Playtest Diary: GeneFunk 2090

Okay so before we get into it this playtest diary is just from my perspective and the notes I took cause it was a couple of weeks before I was able to sit down and read this. Apologize to the other players out there if I get something wrong! In the future I'll probably do a post right after a playtest so that I can give more details on it, this was an experiment so a bit of a learning curve when it came to my normal writing schedule, but this game was so much fun and needed to be talked about. Now let's jump into this.

I've talked about GeneFunk before since I was on a Metagaming podcast reviewing the system. And actually, now that I'm thinking about it we also did a quick podcast with Michael from Metagaming right after the playtest talking about how we thought the game actually played that you can check out here too. Its all about our hot takes on the system in the actual instead of the theoretical, which I'll pull in a bit here as well as we go through the actual one-shot that was run.

So I'd love to talk lots about the characters but~ I really only remember mine and my GF's well she has totally forgotten hers in the whirlwind of school. I have a billion notes from building my character to shift through like an archaeologist so we can at least salvage something. If the other players read this and want to add about their characters I will definitely update! I can however tell you all of their names - OD, Zora, Steven, Bennie, and Jex.

My character Jex is a Eucypher Codehacker working as a Technician Coder during the day for extra money. Pretty much I'm the bossiest of boss hackers which means not only I'm I super at the tech it also means I get a ridiculous number of hacks in this game to start off with. Hacks are this systems version of spells since everyone is so plugged into tech, including micro supercomputers in our brains, that hacking them create effects similar to some spells. Like hacking someone's brain-computer and putting them to sleep or not see you (invisibility). I started off with access to 17 hacks so I made sure to pack a variety of goodies for our mission.

Next our Cadre, the system's version of an adventuring party. Its a built in way to have a reason for everyone to be together just off the bat. For us this was all our first time out together on a contract as we had all hooked up on what is essential Tindr for those looking for a Cadre. A few of us had worked on other jobs together but for the most part this was our first time as a whole Cadre.

This one-shot was titled 'Too Many Zoos' where we were tasked with breaking into a Proteome Diversified R+D facility (Proteome Tower) and steal a specific canister (MAN-12) containing unspecified embryos. So doesn't sound bad until we scout out the place. It is an utterly massive tower and we have no real info. That was the first problem we needed to handle then. We needed to know what the layout of the building was, what the security was like. So we split up as some of us went off to see what they can figure out with eyes on the building. A few other players went digging for info elsewhere so I (Jex) went crawling on the web to do a 'Survellience Skim' and found out that Sophia Che was in a Zine where some major BioTech drama~.  There was a major falling out with a researcher named Gou Su who they ended up firing. Because of this she is young for her current position in the company and is currently sitting in on a trial run basis. We also learned that Sophia was practical, arrogant, and to the point.

Not quite what we were looking for so I searched for Gou Su and found their contact info. Reaching out to let them know that if they wanted to chat we might have a mutual goal of sticking it to Sophia. They sent me a link to a dark forum that was anonymous for us to chat where I scored us the building layout and a map but got no answer to what juicy gossip might be going on in the lab. Going over the map as a group we started going over what the best point of entry would be.

We had to get through a system of cameras, guards, key carded doors, two different sets of elevators and whatever staff were in the building. Oh and robotic guards can't forget those robotic guards. One player changed their face to that of someone from the company's website, I dressed up in my gear from my day job as a tech, Zora used her charm, another used his contact and another was casual and was with the group. We used an EMP to knock out the computer at the receptionist and then came in with orders to fix it.

Now through the keycard doors into the actual building as guests, we were safe for at least awhile. When we reach the top one of the players bluffs our way past the two mega armed guards facing us at the top of the second elevator. After that I'm going to be honest the rest was a complete disaster. We killed a scientist after vaguely threatening him when the deal he wanted to make wouldn't work for us, everyone popped out to fight and the freaking Sophia was there attacking people's minds and stuff. I ran away to a door that needed a card key and managed to get in to find the storage lab with all of the canisters and shoved a bunch into my bag. I got some really weird shit too. A freaking samurai with futuristic swords with a wish for blood and super speed came at us. Lots of people went down and were brought back up by our medic MVP played by Michael from the Metagaming podcast. I threw an EMP grenade into the main control center place and we all booked it dafaq out of there. And~ I sold some extra canisters on the dark web. Those consisted of a giant prey mantis, a honey badger of doom, venomous dinos, a huge ass centipede, and a poisonous rat.

It was different and fresh to play not only a SciFi setting but heavily transhumanistic, blade runner like future. The mechanics are built on top of the D&D 5e system so it is still familiar enough to quickly get going. But man does it have some crazy depth when you read through everything you can possibly do. You are building characters to feel like Violet Song Jat Shariff (Ultraviolet), Aeon Flux, Rick Deckard, or Henry Dorsett (Neuromancer). You feel just as over the topic powerful as you can in a normal game of 5e but there is that extra something about the setting and flavor that seems to crank it up to a 12. Honestly I can't wait for this to be fully out and enjoyed by the masses so I can write up some one shots and maybe a longer supplement for it!

With that little rambling over with, I’m JustKay your regular DM Dalliance on the web and I’ll see you next post.