LINKS AND RESOURCES PAGE

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Some of the most popular, and a selection of my personal favorites.

• Shadowrun My personal favorite and until recently the only game for which I have served as GM. A richly designed cyberpunk/fantasy epic with a compelling central story line, but LOTS of room for GM innovation.

• Marvel Super Heroes I should clarify. I only have personal experience with the original version, now long since out of print. The link will carry you to TSR's site for the new version, recently released. I have yet to play this version.

• Champions I have been involved in many games that were a hybrid between Champions and the old TSR Marvel Super Heroes. The Champions books are a good game by themselves, and they make terrific supplementary material for any heroes game.

• Call of Cthulhu I have been part of some fantastic Cthulhu games, and one or two brief campaigns. I am beginning to run some one-shot adventures. High player lethality is the name of the game, so don't get too attached to your character. A great game for a good scare.

• Battletech This game's popularity has caused it to branch out in many directions, from PC game to animated series to toys to virtual reality emporiums. It's a great game, good for letting off a lot of steam. I used to participate in "last Mech standing" shoot-outs in college.

• Earthdawn FASA's fantasy game that shares the same mythos as Shadowrun. The central story of SR is increasingly crossing over with ED, so anyone serious about playing one should develop at least a passing knowledge of the other. Yes, that means FASA gets to sell a lot of books. But it's a good story, and at least FASA hasn't become nearly as shameful about selling books as TSR got with AD&D. Sadly, FASA halted production of this game in late 1998.

• GURPS The Generic Universal Role Playing System from Steve Jackson Games. It's a great system for creating any gaming environment your heart may desire. If you already have a game but you want to bring in some elements not covered in your game's sourcebooks, buy a GURPS book on the subject and incorporate the ideas into your game. Production values, stories, and ideas may not be quite up to the standards of the industry big names, but you're sure to find useful info in a GURPS book. Get the Basic Set and try creating games of your own, too.

• DC Heroes Considered by many the best rule system for superhero adventuring. The game's popularity never seemed to match the enthusiasm of its fans.

• Advanced Dungeons & Dragons The grand dame of RPG's. Many of you were probably wondering why I hadn't listed it already. The truth is, I've never considered it among my favorites. I respect it, I just won't go out of my way to play it. Please, do not send me flame mail. This is my opinion, and I am as entitled to it as you are to yours.

• Vampire: The Masquerade An exceedingly popular game that became the start of the live-action role-playing movement.

• Wraith: The Oblivion An intriguing game in which the player characters are ghosts, with all the limitations associated with playing someone who is dead. The traditional "ghostly" activities are not easy at all. Absolutely not a game for munchkin players.

• Changeling: The Dreaming This time the PCs are faerie folk, switched in the crib so that even they have no idea of their true nature. All they know is that they have one or two interesting abilities. Once again White Wolf must be commended for producing a game that requires more advanced role playing.

• Cyberpunk: 2020 Okay, I have to say it. When I look at books for this game, I can't help thinking that R. Talsorian really wishes they were FASA. I know CP2020 is popular, but I just can't shake the feeling I get. Still, R. Talsorian does have one of the better firearm combat systems I've seen. It's realistic and VERY deadly. Anyone using this system should have characters who are appropriately afraid to use the shoot-em-up approach to solving their problems.

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Sites of links, resources, and original information for various RPG's, authored by players.

• Alex William's WWW Page Descriptions of several games, and some useful links.

• Blaze's Den One of the best of the best. The site is devoted to Shadowrun, but anyone who plays RPG's should go there. It contains a wealth of information on infusing your game with realistic character interaction, and on role-playing with women. There should be a lot more gamers like Blaze.

• Carlo Settieri's Home Page A page of good links to various games, and information about SARPA, a group of gamers at the University at Buffalo.

• The Endless Stair A superb Earthdawn site with an extremely simple but effective visual design. Who cares if the site is short on eye candy when it has this much useful information?

