Complete Rebuild of Decking Flavor & Rules (SR2) criticisms wanteds, In light of the decking derail in the 6th edition thread Options

[Xasten]

There's been a lot of really interesting discussion here recently regarding decking and its lack of realism and smooth mechanics. The following is an attempt to improve the whole concept start to finish with the SR2 rules. For those who might remember, I started up a brand new group of SR2 players last year, and it's been going quite well. I had originally spliced together a rules packet for them which you might remember.

Now, I've done it again with a complete revamp of the flavor and rules of decking in SR2.

LATEST VERSION UP HERE: SR2 Decking Rules & Fluff Rebuild

This packet has two main goals:

1) Justify & rework the flavor of decking to account for modern technology enough so that the concept of decking as presented becomes plausible (pages 1-11)

Koekepan in the 6th edition thread made a brutally honest point that is basically: Decking at its heart is portrayed as a combination of judgment and blinding speed on a hacker's part, but reality has no analog where the supposed advantages of the deck add up. How does the Direct Neural Interface make "superhacking" possible?

As Flaser and a few other users pointed out, you pretty much have to pull the handwavium/quantum computing trigger. Both of these have severe problems with reality. I have attempted to boil it down to the idea that the DNI/VR interface allows extreme efficiency & creativity in using prepared tools, scripts, exploits, etc. (cyber programs) against a hostile learning system in a real time environment. My answer has three parts:

a) a DNI/deck does NOT make one better at programming. It merely allows for extreme efficiency is compiling, modifying, and implementing prepared tools (cyber programs on a deck) to deploy against a hostile system quickly. A cyberdeck works mostly by repurposing areas of the brain to bring extra focus and computation to bear on a given problem. A team of engineers with a whiteboard could do everything a deck could do. Perhaps far better, but not as quickly. Decking as an archtype exists because of the economics of Shadowrun where time, stealth, and skill are limited resources. This means that deckers aren't the "best hackers" they're just the ones who can do it quickly in the trenches while getting shot at. It also helps that the 7th gen cyberdeck was just released (in my game) so that offense is currently stronger than defense. (The escalation of they use pistols, we use automatics, they buy vests, we use armor piercing rounds, etc.)

b) Modern systems run on (handwavium alert) a combination of standard, optical, and biomimetic chips as old school computing was proven by Echo Mirage to be vulnerable. These new chips provide a much deeper level of security, but it just so happens that the intense calculations involved in IC implementation take a second or two to run. Which is about as fast as a decker running DNI. The goal is to get around or defeat a system quickly before it has a chance to adjust to the decker's intrusion.

c) Common sense applies: The best answer against a decker is not to fight him with IC. It's to sever his physical connection. There is no such thing as security. Only added time and noise. IC and system architecture are mostly in place as contingencies to manage and slow down intruders until the proper decision can be made by an admin or protocol can be followed. Deckers are like the safe cracker on a team of bank robbers. A highly skilled specialist used in a very specific way as part of a well-planned heist.

2) Balance and streamline the decking rules in SR2 which, honestly, sucked. A lot. (Rules start page 12+)

Please note, that I am not finished. I am putting it out here to see what you guys think about both points and to get your suggestions on both the flavor and the balance of what I've done as well as to share the work with anyone who'd like to put it to use in their own game. The rules rebuild is meant to streamline all decking actions into a quick flowchart (seen near the end of the packet on page 29). It also attempts to make all 4 stats (Bod, Evasion, Masking, Sensors) useful. The basic decking process is pretty much run program versus IC: IC resists by rolling against one of the deck's attributes as appropriate.

You may also notice that I have been sprinkling in some Shadowtalk. My players love the Shadowtalk, so I've been trying to give them more of it. Specifically, you might recognize a few user names from these boards. If I see someone make a good point, I'll add it into the shadowtalk with that user's name,. I have already sent some of you a PM, but if you see your name and feel your point is misrepresented, you are mischaracterized, or wish to not be referenced, please just let me know, and I'll take it out immediately.

The rules and flavor are still in rough format, so here's what I'm acknowledging needs to be done right off the bat

TO DO:
1) Edit, Edit, Edit. It is currently disorganized somewhat with some redundant material and overlap.
2) More shadowtalk & revise internal notations
3) Play test and continue balancing revised mechanics based on feedback
4) Rework costs & active memory figures to make memory scarce, but not too scarce
5) add artwork, shadowtalk time stamps for April 2050, & other flavor

EDIT: Title typo gore, oh nos (IMG:style_emoticons/default/frown.gif)