We know that high security areas in SR4 require that an individual set his PAN to Active so security will have access to his information.

This begs the question: are comlinks neccessary in modern life? Are they required in order to be able to function in modern society?

I bring up the question because a player new to my group wishes to play an anachronistic character who does not use modern techonology. My campaign is a bit "backwards" as well, juxtaposing high tech with low tech, so the character fits, I'm just curious what I can do with the rules.

Are commlinks issued by the government if they're required for secure areas? Are there other systems in place? What about ID cards backed up with RFID tags that can be updated and will constantly broadcast needed information?

Note that the issue here isn't access to the Matrix - it's simply the statement that PAN access is a requirement for movement in a modern society. If you don't have a comlink, what do you do?

There's got to be a "backup system" somewhere - expecting everyone to carry a commlink just seems silly to me. Cellphones and Ipods are nice, but not everyone wants to carry one (or can afford one).

Well, in this case, sucks to be the one who doesn't use commlinks. However, this really is for the more secure areas, up to A+. If you do have to do business in the high-security areas, having an active PAN is a logical choice, and it's easy for the others to know all about you without having to ask you directly, and give you message and instructions on the fly.

As they say, Big Brother is watching you, and Big Brother expects you to always talk to him. Your commlink is willing to talk to Big Brother all the time for you.

The commlink aren't issued by the government but they are tied to your SIN which they broadcast in the high secure areas. So a ID card with a RFID tag broadcasting the SIN would be enough. I guess that the governement issue these (the regular ID card), which can be also used as a backup.

Expecting everyone to carry a commlink in 2070 is like expecting everyone to carry a wallet or at least an ID card in 2007. Remember that a commlink can be woven in clothing, put inside a watch, an earring, a belt... anything. Remember also that it's more than 50 years in the future : the Matrix is like electricity today, and having a commlink in 2070 isn't like having a cellphone today. Refusing to have one isn't like refusing to have a cellphone today, it's like refusing to use electricity.

Sure some people can't afford a commlink (even if the lower-end models should be pretty cheap), but anyway we don't want such people living around here, do we?

You should also take into account that nearly anything will need to use a commlink, or at least some replacement (a RFID credstick can replace the payment system of your commlink for example) but without those, there's nearly nothing you can do.

The more I look into this issue, the more I'm not liking how it interfaces with my idea of how the Shadowrun world feels for my games.

I don't like the blanket expectation that all of the players are required to have this piece of tech for their characters and the fact that if someone doesn't wish to have one, they're just permanently screwed. I understand the need to make the Matrix omnipresent, and I like the new rules (such as they are) but I'm concerned about this issue.

I think I'll just go with my idea of ID cards.

It makes the game a little strange, but you can run a character with no comlink. I play an infiltration physadept with low logic and 3x gremlins. She's horrible with tech and she knows it. When we go on runs our hacker sets me up with what we call a "dummy comlink" which links to the pan and gives anyone in the group the audio/visual from it's input devices. They taught me how to use a subvocal mike and thats as far as I get, anything else to do with tech or my "dummy comlink" the hacker gets to deal with it. She's not dumb really, she's just one of those people that can't touch electronics without jacking them up so she dosen't try.

It's caused a few issues walking around on the street on occasion, but being a physadept makes it a lot easier. It's led to some odd questions now and then, but like you said, what are they going to do? You aren't required to have a comlink. Every time someone has asked me about it I've just replied "I don't have one", thats led to some funny conversations. I had to run from the star once because of it and where I was, but wall running and a huge infiltration make it easy enough to get away.

I have credsticks and an rfid with my fake sin on it, haven't had much problem so far.

Somebody without a comlink would be SIN-checked to death in my world.
Goodbye fake SIN.

And wall running and Infiltration does not help when the Star hacker is simply tracking the RFIDs that are everywhere in your clothes or your credstick or use small airborne drones to follow you.

It just feels disjointed, like it's a stopgap measure that wasn't fully fleshed out. I kind of get that feeling about a lot of the Matrix stuff in SR4 - like it's in place, from a game/rules perspective, but that's it. It's kind of an "it works, it's here" feeling, rather than a fully integrated part of the world.

Like I said, I like the new matrix, I like the new rules, but they do feel.. they feel hashed together, in a sense, like things haven't jelled together just yet.

It integrates quite well.
Maybe read my System's Guide to Paranoia: SGP v1.3.

I think that aspect has always been there. Even in SR3 your main credstick with your SIN would have some broadcast capability and could be used by the Lone Star to check your ID. Check the Sprawl Survival Guide, it was already all in there.

Thats the most genius idea ever! I think I'll go roll an army of infiltration specialists with RFID tags hidden in their clothes for tracking ease...

