Unwired (We Want Spoilers!), For those who did get the book Options

[JesterX]

See title... ^_^

For those who already got it.. is unwired good?

Can you tell us some spoilers?

[WearzManySkins]

Well for one thing they revealed....2e41,xvZDfriasf[Z[vksdfk2=22z[dvZDkfti2rt,zx [gkasfksg <<<Data Corrupted Link disconnected........>>>

WMS

[WearzManySkins]

The much promised Electronic Warfare clarifications/additions/rules etc are not immediately obvious. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/frown.gif)

WMS

[Teal Deer]

Got this morning, been reading it on and off all day. My impression so far is that it's a lot fluffier than the equivalents of previous editions (Virtual Realities, Matrix, etc); for something that's supposed to be a core rules supplement, a lot of the info seems to be buried in random paragraphs or sidebars, and there a lot of "here's an optional rule" sidebars, and a lot of the crunch seems kind of more broad than deep, if that makes sense. It's kind of too early to say, needs a deeper read through and maybe some playtesting, but I think the people who were hoping for a complete rules rewrite or elucidation will be disappointed. (And the people who want the rules to have some kind of real world veracity/logic are pretty much SOL.)

Boy, they sure are pushing the whole TMs = magicians angle, though.

[Muspellsheimr]

That is semi-accurate. There is certainly a lot of fluff - more than Augmentation & Arsenal easily, and probably more than Street Magic (haven't gone over that one in a while). This is not necessarily a bad thing, as there is still an acceptable level of crunch. The problem comes from the fluff & crunch not being clearly separated. Fluff is sharing the same paragraphs as the crunch in many cases, making things unclear in some cases, & difficult to find in others.

First time reading the brain-washing section I got how it works, but am still unclear on the exact game mechanics. A second read-through may clear it up, but that shouldn't be necessary to begin with.

[Sir_Psycho]

Personally I've never read something that I understood implicitly after a once over in a Shadowrun book.

But rules and fluff aside, I'm curious on how big the "new toys" style segments are, as they seem universally appealing to RAW adherents as those of us who use the various matrix alternative rulings and house rules.

So, is there a satisfying amount of new tricks and toys for us to sink our teeth into?

[Teal Deer]

Technomancers got the most love, although I'm not sure the sum total of streams (traditions), paragons (totems), widgets, the new Echoes and some of the random rules tweaks will be enough to bring them up to parity with other characters (at least from chargen) or make TMs less "expensive" - they're neat, pretty well done, and I think at the very least there's potential for some pretty powerful if one-dimensional builds. There's less Hacker-specific stuff, but the overall rules expansions for stuff like Botnets, spoofing Lifestyle, etc, seem fairly well thought out, if again a little fluffy/broad. Lots of rules for random net related stuff that'll be useful for everyone (spoofing Lifestyles, how TMs do simrigs/simsense/skillwires, coordinated attacks/hacks, etc).

Definitely worth getting if you're pro-RAW, I'd say. And to be fair, I'm very pro-fluff, personally; it's just I think the kind of people who were looking for either more detailed rules, or greater clarity of existing rules, will be a bit disappointed. Like, specifically the sort of people who are like "zomg I need to know exactly what is happening at all times during a Matrix OP, and the explanation must be plausible given real world logic and technology!" - I think they'd be better served by just using Frank's rules or something, because while there are some clarifications and also a lot of new rules for doing new things, they're mostly in the style of the RAW.

[Method]

Just downloaded. No time to read so I just flipped through, but my initial impression:

Art = Awesome.

[Method]

Teal Deer: Welcome to Dumpshock.

[Teal Deer]

Thank you!

And yeah, the art is amazing. Easily the best of 4E so far, IMO.

[Muspellsheimr]

Basic artwork review, by chapter. 1 to 10 scale, 1 = crap, 10 = excelent

10 - Matrix Overview (should have had this guy do the entire book)
2 - The Matrix User
5 - The Idiot's Guide to the Matrix
5 - Matrix Topology
7 - System Security
3 - Hacker's Handbook
4 - Software
5 - Technomancers
7 - Sprites
7 - Matrix Phenomena
4 - Simsense and Skillware
5 - Matrix Gear

[masterofm]

So your rating of the whole book on average was a 5.3 and if you take out the overview it would be a 4.9. This book you would say is just O.K. then?

[Muspellsheimr]

I did not rate the book, but the artwork in it. And I would not average the ratings I gave because, as I understand it, the art was commissioned by chapter, and I do not believe in averaging the quality of seperate artist's works - it just doesn't make sense.

I have not yet read enough of the book to make a judgment on the fluff/crunch beyond my first post.

