From the Shadowrun FAQ (Under General Rules):

Since this isn't a forum for actually playing games in, putting it under "Welcome to the Shadows" seems like a mistake (as well as a good way to make sure it stays obscure). Wouldn't it be more appropriate to put the SR Missions forum underneath "Shadowrun"? It certainly deserves to be there more than the Duels forum does.

Just my 2 .

sorry guys,

this is where the Dumpshock admin wanted to put us - they didn't have to give us any area...we just have to make sure the word gets out...

we can have sub topics btw....

you can certainly address the issue with Dumpshock management, and maybe if they receive a well conceived post from someone other than me, they'll move us...

Since this forum (Welcome to the Shadows) pertains to actual games and gaming as opposed to rules interpretaions and other general questions about Shadowrun, it would actually seem to be the correct place for it, at least in my opinion.

But consider this:

• Welcome to the Shadows is described on the front page (and well-known for): "In character discussions and gaming". AFAIK, the SR Missions forum is not going to be used for actual gaming or IC talk.
  
• Shadowrun Missions is an official Shadowrun product that is distinctly different from the rule books and even the published scenarios. As such, it should get the same positioning (and subsequent exposure) in the forums as SR Duels does.

I can understand the administrators not wanting to create a top-level forum for Missions, but currently it seems that the forum is severely mis-filed. Most people who aren't interested in playing SR on DSF ignore "Welcome to the Shadows" entirely. Most people also don't have the "expanded" view of the forums turned on.

Personally, I think that the SR duels forum is in the wrong place.

Welcome to the Shadows used to be Runs and Run Ideas, which seems to cover this topic as well.

Be that as it may though, I don't really want to get into an argument about it, as I am not an Admin and have no vested interest in this topic's location on Dumpshock.

*Note to the Admins: You might want to look into the fact that the Fast Reply feature is not activated in this thread.

A legal table minimum shall have a count of three. No more. No less. Three shalt be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out.

A legal table maximum shall have a count of eight. No more. No less. Eight shalt be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be eight. Nine shalt thou not count, nor either count thou seven, excepting that thou then proceed to eight. Ten is right out.

The ideal table shall have a count of four to six. You can make up any analogy you'd like for this one...

I've always been in favor of a three-person minimum, since that's pretty much the smallest a team can consist of and cover most of the necessary bases. You have a mage, a samurai, and a decker/rigger... there's your mojo, your matrix, and your meat shield right there.

You do have to be careful, though, because there's no backup for anyone, and with doubling up like that, no one's really going to be that superlative at any one thing. Especially if you have a group like a mage/face, a samurai/biotech and a rigger/decker. You've covered all the bases, but it's a pretty thin cover, and it tends not to cover everything all the way.

Eight is a nice number of players, but I'd be inclined to split the table up into two tables of 4, just so I can spend more time per person with roleplaying. With eight, you miss out on that, since your attention goes eight ways... plus, with such a large group, encounters planned for a group of 4-6 can be overrun. Although there's a way around that -- simply scale the encounter so it matches the party's numbers.

But, either way.

I tried to post a new topic for discussion, and it never appeared. Are topic creation limited to a few people? Or are they reviewed before posting?

Test.

Tactical Computer online

Bitrunner, in the CG posting, you mentioned being a little behind on the adventures. Do you have the Commando-Crew writing for Missions, or even /more/ official folk? Also, would you need any help playtesting the runs before they hit?

Wailer

And unfortunately, real life sometimes intrudes. Writing a module while at a military school with no rulebooks is a royal bi-, er, problematic, to say the least.

Paladin hit the nail on the head...it's mostly RL that is hitting us hard...plus the holidays didn't help matters...

We have a core group of writers right now that are writing the intro scenarios and working on the story arc scenarios. They are, now, Commandos as well...