• Gaxar's Page He's young, and he's Swedish, but he's got a pretty good page. There's a link to an English version. Some of the games on his page are strictly Swedish, but he's got info on games known internationally as well. It's a very good looking page.

• Geoff's Dimensional Vortex A puzzlingly arranged page, but it contains links and info for some games, and a link to H.P. Lovecraft (Geoff's link is outdated and you'll have to deal with a forwarding page).

• A Guide to Japanese Culture for Role Playing Games Thanks to Nishio for producing this invaluable reference. Several of his articles have notes relating the information to West End's TORG or FASA's Shadowrun, but the page would be useful even without this info. Want to develop game stats for a Japanese mythological beastie? This page will describe the creature's abilities. Want to give your Yakuza oyabun a realistic Japanese name? This page will tell you how to do it. Nishio's English is a bit broken, but the information makes it well worth slogging through the difficult prose.

• Lady Jestyr's Crypt Another must-see, right up there with Blaze's Den. The Lady's Crypt includes info about the Lady herself, the games she plays, her digital artwork, and more. She also finds time to run the marvelous Shadowrun site UCAS Online (reachable from the crypt) AND to run the Shadowrun Webring.

• EPOSIC Roleplaying Formerly a site run by a game player named "Mike", this site contains some GM aids for Fantasy Role Playing Games, including an interesting Rune Caster for fleshing out NPC's, a Dice Rolls Table Generator, some weather generators, and a GM Decision Maker (it's an intriguing little bit of Java script but I personally prefer to make my decisions myself. To each their own, however). Technically this is no longer a player site, but the tools could be useful to gamemasters no matter what system they use.

• Ricardo's Homepage Lots and lots of Cthulhu info from the master of the Cthulhu Webring. Links to Lovecraft and other Mythos authors (including some original works by Ricardo).

• Scott's Roleplaying Page His site is still very much under construction, but it has (or will have) useful info about Shadowrun, D&D, AD&D, and Call of Cthulhu. He's off to a good start.

• The Tomes of Peritia A copious Earthdawn site containing lots of original writings.

• The Tower of High Sorcery An excellent page devoted to games and gaming. His emphasis is on AD&D, but there is information here on games like Call of Cthulhu, Traveller, Vampire: The Masquerade, and even Judge Dredd. This page would also be a good introduction to those unfamiliar with role playing.

• The Unofficial Palladium R.P.G. Web Page A very large site devoted to the Palladium Games system.

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A selection of manufacturers and retailers of gaming books and accessories.

• Chessex Manufacturers and purveyors of dice of distinction. Browse their online catalog.

• Cipher Games Cipher is an online gaming store offering a sizeable catalog of titles at a discount.

• Games Plus A brick-and-mortar game store in the Chicago area that offers mail order as well.

• Game Preserve Complete supplies for a host of games.

• Ral Partha Ral Partha is one of the preeminent manufacturers of gaming miniatures.

• The RPG Book Netmarket You will find here an extensive collection of RPG books for sale online, and a gaming-related site index as well.

• The Sage's Guild The Guild offers a wide selection of used game books online, particularly for TSR's Dungeons & Dragons.

• The Sentry Box Here is another brick-and-mortar game store--this time in Canada--offering online ordering of a wide variety of books and supplies.

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CYBERPUNK GENRE RESOURCES

CYBERPUNK AUTHORS

A few of the authors who helped to shape the genre.

• William Gibson The author who invented the cyberpunk genre as we know it. All players of Shadowrun, Cyberpunk 2020, or any other cyberpunk game should read Gibson's work.

• Aldous Huxley His world foreshadowed elements of cyberpunk a few decades early. Futures don't get a whole lot darker than Huxley's.

• George Orwell You probably had to read Orwell in high school. If you didn't, read him now. If you did, read him again.

• Phillip K. Dick He has some fascinating things to say about the state of the world in the future, and about humanity's place in the world it created.

• Ray Bradbury One of the grand masters of science fiction. His books are undoubtedly worth a read.

