Here's something I was thinkin' of: Does your charisma really affect any of a person's matrix ettiquette skills? I mean would an ork or troll's charisma penalty really hurt them in terms of their ettiqette (matrix) skill? I mean, their presentation to the matrix world could be an elf or hell, a big pacman or something. Their affected speech and physical intimidation factors wouldn't be an issue either. Just a suggestion, maybe one's ettiquette (matrix) skill might use your computer skill as its base for determining skill advancement costs? Also, would one's icon's design affect how others react to you online? I mean presenting as a big fake dogg doodoo would have consequences as so would presenting as a scantily clad elf woman.

Comments? queries?

In the Matrix, Charisma is about social grace, force of personality and picking up on subtle quirks of other people. Saying the right thing t the right time.

Then again, a persona can be very intimidating or attractive depending on what the image is and how it is portrayed, but the actions of the user combined with the look of the persona are what effect people.

remember that while your icon may be a big firebreathing metal dragon, the person controling it may be a pimplefaced short elf, and while you can make your voice as booming as you like if you still cant come up with the right response at the right time, have the right posture (the model is just a framework, you control its skeleton) while talking and so on your a nobody. sure its a question if you coded your icon yourself and so on but that is upto the GM to give you a bonus for. if you dont talk the talk and walk the walk your nobody even tho you can hammer out a dark hammer at the time it takes most to write a read/write...

Right. To go with the above example, it's like said red dragon icon peering at you and, in a booming voice, saying, "ph43r m3! j00 R p0wn3d!"

And, of course, there's the eternal "botch on your Etiquette (Matrix) roll":

Great Teacher Largo: ...4h3m!... PH34R M3 DR4G0N! PH34R M1 N33D PH0R B33R! 3Y3 W!LL STR!K3 J00 D0WN 4ND ST34L J00R B33R! J00 H34R M1! J00'R GO!NG D0WN! D0WN D0WN D0WN! M1 N33D PH0R B33R W!LL NOT B3 !GN0R3D! J00 H34R M1! !GN0R--

*stomp!*

Great Teacher Largo has been disconnected.

Pirogoeth: Next time, type faster, or use shorter taunts...

Many thanks to Megatokyo for this idea... and particularly this page.

that is why you have shortcuts scripted in irc

Which is what I'm saying. If you know all the ins an outs of a computer system, have one drek hot persona program, and are smart enough to make it something different than your meatform, why would the troll or ork charisma penalties affect their matrix performance? Assuming that those penalties are usually related to trogg's speech impediments and visual appearance. Or would there be something else in their mannerisms that would tip off a matrix user to a persona's real meat identity? The Matrix in essence should be the great racial/gender equalizer. Hell I can't even tell if most of the posters here are female or male, and especially by their name or what they bring to the table.

No, but you can tell how well they get along with other people and the force of their personality. Which is as much Charisma as looks.

I always thought that Charisma was how a character sees themself, and how well they project that out to others, no matter their outward appearance. So it soesn't matter how drek-hot a charismally-challenged character is in the Matrix, that character is still going to suffer from self doubt and insecurity. Look at Samuel Jackson, or Danny Devito. I mean, Mr Jackson is possibly one of the coolest actors on the screen, but is he really all that physically attractive? Jackson's coolness just comes from his attitude and quotable one liners. The man is just cool. Danny Devito is hardly a Brad Pitt look alike, but he seems to be a popular actor, with loads of Charisma. And Brad Pitt. Sure he is considered a great lookin man, but what makes him so popular with women and men? Charisma, that undefinable quality that trancends the physical. I mean, what guy wouldn't want to be Brad Pitt? Not in looks, but in coolness. Think of his character in Snatch. You couldn't understand a word he said, he was greasy, unkept, but likely had the highest charisma of anyone else in that film.

Think of it this way. How many Elvis impersonators are there in the world? Why hasn't the world seen another Elvis? For all the look-a-likes and wanna-be's, no one has matched The King's charisma.

Or, for a final comment, how about those really hot ladies you can meet at Cowboy's or the Whiskey in Calgary. I mean, wow, some of those women are smoking, but then you start to talk to them. And wham-O, you can't run away fast enough! Hot chick, zero charisma.

I guess what I mean is what hobgoblin said. The decker can have the best software, an icon that makes Helen of Troy look like a tart, and be the greatest decker this side of that devil guy from VR 1.0, but if she has no self esteem or confidence in herself (a low charisma score), she is still going to come across as a low charisma individual.

The Matrix is a great equalizer, but I think it could also be viewed as an amplifier for charisma. I mean, how many deckers are going to have the best and most attractive icons, while the "cool" (high Charisma) guy is going to have a basic icon, but still be the coolest icon in the joint.

One of those 'zines that FASA gave the ok to had a story with a decker who flirted with a corper. She finally saves his butt on the agreement they meet in the real world.

He was an ork, she was a babe. She walked into the bar looking for her date, and didn't even give the ork at the bar a second glance, he left quietly.

Given that Charisma has always been nebulous at best, I'd say "yes."

If it involves real-time interaction, then Charisma is a factor. An intelligent character with low charisma might spend a few points on "Flirting 101" to give him some comp dice to throw (exploiting his Int to try and compensate for his absolute lack of personal charm and grace).

The theory being, a character (or person) can learn all the mechanical steps to relationships or human interaction and still not be able to blend it seamlessly like a used car salesman. Spending hours skimming self-help books and taking "Dating 101" lessons from social coaches will still give you some help, even though it's not quite the same thing.

How's that for dodging the bullet?

-Siege

I'm voting for game balance and a certain human-centric factor.

-Siege