In a Rating 3 bit of gear - you can only run rating 3 programs. So, run 6 programs on that node, and its a bit... well rating 1? So the agents have 2 dice?

Be there as a hacker, and you have 1 (from your program) 4 from your skill group, 2 from hot sim, more from cyberware... (+1 from some cyberware brainboost that costs 0.75 essence = 8 dice.

Making in the best case the Hacker utterly win against agents.

In a more typical senerio, (Responce 3 device) the Hacker has 10 dice, against the agents 6. Still a massive advantage.

I think, anyway. (I'm not sure that Hackers or agents running on a comlink don't use that comlinks responce) Agents sent in as "drones" definitly use the devices stuff.

The way I've read it is agents either work with your persona, or in a node. So basically the options are your commlink (and can only operate in places you are active), or you load them into the node to work (and you can leave). Agents from everything I've seen only appear to exist in one node at a time, unlike hackers who can load their persona into multiple places (and be vulnerable in multiple places).

As to whether hackers are affected by the nodes they are working on, that is kind of up in the air. Most people figure that the programs are run on the hackers commlink. So they would not be affected wherever they work. I'm iffy on this myself.

Actually that's one interpretation, which I prefer but there's nothing that proves it right or wrong so it's hard to tell.
Anyway, agents as they are now are one of the big trouble with Matrix Rules and will need to be underused or patched up with houserules until Unwired comes out (at least).

There isn't anything to stop you from "operating" all your haystack comlinks in AR mode thus creating an avatar, loading those "avatars" up with agents and having a field day. Or did I miss something.

Missed nothing more than the rest of us... The rest of the rules that is.

Unwired coming soon..

*Bounces with excitement at Unwired* Getting that one on PDF!!!

Yeah, one is almost obliged to get that in digital. You think it will make the matrix playable?

*sigh*

Can we just pretend that I said that I think it's playable now, and that we went back and forth a few times and then eventually got bored and stopped?

It's playable as it is... I play a technomancer normally... But my GM is burnt out on having to make everything up on the fly and I can't really blame him. I've mostly been just sitting back and having everything I try and do get hand waived (unless fiated), because it saves time from having to make stuff up. I just want something for him so that I can maybe get back in the action, I'm practically an NPC.

Aaron sorry about picking that scab. I will acknowledge that may players and play styles can use the matrix RAW. For those of us who like to use rules as a means extrapolate and explore a setting they are nigh worthless.

Now then let's all close our eyes and image having some back and forth out this topic and going straight back to enjoying our games exactly the way we were before!

I invoke Godwin's Law. Now it's an imaginary flame war.

That'd only be true if you imagined you invoked Godwin's Law.

Ignore this post.