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Dumpshock Forums _ Shadowrun _ Cyberdecks & Legality
Posted by: hp_warcraft Jun 13 2004, 11:09 PM
What is the highest legal value for an MPCP in a cyberdeck (assuming no illegal persona programs )?
Why yes, I am establishing my decker's "other identity" - how did you guess? 
Posted by: Backgammon Jun 13 2004, 11:13 PM
Any deck with masking is illegal, so you'd have to put 0 in Masking. Otherwise, I don't think there is a limit.
Posted by: hp_warcraft Jun 13 2004, 11:20 PM
Found it! Matrix pg. 20: " in most locales, the MPCP of a cyberterminal is legally limited to rating 4 or less."
Posted by: Zeel De Mort Jun 13 2004, 11:26 PM
Ouch! MPCP 4 and no Masking. Although you can get permits for them, it seems.
Does it say anywhere which utilities or utility ratings are illegal? Can't find that info..
Posted by: Cray74 Jun 13 2004, 11:35 PM
MPCP 4 is the legal limit.
Any level of Masking takes a lot of explaining, if not being outright illegal.
Any level of Evasion is also dubious, though less so than Masking.
Posted by: Madda_Gaska Jun 14 2004, 06:06 AM
Matrix- Pg: 20-21:
Evasion legality: 3P-S
Masking legality: 2-S
I can't find the legality rating for MPCP>4 at the moment, but it does state that "in most locales, the MPCP of a cyberterminal is legally limited to rating 4 or less."
I would assume one could get a standard permit for that though, as having MPCP 8 or 12 still isn't going to make you less detectable by itself (as masking does).
Posted by: BitBasher Jun 14 2004, 06:12 AM
Yeah, but legal cyberecks dont even have a spot for a masking chip. It's easy to tell if a deck is legal or not, and it's pointless to have a rating 12 deck with no chance at masking. You're kind of screwed either way, either the deck is legal or it's not. Why have a rating 12 deck that you have a permit for but cant use for anything illegal because it has no masking?
Posted by: Traks Jun 14 2004, 08:19 AM
You know, even in future admins will want to have the fastest PC's available 
Of course corps will usually use masking and much nastier stuff, but still...
Posted by: Cray74 Jun 14 2004, 10:00 AM
| QUOTE (BitBasher) |
| It's easy to tell if a deck is legal or not, |
How's that? One microchip looks like any other.
Posted by: shadd4d Jun 14 2004, 10:49 AM
However, there was something in VR 2.0 stating that a legal MCPC doesn't even have slots for Masking. If there's an empty slot (or two), chances are someone can point the finger and say "that's a cyberdeck."
Don
Posted by: DigitalMage Jun 14 2004, 11:19 AM
| QUOTE (shadd4d) |
| However, there was something in VR 2.0 stating that a legal MCPC doesn't even have slots for Masking. If there's an empty slot (or two), chances are someone can point the finger and say "that's a cyberdeck." Don |
I can't imagine it would be hard for a deckmeister to install a Masking and Evasion chip so that it is not visible form outside (i.e. concealed within the case). It makes it slightly more difficult to swap out, but that won't be happening that often I imagine.
Posted by: Cray74 Jun 14 2004, 12:13 PM
| QUOTE (shadd4d) |
| However, there was something in VR 2.0 stating that a legal MCPC doesn't even have slots for Masking. If there's an empty slot (or two), chances are someone can point the finger and say "that's a cyberdeck." |
What if the Masking program is burned on the same chip as another persona program?
Posted by: shadd4d Jun 14 2004, 12:16 PM
It states somewhere that they are seperate chips. Your MCPC, as I understand it, has 5 slots: BSME plus icon chip.
Don
Posted by: Cray74 Jun 14 2004, 12:57 PM
| QUOTE (shadd4d) |
| It states somewhere that they are seperate chips. Your MCPC, as I understand it, has 5 slots: BSME plus icon chip. Don |
If you can come up with the page citation, I'd appreciate. As it stands, I think the chip burning rules are flexible enough to let you cram several persona programs onto one chip.
Posted by: hp_warcraft Jun 15 2004, 12:25 AM
I assume that any good decker could gut a legal cyberdeck and install the components from their highly illegal "working" deck, but presumably security professionals are going to be able to detect the alterations.
I wanted a completely legal cyberdeck that will contain only information searching
utilities and a Search frame or agent. A lot of my work as a decker is simply compiling background checks on people or places, and I can compile a preliminary report from entirely legal sources. When I need better info, I can arrange with my team for a safe jackpoint and bring out the 'big guns', but when I'm legally staying at a nice, secure hotel under a fake SIN I don't want compromised, why wander around with a million + nuyen of illegal matrixware? 
Posted by: Madda_Gaska Jun 15 2004, 06:09 AM
Matrix, Pg: 167 lists a set of actual cyberterminals. They run with Cold ASIST, no masking, no evasion, thus are fully legal. They weigh in at 1,300-7,500 nuyen. Slot a browse 6 and a frame/agent on there, and you have a cheap, legal searching method.
Alternative: If it's a luxury hotel, SSG, pg: 121 suggests that public dataterms in A and AA areas may well have low end cyberterminals. You may be able to take an optical disc in with your utilities, and search to your heart's content on a 'free' (cost of calls not included) cyberterminal.
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