I learn by reading examples and cross referencing. Does anyone have any SR stories with accompanying rule explanations? I'm checking the SR Missions, hopefully they help.

Damn, this games confusing.

I'm going to be resurecting my Emerald City Nights story series in the nearish future, and each story has a light backing with rules, the first one's only the combat and some perception, but as they go it'll become more involved. I'll need to do some digging and I'll post it up in the appropriate thread, then link here.

A couple friends of mine and I recorded a hacking demo in which we talk a lot about rules and stuff, for what that's worth.

You could (theoretically) pop open two browsers, and in one browser read the In Character section of a Welcome to the Shadows game, and in the other read the Out Of Character thread for the same stuff. Or you could hop over to Shadowland.org and look into some of our IC/OOC pages there, to check out the die rolls and whatnot that go along with the action.

I like what you've done here. I've had a couple of examples I've used for the players that I'll post when I find where I wrote them.

Thanks for the input gang. Aaron, is Pavao your site? Fantastic work man. Your cheat sheets have really helped my group.

I just finished the audio and I can't tell you how much it helped. I don't quite understand how you used the passkeys; especially when you talked about how it related to commlinks and personal info. Isn't all of that data (biometrics, health history, SIN, etc) just a file under a Rating 5 Encryption? I seem to remember that the file could be transferred between commlinks easily. In fact, couldn't you just steal that file from someones commlink, decrypt it and go on a buying spree (ID theft)?

I'm struggling with the Matrix side of things right now. I'm trying to read Unwired but I read incredibly slow. I need a Word version of it so I can edit out the fluff and make a referrence guide for myself. Unfortunately every pdf to word converter I've tried = crap. And cut and paste switches columns around and jacks the fonts.

Drek. Who's NOT?! Fortunately, I leave the hacking to others. And they leave the "sneaky" and "wet" bits to me.

[edit]
Removed my asinine rant since it was far from helpful.

I just found Ryu's post An Introduction into the Matrix. It looks pretty awesome, I'm hoping it works for me.

Well, technically pavao.org is my site. Pavao proper hasn't been a server for some years. =i)


In this case, the passkeys were just a MacGuffin. Passkeys are described in SR4A[i] (and [i]SR4, of course) and in greater detail in Unwired.

Here's the quick description, which is a bit of a digression from this thread. Good authentication (proving you are who you say you are, and so have permission to do stuff) is done by checking something you are, something you know, or something you have, choose any two. For example, when you use an ATM card, you're using something you have (the card) and something you know (the PIN). A biometric item or (arguably) an access ID is something you are. A passcode is something you know. A passkey is something you have.


Ryu's post is pretty good. Have you had a chance to look at SR4A yet?

I haven't checked out Ryu's post thoroughly yet, I kind of checked out last night (obvious from my last post). Got some rest and wiped out a few towns in Fallout 3. I think I'm ready to pick it back up again.

I have read SR4A, and while it had some great info, nothing tied it together for me. There was a lot of rules but no application of those rules (except for the small examples). Now that I have a better understanding of the Matrix I think I need to re-read everything; I'll probably catch stuff I didn't quite get the first read through.

Also, I've read that Unwired doesn't really answer much. Should I skip it for now and just read Ryu's and Knasser's info?

I would read it if I was you. It had some nice pointers that made using the matrix much easier. Of course it all comes down to what you find difficult, but personaly I found it helpfull.

You know, originally Aaron and I wrote the Netcat-Slamm-0! vs. Rigger story to be a short story (opens the Matrix chpt of SR4A) with a full play-by-play rules example. Hm. Maybe the two of us should update the rules example part and post it.

Please do! It was a great story, btw. If you add the play-by-play I'll make it mandatory reading. It shows the players that Shadowrun is more than talking to Mr J. and whacking people (though I think a few may have died in the chem lab accident...).

Unwired is a great book IMO. You should get it at some point, though not necessarily first. If you have a TM in your group, make that player buy Unwired. You will be thanked.

I think that this offer should be taken up by someone...


Sounds great.

