Want a side story for your cyberpunk campaign? Check out this expansion for Stride By Stride!
Welcome to Stride By Stride’s first expansion! This expansion focuses on the Cyber Athletes 2086 setting, with a new Event Chart, a Popularity mechanic and mechanical effects for different surface types! It also fleshes out the setting by giving mechanical effects to the various corporations, and background information!
In Cyber Athletes 2086, each racer is sponsored by a corporation. This rules module fleshes those factions out a little and adds bonuses reflecting their specialties. Select your corporate backer during character creation and apply their bonuses.
Turf Affinity, +1 to Stamina
AdrenaJuice is the number one choice for exhausted 20-somethings with more work to do than hours in the day. It tastes like battery acid mixed with lime juice, and its official slogan is “It’s Legal!”
Jayden “Jay” Robertson, promotional officer
Jay is a broad-shouldered man with a bright white smile and an infinite supply of energy. Some people say he hasn’t slept in six years, but that’s not true. It’s only been five.
Adrena Surge, racer
Surge is a tall woman with blonde hair and green eyes. She is eerily calm and quiet. At least once a month, she accidentally startles someone who didn’t realize she was in the room with them.
Snow Affinity, +1 to Power
Hornet’s cutting-edge artificial muscle fibers and synthetic growth hormones combine to give Hornet’s racers killer acceleration and an unstoppable uphill pace. Hornet Synthetics’ original line of products were based on the Asian Giant Hornet’s growth hormones, which is where the company gets its name.
Kyran Ortiz, neuromuscular expert
Kyran is a short, chubby person with black hair. They are one of Hornet Synthetics’ leading experts in muscular engineering, blending hormones, tissue grafts and artificial neo-tissues to push the human body well beyond its normal limits. They talk very quickly and use a lot of big words.
Hornet Libre, racer
Libre is a lanky man with black hair. His legs are covered with scars from enhancement surgeries, but he believes the results are worth the pain. His hobby is playing fighting games, and some say he’s never been defeated at Iron Senpai 26: Fifth Impact Championship Edition.
Road Affinity, +1 to Speed
Mobulatronics is a robotics company specializing in land-based drones. They have recently moved into the cybernetics business, and hope to make their mark in the replacement legs space.
Dr. Kora Watts, cyberneticist
Dr. Watts is a tall woman with brown hair and a cybernetic arm. She used to be a Coast Guard medic, until an injury on the job cost her her arm. Now, she works for the private sector, fixing limbs and pushing boundaries.
Neon Dividend, racer
Neon is a short woman with bright blue hair. She is loud and excitable, and always interested in what the other racers are doing. She lost her legs in a car accident, and was given a pair of high-end cybernetics in exchange for testing them in races. She can play the guitar surprisingly well.
Dirt Affinity, +1 to Tactics
Rhino Optimaging is the number one provider of auto-drive vehicle sensors and autonomous military targeting systems. Their cyber-eyes with in-built terrain mapping provide suggestions for the optimal places to step.
Abby Longford, technologist
Abby is a short woman with blonde hair and pale skin. She was originally an augmented reality artist, and was lured into a contract with Rhino Optimaging by a very juicy paycheck. She always has a pair of augmented reality goggles on.
Opti Ghost, racer
Opti Ghost is a woman with long black hair and cybernetic eyes with white irises. She speaks with a Russian accent. Her hobby is sewing, and she makes all of her own casual outfits.
There are many different surfaces you can run on, each with its own strong points and challenges. This rules module adds four surface types and four modifiers for Dirt, adding some more character to each race. Roll 1d4 to determine a race’s surface, either at the start of the campaign or at the start of each turn. Roll to check the condition of the Dirt on the turn of a Dirt race.
Affinities allow you to reroll one stat roll on the appropriate terrain.
Turf: -1 Speed, +1 Tactics
Dirt: see below
Road: -1 Tactics, +1 Speed
Snow: -1 Stamina, +1 Power
Dirt: Roll 1d6. On a 1, Heavy. On a 2, Medium. On a 3, Soft. On 4-6, Firm.
Heavy: -2 Power
Medium: -1 Power
Soft: -1 Tactics
Firm: +1 Stamina
Winning isn’t everything. It’s almost everything. Actually, it’s practically everything. But there is one other path to success: Popularity. Haru Urara (may she rest in peace) never won a single race but everyone loves her. Mark Martin has never won a NASCAR Cup Series championship but he’s got a whole lot of merchandise. They may not be the winningest, but they’re popular, and that’s what this mechanic aims to emulate.
This module adds the Popularity Mechanics, and a series of events that ties into them.
The popularity mechanic is simple: Racers gain a fifth stat, Charm, and start with another 2 in their starting stat array. Charm can be trained like any other stat, and at the end of a race, you roll under your Charm and gain that much Popularity (if you won) or half that much Popularity (if you didn’t). If you fail the roll, you gain 1 Popularity.
