In M&M there is a note about how datajacks act as routers with five total ports: one for a built-in DNI interface, one for the external interface, and three more "free" unused ports for other devices, which is a great deal. A chipjack, as defined in the main book, is "a specialized datajack." I take this to mean that a chipjack, like a datajack, contains those same three extra unused router ports. Am I right in thinking this?

Okay, that's the easy question. Here's where it gets interesting: not only does my character have a chipjack, but he has a four-slot multislot chipjack. Does my four-slot chipjack then have 2+1+1+2=6 "free" router ports, by virtue of the fact that "Each slot acts as an independent chipjack" (factor in that each chipjack probably has to talk to each other)? Or does it have 3? Or none at all?

Chipjacks do not come with a virtual router, no. That's the perk of a datajack. All the special wiring and extras a chipjack includes take up all the space a datajack uses for that sort of thing.

I generally ignore router ports for my players because they're rarely able to get it right. Better to just say that everything talks to everything else and let it alone.


But if you're a stickler about interconnectivity and you say that a chipjack has no integral ports, it'd be nice to give it some free connections to skillwires, headware mem, etc. so that people don't need to buy routers just to use a skillsoft.

Routers are only required for implants that don't normally talk to each other. Chipjacks normally talk to headware memory, skillwires, and image/display links. Thus no router required.

Well, then, wouldn't just about everything conneect to a display/image link then? And if that's so, then what kinds of things would you need router ports for?

Hearware Mem + Biomonitor + Cyberphone to call a contact when you go uncounsious.

No, not quite. There's several implants that don't normally connect to an image or display link, such as a biomonitor, chemical analyzer, or internal GPS. Chipjacks regularly access display links (particularly for datasofts), so its a regular connection there. Some people around here even assume a chipjack comes with one.

About the only time I really use a router, though, is when it comes to connecting the DNI connection of a cyberlimb to a datajack, and then that datajack to other major implants like cybereyes. At least in standard games I do. In our live games, we just completely ignore it and assume everything is wired to everything else. Interconnectively rules are just an annoyance and add nothing positive to gameplay.

Biomonitor, auto injector
Head mem, image/display link
display link, spatial recogniser, orintation system (maybe not to sure)

Hmm.

Just goes to add to my personal dislike of routers in general then.

Generally a don't bother with them either. untill one of my players what everything talking to everything else on the of chance it ends up being usefull

Yup. A bloody waste of time, they are.

Utlrasound or High Frequency Hearing + Reflex Trigger + Jolt Alert

Cybereyes mean never having to close your eyes to sleep. He just sits in the chair facing the dorr and counts... Sleep comes, more of a rest really. His heart slows, something akin to dreams float past him... The door moves every so often as someone walks past, and he jumps awake ready to deal death. Then the wary sleep comes when he is sure all is safe.

Something about a Wired sam with automatic morning panic scares the shit out of me as a roomate.

Chipjacks come with no free routers as mentioned above.

In addition, routers are required for any piece of cyberware to communicate to any other, unless the pieces themselves are a single unit.

Example:
A smartlink requires no routers, because despite being several different pieces they are all a single unit. However, a smartlink system making use of replacement pieces such as using an image link or a datajack instead of the default smartlink parts, does require routers. In this case, it would take 1 router port to connect the image link, 1 to connect the datajack, and 1 to connect the smartlink. A single datajack implant would be able to connect all those for free with 1 free port remaining, since it would only take 2 (its already connected to itself).

Routers in are worth using, because they do impact a character's essence. Also, it clearly defines what is connected to what, and which ways a character can make use of his cyberware. Often, looking at routers highlights when a piece of cyberware or gear is needed to 'translate' information; or other such less obvious things that need to be taken into account.

But I can see where some people might find it to be too much trouble and simply skip it. Its just not something I would advocate because of the level of detail it provides about a characters exact abilities, which is used a great deal in our games.

I enforce routers because they do cost essense, and in the case of lightly (headware) cybered characters, they usually have a datajack, so it's not an issue for the lightly cybered characters. It's only an issue if you want to have a lot of headware cyberware and other things that require connectivity, and if you're going for that, I don't think it's overly complicated. (compared to matrix, rigger, or anything else) especially since you only really have to figure it out once.
I definitely recommend that you write all the ware (including a router) on a big piece of blank paper and draw lines until it's all connected how you want. Very easy to calculate that way.