get on with their normal business.
TABLE 2: WHO’S UP FOR IT will tell you who’s involved in this situation besides the PCs. These will most likely end up as the main adversaries, so again try to make them significant to the PCs in some way.
TABLE 3: WHERE’S IT AT decides where the majority of the action takes place, whether that’s at the beginning of the scenario, the climax, or both. Don’t always go for the obvious, here -if there’s a bent cop on the streets and the table says "diner", maybe he’s got a contact there, or he could be using the back room to stash his gear. If you roll "rooftops" he might be paragliding around the city during his dubious business, or have a base of operations on a rooftop somewhere.
TABLE 4: WHAT’S THE REAL STORY is an optional table that tells you what the REAL reason is for all of this, because in cyberpunk nothing is ever what it seems. If you choose to use this table, the result will either describe the real POWER behind the problem and/or the real REASON for the situation in the first place.
Art by Dmitry Sorokin, sourced from his Art Station page.
Roll on "What's Going Down?"
Roll on "Who's Up For It?"
Roll on "Where's It At?"
Roll on "What's the Real Story?"
d95 | Result |
---|---|
1-5 |
Corp extraction |
6-10 |
Celebrity under threat |
11-15 |
Decker causing havoc |
16-20 |
PC’s past catches up with them |
21-25 |
Valuable item suddenly within reach |
26-30 |
Media circus comes to town |
31-35 |
Corp going bust |
36-40 |
New drug hits the streets |
41-45 |
Gang war |
46-50 |
Bent cop/s |
51-55 |
The Mob throws its muscle around |
56-60 |
An outsider comes to town |
61-65 |
Nomads on the warpath |
66-70 |
New hardware hits the streets |
71-75 |
Crime Boss goes legit |
76-80 |
Cops purge the underworld |
81-85 |
Old girlfriends never die |
86-90 |
Megalomaniac out to destroy the world |
91-95 |
Serial Killer |
d95 | Result |
---|---|
1-5 |
The Mob |
6-10 |
Military Corp |
11-15 |
Biotech Corp |
16-20 |
The Government |
21-25 |
Booster Gang |
26-30 |
Solo |
31-35 |
Merc Outfit |
36-40 |
Media/s |
41-45 |
Fixer |
46-50 |
Decker |
51-55 |
Foreign Government |
56-60 |
Eco-guerrillas |
61-65 |
Nomad Family |
66-70 |
Police Force |
71-75 |
Rogue Cops |
76-80 |
Cyberpsycho |
81-85 |
Rockerboy/Gang |
86-90 |
Conspiracy Theorist |
91-95 |
Rogue Government Agents |
d95 | Result |
---|---|
1-5 |
Warehouse |
6-10 |
Corp HQ |
11-15 |
Government HQ |
16-20 |
Nightclub |
21-25 |
Docks |
26-30 |
Mob HQ |
31-35 |
Combat Zone |
36-40 |
Dustzone |
41-45 |
Airport |
46-50 |
The Net |
51-55 |
Media HQ |
56-60 |
Rooftops |
61-65 |
Subways |
66-70 |
Police Station |
71-75 |
Diner/Restaurant |
76-80 |
Concert Hall |
81-85 |
Hotel |
86-90 |
Lab |
91-95 |
Mall |
d95 | Result |
---|---|
1-5 |
Government cover-up Possible cover up: Roll on "What's Going Down?" |
6-10 |
Corp extraction |
11-15 |
Corp takeover |
16-20 |
Bent cop/s |
21-25 |
Smuggling |
26-30 |
Gang infiltration |
31-35 |
Blackmail |
36-40 |
Decker causing havoc |
41-45 |
Old enemy |
46-50 |
Old friend |
51-55 |
New drug |
56-60 |
New hardware |
61-65 |
Solo on the warpath |
66-70 |
Medias "creating" news (i.e. hoax) |
71-75 |
The Mob |
76-80 |
Biotech corp "experimenting" |
81-85 |
Cultists |
86-90 |
All for love |
91-95 |
Nothing. It really is what it appears (This’ll REALLY make ’em paranoid!) |