Funny...I generally find this editions matrix rules to be far simpler and more intuitive then previous editions...
Then again, for the skills, I always do them as a group, so they are always the same levels so I do not need to go "Well, this program uses this skill...this other program uses that skill.."

There's a section in 'Unwired' that is called "The Idiot's Guide to the Matrix' or something like that. Read it. Read it twice. It is incredibly helpful for anyone having a hard time visualizing or understanding the matrix. It is just fluff, but it puts everything in perspective. IMO, the fluff that you're trying to cut out of Unwired is what gave me the most insight into fully understanding the matrix rules.

GAME, SET, AND MATCH

(Note that Aaron and I wrote the Game, Set, Match story together, and we actually did roll each test; the story was originally designed to be a demonstration of a hacker, a technomancer, and a rigger in a competition. However, the original story was 500 words, the final version ended up being 3000. So, some extra stuff was thrown in to make the story read better, and didn't reflect all the original actions... *sigh* that's what happens when you take creative license. But, for what it's worth, here's the (revised) mechanics behind the story.)

Hacking a Drone Example

BEHIND THE SCENES
Netcat: Initiative 9, 1 Initiative Pass, Resonance 7, Cracking Skill Group 4, Software (Threading) 5 (+2), Willpower 5, Command 2, Exploit 6, Scan 4, Stealth 6, one registered Rating 6 tank sprite with 5 tasks.
Slamm-0!: Initiative 11, 2 Initiative Passes, Computer 5, Electronic Warfare 5, Hacking (Exploit) 6 (+2), Sniffer 5, Spoof 5, Track 5.
Rigger: As Drone Rigger, p. 101, SR4A, add Cracking Group 3 and Analyze 5 & Nuke 3, in cold-sim VR, and already subscribed to the drone.
Security Drone: As MCT Fly-Spy, p. 350, SR4A. With Firewall 4 and running Analyze 3. The drone is operating in Hidden mode and has orders to patrol a specified route and report specific suspicious activity.

Combat Turn #1
Slamm-0! flashes the sun off his reflective shades towards the drone, trying to get it to report back to the rigger so he can begin a Trace User Test to track the connection.
Netcat uses a simple action to call her registered sprite. She uses another simple action to use her E-Sensing echo rolling Resonance + Perception getting 4 hits. This allows her to locate the drone’s node, and tells her that it has a System Rating 3 (E-Sensing Table, p. 146, Unwired).
The drone has seen something it doesn’t recognize. It makes a "common sense" test (p. 245, SR4A), Pilot + Response, getting no hits. It contacts the Rigger (a free action) for further instructions.
Slamm-0! attempts to intercept the communication between the drone and rigger in order to begin tracking the Rigger. He performs a Capture Wireless Signal Test (Electronic Warfare + Sniffer (3) Test) (p. 229, SR4A), getting 7 hits and succeeding. This gives him a way to track the rigger's node, so he can get his access ID. Yes, this would be unnecessary in modern TCP/IP, but the Matrix ain't yer daddy's communications protocol.

Combat Turn #2
Slamm-0! begins the extended Trace User (10, 1 IP) Test (p. 232, SR4A); he rolls Computer + Track Test and gets 4 hits.
Netcat threads her Exploit complex form (no action required), getting 6 hits on her Software + Resonance Test and choosing to use only 4. She resists the fading of 4P (Physical Damage because the new complex form rating is greater than her Resonance) with her Resonance + Willpower, getting 4 hits and resisting it completely. She then orders her Sprite to Assist Operation for her Stealth complex form, a simple action. Her Exploit Complex form is now 6 + 4, or 10, and her Stealth complex form will be 6 + Sprite Rating (6), or 12, starting in Combat Turn 3 and lasting 6 combat turns.
Slamm-0! continues the Trace User Test, getting 3 hits for a total of 7.

