I like to give players small handouts to individual players with info their character has, so they can do or say some cool stuff IC. Mostly it is just short notes or something like that.
I'm starting a new campaign with some guys who is new to SR, and I'm thinking of handing a larger set of tips and tricks to each player. Something to get them thinking and into character, teach them a few things, and let them act pro around the table.
I'm working on this one below, which will go a professionally trained covert ops specialist. I'm thinking of getting some hacker tricks (in the form of forum or chat messages), con tips (in the form of wire tap transcripts), some sort of magical guide, and maybe a small small-unit tactics primer also.
Any comments, ideas, additions or corrections are welcome (including spelling and grammar).
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TAIL EVASION PROCEDURES rev. 7.2.3a
1. AVOID CAPTURE
1.1 The only reliable counter-capture procedure is sufficient combat assets deployed to intercept enemy personnel.
1.2 Common low-profile capture scenarios are:
a. Agent is forced into enemy vehicle, typically enclosed van. Agent must avoid proximity to parked vehicles and areas where vehicles can park.
b. Agent is approached by enemy personnel and threatened to move to enemy vehicle. Agent must avoid approach by enemy personnel and locations from where the agent can easily be walked to enemy vehicle. Public transportation with seating makes both approach and coordinating extration difficult. Security checkpoints can ensure that enemy personnel cannot follow with weapons needed to intimidate agent into cooperation.
c. Agent is drugged or targetted by spells to cause intoxication symptoms or similar, and extracted by enemy personnel posing as friends helping the agent home. Along with avoidance procedures 1.2.b, certain locations can make the deception unbelievable or result in interference from outside parties.
1.2 High-profile capture scenarios, including false flag operations like enemy personnel posing as police officers making an arrest, can by a lone agent only be countered by making capture or extraction difficult, by seeking to locations where outside parties will interfere or where movement to enemy vehicles is difficult.
2. MAINTAIN OPERATIONS INTEGRITY
2.1 Avoid leading tails to secure locations.
2.2 Assume the enemy has compromised comms. Avoid disclosing mission critical information.
3. AVOID SIGNALLING AWARENESS OF TAIL
3.1 If the enemy suspects the tail has been spotted he can respond with capture or breaking contact.
3.2 Assume the enemy has compromised comms. The team should employ comms protocols where frequent messaging with code words are employed, to allow the agent to send distress signals to the team or vice versa without raising suspicion. Multiple distress signals are adviced, to allow at minimum signalling request for immediate extraction, continue as normal, abandon mission, and capture tail. Code word structure should allow for comms to mimic civilian chatter (work, trid shows, etc.). Refer to COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL (COVERT) for further reading.
4. (OPTION) EVADE COVERT TAIL/TEST FOR WILLINGNESS TO EXPOSURE
4.1 In order to employ the following procedures without signalling awareness of tail, they must be part of standard operation procedures. If such preparatory procedures have not been followed, be aware of the risk of signalling awareness. Be aware that such procedures can be misinterpreted by unrecognized tails as evasion or exposure attempts.
4.2 Agent can move through locations only frequented by a minority, like lingerie shops. Malls with shops that have entries to different avenues are particularly useful for this. Employee-only access, fire exits, and other off limits areas can also be used, at obvious but mostly low-consequence risk from outside parties. If the agent is operating a vehicle, similar effects can be achieved by driving down one-way streets, U-turns, and other illegal or unusual maneuvers.
4.3 Entering public transportation and stepping off just as the doors close can expose a tail, remove one (and possibly only) enemy agent from the tail duty, or achieve no result. The gambit is well known and experienced enemy personnel will interpret it as such and might not enter.
4.4 If the enemy prioritizes continued tracking over remaining covert, section 4 procedures, including 4.1, can trigger an exposure response from the enemy.
5. (OPTION) PUT A TAIL ON THE TAIL OR CAPTURE TAIL
5.1 Be aware that entering public transportation can be interpreted as a 4.3 maneuver and result in unwanted tail evasion or enemy response.
5.2 Refer to SURVEILLANCE PROCEDURES subsections TAILING, EXTRACTION, and COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE MARKS.
