How about a game where all the characters are Deckers and Otaku?

I've always thought it would be cool, but never felt like I could do a good enough job of running it. Is there anyone who wants to take on the task? If not, I've started to get the spark of an idea for something, but I'm not sure yet. *POW!* Ok, nevermind, I just got nailed with a stroke of genius (at least I think so). So yeah, I think I'm gunna run this. One thing though. I want players who not only know how the matrix works, but are also great Role Players. The potential for each character to shape the game is gunna be pretty huge and I need people who can take an idea and run with it.

Who's with me!?

I'm so there, and dibs on one of the decker positions with a focus on a Face/Information Broker concept. Or more correctly, an older Otaku who's already Faded and now has to rely on technology to help him obtain and sell data, but still lives with his tribe and maybe handles the day-to-day affairs where Matrix interaction just doesn't cut it. Assuming everyone decides to go the Otaku route, of course.

I do have to admit that I'm not intimately familiar with the Matrix rules, but I do own all three of the major sourcebooks regarding it (main sourcebook, Matrix, and Target: Matrix) and I'm a pretty quick study.

Damn Dr.F i wanted the Otaku on that line!! Can I play a restart on a exisiting character??

Guess that means im interested

Likewise i have the books, And i learnt what i know through play an Otaku (i find it's keeps things simple) Some finner points i might need help with though.

A few notes:

1. I'm going to want Otaku for this. I may allow another Decker or two, but you'll have to convince me. Basicly, you guys are going to be a small Otaku tribe.

2. You won't be starting characters. I'd like you guys to use BeCKS if possible and I'm guessing I'll start you off with a minimum of 500 karma, but it may be more.

3. A mix of races would be kind cool for flavor, but its not a nessesity. This does not mean I want things that are stupid, don't bother sending me a Gnome.

If you have any character ideas or questions, post them here or email me at metis76(at)yahoo.com

I've been doing a lot of Deckers recently, so an Otaku would be a natural progression. If you have a spot, could I try?

I'd really love to, but there are a few problems...

• I don't know Matrix rules well. Or at all, for that matter.
• I'm starting a campaign.
• I'm in the middle of another three campaigns.
• I work. =\

Again, I'd really, really love to, but you'd have to somehow bypass all of those points.

It looks really awesome, though. Kudos for the idea. Maybe I'll read the thread to hopefully learn Matrix.

I'll look at exsisting characters and see how they look. However, I would really prefer that you make a character sheet based off the guidlines I'll set and just use your existing character for the background. That way everyone starts off on the same footing.

This weekend's pretty busy for me (I have two concerts to play in and finals start) but I'll hash one out by Sunday...BeCKs is fine, and you said minimum 500 Karma, but what's the max? I feel like a kid in a candy store here

Ok thats fine. I'll see what i can do.

Side note just tried to send you a e-mail and it failed? any ideas?

I typoed the address, its fixed now.

metis76(at)yahoo.com

As far as the starting karma goes, lets go with 500 for now. You may also buy more reasorces than the normal 5000. Using BeCKS, the max is gunna be 50 points or 80,000. Starting availibility is 10 with max rating 8 (Otaku are good at getting stuff they need). Any other questions?

Yeah i must be having a bloond moment, cos Becks is making nosense to me. perhaps cos Mo is a Phys stat 1 Otaku. Don't know. i'll send her as she is so you can look at her.

Do you use NSRCG? Cause with that you don't really need to understand BeCKS, you let the program figure all the math for you. All you need to do is set the options of the program to start you with 500 points.

One more thing, I don't want to see every Otaku sent to me having all physical stats of 1 and all mental stats of 8. Thats just lame. Again... I'm looking for Role Players.

Throw some cool stuff in there, have fun with them. Give your character a hobby besides running the matrix. Be a DJ at a local club, be a pro skateboarder, take some actual combat skills and be some muscle for the tribe. I'm just thowing ideas out there and you don't have to feel like you must do these things, but I can tell you that I'm a lot more likely to give your character bonuses if they have a lot of personality.

