[X] My Assistant

[Fortinbras]

I've noticed a lot of noise made about clustering cyberware to allow for greater processing power and persona limits. This is especially tumultuous when dealing with deltaware as it has a device rating of 6. However, even alphaware and it's DV of 4 seems a little heavy for some.
I've always viewed Device Ratings as less of a hard and fast rule and more of a short cut for lazy GMs like me who don't want to give every piece of hardware full ratings when the team rigger invariably tries to spoof a command to some irrelevant NPC's earbuds.

The way I've come to see it is that, in my game, if a PC is clustering a piece of cyberware, or anything for that matter, that piece of ware no longer "plays a passing role" as it's stats will now be used for hacking, counter hacking and Matrix combat; a significant theatre of play.
I therefore ruled that when one clusters cyberware, that cyberware now "plays an important part in the adventure" and is subject to the game master(me) assigning a full compliment of Matrix attributes to it.
I think it's safe to presume that cyberware is a peripheral node as it it neither a nexi nor a standard node. Using the sample peripheral nodes from Unwired, I usually rule that the cyberware has a Response of 2, a Signal of 1 and a System & Firewall of 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 for second hand, basic, alpha, beta and deltaware, respectively.
I find this reasonable as peripheral devices' System and programs aren't limited by their Response and the fact that some cyberware is much cheaper than Response it would have were I to use it's device rating.

My question is: Does this seem reasonable or is this a Draconic GM fiat?

[Ghost_in_the_Sys...]

Seems reasonable to me.

[Yerameyahu]

Ack, I can't get into this again. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Yes, Device Rating is only for shorthand/time-saving when the GM needs to pull numbers from hammerspace.

Yes, 'ware (if it has electronics at all) is 100% Peripheral nodes… except the implanted comm, heh.

Those look like good Matrix Attributes to me.

Because I can't resist: clustering *should* disable innate functions, because the devices are wholly subsumed into the new *single* node. Hmf.

--
… A nexus, two nexi!

[Fortinbras]

Because I can't resist: clustering *should* disable innate functions, because the devices are wholly subsumed into the new *single* node. Hmf.

That sounds rational. What if I were to say innate functions take up a processing slot?

[Yerameyahu]

Stop, you're dragging me back in! That was indeed one of the suggestions that came up once, but honestly the penalties for processor capacity use are so slight… It's worth exploring, anyway.

[James McMurray]

I think they should have just had clustering do two things:

1) use the average attributes for all clustered devices and combine them into a single pseudo-device. So if you've got several pieces of deltaware chained together you get a single R6 device.

2) Require a minimum of rating x 2 devices to create the cluster. So if you want an R6 device from a bunch of deltaware, you'll need 12 implants (all delta).

Combine that with a more comprehensive peripheral devices table and you've got a system that lets people have no commlink but still have a node, while not being so powerful that 12 toasters and a microwave can rule the world.

That's probably got a few holes and needs some work, but you'll have to forgive me as I put it together in the time it took to write this post. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[sabs]

why would you want more persona limits?

Persona Limits are only for limiting the number of people accessing the Matrix VIA the commlink directly. It's a limit on the number of people wired directly into the commlink. It has nothing to do with the number of people who can be logged into it remotely, or have subscriptions.

Persona Limits are a stupid, worthless stat, that's not even worth worrying about.
It's like limiting the number of people who can sit at the keyboard and access the system, but not caring how many people remote in.

[Ghost_in_the_Sys...]

It's like limiting the number of people who can sit at the keyboard and access the system, but not caring how many people remote in.

Which is actually a really good analogy.

It is also presumably much more difficult to generate an entire persona, than to simply receive data from said persona. It's kind of like an online game. It takes a large portion of your computer to run the game, but a small fraction of it to accept the info from other people's computers about what they are doing in the game.

So, I can see the reason for the limit, I just don't see the limit being... particularly limiting since it will be fairly rare to want to have more than one persona generated on a device.

[sabs]

How many people are you going to let sit at your arm, to connect to the internet (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[CanRay]

RAID-Infinite Clustered RFID Tags hooked up to a few Nexi and a really big Jackpoint Pipeline?

[Fortinbras]

why would you want more persona limits?

A higher persona limit lets other folks on the team use your commlink stats if they have crappy commlinks.
Not the best reason in the world, but there it is.

[CanRay]

Lots of old Cyberdeck Cases out there that can have their guts ripped out and a cluster of CommLink guts installed to give you as much power as you'd need.