6. (OPTION) AGGRESSIVE TAIL EVASION
6.1 The agent must turn off all wifi equipment. Equipment without hard-off capability must have batteries removed or discarded (observe INFORMATION SECURITY procedures).
6.2 The agent must undergo full body tag erasing.
6.3 Standard evasion procedures apply, including but not limited to altering appearance, avoiding, jamming or disabling enemy and/or civilian surveillance equipment, rapid movement and frequent course changes, and creating diversions and hindrances for pursuers.
7. (OPTION) TAIL DECEPTION
7.1 Deceiving tails can take considerable time and require agents operating under enemy observation, resulting in increased risk of agent capture and/or breach of operations integrity.
7.2 A tailed agent is often unable to participate in primary operation and should be considered reassigned while working tail deception.
7.3 A tailed agent is often unable to respond to changing circumstances, representing an unquantifiable and potentially large opportunity cost.
7.4 Tail deception operations have a high probability of success as any information revealed to the tail will be thought of as the result of an intelligence effort.
7.5 Deceptions include but are not limitied to strategic, tactical and operational misinformation and information designed to trigger enemy responses that reveal identity or covert assets. See INFORMATION WARFARE procedures.
END DOCUMENT
Full Version: Player handout: Tail Evasion Procedures
Firstly, you want to put more preventative measures. For instance, before you go somewhere where you might acquire a tail, which direction should you approach from? Also, what are the warning signs of a tail? The best resource I can think for this is Barry Cooper's 'Never Get Busted Again' DVDs, which includes a nice segment on avoiding tails with minimal trouble and expense. I'd also try to find one from more of a security perspective (for instance, pulling over at a gas station makes it difficult for a tail to stick around withotu risking trouble).
Regarding cons, I've been doing some research and have kept a significant note file. If you remind me tomorrow, I'll post my notes up and you can use them. It's very basic and general - mostly mapping out a series of con templates, by category, with examples, mentioning some con methods. The assumption is the methods of how to devise a plan are more useful than a series of static, established plans.
Regarding cons, I've been doing some research and have kept a significant note file. If you remind me tomorrow, I'll post my notes up and you can use them. It's very basic and general - mostly mapping out a series of con templates, by category, with examples, mentioning some con methods. The assumption is the methods of how to devise a plan are more useful than a series of static, established plans.
I -really- like this, the idea even more than the execution.
Love to see this too.
This needs to be WAY more specific. Discussing different media, how secure, etc. If you can't EVER disclose mission critical intel in ANY medium, then it becomes impossible to plan/execute a mission.
QUOTE
Regarding cons, I've been doing some research and have kept a significant note file. If you remind me tomorrow, I'll post my notes up and you can use them. It's very basic and general - mostly mapping out a series of con templates, by category, with examples, mentioning some con methods. The assumption is the methods of how to devise a plan are more useful than a series of static, established plans.
Love to see this too.
QUOTE
2.2 Assume the enemy has compromised comms. Avoid disclosing mission critical information.
This needs to be WAY more specific. Discussing different media, how secure, etc. If you can't EVER disclose mission critical intel in ANY medium, then it becomes impossible to plan/execute a mission.
Your comm's Scan program is one of the most effective means of spotting a tail.
Use your Agent to continuously run a Detect Hidden Nodes extended test, and, since the interval is 1 complex action, use the free action left over from each turn to find all active and passive nodes. This should give you the ID of every node within signal range, roughly every 6 seconds (assuming Agent of 3 with optimized scan prog of 6 for 9 dice.) As this information should be logged, along with the node's distance from the source of signal, just occasionally browse for signals which have remained within 100m or less for the last x# of scans.
So, if you are trailing someone else, remember to shut off your comm unless you've got info to report.
Tech is everyone's game.
Use your Agent to continuously run a Detect Hidden Nodes extended test, and, since the interval is 1 complex action, use the free action left over from each turn to find all active and passive nodes. This should give you the ID of every node within signal range, roughly every 6 seconds (assuming Agent of 3 with optimized scan prog of 6 for 9 dice.) As this information should be logged, along with the node's distance from the source of signal, just occasionally browse for signals which have remained within 100m or less for the last x# of scans.