ANYONE however, is more than welcome to submit a proposal for a scenario - if it happens to parallel something we are doing in the story arc, then i'll send you back changes i'd like you to make to have it fit in. otherwise, i might just make some tweaks or other suggestions and your scenario will stand as is, another thread in the tapestry...I am certainly looking for submissions, and have a couple on the table from people right now...

if you feel that you will write a couple of scenarios a year, and also act as GM at your local hobby store or at conventions for at least 6 times during the year, then you might want to consider joining the Commando program (www.commandohq.com) and get some bennies for your hard work!

The Commando web site seems very Battletech-centric. Are there plans to add some kind of "Check here to be notified of Missions events in your area" feature for players?

Also, is there any kind of official SRM web site yet?

Roger that, Bitrunner, thanks for the info. Any specific area of the expansive Shadowrun universe that you could narrow it down into, even a little? Or are you looking for pretty much anything - but if it happens to hit on something in the Story Arc is just where we'd have to tweak it?

Also, I'm very interested in becoming a commando, but I'm stationed in Germany right now & the closest gaming store I know of is in Munich - about 2 hours on the Train. How large of a convention would it have to be, to be able to run a 'sanctioned' event? For example, if I was able to pull together a couple different groups from the nearby posts & among the German players I know and ran a sort of Shadowrun 'Game Day' or minicon, would that count?

Wailer

Wailer again. I normally run a few years behind cannon - Right now we're dealing with the Comet fallout, etc. I've got all the core books & most of the older source, but what would be advised of the most recent stuff to read up on?

SOTA:2063 and the Shadows of: Stuff?

Wailer

ok, some easy questions!

Commandos: yes, they are very BT-centric - right now....however, Clutch, the leader of the Commando program, is very excited about SRM and increasing the presence of shadowrunners in the program...the Commando program is sponsored by FanPro directly - it is their outrider program, and therefore Shadowrun is very important to them... the org DID start out as BT, but i'm sure that by this time next year, they will have changed somewhat. That is where YOU come in... the more players that we can show, and the more GMs that become certified, the more "power" we'll get in the program.

Becoming a Commando: There are Commandos in Germany, Russia, and all over Europe! As long as you host an event and publicize it, and it's open to the public, then it will probably count. Obviously, hosting a "con" for your gaming group in your house doesn't... There are some that host "firebases" at schools, gaming clubs (usually meeting at schools), boys/girls club, Elks lodges, churches, etc...obviously, if you're in the military and host an event on the base or at a local establishment, and can get at least 2 tables going, i would certainly count that a success! And since you're in Germany, you should try to get to attend Ratcon over there - FanPro has a major presence there (in fact i think they sponsor it)

Web site: Well, this is partially my fault...i hope to finish up the last couple of pages for the website this weekend and send them in so that Adam Jury (the FanPro/Shadowrun webmaster) can post them. Remember that unlike VS, i have no access or control over the FanPro/Shadowrun website...

Timeline/Canon: yes, we follow the current timeline as published, so YOTC and Survival of the Fittest (dragon stuff) has occured. However - none of that is really important. Shadowrun, and especially Missions, is returning to a more traditional campaign level. Runners will not be having tea with Lofwyr, doing a datasteal against Zurich Orbital, or traveling through the desert with immortal elves...you WILL be encountering gangs, corporate security, trogs, organized crime, DocWagon, Knight Errant, LoneStar, organ leggers, and things that go *bump* in the night... Obviously, you should buy all the books!! (hey, part of Missions is to promote the product line!)...SOTA:2063 has some new gear and abilities and rules in it, so i would recommend that definitely, as well as the new Sprawl Survival Guide (i like to think of it as Shadowrun 101)... Get those first, and you can get the Shadows and Target series books, which are location backgrounds, later...

okay, I'm considering being a commando. I even got the stuff for it. But it's been a month or so. Do I have to resend the e-mail, or can I just fill out the form. I'll be doing mostly SRM, but I am a BT player, so I'll do that too. The mini-scenario we have to write for that, will you be reviewing those as well, or are they just stand-alone intro stuff?

