BTL Rules, why aren't there any? Options

[JonathanC]

I just realized recently that there are no actual game effects for being under the influence of BTLs. Every other brain-bender mentioned in the books has stats, effects for when you come down, the whole nine yards. BTLs are just another addiction in terms of game mechanics though, so mostly a BTL addict just has to worry about what happens if they can't get a fix. There are some general mentions of long-term effects, but no real mechanics to back it up. Is this an oversight, or are they going to roll BTLs into the Hacker book?

[Earlydawn]

Always bugged me too. I don't think it's going to be in Unwired, but I'd love to see rules?

[paws2sky]

It would make a lot of sense for detailed BTL info to be included in unwired.

I've been jotting down ideas for some specific types of BTLs that provide the user with stat and skill bonuses or penalties, much like conventional drugs. No idea when it'll be in a presentable form though. Its really not at all fleshed out.

-paws

[CanRay]

The thing is, when you BTL, it's like going VR into the Matrix or a Drone. You drop, senseless save for your silicon dreams.

On the bright side, Beetle-Heads aren't causing problems when chipping. On the down side, it's addictive as hell, and they'll do ANYTHING for their next fix, rather than live in the Real World any longer than they have to!

[Mäx]

The thing is, when you BTL, it's like going VR into the Matrix or a Drone. You drop, senseless save for your silicon dreams.

That depends on what kind of BTL your using, moodchips and personafixes commonly have the RAS override turned of so the user can move around freely.

[CanRay]

Ah, right. Forgot it was only Dreamchips that do that. Well, that's what I think of most when BTL comes to mind.

[paws2sky]

Yeah, Dreamchips definitely seem to be the most frequently depicted BTL. I suspect that in the game-world, Dreamchip users are what most people think of when they think of beetleheads. Kind of like how the term junkie tends to conjure a particular couple of images for most people.

-paws

[CircuitBoyBlue]

I'd like to see rules for them just because without rules, every player seems to load up on the drugs in Arsenal and the BBB. Personally, I think it fits the flavor of the game better if BTLs are more prevalent than actual drugs, but the way it's set up now, with BTLs doing nothing for you, that doesn't get reflected at the table. My intuition-based magician can push his Int to 8 with drugs, but shoving a chip in his datajack would just mess him up; as a result, he's into psyche and red mesc, but not BTL, which is a shame, because it's one of those dystopian cyberpunk things that I like. I just wish this bit of fluff would rear its ugly head more often.

[Wesley Street]

What are the long-term effects of BTL usage, other than letting your meat body go to pot because you aren't exercising or eating? It's not like there's a chemical reaction (other than addiction, naturally) that damages your organs when you slot a chip is there? When I think of BTLs I think of the (probably apocryphal) story of the guy who died playing World of Warcraft because he refused to get up to use the toilet.

[CanRay]

Neurological damage due to the stress that the high-powered signal that BTLs use. So you'd get twitching, uncontrollable movements, and so on.

But most users by then have had their hoops shot off by trying to stick up the Stuffer Shack to get enough for another BTL.

Edit: Oh, yes, and disassociation with reality, but that's more a psycological thing.

Hopefully. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/devil.gif)

[last_of_the_grea...]

In 3rd edition they had Winternight's "God chips." They boosted you like you were on Kamikaze, only moreso. In 4th edition, well, probably because drugs are more location specific in terms of where they can be farmed? I don't mean a grow op, I mean an actual opium farm or poppy farm or coco farm with acres of land and mass produced product...leading to setting books! Just a guess, of course. Also, drugs are more topical in the real world with visible effects to base things on and that people can identify with better. Maybe that's it.

[CanRay]

In 4th Edition, I'm coming up with things worse than God Chips for my campaign!

Check out "Debt Of Non-Blood" for the details!

[Mäx]

I would most want to have somekind of rules for moodchips, there are all kinds of character consepts swirling around in my head based on using differend moodchips.

[CircuitBoyBlue]

Now that I think about it, isn't there a Ghost Cartels book coming out, or something? Maybe that will go into detail about these sorts of things.