Combat Turn #3:
Slamm-0! continues the Trace User Test with 3 more hits, reaching the threshold of 10. He has successfully tracked the rigger’s connection—the rigger is in the campus security headquarters—and gotten the rigger’s access ID. Slamm-0! can now spoof orders to the drone.
Netcat starts hacking-on-the-fly for an Admin account: an Extended Hacking + Exploit (drone's Firewall + 6, Complex Action) Test. Netcat rolls Hacking + Exploit and gets 7 hits. The drone gets to make a test to detect the intrusion, an Extended Firewall + Analyze (Netcat's Stealth) Test. The drone gets 2 hits.
Slamm-0! uses the rigger’s access ID to spoof an order for the drone to change course. He makes an Opposed Hacking + Spoof Test against the drone’s Pilot + Firewall. He gets 5 hits; the drone gets 3 hits.

Combat Turn #4:
Slamm-0! waits to observe if the drone accepts the spoofed order. He also uses a free action to confirm his dinner reservations (what a romantic!).
Netcat continues her hacking-on-the-fly. She rolls 8 hits, which added to her original 7 hits achieves the threshold of 9. Netcat now has an Admin account on the drone. The drone rolls Firewall + Analyze, getting 4 hits, for a total of 6; it does not detect Netcat.
The drone begins to fly towards the Chemistry building.
Slamm-0! gloats.

Combat Turn #5:
Slamm-0! continues to gloat.
Netcat controls the drone directly, steering it toward her window (Complex Action). If she needs to make any Vehicle Tests, she will use Pilot Aircraft + Command (a dice pool of 1, since she doesn't actually have the skill).
The Rigger calls up a status report (a free action) and then decides to Jump Into the drone (a simple action). Because the rigger has jumped into the drone, there is no more outside access to control the drone; it is overridden by the jumped in rigger.
Slamm-0! orders the drone to resume flying towards his window. Nothing happens.
The Rigger analyzes the drone's node, making an Opposed Matrix Perception Test against Netcat's Hacking + Stealth. He gets 2 hits. Netcat gets 5 hits.

Combat Turn #6:
The Rigger starts moving the drone toward the security building (costing no action when jumped into a drone). He again attempts to locate Netcat. He gets 3 hits; Netcat gets 5.
Slamm-0! unloads his Sniffer program (Simple Action).
Netcat attempts to eliminate the Rigger’s Access ID from the drone’s accounts list. Unfortunately, the clever Rigger has programmed the drone not to accept Admin account deletions. Netcat and the Rigger are at a stalemate.
The Rigger accesses the Access Logs, attempting to figure out what’s going on.
Slamm-0! loads his Exploit program (Complex Action).

Combat Turn #7:
The Rigger scratches his virtual head and performs yet another Opposed Matrix Perception Test against Netcat's Hacking + Stealth. He gets 4 hits. Netcat gets 6 hits. (Makes you feel sorry for the guy, doesn’t it?)
Slamm-0! performs a Hacking + Exploit (drone’s Firewall, Complex Action) Extended Test. He gets 4 hits on his first roll, entering the drone with a normal user passcode. The drone rolls Firewall + Analyze, getting a lucky 6 hits; it detects Slamm-0! and an alert is triggered. This immediately has two effects: it creates a Restricted Alert (p. 238, SR4A) against Slamm-0! (it raises the drone’s Firewall rating against Slamm-0! by 4) and it immediately loads an MCT Bloodhound (p. 71, Unwired), rating 3, configured to look like a pack of husky puppies. The IC starts a Trace User (10, Complex Action) Extended Test.
Netcat deactivates the IC, using a Simple Action (since she has an Admin account, this is an allowed action; otherwise, she’d have to roll a Matrix Attack against it).
The Rigger sees Slamm-0!’s icon and attacks with a Nuke program (p. 111, Unwired). He rolls Cybercombat + Nuke, getting 2 hits. Slamm-0! defends with his Response + Firewall, gets 4 hits, and dodges the attack.
Slamm-0! performs a Redirect Trace action, making an Opposed Hacking + Spoof against the IC’s Computer + Track. He gets 3 Net hits, which would be added to the IC’s threshold for tracing him (if it weren’t for NetCat’s interference).

