CY_BORG ‘Lucky Flight Takedown’: Review and Report with GM Notes
I ran ‘Lucky Flight Takedown,” the adventure included in CY_BORG (Christian Sahlén, et al.) for my group as a one shot about a year back now. It was such a great experience we still talk about it. It was one of those times when, system, module, prep, and play really sang. I want to talk about it a bit before it completely fades away. As a one-off one-shot I didn’t really publish a play report, so I’m operating largely off memory and my GM notes.
First, CY_BORG is an absolutely awesome system. It really captures the cyberpunk aesthetic in a very efficient and intuitive package. If you strip out the impending apocalypse stuff that Borg games love to have, it could be used to run any cyberpunk setting. At the time I ran it I was also reading through Cyberpunk 2020 and Cyberpunk RED as well as playing Cyberpunk 2077. CY_BORG can hit most of the same notes, including rules for “CY_RAGE” which is similar to cyber-psychosis. CY_BORG would be my first choice for a rules-lite option to run a short campaign in the Cyberpunk world, though GMs and players that want to maximize character customization will still likely prefer the genuine article.
The book itself is completely off the chain and visually stunning, with art and layout by Johan Nohr. Reading it is an experience. Overall, I found it easier to reference at the table than MÖRK BORG but would love to eventually see a “Bare Bones Edition” for it as well.
The adventure, ‘Lucky Flight Takedown,’ is a great introductory module, capturing the flavor of the dystopian city of Cy extremely well. The mission is to retrieve patron data being kept by the eponymous casino, and used to manipulate locals into crushing debt. As a true heist scenario the PCs should “case the joint” during business hours to learn its layout and patterns. The module does an adequate job of providing how the location differs during open and closed periods. I used some of the tips for running a heist from The Alexandrian and created the GM note sheet that you can check out below and use if you like. I found it very useful to have a more detailed schedule for the casino and what adversaries might be in each room to respond to the PCs. The module also includes several random tables that throw a wrench in all that in a really delightful way. For instance, during the actual operation the PCs ran into Nikora, a teenage hacker also infiltrating the casino to steal software. She became a neat ally that even I didn’t anticipate.
Lucky Flight Takedown GM Notes
For the game I used the PUNKMAKER Character Generator to print out about ten random characters that my players could choose from. Sadly, these sheets were lost in my recent home move, but Matt grabbed a “Burned Hacker” and Ben a “Renegade Cyberslasher.”
They started by visiting the casino during midday, when it would be open, but not too busy. Coming in through the employee entrance they were able to find some maintenance overalls to use as a disguise. When pressed, they said they were covering for friends who were too “sick” to come to work today. Through a random roll it was also established that they knew one of the bouncers who was an easy bribe to get access to other “employee only” areas.
After finishing their reconnaissance, they rigged the side door so it would be unlocked when they came back during closed hours. They did a great job avoiding the security systems and infiltrated to the data storage room for the big reveal. They nearly made it out without any combat at all, but the casino’s on retainer cyberkiller, Wattana, was finally tipped off to the intrusion and confronted them as they escaped out the back door. This was a brutal and fast fight that left one PC and Wattana dead in the gutters of Cy. The remaining PC made off with the data and we closed for the night.
This was maybe one of the best adventures and sessions I have run, which I think is in part due to really being prepared with the notes sheet. It enabled me to respond rapidly without having to flip through the module. Also, I think as a scenario format, heists are especially fun, as they engage a lot of different tastes. You get some fun role-play during the case, an infiltration, and likely a tense fight or two. It’s sure to satisfy most everyone around the table.
I hope you give it a try, and that you find this post useful when you do.
References:
Scenario Structure #4: Heists - The Alexandrian