• Bruce Sterling Sterling is another author who helped to create the cyberpunk genre.

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A few of the specific books you need to read.

• Neuromancer, by William Gibson. THE book to read. An artificial intelligence with an agenda hires a down-on-his luck decker to do the one thing that it can't. ALDOUS was created for a campaign tribute I did to this novel. Terms like "street samurai" and "black ice" originated with Gibson, and have become integral to the cyberpunk lexicon. Gibson's world is slick and grimy, hypnotic and deadly--truly the essence of the high-tech low life.

• Count Zero, by William Gibson. More from the master, sequel to Neuromancer.

• Mona Lisa Overdrive, by William Gibson. Third in the cyberspace series.

• Burning Chrome, by William Gibson. A collection of short stories, including Johnny Mnemonic. Don't let the film fool you--the story is terrific.

• Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley. A man comes to terms with his humanity in a starkly dehumanizing "utopian" society. Any idea where I got the name for the AI in my Neuromancer tribute? BNW may not be cyberpunk, but it certainly demonstrates the dangers of "engineering" humans. And after all, isn't that what cyberware, bioware, and gene-tech are trying to do?

• 1984, by George Orwell. Life working for the megacorporations of the cyberpunk future can hardly be much different from Orwell's vision. "Big Brother" corporation gives you your job, your home, your shopping, your entertainment, your EVERYTHING. And all they ask in return is a little obedience and loyalty . . .

• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, by Phillip K. Dick. As in the movie Blade Runner, a police bounty hunter is sent after renegade synthetic humans. But great as the film is, there's a lot more in the pages of Dick's book. The ecology's gone to hell, there are no more animals but for electric ones, and the only spiritual fulfillment left comes through the television. Most cyberpunk fiction examines humans in a dehumanizing world, but this book does it with some delightful twists.

• Schismatrix, by Bruce Sterling. Along with Neuromancer, one of the seminal works of cyberpunk fiction.

• A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess. Not really cyberpunk at all, but the themes are much the same. All that's really missing is the high-tech and the future setting.

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Make your local video store happy. Rent these and take notes.

• Akira -- Classic dark future cyberpunk anime.

• The Alien Series -- Especially Aliens. What I love about Cameron's sci-fi films, and where they apply to the cyberpunk game GM, is the way they show that just because something is high-tech doesn't mean it won't get grimy with use. Technology is integrated into society until it's a non-issue. It's not "Ooh, look at this cool shiny toy!" it's "Dammit, where did I leave that pocket laser cutting torch THIS time?"

• Blade Runner -- The first and still the best in many ways. Take LOTS of notes during this one. But be sure to read Phillip K. Dick's novel, too.

• Brazil -- Terry Gilliam's disturbing vision of choking bureaucracy and dystopic society.

• Circuitry Man -- Not really a personal favorite of mine, but there are elements you can take away from the film that make it worth watching.

• A Clockwork Orange -- Director Stanley Kubrick's vision of Burgess' novel. Watch it for the same reasons I recommended reading the book.

• Demolition Man -- Yes, it's Sly Stallone. And yes, it's tongue-in-cheek. Still, it depicts people attempting to use technology to create a perfect society. The results are predictable, and in the realm of cyberpunk--people lose the things that make them human. Besides, to a lot of people it just wouldn't be c-punk gaming without a lot of bullets flying around, and this film depicts that in spades.

• Escape From New York/L.A -- Well, if you're into that sort of thing. Not my personal cup of tea in terms of gaming ideas, but you can't argue that Snake Plissken is a high-tech lowlife. Besides, the films make a nice little guilty pleasure. The link takes you to a site for Escape from L.A.

• The Fifth Element -- Luc Besson's comic book/cyberpunk sci-fi epic. A little quirky, perhaps, but cyberpunk games don't ALWAYS have to be a downer. There's more grimy tech here, too, and plenty of overcrowded city shots.

