Synth Convergence is a mission-pack and Blade-Runnery setting change for Ardens Ludere's Gibson-style cyberpunk PbtA game, The Sprawl.
The Sprawl is chaotic and elegant, and I think it will appeal to folks who aren't entirely sold on PbtA.
Synth Convergence is a great addition to it.
Synth is 37 pages, with solid layout, some photo illustrations, and a very immersive and visually consistent feeling throughout the PDF. The white text is a little tough to stare at, as it radiates against the black background, but it's got a lot of room and never feels squeezed, and using color instead of bold is a really good touch.
The first mission, The Tannhauser Investment, is a fairly straightforward And Then It Goes Wrong run---probably best suited for games that already emphasize the bleakness and disposability of mercenary work.
The second mission, The Infinitive Extraction, is much more gentle in its pacing, starting out as an extraction and then slowly rolling out complication after complication. It feels like a good fit for people who wants to experience the setting when bullets *aren't* flying.
The third mission, The Vanda-Weiss Demolition, digs into in-setting politics, putting the PCs in a place where they can shape high-level maneuvering for structurally significant factions. It *does* push towards the PCs becoming anti-corporate, and it may be wise to run it without the initial blackmail, thus giving the group an out.
In addition to these missions, there are also some cool locations and NPCs that can be popped into existing campaigns.
Overall, Synth Convergence is a worthwhile supplement to grab if you've got a copy of The Sprawl---or if you've got another hard-sci cyberpunk rpg that you'd like some plot hooks for. Synth has solid writing, good structure, and adds a neat subplot that ties in very well to the themes and style of The Sprawl.
Minor Issues:
-Page 3, third para, "humanitys detritus" humanity's