Shadowrun Fiction to Explain the Wireless Matrix, Helping a Confused Player Get the Most from Her Character Options

[Nightfalke]

So one of my players isn't the most tech savvy, and doesn't really have an intuitive grasp of AR and overlays and the like. I think she would do very well with SR3, having to plug yourself into the matrix etc, but the simultaneous nature of the wireless SR4 has her a little flummoxed.

However, she loved the idea of "hacking computers with her brain" so she rolled a Technomancer.

Is there any short fiction out there that I can point her to that can give her a good feeling of hacking in the wireless world? Anything from a technomancer's point of view is a bonus, but definitely not required.

Also, are there any repositories of the fluff from the SR books in a more legible font? She hates the font from the books and it distracts her from the meat of the fiction.

Thanks in advance!

[BishopMcQ]

Runners toolkit--Anatomy

[ShadowDragon8685]

So one of my players isn't the most tech savvy, and doesn't really have an intuitive grasp of AR and overlays and the like. I think she would do very well with SR3, having to plug yourself into the matrix etc, but the simultaneous nature of the wireless SR4 has her a little flummoxed.

However, she loved the idea of "hacking computers with her brain" so she rolled a Technomancer.

Is there any short fiction out there that I can point her to that can give her a good feeling of hacking in the wireless world? Anything from a technomancer's point of view is a bonus, but definitely not required.

Also, are there any repositories of the fluff from the SR books in a more legible font? She hates the font from the books and it distracts her from the meat of the fiction.

Thanks in advance!

Unwired has an absolutely massive section which is basically an introduction to the Matrix from the user's point of view.


And if she has problems with the font, that's just freaking elitist. But it's something you yourself could solve by sitting down with the books and transcribing said fluff to a word processor in whatever font she finds pleasing.

[Abstruse]

I'd pull up an app like Layar on your smartphone (it's an AR app that tags various locations using the camera in the phone) and say "You have this over your eyes all the time." Might help some with the visualization.

[Cabral]

Has the player ever played an MMO, like WoW in first person view? The HUD, nameplates, mouse over details, and such should be a fair comparison.

[Marwynn]

If that's too complex, there's always Streetview in Google Maps. You can see addresses and so on. Then explain it's also above people's heads. But yeah, an MMO is probably the best comparison.

And wow, hates the font in the PDFs...

[nylanfs]

http://thomaskcarpenter.com/2011/10/04/10-...reality-videos/

[IridiosDZ]

You could also direct her to the SyFy *shiver* show Alphas. There is a character that is, IMO, a close approximation of a technomancer.

[Udoshi]

Make her watch the H+ mini-clip series.

What's In The Box? also has some good AR elements.

And then Sight.

Remind her that this is how MOST people see the world, since cybernetic augmentation has been around since the '30s and datajacks, cybereyes, and VR sim units are cheap easy and acceptable for pretty much everyone to have. AR is pretty much a second layer of reality and information that's permeated everyday life in small, often annoying ways - and as a GM you should remember to Play It UP for the new player's benefit.

Then tell her how technomancers are different: They see it all just like normal people do with their enhancements, and can't turn it off - or won't, because it just feels so natural, normal and comforting to be around the buzz of the internet. They have a duality of freedom and vulnerability online - they're just flat out immune to virues worms and being brainhacked(by normals, other technos can do it) or the hastle of faking an ID to get online = they don't have to deal with a lot of usual mundanely annoying stuff like that. But at the same time, direct attack programs can physically hurt their character: Where a normal person would crash their link and have to reboot, they will flop over unconscious - and they also HAVE to run Hot when they VR, which has its own bonuses and penalties.
Make her look at some of the new Unwired traditions, sprites, Paragons and Echoes so she has some idea of the kind of hacker that she would like to play.

[Makki]

You could also direct her to the SyFy *shiver* show Alphas. There is a character that is, IMO, a close approximation of a technomancer.

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