Crash of '64 questions Options

[innocentsinner]

From what I recall, the crash of '64 was eventually followed by the Wireless Matrix, which was coincidentally already in the works. I'm trying to work on my technomancer's story, but I don't completely understand what's going on, as this also happens to be my first foray into the Shadowrun world.

If she was trapped in the Matrix in '64 during the crash, emerging a couple days later with technomancer abilities, how would she find out? How popular is wireless technology at this time, if the Matrix is down? I currently have her finding out her powers by accidentally entering a hospital's private wireless network.

How long did it take for the Wireless Matrix to become set up? Or, more what I'm looking for, what other opportunities to use her powers would she have in the time between? Are there really enough private wireless networks that aren't part of the Matrix proper, or am I just completely off track? Any clarification would be wonderful.

[hobgoblin]

system failure my be a good book to start with.

[Dashifen]

while hobgoblin's response was short, it might be your best advice. System Failure is the SR3 book that introduces the crash of '64 and the subsequent rise of the Wireless Matrix.

In short, however, the Wireless Matrix Initiative was already begun prior to the crash. There's some information on it in Shadows of Europe and Shadows of Asia. Specifically, Stokholm (IIRC) and Tokyo were mostly wireless at the time of the crash. Thus, since the system was already somewhat tested, the adoption of the wireless matrix in other portions of the world was relatively quick.

As for her powers in between the old matrix and the adoption of the wireless one, perhaps you could have her suffer frequent headaches (lack of connection) or feel depressed and lonely for no apparent reason. Explain this as the physiological effects of the lack of a matrix for her to interact with and then, once the matrix came online in her area, those symptoms go away. She may not even connect the dots right away, either.

Also, if you want to, System Failure is available in PDF format from the usual SR PDF distributors.

[booklord]

[Glayvin34]

I tried to play a Technomancer, but found them too limited in RL, but that's just me. :spin:

Beforehand I was a fundamental noob, and I found System Failure to be a good place to start. However, it's important to note that otaku are fairly different from TMs in that most otaku were created by AI and have some sort of allegiance to that AI. And, of course, if you're otaku you don't get bombarded by the Matrix by walking around. We don't know anything about TM culture, I've even had a few discussions on the board here regarding whether or not there are enough TMs to form a culture or if they even would.

I also read the Renraku Arcology book, it's a good lead-up to System Crash in that it details the creation of otaku by the late great AIs. I always assumed that all TMs have at least some connection or at least knowledge of Deep Resonance, which is a mysterious phenomenon that has no real influence apart from ideology.

I'd say that most TMs figure out their powers by interaction with a set of arrows in a local establishment that is the first to have AR. AR by its nature is on the street. Imagine walking down the street and suddenly perceiving the merchandise of an entire store as you enter the range of the network.

Experiencing traffic from an institutional node might be possible, but you have to realize that then you'd be requiring a Sniffer complex form for your TM. More than likely the first TM experience is with AR spam or advertisements.

[innocentsinner]

Thanks, I'll pick up System Failure, and also read up a bit more on the differences between the Matrix, the Wired Matrix, AR, etc..

[Warmaster Lah]

Is there any indication that TM's propagate?

I know that new Otakus keep popping up but are TMs able to do so yet. (Heck is this vague for a reason?)

Shouldn't there still be Otakus around? Would the wireless Matrix inhibit them if they just used a regular Comm for connection?


I am not familiar with the info too much.

[Glayvin34]

[Jaid]

runner havens has at least a couple references to TM gangs/tribes that i've noticed... i doubt i could track down the exact references, and i haven't read the whole thing yet, but in any event it seems that at least some TMs form tribes, possibly much like the otaku (though it really is quite hard to say... maybe they're more like initiatory groups).

of course, this would help a whole lot more if i was more familiar with the rules/fluff for otaku... i really feel as if i must have missed the supplement where it's all detailed, because mostly what i know is from stuff like brainscan, arcology shutdown, and threats 2, where they don't seem to explain it so much as just having it in there and you get a vague glimpse of fluff every so often it seems...

[Glayvin34]

[SL James]

Gee, I can't imagine why.

August 2065, BTW. In Seattle When the first parts of the wireless Matrix go online in Seattle as part of a beta-testing program.

At least, that's what happened in System Failure.

[Conskill]

[Warmaster Lah]

Regarding my second question. Old School Otaku are still around right?

TM / Otaku interaction. That could prove interesting if they didn't get along.

[Samaels Ghost]

Didn't the Otaku either become Technos or Fade?

[SL James]

Well, many TMs are children having been born that way. But it's not entirely certain what happened to Otaku or people with cyber since the sample TM in SR4 has no cyber and yet is an adult (i.e., how the fuck did they turn into a TM?). So, unless the TM process ejected all cyber from their bodies (not completely without precedent in SR fiction for magic to do that to people), it's a crap shoot. For all I know people just collapsed on the street while they were minding their own business, and when they came to they had magic radio brains.

[cybertrucker]

Wireless was introduced long before 64... currently as I speak i am coming to you live from Verizon's Broadband National Network. Ohh and I have AR goggles I game with. LOL

[SL James]

Good for you.

[Samaels Ghost]

Hmmm, it's almost as if real world advances directly affected the imaginary, alternate timeline of SR. How could something like that happen? *snicker*

[Conskill]

[LilithTaveril]

Well, I was just thinking that maybe it wasn't just people stuck in the stock exchange. As the whole thing comes down, people get trapped while trying to frantically save information. The survivors wake up a little brain-fried after the trodes are pulled off and discover a whole new world. Probably melted the "magical potential" button in the "on" position while turning on the "otaku" switch.

[Jaid]

i imagine they will have some way for more technomancers to be made. they don't seem like they were intended to all have been created from that one event to me.

[SL James]

[Conskill]

"Guranteed cyberless?" Well, sure, because the number of five year olds with cyberware (outside the Renraku Arcology) approaches 0%.

There is a segment of the population out there that just happen to not have a hole drilled in their heads. Of that segment, some might have been connected during the Crash with trodes, some might have been exposed to gamma rays, bitten by radioactive spiders, listened to Celine Dion's head in a jar, or whatever other voodoo was involved. They became the 6 Essence Technomancers.

I guess I don't see the problem you have with the concept. I'll agree that most every Technomancer should include a datajack just due to their ubiquitous nature, but it's not like every single metahuman on the planet gets one installed when they turn 18. It's reasonable to assume a small section of the TM population are from both the "never got a datajack" and "got picked by God to be TMs" populations.

[LilithTaveril]

Plus, there are those, even today, who fear technology. Add in religious reasons for not getting tech implanted, sensitive systems, and all kinds of other potential reasons why a person might not get cyberwear. Yeah, there's a lot of cyber out there, but since the average person doesn't understand it, I'm willing to bet that a large percentage of the population lacks implants.

[FanGirl]

Barring some kind of extreme handicap in a child (such as blindness or an amputated limb), I don't believe that many parents would want their children cybered at a young age. Not only would the cost of having to replace cyberware as children outgrew them pose a financial nightmare to all but the very rich, the risk of destroying a child's magical ability before he or she can be tested would probably discourage most. Therefore, you'd probably expect that most people would remain cyber-free until they reach adulthood. Between all these kids who were too young to be cybered and the adults who chose not to get cybered ("I don't care how useful a datajack is, I'm not gonna let you cut me open!"), there's lots of potential TMs out there.