So, if you are trailing someone else, remember to shut off your comm unless you've got info to report.
Tech is everyone's game.
Add to that: anyone without a comm signal is also suspicious.
Yeah, but in a crowded place in a disreputable area (read: where Shadowrunners always are) you could be turning up dozens of hidden nodes a second. And actually, if they AREN'T running on hidden, all it needs to be is a crowded area. : )
Also, Detect Hidden Node afaik is not an Extended Test although if you do keep doing it you will probably hit the threshold (four) eventually.
Also, Detect Hidden Node afaik is not an Extended Test although if you do keep doing it you will probably hit the threshold (four) eventually.
This is an awesome idea, Smokeskin, and a great execution, so I'm hesitant to hijack it with a little rules discussion, but I was just thinking about the wording on the stealth rules section.
So, it's an opposed test between one person's Shadowing + Intuition and another person's Perception (or stealth skill) + Intuition.
Now we all know how easy it is to beef up your Perception DP. 600 nuyen and you've got +3 magic eyes and ears. Attn Coprocessors are a common investment for shadow types, and provide another +3 (why go for less.) Finally there's a +3 just for looking. Not to mention more situation bonuses for doing the tail-shake actions above. Shady guys tend to stick out when you cut through a lingerie store. That's another +2 to spot. So, there is a decent possibility that someone who glances back to see if they're being tailed will spot their shadow. 6-9 bonus dice is killer on an opposed test.
So, how does Shadowing compete? How about you let it stack with Infiltration?
Doing it this way, you would roll a Shadowing test which would be the threshold to get caught following someone. Then, when the target rolls a perception test to spot, you roll your Infiltration dice, and subtract your hits from theirs. Otherwise, your sneaky-sneaky (int 4 shadowing 4) ninja gets busted by Joe (Int 3 Perception 2) Average, just because he looked back once to see if anyone was following him (+3) and/or he has a decent pair of spectacles (+3).
Any other thoughts/clarifications on this point?
So, it's an opposed test between one person's Shadowing + Intuition and another person's Perception (or stealth skill) + Intuition.
Now we all know how easy it is to beef up your Perception DP. 600 nuyen and you've got +3 magic eyes and ears. Attn Coprocessors are a common investment for shadow types, and provide another +3 (why go for less.) Finally there's a +3 just for looking. Not to mention more situation bonuses for doing the tail-shake actions above. Shady guys tend to stick out when you cut through a lingerie store. That's another +2 to spot. So, there is a decent possibility that someone who glances back to see if they're being tailed will spot their shadow. 6-9 bonus dice is killer on an opposed test.
So, how does Shadowing compete? How about you let it stack with Infiltration?
Doing it this way, you would roll a Shadowing test which would be the threshold to get caught following someone. Then, when the target rolls a perception test to spot, you roll your Infiltration dice, and subtract your hits from theirs. Otherwise, your sneaky-sneaky (int 4 shadowing 4) ninja gets busted by Joe (Int 3 Perception 2) Average, just because he looked back once to see if anyone was following him (+3) and/or he has a decent pair of spectacles (+3).
Any other thoughts/clarifications on this point?
QUOTE (Saint Sithney @ Sep 23 2010, 07:47 PM) 
Your comm's Scan program is one of the most effective means of spotting a tail.
Use your Agent to continuously run a Detect Hidden Nodes extended test, and, since the interval is 1 complex action, use the free action left over from each turn to find all active and passive nodes. This should give you the ID of every node within signal range, roughly every 6 seconds (assuming Agent of 3 with optimized scan prog of 6 for 9 dice.) As this information should be logged, along with the node's distance from the source of signal, just occasionally browse for signals which have remained within 100m or less for the last x# of scans.
So, if you are trailing someone else, remember to shut off your comm unless you've got info to report.
Tech is everyone's game.
Use your Agent to continuously run a Detect Hidden Nodes extended test, and, since the interval is 1 complex action, use the free action left over from each turn to find all active and passive nodes. This should give you the ID of every node within signal range, roughly every 6 seconds (assuming Agent of 3 with optimized scan prog of 6 for 9 dice.) As this information should be logged, along with the node's distance from the source of signal, just occasionally browse for signals which have remained within 100m or less for the last x# of scans.