Combat Turn #8:
The IC goes pop.
The Rigger attacks again. He rolls Cybercombat + Nuke, getting 4 hits. Slamm-0! goes on Full Defense, and so resists with his System + Armor + Hacking, and gets 7 hits, dodging again.
Slamm-0! chose to use full defense this turn, so he can only trade witty banter with Netcat.
Netcat compiles a rating 6 Paladin Sprite. She rolls her Compiling + Resonance, and gets 4 hits. The Sprite rolls its Rating, and gets 3 hits. Netcat needs to resist Fading damage of 6S. She rolls her Resonance + Willpower, gets 4 hits, and takes 2S. She uses a free action to order the sprite to protect Slamm-0!
The Rigger attacks Slamm-0! again. This time, he scores one net hit. The base damage of the Nuke 3 is 3, plus 1 from the Net hit, so Slamm-0! resists the damage rolling his System + Armor. He gets 2 hits, and takes 1 damage. This reduces his Response by 1 point!

Combat Turn #9:
The Sprite uses its Castling Power to protect Slamm-0!.
The Rigger attacks again. The attack is redirected from Slamm-0! to the sprite, which rolls its Response + Firewall (total 16), and easily shrugs off the attack.
Slamm-0! loads up his own Nuke program (not wanting to hurt a campus security goon).
Netcat delays her action.
The Rigger attacks again. The attack is redirected from Slamm-0! to the sprite, which rolls its Response + Firewall, and easily shrugs off the attack.
Slamm-0! attacks the Rigger, with his own Nuke program. He scores 3 net hits, which added to his Rating 6 Nuke, make for 9 damage. The Rigger only resists 3 points of damage. His Response is reduced to 0, which reduces his System to 0, and he immediately loses all subscriptions, dumping him from the drone and causing 5S in dumpshock for him to resist with his Willpower + Biofeedback Filter.

Combat Turn #10:
Netcat alters the Rigger’s account to not allow movement commands. She then gloats (a Free Action).
Slamm-0! spoofs the drone using Netcat’s access ID—something he already knows. Using her access ID, he orders the drone to fly into his window. He gets 4 hits against the drone's 2 hits.
The drone flies into the window, ending the contest, and finally getting Slamm-0! a date with Netcat (more on that in future books).

I love you.
I'll have to order you pizza some time.

It looks like we were handling the spoofing wrong and we forgot (or didn't know) that you had to unload programs. And I never realized how long it takes to hack something. Physical combat goes a lot faster than Matrix work. That could get nasty in the wrong situation.

Thanks for getting this done so fast! You should get this added to the official web site; its excellent info.

Have you checked out the thread that I link in my signature. It's the "story" of how I developed and ran a complete shadowrun, with accompanying rule explanations.

@Tiger Eyes: Thank you very much! Now to wait for a certain street date...



That thread is worth it for the matrix examples, too, but you should really check it out for the run development part. The greater picture and all that.

I just want to say...

This is pure gaming GOLD!

Stuff detailed like this should be in the BBB whenever they talk about the various mechanics. While I love the fluff, this sort of crunch warms my rules lawyer soul... mainly because I wouldn't have to be a rules lawyer. The examples would do all the explaining for me.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

That must be the COOLEST way of "Office Flirt" I have ever seen *scnr*

The Security Example on page 79 of Unwired did wonders for me. It was the page that really put all of my matrix understanding into place. I highly recommend reading it, if nothing else in Unwired.

EDIT: I just read through Game, Set, Match mechanics...very awesome! One thing I learned is when the rigger's response dropped to zero that all subscriptions were lost due to System dropping to zero as well. I never even considered those ramifications before this example.

3+1-2=2? Why didn't Slamm-0! take 2 damage?

Reads like a GM hand wave to me. Netcat already has an Admin account. It is supposed to be able to delete accounts, the security rigger has presumably a lower level account (security account?). Is a lower level account supposed to be able to stop itself from being deleted by a higher level account?

Actually, you can remove permissions on actions (I particularly like the removal of permissions to Delete/Edit data from the Access Log Myself, this creates an evergrowing file, of course, but it is an invaluable tool for tracking down oddities that have occurred on the system)... this is allowable under options described in Unwired...

Keep the Faith

Bringing this really good thread back from the dead (because someone asked about something similar).



I think what they meant was that it was set to ignore the deletion of admin accounts.