Characters with coming from certain agencies will have a file on record regarding the character's abilities, training, biological records and implants or magic, if applicable.

-2 Agency Record

Examples include:
UCAS Army
DocWagon
Renraku Corp
CAS Naval Services

Unlike a criminal record, these files won't appear on a standard search, but the information is on file somewhere.

-Siege

You sold me on it.

It also would expain where the char in question got his/her special trainning and/ or gear. I've always felt railroaded in my backgrounds by that....

But if you weren't going to require it for skills/gear, you might want to reduce to -1. The info is in a fairly secure database and thus not easy to access. Plus, the searcher would have to be specificaly looking for that individual in that database. Right?

Yes, but it's also a comprehensive and thorough listing of the character.

1. Cyberware (if any)
2. Skills, schools and performance record
3. Psych profile
4. Magical ability, if any
5. Blood type/DNA
6. Fingerprints

Which means it wouldn't pop up immediately, but if someone did find it -- the character is in for a world of hurt.

-Siege

Not knocking the idea, but if this is considered a Flaw, then anyone having a real SIN should also have a Flaw of equivalent, if not greater level.

Not bad, I may use it... Fortune has a point, but it's a point that we conveniently ignore for the sake of gameplay.

~J

yeah, but its limited because of its accessablilty. In theory, anyway. I guess it depends on high up in the system you were before you left.

Security Guard/Grunt: no prob.
Security Chief/Non-com: minor prob
Assistant Director of External Security/Officer/Agent: uhhh...prob.
Special Forces/Special Agent: prob
Government Spook/Undercover Op: definite prob
Government Wet Boy: Problem.

I see where youre coming from but its not like it has a ritual sample. Also, its not a universal numerical system. Most likely its a verbal assessment: "Highly proficient in smalls arms, hand to hand, demolitions, if you dropped him off in the arctic circle in a speedo he'd show up two days later with tan and a fist full of pecos, etc.." Even if it was a rank it would be subjective to the governing body. ("Renraku certifies him as a level 9 hand to hand expert" It would only make sense if the person that acquired the file had a grounding in the ranking system)

Maybe Two levels? -1 and -2? The higher level would have more precise details about the individual's capabilities?

Government wetboy is a problem no matter what.

~J

Yes, if he's a grunt. But if we go back to the "level of power" arguement, all that information may not be as readily available.

My problem with this flaw is this: if the bad guys never run the check ad they never find it, then it's not worth points. If they do find it its worth a hell of a lot more than 2. This is the kind of thing that can really, really screw a character's career.

Most flaws only apply if the GM wants them to apply, just like this case. The GM of the game has control of if and when the "bad guys" run a check, and if they succeed.

(edit) I'm to dang slow

I liken this to a corp SIN. Yeah, it'll suck when you start mucking with Renraku's assets, but it won't really be an issue when you're on Ares's shit list.

And since you don't get any of the benefits of a SIN, it might be worth flaw points. It's hard to feel like a man when you have to beg other people to buy beer for you

Anyone remember that "Pizza for the SINned" thread?

Something I touched upon briefly in one of my posted topics, was my wondering just how well is information shared between governments and corporations in regards to SIN or service record type information. It would seem to stand to reason that the FBI database isn't as freely accessible from all locations in the US as it was before, since now the US is UCAS, CAS, NAN, etc etc. You can bet all the databases that remained in UCAS control wouldn't be as readily accessible before.

Granted I don't have a comparision I can make with real life, since its not my field of expertise, but I imagine that even nowadays, the service record of some US serviceman, isn't as readily accessible to our allied nations, much less our competitors. I see that sort of attitude being likely carried on, to even more paranoid extreme, in the SR timeline.

I agree the information would likely be theoretically available. Since part of the consequences of the SR timeline is much more information is stored somewhere in the matrix. Sure some of the really important stuff is stored offline or only available through multiple tiers of security or somesuch, but its less rare that the information be not online somewhere.

