🌃 Night City MOC
“The City of Dreams. The City of Nightmares. Same place.”
Night City is the beating heart of the Cyberpunk world—a free city on the California coast where corporations, gangs, and desperate people clash in an endless struggle for survival and power.
📍 City Overview
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Del Coronado Bay, California |
| Population | ~5 million |
| Government | City Council (corporate-controlled) |
| Founded | 1994 (incorporated 2000) |
| Status (2045) | Rebuilding, dangerous, alive |
🗺️ Districts
Corporate Center
The gleaming heart of corporate power, rebuilt after the Fourth Corporate War.
- Arasaka Tower (new)
- Corporate headquarters
- High-end retail
- Heavy security
Watson District
Former industrial powerhouse, now a mix of commerce and crime.
- Kabuki: Market district
- Little China: Asian cultural center
- Northside Industrial: Maelstrom territory
- Home to: Maelstrom, Tyger Claws
Westbrook
Wealth and pleasure district.
- Japantown: Tyger Claws territory, entertainment
- North Oak: Wealthy residential
- Charter Hill: Upper-middle class
Pacifica District
Abandoned development turned Combat Zone.
- Voodoo Boys territory
- No city services
- Most dangerous district
- Self-governing community
Santo Domingo
Working-class industrial district.
- Power plants and factories
- 6th Street territory
- Arroyo: Industrial
- Rancho Coronado: Residential
Heywood
Latino cultural center, mixed residential.
- The Glen: Upper-class
- Vista Del Rey: Working-class
- Wellsprings: Mixed
- Valentinos territory
City Center
Corporate downtown, heavily secured.
- Corporate Plaza
- Financial district
- Government buildings
- Tourist attractions
🔴 Zones
Zone Classification
| Zone | Description | Law Enforcement |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate | Corp-controlled, maximum security | Corporate + NCPD |
| Secure | Normal city, police present | NCPD patrol |
| Mixed | Contested, variable safety | Irregular NCPD |
| Combat Zone | Lawless, extremely dangerous | None |
| Hot Zone | Radioactive, closed | Military cordon |
The Hot Zone
The irradiated ruins of old Arasaka Tower and surrounding blocks:
- Closed to all access
- Lethal radiation levels
- Rumored treasures within
- Military perimeter
Placeholder: Night City skyline (pg. 289)
🏛️ Government
City Council
Nominally governs Night City:
- Corporate-controlled
- Corrupt
- Limited actual power
- Focused on Corporate Center
NCPD
Night City Police Department:
- Underfunded, outgunned
- Focus on corporate areas
- Ignore Combat Zones
- Often corrupt
MAX-TAC
Psycho Squad—elite unit for cyberpsychos:
- Heavy firepower
- Licensed to kill
- Called for extreme threats
- Few survive encounters
📅 Night City History
1994: Founding
Richard Night founded the city as a utopian corporate community.
2000: Incorporation
Night City declared a Free City, independent of California and NUSA.
2020: The Holocaust
Fourth Corporate War devastates the city. Nuclear detonation creates Hot Zone.
2020-2045: The Time of the Red
Rebuilding era. Red skies from nuclear fallout. Current campaign era.
See: History for full timeline.
🎲 GM Resources
Night City Atmosphere
The Look: Neon, rain, chrome, decay. Towering corporate arcologies next to crumbling tenements.
The Sound: Bass from clubs, gunfire in the distance, advertisements everywhere, street slang.
The Smell: Synth-food, ozone, garbage, rain on hot pavement.
The Feel: Everything’s for sale. Trust no one. Live fast, die young.
🔗 Related Topics
(Source: Cyberpunk RED Core Rulebook, pgs. 282-302)