Highest Popularity at the end of the year gains 10 VP.
Events from the Popularity Module follow the same schedule as the races. A racer can only participate in one event per turn. Choose wisely!
Fan Fest! The bi-annual Fan Fests allow racers to meet fans, sell merch and raise their profiles. Roll under Charm, add 2x the difference to your Popularity score. If you fail the roll, you get nothing. Uh-oh!
Each of these competitions works basically the same: Roll under the Relevant Stat, highest difference wins. Roll under Charm, gain double the difference in Popularity if you win, and the difference in Popularity if you lose.
Strength Competition (Power): Whether it’s an automotive company making racers pull their new car up a slope, a competition show on an obscure streaming service, or an exhibition for slovenly nobles, racers have been asked to perform feats of strength.
Concert (Stamina): Put on a thrilling performance for your adoring fans! This can be anything from a concert at the local mall to a stadium-filling pop concert with pyrotechnics.
Light Entertainment (Tactics): A panel show or royal banquet has requested several racers for a special event. Show off your knowledge, jokes, and skill at inane tasks.
Charity Run (Speed): Nothing brings in the money like a celebrity endorsement. This event doesn’t earn you any victory points, but it does get you some camera time and maybe a headline.
| Hearts |
|---|
| ♥Ace Visiting Racer: Former Neon Dawn Champion racer Subprime Loans is visiting the Hyperdome and giving Speed lessons. Anyone who attends his lecture increases their Speed by 2. |
| ♥2 “There’s been a revelation in the lab!” An experimental treatment from Hornet Synthetics has been offered to the racers. Any racer who partakes gains 3 Power but most roll 1d6. On a 3 or lower, they take 1 Exhaustion. |
| ♥3 “There’s been another revelation in the lab!”: A new, experimental product has been added to the Food Menu! Anybody who tries it increases their Power by 2 and rolls 1d6. On a 1, they take a point of Exhaustion due to the intestinal ramifications of the product. |
| ♥4 Hit the Track: Today’s race is mandatory. Get out there and run. |
| ♥5 Clean-Up Duty: Anyone not racing today is on graffiti cleaning duty. Take one Exhaustion as normal, take Bonds with others on clean-up duty if desired. |
| ♥6 Nutrient Synthesizer Malfunction: The food printers in the dorms have malfunctioned and will not synthesize Basic Slop. Luckily, a failsafe has kicked in, allowing the racers to access food of a higher tier than normal. Every racer removes one Exhaustion. |
| ♥7 Sudden Invitation: A guest on a popular TV show has cancelled and they’re scrambling for a replacement. Add Light Entertainment to the schedule for today. |
| ♥8 Emergency Fashion Show: To distract from a major news story, a corporate chic fashion show has been organized at the Hyperdome. Anyone not participating in a race today can participate in the Fashion Show. Roll under Charm and gain Popularity equal to the difference. |
| ♥9 Puzzle Competition: Tactics training is unavailable this turn, but interested racers can compete in a maze-solving competition for a 1 VP prize. Roll Tactics as you would for a race, the highest score over 3 wins. If no one scores over 3, non-player racer Ruby Skube wins the competition. |
| ♥10 The High Bar: Stamina training is unavailable this turn, but interested racers can hang from a metal bar for a 1 VP prize. Roll Stamina as you would for a race, highest score over 3 wins. If no one scores over 3, non-player racer Dave’s Here wins this competition. |
| ♥Jack Chain Pull: Power training is unavailable this turn, but anyone interested in grabbing an anchor chain and pulling it as far as they can can compete for a 1 VP prize. Roll Power as you would for a race, highest score over 3 wins. If no one scores over 3, non-player racer Pure Spinach wins the competition. |
| ♥Queen Ramp Run: Speed training is unavailable this turn, but interested racers can compete to see who can run up the steepest ramp for a 1 VP prize. Roll Speed as you would for a race, the highest score over 3 wins, If no one scores over 3, non-player racer North Star wins the competition. |
| ♥King Visiting Racer: Legendary racer The Avatar is visiting the Hyperdome and demonstrating workout techniques. Anyone who attends his exhibition increases their Power by 2. |
| Diamonds |
|---|
| ♦Ace Visiting Racer: Former Sponsor Series champion Status Quo has come to the Hyperdome to deliver a lecture on the subtle psychological elements of racing tactics. Anyone who attends her lecture increases their Tactics by 2. |
| ♦2 Gym Closed: Power training is disabled this turn due to a fire in the weight room. Your guess is as good as mine, dude. |
| ♦3 Treadmill Maintenance: Stamina training is disabled this turn due to routine maintenance on the treadmills. It’s surprisingly loud. |
