So I played my Decker through SR2 and SR3... and, of course, he's got a beast of a Cyberdeck... Next week, I'll be buying the SR4A book and, most likely, bringing him into it...
Now, the issue I think I'll have... Do I have to buy all my software again or can I just make a copy of my programs to the comlink?

The short answer is 'no'. Fluff-wise, it's a wholly different system; crunch-wise, it's a wholly different system.

In-character, your smart decker would (already did?) move with the change, buying/writing new programs for his new gear.

You can, of course, do anything you want. Personally, I can't imagine using a single character across campaigns, let alone editions, but I understand that some people get attached.

Another option is making your old Cyberdeck into a small Nexus.

The cyberdeck itself is toast. There's no really good way to translate the deck's MPCP into SR4. Programs are (almost) equally toast, since program ratings don't line up quite right. Besides, SR4 is set 10 years in the future of SR3. No matter how bleeding-edge your deck was, it's going to be fossilized technology compared to simple off-the-shelf stuff in SR4.

Your best bet is to remake the character and work out with your GM whatever extra Karma and resources you get to keep.

Or update the character from SR3 to SR4 using the conversion provided when SR4 first came out, and enjoy your new toy, mounting your old Cyberdeck on the wall like one would a trophy of a bygone era.

2060
Question: "What is this?"
Answer: "Holy shit man that's my Fairlight Excalibur, modded with an extra 1000Mp of active memory, extra hardening, and this bad-ass Sleaze program I stole on that Renraku Arco run we did last month!"

2070
Question: "What is this?"
Answer: "I dunno, some kinda doorstop I guess."

2070 Tutoring Lession:
"What is that?"
*Smacks Skript Kiddie Upside the head* "That's History, boy! Learn from it or else!"

lol allright guys, I get it now

Actually, rebuilding a Cyberdeck into a Nexi (Unwired) is a good idea. Maybe not for Shadowruns (Cyberdecks are very obvious and will attract a lot of attention), but useful for using for Matrix Oversight when you can Hack from Home (Or a Coffin Hotel), or for programming and data searches.

Or house your monster commlink in your old deck for flavor purposes. There is something fun about having a piece of equipment the size of a yamaha synthesizer on your back.

Didn't Fastjack do that?

It was either FastJack or Bull.

I hate to do this, but I hate even more not to: it's 'a Nexus', 'some Nexi'. :/

thank you, it's important that stuff like this gets pointed out.
i was grinding my teeth when i read that . . figured it would not happen again later in the thread so kept reading ^^

I'm pretty sure it's actually Nexi as a singular...

They both did it, probably. FastJack just can't get away from his old Mac Processor. And Bull is confirmed as having done this in the DDH Download. I'm waiting for him to get teased about it now that he appears to be posting on the JackPoint.

Then again, he's not a 70-year old human, so getting punched in the junk by him would REALLY hurt!

Bull's old Alpha Allegiance deck case shows up in Missions, so it's now canon.

And yeah, I fully expect Slamm-0! to give him crap about it, at the very least. Course, Slamm-0! may be too busy trying to figure out how to deal with a screaming baby

Don't be silly, Xahn Borealis. Are you trolling me?

Not if CanRay's Jackpointer novel gets a green light.

I call it grammarbaiting.

I hate to do this even more:

Actually it's nexuses. And octopuses.

Every word that ends in "-us" doesn't automatically pluralize to "-i" like "focus" does.

focusi? *snickers*
also, for octopus, it should be octopussy *runs for his life*

I think you'll find that's not true, Epicedion. Even in real life, it's a case of multiple acceptable versions (and 'nexi' is never, ever singular); but we're talking about Shadowrun. In Unwired, the plural is canonically 'nexi'.

Focus, foci.

As to "nexi," I hope it's a linguistic joke on the part of the writers and not simply a mistake. While "octopi" is a semi-common mistake, it's still recognized in the dictionary as a semi-common mistake. Google search "nexi" and you come up with squat.

Edit: also I don't have Unwired

Like I said: in Shadowrun. Besides, no one wants to say 'nexuses'. That's awful.

i know.
that was a joke.
even though i am german, my english is good enough to spot such things.

Gotcha

I don't understand your crazy future talk!

Poor OP. We have jacked his thread. Welcome to Dumpshock!

