The third Chromebook, with a further collection of things to part your 'punks from their money. Some are even useful! It just dives straight in without any preamble, with each item presented as an advert/catalogue entry exhorting you to buy... makes for a good in-character resource if a party members asks for an item. Upsell their order! You know they want an excuse to spend more...

We begin with Equipment, Items and Stuff, with the first item being 'SmartGoggle Mirrorshades' - now you can have the functionality of regular smartgoggles but look good as well - the true essence of cyberpunk. Custom nanoagents tailored for all your cleaning needs (the text doesn't mention crime scenes but I'm sure they are catered for...), a miniturised arc furnace for disposing of unwanted items, even poisons and viruses, electronics micromanipulator for when things are a bit fiddly, all manner of things you didn't know you wanted but now absolutely must have. Medical devices no meditech should be without. As well as the advertising copy and (in most cases) a sketch, there's a small section of 'game notes' that describe how that item works in your game. There's also a range of designer clothing with the techie in mind - look good while being practical - as well as some new tools to play with. Then there's a lie detector and some outdoors survival gear, followed by pharmacuticals - both combat and medical - and security equipment, computerised home systems and entertainment via virtual reality. It's amusing here in 2019 to see which things are now readily available and which are still science fiction!

Next up is Cyberware. New cyberfinger options, the techno-organic look of FleshWeave, interface wires that move of their own volition like snakes, implanted pacemakers and drug delivery systems and all manner of body-hacking. Better living through invasive surgery! New cyberoptics, and even a built-in chain saw and chameleon-skin. For fashion-conscious ladies, there are even cyberlegs with 'high heels', gyrostablised for comfort and to retain normal movement. There's a good collection of chips as well.

We then turn our attention to Vehicles. Hovercycles, vans and cars... and more exotic ones like a three-wheeled dune buggy, minicopters and aircraft... even an armoured RV for wanna-be nomads. Then there's the list of options you can add to your vehicle.

Now the interesting part (I'm a netrunner at heart) Computers, Cyberdecks, Software and Peripherals. There are quite a few tactical ideas for netrunning here as well, it's worth a read. Personal computers (nothing quite as nifty as today's mobile phones!) and cyberdecks, along with deck upgrades and a dizzying array of programs to run on them.

Next, the concept of CyberPets is introduced. Of course, cloning enables the creation of virtually any animal you might want to have (although apparently although most creatures can be cloned with ease, they haven't cracked dinosaurs yet!). Cheapest are blank adult animal clones, those decanted as pups and raised in realistic environments are more expensive. There's a new skill of Animal Handling to enable you to train and control your animals and you can also install cyberware in them. This section is followed by one on Bots, including 'full cyborgs' if you want to go that route. Finally, there's a section on maintenance, and a full pricelist.

Loads more stuff to add style to your 'punks, basically. Nothing's necessary but it's fun to read through and speculate what you might do with them in your game.

Return to Chromebook 3 page.

Reviewed: 14 January 2019