Emotitoys, ... toning down the tingle. Options

[Fortune]

I am considering a house rule whereby the bonuses provided by Emotitoys may only be used to offset negative modifiers, instead of being applied as a flat dice pool bonus. What do you think?

[Eyeless Blond]

Or how about they can only be used for the single action of Judge Intentions, which makes far more sense for what is essentially an Autosoft, rather than for every social skill?

[The Jopp]

Is it just me or would a Johnson REALLY take a runner seriously when they walk around with a cute shoulder dragon that whisper social hints to them…I don’t care how popular they are, no bloody corporate stooge would take me seriously with a Tamagochi V2070 crawling around over my suit or peeking malevolently at them through my suit pocket.

Personally I’d rather have a cybereye and running the Empathy software on my commlink.

[BlackHat]

They would if they had corporate research data that showed there was often an over 100% increase in successful social interaction when emotoys were introduced. I'm sure all the corps have less-childlike versions produced on the cheap (typical emotoy costs) that they hand out to all of their Johnsons - it would be crazy not to!

[Fortune]

I don't see any rules that state that the 'toy' has to be visible in any way when being used.

[Fuchs]

I don't use those toys in my game. Just doesn't seem to fit my game at all.

[thiagão]

I don't see any rules that state that the 'toy' has to be visible in any way when being used.

I agree with you, the toy may be hidden somewhere else trasmitting data to the character's commlink, although it must have a clear view of the target, since the software analyses video/trideo images.

[Dashifen]

I don't see any rules that state that the 'toy' has to be visible in any way when being used.

IIRC, the Emotitoys run the Empathy software to provide their bonus. First sentence of the Empathy software is:

Empathy software is designed for use with standard video/trideo cameras, carefully analyzing the behavioral patterns of the subject to ascertain mood, interest, and so on.

Since video/trideo cameras have to "see" the behavioral patterns of their subject in order to analyze them, it follows that Emotitoys have to "look" at their targets, too.

[WearzManySkins]

Dashifen has it down for this. The software needs a camera/sensor to "see" the subject.

So wrist mounted Toys have to be in LOS of the subject. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

WMS

[Fortune]

Or they need to be linked to a disguised camera (maybe a button or cuff-link or some other innocuous item) that fulfills that LOS requirement.

[Fuchs]

Just put the software in your head, and use your cybereyes. Don't really need an actual or AR toy, right?

[WearzManySkins]

Or they need to be linked to a disguised camera (maybe a button or cuff-link or some other innocuous item) that fulfills that LOS requirement.

That has been discussed in another thread, you only need the software, load it on a commlink, and use cybereyes if you have them, and yes a concealed camera can work.

In that discussion though, a concealed camera would be vulnerable to a Camera Neutralizer while cybereyes would not.

WMS

[Particle_Beam]

Actually, the emotitoys would make a lot of sense in our campaign, especially when dealing with pirates and their robotic parrots or monkeys. Yarr, avast, and other stuff... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)
Although, the rules do specify for the need of dedicated sensor systems to use those sensor softwares. I guess it needs a little bit more than simply a cybercommlink and some cybereyes. At least some kind of cybersensor-thingy-implant should be mandatory, if one truely wishes to harness the advantages those things grant...
Of course, you can use microdrones in forms of a wristband too, as others already suggested...

[Fuchs]

It's more the "here there be bonus dice for social tests" I don't see the need for. I don't like the whole "Let's inflate DP" stuff, it leads to everyone and their brother having to have that kind of stuff, or be useless - and enhanced pheromones is enough of a boost already, IMHO, and better balanced.

I consider emotitoys just another "We need something better in this book" item, nothing that adds to my game, just another power creep thing.

[Rotbart van Dain...]

Just put the software in your head, and use your cybereyes. Don't really need an actual or AR toy, right?

It's just that the toy is way cheaper than the software...

[Blade]

I like the idea of emotitoys, and I already had things like that in mind with social interaction analyzing programs. But I think that emotitoys, as every computer systems should be foolable.
Someone who knows about them, and has good enough social skills, should be able to deceive them so that they convey exactly what he wants them to.

[Fuchs]

Take the toy, extract the software then.

Or just assume that everyone using social skills did that, and cancel the modifiers out, and ignore the toy.

[Adarael]

Bingo!

[thiagão]

After reading again the rules, shouldn't the GM call for Judge Intentions test, before adding the dice for the social tests?
afterall the software is not infallible and, in the case of a critical glitch, may even confuse the user instead of helping.

[The Jopp]

Take the toy, extract the software then.

It could be that it is integrated into the hardware and not easily extracted software.

After reading it it does NOT give a bonus to your social tests, it is just the Empathy program that MIGHT give a slight bonus IF you roll well enough with 6D6 (assuming that you have a rating 6 emotitoy).

Empathy programs do not give a straight bonus to dicepool.

[Mäx]

Empathy programs do not give a straight bonus to dicepool.

yes it does in page 60 of Arsenal under entry for empathy software it says

"Empathy soft ware can be discreetly used in real time during negotiations or social interactions, adding its rating as a dicepool bonus to the characters Social skill ."

[Eyeless Blond]

Exactly. If you remove that sentence then the emotiontoys suddenly make sense. With it they just become a cheap source of power creep.

[Nightwalker450]

After reading it it does NOT give a bonus to your social tests, it is just the Empathy program that MIGHT give a slight bonus IF you roll well enough with 6D6 (assuming that you have a rating 6 emotitoy).

I actually like this way of using them. Roll your emotion software, however many hits you get provide a bonus to your actual social skill test. Rather than a really inexpensive +6 DP.

[masterofm]

emotitoy drawbacks -

they are obvious.

they can be destroyed.

if you can have one they can have one, which basically nulls it all out.

people might hate your emotitoy.

they do not look very professional.

they can be confiscated at the door of any place.

if you bring it on a run they will have the exact make, model, and color of the emotitoy you used (which is more evidence the cops can use to track you down and find you.)

they will only pretty much work to your advantage in a few select situations.

Face it emotitoys are not the win in this game and for most purposes people might just end up blasting the emotitoys off your shoulder (since most people know what they are used for.) I mean if someone brought - Wiffles the social dominatrix puppy - to a party I would probably exit stage left asap.

[Nightwalker450]

I think any person would be more worried about the Ruger Super-Warhawk in the concealed holster, than the emotitoy. They assist with communications, but anyone who sees you have one, could be put on guard (granting +2 or more DP). Which means in general they'll probably help with your etiquette, maybe even leadership, but rarely negotiation or con. I wouldn't penalize someone for carrying one, just because they are a large bonus socially. Heck you walk into a bar, and I expect an emotitoy is a great way to pick up dates. Not only are they cute, they provide great pick up lines.

As a hacker, I find them to be the best toy on the market. Once you equip one with a higher signal, a Retrans Unit, and Gecko Tips, you have a common market toy that can climb into places. Once there I can bounce signals off of it to hack short range stuff. I need to up his pilot though so that I can get the rating 6 ECCM to help me get past those wi-fi inhibiting areas. And a little packet of C12 to blow him up if he ever gets caught. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)