So bitrunner, when is the 'Mission Briefing' scenario going to be made available online, and where will it be hosted?

Hey I'd really like to join one of these online games. How do I go about it? Please post here or send me a PM.

There was talk in VS about meta-orgs. Will there be such things in SrM? If so, what orgs are in the works?

I may be particularly dim, but where can one download these missions (once they're written)?

Whoops, forgot you couldn't post in the Advanced Rules forum.

Regarding the Corrosives in Capsule Rounds ruling, I have to assume that this does not included nano-corrosives if we somehow manage to get ahold of some?


-karma

to make things easier on everyone, let's just use the same chart for ANY hazardous materials...inert materials such as paint, baby powder, etc will last at least a year.

That's cool. So what about my question concerning where and when the Mission Briefing scenario is going to be available?

I asked for the first two scenarios for March, but so far haven't heard anything. Probably because it's at least a month before we're close to the event.


Ah well. Moving on, will there be any sort of tracking system?

Hope this is the right place to post this.

Anyone got a good link on a Rigger Drone/Vehicle creation tool? Its a major pain outfitting these things by hand and I figured I'd check before I spent the time coding one.

N.

Here's another question I had, after examining the "advanced rules" thread:

Will it be acceptable for people to replace the Maneuver Score mechanic for a simple set of Opposed Handling tests?

First, the Advanced Rules thread is to cover things that are not already covered by published rules. These become our "house rules", and hopefully, we will actually in a sense be "playtesting" them and maybe if Rob likes it, it will become published rules later on, and then we don't have to have it as an Advanced Rule anymore...so, the answer to replacing one rule with another is generally going to be NO. We use the published rules...that said - if you're at a table and the GM feels that for the sake of simplicity and time to simplify a game mechanic, and the player doesn't have any heartburn with it, then the GM may do so - the FanPro Police will be elsewhere...

I received a question over the weekend that i'd like to address. The person asked about how to "get involved" with SRM. Well, upon review i found that i did have some information in the Introduction thread, but i'll rephrase it here:

Well, it depends on your meaning of "get involved"...

SRM is primarily a vehicle for running high quality adventures during conventions, game days, gaming store demos, and other public events. We have already had about 5 conventions in January and February that have held the first SRM event (Mission Briefing). While conventions and such are supposed to be the prime focus of the campaign, we realize that many people wish to participate further that cannot attend conventions regularly or don't have many public gaming events nearby. Therefore, we also allow GMs to run the events for their local gaming groups or clubs.

So, as a player, you get involved by creating a character and looking for events that advertise SRM events - if they don’t have any, ask them why!

As a GM, if you wish to run such events for a local group or club, then just contact me for ordering the adventures, run them, and have fun!

If you wish to get further involved, you can submit story/adventure ideas and help write adventures for the campaign.

In order to stir things up, here is a copy of the FAQ that will be on the website:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
This page contains answers to common questions as of January 1, 2004. We also use the official Shadowrun 3 FAQ.


Magic & Awakened Characters

Are we using the "Focus Addiction" rules presented in the "Magic in the Shadows" book?
Yes. Note that two sixes on the magic loss test are automatic success, two ones are automatic failure, and everything else is up to the dice.

Can mundanes use sustaining foci?
Mundanes cannot use foci of any sort. All foci must be bonded to per SR3, p190, which states "This requires a magical ritual". If you don't have any magic, you can't do the ritual; therefore you cannot bond to, activate, or deactivate any focus directly.
However, a mage could cast a spell with a mundane as target and place a sustaining focus on the target to sustain the spell. The target has no control over the focus, though the target can terminate the sustained spell by breaking contact with the focus.