[Dashifen]

I think it's a similar level of fluff to Aug or SM. Arsenal definately has the most crunch, but that's hard to avoid when you're introducing that many new vehicles, drones, modifications, etc. Aug was pretty crunchy at the end of the book, too, with respect to the new healing/damaging rules, etc.

The book that Unwired most reminds me of, at the moment, is the SR4 core rulebook. Just like the core book, this one does intermix fluff and crunch, like others have said. Interestingly, the chapter it reminds me of the most is the Awakened world and the Wireless world where the authors had to start out introducing the setting and information about the concepts and could eventually find their way into the actual rules.

[Demonseed Elite]

I know I personally based the structure of the Simsense chapter in Unwired after the structure I'd used for the Astral Space and the Metaplanes chapter of Street Magic. So you should see similarities there as far as how much fluff there is and how the ideas are presented with a mix of background and mechanics.

[Demonseed Elite]

First time reading the brain-washing section I got how it works, but am still unclear on the exact game mechanics. A second read-through may clear it up, but that shouldn't be necessary to begin with.

I'm more than willing to answer any questions about Programmable ASIST Biofeedback. It should actually be much simpler, mechanically, than its third edition incarnation. In 4E, the reprogramming test is a straight-up Extended Test with a table of Threshold modifiers. In 3E, this was the mechanic for reprogramming:

Medtech skill (with Psychology as a complimentary skill) versus a target number of subject's Willpower or Intelligence, whichever is higher, minus the rating of the PAB unit. Add or subtract modifiers to the target number. Base time to reprogram was 60 days divided by the rating of the PAB unit, again divided by the number of the successes.

One of my main goals with PAB was to make it mechanically streamlined. So if it's unclear at all, definitely ask.

[hobgoblin]

I think it's a similar level of fluff to Aug or SM. Arsenal definately has the most crunch, but that's hard to avoid when you're introducing that many new vehicles, drones, modifications, etc. Aug was pretty crunchy at the end of the book, too, with respect to the new healing/damaging rules, etc.

The book that Unwired most reminds me of, at the moment, is the SR4 core rulebook. Just like the core book, this one does intermix fluff and crunch, like others have said. Interestingly, the chapter it reminds me of the most is the Awakened world and the Wireless world where the authors had to start out introducing the setting and information about the concepts and could eventually find their way into the actual rules.

and thats not surprising at all, given that unwired expands on the wireless world chapter. basically, it has to build up a mental image of how stuff work, and how people use and interact with the matrix. as seen, this isnt easy. just look at the number of confusing interpretations about how AR behaves on this forum. all those are supposed to be (atleast in theory) clarified by this new book.

for some, thats into tech, it can be easy to grasp the concepts (but they often disagree at the crunch bits of the rules). but for someone thats not into it, trying to wrap ones head around it all can be impressive. its similar to taking someone from some 100 years back and presenting them with a live tv.

watch a couple of episodes of ghost in the shell: stand alone complex. see newspapers and other printed material based around barcodes rather then text. why is this? because so large a percentage of the population now have "implanted comlinks" (cyberbrain in the show) that its easy to do inline optical scanning and translation.

[jklst14]

I'm only about 1/3 way through the book but so far, I like what I have read. A few of my thoughts, going chapter by chapter of what I've read so far.

• Matrix Overview
  Similar to chapters in Augmentation and Street Magic, it basically talks about the role of wireless Matrix in every day life and how it affects culture, crime, the economy etc...
• The Matrix User
  This contains suggestions on how to make hackers and technomancers. Before reading this chapter, it hadn't occurred to me how useful the adept power Eidetic Sense Memory could be in the Matrix. There are new Qualities, none of them are "must haves" for a matrix character. New lifestyle, "Full Immersion", is in this section. The "Tweaking the Rules" section is here as well.
  Sample Tweaks:
  -The common house rule of Skill + Logic capped by program rating
  -Limiting AR initiative passes to 1
  -Resonance loss, similar to Magic loss
  -changing the BP cost of Complex Forms to be just like magical spells
  -increasing the length of intervals on decryption tests
  -reintroduced Security Tally
• Idiot's Guide to the Matrix
  A fluffy chapter, written by a school teacher for children. Between this chapter and the next (Matrix Topology), I got a much better sense on how the matrix works.
• Matrix Topology
  This chapter starts with a section on nodes. Peripheral (a toaster, your socks, your AR glasses), Standard (commlinks and regular computers) and Nexi (servers). A Nexus has matrix stats similar to commlinks (response, system, firewall) - however they can log far more users and run far more programs before seeing response degradation. They clarify matrix layout, commcodes and access IDs, sculpting, PANs and subscriptions. Things like transferring files and surfing the web don't require you to subscribe to another node. Slaving is a dedicated connection between two nodes (say a gun and commlink) and works how I had originally imagined subscription lists worked.
• System Securty
  They go over everything from security, encryption, alerts. They give costs for wireless paint and wallpaper as well as Faraday cages. They explain how passkeys work. Yes, you can hack a system without it's passkey but if you stick around, your chances of being detected are a lot higher, unless you edit the Access Logs. There is a sidebar that states how in 2065, a mathematical breakthrough has made encryption much easier to break. There is sample IC, sample security hackers, sample systems. The last page of this chapter is an example of a security response to a hacker intrusion - it doesn't go pass by pass and is more of an overview but I found it helpful.
• Hacker Handbook and Software chapters
  I've read these chapters but am still processing the contents.