So, if you are trailing someone else, remember to shut off your comm unless you've got info to report.
Tech is everyone's game.
Don't go hidden, instead spoof your access ID and SiN info
QUOTE (Neurosis @ Sep 23 2010, 01:39 PM)
Yeah, but in a crowded place in a disreputable area (read: where Shadowrunners always are) you could be turning up dozens of hidden nodes a second. And actually, if they AREN'T running on hidden, all it needs to be is a crowded area. : )
Also, Detect Hidden Node afaik is not an Extended Test although if you do keep doing it you will probably hit the threshold (four) eventually.
Also, Detect Hidden Node afaik is not an Extended Test although if you do keep doing it you will probably hit the threshold (four) eventually.
QUOTE
You may instead make a general search for Hidden nodes that
are within mutual Signal range. In this case, the test is an Electronic
Warfare + Scan (15+, 1 Combat Turn) Extended Test, rather than a
Complex Action.
are within mutual Signal range. In this case, the test is an Electronic
Warfare + Scan (15+, 1 Combat Turn) Extended Test, rather than a
Complex Action.
Why try for a threshold of 4 with -2 to your DP every time you fail when all you need is 15 hits on an extended test.
Though, looking at it now, it is a CT interval, not a CA interval. That means you have to detect the passive and active nodes between cycles. Maybe hitch that into the browse step of the Agent algorithm.
QUOTE (sabs @ Sep 23 2010, 01:52 PM)
Don't go hidden, instead spoof your access ID and SiN info
Spoof chip for your commlink?
There's a lot of abstract mess when it comes to IDs in the Big Brother future. I guess you could constantly run that Hacking + Software (2) test to change your Matrix ID, but the mechanics of this aren't really well developed in the Core Book at least. For example, since you contact someone based on their Matrix ID, by continuously randomizing it manually, everyone else on your team would no longer be able to contact you. So, you're left in the same space where you only call out with updates and others can't call in.
The BBB does mention spoofing as a means to hide your data trail, but the only way it shows how to do that is with a Redirect Trace action, which can only be initiated on an identified trace, so first, someone has to be running a trace on your icon, not scanning for your comm's node, and then you have to see that they are. Only then can you spoof your trail. Super dumb.
I'll dig into Unwired's messy bits to see if there's anything else in there.
Two commlinks, one constantly spoofing the ID and your over-Stealthed main. They have to nail some serious hits to find your good link, and your other one is changing every minute or two with the Agent spoofing like mad. Your team could still contact your main since there'd be more than enough noise to mask the transmission.
"I'm a vending machine! I'm a taxi! I'm a dragon! I'm Trollbabe!"
"I'm a vending machine! I'm a taxi! I'm a dragon! I'm Trollbabe!"
I need to reread this later, but it just doesn't feel right to me. My problem is that you're trying to avoid a tail in an automated surveillance society. There are too many areas where the state (read "corp") is already watching you and the tail just has to piggyback on their efforts. They don't need to watch you or kidnap you because the state/corp is more than capable of doing it for them.
Trying to spot a tail such as a fly-spy or stormcloud with chameleon coating or simply a hacker following you through public cameras and people on the streets with their cameras/eyes/goggles/contacts broadcasting as webcams strikes me as incredibly difficult. And that's just matrix surveillance. Go for astral surveillance where even mundanes leave a trail.
From a gaming perspective, I don't quite get the goal. The players have a limited amount of resources. The game is as challenging as the players and GM want it to be. The better they defend themselves, the harder the challenge will be. Does the sheet create some sort of contract along the lines of "do this and I won't spring anything on you that's outside the box"?
Trying to spot a tail such as a fly-spy or stormcloud with chameleon coating or simply a hacker following you through public cameras and people on the streets with their cameras/eyes/goggles/contacts broadcasting as webcams strikes me as incredibly difficult. And that's just matrix surveillance. Go for astral surveillance where even mundanes leave a trail.
