Review: Reality's Edge- Osprey Games

[Easy E]

I played lots of 2nd and 3rd Edition Shadowrun in my youth.  Cyber-punk was a thing for me and my cohorts back in the day.  However, I have to admit the allure and edge of Cyber-punk has worn off on me since my youth.  Similar to how my former carbonite hard love of Star Wars has pretty much died.  Despite no longer being on the razor's edge of love, I was pretty excited to see Osprey Games release Reality's Edge as I had long thought about cyberpunk on the tabletop.

I have to say, this is a hefty tome.  It is one of Osprey's hardback books, and it is a thick one!  320 pages of the bleeding edge of cyber-punk game design.  The opening 8-10 pages do a great job of setting the cyberpunk scene for those who are not familiar with the genre.  The Lexicon is also a plus, even if I think it is missing a few choice words or two.  The art of the Sprawl does a good job of setting the right feel too.  I think some of that card Infinity terrain from their boxsets will go along nicely for this game too.   

To set the scene for you, chum; the world is run by the Mega-corps.  At the gleaming tops of their spires and arcologies is a different world.  A world of luxury and power.... but at the cost of your freedom.  The company?  They own you.  Down the food chain is employees and salarimen who work to drive the Corporate profits in return for a piece of stability, security, and a some infotainment.  Then there is the street, that is where the real meets the far-too real.  In the street, the bulk of humanity struggle to make the pain go away through sims, pharma, and base entertainments.  The Street is where you are alive..... until you aren't.  The Street is a dangerous place.

You play as a Showrunner, a person who has a powerful patron; and in return for their patronage you offer blood, sweat, tears, but mostly blood.  You do the jobs in the Street that those in the Spires won't do.  You get your hands dirty for them, so they can play their little corporate power games.  In exchange you get some script and maybe a chance at being made a permahire.  That is when you ascend from the Street to the stability of the employee cadre.  Salary, health benefits, and more awaits.  No more gig work for you.  All you have to do is get a good rep, keep your patron's hands clean, swipe it from the Man, and crack copious amounts of skulls along the way. 

The Showrunner assembles a team of operatives to help him carry out his corporate backed crime spree.  They each offer unique skills and abilities that must be used appropriately.  You are their best shot at a warm bed, a full belly, and all the sims they could want.  The Showrunner just has to hold them together long enough to get the job done.  The Showrunner and their operatives are your "team" on the game table. 

Now that we have some idea of where Reality's Edge is, let's chrome up and hit the Street....   

https://bloodandspectacles.blogspot.com/2020/11/review-realitys-edge-osprey-games.html

[Maspalio]

Thanks  for the review

I'm a huge fan of cyberpunk and i bought the book.

I only did a solo game for the moment with a little homemade scenario and the game really pleased me.

I'd like to plan a narrative campaign with my buddies...Cyberpunk 2077 will help for inspiration (if it could be released before 2077 though XD )

[Corporal Chaos]

Thanks for this. Sounds like a good game.

[Historiker]

Many thanks from me as well! A great in-depth look into the game.

The hardcover books has been glaring at me from my shelf for quite a while but unfortunately I did not find a fellow player to play this game with.

Being a huge fan of This is not a Test by the same author I took it as a given that I would like Reality´s Edge as well. And well, there are a lot of the TinaT mechanics in the game. For some reason however I still prefer TinaT because the system is... more alive, I guess?

While TinaT is regularly receiving supplements there is not much buzz around Reality´s Edge which is a pity as it certainly would be fun to play. Do others have the same impression? Maybe it is just me not being on Facebook. I hear the groups for both games are very active.

[Mr. White]

I have a friend who played a session of this and he found it overly complex for what he wanted in a skirmish game. A real brain burner with all the options, so not so easy for simply chucking dice over a few beers. lots and lots of rules referencing too. moreso than usual, even for a first-time session.

[Historiker]

Unfortunately the huge variety of options (items, skills etc) does bring a lot of complexity or rather information overload at the beginning.

I can't possibly guess how this would change over time. The core mechanisms are quite simple and, in my view at least, play fluidly. Yet there would still be lot of information to keep track off. The curse of any super-detailed skirmish game (and this level of detail is cherished by many). It should probably become easier after a few sessions once a gaming group has find it's groove and is acquainted with the warband of the other players.

Maybe two demo war bands should have been featured in the rulebook to illustrate the rules and get the people playing? These quick-play war bands could have been also published via PDF.

But then again, this book probably is aimed at people who want strongly individualized war bands and these groups would not have played with the demo war bands for long anyway. So maybe better to spare them the hassle of switching to their "real" troops and and start with the "real" game?

[Easy E]

I have a friend who played a session of this and he found it overly complex for what he wanted in a skirmish game. A real brain burner with all the options, so not so easy for simply chucking dice over a few beers. lots and lots of rules referencing too. moreso than usual, even for a first-time session.

I do think that the game would play easier with a side board, and a index card or sheet for each model detailing their kit/abilities.  Since it only uses a 3x3 board, I think a side board would be easy enough.  However, I think this is true of a lot of skirmish level wargames.   


I think a bigger limiting factor is the lack of "non-Infinity" cyber punk models and terrain out there. 

[Malebolgia]

I have a friend who played a session of this and he found it overly complex for what he wanted in a skirmish game. A real brain burner with all the options, so not so easy for simply chucking dice over a few beers. lots and lots of rules referencing too. moreso than usual, even for a first-time session.

Have you checked out Hardwired? I think that is a better choice for such a game.

I think a bigger limiting factor is the lack of "non-Infinity" cyber punk models and terrain out there. 

I think you're missing a lot of companies then . You can get loooaaads of awesome Cyberpunk miniatures nowadays, much better than Infinity too (these don't look Cyberpunk at all most of the times). For miniatures you have things like EM-4 Miniatures/Moonraker/Mirliton, East Riding Miniatures, Unit 9 Patreon/Human Interface, Star Saga, Papsikels Patreon, Black Site Studio, Fate Amenable to Change, MERCS/MERCS Recon, Cyberpunk Red and many more I'm now forgetting.
For scenery you can get OSHIRO Model terrain, Brutal Cities, Knights of Dice, TT Combat, Warsenal, Antenociti's Workshop, Customeeple, Ziterdes foam buildings, Mantic Games, 3d printed stuff and waaaaay more.
At the moment there are tons of options for Cyberpunk. It just depends on what you want to do with your miniatures and scenery in style.

[Easy E]

There is always a load of stuff that I am not 100% aware of.  That is part of why I love Osprey's efforts to broaden genres with easily accessible game rules.   

Thanks!

[Historiker]

If I were to start a new attempt at Reality´s Edge without resorting to my Infinity miniatures, I would certainly have a look at the aforementioned Cyberpunk Red Miniatures.

They capture the feel of a non-Shadowrun-magical Cyberpunk look very well. I would also check out Hasslefree. Amazing Noir / Cyberpunk stuff.