Shadowrun: Miami

Started by Melnibone, March 26, 2010, 10:49:18 PM

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Kunoichi

Yeah, that's a good idea.  If you do wind up getting cyberware, though, then cybereyes, while not really all that helpful for hacking, are a very common and extremely useful piece of cyberware...

ReijiTabibito

True.  Speaking of, I'm buying up gear right now...and I'm starting to get lost in a virtual sea of programs, modifications, and what not.  Anyone with hacker experience here?  I'd like maybe some guidelines...'cause I know otherwise I'm gonna spend all my money on commlinks and programs, and leave nothing for everything else.

NotoriusBEN

probably the best crash course for initial gear is to look at the pregenerated hacker in the core book.
it'll give you some direction and if you want to branch out, you at least know what your looking at to decide if you want to scrap certain things for other things.
(it's what I did with my rigger :P)

Paladin

I may be interested since the last SR4 game I was in died and I really wanted to play that character. I shot a PM off to the GM though to see if that character is allowed in.

ReijiTabibito

Okay, something I'm trying to work with here.  According to the 4e 20th Anniversary rulebook, in order to experience AR or VR, you need a simsense module, which, if I read the description right, requires that you have a datajack, a trode net, or implanted commlink.

Am I reading this right?  Is it still impossible to do any sort of hacking without cyberware?

Kunoichi

Well, seeing as a trode net isn't cyberware... ^^;

And the simsense module is only for VR.  For AR, you just need a set of glasses with an image link installed.

ReijiTabibito

Okay...well, hackers generally do both VR and AR, so it just might be easier to get the simsense module and go from there.

Although, having this glasses + image link might be helpful in certain locations...where would I find the price for such a thing?  In the Gear part of the book, I mean - I know it'd be there.

NotoriusBEN

anybody can access AR with the right goggles or cyberware.
VR can also be accessed w/o cyberware via a trode net and simsense module in a commlink -HOWEVER- the best you could do is "cold-sim" it.
Cold-sim is the normal, SAFE access to the matrix that confers no bonus, but you only suffer STUN damage from kill-programs.

HOT-SIM requires a datajack because you have to link your brain directly to the signal. When you hot-sim, you get a +2 bonus to matrix actions because you are moving at the speed of thought.
normally, your telling your hands or trodes what you want to do in the matrix, but in Hot-Sim your directly patched in, you simply think and do it. The draw back to Hot-Sim is the fact that Hot-sim is incredibly addictive (everything is "realer than real" and more intense in hot sim) and kill-programs can now literally fry your skull inside out without protection from Biofeedback filters or a buddy to pull the datajack out of you.

for the glasses, look for AR Goggles and image link

ReijiTabibito

That...sounds pretty much what I'm looking for for my character.  The cold-sim part, I mean.  He's a professional, but he focuses on not taking any unnecessary risks, so I think that at least starting out, he'd stick to AR and cold-sim.  And I've found what I need for the AR stuff...now all I need is a simsense module and trodes, and I should be all set.  Although, maybe...can a datajack do more than just hacking and such?  I might get myself one of those...

Kunoichi

#84
Well, I don't have the Anniversary Edition, but in the basic book, they're right next to the info on Sensors, a few pages after the prices for commlinks.  You could get yourself some glasses or goggles, add in Image Link and maybe a few vision enhancements, and you'd be good to go.

And Ben, you can actually go Hot Sim with just trodes.  No need to get a datajack at all.

Edit: Reiji, datajacks can also be used for accessing chips and certain 'softs.  Like, if you don't know Japanese, but needed to speak it, you could get a good rating Linguasoft to help you out.

ReijiTabibito

Anything else?  Like, could you use a datajack to hack into cameras, or security stations, or things like that?  If you've seen Ghost in the Shell, stuff like that.

Kunoichi

You can already do that wirelessly most of the time, actually.  The datajack just connects your brain directly to your commlink.

If anything, you could say that most people in Ghost in the Shell have implanted commlinks...

NotoriusBEN

yep what Kuno said.

also, yay Ghost in the Shell! That is exactly how I imagine Neo-Japan in Shadowrun... except with more orks and elves ^^;

Kunoichi

And more racism against Orks and Elves.  But yeah, that's how I imagine it, too. ^^

NotoriusBEN

#89
I know it's late for posting character generator programs, but go to

http://daegann.free.fr/programmes/programmes.php

and download "Chargen SR4 2.0" it works with XP (my OS) but it has quite the majority of qualities and gear listed in it.
It's a little hard to work with, but it has about 90% of the gear and options you can pick from ALL the books listed.
Maybe that will help between all the page flipping... (honestly fanpro and catalyst could have done better with keyword and table indexes for their books.)

just extract the zip file with winzip or the equivalent and use the exe program in it. It doesnt install anything, just comes up with the character table.

Chelemar

Im' sorry, but after giving it a lot of consideration, I feel that I must withdraw my character from this game.  I just have been bogged down time wise.  Plus, I don't know the game system well, and you all have quite a good grasp.  i wouldn't want to hold anyone up.

Thanks again for the invite and have a great game. :)

Hugs,

chelemar

Kunoichi

Awww, oh well.  Hope you get unbogged soon, Chelemar.

Behemoth

Hi guys. No word on when the game might start?

On the topic of house sharing, Azrael (my orc character) wouldn't make a few good house mate. Apart from paying rent sporadically and suffering from abusive and often violent outbursts, the fridge would ALWAYS be empty with him around and i think he'd eat out out of house and home. He has a ravenous appetite due to his orcy nature, huge size and Suprathyroid Gland.

Azrael currently lives in a shit-hole third story apartment on the edge of the Miami slums. He sometimes pays rent to the land lord, however he's currently given Azrael the next two months rent-free for taking care of a little 'problem' he had with some local crims. The bodies of the two low-level crooks who were running a protection racket in the area are still hidden under the stairs - luckily no one has noticed the smell as the place already smells like a dump. Azrael still hasn't gotten 'round to taking out the trash :-)

Anyone interested in maybe doing a little in character roleplay by post? Could just be a scene where the team is out one night for drinks, making plans or some such?

Paladin

soo How much is Melnibone on? Hasn't answered my PM yet.

Kunoichi

I'm still waiting on a reply myself.  Presumably he's still busy with those family issues.

Keala Mensha Khaine

Hello all! I would be interested in this game too if you guys hadn't started yet or if there were spots open? Would be nice to break out my old Dwarf or Ork for some good fun!

NotoriusBEN

I dont have a problem with it. We are still waiting on our GM, which Kuno pointed out is still having family issues, so we are just keeping our interest alive and known for when he gets back.

So far, we have:

NotoriusBEN:
Wheelman / Drone Rigger

Kunoichi:
Magician / Face Lady

Behemoth:
Close Quarters Combatant / Intimidator

ReijiTaibado:
working on a Hacker, no character submitted yet

Muse:
working on a Magician, no character submitted yet

Paladin:
interest shown

ReijiTabibito

Just to update your list, BEN.  I noted that the characters have a pair of aspects to them: Wheelman/Rigger; Magician/Face.

For mine, it'd be Hacker/Security Expert.  I've got a lot of free points to spend on Knowledge Skills - at least 27 free ones - so I'll probably be loading up on Security-related skills and such.  Which reminds me...is there Knight Errant and Lone Star in Miami?

Kunoichi

And actually, Reiji, with the right gear, you could be a pretty good infiltration expert, as well. ^^; Hardware and the right tools will get you around quite a few pieces of security, while you can Hack the rest...

ReijiTabibito

Right gear?  Do tell.  I'm listening...