Anyone used the JackBNimble chip on their campaign?

Can you tell me what you did about it? What did it contained? How were the runners involved? Is Capt. Chaos ok?

I'm planning something about this... I can't tell much here because some of my players will know ... ^_^

The only thing I can say is that in my campaign, it will be related *VERY* closely to Ken Roper, Michael Eld, Acquisition Technologies and Aztechnology... I can't say more... ^_^

For those who don't recall, this item is from Dunkelzahn's Will:

Hey, maybe the crash virus was sent to Earth by aliens to weaken us before the invasion. Of course, if that is the case, then it really backfired, because it lead to the creation of the matrix.

Well, I just HATE the idea of having Aliens (from another planet) in Shadowrun.......

Well, "From another world" doesn't absolutly means "From another planet".

So far, we know about the Invae, the Horrors, other astral inhabitants and we can even concieve that AI's and matrix entities are from "Another World"...

Fastjack:\\>Launch_all_zig.exe

Slight problem; Dunkie's will provides those nice pictures of pyramids on Mars and whatnot. Even assuming that it was a 4th-world Magical colony or the like, 5000+ years of evolution (with or without more/less magical energy being around, as well as scientific advancement) any survivors from this place might be unrecognizable to humans.

Or they might be extremely similar. Go figure. But its an interesting notion.

Still, as for JackBNimble I don't want to sound like Captain Obvious, but I somehow expect that the real Fastjack is dead and he made himself into an AI. Just, err, never quite inserted himself into the Matrix.

JackBNimble is totally an AI, or some of the crash code. I decided on that after I first read through Dunkie's will.

Don't forget the shedim. We still don't know what the heck they are.

The truth is that the Shedim are the d@mned souls of MtG players who have escaped hell.

Obviously, Mars is populated by red Obsidimen.

All this talk about aliens makes me think of metrophage. I would laugh for weeks.

Earth message: "U R k3wl want to met up sumtyme???????"
Alien: "Clearly no intelligent life on this planet. Off to the Centauri system."

Shedim are too easy to kill, I just put on my amulet of turn/rebuke undead +8 and whisper a prayer to Pelor.

Ah.... yes....

Whenever my players will face some, i'll make sure they know this.

Especially since we've been writing texts/heiroglyphics for over 5,000 years already in pretty much the same exact physical form we are now.

Now cultural evolution, that's something else entirely.

If it was a fourth world magically colony, settled with magic only and not high technology, they probably all died if Mars had a downcycle since then. However, I doubt it could be a fourth world colony somehow settled with magical space travel, because Mars is devoid of life, or nearly so, and therefore should not have a manasphere, and be covered in mana storm just like outer space. So aliens or time traveling humans from the future seem like the only other options to me.

If Mars is devoid of life it wouldn't have a habitable manasphere. That, however, is a big if. Remember that hubub about Martian bacteria found in a meteroite some years ago? Bacteria is a form of life. There is little reason why Mars couldn't still have bacteria somewhere. For that matter, there is little reason why Mars couldn't have more complex forms of life in caverns near underground water sources.

Most likely te red Obsidimen have been hybernating armound underground liferocks through the downcycle and have just begun to restart their civilization.

However, Martian life may not be able to survive in Earth's mana sphere de to fundamental differences between the planets. In any case, Mars must have some weird spirits.

I don't quite get why people are assuming it's about an alien or magical world anyway. Seemed pretty obvious that it was a veiled reference to something inside the Matrix to me. I mean, he gave an encrypted file (that he could never decrypt) to a legendary decker who hosts an international database frequented by even more legendary deckers in a hacker think-tank. If it was something from another world and simply a message in an alien language, he'd have likely given it to someone in the real world who was an expert at that sort of thing, not someone who can crack a code.

Maybe, it's from before the 4th age, when life was on Mars, and with the comming downcycle they migrated to Earth. Mayhap something triggered the transponder and the message was sent out.