One more thing I just throught of, you may spend starting karma for Submersion (max of 2 levels).

What city should the tribe be based out of, or is that up to us? I was thinking Boston or New Orleans would have some interesting flavor and would be a nice change of pace.

Also should we assume the Karma is 425+75 (ie, 75 points "after creation," thus being allowed to use those extra 75 to go beyond the normal character creation limits) or just 500 period?

I'd love to be in this, but I have no real idea how to deck.

At all.

I just had a fragging brainstorm...

I could be a new Otaku... And whilst teaching me IC, you could teach me OOC!

That's just like... Wow. I have no clue how I thought of that...

Mebbe he'd be the muscle, but be a complete idiot with decking. For now.

I love staying up late!

Normally, I would hesitate to add yet another game. The ones I'm in are moving slowly or stalled, though, so I think I could add another. I have a basic idea in mind already, and I'm throwing numbers together, but I have three questions:

1) What resource level will our tribe be? Squatter, or higher?

2) How will you have us "buy" Channels in BeCKS? A hybrid of the book's points based on Intelligence, and BeCKS to increase it, or will we have some kind of number like 10 or 15 Karma per point of Intelligence to spend on them, similar to how BeCKS does Knowledge skills? Since we are not "new" otaku, do we still have the 6/5/4/3/3 limit?

3) Since we are starting out able to buy Echoes, can we also buy a few Complex Forms beyond the "starting" ones?

I'd be interested. This would be a good way to introduce me to all the matrix stuff. Now for the stupid question, what book has the Otaku stuff in it?

Just making sure I have the rules down before I go nuts making characters

So max submersion of 2.
Availability 10 with rating 8 max?
How much starting nuyen do we get (what's the level of the tribe)?
Can we make Sprites/Daemons?
No min/maxing stats (1/8's)
Minimum of 500 Karma, but what for a max? (hehe, i could go nuts with a character without a Karma cap)
Are you allowing Edges/Flaws? If so, what's a max number?
How many complex forms can we make?
Is the frame core rating on Sprites (if you allow us to use them) capped at 8 also?

Sorry for all the questions, but I really like building characters, and this Otaku's gonna be a fun one to build

If you want me in, you've got me. Elfie and I could have fun since we live together anyway! And since we don't know the Otaku rules, we could learn them together. Let me know if there's a spot left, and I'll start working on a concept.

-- Dash --

So are we going to synchronize our concepts or just hope we end up with a decent group? If we're synchronizing, here's the basics for what I have at the moment...

THE MAD HATTER
Faded Otaku, Information Broker, and Digital Artist [or Extreme Skimmer]

I'm going to be focusing on Info Sortilage and Social Skills. As a Faded otaku, he has to rely on a cyberdeck but still visits (if not outright lives) with the tribe. I'm not sure if I'm going to have him own a small art gallery in the meat world or just has a contact who owns one, though. If the rules for programming languages are used, I think he's going to be most talented in HoloLISP and Oblong, mostly just because I like the way they sound. In any case, he's really in the rough, rough, rough draft mode right now so nothing's cemented yet.

Racially, he's going to end up being a Human or Dwarf, and I'm leaning heavily towards Human. He's doubtlessly going to be one of the oldest members of the tribe, either in his late 20's or early 30's. His persona and reality filter is going to be a twisted take on Wonderland, much like the one scene in American McGee's Alice.

Instead of going with an artist, I'm considering making him an innovating member of a new "extreme" sport called Skimming. Basically, it's a sport revolving around a bunch of suicidal punks who create "skimmerboards" out of small skimmer drones -- think really souped up flying skateboard -- and race through the barrens or other make-shift speedways. I might end up going this way, but I don't know for sure yet. Think it's too stereotypical?

...and that's about all I have right now.

Ok, let me get some of the questions answered...