Right Bull?

[sabs]

Except that each persona, and each program they run counts against your response.
So much cheaper to buy them a real Commlink. But then, why do they need that commlink?


Do you really want to be red-lining the response on your cyberleg? Does that sounds like a good idea (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
As a GM, I'd be just waiting for you to do that so I could mess up your cyber.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

A higher persona limit lets other folks on the team use your commlink stats if they have crappy commlinks.
Not the best reason in the world, but there it is.

At which point, if that is your intent, you should be using a Nexus anyways. That is what My character does...

[Fortinbras]

Except that each persona, and each program they run counts against your response.
So much cheaper to buy them a real Commlink. But then, why do they need that commlink?


Do you really want to be red-lining the response on your cyberleg? Does that sounds like a good idea (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
As a GM, I'd be just waiting for you to do that so I could mess up your cyber.

I think I'd only do such a thing if I were storing data I wanted safer than on my street sammy or mage's commlink. Or for data searching simultaneously. Like I said, not the best idea in the world.

The issue most folk have with clustering cyberware is that you can get a Response of 6 with a cheap deltaware implant(like 3k for a Single Cybereye) and cluster that with the idea that since deltawaer has a Device Rating of 6, all it's stats are 6.
This way hackers and the like won't cluster other commlinks, but rather buy a bunch of cybereyes, keep them in their pockets and get the increased processor limit for cheap.
I maintain that once you do that, the device graduates from device rating to peripheral node the GM sets stats for.

I wanted to know people's opinions on this. I like to be as fair as possible and wanted to get other folk's opinions on whether this is too heavy handed.

[Modular Man]

Well, after all, peripheral nodes always come with a few disadvantages:
They only have admin accounts and to hack this specific account, a hacker does not get a -6 penalty.
From that account you have access to every other function of the node, so the hacker would end up controlling the clustered cyberware. Redlining a cyberarm will bring down everyone way fast, as an example. Switching off cybereyes is nasty, too. Once you got access to one node in the cluster, you control all of them.
Nexus (plural, really!) may gain benefits from modifications and plug-ins; it's not so clear whether clusters do as well. So it's essentially a cheaper, less powerful configuration.

[Fortinbras]

Nexus (plural, really!)

In Shadowrun the plural is Nexi. The vernacular probably changed over the next 60 years.

[Ghost_in_the_Sys...]

The vernacular probably changed over the next 60 years.

You'd do well as a time traveler it seems (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[Fortinbras]

Well, I did give some blonde British girl a shirt from Witchita Falls, TX. Her skinny friend in the Converse was none too happy about it.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Well, I did give some blonde British girl a shirt from Witchita Falls, TX. Her skinny friend in the Converse was none too happy about it.

Ahhhhh... But were they Cute? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)

[Yerameyahu]

Upon clustering, they're not peripheral nodes any longer. They're one standard node.

[Modular Man]

Well, technically, the accounts themselves are to hack without penalty. It's just the case because they are from a peripheral node. And upon clustering, all accounts from before stay in place.

In Shadowrun the plural is Nexi.

Ah, yes, I see. Well, I didn't gain much knowledge back in latin class in school, yet I thought I might put some of that to use. Well, my bad... Thanks anyway (IMG:style_emoticons/default/spin.gif)

[Fortinbras]

Ahhhhh... But were they Cute? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)

Well, I keep watching Secret Diary of a Call Girl and my lady friend keeps watching Single Father, so on the whole I'd say yeah.

(The above was an obscure Dr. Who reference. Series 2, The Girl in the Fireplace. It's streaming on Netflix, so go watch it now. I'll wait...

Done? Wasn't that awesome! Steven Moffat is the man! While your at it, the run of Coupling, Jekyll and Sherlock are on there too. All good times!

Upon clustering, they're not peripheral nodes any longer. They're one standard node.

This is true.

[sabs]

It should also be running a Medical OS, and programs that do what ever it is the cyberware does. Really, at my game, if someone tried to use implanted cyberware as part of a cluster, I would take him out back and beat him senseless.

[Udoshi]

RAID-Infinite Clustered RFID Tags hooked up to a few Nexi and a really big Jackpoint Pipeline?

I'll do you one better. Volatile Memory: Frag Grenade? Meet Smartlink mod. 70 nuyen meet bulk orders, and their friend, mister Cluster.