Got a question about the Bakeneko.

Got a question about the Bakeneko.

Got a question about the Bakeneko. In the Bakeneko playbook it states that the Once Cat does not get any of the gear from a selected Sprawl playbook. If that is the case, how does a Once Cat concept really work? For example, an Infiltrator Once Cat that cannot get an Infiltration deck? Or a Once Cat Hacker that cannot have a cyber deck? Not having access to a signature piece of gear severely limits being able to realize that kind of concept, does it not? Hamish Cameron?

14 thoughts on “Got a question about the Bakeneko.”

  2. Read it? I absolutely love it! Seriously, one of my favorite cyberpunk concepts EVER! =)

    Now, I understand quite a few pieces of gear would not make sense – sniper rifles? Nope. A flashy motorcycle? Nope. But certain pieces of signature electronics surly could be implanted?

  3. It’s more of an invitation to discuss how that would work with he group. Maybe it’s a custom piece of cyberware or a move, but either way, it shouldn’t be a normal cyberdeck.

  7. Sorry for the delay: I’m traveling at the moment!

    So, I don’t have The Sprawl core rule book in front of me, but I think I meant in terms of general gear choices. If a piece of gear is intrinsic to the playbook (i.e. a deck) and automatically given by the playbook, then the Once-Cat should have it, but, like Hamish Cameron says, you need to think about how that would look like. For example, I think this is a Hacker Once-Cat with a deck in their special backpack:

    imgur.com – HK PROJECT. A cat adventure game set in a city inspired by Kowloon.

    (PS: 1 – wow, people actually like the random cat thing I made! 2 – I guess this question is why people generally playtest before releasing a thing. 3 – Who says a Once-Cat cannot have a flashy motorcycle?! tthey just need a tech to modify it for them first.)

  8. Also, who does the Once Cat /owe/ for upkeep for that deck or motorcycle? How did they get their paws on it in the first place? Or does the Once-Cat has its claws on the jugular of Alif the Tech and how soon before Alif slips away and takes his revenge?

  9. I think the key for Bakeneko is that I wanted to emphasis the alien-ness of the Once-Cat, both in terms of a human interacting with a OC and with a OC interacting with humanity. The OC shouldn’t really be the comedy release or just an anthromorphized creature (although, if that’s what you want then go for it – Rocket the Racoon is awesome) – it should be painful and gritty and difficult. It should raise the question of what does it mean to be human/ machine/ cat/ alive. It should make people think about privilege and able-ness. It should make people question if what they have is worth the cost to others of getting it.

    If people just want weird, gonzo, silly cat-meme cyberpunk, well, CYBERKITTENS: Operation PewPew will be released soon in the upcoming settings book. 🙂

  11. Thank you, Dana Kubilus for your comments and thoughts. One of the things I like best about your Once Cat is that I did not create it. Haha. I tend to have a lot of cat concepts and it is always nice to be able to point to something like this and exclaim “See? It’s not just me!” 😉

    The reason why this came up is because on page 10, under Gear, the playbook states: “You cannot choose any gear listed in your [Sprawl] playbook or in Chapter 6: Assets.” and then has a small list of OC specific gear that can be taken instead. I’m happy to get this clarified though. So again, thank you. What is the possibility for an update to the Bakeneko playbook? 🙂

    As for play styles, I’ve never been one for comedy relief. The OC is an excellent exploration in something that is not human existing in a human world, but on the same level (or greater, I mean its a cat, lets be serious). It has a lot of disadvantages right out of the box. But a lot of advantages also. And it would need to leverage both in order to not be taken advantage of or worse. You mention Rocket – there’s that one scene in the prison where the Star Lord is looking at all of the surgery scars and cybernetic augmentation in Rocket’s back… I think that scene is a good reference point. Gritty, painful, and difficult.

  12. So, I looked back over it and that bit on page 10 under “gear” is just talking about the general gear loadup you do on a normal playbook (under the “gear” section on normal playbooks)/ any additional gear you may want to purchase in the future. You always get anything given to you from under the “cyberware” and “moves” sections of the normal playbook you are overlaying the OC on, although you will need to think about and describe how the OC is able to use those things. I’ll try to clarify this with an update to the Bakeneko setting when it is released in the upcoming Settings book. 🙂

    When I was writing the Once-Cat I wasn’t thinking about Rocket at all, but afterwards when I rewatched Guardians I definitely saw a bit of OC in him. That scene that you mentioned really hits emotionally a lot of what I was aiming for.

  13. Thanks again Dana Kubilus for the clarifications. The OC is a fantastic addition to the setting and while it may not be for everyone, I have several OC concepts I’ll need to get on paper now that I am clear on how signature playbook gear can be included. I’m looking forward to seeing the Bakeneko in the upcoming settings book. Really, if you keep on adding to this little feline gem, I’ll keep buying it. =)

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