• Hackers -- The quintessential non-future cyberpunk flick. If your cyberpunk game contains computer hackers or deckers or netrunners (and whose doesn't?) you MUST watch this film.

• Johnny Mnemonic -- The film based on Gibson's short story. There are some great visuals here.

• Judge Dredd -- Okay, I know what some of you are thinking. Two Stallone flicks on the list; where IS this dragon's mind? But remember, different people have different tastes in their cyberpunk. I endeavor only to provide options. For many, Judge Dredd is exactly the sort of feel they want for their cyberpunk game. Watch the movie. If you like it, use it. If not, don't.

• Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace -- The sequel has more to do with c-punk than the original, though both are worth a look. Neither has a single thing to do with the Steven King short story from which they take their name. But that doesn't really matter, does it? LM2 gives us VR worlds, a glimpse of the apparent omnipotence of an AI (so don't make me angry), and a global computer network.

• The Mad Max Series -- The classic high-tech/low-tech/VERY dark future series. For Shadowrun players who want to campaign the Askenazi in the Mojave, these could be your films. They're worth a look by anyone who wants his or her game to have a gritty, post-apocalyptic, Car Wars feel.

• Max Headroom -- If you can find it. There was a made-for-TV movie followed by fourteen episodes of a series. Max was a fad who faded into terminal un-coolness, so you may have trouble finding him anywhere these days. But watch him if you can find him. It is cyberpunk.

• The Net -- Another non-future film, but it certainly depicts the dangers of a global computer network, and the power one can wield if one knows how to use that network.

• Outland -- It's not very cyberpunk, but once again high-tech is integrated with regular life expertly. What weapon do you want in space? A laser gun? Nope, a good old fashioned shotgun. You have to love Sean Connery's character for that, if nothing else.

• Overdrawn at the Memory Bank -- Well, I won't split hairs. This movie is terrible. Raul Julia is utterly wasted in this shot-on-video dog. On the other hand, it does contain a similar virtual environment to that in a lot of c-punk. It should give you some clue as to the quality of this film that the best link I could give you is from the movie's appearance on Mystery Science Theatre 3000.

• Predator 2 -- It's got high-tech, it's got open gang warfare, it's got a monster. What more could you ask?

• The Robocop Series -- The first and third installments in this series are of particular note. Robocop gives us huge multinational corporations, privatized corporate police forces, genetically engineered Japanese assassins, and lots of good old fashioned gunfire.

• Rollerball -- The 1975 film starring James Caan. A vision of what living in a cyberpunk society can do to the public's taste in sports and entertainment. If you're thinking it would be "cool" to include Urban Brawl or Combat Bike into your Shadowrun game (or a similar sport into your Cyberpunk 2020 or GURPS Cyberpunk game), watch this film first.

• The Running Man -- Or, Rollerball for the 1990's. The increased public demand for violence in the dehumanizing future creates a game show featuring "creative" executions, live on camera. It doesn't seem like such a stretch, really, does it?

• Sneakers -- For a cyberpunk list, there certainly are a lot of movies NOT set in the future. But most cyberpunk games involve sophisticated computer and electronic surveillance, high-tech devices, corporate infiltrations, and shoot-to-kill corporate security. This film has all of that, and like Hackers, demonstrates that you don't always need to use guns to accomplish your mission.

• Soylent Green -- The classic 1970s film starring Charlton Heston. In a dark and dreary future, a huge corporation claims to have "solved" the world's food shortage with the new synthetic food Soylent Green. The only trouble is, there's a horrifying catch. Check this one out.

• Split Second -- This movie may seem like a B-grade horror flick, and at some level it is. But it has a slick, scary feel to it and it has a great vision of a future London drowning in flooding brought on by environmental collapse. Definitely worth a look.

• Strange Days -- Definitely a cyberpunk film. Shadowrun players will recognize something very like simsense.

