🏪 Mama Ling’s Bodega
The bell above the door chimes — a tinny, broken sound. The smell hits you first: soy sauce, machine oil, and cheap cigarettes. Every surface is covered in merchandise. Behind the counter, a small woman with a glowing amber cybereye looks up from her rice bowl.
“You buying, or you just standing there letting the cold in?”
🧑 Meet Mama Ling
Mama Ling (real name: Lin Mei-Hua) has run this cramped corner bodega in Watson for nineteen years. She survived the 4th Corporate War, two gang takeovers, and an NCPD raid that “accidentally” destroyed her inventory. She rebuilt every time.
| Real Name | Lin Mei-Hua |
| Age | 64 |
| Neighborhood | Watson, Little China |
| Personality | Gruff, no-nonsense, secretly kind |
| Quirk | Cybereye (amber) — lost the original to shrapnel. “Better than the real thing.” |
| Languages | Streetslang, Mandarin, English |
What She Says When You Walk In
“Sit your bag down, don’t touch anything you can’t afford, and tell me what you need.”
She squints at you with the cybereye.
“First time in Watson? You got that look. Like the city hasn’t chewed you up yet.”
If You Only Look at Weapons
“Hey. Hey! You going on a job? Let me tell you something my mother told me.”
She taps the counter with a bony finger.
“The gun saves your life once. The rope saves it every other time.”
If You Buy Multiple Items
She cracks something that might be a smile.
“You’re smarter than you look, choom. Most kids come in here, buy bullets, buy more bullets. Then they die in a locked room they couldn’t climb out of.”
She slides an MRE across the counter.
“Here. On the house. Nobody should flatline on an empty stomach.”
💰 Your Starting Budget
500eb to Spend
Streetrat and Edgerunner characters start with 500eb in cash. This is your only money until your first job pays out. Spend wisely — or save it. Your choice.
Complete Package characters already spent their budget during creation. You may still have leftover eddies.
🛒 What’s In Stock
She gestures at the cramped aisles with her cigarette.
“Everything you need and nothing you don’t. If it ain’t on the shelf, you don’t need it.”
🔦 Survival & Utility
Shelf 1 — The Basics
“You’re an Edgerunner, not a tourist. Gear up.”
Item Price What It’s Good For Rope 20eb Climbing, tying, rappelling (60m coil) Duct Tape 20eb Fixes everything. Temporarily. Glow Paint 20eb Mark paths, leave signals, tag objectives Carryall 20eb Big bag — carry more loot home Inflatable Bed 20eb Sleep somewhere that isn’t concrete Road Flare 10eb Light up dark areas, signal allies MRE 10eb A meal. Don’t ask what flavor. Auto-Leveling Crampons 50eb Climb surfaces without slipping
📱 Tech & Comms
Shelf 2 — Electronics
“You got chrome in your head but no burner phone? What are you, corpo?”
Item Price What It’s Good For Agent 100eb Smartphone of 2045 — if you don’t have one yet Disposable Cell Phone 50eb Untraceable burner — make a call, trash it Memory Chip 10eb Store data, leave dead drops Data Chip 10eb Read-only data storage Binoculars 50eb See far away without getting shot Radio Scanner Music Player 50eb Monitor police/gang frequencies + tunes
🔧 Tools
Shelf 3 — Behind the Counter
“Fix it yourself or pay someone 10x the price. Your choice.”
Item Price What It’s Good For Lock Picking Set 20eb Required for the Pick Lock skill Handcuffs 50eb Restrain someone without killing them Personal CarePak 20eb Hygiene kit — you’ll thank me later Grapple Gun 100eb Fires a line 30m — climb at full speed
🍵 Under the Counter
The Good Stuff
She leans forward and lowers her voice.
“This stuff’s under the counter. Don’t tell nobody.”
Item Price What It Does Airhypo 50eb Drug injector — no needles, works with any drug Smash 10eb/dose Painkiller. Ignore wound penalties for 1 hour Synthcoke 20eb/dose Stimulant. Stay awake and alert Boost 50eb/dose +2 REF for 1 hour. Careful with this. “This is for emergencies. It ain’t a lifestyle.”
⚠️ All street drugs carry risks of addiction. See Street Drugs for full rules.
📦 Don’t Know What To Buy?
Mama Ling looks you up and down.
“You look lost. Fine. Mama Ling will help. What kind of person are you?”
🎒 "I'm New Here" — 120eb
“Just the basics. Nothing fancy. You’ll survive.”
Item Price Rope 20eb Duct Tape 20eb Road Flare ×2 20eb MRE ×3 30eb Memory Chip 10eb Personal CarePak 20eb Total 120eb Remaining from 500eb 380eb
🕵️ "I Plan Ahead" — 240eb
“Smart. You’ll last longer than most.”
Item Price Lock Picking Set 20eb Disposable Cell Phone 50eb Binoculars 50eb Rope 20eb Duct Tape 20eb Glow Paint 20eb Road Flare ×2 20eb MRE ×2 20eb Memory Chip ×2 20eb Total 240eb Remaining from 500eb 260eb
💪 "Ready for Anything" — 370eb
She actually looks impressed.
“You’ve done this before, haven’t you?”
Item Price Grapple Gun 100eb Lock Picking Set 20eb Disposable Cell Phone 50eb Binoculars 50eb Rope 20eb Duct Tape ×2 40eb Handcuffs 50eb Road Flare ×2 20eb MRE ×2 20eb Total 370eb Remaining from 500eb 130eb
🚪 On Your Way Out
You push open the door. The bell chimes again. Mama Ling calls after you without looking up from her rice bowl.
“Stay alive out there, choom. And come back for dumplings sometime. I make them fresh on Thursdays.”
🔗 Next Steps
Done shopping? Time to hit the streets:
- → How to Play — Learn the core game mechanic
- → Combat — When talking doesn’t work
- Browse Full Inventory — Everything else money can buy
← Starting Cyberware · Step 7 of 7 · ✅ Done!