1

Coronet Blue

The name of this Hook is taken from on old ‘60s TV show in which the hero wakes up to find he cannot remember his identity, yet everyone he meets knows him and assumes he knows the score.

In this Hook, the Edgerunners awake in some type of dangerous or difficult situation. They have no memory of how they got there or who they are expected to be. Meanwhile, friends and enemies alike treat them as though the Edgerunners know the whole thing.

2

Crisis

The Edgerunners are immediately embroiled in an ongoing crisis; a disaster that extends beyond just their immediate sphere of influence to the whole city or maybe even the entire world. A war between Corps has spilled out onto the streets, booster gangs are spilling out of the Combat Zone in an orgy of destruction, an earthquake is shaking everything to the ground, or plague is killing everyone in sight.

The Crisis begins the moment the Edgerunners walk into the Game and doesn’t let up for a moment until they either escape or set out to stop it. Once again, it’s important that the Crisis Hook relate directly to the Game; the boostergangers are being goaded by the Edgerunner’s enemies, or the Antagonist has caused the earthquake using a new Corp-funded drilling device.

3

Discovery

This Hook marks an adventure started by an important discovery. The Edgerunners might find a lost piece of pre-War tech, or a datafile filled with dangerous information. In all cases, the Discovery Hook should directly link into some important element of the later Game (the datafile is the key to unlocking a vault that belonged to a Crew member’s parent, or that long lost tech they found is something their Corp Antagonist wants, badly).

4

False Accusation

In this Hook, the Edgerunners are falsely accused of a heinous (or not so heinous) crime. A Fixer sends goons after them because "They stole from my Night Market!" A seemingly terrified Corp rushes up to one of the Edgerunners and points him out to a nearby NCPD officer as their attacker. A man falls dead in an Edgerunner’s arms, a monoblade sticking out of his body. Anything that could get the Edgerunners into major trouble is laid (undeservingly) at their doorstep. The important part is that the accusation be unfounded and that the Edgerunner be given only a limited number of options: fight (against impossible odds) or flee (with everyone in the world after them).

5

Kidnapped

In this Hook, the Edgerunners are either kidnapped by an unknown force, or one of their friends is kidnapped. The unknown force should be mysterious and far more powerful than the Edgerunners (the idea here is to begin the Game with the kidnapping, setting the Scene for the next actions).

6

Looming Threat

This Hook immediately places the Edgerunners in a situation similar to the Crisis Hook. However, in the Looming Threat the actual danger hasn’t broken over their heads yet. There are mysterious portents, and an aura of dread pervades the air. In the Looming Threat Hook, the Booster Gangs haven’t hit the streets yet, but they’re all massing in their strongholds, psyching themselves up. The Corps are massing armies in their headquarters, and everyone knows it’s just a matter of time. The plague hasn’t started yet, but dozens of people have all died from a mysterious and horrible disease. Once again, the Threat should be directly related to the Game’s plotline.

7

Murder

This Hook begins with a murder, either of a friend/relative/ally of the Edgerunners, or of an obviously innocent victim. The murder can occur either near the Edgerunners, or the victim can be discovered by them. In no case may you allow the Edgerunners to actually capture the murderer in question; the aim is to link the murder into the subsequent Game.

8

Play a Cliffhanger

A Hook can also begin with a furious action scene (most action shows begin like this). The best Cliffhanger Beats to play are Confrontation, Ambush, or Fist Fight. A Cliffhanger Beat should serve to propel the Edgerunners immediately into the Game’s plotline, by introducing them to either their opposition or their allies.

Choose 1 of the 3 possibilities below:

JOIN("

", Roll on "Cliffhanger" 3 times (unique results only))

9

Play a Development

You can also elect to play a Development Beat as a Hook (this is a common tactic in mystery and crime shows). The best options for this are: Secret Meeting, Mistaken Identity, Romance, or Treachery. Once again, your choice should immediately propel the Edgerunners into the Game’s plotline and introduce major allies or opponents. For example, an Edgerunner could fall in love with a Nomad they’ll ally with later, be betrayed by a friendly force, or find themselves en route to a secret meeting with their opponent.

Choose 1 of the 3 possibilities below:

JOIN("

", Roll on "Development" 3 times (unique results only))

10

Revelation

The Revelation Hook represents a previously hidden fact that will dramatically change the Edgerunners’ lives. A Revelation could include an unexpected inheritance, a secret past, mysterious parentage revealed, or an unpurgeable virus in their cyberware. In this Hook, the revelation will directly be linked to the Game in some way or another. ("You’re probably wondering why I called you all here…")