How to Play

Beginner's Guide

NERVEJACK is a text-based RPG where you type what your character does and a game master responds. There are no menus, no buttons to click, no dialogue options to select. You describe your actions in plain language — search the body for credits, ask the bartender about the Iron Lotus, draw my katana and charge — and the game master narrates what happens next.

The game master tracks everything: your HP, your credits, your inventory, your reputation with every faction in the city. Actions have consequences. NPCs remember what you've done. And when your HP hits zero, your character dies permanently.

Getting Started

When you start a new game, you pick an archetype. This determines your starting HP, credits, and gear. There are no levels, no skill trees, no experience points. Your archetype shapes your first few turns — after that, the story is yours.

Street Samurai are the most forgiving for new players — high HP means more room for mistakes. Fixers start with extra credits, which opens up bribery and trade options early. Netrunners are powerful but fragile. Chrome Rats start with the least but can go places others can't.

The Status Bar

During gameplay, a status bar at the top of the screen shows your current state at a glance:

• HP — Your hit points. Take damage in combat, from traps, or from bad decisions. When it hits 0, you're dead. There's no respawn.
• Credits (CR) — The city's currency. Earn them from jobs, loot, or trade. Spend them on gear, bribes, medical treatment, or information.
• Time — The in-game clock. Some NPCs are only available at certain times. Some areas are more dangerous at night.
• Location — Where you are in Neo-Kowloon. Tap it to see the sector and area.
• HEAT — Your wanted level. Cause trouble and heat goes up. High heat means patrols, bounty hunters, and faction enforcers coming for you.

The Inventory Drawer

Tap the INV button to open the drawer. It shows everything the game is tracking about your character:

Status

Your HP bar, current credits, and location. The HP bar changes color as you take damage — green is healthy, yellow is wounded, red means you're close to death.

Inventory

Every item you're carrying. Weapons, armor, tools, consumables, quest items. You pick things up by interacting with the world — take the pistol, buy a medkit from the vendor, loot the body. Items matter: a lockpick lets you open doors a samurai would have to break down. A cyberdeck lets you hack systems others can't touch.

Quests

Active objectives. These aren't handed to you from a quest board — they emerge from conversations and events. A fixer asks you to recover stolen cargo. A stranger offers credits to find a missing person. Accept or ignore them; either way, the city keeps moving.

Known NPCs

Characters you've met. The game tracks every NPC interaction. Help someone and they'll remember. Betray them and they'll remember that too. Some NPCs are connected to factions — your relationship with one person can shift how an entire organization treats you.

Factions

Your standing with the major power groups in Neo-Kowloon. There are 10+ factions, each with their own territory, goals, and enemies. Faction reputation opens and closes doors — literally. High standing with the Iron Lotus gets you into the Drowned Quarter without a fight. Low standing means every visit is a risk.

How Combat Works

Combat isn't scripted. When you attack someone (or they attack you), the game master rolls dice behind the scenes. Your weapon, armor, HP, and the situation all factor into the outcome. You might land a clean hit, take damage in return, or miss entirely.

You don't pick from a list of attacks. You describe what you do: slash at his legs to slow him down, duck behind the counter and fire blind, try to disarm her. The game master interprets your action, rolls the dice, and narrates the result. Creative tactics can shift the odds — flanking, using the environment, or catching someone off guard all matter.

Combat is dangerous. Even a strong character can die in a bad fight. Running is always an option and often the smart one.

Permadeath

When your HP hits zero, your character dies. There's no save scumming, no resurrection, no continue screen. Your story ends and you get a death card summarizing your run — how many turns you survived, how you died, and an epitaph written by the game master.

Then you start over with a new character. Different archetype, different choices, different story. The city stays the same but your path through it never will.

Tips for Staying Alive

• Talk before you fight. Most NPCs can be negotiated with. Combat costs HP, and HP is hard to recover.
• Watch your credits. Running out of money in Neo-Kowloon is almost as bad as running out of health. You can't buy medkits, can't bribe guards, can't pay for information.
• Read the room. The game master describes the environment for a reason. If a bar is full of Iron Lotus soldiers and you have bad faction standing, maybe don't start a fight there.
• Keep moving. Staying in one place too long with high heat is how you get cornered. Change sectors, lay low, let things cool down.
• Use your gear. If you have a cyberdeck, hack things. If you have lockpicks, look for locked doors. Your inventory is your toolkit — use it.

Last updated: March 2026