Hey everyone,

I had a quick question. I've really enjoyed browsing through the forums and I've learned a lot. I've especially like the Idiots Guides to (whatever). Since I'm trying to get my D&D group to switch over to Shadowrun I'm trying to get everything I need to put together the game.

My question is about credsticks. I understand the cost involved, the risks in using a forged one, and the importance of having them, but how does it really work? Suppose I have a new character who has purchased three fake credsticks, a standard, silver, and a platinum. I finish up my character creation with a total of 8000 cred after the character is finalized.

Now the issue is, do I have to invest that cred into those credsticks? How does everyone handle the accounts that back the credsticks? It seems a bit unrealistic to have the characters credits in some strangely accessible void that ties to all their credsticks. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,

Berzerker

"Realistically" you don't want anything linking the credsticks. Each one represents a unique set of bank accounts and identities. One could easily have joint accounts with multiple credsticks (just remember to use forged electronic signatures) but doing so creates dangerous links that defeat the purpose of having more than one credstick. Transferring certified cred from one stick to another is relatively easy, and many GMs simply allow it without any in-game action to simplify things.

Your characters can spend a long time without any fake IDs (credsticks linked to bank accounts, fake SINs, registered driver's license, and records of paying taxes).

Normal people use regular credsticks, linked to their bank accounts. Shadowrunners prefer using "Certified" Credsticks. Certified credsticks hold real money (electronic), and are good anywhere without a thumb print, retinal scan, or voice print. You ask your Mr. Johnson to pay you in certified cred, and you toss small certified credsticks (3 nuyen to 5 nuyen) to bartenders and bouncers as tips.

You can play a year without ever using regular credsticks, except when you grab one off a dead body and have your fixer try to fence it (clean out the bank account) before anyone knows they are dead. Sometimes it's easier to fence if you also pass along the guy's thumb.

Here's how I think they work (my guesses), based on my knowledge of computers and encryption for identification purposes.

Each credstick can read your thumb print, voice print, or retinal scan, and can verify to a cash register / bank teller / police officer / airport check-in counter that you are who you say you are. This is using it for identification. The credstick gives up your SIN and driver's license upon demand.

When you use a regular credstick to buy something, you touch your thumb (or whatever) to the credstick and touch the "reader" on a cash register. Your credstick creates an encrypted "authorization packet" and gives it to the cash register, along with your name, bank account number, and bank number. This authorizes payment. The cash register immediately, or when next connected to the matrix, contacts your bank and arranges the transfer of funds from your bank account to the merchant's bank account. The "authorization packet" contains encrypted data that only your bank can decrypt, which verifies the amount, date and time of the transaction, the merchant you are selling to, your internal credstick number (you may have more than one), and a transaction number for that credstick. Your bank will never pay for the same transaction a second time, even if given that same data a second time, and only your credstick knows how to generate the encrypted data authorizing transfers out of your account.

In addition, your credstick should record onto itself a log of every transaction made. From time to time you'll use your credstick on your bank's system directly, and your bank can download the log and do a second verification that all your payments were made correctly. Your monthly bank statement (electronic) can list all your payments, amounts, dates and time, and who the payments were made to.

Fake credsticks come with real bank accounts. They are created as part of setting up the fake IDs. Your character can have his starting money on certified credsticks or in his real bank account. You never want to use your real bank account with anything that can get linked to an illegal activity, or you'll never be able to use that fake ID again.

You do want some sort of "salary" to go into each of your real bank accounts, and monthly rent payments, food purchases, clothing, entertainment, and transportion expenses to get charged to those accounts. Otherwise some government computer may decide to investigate you. Each of your fake IDs should pay taxes!

For the amount vs verification thing, I got the impression that the 'minimum' acceptable verification type vas basee on the transaction amount (as listed in the credstick list). So that you might been a thumbprint for a 1K purchase at the jewelry storce, but maybe a retinal scan for the 100K purchase of your BMW.

I understand the basic mechanics of the item. I was wondering more about how GMs make characters manager their finances. If they have credsticks (forged or otherwise) do you make them commit their funds to the accounts that those credsticks are linked to?

So I have a silver credstick that I use to maintain my middle lifestyle out in the suburbs somewhere, I dont want that credstick linked to anything shady since I want it to be a safe place and if it were to be compromised there is actual real estate attached to it. Hmmm, maybe this is more complicated than I want to make my game. Assuming I had to allocate money into that credstick to keep paying the mortgage, I'd also have to worry about taxes and such.

On a slightly related note: I've read in numerous places that the SINless have difficulty getting a decent apartment, so how do the sample characters in the main book end up with High lifestyles and no credsticks?

Berzerker

I believe that verification is done differently per type of credstick, and is independent of the NY transfered. A standard credstick uses fingerprint only, a silver credstick uses a retinal scan, etc... all the way up to DNA testing at the higher levels. I think I read this in Street Survival Guide, a very usefull book.

Paying a slightly shady law firm to rent the place for you is one possible dodge. The idea is the no one will question where low or luxury lifestyle payments are comming from, but high and middle actually need some paper trails.

Best ask your players how much they want to deal with accounting/moeny laundering before comitting to something.

One of the standard dodges for maintaining you lifestyle under a fake id is to make a (offshore) company that pays the fake Id a salary...

Twilightrun has some pretty good stuff.

The question is how complicated you want this to become. I suggest using a syndicate accountant to clean your books for a flat 5% addition to lifestyle or just include it in said lifestyle costs. If you want to get really complicated (which can be tons of fun, I might add) start an online business that sells artwork and create fake customers (that pay only in Certified cred). Taxes are included in lifestyle, IMO.

I think the lifestyle costs should cover the costs of keeping the lifestyle running.

It probably costs as much to live legally (taxes, bills etc) as it does to live illegally (back handers, bribes and payments to syndicates) so that level of book-keeping should be uneccessary.

I'll second Twilightrun as a good source on this - helpful, but not detailed to the point where your game requires a RL knowledge of criminal financing (which is usually a plus!).

Turns out the Mob plays SR to train it's boyz.