New Cyberpunk tabletop RPG made in collaboration with CD Projekt Red out now

Cyberpunk 2077 the videogame will be set in the world of Mike Pondsmith's tabletop Cyberpunk RPGs, originally published by R. Talsorian in 1988 with a definitive second edition called Cyberpunk 2020 in 1990 (though there was a third edition it's since been declared non-canon). Working together with CD Projekt Red, a new edition that bridges the gap between those games and the videogame has been made and the first set of books are out now.

The Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit is a beginner's version of the new game, comparable to the Starter Set for Dungeons & Dragons. It'll be followed by a full rulebook later, and is designed to get new players up and roleplaying. It contains six pregenerated characters, with options for personalizing them including lifepaths that flesh out their backstories, a rulebook with the basics of combat, netrunning, and so on, and a worldbook that contains an introductory scenario and describes the setting as it is in the year 2045.

Pondsmith described the relationship between R. Talsorian's tabletop RPGs and the videogame by CD Projekt Red by comparing them to Star Wars, saying that if his original game was the first movie, "right now Talsorian is running the Empire Strikes Back, while 2077 is essentially Return of the Jedi or beyond even."

There's a Cyberpunk card game coming out next year as well.