Magic > Tech?, I don't want any trouble...just sayin'.. Options

[JonathanC]

I've noticed this as an attitude among a lot of players, and I was discussing it with someone who was planning to run a play-by-post Shadowrun game (4th edition in this case, but I've had similar experiences in 3rd). Basically, all of the characters (or most) submitted to the GM were mages, adepts, and one technomancer. No cyberware badasses, not even a decker. And really, who can blame them? I sent the GM a traditional "decker" (I guess they're called hackers now), but honestly...I'm reconsidering. I almost sent in an Adept myself.

Cyberware characters have to worry about all sorts of cyber detectors, legalities of their 'ware, essence loss and its effect on healing, and the huge cost of upgrades.

If I'm an adept with the equivalent of wired reflexes, I can walk through any checkpoint in the world, provided my fake ID works. I can't be arrested for being Awakened, at least not in most countries. And I can initiate until the cows come home to get more power points to upgrade with...and I have no penalties when it comes time to get healed. With the exception of Rigging, any job you can do with a cybered-out character can be done better with magic. And now that you've got technomancers, you don't even need cybered characters for that.

I think of cyberware as being a bit part of the setting of Shadowrun, but using it as a player seems almost like punishing yourself now. Am I missing something?