CBR+PNK Designer Spotlight: Jack Cahan

Hey Runners! Today we have another excellent designer spotlight - this time for Jack Cahan, creator of TRIDENT PROTOTYPE, which, in our opinion, exemplifies a perfect starter run for CBR+PNK. Elegant mechanics and an ever-escalating situation on board of a submarine, what's not to love? Let's get into it...

1. What inspired your Pamphlets?

It was a combination of two things: the Titan Submersible Implosion and a book called The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi.

The reaction to the Titan was like a moment out of a cyberpunk novel. Huge amounts of resources being devoted to a hopeless search for rich idiots, the media treating it like the most important thing in the world, the lack of concern online. As that was all happening, I was reading The Quantum Thief (or maybe one of its sequels), which is about a heist in a world where AI has infected every part of the world. Those two things just mingled in my brain formed Trident Prototype.

2. Describe your Pamphlet in three words, then explain why you chose them.

Tense party heist.

My goal with this /RUN was for players to never have a moment of rest. You are in a suffocating environment aboard this underwater cruise for the ultra-rich. There is never a moment when the team is not being watched, not being judged, not having to make a life-or-death choice. I like the tension of trying to steal something in that environment, contrasted with this wild, Gatsby-esque party that is going on.  ?

3. What’s a design element - either as part of your Pamphlet or otherwise - that you’re particularly proud of?

I like the vibe level tracker. You know when you are in a big crowd and it almost feels like it is one creature? Something happens, and everyone reacts to it; whispers spread out from a central point, people move toward or away from the altercation, its very organic and fascinating. Crowds have a kind of hive mind dynamic that I really love to use in games.

4. Do you have any advice for someone designing their first TTRPG or module?

Done is better than perfect. You can spend your whole life trying to make something perfect and it will never get done. Finish it up, give it one last look over for obvious mistakes, and get it out into the world.

Your goal should always be getting feedback and improving and you can’t do that if you are not releasing your work. If you made a mistake that is really weighing on you, you can always go back and release a Second Edition.

5. What’s your signature drink in the CBR+PNK universe—and what’s in it?             

If the job went well, a chilled coupe glass with an Absinthe rinse, equal parts Gin, Green Chartreuse, Orange Liquor, and Lemon Juice. Finish it off with a dash of New Orleans-style Bitters, then shake and serve it straight.

If it went badly, a beer, a cigarette, and a shot of Mezcal.

6. Any other projects or thing’s you’d like to plug?                                                 

I have a game that is currently being playtested called RETRO/KILL!

RETRO/KILL (R/K) is a rules-light tabletop roleplaying game about time-traveling assassins going after the villains of human history.

You can check it out at: https://retrokill.com/

7. Where can people find you?  

TikTok
Instagram
Discord

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Don''t forget, CBR+PNK: OVERLOAD runs through the month of June 2025!