Okay, I'm fairly new to shadowrun, so maybe there's something hidden in the previous editions that I just don't know about, but why to deckers get screwed so badly when it comes to upgrades?

I've spent the past few hours making an excel spreadsheet which did all the math for me so I could quickly and easily compare decks (and prices), and I just don't get it.

I could buy a Fairlight Excalibur (at availability 22!) for a cool 1.5mil.

Or I could make the parts myself, but buy the software (at availablity 16), and spend 5.3mil (assuming I didn't have to raise the street index any to find all of the software I needed).

Or I could contact my local deckmeister and get one for 1.6mil.

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Even the cost of components that doesn't need software is cheaper if you have someone else make and install it! How much sense does that make?

"... sure, I coulda just bought some memory and installed it into my deck, but for 10k less, I had someone else do the buying and installing!" (this example uses 3,000 active memory).

I could see making the components that need software yourself if you can get ahold of the software cheap, or have a month (or more) to blow on programming, as the fairlight equivalent only costs 84k in spare parts, but it just isn't worth it when upgrading your MPCP, if you have a ICCM, Reality Filter, or Response Increases (since those would need to be upgraded at the same time). Heck, having to upgrade the ASIST at the same time could get expensive enough. (A hot ASIST on an MPCP-7 deck costs 200k --the stock MPCP-7 deck costs 250k!)


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Any ideas on why deckers seem to get screwed like that?

It makes perfect sense that the price to build something like that would be way more than the price to buy it from a corp. The price from the deckmeister, however, is ridiculous.

~J

I believe the rules for building cyber decks yourself are screwed. In most cases making a modification yourself based on purchased parts and software will be more expensive than having a professional do it for you.

If SR4 was not coming on so quickly I would advocate a complete redesign of this section of eth rules, as it is I merely suggest more care is make in any SR4 equivalent.

Edward