An Egyptian setting of dystopian tech, gods, and monsters for the :Otherscape Mythic Cyberpunk RPG + Neuro:OS, a cyberspace expansion
Latest Updates from Our Project:
New Theme Kits Samples: Book Of The Dead, High Copy Luxehead, and Desert Fox Battlesuit!
11 months ago
– Sat, Apr 26, 2025 at 10:50:09 AM
Greetings Firewall Viziers!
Dystopian Cairo Themes Are Here!
We're excited to share with you three drafts for theme kits that will be included in the Cairo:OS book and allow players to build characters with unique Cairo elements. These are some examples of what we've unlocked on the previous Stretch Goal -- "Priests & Rebels" -- and what is coming in future stretch goals:
High Copy Luxehead - Assets theme kit (Self)
Book Of The Dead - Esoterica theme kit (Mythos)
RMC Desert Fox Battlesuit - Cutting Edge theme kit (Noise)
We've added these to a Samples folder in the demo game folder. Check them out there or scroll below!
We always love creating these pre-generated theme kits to inspire character creation (as you may have seen on our 3rd update), and the rich setting of Cairo has gotten our team revved up about the possibilities!
If You're New to :Otherscape: What Are Theme Kits?
In :Otherscape, your character is made of four themes divided between myth (Mythos), humanity (Self), and tech (Noise). Together, themes help define what role your character fills on your crew’s cyberpunk jobs. (See the sample characters in the demo game, if you missed it.)
Theme kits are recipes for quick character creation, allowing your players to pick out tags from a premade list. You can think of them as premade classes or ability sets.
Poll #2 Winners!
On our last update, we asked you which theme kit you’d like to see, and you amazed us with some great ideas! After some contemplation, here are some of your suggestions that we think mightl feature in the book:
The Burned Scribes, an Affiliation or Cyberspace theme for a group dedicated to the preservation of knowledge related to the burned Library of Alexandria.
Embalmer / Ritual Nanowrapping, a Cutting Edge tech theme that might come from the Ennead Consortium's delusions of immortality but has many other applications, such as treating combat injuries.
Flesh of Gold, an Exposure theme that gives pharaonic characters both a powerful boost for social actions and a degree of protection from harm and magic.
Poll #3 - Neuro Loadout Items!
Cyberspace has its own threats and dangers, but it also offers a unique arsenal for your characters, from devices that let you grapple and ride datastreams to MMORPG-inspired paladin security bots to guard your digital secrets. You can use the :Otherscape Loadout system to decide what "build" of hardware you use for a specific cyberspace job, and what software you load up before jacking in -- and these systems will be expanded upon in Neuro:OS.
We want to once more tap into the brilliance of the community. Our next question is: What new Neuro Loadout Items would you want to see in Neuro:OS?
Reply in the main page comments! Make sure you both share your ideas AND repeat or vote for the ideas shared by others which you loved -- the winners will be included in the book! (subject, of course, to our revisions and tweaks).
Incoming Livestreams: We’ll be Back for More!
We had a blast at the celebration livestream a few days ago. Thank you for joining us to show your support and love for the game! Together with Game Writer Omar Samir, we took a deep dive into the real-world Cairo influences that helped shape Cairo:OS and we explored the factions further.
We are already planning additional streams -- one dedicated to Neuro, and another where the Egypt team will be playing the demo game! Follow these updates and subscribe to our YouTube channel to make sure you don’t miss it.
That's all for now, catch you on the next update!
- Amit and the Son of Oak team
We're live with the first Livestreatm - join us!
11 months ago
– Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 12:01:16 PM
Hi there lioness goddesses on hoverbikes,
Amit, Kevin, and Omar are live now on YouTube with today's stream! We'll be covering all of your questions about Cairo:OS, Neuro:OS, the :Otherscape universe and system, and existence in the post-modern world where legends have returned!
Livestream Party & New Stretch Goals Unlocked!
12 months ago
– Mon, Apr 21, 2025 at 08:14:24 PM
Hello there data-mining archaeologists,
After a short pause for recovery (that was a very exciting launch!), we're back with some great news!
More Stretch Goals!
Thanks to your overwhelming support, we’ve unlocked two more stretch goals since our last update, making every pledge even more worthwhile!
The Cairo//Neuro Character Pack just doubled in size, adding 10 additional folios for a total of 20! Each pre-generated character has their own backstory, stunning art, and inspiring themes and tags to jumpstart your cyberpunk adventure! Each folio also includes a summary of the rules + four example action combos to get your players quickly into the game.
The Cairo setting book will also include 15 additional Theme Kits! That means more local professions, Mythic Egyptian and Arabian ability sets, and tech unique to Cairo. Will your character possess the Scarab of Renewal? Or perhaps they are actively aspiring to become a priest of hippo goddess Taweret?
If you're new to this Engine, Theme Kits are character creation tools like classes or ability trees in other games, that allow you to choose from a themed set of tags. Each also comes with one Special ability. They broaden the type of characters your players can easily create in an :Otherscape setting, while adding some cool mechanical abilities.
Example Mythos theme kits from Tokyo:Otherscape. There are also Self (human skill set, tools, and motivations) and Noise (high-end tech gear and abilities such as hacking and augmentation) theme kits.
Next Stretch Goal: Escape from Geimu-Dome
Upon hitting $250,000, the Neuro:OS Adventure Anthology will get a sixth job! Your crew is Harnessed into cyberspace to participate in a grisly and violent gladiatorial survival reality show! They may be contestants sent to win the game by an investor, saboteurs ordered to tamper with the outcome, or undercover agents sent to uncover the nefarious dealings behind the event. Can they survive (or rig) the match and make it out of there alive -- all while keeping their bodies safe in meatspace?