1. The game will take place in Seattle.
2. The tribe may have some better reasorces, but I'm undesided as of yet, keep in mind that while you are in the early stages of making characters, I'm also in the early stages of fleshing out my ideas.
You'll likely live in the Barrens, but have hacked a high bandwidth matirx line into the house you all live at.
3. I'd like that the players have at least a medium grasp of how the matrix works. You don't need to be an expert, heck, I'm not one myself. tanka and moosegod, read the section on the matrix in SR3 and you'll also need a copy of Matrix, thats where the rules for Otaku are, and I'll consider letting you in as well.
4. Sorry, but no existing characters.
5. Character creation:
Use BeCKS, 550 points. However, you are not limited to normal starting limits. You may have skills as high as 8 (10 for Computer). Gear is max availibility 10 and max rating 8. Max submersion of 2. For your Channels, you get 6/5/4/3/3 for free and can buy them higher from there. Edges and flaws are fine, but use a max of 10 points in each. You get the standard ammount of starting Complex Forms and may buy more from there. Sprites/Daemons are fine. Otaku get starting reasorces of 5000 , but you may buy as much as 80,000 .

If I've missed anything, email me or ask here.

I have to bow out, then. I could play a decker using the SR3 rules, but I have no Matrix book and am not really interested in picking one up.

Sorry.

But I could still do a decker!

Thanks for clearing things up, I'm gonna get on making that Otaku within the next day or so. I'm undecided what kind I'll be as of yet, but I was thinking of playing an orphan who creates a Sprite/Daemon that he/she (still undecided) looks up to as a mother figure. Still undecided with Dash as of yet to try to write a common backstory for the two of us (if that's even ok), but if Dr. Funk wants to do what looks like our face/info broker, I was probably looking into a sort of street thief/procurer (both in matrix and out, but mostly in matrix) and by procurer I don't mean deals and negotiations, I mean 'procurement' as in it fell off the back of the datatruck

Ok, I reread the rules for Otaku this morning and here are the house rules for starting with extra Complex Forms and Sprites/Daemons:

Complex Forms - You will start with the standard number of them, but if you want to buy extra, they will cost Rating x 2 karma.

Sprites/Daemons - If you would like to start with one, the cost is Rating x 3 karma.

The tribe will have a Middle Lifestyle, but you live in the barrens. Basicly, you'll have a building that you call home and have hacked in plenty oh matrix jacks.

Also, try to keep the characters age at a minimum of 13 or 14. You guys are the more experianced of the tribe and would have been around for a few years.

Doctor Funkenstien, you wouldn't be in your late twenties or early thirties. Otaku have only been around since 2055, so at the most you would be in your mid-twenties, but most likely in your early twenties.

Thats all for now, keep the questions coming.

I'm thinking of playing a character that is approaching the Fade. He'll probably be like 18 or 19 so it's still a few years out, but he's beginning to think of what he'll do when he's no longer able to live as an otaku. As a result, he's probably going to have a few skills useable on the "outside." He'll probably have some minimal skill with a gun maybe some others, too, but he might be the guy the tribe can use in the real world when necessary. Not sure about submersions, yet, I have to go through that section of the book, again.

I'll probably have something by tomorrow at 12:00 noon (EST) or shortly thereafter.

-- Dash --

I was thinking that he discovered he was an Otaku "late in life" at around 16-18 or so, but even then he'd only be around 25 at the most. I should have pulled out my calculator before jotting down an age earlier.

Sounds interesting, Dashifen. Is anyone going to work on a more aggressive type of character, or maybe someone who has a high Small Unit Tactics (Matrix) skill or the like?

I was thinking of taking some meat world skills like a low pistols and stealth. I never thought of using Small Unit Tactics (matrix) but it sounds like it would be a good idea, since if we're all in the same tribe it would probably be almost a necessity since we work together.

There is always that nice little BattleTac program for use in the matrix.

I'm gunna change something. You can have 3 grades of Submersion. Also, if you write up a real nice background for your character, you can take an extra 25 starting karma.

Shockwave_IIc - I took a look at the character you sent me. The concept is cool, but shes got some gear that I don't think is going to fit well in the game, namely all the cultured bioware. If you want to use the same concept and make a character using the guidelines I've set, thats totally fine.

