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[Bira]

Well, it looks like the "Unbreakable Encryption" thread has derailed into a discussion of why the Matrix system as a whole sucks, and what should replace it. I decided not to participate in that derailment, and instead open a thread for people who want to post their own alternate systems here.

I don't mind having an abstract system to handle hacking. In fact, I think one of the problems with the current system is that it's not abstract enough. Even though it's simpler in 4th Edition, it's still in that "Uncanny Valley" where it's abstract, but still detailed enough that it bugs people when it deviates from reality. The main cause of that, in my mind, is the big emphasis put on programs.

In addition to being a fiddly subsystem, programs (including OSs) are being balanced as if they were a piece of physical equipment. Each has a very specific function and a rating. The more programs you have, and the higher their ratings, the better you can be at hacking. The main limiting factor on the number and rating of your programs is money. If you can somehow get your programs for free, there wouldn't be anything stopping you from having all programs at the highest rating you can fit in your commlink. However, it turns out software is indeed different than physical equipment. For one, it's much easier to obtain for free! If Shadowrun bears any resemblance at all to our world, it could even be done legally for most programs that aren't actually restricted by law. Those could be gotten fairly easily by the big bad hackers shadowrunners are supposed to be.

To "counter" this, they introduced program update rules on Unwired, where only legally purchased proprietary software gets regular updates. If you want to keep up with your cracked copies or (gasp!) free software, you have to dedicate every waking moment of your PC's time to patching it. I don't remember the specifics, but I think there was also a strong implication that the character would have to either do all of this on his own, since for some reason there weren't any networks of people dedicated to maintaining free software or cracking proprietary programs, unlike in real life.

My proposed solution would be a system where programs don't matter at all for the rules. Oh, sure, they're still there in the setting, but you don't need to keep track of how much they cost or how up-to-date they are. Why should you? Your character is a big bad shadowrunnin' hacker with loads of points invested in mental attributes and computer skills, let him worry about all of that. Just assume he's either using free software and/or cracked programs he obtained for free, and they're all so good at their functions the only limiting factors are the speed of his hardware and his own personal skill. So that's all you need to track. The only relevant gear-derived numbers are now Response and Signal. Signal is mostly there to determine your radio range.

Hacking is a contest of the hacker's Logic + Skill + Response against the Logic + Skill + Response of the target system's administrator. If the hacker suceeds, he's in, if he fails, he suffers consequences dependent on what sort of security measures are installed in the system. For example, you could apply the net sucesses of the target as successes towards a trace on the hacker, or damage boxes to his persona or to his brain. The target's system security programs probably aren't cracked, but they're assumed to also be as good as the system itself can handle, and are limited by the same factors as the hacker's attack programs. Multiple retries are allowed for the hacker, with the usual penalties. Taking extra time to probe the system beforehand gives the hacker bonus dice in proportion to the time he took. Hot Sim adds its usual bonus. Multiply all hardware costs by a factor that makes you comfortable, to compensate for the fact hackers don't need to pay for software anymore.

Technomancers use Resonance + Skill instead, and can use Threading to get additional bonuses here, in place of the hacker's fixed Response bonus. They always get the Hot Sim bonus.