Cyberpunk Glossary

Cyberpunk Glossary
Here is a collection of Cyberpunk vocabulary to help familiarize yourself with the genre.

Cyberpunk:
Cyberpunk is sub-genre of science fiction, represented in movies like Blade Runner and a few pen and paper games. It is futuristic, gritty, and... well, dystopian. (Sometimes referred to as the Future with Dripping Pipes) Dystopia is set in its own cyberpunk world. It is a very dark future where corporations have all the power and everyday citizens are oppressed, constantly under suspicion and the ever watching eyes of the Corps. There is a faction that opposes the Corps, called the Punks, made up of ragtag citizens or ex-Corps. One of the hallmarks of cyberpunk is that humans can be genetically altered into super soldiers, and augmentations of the body are common even among normal citizens. Cybernetic arms and legs, robotic bodies, and the like are common in cyberpunk worlds. Also, in this future, the internet has evolved into whats called 'Cyberspace', an virtual world like the internet where hackers known as 'deckers' race through cyberspace to gather information and hack corporate networks. (as stated in the FAQ)

Decker:
Another word for "hacker". Try to use Decker in place, because it does get confusing to distinguish the difference between an in-game hacker and someone who has "hacks" a.k.a. cheats.

Meatspace:
The "real world". This is where all players will start out.

Cyberspace:
An virtual world that can be "hacked" into. From within this world, objectives in meatspace can be accomplished. Cyberspace is essentially the internet of the future. See Cyberspace for more information.

Augmentations/Implants:
In cyberpunk, an augmentation or implant is essentially a cybernetic enhancement to the human body. These can be anything from a replaced cybernetic arm, cybernetic eyes capable of seeing in thermal vision, and even in some cyberpunk worlds, entirely robotic bodies with only the persons memories transfered into the cyber-brain. See also Implants.

Jack-In:
This just means entering Cyberspace(From a terminal).

Corps:
Abreviation of 'Corporation'.In the theme of cyberpunk, corporations control everything. They are Uncle Sam on crack.

Punks:
The punks are our anti-corp movement in Dystopia. Likely comprised of a ragtag group of normal citizens, mercenaries, ex-corps, ex-millitary, and other such sources. In most themes they are less well equipped than the corps, reduced to mostly guerilla warfare. In Dystopia, we'll see.. :]

Dump Shock:
When jacked into CyberSpace, energy is equivelent to health. When your energy hits zero, you are dumped out of CyberSpace. If a decker takes enough CyberDamage to push their energy count well below zero they are dumped out and take damage from their health in the RealWorld.

Terminal/Jack-in Point:
The interface where players activate their CyberDeck to enter CyberSpace. These are represented in game as monitors, when a decker is using a terminal it display their field of view. This enables team mates (and enemies) to see what a decker is up to in CyberSpace.