I was bored at work today and was busy putting together a new character when this idea crossed my mind. What about cyberware packages? It came around when I was buying the implanted commlink and sim module. Would the essence go down a bit if the 2 were combined and implanted together? Sharing some of the same hardware and having to work together already would make it more economical, and essence friendly, to implant them both at the same time. Or even make them all one big unit.

This is what I hashed out:
* Implanted Commlink, Sim Module (Cold) and Datajack (0.5 and 4,500 )
* Combined : 0.45 essence and 4,000

What do you think? Is there opportunity for other cyberware packages? And what would they be?

Side Note: I picked Cold Sim cause it's cheaper and it only takes a hardware test (10; 1 hour) to get hot sim for free

cyborg package... 4 limbs and torso are 5.5 essence normaly. i can see how being a package would make thing work a LOT batter. say drop it to 5 essence base, and add more capacity-only for upgrades. normaly 80 capacity (obvious), it may be usefull to allow up to 9 'free' capacity for cyberlimb enhancements only per limb... putting it at zero capacity to reach a stat average of 6. probably a little higher cost, but well worth it.

Yeah, that could make cyberlimbs real good. I´d allow that for any cyberlimb connected to a cybertorso. But we get slightly OT here.

The cybercomlink has an implanted sim module - not in all versions of 4th ed, but it makes sense. The cost depends on the used sim module after all. Why one would want to install an internal sim-module without comlink is beyond me.

Except for the cyberlimb-package, the logical ones are covered by the rules. One could make multiple retina mods cheaper, but thats hardly worth the effort. Thats what cybereyes are for.

Packages would be nice. I'd like a street samurai package with Wired reflexes 2, smartlink, dermal plating 2 and retractable spurs. Basically because "shopping" for cyberware takes too long time.

I don't think cyberware packages should have reduced essence cost. A) it's abusive and B) essence cost is essence cost. It's not gonna be cheaper essence wise to get cybereyes because you bought cyberears at the same time.

However, there's nothing stopping a GM from offereing cyberware packages with a reduced monetary costs in-game. It makes perfect sense for the street doc to offer cybereyes with all the bells and whistles for less than it would cost to buy it seperatly.

otherwise...i consider cyberlimbs the build-in way to package...

you want a 'sensory package' in your head? get a cyber skull and go to town filling it. then, like Exodus said, maybe the cybershop will give you a bulk purchace/install price.

In theory, it's a very reasonable idea.

I'm not sure it's balanced to reduce the essence, though. Even though I'd really like to.

However, reduced essence already exists, in the form of Capacity. Maybe what you need to do instead is create some custom cyberwear pieces with capacity (say a comm with capacity 3) and then assign capacity to more devices, with a limited on what they can combine with?

in regards the cyberlimb package- at that point, i think it would be a seperate peice of ware. a custom design, where we dont have to worry about many weaknesses the consumer will have. we simply give them a single peice of ware, which is then attached to their head/torso. we can put more stress on the limbs, because we already know the tolerance fo the torse reinforcement.

in a normal market, the chance that a consumer may get his limbs from different competing compaines is very high, especialy for the poor. mix-matched legs may need more adjustment to match, and thus have less room for modification. plus theres the wekness of the consumers normal pelvis/shoulders/spine.

the cyber-body could replace everything except the head/skull, and internal organs. a replacement or augmented spine (posibly with a reaction upgrade), and durable metal shell make the body well protected.

the model would have pros and cons to its design. higher price, for higher performance. it wont work with many other bits of ware, and it dosent leave much room for bioware. perhaps it may even start to blur the line between a metahuman with cyberlimbs and a metahuman riding in an anthroform vehicle.

but with packages, where its just a selection of gear in a simplified list for ease of use? no discount there.

I have 2 relevant houserules when I'm running games.

The first is that cyberlimbs start out with the ratings of the person who bought them. That is, if you've got Agil 4, so does your cyberlimb. If you change a physical stat, it takes some time in a cybershop getting the limb tweaked to work in sync with you again, and you're at a -(the difference) penalty until then.

The second is that, for the cost of buying ALL of the components of a cyborg at the same time at alphaware prices (those components being 4 cyberlimbs, torso, skull, eyes, and ears), you get them as betaware. The company that is trying to help 'borgs enter the market figures that they can essentially sell the bodies "at cost," and make a huge profit selling compatible components and doing repairs for the next few decades.

Makes 'borgs a little more viable when you combine those rules.

The reason cyberware packages should have a slightly (key word: slightly) reduced amount of essence than the 2 bought separately is that they are redundant. The reduction only comes from items that would help each other (datajack and commlink) because you can combine common pieces or make it one whole piece, like what craigpierce did. Buying cyber-eyes and cyber-ears at the same time wouldn't reduce essence because they are separate areas in the body and don't really work together.

I'm not doing this for the purpose of munchkining out my character, just that it makes sense. Why buy a datajack and then a sim module when you can get the combo deal for only .40 more

And essence reduction for a cyborg body pack makes a whole crapload more sense than buying each piece separately.