I actually work dealing with criminal history databases and SIN, I mean Drivers License checks...

right now, if you run a DL you get back wether it is valid or not and the information that is listed on the card itself (birthday, hair, eyes, height weight, organ donor) you can access this info from a DL or from a name and birthday, or from a social security number.

it doesn't tell you where they were born (though I can see why a SIN would) It will tell you if they are wanted on any outstanding felonies and class B or greater misdemeanors (most of the time local only to the county, unless extradition is requested - it's no good picking some guy up if you are not supposed to transport him, cost consideration) and it will tell you his criminal history overview if he has one, as well as a description of any scars marks, tattoos and suchlike (only if they have a criminal history) it does not tell you specifics about his charges or what he has been arrested for in the past, just that he has convictions, or outstanding warrants.

currently, the police can not see military records at all, but the army can get Criminal histories and the same info as the police.

local requests are processed loclay first, than at the state level and then at the national level, then possibly interpol. you can get up to 4 responses to a single request.

so there is an overview of how this works IRL.

-Mike R.

edit for typos.

Really, the best references to what exactly a SIN involves are in SR3 pgs 238-239 and SSG pg 37. These are decent, but still quite vague.

Yeah from what I understand, the SIN itself is a generated number off a hash of your personal data, a Lone Star can get your Birthdate, Initials, and State of origin off the SIN itself, the rest of the information is cross indexed in the SIN database, so the sin is full of pointers in a huge relational database with everything about you in it. We're talking all your prior jobs, all purchases you've ever made and from where, your bank accounts and credit balances, vehicle registrations, permits for weapons, tissue sample, picture, voice and thumb/palm print, criminal record, school records, medical records, anything that you are, is in the SIN, I would imagine that certain things in the SIN are probably encrypted to maintain corporate secrets, but they'd probably still be listed and anyone with a good level of decryption and a drek-hot decker can dig it up.

yeah, the first 3 digits I think are the state code or state/city and the second number is like a county or something, then the last 4. I know most people born around my hometown in Oklahoma had 44* as their first 2 digits.

yes, but a DL check doesn't give you a SSN.

if you already have a SSN than of course you could decode a general location, but only if you know the system.

-Mike R.

here's the deal, in a lot of states, and this is becoming more common I think, Driver's liscenses are starting to require SSN's on the License. Correct me if I'm wrong. So a DL check would pull up an SSN, which could then be used to pull Credit records, Tax records, etc.

In Georgia, it's going the other way -- you can have your SSN as your DL#. Upon request, however, the state will issue you a unique DL# independent of your SSN.

Given the rise of identity theft, a lot of people leary of having SSN information readily accessible.

-Siege

in Nebraska, you have to have it on your Checks in order to use them at all. if you don't you can also optionally have your DL on it, which will allow them to get SSN if they need to.

even if your SSN is on your DL, the national NCIC will not give that info out on a DL check. it might give permanent adress and other descriptors, but the national database doesn't give that info out on DL checks. it can be goten on Criminal history and background checks but those are run from a record system only after you have arrested someone with outstanding warrants.

-Mike R.

But in many states DL # is the same as SSN. You can't not give it out.

~J

they can give ot th DL number, but it is not the same as SSN, in some states it might be, but there is a legal distinction between the Dl number and the SSN number. mainly cause you can have one without the other.

from a police officers standpoint, if you present him a DL, he doesn't know if the number on the DL is your SSN and DL, or just your DL. and the system will not tell him. that is the point I am trying to make. that the national DL system doesn't tell you if the DL is a SSn or just a DL.

-Mike R.

If you wanted a way to scale the Flaw points for a record, you could run it like the allergy flaw. Commonly (-2) or rarely (-1) accessable, and either some (-1), a bit (-2), or a bunch of information (-3). A commonly accessable file with a buch of information is just short of the acutal criminal record flaw, which means the Star will give you crap, and treat you unfairly, but they won't have the actual right to search your house any time that they feel like it.
-Slapstick