Playing all the games with It’s All Just Saves From Here On Out: for instance, Cyberpunk 2020

Some readers asked me, ‘hey can I play ‘IAJSFHOO‘ (pronounced: I-jeff-shoo – don’t ask me why) and use another game’s attributes?

Sure, you absolutely can – and sometimes, you maybe even should.

Let’s take Cyberpunk 2020, for instance.

CP2020 characters have Intelligence, Reflexes, Coolness, Technical Ability, Luck, Attractiveness, Movement, Empathy, Body Type.

Let’s IAJSFHOO-ify this and roll the stats with 3d6:

Intelligence: 8
Reflexes: 15
Coolness: 8
Technical Ability: 12
Attractiveness: 8
Movement: 15
Empathy: 12
Body Type (strength, endurance, constitution): 17

I’m not interested in Luck points, so they’re not available in ma game.

Weeeeeiiird spread. Moving on.

Let’s pick a character class first:
CP2020 offers these classes:

• Solos
• Netrunners
• Techies
• Medias
• Cops
• Corporates
• Fixers
• Nomads

Our character is really not very bright or cool, so netrunners, techies, medias, corporates and fixers are right out. Solos, cops and nomads stay. This character is immensely strong and resilient, so I choose a career as solo.

Let’s pick skills next.
Conveniently, CP2020 characters start out with 10 skills, as do IAJSFHOO characters. I pick all ten skills from the Solo career skills package:

• Awareness/Notice
• Handgun
• Brawling/Martial Arts
• Melee 
• Weapons Tech
• Rifle
• Athletics
• Submachinegun
• Stealth
• Combat Sense

It’s also very convenient that each CP2020 skill is assigned to a stat – just like in IAJSFHOO:

• Awareness/Notice (INT)
• Handgun (REF)
• Brawling/Martial Arts (REF)
• Melee (REF)
• Weapons Tech (TECH)
• Rifle (REF)
• Athletics (REF)
• Submachinegun (REF)
• Stealth (REF)
• Combat Sense: increases Awareness and Initiative.

IAJSFHOO characters start at Level 1. This Level adds to stats.

____________________________________

So far, our character looks like this:

Solo, Level 1

Intelligence: 8 (Awareness/Notice)
Reflexes: 15 (Handgun, Brawling,Melee, Rifle, Athletics; SMG, Stealth)
Coolness: 8
Technical Ability: 12 (Weapons Tech)
Attractiveness: 8
Movement: 15
Empathy: 12
Body Type: 17

I pick (2d6 =) 5 gear items from the book.
1. Budget Arms Auto 3 pistol
2. Sternmeyer SMG 21
3. FN-RAL Heavy Assault Rifle
4. Knife
5. Kevlar vest

Now, I lose (1d6=) 2 of them:
the knife , Sternmeyer SMG 21

So this means my character starts with a Budget Arms Auto 3 pistol (d8 damage),  an FN RAL Heavy Assault Rifle (damage 1d12), and a kevlar vest (armor 3 against bullets)

Next, I’ll pick 2 “Powers”. I decide to get two pieces of cyberware implanted:
1. Kerenzikov Booster Level 3 (Humanity Loss 15, including neuralware processor)
2. Smartgun Link (Humanity Loss 2)

In CP2020, you lose 1 point of Empathy for every 10 points of Humanity you lose. CP2020 works with a 2–10 stat range, IAJSFHOO uses 3–20, so roughly twice as much. So, for every 10 points of Humanity my characters loses, he also loses 2 points of Empathy.

He has a total Humanity Loss of 17 points, which means his Empathy is down to 10. That’s average and no reason to worry – yet. With Empathy 6, a character turns into a “cold fish”, as the rulebook calls it, with Empathy 4, he becomes chilly, and distinctly unpleasant for others, with Empathy 2, he’s usually violent and sociopathic, and with 2 or lower, he becomes a cyberpsychopath and his life as a player character is over.

So, in closing, this is how our CP2020 player character looks like:
.
.
.
.

Solo, Level 1

Intelligence: 8 (Awareness/Notice)
Reflexes: 15 (Handgun, Brawling,Melee, Rifle, Athletics; SMG, Stealth)
Coolness: 8
Technical Ability: 12 (Weapons Tech)
Attractiveness: 8
Movement: 15
Empathy: 10
Body Type: 17

Gear: 
Budget Arms Auto 3 pistol (d8 damage),  
FN RAL Heavy Assault Rifle (damage 1d12)
kevlar vest (armor 3 against bullets)

Cyberware (Humanity Loss 17)
Kerenzikov Booster Level 3 (Humanity Loss 15, including neuralware processor)
Smartgun Link (Humanity Loss 2)