Without a commlink you can't:

• hail a cab from several blocks away (even when it's out of sight)
• order your meal while waiting in line and have it arrive at the table at the same time you do
• change the jukebox settings in your local bar
• stroll through a shopping mall buying things and having them delivered to your house without ever having to talk to an annoying sales lady.
• see your buddy's new AR home decor, or see your own changes to make sure you didn't accidentally get pumpkin orange chairs and avocado green walls
• have your hacker buddy easily spoof your ID to let you in the upscale buildings and sectors. You'll have to reprogram and reinsert an RFID tag instead.
• stroll into the stuffer shack, grab a large Squishee, pay for it, and walk out without having to decipher Amir's accent.
• stay in instant communication with everyone you know. This one is especially big, as it takes the leg out of most legwork, greatly cutting down time and effort.

If you're playing a 2050's style game with more punk and less cyber, removing the ever-present nature of comm links makes sense.

It was there in the Sprawl Survival Guide, I'm not disagreeing. I'm simply stating that the new idea of AR overlay with commlink access doesn't feel quite set to me.

It's probably because I've got the world "set" a certain way in my mind and this question has thrown my personal setting into contrast against the published setting. I've never really cared for "You must have this or x happens" rulings in games. If PC's dont' wish to have a commlink, there should be something in place. I'll feel my way through it, I just didn't realize the issue I had until my player brought it up.

Generally speaking there is something in place: RFID tags for identification. It's only when you go upscale or start looking at convenience that the people who can't afford a comm link or are too "backwards and stupid" to use them get the shaft. To me that makes perfect sense in the societal schema of Shadowrun. If you're dumb or broke (from the perspective of the big boys) they don't want you anywhere near their toys.

The commlink is a lot more than a cellphone and an ID. Probably most important to the corps is that your Commlink is like a debit/credit card. A lot of higher end places probably will check your balance on entry to even see if you can afford to be shopping/dining there. They will then probably simultaneously flag you as a potential shoplifter to security and try to sell you a predatory financing plan. It's also a reciever for all the Augmented Reality overlays, which would include things like shop signs, news bulletins, traffic & weather advisories, street signs, and of course advertisements. Public Data Terminals are probably rare following Crash 2.0. Commlinks cost around 100 for a new basic one so they aren't too far out of the budget of even the lowest end worker, and many corps probably provide them (complete with backdoors and hidden spyware to track their employee's every move) as part of the employment package. Basically a person without a commlink and a PAN would stick out almost as much as if they were walking through the streets naked.

I agree with one exception, in addition to the spyware and backdoors, the "provided" commlink is then added to one of the predatory financing plans you mentioned and deducted from future paychecks.

True, it would just be one more of several "payroll deductions" already taken for things like housing and upkeep. The average wageslve probably has a great salary on paper and very little spending money after all the deductions are made.

You also have to remember that at absolutely any time you wish, you can turn off your commlink and any other wireless connectivity you have. RFID tags that you don't know about are another thing entirely, but those that you do can be wiped or temporarily removed as well. It's all right at the beginning of the gear chapter in SR4.

Stealth RFID tags are also available, allowing your PAN to work without being easily hacked by anything that doesn't know the code. (I haven't read the hacking rules in detail yet so it may be easier than the rules for stealth tags let on, however.)

Regardless, no, there's no real reason to avoid having a commlink. The perks that come from having one are astounding. It's like having a runner without a credstick, pocket secretary, and microtransciever all at once.

A commlink isn't necessary, but it is damned handy. I'm sure governments and corporations will issue SIN cards which carry your ID without all the other commlink functionality.

A notation, here, on good ol' fashion greenbacks.

Cash, my freinds.

It didn't *vanish*, but, it isn't used much by 2070. At least, not by the average folks.

Where you *can* find it, however, is on the lower rungs of society, amoung those who won't, or can't, dive into the world of credsticks. The poorer areas of the city (Barrens, not true Zero Zones), as well as rural areas, where cash in hand is better than a wireless signal that might not get through. Nothing major gets purchased in cash, certainly nothing over a grand, but, if you wanted to slip across the tracks to teh bad side of town, go visit Art's Deco Diner, and pick up a greasy plate of eggs and hash, you can be pretty confident that you can toss actual bills at him and it'd be fine.

Don't try that at a midtown boutique, however... they'll stare at you as if you'd just SURGE'd a second head.

Those mentioning ID cards may have missed that implanted RFIDs are the ID cards of the future. I think it would have to be a pretty backwards nation to use plastic, hand-held ID cards.

...all joking aside, again, this is why I feel some of the "Shadow" has been taken out of Shadowrun. Fake SIN or not, you are still always "visible" to the all knowing wireless matrix. try to go "invisible" and you send up a red flag. Your moves and actions are traced whether the commlink's SIN says your name is Kelly Rourke, Kyoto Kid, or Swordfish Mustardball. Yeah you can dump (and periodically should) a SIN if it feels too hot, but then that new name is now in the matrix and process continues.

Even with a different matrix ID, you usually don't end up with a different face, metatype or physique (not to mention DNA pattern), and in 2070, little spy cameras are everywhere. In RL ATMs had built in cameras for years now and even mom & pop stores have vid surveillance. Unless you are an adept with Facial Sculpt and Melanin Control, eventually you will be "made".

Also given how cheap cosmetic surgery is why wouldn't a runner change their face when they dumped their old SIN?

