Read this book.

DagothUr

It's pretty ancient, and finding a copy isn't cheap ($20 these days from the original publisher), a bit cheaper through Amazon.

It's a sourcebook for the old Cyberpunk 2020 RPG, and it's entirely about underwater operations. It covers the basics of SCUBA diving and what the various safe depths are for human beings based on what kind of air (or liquid!) mixtures they're using. It's got submarines, sea bases, corporations (natch), and nautical adventures. Most of all it has tons of art and reference material that could be easily adapted to this (or any other) ocean-themed game.

It's not a straight up real-world divers manual or a Jane's Guide to Submarines - it is fiction, after all, but it's fiction that did it's homework. Things like pressure waves, underwater weapons, underwater martial arts, deadly currents, freak storms, and all the hazards of the ocean are in there. In one part they (accurately) point out that deep sea diving makes going into space look safe & easy in comparison.

I highly encourage the dev team to pick up a copy on general principle. Even you're not keen on the RPG jargon, the reference material alone would be worth it for brainstorming new things (and improving existing things) for this game. Think of it as an investment.

Sigmalx

Doesn't this also work for Shadowrun? Would be awesome if it does!

DagothUr

As a functional RPG book, no. As source material, sure, it could work for anything.

Bugzapper

Obvious Cyber-linked Assault Rifle is Obvious.

DagothUr

Yes, well, Shadowrun was basically an attempt to reconcile cyberpunk to D&D fans.

Bugzapper

DagothUr wrote: »

Yes, well, Shadowrun was basically an attempt to reconcile cyberpunk to D&D fans.

It's all highly familiar territory to this Little Black Duck.

More of a GURPS & Car Wars player actually, although any old-school pen & paper RPG would do with the right bunch of players.

Ah, those were the days.

Sigmalx

mhmm! time to go find a copy of dis book! mainly cause it would be interesting for wet operations

DagothUr

I was always a big fan of Cyberpunk2020, so I actually had this book back in the day (along with, well, all the others). Apparently the original creator is still around, trying to drum up support for his videogame version of it - no doubt inspired by Shadowrun making that same transition already. Pure vaporware, of course, but it's interesting to see that the company itself (R.Talsorian Games) is apparently still in business. I can't think of a single other RPG company from that era that's still around, or at least wasn't bought out by someone else.

One caveat about the sourcebook: It's all Earth stuff, nothing alien, and nothing truly scifi. So it's not a good source for coming with new ideas for sea monsters. More than anything else it's about the technology of deep sea diving, and the dangers of the ocean itself.