10 Hooks and Rumours for Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0.’s Europe

This list has ten hooks and rumours that can be heard about the Benelux countries; Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. Whether or not they are true is up to the GameMaster. They can be used as background colour or as potential adventure hooks.

1. Amsterdam is very popular with tourists and it generates a lot of money for the Dutch economy from this. It’s rumoured that there are occasional attempts to sabotage the tourist trade in Amsterdam, possibly by other European cities or countries that want to scoop it up, with Berlin and Germany being favourites.
2. Brussels is the heart of the EC and the presence of so many EC employees, and all those who cluster where the centre of power is, results in many average Belgians being trampled underfoot. It’s said that the average Belgian is getting sick of this, but hasn’t been able to find a way to fight back.
3. In the Netherlands, the country was forced to abandon some of its hard-won lowlands and retreat behind higher and thicker seawalls. There’s reputedly a push to try and reclaim some of the lost lands, using the dome technologies that were pioneered in the Scandinavian Bloc.
4. It’s rumoured that the Netherlands is seeking allies in the EC outside of the Low Countries to help them deal with Germany once and for all, as the latter country has designs on Holland that the Dutch have no interest in facilitating, and the Dutch are therefore seeking to increase their influence.
5. Just about any sexual experience can be found in Amsterdam’s red-light district, including some that are illegal. It’s rumoured that there have been attempts to crack down on the really illegal things, but this has proven difficult, thanks to what appears to be support in high places.
6. Luxembourg is essentially the banking capital of the EC, at least when it comes to money of more dubious origin. Though Luxembourg itself isn’t bothered where such money comes from, Interpol is, and it’s rumoured that various of Interpol’s directorates have tried to get people on the inside of Luxembourg’s banks.
7. Much of the Netherlands is used to grow flowers for export, a luxury item and a highly profitable trade. It’s rumoured that recently some of the flower fields have been suffering from blight, ruining the crop, and that there’s evidence this blight has been tailored, suggesting a deliberate attack.
8. Soft drugs are easy to get in Holland and, though illegal, little is done to crackdown on their use. This results in said drugs being exported to other members of the EC, and it’s said that some are unhappy about this and want the Netherlands to be forced to do more about controlling the trade.
9. The super-port complex that built up around the original port of Oostende in Belgium now takes up all of the country’s coastline and extends up to 15 km inland. It’s rumoured that some within Belgium want the port restructuring so that they have access to the coast once more, and that some are willing to encourage parts of the port to move by destroying them.
10. The United Benelux Congress is the government that runs all three countries and gives them a united voice in the EC, but some within the countries are unhappy about the current representation their own countries have, even though this is defined by population. Some believe that, for whatever reason, they should have more people in congress than their population gives them a right to.

D10: Europe Rumours: Benelux 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.