Philadelphia (Where Wak runs) is set up with a sliding scale, where the corporate areas of teh city, or the governmental, require braodcast SIN, all transactions are digital, and so forth. Driving is restricted, with Grid Link being the law, cameras are everywhere, and so on.

In the medium areas of town, Grid Link is still the norm, but cameras aren't everywhere and you can walk around without your SIN being blared without much worry. Cash isn't really accepted, aside from small spots like a hot dog wagon or vending machine, but the streets are basicly safe.

The third level is suburban-ish, with Grid Link not going quite everywhere and civic upkeep having some holes. Sort of a mix between Middle and Low lifestyles, this levels is teh majority of landspace, with people working and trying to get ahead, but having lots of debt to show for it. Go gangs pop up here mostoften, but not many street gangs.

The fourth level is soldily low, with rampant gang problems, gridlink down more than up, and actual fuel-based cars being the norm, rather than electric. Cash is common here, and you can hide fairly easily ... people tend to not ask many questions as long as your money's good.

The fifth level is teh Zero. You don't want to go there. It's anarchy in the worst sense, where only the most desperate, despised, or needing to hide go. Things go on there mainly because if they were attempted anywhere else in the city, they'd be shut down, but in teh Zero, even if there were any authorities to tell, they wouldn't *do* anything. Everyone knows that Zeroes are crazy. After all, they live in the Zero Zone. There's cash here, but more barter than anything (Other than theft!)

Besides, cosmetic surgery might also leave trails, and do you really trust those shady cyberdocs who operate illegaly in the shadows? I mean, paranoid persons might ask why they're giving out their services on the streets for people who don't own a SIN, and not in a respectable hospitable.

Sure, nothing is foolproof in life, but it's one more layer of misdirection that may save your life.

Besides, do you really trust the streetdoc not to give you something a little extra when you go under the knife? (Or take out more then he was supposed to.) I don't, but what choice do you really have?

The choice to not undergo surgery in a shady back room?

Spirit bloat? They just expanded the list by four types of playable spirits, giving all traditions ten to choose from and covering bases that the basic six failed to do. That's a Good Thing™ no matter how you slice it.

However, depending on the rules, you might need (or better want) to be unconscious if somebody operates on your face, and if your not conscious, you do lose control of your own spirit.

Of course, you might have a friend who could summon such spirits, but then again, you will need an operating room and all the devices needed, and by 2070+, people usually do use AR, cyberdevices and other advanced machinery which the Task Spirit might not be able to use (at least AR for sure).

just wait for the appropriate autosofts to come out, and you can use a machine sprite instead =)

(of course, you still need the facilities...)

As to the origional question:

In my game, anyone who is commlink-less would be treated like the Sinless. After all, without their comm they can't prvide their SIN. And in my game, the SINless are treated like todays homeless. Moved out of the nice parts of town by the cops, tolerated or ignored in the C zones or below, and The norm in Z zones. All this hype about matrix 2.0 has little to no bearing once you get to the C-zone area. In those places people deal with the sinless or poor enough that they tolerate it. The shopkeepers will take cash, because they don't really care if you got the money legally. They won' care if you have a SIN. This is business. The descriptionn of "you can't buy anything without a sin" "commlinks on everywhere" is what is supposed to happen, but it only happens in the neighborhoods where people care. If the drug dealers are on the street corner, then you can pay in cash/go without SIN in that neighborhood.

Hell, not having a Comm is probably the norm in the Z zone.

For a wage slave, not having a commlink is perfectly legal, but impossible. Their employer demands that they have their SIN broadcast at all times for security reasons. The vending machines they have to get lunch out of only take cred. (lunch is too short to go anywhere unless it's a business lunch, and brown-bagging it isn't allowed because "it's a security issue") Employers are required by law (corporate or national) to pay by electronic transfer so as to leave an adequate electron trail, so the wage slave ccan be taxed properly. And much of the work to be done will require telecommunication and computers.

Sure, there are ways to do each of those things without a commlink, but when you add together all the things you would need to do so, you are just duplicating a commlink's functionality with a dozen other things. You may as well get a comm.

In the world of 2070, shadowrunners survive not be being untraceable, but because noone really wants to investigate. If they pull of a big run, they'll have the big dogs after them, and they had better pull out all the stops. But unless the run makes the nightly news, Lone star will drop the case at the first sign that it would cut into donut eating time, and the Feds won't even get invovled. Corps will only chase you to the point that they are budgeted to. They won' cut into profit margins to get you. You could run into a c-zone stuffer shack gun drawn, get caught on camera maskless, with an open Commlink, fire your registered firearm, leave perfect fingerprints on the glass, jack your DNA evidence off onto the cashier, and drop your SIN card with photo-ID and address on the floor, and so long as you spen teh next couple nights in the Z zone, the cops have better things to do. (like interrogate the prostitutes). The amount of care you have to take on a Run is proportional to the economic damage you do. Just make sure the cost of tracking you down is more than the damage of accepting the loss.

If your character is commless for ethics reasons, then either think of getting one with your fake SINs as part of the disguise, or only do runs in the low-rent disricts.

...nine, ten, never sleep again....