Alternatives for a hacker? Options

[Ranarion]

Our Group lost our Hacker (the Player left the game).

Now i am wondering.. how could i replace them?
My Charakter won't be able to learn Hacking himself, but he has 400k Nuyen to buy whatever stuff ist needed.
No Cyber/bioware, but good Connections to get most of the stuff.
Possible books: Arsenal, Basic and NO unwired.

All of Cause, SR4.

At the moment i think of an Agent, Rating 6 and the needed Commlink on rating 6 with all the Software..
Do your Best, or worst (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

This post has been edited by Ranarion: Oct 29 2010, 11:53 PM

[Tanegar]

Why "can't" your character learn anything from the Cracking or Electronics skill groups?

[Ranarion]

Untrained in that Area of skills..

And logic only 2, but that is the normal score in our group.. the intelligent charakters leaves the game, together with there players.

[Tanegar]

Er... so? What is preventing you from spending a little karma to acquire, at least, Hacking and Computer? An agent might be able to do some hacking for you, but ultimately, if hacking is an important part of your game, at least one of the PCs needs to learn the skills.

[Ranarion]

hm.. just wantet to check the Options .. if an Agent can do the normal-Run Hacking.. nothing too risky, but shutting down cameras and stuff..

[MikeKozar]

Well, if your group was getting paid enough to give the hacker a cut...hire a merc? Let the GM roll up a couple NPCs to jump in with you guys and handle the tech stuff. If your GM is willing to play ball, you not only get to handwave the hacking events and speed up the rest of the game, but the GM gets to have some fun with it. They could wind up as the sidekick who always gets kidnapped...or the redshirt that doesn't survive Act 1. They could also double-cross the team, or have their own agenda and be the team's Johnson/Fixer for a few runs.

I would bring the NPC hacker idea up with your GM and see if there's an interest. Some GMs will have fun with this sort of thing, and some would just as soon give you an Agent to deal with it.

[Garvel]

There is always the option to let a NPC do the hacking part in your group.

Edit: already said above.

[Critias]

There is always the option to let a NPC do the hacking part in your group.

Edit: already said above.

Same as I would suggest.

Either it's important to the game -- important enough someone retires their PC or spends some karma and brings in a new hacker -- or it's not (and the GM can shoulder the extra load by turning hacking purely into a plot-point type event, with an NPC hacker that succeeds, fails, or takes too long all based on what the story needs).

Those are your three options, pretty much. Either someone bites the bullet and tries to make a halfway decent hacker, someone retires their character and brings in a dedicated hacker, or the GM handwaves it away as much as the setting can stand.

At any rate, you guys might also want to figure out why folks are quitting, what can be done to bring 'em back, etc, etc. If players are dropping like flies, the game could be in more trouble than by lacking an electronics expert.

[klinktastic]

Actually NPC'ing a hacker is the easiest "role" to NPC. Handwaving the whole hacking/matrix thing is really awesome because it speeds the game up. I would recommend that your GM roll up a NPC hacker, give the NPC 10 dice at whatever, and you guys can just tell him want you want to do. Since he'll be hiding far way, he'll really have limited risked. Matrix stuff takes a long time to play out, so its nice to just eliminate it.

[Karoline]

Like others have said, NPC hackers are an option, and unwired even gives nice price lists as guidelines even if you aren't using the actual rules.

If not, well, hackers rely more on gear than skill anyway really. Grab a rating 6 commlink, Neocortical nanites, Datajack, Math SPU, maybe Encephelon. PuSHeD if you have the time. Whichever that ware is to get you an extra IP in the matrix. Oh, and all rating 6 programs of course. All that will cost you ~200k and with 1 hacking, computer, and cybercombat (Only 3 you'll really need for 12 total karma) and you'll be running around 14ish dice. Get a rating 6 agent to back you up, and you shouldn't have much trouble with basic matrix stuff.

[Marcus]

400k is plenty. You can get rating 6 agent, and the needed programs for that no problem. Just read over the hacking rules, and unwired, take notes from software section, Exploit and stealth always. If you have questions about what programs you need check out the programs on sprites and go accordingly.
A BA commlink with an Agent is the prefect solution, but it will get the job done.

[Ed_209a]

My SR group is in a similar spot, hacker-wise.

Player X may have left the game, but unless they left in a huff, they might not mind _character_ X staying in the game. A hacker is about the best candidate for a headless character like this.

[Medicineman]

Comlink Rating 6, Agent(s) Rating 6 and Progs for the Job.1 Attacker Agent,1 Intruder Agent and 1 AideAgent(Datasearch,Medic,back-Up) should be more than sufficient
NSC Hackers might become a security Risk !

He who dances with Paranois
Medicineman

[Ranarion]

I will talk with my GM about an NPC Hacker, thx guys

[Summerstorm]

Max out your comlink in all stats and load up heavy-rating programs, then let it open.

Wait until a high-rating AI makes its nest in the comlink... then exploit its awesomeness *g*.

But yeah: either you learn the skills... or NPC-Hacker. Or some optimized mooks for the easy tasks.

[Karoline]

Wait until a high-rating AI makes its nest in the comlink... then exploit its awesomeness *g*.

While it exploits the fact that your commlink costs you 100k a month to maintain.

[Summerstorm]

While it exploits the fact that your commlink costs you 100k a month to maintain.

Well, 100k is maybe a bit much... but yeah: One hand washes the other *g*.

[AppliedCheese]

Just hire out your matrix support. Hell, a lot of it can be done as nothing more than a payment sent throuhg a fixer, and voosh...matrix support.

If you need real time hacking (cameras and such) you can go with the 'fire and forget agent" solution. I like to make agents that are substantially smarter than the hacker in question either reduced in effectiveness (the wanna be hacker doesn't really know how to get the best use out of them, or simply can't understand whats coming back his way), or move on their own best judgement (which isn't great) and you have to be happy with the results.

Alternatively, you can get a physically present GMPC, or a very good hacker to break in from the target area externally (assuming it has any connection with the outside world), and they play counter-spider.

Frankly, with logic 2 being the average, I'd be worried a lot more about being exploited by smart folks than just losing the hacker. When you consider it, these are the types of people who, in 2010, had a realllly rough time of high school because of their low intelligence. How many opportunities would there be for people like that to get screwed over in a world where everything moves through double and triple blinds?

[Yerameyahu]

Logic is really just learning and memory, so I wouldn't worry too much. Social tests are more commonly used for 'outsmarting'. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Karoline]

Logic is really just learning and memory, so I wouldn't worry too much. Social tests are more commonly used for 'outsmarting'. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Reference: The presidency of George W. Bush.

[Ascalaphus]

Some people complain that hackers don't need to go along with the group in the meat and can just sit back in a bunker. But precisely because this is possible, do hackers work so much better as NPCs than any other job can do as NPC; you don't have to fuss about having another allied body present without a player to run it.

[Critias]

Reference: The presidency of George W. Bush.

Way to keep real world politics out of Shadowrun discussions.

[Karoline]

Way to keep real world politics out of Shadowrun discussions.

My point was that people believed/trusted him because he was charismatic, not because he was a genius.

Similarly plenty of people don't believe science because it isn't presented very charismatically. It is infinitely easier to win an argument by being charismatic than by being actually right.

Of course, all that may have more to do with the target having a low logic than a low charisma *shrug*