OpenLOCK Route Planning: Designing Monorail & Walkway Networks for Cyberpunk Skirmish

Most hobbyists learn OpenLOCK the same way: a bag of small clips, a few pieces with matching ports, and the satisfying snap when two sections lock together. Once that clicks (literally), a better question comes up. Where should the track actually go? A modular system is only as good as the layout you build with it. A monorail loop that circles the table edge looks great and does nothing. A walkway network running straight through the middle can decide every game.

This guide is for players who already own, or are planning to buy, modular cyberpunk terrain and want to treat OpenLOCK as a layout tool, not just a way of joining parts. It works for Cyberpunk RED, Stargrave, Infinity, Reality's Edge and most 28mm to 40mm sci-fi skirmish games.

Think in Routes, Not Pieces

Before you clip anything together, sketch three things on paper: deployment zones, objective markers and the main ground-level lanes between them. Your elevated pieces should then do one of three jobs:

Cross a lane. A walkway or track crossing a street creates an overhead firing position and breaks long sightlines underneath it.
Connect two buildings. Linking rooftops or upper floors gives fast models a second path that bypasses the street fight.
Frame an objective. A platform or balcony overlooking an objective turns a simple “hold the point” mission into a fight for high ground.

If an elevated piece does none of these jobs, it's scenery. Scenery is fine, but place it on purpose.

The Monorail as a Board-Splitting Landmark

The Cyberpunk Suspended Monorail stands 193 mm (7.6") tall on A-frame supports, so it dominates the skyline. That height is useful. A tall, thin structure blocks very little line of sight but draws the eye and gives the table a clear “spine”.

Here are three routes worth trying:

The diagonal. Run straight track corner to corner. It visually splits the board into two halves without blocking movement, and the A-frame supports become light cover along the middle.
The dog-leg. Use one or two of the four included curved sections so the track bends around a central building. The support pillars then sit in the street, creating small pockets of cover exactly where models want to advance.
The partial loop. Save full loops for display. On a gaming table, a half loop hugging one quarter of the board creates a defended “station district” that the other player has to push into.

The train car comes in front, centre and rear sections. Because you can lengthen it with extra centre sections, a longer train can serve as a moving objective or a narrative “cargo run”. It attaches to the track with two 10×2 mm magnets, which are not supplied, so pick those up before painting day.

Walkways: Where OpenLOCK Earns Its Keep

The track is the landmark, but walkways drive the gameplay. The Cyberpunk Elevated Transit Bundle pairs an elevated trainline (OpenLOCK track sections and curves, a train car, platform, support pillars and an optional Head House building) with a 24-piece modular stair and walkway system: walkways, balconies, T-connectors, stairs, corner pieces and supports.

That mix of parts lets you build real networks instead of single bridges. A few layout rules that consistently play well:

Use T-connectors to create decisions. A walkway that branches forces a player to choose a route and commit models to it. One straight bridge is a shooting gallery. A T-junction is a tactical choice.
Always give walkways a way down. Every elevated network should have at least two access points, usually stairs, so it can't be locked down by one model at the top.
Leave gaps. Resist linking every rooftop. A deliberate gap between two platforms rewards jump-capable or agile units and punishes everyone else.
Put the platform near, not on, an objective. A platform 6" to 8" from an objective gives shooters overwatch without letting them hold it from total safety.

Plugging Buildings into the Network

The layout gets really interesting when buildings join the system rather than just standing beside it. The Cyberpunk Chatsubo Bar Building has OpenLOCK ports on its upper floor for attaching balconies and stairs, plus removable floors and roof for interior play. That makes it a natural hub. Run a walkway from a nearby platform onto a Chatsubo balcony and suddenly the bar's upper floor is part of the route, and a place to fight over, not just a backdrop.

Because the Chatsubo can also be split into a larger and a smaller building, you can use it twice in the same network: a taller hub in the centre and a smaller anchor point near a deployment zone.

Filling the Street Level Under the Network

Elevated terrain creates a second problem: the ground beneath it can look empty. Once your routes are set, fill the lanes under them with low cover so the street fight still matters. The Cyberpunk Street Services Bundle is well suited to this. It includes a garbage truck, a 24-piece street scatter set (AC units, dumpster, barrels, crates, vending machines, terminals and an ATM), a greebles pack and HoverBotz. Park the truck under a walkway crossing to create a blocked lane. Use crate stacks at the foot of stairs so defenders at the top have something to shoot past.

A Sample 3×3 Layout

Here's a layout to try on a 3' × 3' board:

Centre: Chatsubo Bar as the hub, with a balcony facing each deployment zone.
Diagonal: Suspended Monorail running corner to corner behind the Chatsubo, supports in the open street.
Walkways: Transit Bundle platform in one neutral corner, linked by a T-connector walkway to the Chatsubo balcony, with stairs down on both sides.
Objectives: one inside the Chatsubo's ground floor, one under the platform, one in the open under the monorail.
Street level: truck and scatter blocking the direct lane between deployment zones.

Play two games, then move one walkway section and one stair. Small OpenLOCK changes shift the whole flow of the table, and that's the point of modular terrain.

Practical Tips Before You Clip

Paint before final assembly. Our kits ship unpainted, and it's far easier to prime and paint walkways and track as separate sections.
Keep spare clips. OpenLOCK clips are small and easy to lose. Store a handful with your terrain.
Test-fit first. Dry-fit the whole network on the table before painting to check heights and base sizes.
Photograph layouts you like. A quick phone photo makes it easy to rebuild a favourite table next session.

OpenLOCK makes modular terrain easy to connect. Planning routes is what makes it play well. Start with a spine, add branching walkways and plug a building or two into the network. You'll end up with a cyberpunk city that fights differently every time you set it up.