s, OH MY! <--- Wanted to fit that into the description, but I wasn't allowed.

Anywho, onto me questions at hand;

Soon I will be playing a Shadowrun game via X-Box live (in fact, we'll be sitting in the Shadowrun game most likely while we play), and I need a little help understanding a few things that are confusing the spirits out of me. Bare with me, I haven't red the entirety of the book, however, I have read up fully on all the topics of the questions I'm going to ask.

First, commlinks. I was wondering exactly how they work. I understand their uses, and that they can be woven into clothing, but what about vision enhancers? The book says that the image link connects to my PAN or my smartlink, and it also says that commlinks connect to my PAN, so can I access my commlink via my image link on my vision enhancer (goggles/helmet/etc.)

And while on the topic of vision enhancers, can multiple vision enhancers work together? Say I want all of the vision enhancements, but at character creation you can't have it all. Mainly I'm looking to have a pair of glasses/goggles (not the huge helmet-like goggles, but the smaller glasses-like goggles) with image link, vision enhancement, vision magnification, flare compensation and smartlink, with a helmet connecting to my chameleon suit that has low light vision and thermographic vision. Glasses and glasses-like goggles can easily fit under a helmet, and contacts can fit under glasses. So say I wanted to do this;

Contacts with thermographic vision: glasses with flare compensation, image link, smartlink, vision enhancement and vision magnification: bulky goggles with ultrasound and low light. I could buy all of that at character creation easily (and relatively cheap), and I could also wear all of them at the same time (the glasses might be uncomfortable underneath the goggles, but it can be done). Would they work with one another like that?

And what about a subvocal microphone with audio enhancers? Say I want to have a subvocal microphone (not the micro-transceiver), and earbud audio enhancers, can they work together? If there is a group of three, each with subvocal microphones and a version of audio enhancement, could each of them attune their partners' subvocal microphones to their audio enhancers?

And as for the smartgun system. I didn't read anything that says bows and crossbows can't have or can have the smartgun system. The smartgun system might not be entirely useful for bows (though the +2 to range can), but it can for crossbows. Seeing that the smartgun system can be integrated into the smallest of guns, I don't see why it couldn't be integrated into bows and crossbows.

Oh, and to those who might be put off by the fact that we are role-playing Shadowrun in the video game's set up room, don't think that we are playing Shadowrun because of the video game. We enjoy both Shadowrun RPG and the FPS as different entities, but have planned on running and playing Shadowrun before we knew about the FPS, it's just fun to play the FPS over the chat (one of the characters lives in Florida, the rest of us are in Ohio) for the actual game. =)

Thank you for your responses, they have helped me out a great deal.

But more on commlinks:

How do you control them exactly? Can commlinks only be controlled through you mind if you have it embedded in your body or a datajack? Or can you control it just as long as it is on your body? Like something attached to your wrist, worn around your neck or laced into your clothing?

Also, is the skinlink a style of commlink? I didn't quite understand that description. Commlinks confuse me for some odd reason.

Commlink Interfaces...

Keyboards, microphones, other physical devices. They can transmit wireless tot eh commlink.

Anything with DNI, datajacks can give a "mental" command interface. You mentally command your datajack and it interfaces with your commlink.

Sim. or Hot Sim module can read your "mental" commands and transmit them to your commlink, wireless or skinlinked, or wired.

Implanted cyberware, including commlinks come with DNI.

It really depends. If Joe Blow walks into a radio shack and buys a comlink off the shelf and some AR glasses to go with it the communication is strictly one way. It goes from the comlink to the glasses and that's it. To manipulate the comlink itself he uses it like a crazy over the top Blackberry/Iphone ect. He still needs to manually punch buttons, probably with a touch sensitive screen.

Now if Joe buys a pair of AR gloves as well he can bring a display up in his Augmented Reality Overlay and manipulate it while wearing the gloves. Great for surfing the web, looking an Pr0n but unless you want to be doing an odd looking chicken dance in the middle of a hostile building not so good for hacking.

Now if Joe buys a trode net stylishly woven into a Seattle Stranglers Urban Brawl cap he can, while wearing the hat enter full VR mode. This lets him manipulate the comlink with his mind alone but only when he's in full VR.

