By all accounts, the future is a dark and dangerous place to live, but theCyberpunkfranchise’s Night City stands out as a uniquely deadly location, even back in 2045. A newCyberpunktabletop miniatures game,Cyberpunk Red: Combat Zone, will be bringing the city of the edge of tomorrow to life once again, this time with fewer glitches and even more ways for players to die horribly.
Cyberpunk Red: Combat Zoneis planned to be a fast-paced skirmish game focused on gang conflict in the worst parts of Night City. For gamers who aren’t familiar with the tabletop side of the franchise, the word ‘Red’ in the title refers to the point on the timeline this game is set in–namely, the period of time following the 4th Corporate War where a nuclear explosion leveled most of Night City and dyed the sky red for years. It sounds grim, but this is only one of many, manynightmarish incidents that occurred in the fictional city’s past. There’s a reason Night City is considered the worst place to live in America within theCyberpunkuniverse.
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Cyberpunk Redis also a pen and paper tabletop RPG that uses a more streamlined version of theCyberpunk 2077mechanics, including rules for lifepaths, weapons, and the economy. The tabletop games predateCyberpunk 2077by decades and contain plenty of lore and charactersplayers would love to see added to the video game. So far,Cyberpunk Red: Combat Zonehas confirmed that the base game will feature Maelstrom and the Tyger Claws, with additional packs of miniatures bringing in Combat Zoners, Bozos, Lawmen, and Generation Red. This Kickstarter trailer sums up the game’s anarchic appeal and provides a glimpse of its run-down, used future aesthetic.
Street gangs and other in-game factionswill compete for control of devastated territory, acquire new gear, hire mercenaries to get the edge on the competition, and build street cred to become the undisputed master of the Combat Zone. Speaking of combat, the game promises a streamlined battle system that involves fewer charts and spreadsheets and more action. The game’s creators, Monster Fight Club, claim thatCyberpunk Red: Combat Zonemoves so fast it doesn’t even have rounds and turns, though this 40-minute-long video of beta gameplay suggests otherwise.
Gamers may be pleased to hear thatCyberpunk Red: Combat Zoneis such a focused endeavor afterCyberpunk 2077turned out to bea sprawling mess still in need of major fixes. Fans of tabletop games will likely be impressed with the game’s production quality. The board is stunning and each carefully sculpted miniature is a stunning work of art in its own right. The game promises swift action and hard-fought battles for cyberpunk supremacy when it ships in April 2022.
As of writing,Cyberpunk Red: Combat Zonehasthree days left on Kickstarter, where it’s blown past its original $30,000 goal.
