🏜️ The Badlands
“Out here, there’s no law. Just the road and the clan.”
Zone Type: Outskirts
Threat Rating: Outskirts — The only laws are the ones you make for yourself
📝 Overview
Beyond Night City’s suburbs lies the Badlands: a vast expanse of dry California scrub, abandoned towns, and dry lake beds. Few city dwellers venture out here willingly—except the Nomads who cross these wastes in huge, well-protected caravans.
This is lawless territory. Road gangers prey on the unprepared. Raffen Shiv attack anything that moves. But for the Nomad families, the Badlands are home—a harsh home, but theirs.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Zone Type | Outskirts |
| Threat Rating | Outskirts |
| Controller | Nomad Families (primarily Aldecaldos) |
| Character | Desert, dust, freedom |
| Access | Open—if you can survive it |
📜 History
The Collapse Era
Before the Badlands were the Badlands, this was fertile California countryside. Small towns dotted the region—farming communities, service towns along Highway 1, vacation spots near the coast.
The Collapse changed everything:
- Climate shifts turned much of the land dry
- Corporate wars destroyed infrastructure
- Populations fled to cities or died
- Towns became ghost towns
The Open Road (2020s)
In the 2020s, the Open Road was pure chaos:
- Roving gogangs (road-warrior gangers) attacked anything that moved
- Only well-defended Nomad caravans could travel safely
- The highways were more Mad Max than Route 66
The Reclamation (Time of the Red)
As the Nomad Families take greater control of commerce and shipping, they’re using surplus military hardware to drive out the gogangs. The roads are still dangerous, but less chaotic.
“The roads are still open, wide, and dusty, with dead and burned-out vehicles littering some areas, but more and more the Open Road is looking a bit more like Route 66 than Mad Max.” — CRB, p. 298
🌄 Geography
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Terrain | Dry scrubland, desert, rocky hills |
| Climate | Hot days, cold nights, occasional dust storms, rare acid rain |
| Infrastructure | Crumbling pre-War roads, abandoned gas stations |
| Settlements | Nomad camps, ghost towns, hidden outposts |
| Radiation | Generally safe, but pockets of contamination exist |
The Red Peaks
A rocky, hilly area on the outskirts of the Badlands:
- Known for the Sunset Motel—the last stop for nomads and outlaws before city streets
- Covered in grime from countless dust storms
- Strategic point where Nomads and Night City intersect
Dry Lake Beds
Flat, open spaces used by Nomad caravans as gathering points, markets, and meeting grounds. Also used for illegal races and exchanges.
Ghost Towns
The Badlands are dotted with abandoned communities:
- Atascadero, Avila Beach, Cambria, Los Osos — Being reclaimed by Nomads and Reclaimers
- Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo, San Simeon — Part of the Reclaimed Perimeter
- Some make good scavenging sites, temporary shelter, or ambush points
The Reclaimed Perimeter
Night City was surrounded by smaller towns and suburbs. Most were abandoned during 2000-2020 as they were too far out to protect from roving gogangs. Now, supported by Nomad Families and private security, Reclaimers are attempting to make new homes for the dispossessed.
🏕️ Who’s Out Here
Nomad Families
The Badlands belong to the Nomads. The major families operating near Night City:
| Family | Specialty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Aldecaldos | Trade & Transport | Primary family around NC, camp at city edge |
| Jodes | Entertainment & Media | Run cargo from South America |
| Thelas | Pacific Trade | Handle cargo from across the Pacific |
| Meta | Occasional Pacific trade | Smaller presence |
| Snake Nation | Independent Nomads | Unaffiliated operators |
Nomad Economics
Short answer: if you need something shipped into Night City, a Fixer calls a Nomad. Aldecaldos handle north, east, and Mexico. Jodes handle South America. Thelas handle the Pacific. Snake Nation is everyone else.
Raffen Shiv
These are the worst of the road—Nomads gone bad, or gangers who fled to the wastes:
- Attack convoys for supplies
- Take prisoners for labor or ransom
- Have no honor, no family, nothing to lose
- The Wraiths are a notorious pack: former nomads exiled from their packs, aggressive, ruthless, usually attack on sight
Road Gangers (Gogangers)
Boostergangs on spiky ground cars and motorcycles:
- Raid travelers for fun and profit
- Some are aligned with city gangs; others are independent
- Less organized than Raffen Shiv, but equally dangerous
- “Some couldn’t handle the pressure, became road gangers, and stood in the way of progress”
Drifters & Outcasts
People who couldn’t make it in the city, or chose not to:
- Ex-military hiding from their past
- Criminals on the run
- Religious communities seeking isolation
- Survivalists preparing for worse times
🛣️ The Open Road
The highways connecting Night City to other cities run through the Badlands.
