A steady stream of information hums along the wires of the city, with a thousand rumors buzzing across the networks, whispered around burn barrels in crumbling alleys and exchanged over liquor and pipes in secretive backrooms. Sifting through all of that data isn’t easy, and all it takes to get lost in the tangle of lies, half-truths, and omissions is a single jump to the wrong conclusions.

Which is why those who need reliable information will usually go to the professionals.

From faceless hackers who lurk in the lowest parts of the network like spiders in their webs, to night crawling bloggers and news tubers looking to be the first to break fresh stories, or empty suits in the halls of power looking to sell access to their data for a little extra scratch to line their pockets, information is a business. And those who want to get their hands on fresh, organic intel are going to have to pay for it. Of course, not all of these rumor mongers take their payments in credits… some want payment in kind, or in favors that can be called in at a later date.

If your sci fi game could use sources of information, whether it’s just to inject rumors and plot hooks into your campaign, or to act as sources of exposition, all of the NPCs in this collection can be used to flesh out your game’s cast, and give your players more people to go to when they need straight facts about what’s really going down.

To use the list, either roll d100 for a random result or select appropriate ones manually.

Here are some sample results:

88. Belladonna Jones: A lawyer with the district attorney’s office, Belladonna spent the early years of her career in the public defender’s office. While the pay was terrible, her access to the court’s files, case documents and even other personnel presented her with interesting opportunities. Selling information on the sly got her the transfer and promotion she sought, and her current position allows her to give everyone from street captains to corporate scumbags the heads up they needed to slip the net from the DA, as long as they’re paying her “retainer” for that kind of service. There have been some investigations into why particular operations have gone badly in the past, and while Belladonna has had one or two close calls, her “friends” have managed to help her avoid any real punishment thus far.

89. Ronnie Dishaw: A short, wide, balding man who always seems to have holes in his shirt, and a leaky vape pen in his pocket. Ronnie is a uniquely unpleasant man to deal with. A low-market slumlord, he makes a living squeezing as many desperate people as he can. However, some people pay their debts to Ronnie with secrets, blood and bullets rather than credits. While he doesn’t give anything away for free, he becomes surprisingly agreeable when an arrangement is to his benefit, or when he’s trying to get out of a confrontational situation with all of his teeth intact.

90. London Hague: A statuesque amazon with a crest of bright green hair and half a dozen minor augments, she can usually be found at the 24-hour gym Iron. A regular hangout for every bar pusher and
dumbbell ringer in the district, London has made quite a number of friends since she started chalking up there. While she seems mostly focused on either cutting or bulking, depending on the season, she knows everyone from substance pushers, to backroom docs and even her share of low-rent muscle involved in the rougher trades of the town. She doesn’t give out names and addresses easily, but if someone manages to earn her trust then she’ll usually do what she can to spot them if they’re in a dangerous situation.

Released: 16th March 2024 Pages: 22

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