We also rolled out Stretch Goals up to $300, including the new Loadout Deck! Check out all the details on the campaign page.
Hear Her Roar: Poll Winner!
In the last update, we asked you what Egyptian or Arabian deity you’d like to see in the book!
Sekhmet, the lion-headed goddess, strode into first place. We think it is a fitting answer, and are excited to bring her fiery wrath into Cairo!
Tied for second place are Anubis and Set. While our Egypt team were wary of using Anubis (he always seems to be the go-to evil god in these adaptations), Set is one of two main deities behind the Red Mercury Corporation, a military corp and major Key Player in Cairo of 20XX (can you guess the second?).
All three of these gods, as well as other gods mentioned in the poll, will make an appearance in a spell or an artifact inside the book.
Red Mercury Corp features heavily in Cairo:OS as one of the most advanced military organizations in the world - and a member of the Ennead Consortium. Their desert exosuit/mecha are not something your crew will want to contend with (but they might want to don one!).
Poll #2: Theme Kits!
Combining the powers of the ancient Egyptian and Arabian deities with our game engine, our next question is: What new Mythos theme kits would you want to see in Cairo:OS?
These can be:
Specific types of magic (AKA Esoterica), such as apotropaic (protection) magic
Types of 'classes', professions, or walks-of-life that emerged due to the return of Mythic powers such as high-priests and cultists or a Sekhmet-graced warrior
Powerful artifacts booned by the deities, such as an evil eye amulet
Abilities gained by exposure to the power of the gods or to mythic forces, such as the undead abilities of a mummy
Reply in the main page comments! Make sure you both share your ideas AND vote for the ideas shared by others -- the winners will be included in the book! (subject, of course, to our revisions and tweaks).
Live Stream Time! Meet the Devs Behind :Otherscape
Join us this coming Wednesday, April 23rd, 3pm ESTfor a YouTube livestream to celebrate the launch and funding of Cairo:OS! Hang out with Game Creator Amit Moshe, MC Kevin Carpenter, and Game Writer Omar Samir as they break down the setting and game system, and answer all your questions!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified when we go live!
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That's all for now, stay tuned for more updates and we’ll see you on the stream!
- Amit and the Son of Oak team
The Backer Gods Approve!
12 months ago
– Wed, Apr 16, 2025 at 03:01:22 PM
Hi there uploaded minds living in a virtual pyramid,
We just crossed $175,000!
Thank you again backers for your unequivocal support in this campaign! We're blown away. We're so excited by the love this game is receiving. Random comments such as this make our day: "Very excited for this. I've been running Metro: Otherscape for a couple of months now and we are really having a great time with it so far"
Still time to get the Early Bird reward!
Back for any physical tier before 11:30am ET tomorrow, and you'll get a free set of three Cairo:OS dice in Soul (Mythos), Sand (Self), and Tech (Noise) styles! Following backer feedback, time we've increased their size to make them more substantial (20mm).
If you're new to :Otherscape, Mythos-Self-Noise are the three aspects of each character in the game: Mythos for your mythic abilities and items, Self for your human aspects (even if you're not human), and Noise for cyberware, AR/VR, drones, and any other tech.
Stretch Goals Unlocked!
We're into our second day and already blasted through 5 Stretch Goals!
Both books' Loadout Catalogs will be doubled, the Cairo campaign will gain an extra adventure, and Neuro will get a random Domain generator + 6 cyberspace Journeys. (Journeys are an exploration mechanic borrowed from Legend In The Mist, which plays like a montage of short moments along the journey, and the LitM crowd are loving it!). On the physical side, the box will get a pack of maps and tokens to match the Cairo campaign or Neuro anthology (exact maps to be determined).
NEXT UP: $200K Double the pregens in the Character Pack (print and digital)!
This is always such a fun stretch goal! We put a lot of effort tying the pre-genereated characters into the lore and setting so that you instantly feel connected to the game and motivated to act in the story. Not to mention the art by Isago Fukuda is so beautiful!
Just yesterday during the AMA someone said about Flicker (a City of Mist pregen): "I've never been so attached to a pre-gen before. She's awesome!" So even if you don't usually use pregens, you're in for a treat.
Each pregen has a game side and poster side. Thanks to the tag system, anyone can read a pregen and "get" it right off the bat, without knowing any game rules, because characters are made purely out of descriptors!
Interested In Neuro Only or Cairo + Neuro only?
We've had questions from backers who only wanted the Neuro book - please back the Cairo tier (just one book). We will make it possible for you to switch to Neuro in the pledge manager after the campaign concludes. If you want just the two books, please grab the Cairo tier and add Neuro as an add-on.
In digital, we've added the Cairo//Neuro Character Pack PDF and the Map & Tokens Pack as add-ons so you can add that to your Digital tier, if you wish. The Digital Hoard tier already includes these.
Poll #1: What Egyptian or Arabian deity or being do you most want to see in the book?
Many of you have told us about your favorite Egyptian gods on Discord, but let's put this to the test and see what is truly the will of the people in Cairo:OS.
Put your answers to this poll in a comment in the main page of the campaign!
We will incorporate the winners (three top deities) in Artifacts & Spells we create for the book based on the recently unlocked stretch goal.
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That's it for today, stay tuned as we roll out more stretch goals!