• The Terminator Series -- It may be another example of my personal pet peeve involving cyborgs(how do you sustain living flesh over a machine core? It should be the other way around--the core is human but machine parts have been added), but the movies are so good I can actually forgive them this. What happens when the global computer network takes over? There's also plenty of shoot-em-up action if that's what you want in your games. T2 even depicts a corporate infiltration.

• Tron -- Because some of us still remember when this film was the pinnacle of special effects technology. Definitely not cyberpunk, but it might be fun for the older and more nostalgic of your hacker characters to construct a system sculpted like the computer in Tron. It's something to think about, anyway.

• Videodrome -- David Cronenberg's highly disturbing vision of sex, violence, and madness through electronic media. Just how much Running Man, combat bike, or urban brawl can someone watch without coming unhinged? And that doesn't even mention the sex.

• Virtuosity -- An "expert system" -- it's not really an AI (forgive me for splitting hairs) -- serial killer simulator wreaks havoc in the real world. The premise is a bit difficult to swallow, but the story is exciting enough to carry you along for the ride.

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No list of resources for cyberpunk would be complete without a listing of online resources, now would it?

• Mark-Space Cyberpunk Index Lots more authors and books, and a list of films.

• Cyberpunk Strategie You'll have to pass a test to get in, but if you've done your homework it won't be too hard. It's a very c-punk site.

• The Mirrorshades Conference Parallel Universe A page devoted to a cyberpunk conference hosted by Bruce Sterling. It has some good links as well.

• Cyberpunk and Cypherpunk Info on the Web Links, links, links.

• Cyberpunk and the New Myth A thesis on the subject of cyberpunk as modern myth.

• A Bibliography of the Cyberpunk Movement Still more books, including some relevant non-fiction.

• The Confusion Over Cyberpunk Another academic paper on the subject of cyberpunk.

• USENET: alt.cyberpunk
  
• USENET: alt.cyberpunk.chatsubo
  
• USENET: alt.cyberpunk.movement
  
• USENET: alt.cyberpunk.tech

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HORROR GENRE RESOURCES

HORROR AUTHORS

Whether you play any of the White Wolf games or Call of Cthulhu, or you're looking for new Horrors for your Earthdawn or Shadowrun game, almost any game will benefit from a infusion of horror elements. Here is a group of authors to give you ample inspiration--and nightmares.

• Clive Barker The self-proclaimed master of terror. His works include novels, comic books, and films. He is probably best known for the Hellraiser films.

• Poppy Z. Brite In spite of the fact that her name sounds like that of a children's author, you may rest assured that her books are far darker than her name.

• Douglas Clegg Author of such works as Halloween Man and Nightmare Chronicles.

• Thomas Harris Author of Silence of the Lambs. How could this list not include the creator of such a delightful character as Dr. Hannibal Lechter?

• Stephen King The preeminent horror author of the 1980s. His works span as many media as Barker's.

• Dean R. Koontz His books may be short on Cthulhu-esque monsters, but they are all the more terrifying because they revolve around the horror that real people can do to one another.

• H. P. Lovecraft The originator of the Cthulhu Mythos, but don't think him one-dimensional. Even his stories that have no monsters are delightfully creepy. One can only imagine the effect they had on readers when they were first written in the 1920s and 1930s.

• Edgar Allan Poe This author's accomplishments include nothing less than the elevation of the short story into the realm of literature, and the veritable invention of the detective story.

• Anne Rice The author of Interview with the Vampire, arguably the work that led to the resurgence in the popularity of vampire lore. She has written several other horror works as well.

• John Saul Saul creates haunting tales of terror, ranging from the technological to the psychological.

• Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Author of Frankenstein.

• Robert Louis Stevenson Stevenson may not commonly be thought of as a horror author,but he did create the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

• Bram Stoker He is best known as the author of Dracula, but he wrote several other horror novels as well.

• Peter Straub For a brief period in the 1970s his popularity rivaled Stephen King's. Straub is the author of Ghost Story.

• H. G. Wells Wells is probably thought of more as a science fiction writer than as a horror writer, but many of his works have horror elements as well.

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