What's Worth Pickpocketing? Options

[Christian Lafay]

I thought a room full of nitrogen was subtle.

[Midas]

Commlinks are risky, but as nightslasthero said if the mark is using skinlink, trodes, ar gloves, or just not using their commlink they might not notice it is missing until it goes out of signal range.

Credsticks, watches and jewellry, guns and car keys could also be lifted and fenced fairly easily I would guess, although you would have to know where the mark's car is in the case of car keys ...

I guess picking pockets would generally not pay particularly well, and with RFID tech may have its risks, but with the odd good score in among the 100 new yen fence jobs a good pick pocket could certainly afford a lifestyle.

[Brainpiercing7.6...]

All this assumes that a stolen commlink is somehow easier to take control of than a commlink on another person. Is it, actually? I always thought that you still have to hack it to get access. Of course if it's in your hands the other guy can't physically hit the off-switch, but a monitoring agent can still tell it to shut down. You might also be able to wipe it clean, and reinstall.

[NiL_FisK_Urd]

Yeah, but if the pickpocket can sell the stolen commlink for 35nY to a guy who can hack/wipe/reinstall it, he only needs to steal 2 links per day to maintain a low lifestyle.

[Paul]

How does a commlink store it's data? Is it stored in an online cache or is it internal memory? Or both?

[NiL_FisK_Urd]

I think that depends on the configuration - but having a backup is always good.

[Paul]

The reason i ask is the memory unit from a commlink, assuming you can get to it, would be pretty useful. As i recall from the rules commlinks can be traditional cellphones; woven into clothing; and can be pretty much anything right? (Including implanted.)

[CanRay]

Yeah, but they don't have much memory as I've played it. I've stated that the memory has to go into items that the group actually owns. Clothing, appliances, vehicles, and so on.

I had paydata being stored in a drip kaff machine once.

[Doc Chase]

Drugs.

Drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs, oh, and drugs.

Chips and discs as well, if the cutpurse has a good read on people. I recall an intro story I did for my (one) character for a PbP where she lifted a Tempo sampler pack - which was a major score. Pays the rent for a month even after the fencing cut. Maglock keys as well, or even standard ones. Mechanical locks still exist.

'Groceries'. A little hungry? GM riding you for not taking care of your chummers? Lift a bag of soychips off that wageslave listening to his music! He won't notice!

[CanRay]

Drugs on chips! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Doc Chase]

Drugs on chips! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Drug chips.
Data chips.
"Potato" chips.

The chips. All of them.

[Tanegar]

I thought a room full of nitrogen was subtle.

I just rewatched that episode of Burn Notice the other day. That show is full of great ideas for Shadowrun.

[Paul]

Yeah, but they don't have much memory as I've played it. I've stated that the memory has to go into items that the group actually owns. Clothing, appliances, vehicles, and so on.

I had paydata being stored in a drip kaff machine once.

And sometimes it will be that way. But a lot of people are creatures of convenience. They're not going to have their passwords too complicated, or their Proprietary data stored some place absurd. Why would they? Unless there is a reason for increased security levels most people just aren't going to use crazy stuff.

Things I think that could potentially be worth finding on a commlink or cellphone sized device: passwords-even a few can be used to reconstruct others, or give hints as to how the owner makes them; pictures-not only do they help outline who the target is, who his family is, and what their interests are but sometimes people keep less public stuff on their phones and devices. (Gee Mr. Wage Slave this picture of you, this amazonian rain slug and that lava lamp? Yeah we have that...); contacts-people your target knows and interacts with.

All of this of course comes with it's own ins and outs.

[bibliophile20]

I just rewatched that episode of Burn Notice the other day. That show is full of great ideas for Shadowrun.

Amen. So is Leverage. But Burn Notice is the one that gives little lectures on fieldcraft. Actually played Friendly Fire (the ep where Michael convinces the gangers that he's the Devil) for my players when we first started; none of them had seen it. "No that's how you stage manage an op!"

[CanRay]

Amen. So is Leverage. But Burn Notice is the one that gives little lectures on fieldcraft. Actually played Friendly Fire (the ep where Michael convinces the gangers that he's the Devil) for my players when we first started; none of them had seen it. "No that's how you stage manage an op!"

I loved that episode!

Also showed how to subtly hide assault weapons and armour at a scene if you have a big enough crew.

[stevebugge]

Well it's been well established that Pick Pocket as a skill has two uses basically giving and taking. Things that can be given are limited by size and a players imagination anything from RFID tag to Micro Grenade to 3 week old hard boiled egg.

As for taking; Jewellery, Comms, Cash, Credsticks, sidearms seem to be the obvious targets. A less obvious ones might be the small portable white noise generators a lot of players like to carry, take that then be able to listen in with a directional mic.

