Cyberpunk: Tales from the Oasis

Neon Nights in the Oasis is a self-contained one-shot story arc, set in The Oasis, that give us an opportunity to try out a new system and play with new people! We’re playing a new indie cyberpunk tabletop RPG called Neon Nights - written by Ethan, a friend of the show!

'Behind the Mirage' is a series of bonus episodes where Artemis the Narrator and a co-host will dive into our creative process and talk about what goes into making a 'Tales From The Oasis' episode!In the debut episode of this series, Artemis and Jen (who plays Mavis) give a glimpse into our extensive library of combat music, and talk about how we select music, what makes a good 'combat music' track, and how we license our music for podcast distribution!Check out the 'Combat Mix' sister episode to this one for a 'no commentary' version of this playlist, a great set of beats to put on when you need to get in that Cyberpunk Mood. Artist Song Timecode Dollshade Let the Reaper Wild (Closing song) 00:00 Blue BMX Knuckle Sandwich 03:30 Music High Court (MHC) Extinct 08:40 Veter Today You Will Win 12:45 Ian Edson Touch of Malice 16:40 MHC feat. WHZLY & TMRRW End of our lives 22:15 The Complete Fiction Tear it all Down 27:10 Rags and Riches Blood runs cold 32:45 Brad Hill The Destroyer 36:30 Freekill More 40:20 Saint James Tribal Tales 47:00 Veter Adrenaline (Intro song) 52:45 If you'd like to use any of this music in your own projects, check out the amazing music licensing site Audiio - the platform that we use to get so many awesome tunes! (Use code PRO70 when going to Audiio.com to get 70% off Audiio Pro!)Editor's note: We were not paid upfront by Audiio.com or asked to promote them, we're just fans of the product!However, if you go to Audiio via our affiliate link and use code 'PRO70', you can save a bunch of money (70%!) on Audiio Pro, get awesome fully licensed music to use in your projects, and Audiio will throw us a few credit chips for each person we send their way. Everybody wins!

You collapse into your bunk, exhausted after the long day’s work, and begin and scrolling through your agent, looking for some new flashy content to take your mind off the day - when suddenly you stumble upon something that catches your eye. It’s a retro ’2D film’, recommended to you by your agent, called ’Neon Nights in the Oasis’. From the looks of it, it’s some old Callum Industries propaganda film... Claims it’s the ’True Story’ about some guy named Dennis, and how he ’Saved the Oasis’. You roll your eyes, load the video, and settle back into your bunk. These old corpo propaganda films are usually worth a watch... If just for the production value alone. The title slams into the screen of your agent, startling you a bit: ”This is... Neon Nights... In the Oasis”

Warning! Priority Transmission from the Oasis! The vidscreen on the back wall flashes an ominous warning symbol over a bright red background, bathing Sedoy's apartment in an eerie artificial glow. Sedoy leans against her kitchen table and studies the screen. She wipes a small chunk of partially digested kibble off of her lips, and swallows several times in an unsuccessful attempt to clear the taste of vomit from her mouth. The screen flashes again, and when it comes back, the text beneath the warning symbol has been replaced by two simple words: "Stand By."

Hello listeners!This week, instead of our regularly scheduled program, we're bringing you a special segment that I call 'Short Stories from the Oasis'. In these segments, we play a one-off session of some lesser known tabletop games and use it as an opportunity to explore some part of the Oasis that you wouldn't normally get to see! This week we're playing Halo 'n' Horns - A One Page Comedy RPG by Connie Chang (@byConnieChang on Twitter). Connie is the GM behind Transplanar RPG, an all-trans POC-led D&D show about broken heroes trying to save a broken world. You can find out more about that group on Twitter as well, under the handle @TransplanarRPG.You can also find Halo 'n' Horns, as well as other things Connie has made, at https://byconniechang.itch.io/ !Visitors to Scott Yung's Discount Cybernetics will quickly learn that Scott loves to talk about his products. He'll go on and on about this cybernetic limb, or that neural enhancement, but one thing he's never straightforward about is where he gets his product from. But.. if you manage to find him after he's had a few drinks, and when he's feeling particularly talkative, he may tell you the story... Of how Scott Yung founded Scott Yung's Discount Cybernetics.(This is part one of a two-part standalone series)

With a crunch, ISO flips over the front of the handlebars of his new motorbike, as he's flung unceremoniously into the air. Time seems to slow to a crawl as he tumbles head over heels towards a row of abandoned nomad motorbikes. He feels his grapple arm snap as it slams into the roof of an old, rusted sedan. ISO barely has enough time mid-flight to process the loss of his enhanced arm before he crashes clumsily into the row of rusty motor bikes - which in-turn then collapse on top of *him* forming a tangled heap of handlebars, wheels, and one extremely unlucky Media.

The sleeping form of Reed lies sprawled on the ground, empty bottle in one hand and several more scattered about the floor next to him. He opens his eyes and blinks slowly. As he tries lift his hand to shade his vision from the harsh sunlight emanating from his window, Reed's attention is drawn to one of the small pile of bottles. His heavy pistol has been posed amongst the glass and synth-plastic containers, as if the remains of his drunken bender were used as props for an album cover of an edgy indie punk band. For reasons that currently escape Reed's alcohol-soaked brain, the words 'Mars Sazerac' are scrawled across the barrel. He blinks. He blinks again. His brow furrows as he reaches slowly towards the familiar firearm, which he grasps and weighs it in his hands. Reed looks through his bedroom doorway, and towards his front door, slightly ajar. Perhaps Mavis remembers what happened.

Iso and Reed exit their rooms, give each other a quick nod, and quietly decend the stairs outside their apartment building. The two figures walk away from the lone tower into the rapidly setting sun towards the so called 'Nomad's Paradise'. Meanwhile, back in the apartment complex, Mavis and Sedoy prepare themselves for their first Oasis Rock show... And the meeting with their mysterious new superstar client.

Reed stands alone in his bathroom, shoulders hunched over the sink. The water hisses quietly into the metal basin as he studies his reflection. He scoops water into his hands and splashes it on his face, rubbing away the patches of dried blood with the slow, practiced demeanor of someone who has done this many times before. He inspects his face again, nods to himself, and sighs. Only one more thing to do before he can finally sleep.

The elevator chimes rhythmically as it slowly ascends the dull metal tower on the outskirts of the Oasis. Inside, Sedoy, catches her reflection on the sheen of the glass and steel interior. She notices a few spots of Charles' blood on her face, and absentmindedly wipes them away before checking her agent for messages from her new friends. Nothing. That's odd. 2 floors remaining. She hopes this isn't a trap. 1 floor remaining...

As our characters ponder the bizarre interviews they just gave, a million questions swirl through their minds. Though, for ISO, one thought rises above the rest - the person on the vidscreen in the waiting room. Her audio is muted, but whatever she's talking about seems important. Could this be his first Oasis story? And how could he insert himself into the middle of whatever was going on?This is Episode 4 - Trickle Down.

The roads leading to the Oasis are dangerous - in the last episode our luxury transport vehicle only narrowly avoided a serious confrontation with would-be hijackers. The intrigue around this Oasis place continues to mount, as the party sets off on the last leg of their journey. What awaits them at their destination? Find out in this episode of Tales From the Oasis - The Arrival.