How does a mundane use an Anchoring focus?
Mundanes cannot use an anchoring focus directly because they cannot bond to it. However, mundanes can be the targets of the spells based on the trigger condition (drinking for the healing potion or a detection spell for other types), but they are not the user and they are not bonded to it. For clarification, use of an anchoring focus is placing a spell into it and then taking the drain when the spell is discharged. This is different than activating it, which can be done by just about anyone or anything that meets the trigger conditions or detection spell requirements.

Is there a range to sustaining foci?
There is no range associated with sustaining foci as long as the caster is physically present when he casts the spell and places the focus on the target. After that, the target can literally go anywhere in the world and the spell will stay up.

Can a sustaining focus be used to sustain different spells? What about different targets?
Sustaining foci can be used for different spells, but they require rebonding to change the spell they will sustain. The caster does not have to rebond a sustaining focus if he is placing it on a different target as long as he is using it for the same spell.

Can I summon Elementals before the adventure starts?
Yes! You may pre-conjure Elementals before an adventure begins unless the adventure specifically forbids it. Simply deduct the conjuring materials as appropriate and make the rolls in front of the GM. To save time at the table, you may attempt to summon up to half your Magic rating, pre-adventure. Failed rolls have the usual result. Once the adventure starts, you may certainly attempt to summon more Elementals, up to the normal limit. If you had any Elementals carried over from a previous adventure, remember that your Charisma limits the amount of Elementals you may have at any one time.
Note that this also applies to Shamans that wish to have watcher spirits that last for long periods of time. As per rules found in MITS, a character can spend either 1,000 nuyen or 1 Good Karma point for every week he/she wishes the watcher to remain around, for whatever reason. Also note that just like Elementals, a Shaman (or Hermetic) may only have a number of watcher spirits equal or less than their Charisma attribute, which do not count towards regular Elementals. If a mage or shaman spends enough Karma to have the watcher survive the intervening time between adventures, then they carry over to the new adventure. Otherwise, you may not preconjure watchers - you may certainly take the time to do so once the adventure begins.

What kinds of magic characters can I play?
You can play a shaman, mage, aspected magician or adept as shown in the core SR3 rules. These are described and expanded slightly in MITS.
For the Path of the Shaman, you may play a traditional totem shaman that follows Animal, Nature, Mythic, or Idol totems as outlined on pages 152-162 of MITS or any of the totems in the SR3 core rulebook. You may also choose to be a shaman of Wilderness or Urban paths, as found on pg 16 of MITS. Elemental, Ancestor, and Pantheism shamans are not allowed as player characters.
For the Path of the Mage, you may play a traditional hermetic mage as presented in the SR3 core rulebook. Hermetic mages which follow Hermetic Schools or Elemental Mages are also allowed, provided they follow the additional guidelines for magical traditions (see below).
The Paths of Wuxing, The Wheel, Toxics, and Awakened Oddities such as Psionics are not permitted to player characters - they are for adventure NPCs only.

Can I play a druid or other magical tradition from Magic in the Shadows, pg 24-26?
Yes! You may decide to follow a magical tradition to add further "flavor" to your character (only open to full or aspected magicians, not adepts). There are, however, a few restrictions. You may still follow a tradition which follows one of the proscribed paths above, but you do not gain the ability to access such a path. For example, you may desire to follow Egyptian Magic traditions. This tradition states that magicians are pantheistic shamans, however, Pantheism is not allowed. Therefore, you could follow this tradition and use the suggested Tools and Trappings, but would not receive the benefits normally associated with this tradition. In Hawai'ian Magic, it states that some kahunas have the ability to summon salamanders rather than spirits of man. Since other Paths which normally summon salamanders and similar spirits are not allowed, this aspect of Hawai'ian Magic is also not allowed - the rest of the tradition may be followed normally.
Traditions which deal in injury or sacrifice are plain out. These traditions are Aztec, Black, and Hindu (Kali only - others such as Vishnu allowed).