I have revised my theory on JackBNimble, incorporated mars. It is as follows.

David Gavilan was/is a red obsidiman (in disguise). He brought the JackBNimble file with him from Mars, aswell as the blueprints for Kid Stealth legs (The JackBNimble file contains the crash code source, aswell as Kid Stealth leg blueprints, AND an AI named Kid Stealth, who possessed the runner of the same name through a mix of magic and technology). David Gavilan, AKA RED OBSIDIMAN then compiled the crash code on earth so it could destroy the networks. Upon the right level of damage being done, David went in with Echo Mirage and destroyed the crash code. Dunkelzahn found David Gavilans secret (Him being a red obsidiman) and offered a trade... Dunkelzahn helped David/Obsidiman program the nanosecond buyout, and in exchange Dunkelzahn got the JackBNimble file.

I would tell you more about the possession of Kid Stealth by the Kid Stealth AI, and how that ties into Nostradamus' predictions for the red obsidimen of 2060, but that belongs more in the Kid Stealth topic.

Like I said, it's entirely possible that Mars has some life, but a few bacteria won't make a practical manasphere. As for that meteorite, if it really is from Mars, which is in doubt, the bacteria are at least a few million years old, and not necesarily still around. Mars used to have oceans, so life was more likely in the past than it is now.

Er... I thought a later book confirmed that the Mars photos were all hoaxes? Or at least, altered to include blatant hoaxes, to cover up something more politically / financially motivated.

The 1950's style UFOs are doctored onto real pictures of the pyramids and skeletons which are there. The truth is out there... well, actually its in the Missions adventure pack.

The Mars photos in Dunk's will (spoiler to protect the innocent)


The details about the photos/hoax/other stuff is in the Missions book. Very X-files kind of feel to it, and about as railroaded as it gets...but kind of fun, if you have the right players.

Edit: Beaten to the punch! Damn you Synner! I'll get you next time! *Shakes fist*

Would it be possible to build something like a kaer on Mars? I figure kaers are meant to create a bubble of life that's safe from the corrupting influence of horrors. If it were big enough, couldn't it hypothetically work against a vacuum of mana as well?

Guess so. But magic doesn't work in space because of the vacuum iirc. So does Mars have a vacuum or some sort of own atmosphere which allows use of magic.

Or am i on the bad track and one can cast spells but not travel astrally while in space?

Damn, i'm getting old.

Even though it is called a void, space has mana. However, there is no significant life to shape the mana into a form humans can use easily. Filtering can reduce the penalties for spellcasting in space (but it's still very difficult), and astral projection is like jumping naked into a tornado of kitchenware. The only part where atmosphere is relevant is that the mana shaping influence from earth itself only reaches as far as the atmosphere.

The moon is a rating 8 warp. This could be an object that would generate hospitible mana sphere but just isn't strong enough, or it could be a slightly different mana shaping that is more compatible with human life than open space, but still very alien and hostile. Those possibilities provide two base concepts for a Marsasphere, either it will be somewhat hospitable but some background count due to being a weaker planetoid or it will be a significant and alien manasphere.

Personally, i think they did it that way to stop players from exploring the cosmos while astrally projecting.

I have no question that they did. However, it makes sense with the system. Magic is a form of spirituality, and thusly, it needs the spirit, which needs life, to work.

So, there are a lot of possibilities about "Another World":

-The Matrix/AI/Crash Virus
-The 1st-6th World (Earthdawn, Present days, etc...)
-Outer Space
-Various Astral Planes

So, what can be the link between Dunklezahn this chip and Captain Chaos?

-The Matrix = Most probable of all ...

Also, a chip can be dangerous to crack... and can cause debilitating injuries (just ask Alice!)

Also, can't the "Wonderland", "Deus Realms" and other UV hosts can be considered as "Other worlds" ? ^_^

Another reality? As in "Virtual Reality" maybe?