This poll is to see how many IDs your average Shadowrunner uses. In my case, three - one main one, a backup in a safe location, and one final one which he will use when he retires and which is kept completely seperate of his 'running life.

When it comes to fake IDs the more the better, it helps prevent tracking. The only problem is keeping up who you are where and who you are to whom.

Runner: I have a reservation for two. The name is Humphrey Bogart.

Concierge: Weren't you Reed Richards last week?

Runner's Date: You told me that you were Judy Garland.

It can be embarasing.

my characters are all sinners, but have at least 2 other id's available to them. The SIN ID is what they use for most of their legal stuff, fake they use for some legal, some semi-legal, and all illeagal stuff

Most of my characters end up with around 8 or 9 IDs, some of which they use for purchasing restricted items that they will need for a certian mission. I also have high level contacts who make them, so its okay, sine I usually burn and churn atleast one a run. Then again, most of chars use AKs due to the price and sell them to street kids after incognito to eliminate the evidence, so most of my chars are paranoid to hell.

I voted 6+ because my character was a face who needed many identities to support impersonations. I think three is a better number for most runners:

1 for street use, another for home and buying groceries and a third one stacked away just in case things get hot and unplanned travelling is in order.

Cheers,

Max

For a lot of games, my runners end up with none at all because the rules for fake IDs (which should be standard on EVERY runner) aren't in the main book! I think they're in one of the SOTA books, but without looking I really couldn't say, and I GM two games.

For SR3 they're in the main book, not sure about SR4

SR 4, p.322. Oddly enough, it's under "ID and Credsticks."

As for SR3, I don't know. Perhaps you may want to go to page 239, maybe read the section titled "Forging Credsticks and IDs." Maybe?

Or, you can try Sprawl Survival Guide for more advanced rules, but it says quite explicitly, "Basic information on credsticks is available on pp.38-39 of this book, as well as pp.238-39 [SL: credstick ratings, test], pp.286-86 [SL: credstick readers], SR3" (SSG, 123). SSG has info on hacking credsticks and credstick edges & flaws, but the book quite clearly states, "The information here expands but does not supercede any of the basic information" (Ibid).

Hey, there it is! I'm sure I've noticed it before. But why the heck isn't it in the Street Gear section where it should be?? Having played since SR2, I barely even glance at that whole section.

Oh, SR3? Beats me.

How much are your jobs paying?!

My characters usually have to scrimp and save for a couple of games before getting enough cash to get a fake ID worth anything. Are you getting low rating ones, or what?

Some characters value Fake identities more than others.
In my group the face has spent maybe half of his nuyen on a couple teflon IDs while the uncouth indian ork samurai is SINless and does not care...

Cheers,

Max

Some have as many good IDs as they can afford. Some have 1 ID that is bulletproof and a few other throwaway ones. Some have real SINs but have Diplomatic Immunity.

My characters averaged 2-3 ID's, but it varied depending on the character.

Gator my weapons specialist, went through them like kleenex during alergy season. I think over the time I played him he went through something like 6 ID's regualr and backups, that got blown by various bad happenings. Of course a LOT of bad happenings happened to Gator, I played him during one of my worst periods of bad, BAD dice luck. Set group record with 12 Karma points spent in re-rolls between two game sessions. Why I still get called "Karma Platinum" to this day

Ace the Sorcerer char had the lowest number with two ID's, his regluar/real SIN and a fake ID with different appearace and fingerprints thanks to a sustained physical mask spell he used for running. He made sure he never left astral signatures or ritual links anywhere if could help it.

Most others had 3, Brick the phys-ad worked for organized crime and had them given to him by his Syndicate as needed, used three over the campaign. Phreaker the decker/trid-pirate reporter had three ID's one his own and two more for snooping/investigating. Commodore Jones the rigger had three, his own and two others with heavy weapons and drone permits given by the patron that had him and the team on retainer.

I had one for running. One for nasty neighborhoods and one that was real to retired on.

2-3 currently used. Timeframe for usage depends on player stupidity.

Most are SINners nevertheless. Pay a hacker to generate a false data trail for your real SIN...

Living in Austraila, you say? Dead in a mana storm? But he was a kid from the inner city, with absoloutely no reason to go there.....

My latest character had 5 - his real SINner ID (which he kept carefully hidden), two different teflon ones he used to own various properties around Seattle (one for "legal-looking places" and another specifically for bolt-holes and hideouts), a throw-away, and another "upstanding citizen" one he used for travel with permits for most of the quasi-permissible cyber he had.

Other characters haven't had nearly as many.

My "main" character (in quotes since I haven't played him in quite a bit, pre-sr4) had 1 real ID, 3 "government issue" type fake IDs, and a a handful of personal fake IDs. He also used a buncha streetnames. It cut down a little on his prestige gain, since his feats got spread out among his various aliases, but it kept him from getting too noticed.

My main character has a legit SIN she used when working as a consultant. That means a legal carry permitt and real local. Heck she even does her taxes.

For runs that are not police owrk, she has a seperate SIN and no permits for things like the SMG etc.

just to add an intresting fact to the disscusion,

Identical names DO happen.
Identical birth dates DO happen.
Both happening to the same pair of people?
That happens too.

I have a Doppleganger who shares my birth date, first, middle and last name. We were also born in the same hospital.

hows that for creepy?


So whenever I go to a clinic, its:
Secratary "name please."
Me "John Edward Smith*"
Secratary "Born December 25th 1985*?|"
Me "Yes, but thats not my file, its the NEXT one.":spin:

As its turned out, i havent actualy met my Doppleganger yet. I want to do that some time...

*details changed to protect someone else who may or may not be innocent.