All the cultured bioware You make her sound like a genetech factory! She only got 3 pieces

K. I'll do a restart on her (gives me a chance to tweak her slightly), but im not the worlds biggest fan of the NSRCG. And i move in a week, so my conection will be down, hopefully for only a day or two. but being close to chirstmas i might get unlucky.

Becks. arg!! what a pain in the arse system. What foul monster created this and inflicted it upon us!! This is something like what microsoft would create!

(Think i must left my number crunching brain at work)

Side note: @Grey i take it im needing to drop her lifestyle as well. Any other pointers?


[EDIT] Sorry Grey, I can't do this, I don't even know if i got it right, with the change of rules that Becks has done to Otaku. Seems to be a mental block or something.

Apparently i've spent 481 pts on just stat/race and skills. Thats seems somewhat high. I feel so thick.........[/EDIT]

Dude, why do you think I don't much like BeCKS (other than the fact that it's funny to whip out and show to GMs as their eyes pop out of their heads)?

This is one of those things I'd dearly love to get involved in... but we'll see if time permits. Otherwise, I'd like to go ahead and get on the reserve list for future openings

Explain to me exactly what problems you are having with BeCKS? Tell me what race and stats you baught, maybe I can help you out. I don't see how its so hard though, you just buy everything as if you were buying it using normal karma.

I think it might cos im trying to recreate as much of Mo as poss.

I don't know whats OTT in this format, and Otaku are somewhat specailised, makes Karma cost that much higher.

I mean. Race cost me 140pts. Attributes 196 (i think), Skills 135 (for only 4 (8/8/6/1-3)(now that seems wrong)

But as i understand thats what Becks stops you from doing.

196 points in Attributes? Dear god, man.

And thats not copying her. That was me going low!


Ok so what would be a good amount under Becks? Bp's it's 46-60.

Sheess. Learning Becks is like roleplaying with a new group, gotta learn whats acceptable and whats not!

BeCKS makes it really hard to make uber characters, thats why I like it. But I'm also starting you guys off with 75 more karma that normal (100 with a detailed background). What did you take for Attributes?

Erm 121888?

*Braces for flames* phys stats 1 charisma 6+2 (Elf) inteligence 8, willpower 7+1(albino). if i did the maths right 196pts.

With the exception of knowledge skills (of which im not sure on) I'm certain i'd be missing somewhere along the lines of 100+ Karma to recreate her (in her basic form).

As i side note from what i've seen Becks isn't a bad system just doesn't work with Otaku.

Well I spent over 200 points on Attributes, and I thought I wasn't even trying to Min/Max...BeCKs is expensive...Grey, I'm working on a character, but I don't want to finalize it until I send you my backstory (just incase you award me the extra karma).

I must be doing something wrong, then.

Unless I have to rejuggle to account for my skills, my current Attributes for my dwarf are: Body 3, Quickness 3, Strength 3, Charisma 6, Intelligence 8, Willpower 6. That's 164 points (174 if you add in the cost for the Exceptional Attribute: Intelligence edge) -- after spending extra to raise Intelligence one point beyond my Racial Modified Limit -- and I thought that was a bit extreme, too. I'm terrified to think of what stats you guys must have to be in the 200 range.

Oh, and Shockwave... you don't actually get racial bonuses to attributes in BeCKs. You just buy your attributes in the appropriate category. If you get a +2 to Charisma for being an elf, you buy your Charisma 8 from the +2 column.

I know Otaku are expensive, thats why I've been saying 500 minimum. I forgot that being Otaku costs 120 points...

Ok, lets go with 600 starting + 25 for a good background.

...

Holy cow.

[EDIT]

I was just commenting as I wasn't sure if you were adding +2 and whatnot to your stats. Looked that way when you listed them above. You might want to read the Otaku paragraph in the BeCKS document, though. The whole Physical Attributes 1/Mental Attributes +2 thing isn't available under BeCKS. At least not the way it's mentioned in Matrix.