Major Routes
| Route | Destination | Danger | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| I-5 North | Seattle, Pacifica Confed | Medium | Aldecaldo territory |
| I-5 South | Los Angeles, SoCal | High | More hostile |
| I-40 East | Free States, NUSA | Very High | Long, dangerous |
| I-101 | Coast, San Francisco | Medium | Scenic but exposed |
| State Routes 41, 46, 58, 99 | Various interior | Varies | Local roads |
Travel Protocols
The Street Finds Out
Never travel alone. Join a Nomad convoy if possible. Carry extra fuel and water. Avoid night travel unless you have to. Know where the Aldecaldo camps are—they’re your best hope if things go wrong.
| Survival Need | Solution |
|---|---|
| Fuel | CHOOH2 stations are rare and expensive; carry reserves |
| Water | You carry it or you die |
| Navigation | Roads are poorly marked; getting lost is easy |
| Heat | Day temperatures can be lethal without shade |
| Cold | Night temperatures drop fast; exposure kills |
📍 Notable Locations
Aldecaldo Camp
A large, multi-cultural encampment at the edge of the city:
- The Aldecaldos run an expansive trade and transport network
- Hire themselves out to guide people across the Badlands
- Transport goods just about anywhere
- Relatively friendly to outsiders—if you approach respectfully
Honest Stan’s Self-Storage
An old yard full of ancient cargo containers on the edge of the Badlands, near the Night City border:
- Where the Badlands and Night City blur together
- Used for meets, exchanges, and storage
- Connected to various Fixer operations
The Sunset Motel
In the Red Peaks area—the last stop for nomads and outlaws before city streets:
- Covered in grime from countless dust storms
- Noah the bartender knows everyone who passes through
- A place where deals get made
- Famous for the Rag Man—an old guy who rambles about snakes and ladders
Steel Vaqueros Camp
A Nomad pack that runs convoys up and down the coast:
- Located east on I-9, past a garage, up a dirt road
- Count the old windmills—turn left at the second
- Rougher than the Aldecaldos, but honorable
Abandoned Biotechnica Facility
Rumored to exist somewhere in the wastes:
- Some say it has pre-War tech
- Others say it’s haunted by failed experiments
- Nobody’s confirmed either way
- Prime scavenging target—if you can find it
The Afterlife (Outside Extension)
Some Fixers use Badlands locations for exchanges too hot for the city:
- Neutral ground
- No witnesses
- No NCPD response
😄 What You See
🎲 GM Resources
Why Go to the Badlands?
| Reason | Hook |
|---|---|
| Transport job | Get something from A to B without city authorities |
| Meeting | Neutral ground for a dangerous exchange |
| Pursuit | Target fled the city; you follow |
| Scavenging | Old military site, crashed AV, abandoned town |
| Nomad contact | Need to hire a convoy or gather intel |
| Hiding | Too hot in the city; lie low in the wastes |
| The Jacket | Someone stole something; trail leads out here |
Random Badlands Encounters
| d6 | Encounter |
|---|---|
| 1 | Dust storm forces you to shelter—but someone else got there first |
| 2 | Raffen Shiv scouts spotted—attack coming? |
| 3 | Nomad caravan—friendly, but not free help |
| 4 | Abandoned military vehicle, half-buried. Trap or treasure? |
| 5 | Road ganger checkpoint demanding “toll” |
| 6 | Distress signal from stranded travelers—genuine or bait? |
Badlands Survival Challenges
The Badlands aren’t just about combat. GMs should enforce survival stakes:
| Challenge | DV | Failure Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Navigate to destination | 13 (Local Expert/Wilderness Survival) | Lost 1d6 hours, fuel wasted |
| Find shelter before storm | 15 (Wilderness Survival) | 2d6 damage from exposure |
| Find CHOOH2 station | 13 (Streetwise) | +50% fuel price or none at all |
| Spot ambush | 15 (Perception) | Surprised in first round |
| Signal for Nomad help | 17 (Persuasion) | They arrive late or not at all |
🔗 Related Topics
- Nomads — The families who call this home
- Aldecaldos — Primary Nomad presence near Night City
- Raffen Shiv — The predators of the road
- Wraiths — Notorious Raffen Shiv pack
- Transportation — How to get through the Badlands alive
- CHOOH2 — The fuel that keeps the caravans moving
- Districts — Back to Night City
(Source: Cyberpunk RED Core Rulebook, pp. 292-296, 298; Black Chrome; Edgerunners Mission Kit)