Although I do see the 'cyberdeck as nexus' suggestion from time to time, I don't really understand it. Is it bald powergaming, for the increased program/subscription limit? Otherwise, they're characterized in the book as 'mainframes' used in facilities (matrix cafés, businesses, etc.). That doesn't mean 'big commlink', right?

isn't a nexus basically a beowulf cluster made from comlinks?

I think it's not. But Largo would approve.

I think it says that nexuseses range in size from laptop to mainframe. You could probably have one with a proccessor limit of 10 at the most, which would beat your standard Response 6 Commlink.

Oh, I see it now. Perfect, thanks!

while we're at it, my GF told me there was this big gap between like 2063 and 2070 and whatnot... like people trap in the matrix, comas, stuff like that... and that my decker could, from what I think I understood, become a technomancer... is it rellay complicated? is it like the next "evolutionary step" for Otaku?

Weeeell. The short answer is 'no', again. And a decker might not particularly want to, anyway.

Again, it's really up to you and the GM, though. Some people were indeed 'otaku-fied', and hell, anything's possible. In terms of crunch, it's easy: take the Technomancer or Latent Technomancer quality when you convert this character into SR4. If, again, you even want to. It's pretty different.

So technically, if I was to get him SR-fried (SR4ied), I'd be better off building a character with similar skills and stats and, with his *cough* 42'000'000¥ *cough* credstick, buy him the most brutal commlink?

well, at least some people are getting my references ^^

Technomancers can do some serious things and they might get stronger in the long run, but they tend to be (BP for BP) very focused. The non-TM hacker in SR4 can usually afford greater versatility, and I daresay they're vastly more like the old deckers. For one thing, they don't have magical compu-spirit buddies.

So be it


Any tips on the commlink building? Things I should really consider buying and what not?



Edit.: Added the second sentence instead of double posting...

Edit 2.: And what is it about those building transformers? (got that from the "I can't do that in shadowrun anymore" thread)

I think you can find hacker optimization threads with Search, but basically buy everything in Unwired.

Like, really: just do a forum Search-by-title for 'hacker'.

Hacking is a numbers game. Buy the highest rated everything you can afford.

if everyone else is upgrading as well, perhaps have them all use karma build using a point pool equal to starting character plus whatever the characters have accumulated over the years?

Converting is a terrible idea if you have a lot of karma or nuyen. In general things dont cost near as much and now they have capped skills and karma pool so your never going to have that natural 24 dice pool and 50 karma pool. A top of the line commlink wont even cost you a million nuyen (especially if your not including programs in the cost). If y'all are high karma just better to retire and use them as NPCs and start fresh.

I like Nexii better. Looks more edgy.

Don't forget Lifestyle costs for the last seven-or-so years.

it's sad when you think you got a funny new term (SR-Fried) and no one mentions it

What if that luxury lifestyle was bought (paid for 10 months in one shot, if memory serves me well) ?

100 Months, IIRC. Let me check.

SR4A Page 268, "A character can permanently buy a given lifestyle by making a payment equal to 100 months’ upkeep. For example, ten million nuyen buys a permanent life of luxury."

Better hope your SIN is bulletproof, however. (Or legal. Did your character go for the SIN Registration that happened after they released details that Crash 2.0 affected the SIN Registry?) It ever gets busted, that's all she wrote for your Lifestyle.

It was bought with my real SIN (10 mill)... Does it still gets my character in trouble? What happened? (didn't get the corebook yet...)

It's even more sad when you point it out, though.

If it's a Real SIN (And you said it is), you're golden. You exist, you're a real entity in the system. No problems. (Unless the GM rules that your Real SIN was one of those destroyed in Crash 2.0, in which case your Luxury Lifestyle Security System will see you as an intruder and keep you locked out. Tell him/her I said "Hi", BTW.).

If it's a Fake SIN (Which you said it isn't), and the SIN gets "Broken" (Discovered as a fake), then all your possessions will, eventually, be repossessed by the Government your property is on, as it's not actually owned by anyone that is "Real". (No SIN, no existence essentially. Even "Probationary Citizens" in the UCAS can't own property/sign contracts for leases/etc.).

Seeing as your character is a Hacker, I'm hoping he's also been smart enough to be able to launder that money nicely, and has a legitimate "Income Source" to explain the Luxury Lifestyle. Don't forget, they nailed Al Capone on Tax Evasion, and a lifestyle like that when you're a "Minimum Wage Wageslave At Stuffer Shack" attracts attention from the IRS Bean Counters. To go back to Al, he was a "Furniture Salesman" according to his business cards, despite how he was living.