Cyberpunk V3.0 - One cool concept... on paper

I think Cyberpunk V3.0 is one of the biggest flops in rpg industry. It looks horrible, doesn't have same coolness that it's previous versions, it's hard to read, illustration sucks, rules suck... I haven't heard anything good about whole game. But still, in every pile of c..p there must be something good also.

What that might be in CPv3 then? Mike Pondsmiths forewords. Yes, they are utopistic when you actually hold the product in your hands, but still, the idea is quite awesome he visualizes in it. Let's take a lookin there.

Basically Mike tries to tell, how CPv3 is easy to start and easy to be interesting for today's PC- and consolegaming youngsters. He has _tried_ to make CPv3 as easy to start as starting a game with XBox. Or so he tells. You can beging gaming easily and when get experience about roleplaying and Cyberpunk, can advance the rules. And for old beards you can go to "advanced rules section" to flesh out the game.

Templated characters is one idea he tries to copy from computer games. It is basically nothing more but ready made characters players can choose from to play. Idea is, that in console and PC games you pick up your character, maybe (in rpg's) slightly change their few attributes and start your adventure. Same idea Mike is after. Grab a character, modify it if you will and start to play. Nothing new actually, but comparing ready-made characters to computer game's characters did start me to think about it.
Funny thing is, though, that real character creation is in advanced rules section.

Cool pregenerated stuff is munchkin's heaven! I quote the book: "Guns. Gear. Vehicles. No more of this fumbling around with big lists trying to buy everything and coming up short of cash. We're going to give you access to everything your character needs from the start - you just have to pick up the things you want." I smell cyber-pumped dual-minigun wielding granade packed dudes in cool shades and trenchcoats (reminder for self: don't forget katanas) driving armoured tank-sports-car-helicopters. In drugs.

Easy to use rules. Everything you do in game use the same system. Sounds cool? Yes. Point is, you don't have to think how rules work if player does this or that, everything uses same basics. But there is also advanced rules for advanced or more demanding players to use. Sounds good to me. But what I have heard, CPv3 rules suck.


That wasn't everything including in the text, but I pointed out few things. Sounds cool actually. Sounds like it's fast and fun. Easy to play but easy to get more details. Easy and fast to start. But in the other hand, I haven't read the book. And won't. Text and layout are horrible and too painful for my eyes so I don't want to even see myself is the game as bad as it is told to be.

I trust all the reviews. CPv3 is not worth my time. I just wish, that it would work like Mike promises in foreword. Bummer.