Can a mage who is astrally perceiving and using spell defense for people or objects protect them in both the Astral and Mundane world at the same time?
Yes. It is possible for an astrally perceiving magician to affect both the physical and astral world at the same time, since the magician exists in both the worlds at the same time and interacts with both worlds at the same time. You do not have to split dice to cover an object or person in both worlds.

Are ally spirits allowed?
Yes, ally spirits are allowed -- but you must submit the formula/proposed ally to me and then it will be reviewed and eventually returned with the required resources/rolls etc and your next GM can provide witness...

How do I find a mage instructor to teach me a spell?
You'll have to find an instructor through interacting with other players or contacts, or will just have to go to Seattle University. Keep in mind that if you can only find legal instructors, like the ones at Seattle University, they will only teach you a spell up to Force 2 -- anything higher would be illegal...

Can shamans or other mages who can't summon Elementals benefit from someone else's Elemental to help them learn spells?
No, due to the fundamental differences between shamanic and hermetic mages, a shaman may not use an Elemental to learn a spell. Shamans do receive totem dice for learning spells just as they do for casting. Hermetic mages, including hermetic aspected sorcerers, can benefit from someone else's Elemental.


Cyberware & Bioware

Can I upgrade my cyberware?
Presuming that the item in question has not been damaged, you may sell back cyberware for a flat 25% of its retail value (book price; taking into account alpha or beta mark-up, if any) when upgrading cyberware. Remember, if you upgrade from 3 points of "normalware" to the equivalent in alpha grade, the alpha only takes 2.4 Essence points off, but you DON'T get the excess back-- you simply have a 0.6 point "hole" which can be filled with something else at no further Essence cost until the "hole" is exceeded.
Cyberware above alpha grade is normally only available through adventures.

Can I buy used cyberware or get it from "former enemies"?
Used cyberware is NOT available at character creation. Presuming that the item in question has not been damaged, you may opt to purchase used cyberware from a Street Doc or Chop Shop contact - don't forget to figure in the Street Index when calculating the price. On the flip side, if you have a similar contact and have come across some cyberware recently that is "no longer in use by the previous owner", you can expect to sell it for 20 - 25% of its retail (book) value. Just remember: when selling, you collect on average 20-25% of retail value - when buying, you must figure in Street Index.


Equipment

Can characters purchase customized weapons and armor as described in the Cannon Companion?
Yes, as long as it is only one or two modifications, don't sweat it - and you don't even have to make any rolls if you're doing it at character creation... anything more than that will require the staff to approve it...

Can we buy credsticks (fake IDs) as listed in the core Shadowrun 3rd Edition book?
Yes! We follow the normal availability rules for credsticks.

I have a fake ID credstick. Can I buy equipment with it at retail value, instead of Street Index value?
A fake ID credstick does allow you to purchase items as a common citizen. For example, if you have a SILVER credstick Rating 4, then you can safely purchase anything up to 20,000 and/or that requires fingerprint identification. The legality of the item must also be taken into account. Getting a handgun legally requires a permit, and that requires defeating a Rating 6 reader, which you should roll in front of a judge and have them sign off on it.

Also keep in mind that credstick transactions ARE TRACKED. In other words, a Rating 4 Silver credstick is designed to give you the background you need to pose as a common Middle lifestyle sarariman. If you buy items exceeding the lifestyle appropriate to the credstick, then you will be investigated by Lone Star. For more information, read more about credsticks in the World View section.

Does the security armor I just took from a guard fit me? If not, is there any way to adjust the armor to make it fit?
The description for security and military armor mentions that the armor is designed for ease of movement for the individual. The weight of the armor is further dependent upon the Body attribute of the wearer. Therefore, the armor comes in standard "sizes" based on a character's Body attribute.
Security and military armor consists of hardened plates over a jumpsuit arrangement. Making it larger would leave gaps in between the plates in certain areas, thus defeating its protective value. Making it smaller would mean that the plates would be overlapping in some areas and rubbing, etc, so you would have to make the plates smaller. This latter step will require an armorer, who will charge you the same cost as if you went out and bought the armor through a fixer.
Armor that is less than security armor is made of semi-flexible fabrics and has less stringent sizing requirements, and therefore secure clothing can be tailored to fit within the same metatype to any Body size. If you're a troll or dwarf though, you have to have the clothing from another similar metatype.