Could Pick pocket be used to tie shoelaces together (suppose target is seated and stationary tying laces of a walking target together clearly requires Artisan: Breakdancing to accomplish)

[Brainpiercing7.6...]

And sometimes it will be that way. But a lot of people are creatures of convenience. They're not going to have their passwords too complicated, or their Proprietary data stored some place absurd. Why would they? Unless there is a reason for increased security levels most people just aren't going to use crazy stuff.

Things I think that could potentially be worth finding on a commlink or cellphone sized device: passwords-even a few can be used to reconstruct others, or give hints as to how the owner makes them; pictures-not only do they help outline who the target is, who his family is, and what their interests are but sometimes people keep less public stuff on their phones and devices. (Gee Mr. Wage Slave this picture of you, this amazonian rain slug and that lava lamp? Yeah we have that...); contacts-people your target knows and interacts with.

All of this of course comes with it's own ins and outs.

Yeah, so do you let your players clear out the accounts of people whose commlinks they have swiped? Even more so if those people might be dead? It seems to me if you have the link, then for lots of non-security conscious people their accounts are ripe for the picking, because they likely have their credentials stored on the link along with the info.

[Ascalaphus]

How many seconds does it take a pickpocket to swipe a commlink, plunder its bank accounts, and discard it? If that's fast enough, picking pockets is alive and happening.

[Doc Chase]

How many seconds does it take a pickpocket to swipe a commlink, plunder its bank accounts, and discard it? If that's fast enough, picking pockets is alive and happening.

I'd say the swipe can happen within the blink of an eye. The latter part can take some time. Just like lifting someone's wallet now; it's good until they call to cancel the card, and if you got their commlink, well - how are they going to call and cancel the number? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[Paul]

Yeah, so do you let your players clear out the accounts of people whose commlinks they have swiped?

They've never tried. But if they swiped someones commlink, and were able to hack past the initial safeguards then yeah they'd be able to swipe some cred before the bank or corporation shut the account down. (My bank spotted the people who hacked my card, and a couple thousand others from a retailer-literally in the first hour of them having it. Luckily for me my account was pretty much empty at the time; my wife had to go through a process to get her money back.)

Even more so if those people might be dead? It seems to me if you have the link, then for lots of non-security conscious people their accounts are ripe for the picking, because they likely have their credentials stored on the link along with the info.

I'd say yes, that you could at least begin to start dumping money into other accounts, but banks have a vested interest in keeping that to a minimum right? But there are always people who beat the system, even if only for a brief fleeting moment.

[CanRay]

Pickpocket a datacable to the CommLink from your CommLink that has an Agent ready to copy over all the files and info that's attached to it wirelessly, and then delete itself, writing over the CommLink with a copy of MicroDeck Archway. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/devil.gif)

[3278]

Pickpocket a datacable to the CommLink from your CommLink that has an Agent ready to copy over all the files and info that's attached to it wirelessly, and then delete itself, writing over the CommLink with a copy of MicroDeck Archway. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/devil.gif)

How does the datacable help?

For that matter, can anyone help me out with how physical possession of the commlink is beneficial? I'm not sure there's enough information about their security and interface to make that determination, but I'm interested in whatever it is that's making everyone so excited. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[CanRay]

I'd bet that people have physical connections set to "Trusted Devices" on default.

"If they can get close enough to me to plug in my CommLink, they'd just steal it anyhow."

Click, Agent inserted, unclick, done while the guy is deciding what flavour of SoyKaff to have.

[3278]

I'd bet that people have physical connections set to "Trusted Devices" on default.

See, and I wouldn't think most commlinks would even have a datacable connection. Another case of not-quite-enough information about a pretty important device. Or me not remembering something, which isn't, like, impossible. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) And I can't think of anything that suggests their Firewall just vanishes when someone uses a datacable; I understand your rationale, but I'm not sure I agree with it, or think that it's supported by anything in the books.

"If they can get close enough to me to plug in my CommLink, they'd just steal it anyhow."

Something else I don't think is enumerated is how you authorize yourself with your commlink. Let's say you go buy a Novatech Airware, running Iris Orb: how does it know to take commands from you, and not someone else? Because whenever you want to do something with it [display output on cybereyes, ask it to navigate to another node], you give it your access ID, in one form or another, right? It seems like - unless you're correct that wired connections don't require Access IDs, which I think you'll agree is pretty iffy - the commlink is just a lump if you don't know the access id, and if you're going to have to hack it, that's no easier while holding it. Or am I missing something [again!]?

[CanRay]

No, I just have experience with people and computer security. Which makes me cry. And Baby Jesus cry too. And Buddha. And Allah. And a few other folks as well.