Hey all,

Long-time GM (first-ed Shadowrun!), sometimes reader (where'd those clue files go?), and first-time poster, so bear with me.

Having GMed for several years, I finally get the opportunity to play a character in somebody else's campaign. I've been making a fairly solid chacter (I like to think so, anyway), when I became acquainted with a whole new series of char-gen questions that none of my players ever asked me. I've managed to find answers to most, except for these two:

1) I know that smartlinks do nothing for improving target numbers when dual-wielding pistols, but what if I wanted to have a second smartlink on my off-hand for doing things like changing firing modes and ejecting clips? Would I just need the extra pad installed, the pad and another limited simsense rig, or an entirely separate smartlink processor from the one in my primary hand?

2) Has it ever been canonically established what the extent of the SL limited simsense wiring is? For example, does it provide tactile feedback, or is it mostly for getting input on the position and orientation of the gun? I've seen Raygun's rules, which I personally like, but I'm talking about what's been established in the canon here.

2a) (Okay, so I lied--three questions) Following on the simsense thing, to what extent do VCR's and skillwires provide the same sort of limited simsense as the smartlink wiring? If the SL simsense were just for reading the position of the body, I'd think a VCR would do the same job (and thus save me .1 essence). Similarly, skillwires strike me as something that would be used for both body control and body reading, which might have the same effect.

Anything I can do to reduce loss of precious essence, after all.

Heyos and welcome to Dumpshock, as for your questions...

1. If you're using routers, then I think you might need to connect the extra induction pad in the off hand to the Smartlink. One can make the argument that the SL is assumed to connect to it, but then again, one can make the argument that the SL is only supposed to connect to one induction pad.

The terminology of routers is "Characters may wish to establish a data link between two (or more) pieces of cyberware that don't normally 'talk' to each other." Whether the extra induction pad falls under that is a judgement call. Literal interpretation would require the router, however I don't think many people would insist on it.

I personally don't use routers and just say they "talk" to each other just fine.

2. I don't believe so, however I'm a bit lacking on my Shadowrun novel knowledge base. Nothing in the base rules IIRC.

2a. A VCR works. For a rigger, all one needs cyberware wise is the processor (0.25 essence) to use a smartlink through a vehicle.

Skillwires don't work like that. They don't input simulated senses, they're "neuro-muscular controllers." In essence it's not simulating anything; the character actually has the muscle memory required to do the action.

1. Just the pad. You can also switch between "active" guns with a free action, allowing you the widest possible array of ammunition types.

2. Not exactly, but it apparently reads your body positioning and feeds that data to the processor. Since a full simrig allows you to not just get basic position, but all sensory input plus all emotion, I'd say that the limited rig can only do orientation.

2a. A VCR is a total body override, just like decking. There's a +8 modifier to attempting anything physical, just like if you were decking or slotting a simchip. It doesn't detect the body at all, it simply overrides it.

As far as the skillwires go, they apparently rely on some different kind of feedback system. No luck there, I'm afraid.

3. If you want to same some essence, but all your 'ware as used alphaware. It comes out at normal price, but gives you the reduce essence cost.

4. No pooftas!

1. I think this question has already been answered well. Just a pad, and possibly a router, depending on the GM (personally, I hate routers, so I'd say just a pad. Routers and empty clips are details I generally ignore as a GM.

2. I understood what Cain is saying as being the best description out there. It senses your balance, your body positions, etc. I don't believe it actually makes your body move in any way.

2a. I would say that anything that uses a full simsense rig would work as the limited simsense rig required by a SL. That would include VCRs, Skillwires and simsense recorders. Yes, a VCR has the RAS override, so you don't actually get input from your body, but I believe that the simsense rig still works both ways. This is even more true with skillwires, the chipped skills need to move your body in a certain way, but its a relativistic way. It has to build off of where the target is, how your body is positioned, etc. Plus, IMO, if you're paying 3-5 essence for a piece of ware, I have no problem with giving you the benefit of the doubt when looking at another .1 essence.

Just the pad. It doesn't mention anything in the CC or M&M about needing a router. I hate routers, too.

You sure on that? My books are somewhere in the void of house renovation, so I can't check right now…

~J

I saw the part on R3-32 (if it's the part I'm remembering correctly--for some reason I''m not allowed to bring my SR books in to work) which specifically references effects while rigging, but I didn''t see anything about using the VCR as a simsense rig in meatspace. As far as I could tell it's completely unaddressed, but the posts here have been vastly useful.

A couple of points:

1) I think R3 mentions that the simsense protocols used in rigging are different than those used in decking or sims. So if a simrig would work, a VCR would not. I might be getting confused with the comunications protocols. I do remember that a decker needs a special emulator to understand rigger input.

2) A VCR has nothing to record the rigger's senses or movements. The whole point of rigging is to overwrite those senses with vehicle data. A VCR is almost the total sensory opposite of a simrig, functionally speaking.

But the VCR also takes the input of the user and sends it to the vehicle. If all it did was overwrite the user's sensations, you'd still have to steer the car by hand.

~J

Smartlinks can provide tactile feedback, as evidenced from Hatchetman's story in Cybertechnology (now I'm dating myself a bit) where he mentions that his first-model smartlink signalled a "safety off" condition by making the gun feel hot in his hand. At least, that's what I remember...

i have allways wonderd why a decker can get away with a datajack while a rigger needs a big VCR...

and why a rigger cant get the VCR built into vehicles (no nremovable) and jack in

Deckers get away with a datajack because their interface is fictional. All things DNI like simsense don't require realworld responses, hence its location in the upper braincase. VCR's require a huge interface because you are controlling a three dimensional object (usually really, really fast) on an instinctual level. Thats why riggers have their ports at the base of their skulls next to the medula.

Kage: I checked the book, and it indicated that a VCR only doubles while jacked in. A VCR also acts in a different way than a simrig does, and VCR's don't have a "partial playback" mode.

Its page 27. VCR acts as limited simsense only when jacked in.