[Jaid]

Now that I think about it, isn't there a Ghost Cartels book coming out, or something? Maybe that will go into detail about these sorts of things.

that's about drug cartels and awakened drugs.

the only good chance we really have to see BTL rules in the near future is unwired, imo.

[Sweaty Hippo]

Being such a popular and prevalent drug, it's truly a shame that there are no hard mechanics for BTLs and being a chiphead.

[JonathanC]

Neurological damage due to the stress that the high-powered signal that BTLs use. So you'd get twitching, uncontrollable movements, and so on.

But most users by then have had their hoops shot off by trying to stick up the Stuffer Shack to get enough for another BTL.

Edit: Oh, yes, and disassociation with reality, but that's more a psycological thing.

Hopefully. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/devil.gif)

Now if only we had game mechanics to flesh out the degenerative effects of BTLs the same way we've got negative effects from coming down off of drugs. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Chrysalis]

You could just use the drugs rules as they are written.

BTLs can just be found on any street corner.

[CanRay]

Negative side effects would depend on which Dreamchip or Moodchip was slotted, probably.

Different dreams, different reactions waking up.

[Backgammon]

In the Madrid Audan series by George Alec Effinger, (Amazon link), Moodchips and limited Personafix chips are extremely common. Those books use chips in a 100% compatible way with Shadowrun. It makes awesome sense. But the Shadowrun rules don't really support what chips could do. I wanted to make some house rules after reading those books, but in general chips are so underused in Shadowrun that no one would use them.

[Sir_Psycho]

Well most chips don't really change much about you. They don't actually alter your biochemistry, so they wouldn't grant any attribute boosts. As for skillboosts, that would fall under activesofts, which could possibly be coded into personafix chips, but that wouldn't require rules either.

A tripchip will alter your perceptions, so that would likely be a negative perception modifier for specific senses ("I'd be able to spot the gunman if I wasn't under water!") bit it is mostly for gamemaster fun (describing situations to a tripping shadowrunner would be hilarious fun). Moodchips are purely an RP consideration. Dreamchips zonk you out, so there's little they could do.

Perhaps side-effects could include levels of high pain tolerance, perception modifiers and other negative modifiers, composure tests (bad trips). The detachment to reality could be expressed with negative mods to intuition, logic, reaction and/or willpower.

[CanRay]

Personally, I'm all for it being a totally RP thing.

After all, you slot "Slade the Sniper" chips too long, and suddenly you think you are him. And it's time to unload your Streetline Special into a crowd.

Just make sure you don't hit a 'Runner named Dirk, and have a Mage fireball you. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[Backgammon]

No, I don't think chips should alter your stats. In a way, tha's the job of skillwires. Which of couse would make it VERY interesting if you packaged a skillchip with a personafix...

However, some chips should give you bonuses to certain situations. The most obvious is fear. If you are chipping a Fearless Badass moodchip or personafix, that should indeed allow you to resist fear better.

[Wesley Street]

<<Perhaps side-effects could include levels of high pain tolerance, perception modifiers and other negative modifiers, composure tests (bad trips). The detachment to reality could be expressed with negative mods to intuition, logic, reaction and/or willpower.>>

I like those negative mods but I have a hard time figuring out why someone would slot a BTL other than to escape reality. Perhaps you could break the BTL positive mods down by the genre:

Action/Violence/Sports - +1 to Reaction (15 min)
Erotic/Comedy - +1 to Charisma (15 min)
Horror - +1 to Perception (15 min)

Whatever the results are, I feel like the negative mods should vastly outweigh the positives.

[Jaid]

really, by changing your brain chemistry and such, you can probably do all kinds of crazy things... just by manipulating people's emotions, and altering their perceptions.

most of things are probably really bad for you, but i would say that many things that could be done would be much like the drug rules. it should be absolutely possible to trigger an adrenaline rush, or to make you not notice pain, or to set off a berserker rage. the human body is capable of some really impressive things if you can get your brain behind it... i mean, you're not going to have some pick up a car and throw it, but you could probably get them to be more strong just because their whole mind and body would be focused together on something.