Hi all,

When figuring out a SecTerm's Response reduction due to excessive programs, do Agents/IC count?

It started me thinking that Persona's avoid this reduction by launching Agents which no longer count againt Reponse/System reduction, so shouldn't a SecTerm also follow this example?

I'm sure a Term has loaded things like Analyze, Trace maybe even Attack, Black Hammer, Blackout, etc. However, once resources started to wane, could then launch the Agents/IC to "free-up" resources to help its own Response issues? Would this also mean since a Node isn't "running" your Agent, it wouldn't reduce the Response of the current Node?

Let me know what you think.

Thanks,

~GTT

A likely possibility might be the purchase use of Agent based utility suites of programs. Imagine a product like MCT Room Control. At it's core is an agent or pilot that ran the security for a room or series of rooms, it manages the security devices and defends itself against the casual hacker, and only called for your attention if it encountered some predefined set of conditions. Probably would be in heavy use anywhere that the accounting math made cost of purchase less than the cost of an additional employee and the value of the room was on the low end.

The rules mention that a security system will do its best to not limit its response rating. If it has a bunch of programs running and needs to load up an IC or 2 as a threat response it will shut down some of those running programs first.

However, the node itself is not likely running any Attack or Trace programs. That is the work of threat response IC. The node itself is probably only running some utility programs like Analyze and Browse. Most Nodes unless the need to detect new Wireless nodes are probably only running Analyze. A security monitor-type node will be running Browse, however.

Of course a Node may run Programs itself.
But the terminal has no Persona, so most Programs are quite useless... unless someone uses it instead of a Commlink.