How many square meters of ruthenium polymer does it take to make a bodysuit?
Use the rules under the Dikote listing (M&M, pg 91). For a normal human: jacket 1.5 square meters, full suit 2.25, and long coat 2.75.

Does the "Zoe Second Skin" line of armor use the Form Fitting body armor rules?
While it is not listed in its description, the "Zoe Second Skin" line of armor should use the same layering rules as Form-Fitting body armor.


Vehicles & Drones

Can a starting rigger make any customizations to their vehicle before they start playing?
Yes, if they have the nuyen and with some restrictions. As always, you have to abide by the Availability of 8 and Device Rating of 6 limits for character creation. Also, if the vehicle has like a dozen or so mods, then the campaign staff will want to look it over. Getting a van and adding a popup turret is one thing, having a Bison with amphib ops, underwater ops, mine layer, torpedo launcher, enviroseal, satcom unit, blah blah blah, and of course the armored beer refrigerator is a different matter entirely...

Can a character use a "Mechanic" contact (and pay nuyen) to have the work done for them if they don't own a Vehicle Facility (ex.: adding weapon mounts requires a vehicle facility).
Yes, they can do this if one of their contacts is a Mechanic. However, at character creation, you would not have to pay the install charges, just as a street samurai doesn't have to pay surgery costs for cyberware. More info will be available concerning the exact skills and skill ratings that a "Mechanic" contact will have.

Will any vehicle sporting visible weapon mounts have Lone Star run your license plate for a permit?
Not necessarily. If you're unsure, then please contact the staff with the specific situation.


Miscellaneous & General

Can I fence the gear I found during an adventure?
Presuming that the item in question has not been damaged, you may sell back items which you find during the adventure at 20-25% of retail (book) value. If it is damaged, you'll be lucky to get anything for it, unless it is a very expensive or unusual item. Vehicles, drones, cyberdecks, and similar equipment can usually be fenced if they have taken three (3) or less boxes of damage, but be prepared to get much less payout on these items.
If an item is obviously "hot" or very expensive or rare, you might not be able to fence it - at least not until someone has found a buyer for it. The fixer or fence will probably have you hold on to it, so that no one comes looking for it at the fence's house...

How do I keep up with all the latest news and get all the neat stuff?
Pop on over to www.dumpshock.com and check out the forum for Shadowrun Missions. By visiting this forum, you can get up to the minute (almost literally!) information on Shadowrun Missions events, rules, and other important information, as well as a forum to talk in and out of character with others in the campaign.
You can also sign up and create a player account on www.commandohq.com . Once you’ve created an account, you can sign yourself up with FanPro Commandos in your area or in areas that you are willing to travel to in order to play Shadowrun Missions. When the Commando hosts an event, you’ll get an automatic email notice to let you know what is going on. Your local Commando is also the one to talk to about any metagaming events or things you’d like your character to do between adventures.

I’ve got a neat idea for an adventure, but it involves a new piece of equipment that’s not in the Shadowrun rules. Can I use it?
Yes, we do allow "literary license", in that you can bend the rules or invent new stuff for your adventure. Beware of doing too much of this and, please, keep balance and fairness in mind. "Your-PC-can't-do-that-but-my-NPC-can" can be very frustrating for players. Who knows? If you’re stuff is really cool, it might eventually end up in a published sourcebook!

