I got my grubby hands on a discounted copy of Target: Matrix about two months ago; going off the "System Anomalies" chapter, I've so far subjected my hacker player to the "Hunt-A-Hacker" business; between the Black Hammer and the dumpshock, he was out of commission for a week. In another week or three, he'll probably walk into a node that's locked up and freezing and we'll find out how long it'll take for him to be missed. The psychotropic black IC that stimulates you into REM sleep and then records the dreams is getting saved for a special occasion in the plot in a few months. As for Roxborough and the kid hacker/inept seducer, neither of them fit in my campaign (unfortunately) so nothing there.

So, I'm debating what other random events (al la the wonderful ideas in Mr. Johnson's Little Black Book) I can spring on the hacker when he's all nice and cozy in his digital realm. Coming across an AI is going to have to wait until Unwired comes out and accidentally hitting a UV node is unlikely at best. My current idea are having him come across a Matrix gang, but beyond that, I have no nefarious plans coming to mind.

So, ideas for random events? I don't want the Matrix to be a safe haven from the meat world; when a hacker is living at the bleeding edge of SOTA and leaves the safe paths of cold sim users, eventually he's going to get mugged and cut.

That's why I suggest using some form of magical/tech IP booster and just sticking to AR.

I HATE that rule.


As for "weirdness", have him stumble across a simulation of his own life, only set a few hours into the future, who or what programmed it and why is he starting to get really creepy deja-vu?

You could make any account he established be taken for real. He could be getting messages what happens if he doesn´t come to work and that "internal affairs" will be investigating his workplace behaviour, tracking his whereabouts etc. Should make him quite paranoid if done right.

That would be a good laugh.