"Read the manual. Or don't. We'll be here when you need stitches."

What Is Cybercore?

Cybercore is a tabletop RPG set in a corporate-controlled galaxy where violence is a service industry, crime syndicates have employee handbooks, and the word "expendable" appears in most employment contracts. You play an operative; a specialist working for (or against) the organisations that run civilisation. You will shoot things, hack things, fix things, and occasionally talk your way out of the consequences of having shot, hacked, or fixed the wrong things.

The game uses a d100 system. Roll d100, add your modifiers, beat the target number. That is the entire core mechanic. That and everything stacks. Everything else; Boons, Boosts, Advantage, Energy, Psych is up-sell.

How This "Book" Is Organised

The Galactic Guide to the Universe is split into four chapters. You don't need to read them cover to cover, but if this is your first time, the reading order below will get you to a playable character fastest.

1. Cybersystem; The Rules

How the game works. Start with How Checks Work for the core mechanic, then Ranks & Tiers for progression, then Combat when you're ready to get hurt.

Key pages:

Dice & Checks; how to roll, Boons, Banes, Boosts
Actions; what you can do on your turn
Combat; AF, DF, EF, damage, dying
Active Stats; HITS, Energy, Psych, Tension & Luck, Grind
Resting; how to recover between fights

2. Character Creation; Building Your Operative

Follow the creation steps in order:

Origins; your species and homeworld (everyone starts Human)
Legacies; your background, knacks, and quirks
Attributes; your 12 stats and how to allocate points
Cores; your specialist class (Combat, Engineering, Overwatch, SysOps)
Techglomerates; your corporation or syndicate
Skills; what you're trained in (SP comes at Rank 1)

3. Equipment; Gear, Weapons, and Money

Start with Economy to understand Creds, then Inventory for item sizes, then browse the gear and weapon lists. Your starting equipment is listed on your Core Specialist page; you don't need to buy it.

4. Appendix; Reference

Look things up when you need them:

Conditions; what Hindered, Shaken, Wounded, etc. do
Appendix A-Z; glossary of game terms
Slang; what your crew is actually saying

Formatting Guide

Throughout this book you will see:

Info panels contain rules clarifications, tips, and mechanical summaries.

Warning panels flag things that will get you killed, cost you Creds, or ruin your day if you ignore them.

Example panels walk through mechanics with specific scenarios. Read these if the rule doesn't click on first pass.

Story panels contain in-universe flavour text; anecdotes, quotes, and the kind of colour that makes the galaxy feel lived-in. They are not rules. They are the reason the rules exist.

Bold text marks key game terms on first introduction. Italics mark in-universe quotes. Code blocks show formulas.

One Last Thing

This is a game about telling stories with your friends. The rules exist to create tension, consequences, and the kind of moments you'll be talking about years from now. When the rules and the story disagree, the story wins. When the dice and the fun disagree, the fun wins. Everything else is negotiable.

Now go build a character. The galaxy isn't going to exploit itself.