Can I use Karma Pool between adventures to learn spells, customize vehicles, etc...?
Yes, as per the core rules. However, you must declare AT THE START how many Karma Pool dice you are using for each action. If, after a month (game time), you have not succeeded in the action (ex.: learning a spell), then you must pay a month of living expenses. Now you have two options, go back and do some shadowrunning, or continue to learn the spell. If you continue with your studies, you only have Karma Pool left if you have not yet used them. Otherwise, they have NOT refreshed...

All these rolls are made, as usual, in front of the adjudicating GM...

Are any of the "Target" books approved?
At this time, the Target collection of books (ex.: "Target: Awakened Lands") are for background material only and therefore not eligible for character use. The abilities *MAY* become eligible for game play at a later date.

Am I allowed to have a DocWagon Contract? Do I have to have a False ID before I can get one?
DocWagon is certainly available to all characters - but beware the shortcomings of this service!

First, opening a contract with DocWagon requires that you file a tissue sample with them. Sure, it's kept in a nice safe vault protected by bonded guards and mages - how many of you out there are paranoid about ritual sorcery?? Second, consider that the contract requires that you have a sealed band wristphone on your person at all times. You NEVER take it off - if you do, that means you've ruptured the band, thereby alerting DocWagon that you are in need of medical assistance. And these bands are constructed so that DocWagon personnel can read information off the band without removing it by using simple hardware. I'm sure that DocWagon representatives are the only ones that have this equipment though. Third, and probably the most important for shadowrunners: DocWagon will not respond to calls on extraterritorial government or corporate property without permission from that controlling authority. Once you step onto that well manicured lawn in front of the Aztechnology pyramid, well, I think you can figure out the rest...

It is not tied in any way to your credstick, a membership card, or any other outward sign other than the ubiquitous sealed wristband. DocWagon is a true capitalistic corporation - as long as you keep paying, they'll keep taking your money.

Bitrunner, has there been any work done on an official or 'official' list of Dikote area values for weapons?
If not, do you want me to do one with measurements of real weapons and we use that?

I've got a rules question for you involving Matrix runs if and when they're done in detail...

Which method of using attack programs will you be using? On the Idiot's Guide to Decking thread on the main board, an issue came up as to whether you roll the program rating (program attacking by itself) or your Computer skill (use the program like a weapon to attack). Which ruling is Missions going to use?

The Abstruse One

According to the book, you use the rating of the program, plus Hacking Pool....

that is what we'll be using if such comes up

The real problem with Dikote is that any such list compiled would probably not be available to the player at the time of character creation. (I know you're asking, "What! Who In Their Right Mind Doesn't Read The Dumpshock Forums?" Or something to that effect. )

Generally we'll just have to trust people. If a GM spots a discrepancy (like a player assuming that the 100cm^2 of dikote you get for one unit is a square meter and not 100 square centimeters... I've run into that a lot), then they can point out the discrepancy to the player and either charge them the difference or disallow dikoting on the weapon/item.

>The real problem with Dikote is that any such list compiled would probably not be available to the player at the time of character creation. (I know you're asking, "What! Who In Their Right Mind Doesn't Read The Dumpshock Forums?" Or something to that effect. )


Heh. I'm the player involved, in this case, so no problem there.

>Generally we'll just have to trust people. If a GM spots a discrepancy (like a player assuming that the 100cm^2 of dikote you get for one unit is a square meter and not 100 square centimeters... I've run into that a lot), then they can point out the discrepancy to the player and either charge them the difference or disallow dikoting on the weapon/item.


Works for me; I'll go with that for now.

oh, i totally agree - if only the Hacking Pool were determined somehow by the Computer skill, it would be more palatable - the whole point is that the decker is modifying the utility "on the fly", represented by allowing the Hacking Pool.

however, we have to make sure everyone is on a common ground, and the easiest way to do that is to do things by the book. even after 3 editions, the rules are not always perfect, and cannot simulate everything (melee combat is a prime example)...and so, them's the breaks!

On the Shadowland Node - if someone could host/set up a Wiki with a password front end, it'll work like the books do...

