Cyberpunk RED vs Oceania 2084
Compare Cyberpunk RED and Oceania 2084 side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Cyberpunk RED | Oceania 2084 | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Cyberpunk | Scifi, Cyberpunk |
| Play Style | Combat-Heavy, Skill-Based, Gritty, Deadly, Corruption, Faction Play, Crunchy, Licensed IP | GM-Less, Narrative, Collaborative, Drama, Roleplay-Heavy, Solo-Friendly, Crunchy, Open Source |
| Core Mechanic | Stat + Skill + d10 against a Difficulty Value set by the GM (typically 13 for everyday tasks, scaling to 29 for legendary ones). Combat uses REF + weapon skill + d10 against a defender's active dodge or parry roll. Damage is rolled with d6s and reduced by armor at the hit location. Critical injuries are triggered when damage penetrates armor, rolled on a table with lasting mechanical effects. Humanity loss from cyberware installation tracks a character's slide toward cyberpsychosis. | Resistance characters' Acts normally succeed as narrated within a six-phase Day in Dystopia. When a Value is challenged, roll d6 against the linked Emotion: Good Values succeed on a roll above it and Bad Values on a roll below it. |
| Dice | d10 | d6 |
| Complexity | Medium | High |
| Accessibility | High | Very High |
| Runnability | Very High | Medium |
| License | Proprietary | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
| Cost | $$ | Free |
| Publisher | R. Talsorian Games | Jocher Symbolic Systems |
| Year | 2020 | 2024 |
| Best For | Groups who want a streamlined cyberpunk experience with lethal combat, deep character roles, and a setting that bridges the classic Cyberpunk 2020 era to the world of Cyberpunk 2077. | Groups who want a politically explicit dystopian campaign about preserving private bonds under state surveillance. It suits tables comfortable sharing narrative authority with an adversarial Big Brother player, character turnover, and post-session debriefs. |
| Highlights | Ten roles each have a branching Role Ability that deepens as the character advances, not a one-time pick. Netrunning is rebuilt to resolve in real time alongside physical combat, so the netrunner acts on the same clock as everyone else. The Lifepath system generates backstory events, enemies, allies, and romances that hook a character into the Time of the Red. | Acts normally resolve through narration rather than task rolls, keeping attention on what resistance costs instead of whether a character can perform it. Value Tests turn public loyalty and private belief into emotional pressure: success shifts a shadow emotion, and failure causes an outburst or Stress. Physical Notes written by dead characters grant 2 Hope when another dissident finds them; a Note carried into interrogation can be confiscated as evidence. |
| Considerations | Hit location and armor tracking remain from Cyberpunk 2020, adding bookkeeping to combat. Night Market equipment tables use randomized availability that can frustrate players looking for specific gear. The Time of the Red setting deliberately limits high-end technology compared to the 2020 or 2077 eras. | The campaign assumes the regime eventually breaks or vaporizes its dissidents, so it does not support a conventional revolution or heroic victory arc. The Big Brother player tracks a concealed surveillance economy and interprets its Reaction tables, making that role more demanding than a neutral facilitator. The game requires a shared willingness to portray propaganda, betrayal, and emotional distress, even though it includes safety and debrief procedures. |