For others that have the book, I have a question regarding the solution to Agent Smith on page 110.

"An agent’s access ID may be spoofed (see Spoofing the Datatrail, p. 224, SR4), but only when it is being loaded onto a node. Once running, the access ID may not be switched, not even if the agent moves and loads onto another node (as the agent must already have accessed the new node, using its access ID in the process)."

I'm not understanding the exact wording here. If I can spoof an agent's access ID while it's uploading, shouldn't I be able to upload multiple copies of an agent, each with it's own separate spoofed ID? Or is this saying that once an agent is uploaded, it is no longer considered spoofed?

[CanRay]

OK, here's some Spoilers...

Hacker House and MagicNET are still around.

Slamm-0 still hasn't gotten a date with NetCat.

FastJack proves he's an old Perv.

[Irian]

There is a sidebar that states how in 2065, a mathematical breakthrough has made encryption much easier to break.

Wouldn't that be Crash 3.0? The complete destruction of the Matrix because you can't do anything secure anymore? No chance to transfer money, because you can't trust it? No online shopping? etc.

[Aaron]

The last page of this chapter is an example of a security response to a hacker intrusion - it doesn't go pass by pass and is more of an overview but I found it helpful.

Er ... it was supposed to go pass by pass. Lemme see ... no, it's still as it was originally written. I mean, yeah, it doesn't say "Combat Turn 1, IP 3:" or anything like that, but the intention was to make it evident where the phases were. If that didn't happen, sorry.

Incidentally, at one point there was supposed to be another example of the same scenario from the intruder's perspective in the Hacker's Handbook chapter. I'm not sure what happened to it, though.

[hobgoblin]

Wouldn't that be Crash 3.0? The complete destruction of the Matrix because you can't do anything secure anymore? No chance to transfer money, because you can't trust it? No online shopping? etc.

well, there was a option to tweak the decryption times. apply that and be happy i guess (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

but yes, if thats not a copout, i dont know what is (IMG:style_emoticons/default/frown.gif)

i have a feeling that we will be seeing multiple threads on the subject for years to come...

[hobgoblin]

• Idiot's Guide to the Matrix
  A fluffy chapter, written by a school teacher for children. Between this chapter and the next (Matrix Topology), I got a much better sense on how the matrix works.

sounds similar to what was done as the opening of VR2.0. looking forward to reading it, as the piece in vr2.0 was one of the best (outside of the pure shadowtalk opening between harlequin and a third party at christmas eve).

[jklst14]

Er ... it was supposed to go pass by pass. Lemme see ... no, it's still as it was originally written. I mean, yeah, it doesn't say "Combat Turn 1, IP 3:" or anything like that, but the intention was to make it evident where the phases were. If that didn't happen, sorry.

Incidentally, at one point there was supposed to be another example of the same scenario from the intruder's perspective in the Hacker's Handbook chapter. I'm not sure what happened to it, though.

It was probably just me. That being said, it was a good example and very helpful.

I do have a few questions about it. When Jin succeeded in her Perception test to see the Kitsune get shut down, does she automatically see the Hacker as well? Since the hacker was running the Stealth program, how does that affect the threshold for Jin's Perception test? Would it be possible to see the Kitsune get shut down and not see the Hacker? When she turns on the Active Alert, does she specify the Hacker as the intruder? If she hadn't seen the Hacker, could she still trigger an Active Alert, without having seen a target? Also, could the Hacker, having admin privleges, have activated an Alert against Jin? Would the activated IC then attack Jin?

thanks and great work by the way!

[Aaron]

Wouldn't that be Crash 3.0? The complete destruction of the Matrix because you can't do anything secure anymore? No chance to transfer money, because you can't trust it? No online shopping? etc.

It would be possible with a distributed web-of-trust-style system overseeing currency transactions. That would require an attacker to compromise multiple systems to interrupt a transaction.