From a gaming perspective, I don't quite get the goal. The players have a limited amount of resources. The game is as challenging as the players and GM want it to be. The better they defend themselves, the harder the challenge will be. Does the sheet create some sort of contract along the lines of "do this and I won't spring anything on you that's outside the box"?
Don't know if the rules support it but blandness quality should provide a massive boost to a Shadowing test.
And something super tiny like a Fly-Spy should apply a HUGE penalty to the perceiver.
Wut.
Please clarify this statement.
And something super tiny like a Fly-Spy should apply a HUGE penalty to the perceiver.
QUOTE
The better they defend themselves, the harder the challenge will be.
Wut.
Please clarify this statement.
QUOTE (Saint Sithney @ Sep 23 2010, 04:55 PM)
Why try for a threshold of 4 with -2 to your DP every time you fail when all you need is 15 hits on an extended test.
Though, looking at it now, it is a CT interval, not a CA interval. That means you have to detect the passive and active nodes between cycles. Maybe hitch that into the browse step of the Agent algorithm.
Though, looking at it now, it is a CT interval, not a CA interval. That means you have to detect the passive and active nodes between cycles. Maybe hitch that into the browse step of the Agent algorithm.
Hmm, I was thinking of something else I guess...
Don't you just roll Shadowing? Done.
There are Perception penalties in the book for small/mini/micro objects, like the Fly-Spy.
There are Perception penalties in the book for small/mini/micro objects, like the Fly-Spy.
And a big penalty if the group has a Hacker. Oh, dear, GridGuide, making stalking easier than ever!
"The better they defend themselves, the harder the challenge will be."
In a role playing game there is frequently a challenge faced by the characters. With new players learning the mechanics, the challenges are often pretty straightforward because the focus will be learning the mechanics and getting a feel for the game. With experienced players with existing characters who WANT to be challenged, tactics, problem solving, and outside the box thinking will be part of the course for everyone involved. (For those who don't want a challenge, ignore this post because it won't apply to your table and that's fine too.)
As such, the better prepared the characters are, the better prepared their opposition has to be or that challenge doesn't exist. The process escalates as the campaign increases in power and player ability.
QUOTE (Neurosis @ Sep 23 2010, 03:50 PM)
Please clarify this statement.
In a role playing game there is frequently a challenge faced by the characters. With new players learning the mechanics, the challenges are often pretty straightforward because the focus will be learning the mechanics and getting a feel for the game. With experienced players with existing characters who WANT to be challenged, tactics, problem solving, and outside the box thinking will be part of the course for everyone involved. (For those who don't want a challenge, ignore this post because it won't apply to your table and that's fine too.)
As such, the better prepared the characters are, the better prepared their opposition has to be or that challenge doesn't exist. The process escalates as the campaign increases in power and player ability.
As requested, I'm posting my notes on different sorts of hustles. Reviewing them, I mostly tried to categorize them broadly. The research for this is primarily web-based research and watching the fantastic series Hustle and The Real Hustle. These are in NOTES FORMAT, so they are written for me to read, not for you. If you have any questions, ask, and I will explain. Hopefully someone can get something helpful out of these. I'm mostly using them for roleplaying a con man in another game right now.
Some handy resources on cold reading:
http://www.skeptics.com.au/publications/ar...ding-ray-hyman/
http://www.denisdutton.com/cold_reading.htm
And as a bonus just because I like you, proposition bets (I didn't include the ones that seemed stupid, too weird, or too easy. As a warning, so far my wife has come up with alternate solutions for about 5 out of 6 bets I've given to her.) Most of them require some practice to get the hang of, so don't try them without doing them at home first.
[ Spoiler ]
Some handy resources on cold reading:
http://www.skeptics.com.au/publications/ar...ding-ray-hyman/
http://www.denisdutton.com/cold_reading.htm
And as a bonus just because I like you, proposition bets (I didn't include the ones that seemed stupid, too weird, or too easy. As a warning, so far my wife has come up with alternate solutions for about 5 out of 6 bets I've given to her.) Most of them require some practice to get the hang of, so don't try them without doing them at home first.
[ Spoiler ]
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