10 Hooks and Rumours for Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0.’s Pacific Rim
This list has ten hooks and rumours that can be heard about Japan. Whether or not they are true is up to the GameMaster. They can be used as background colour or as potential adventure hooks.
Fujiwara is one of the biggest banks in Japan and beyond, and it’s rumoured that recently they have been financing the accumulation of shares in foreign megacorps by Japanese companies, or perhaps on their own behalf. This is increasing the influence that Japan has over the world’s markets.
It’s rumoured that Japanese megacorps are “encouraging” their employees to vote for specific candidates for the Diet, and most suspect that’s because such candidates are completely owned by the corps in question, allowing them to increase their power over the government.
Jinboku Tenno, the 128th, is the current reigning Emperor of Japan, and because she is barely a teenager, she has a Regent, her cousin, Kazuraki-no-Miya Kunihito. There are rumours that the Regent would prefer if Jinboku Tenno never became Emperor, leaving them in charge, and giving the Arasaka great sway over Japan’s leadership.
Kiroshi has a joint design firm with Kenjiri in orbit. It’s rumoured that recently there have been attempts to steal designs from the joint firm, and that as a result the two companies have tightened up security a lot, already higher thanks to being in orbit.
Monoblades are, in theory, only used in Japan as industrial equipment, with only a few exceptions. It’s rumoured that street gangs have started stealing industrial blades in order to reshape them into weapons to use in combat which, although clearly improvised, are still deadly.
The current reigning Emperor of Japan, Jinboku Tenno, is the only linear descendant of the House of Tenno. Given that she’s young, she has no heirs as yet, and it’s rumoured that jockeying is going on amongst those most likely to inherit if she dies without an heir. Should one of the potential emperors gain enough backing, it may well be that Jinboku Tenno’s days would become numbered.
The Diet-appointed Minsters of Japan have little idea as to what’s going on in their own Ministries, and it’s rumoured that some are trying to change that. However, given the power of the Ministries, and connections to corps who are perfectly happy with the current order, such attempts are likely doomed to fail.
The goal of the Imperial Household in Japan is to make the Tenno family a form of public entertainment and propagate Imperial history, which may be lacking in truth. Given that their duties are similar to those of the managers of a media corp, it’s rumoured that the Imperial Household is starting to spread into such.
The Japanese are impressed by a good, heroic tragic death, and this seems to be the end game of many gangers and cyberpunks who battle the System. Some have even claimed that many of these are actually set in place by the powers that be, intended to make much sound and fury without ever achieving anything of note.
With the current Emperor of Japan, Jinboku Tenno, being the only linear descendant of the house of Tenno, there is pressure on her to have children as soon as possible. That time is not yet, given that she inherited the throne at only 13, but it’s said that machinations are already underway to find a consort for her as soon as she is of age.
D10: Pacific Rim Rumours: Japan is unofficial content provided under the Homebrew Content Policy of R. Talsorian Games and is not approved or endorsed by RTG. This content references materials that are the property of R. Talsorian Games and its licensees.
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Player characters can have their own individual quirks and Finishing Touches – 100 Quirks For Your Characters has 100 such to use. They can be used to flesh out a character, or an NPC.
Characters can find mirrors in dungeons and other places and 100 Mirrors to Find in a Dungeon (C&C) has 100 such for them to find. They range from the cheap to the odd to the slightly magical. This is a conversion of the original supplement to Castles & Crusades.
100 Knick-knacks for the Crucible II has 100 minor items that could be found in treasure hoards, in an NPCs possession or given to characters.
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The Strange is a game published by Monte Cook Games. It is, at least in part, set in the normal world, but there are other worlds out there, in the Strange. This list has six rumours for that setting, similar to the various different adventure hooks in the books, and these can be used as adventure hooks or simple misinformation.
A phase change recently affected the recursion of Oceanmist, leading to many natives suddenly gaining the spark. Though most believe this is a side effect from the number of recursors visiting the place, a minority believe that the phase change is the result of something deliberate.
Captain Katherine “Calamity” Kelly is an Oceanmist pirate and captain of the Red Pearl. It’s rumoured that she’s shown an interest in recursors, wanting to quiz them on all manner of subjects, and that some have chosen to share information on the Strange with her.
It’s said that Oceanmist’s unnamed dragon is eager to play games, and it’s especially interested in games it hasn’t encountered before which can still be played in the recursion. It’s also rumoured that some recursors have been seeking out new games as, essentially, bribes for the dragon
Oceanmist is a recursion that’s currently growing, and some recursors believe that if the spark awakens in the dragon. There’s a worry amongst some that if the dragon awakens, it may become incredibly dangerous, and possibly use the recursion as a base to raid further afield.
The recursion of Oceanmist is rich in cyphers, with new ones being washed ashore on the beach every few days. It’s rumoured that recursion miners have attempted on a few occasions to set up automated processes for harvesting these cyphers, and that all such attempts have come to a bad end.
The royalty and pirates of Oceanmist now have people who are vying for the dragon as an ally, instead of ignoring it as they used to. It’s rumoured that there’s a market for anything from out of recursion that might aid the interested parties in their pursuit of the dragon.
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Even in a futuristic setting, characters can encounter things that can’t easily be explained and 100 Space Ghosts, Apparitions and Strange Encounters has 100 such strange things to see.
When asking around for information, characters may hear rumours, and 100 Hooks and Rumours for the Blight: The Sinks (Lost Lands) has 100 such related to the Sinks in Castorhage. They can be used as background colour, misinformation and adventure hooks.
Characters may hear rumours whilst asking around for information and 100 Hooks and Rumours for Esper Genesis II has 100 such to hear. They can be used as colour, misinformation or potential adventure hooks.
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Some artwork copyright William McAusland, used with permission
Here are ten stone structures, often megalithic in nature, that could be encountered by travelling characters.
A single, pockmarked standing stone rises 6′ from the ground, only about a foot in diameter at most.
Four flat rocks have been positioned so that three large ones hold a fourth like a roof above them, making a small sheltered area under it.
Fragment of a wall made from stones greater in size than a human.
Large slab of stone, measuring 10’x5′, that rests on top of four piles of rocks, as if it’s a table.
Perfectly square cairn made from tightly fitted stones that stands 3′ tall.
Three identical stones, each rectangular and 7′ tall, are positioned at equal distances apart as if they were on the edge of a circle.
Two parallel rows of stones head across the land in a perfectly straight line for several hundred yards, then stop.
Vast stone circle, notable not for the size of the stones used in it, which are not impressive, but the sheer number of concentric circles it’s made from, which spread out for about half a mile from the centre.
Vertical stone with a hole, large enough for a human with a tight squeeze, running through its centre.
What was once a single standing stone has broken, the top third lying on the ground beside the stump.
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10 Hooks and Rumours for Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0.’s Pacific Rim
