Dark Age Games
$25/224 pgs

Cyberworld is the newest set of live-action roleplay rules I have run across. I won't go into the particulars of the world, but it'll be familiar territory to any fan of the cyberpunk genre.

Cyberworld is quite a departure from the other LARP rules I'm familiar with. For one thing, it's sci-fi, and the most popular LARP games are mostly fantasy or modern-day. Cyberworld is also a no-contact game. There are no foam swords or Nerf guns to be had here, so those of you looking for some exercise need to check elsewhere. It's all verbal, like the Vampire "Theater of the Mind's Eye" LARP rules. And, at 224 pages, this book is no lightweight. It reads more like a tabletop RPG than a set of LARP rules, which tend to be lean'n' mean.

That's not to say it's much more complicated than other LARPs, because most of the bulk of the book is taken up with background information on the game world, equipment & cyberwear lists, and weapons tables. There are more options, so there is simply more to remember. The actual rules that make the game work are really simple, being based on - of all things - rock-scissors-paper.

The "standard challenge," or rock-scissors- paper match, is used to resolve all Cyberworld tasks, from hacking a security system to firing a rifle. It's of course a little more complicated than that, since after all people with higher stats and skills tend to succeed more often, but the added complexity usually amounts to nothing more than the fact that the person with more bonuses on their side wins ties. And there are a lot of bonuses and penalties that can apply to a challenge; having GMs that are on the ball will be very important in a Cyberworld game.

In summary, if you are looking for no- contact cyberpunk live-action roleplaying (and you know who you are) this is what you've been waiting for. Vampire LARP players might also like giving Cyberworld a try, but I doubt it'll make any converts in the fantasy LARP crowd.

DARK AGE GAMES PO BOX 418 SALINAS, CA 93902
CYBERWORLD ISBN: 0-9650648-0-8