| ♦4 Track Cleaning: Speed training is disabled this turn. The training track is closed for resurfacing, and the entire area is closed off with hazmat signs. |
| ♦5 It’s a Mist-ery: Strange, orange mist floats along the floors of the facility. This has no mechanical effect and anyone asked about the mist will tell the racers that it’s not known to have any long-term consequences. |
| ♦6 Track Maintenance: The main running track is being resurfaced. Speed training cannot be done on this turn. Any racers attempting speed training must move somewhere else and take that action instead. |
| ♦7 Malicious Hack: Tactics training is disabled this turn. The simulation matrices are alternating between displaying oil tanker schematics and Leonardo Da Vinci’s face, for some reason. That’s somebody else’s problem. |
| ♦8 Ransomware Attack: The whole facility is shut down due to a nastygram some flash hacker sent to HR’s inbox. Luckily, the track was already configured, so this turn’s race can go on as normal. Anyone not racing can either rest up in the Dorms and clear their exhaustion, or help with the backup broadcasting equipment and add one point to their lowest stat. If two or more stats are tied for lowest, the player chooses which one the bonus applies to. |
| ♦9 Get Out Your Finest: Anyone not racing today is forced to participate in a promotional photoshoot for AdrenaJuice’s newest flavor, Milwaukee Malaise. Participants still take a point of exhaustion, but they also roll under Charm and add the difference to their Popularity. If they fail the check, they get 1 Popularity. |
| ♦10 Disco Fever!: A disco ball has been added to the cafeteria in an attempt to increase racer morale. This has no mechanical effect. |
| ♦Jack Documentary: An insufferable celebrity and their camera crew have been given access to the Hyperdome to record a documentary series. The questions are vapid and the crew is pushy. Training and racing occur as normal, but resting in the dorms only clears 1d3 Exhaustion, due to the crew’s insistence on getting candid footage and ambush interviews. |
| ♦Queen Dorm Sterilization: The entire dorm block is being sanitized with a mix of high heat and caustic chemicals. Exhaustion cannot be cleared at the Dorms this turn. |
| ♦King Visiting Racer: Long race superstar 14 Hours has come to the Hyperdrome to examine the form of the racers, rate them on a scale from “schway” to “schwarbage,” and help them optimize their energy expenditure. Anyone who attends her examination increases their Tactics by 2. |
This updated version of the 2086 Race Schedule includes Popularity Events and Surface Types, for ease of reference. You can still roll for each surface type if you want, but here’s a baseline.
| Race Schedule |
|---|
| Early January: Gibson Stakes (Dirt Sprint) (G3) |
| Late January: Ōtomo Sho (Snow Mile) (G3) |
| Early February: Wachowski Plate (Dirt Sprint) (G3) |
| Late February: Pondsmith Cyber-K (Road Mile) (G3) / Strength Competition |
| Early March: New Rose Plate (Turf Medium) (G3) [Neon Dawn Qualifier 1] |
| Late March: Philip K. Mile (Road Mile) (G3) |
| Early April: Stephenson Stakes (Dirt Long) (G2) / Light Entertainment |
| Late April: Doctorow Standard (Dirt Medium) (G3) |
| Early May: Shirow Sho (Road Long) (G3) [Neon Dawn Qualifier 2] / Fan Fest! |
| Late May: Medtechlabs Prize (Turf Mile) (G3) [Sponsor Series 1] |
| Early June: Effinger Enduro (Turf Long) (G3) / Concert |
| Late June: Barry Stakes (Road Sprint) (G3) |
| Early July: Last Chance Run (Dirt Medium) (G2) (Neon Dawn Qualifier 3) / Charity Run |
| Late July: Okungbowa Stakes (Turf Mile) (G3) |
| Early August: Mirage Mile (Dirt Mile) (G2) [Sponsor Series 2] |
| Late August: Watanabe Enduro (Turf Long) (G3) / Strength Competition |
| Early September: Neon Dawn Invitational (Road Medium) (G1) |
| Late September: Tezuka Tokubetsu (Snow Medium) (G2) / Fan Fest! |
| Early October: Black Iron Blitz (Snow Sprint) (G1) [Sponsor Series 3] |
| Late October: Kishiro Plate (Dirt Sprint) (G3) |
| Early November: Yukimura Enduro (Snow Long) (G1) / Light Entertainment |
| Late November: Ueda Mile (Road Mile) (G2) |
| Early December: Suzuki Sprint (Turf Sprint) (G3) / Concert |
| Late December: Tiro Finale! (Snow Medium) (G1) / Charity Run |
I hope you’ve enjoyed this elaboration on the cyberpunk-adjacent setting for Stride By Stride! I was aiming for the same sort of cynical parody as Paranoia, which, if you haven’t played it, I would highly recommend.
The Hyperdome is in Nebraska, by the way. This has no mechanical effect.
-Garm
We recommend these maps and assets…
Garmbreak1
Former esports wannabe, current TTRPG streamer and TTRPG creator interviewer. I like science fiction and I have a soft spot for licensed tabletop RPGs. You can find all the campaigns I’m in and interviews I’ve done over on YouTube.
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