Okay, I'm thinking about doing a combat decker and am curious on how much non-game time we're expecting in a game year (two years of campaign play, right?). Are we looking at runs that take up a whole month at a time and thus we're probably not going to be able to spend 20 days of downtime programming that new drek-hot program and still play all of the modules (It's looking like 10-15 modules for the two years of the campaign, it seems, but I could be 200% wrong on that one.)? Or are we looking at modules in the 1-2 week range?

I assume that different runs will take different amounts of time, but in what size "units" are we going to track that? Days? Weeks? Months?

Thanks

I think that this campaign will allow downtime for personnal things like programming or B/R. Like I told to my players, if we play scenario SRM00-01 in june and SRM00-02 in july, in game there will be the same 1 month span between the 2 missions. So on your mission calendar, if your last game was played 2 months ago, I would say that your character had 2 months of downtime. I will need confirmation on this however.

Super bonus question! Can deckers start out with the source code for their programs or just the object code?

ok, i'll try to explain this...

1. on the average, a shadowrun will take place over a weeks time. one shadowrun = one week.

2. there are four game weeks in a game month. therefore, you can go on four shadowruns in the same month and only pay one month of lifestyle expenses.

3. you can do other things like programming or B/R, etc at the times specified in the books. anything that takes less than a day is a freebee.

4. one game year = one real year. anything less does not necessarily match up. this means that, in DFs example, if you play SRM00-01 in june, and SRM00-02 in july, in real life there is one month between them. in game, however, each player must decide (and of course players must realize that they each have different schedules and therefore must have a suspension of disbelief when comparing who played what and when) for themselves when those runs occurred. one player may want to save money and decide that his character did both runs back to back. another player may decide that his character, a mage, needs to learn some spells and take care of some other business before the second run, and therefore takes the rest of the month off. however, come december, everyone's calendar will close out for the year.

5. the campaign only ends when player interest, FanPro, or staff can no longer support it. the Story Arcs last two years. over two years, we'll be telling a story - think of it like covering a trilogy of novels spread over the two years. after that, we'll start a new story arc.


tinkergnome - i'm on the road and don't have the books with me, so you'll have to wait on that one...i'm assuming that you're asking because it doesn't say either way...i'm inclined to say that deckers would start with the source code for any of their programs that are of a level equal or less to the character's Computer skill (or applicable specializations)...

Given that Matrix gives a discount for purchasing object-code-only versions of programs, I think it's canon that you do get source.

~J

Thanks, Bitrunner. Playing a decker is significantly easier if you can count on a fair amount of downtime, and if there are only, say, 10 weeks of Shadowruns in a game year, you've got a good bit of time to play with. Considering a good agent program can take you a year of solid programming, that's a good thing

Following up on those questions, I am curious about the proceedures required in order to steal programming time on a host. There are huge benefits to doing so when programming, but it's one of those things not explicitly laid out in the books. If it's just going to be one of those "module opportunity" type things, that's fine with me, otherwise, you'd need to publish some guidelines for it in the campaign rules.

Also, are program options allowed for programs and skillchips? Not that I intend to use them anytime soon, but I'm curious.

Kagetenshi, I managed to track down the passage you reference (Matrix, p 94, second paragraph under Buying Programs) and you're dead on. I hadn't noticed that one before

About the mainframe programing time, I had the exact same question come up with my decker player yesterday. Basically, you deck into the system, Validate Account, jack out, then just log back in and start to work until your 1d6 x (number of sucesses on Validate Account operation) days are up. Then you repeat the process. Don't know how that'd work for Missions though as you'd have to have some way to monitor the decking into the system ("Yeah, I hacked a Red host and got a Superuser account on the mainframe to do programing on. And I get 12 sucesses and rolle a 6, so the account's valid for two and a half months. And it's on Renraku's system, so I can automatically log on and do anything I want in their system. And Novatech's. And Saeder-Krupp's. Yeah.")

The Abstruse One