Now that I've covered the civi's lets take a look at your average shadowrunner gear. Mages should use gear similar to a civilians since most runners who can should have some implants.

Now an implanted comlink is pretty useless unless you also buy a datajack. The two in combination let you manipulate your ARO mentally. You can hop in and out of VR without a trode net. Add a pair of cybereyes and you can ditch the glasses or contacts. The datajack also lets you interface with your smartlink and other AR capable gear.

You can have a comlink strapped to your wrist and interface through a datajack just like an implant. This isn't a bad idea since it lets you ditch your comlink if it becomes compromised without digging it out of your skull.

Unfortunatly all this wireless stuff has a downside, basically, if there is a signal, it can be hacked. Most GM's use this sparingly but it can be a very BAD THING if you're in the middle of a firefight and a hacker gets into your eyes.

Skinlinks are the solution to this. It creates a hard non wireless signal to the comlink that can't be hacked. Most useful is with smartlinked guns.

Now if you're playing a non mage/TM/adept this is my favorite comlink setup.
One high rating comlink with a rocken (clean) fake SIN. Best you can afford. This is the comlink you pull out when the cops pull you over and ask for your papers. Make sure you have fake licenses attached to it for a pistol or two that you keep in your car and keep it clean. Keep the power off unless you need it. If there is no power it can't be hacked. Don't give out this number to anyone, not your fixer, not your teammates, not God himself. This SIN is your life as an accountant or middle manager with a condo, a cat and a pistol that he keeps for self-defence. Keep it SAFE, rebuilding your entire life is a pain in the ass. Keep the bulk of your money on this comlink other than periodic purchaces at your local suffer shack never use it.

One mid rating comlink with a decent fake SIN. This is your working SIN. Make sure you don't spend so much on it that it would hurt to throw it in a river or smash it to bits and replace it if the SIN gets dirty. Keep a small amount of "spending money" on this comlink and replenish it periodically. If you need money for a large purchace transfer it to this from your clean SIN. If you're praticularly paranoid transfer it from your clean SIN to you backup SIN (see next) then to this SIN. Give out this number to Johnsons, fixers, and other contacts. Expect to replace it every few runs.

One backup for the above. Keep this turned off till you need it. Stash it in your safehouse till you need it.

An implanted comlink, datajack cybereyes and all that stuff. Get this custom made with a signal of zero if your GM will allow it or one if he won't. Everything interfaces with this through skinlinks. This runs your eyes, your guns and all your cyberware that needs it. Keep this comlink as safe from hackers as you can, it's the only one that can get you killed.

If you're playing a hacker you should add a tricked out hacker comlink to the mix. Doesn't really matter what kind of SIN is attached to it, the comlink is there for one purpose and one purpose only, to hack. Once again keep the power off unless you need it.

*edit*
Almost forgot the final SIN. This is your "Freedom 35" SIN. Attach it to a nice comlink, nothing special though. This is your retirement SIN. It's pretty much a buy and forget, if you want you should periodically pull it out and use it to make deposits into a Swiss bank account that serves as your retirement fund. Attach a name to it that makes you a landed immigrant at some nice tropical paradise who made a mint daytrading or something. It's more of an RP thing than anything else, you'll use it when the campaign ends or you want to retire the character but that's all.

Thank you, imperialus: that is just about the most practical breakdown I have yet read from anyone.

just a few corrections:

a sim module does not establish any sort of connection between your mind and a device. it allows the use of human sensory data over electronic communications, and that is all. a DNI (trode net or datajack, or iirc also a simrig would do) is required to accomplish anything with a sim module.

a trode net or datajack can still be used outside of full VR. you can access AR using either one with no difficulties.

an implanted commlink is, by default, wireless, and does not require a commlink as it has a DNI built in to it.

Okay, I'm still a little confused on skinlinks.

What exactly do they do?

Basically all skinlinks do is turn your skin into a virtual wire that can transmit data to other skinlink adapted devices.

Anyone who is security minded should skinlink almost everything they own, including their datajack/trodenet.