Here's the situation:
- SR Missions - series 4 - Hard Targets, the hunting Lodge.
- An NPC rigger has drones active around the van where the PC rigger is spending the night. Easily within signal range.
- They're quite isolated in a wood, so there isn't the distraction of all the nodes and drones you would have in the city.
- The PC rigger is active, using his drones for observations.
- The NPC rigger is active, and monitoring his drones.
- The PC rigger doesn't know there is an NPC rigger around.
- The NPC rigger has been hired to guard a building, so should be actively monitoring for anyone turning up.

What tests, if any, would you have the PC rigger roll to see if they notice the drones active nearby, given that they haven't said anything about scanning for nearby drones or anything like that.

Would their commlink or VCR report a list of active nodes within range? If so, then they'd notice there being nodes in a wood. If not then they'd have to actively scan for them.

Simple perception test, or sensor test, modified by size of the NPC drones. It's safe to assume that they're running hidden, so no obvious node activity.


Only if the nodes were running openly, which would be counterintuitive to a security setting. If you scan for hidden nodes, you might turn them up, but that is an active decision that needs to be communicated to the GM.

I disagree.

Running hidden is not the same as radio silence.

Just because a device isn't talking to you, and just because you don't have a key to decrypt its communications, doesn't mean that there's no signal coming from it.

Per the rules it does.
You have to actively scan for hidden nodes to notice hidden nodes.

Per the rules it does, but as GM I would also consider the experience of the players (which I do not now).
-if they are experienced, they know to check (or should know).
-if they are not, help them along a bit by calling out a perception or sensor test.

Some rules aren't made with reality in mind. I'd say given how much the sixth world is not only drone aware, but even drone reliant I'd give the PC's an opportunity-if they asked the right questions-to at least get a hint that something is wrong.