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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: Erik S Jameson <esj@***.UUG.ARIZONA.EDU>
Subject: Deckers DO suck...
Date: Thu, 27 Oct 1994 19:38:11 -0700
Wait a minute while I throw up the Protection from Carp spell...:)

I happen to believe that deckers, while being very important in a
post-modern technological society, are rather boring and often useless as
characters. Netrunning takes forever, meanwhile the rest of the crew is
off watching televison of getting pizza or something. Not very conducive
to the role-playing atmosphere. Now, I am biased here because the group
I play in (with the illustrious Spellslinger and our favorite
example/samurai/death-machine Mad Cat/Apache) is very violence prone.
Dave, the guy who plays Mad Cat, isn't happy if he isn't killing things.
He gets bored if an hour goes by without death. And the same goes for
several other of our players. Now, while I enjoy the puzzle aspects and
figuring out whodunit, I also love the combat. And so decking, for the
last several years, has been the domain of NPC's by tacit agreement from
our GM's.

Now, don't get me wrong. Deckers can be usefull. But they tend to be
very weak in combat and end up having little use in our games. This is
just us, but I think if decking had been made easier and more flexible, I
don't think our group would have such a bias against deckers.

Just my, as the cliche goes, two cents...

Erik, a.k.a. the Whistler
Message no. 2
From: **Lynx** <ACOLWELL@*****.VINU.EDU>
Subject: Re: Deckers DO suck...
Date: Fri, 28 Oct 1994 10:53:07 EST
If certain people knew what they were doing when trying to run with a
decker things would run alot smoother for everyone else in the game.
Try giving your decker some abilities that they can use. deckers can
have more than what people are giving them the chance for. Try
letting the decker become sort of a rigger too! deckers can pick up
skills with the use of karma just like all other characters. try adding
things like combat and weapons

** a decker is only as useless as you make him!!**
Gotta fly,
**Lynx**
Message no. 3
From: Damion Milliken <u9467882@***.EDU.AU>
Subject: Re: Deckers DO suck...
Date: Sat, 29 Oct 1994 18:22:49 +1000
Lynx writes:

> ** a decker is only as useless as you make him!!**

Firepower writes:

> A decker is not limited--not at all. However, the problem of time does
> still remain.

Exactly! Deckers are by no means limited, and can be created to fulfill a
multiplicity of roles, but the fact remains that unless both GM and player
know the matrix rules backwards, then decking is going to take way too long
for it to be practicle.

--
Damion Milliken University of Wollongong e-mail: u9467882@***.edu.au

(GEEK CODE 2.1) GE -d+(d) H s++:-- !g p? !au a18 w+ v(?) C+(++) US++ P? L !3 E?
N K- W+ M@ !V po@ Y(+) t+ !5 !j R+(++) G(+)('') !tv(--)@ b++ D+
B? e+ u@ h* f(+) !r n--(----) !y+
Message no. 4
From: Shadowdancer <BRIDDLE@*****.VINU.EDU>
Subject: Re: Deckers DO suck...
Date: Sat, 29 Oct 1994 15:24:33 EST
I do not think you have given deckers a real chance. Sure, deckers
are slow and weak in combat, but that is just in the beginning. With
VR, deckers can customize decks and programs to be faster. And
with autoexec, speed-up of game time is a cinch. Point made that
deckers drag some time, but they are more usful then datasteals. In
my group, a decker is almost always nessecery to bypass security.
And after a few karma and some cyber, a decker can multiperpous
him/herself. Ever seen a decker with wired-3 beta grade and a
adreanal pump loss his fairlight to gunfire? He killed more sec
guards then both sammies combined!!!



Many people run the shadows, praying that whatever gods they worship will smile upon them.
I waltz through shadows with my gods, and I lead!

-SHADOWDANCER-
Message no. 5
From: Shadowdancer <BRIDDLE@*****.VINU.EDU>
Subject: Re: Deckers DO suck...
Date: Sat, 29 Oct 1994 15:25:01 EST
last post was NOT A FLAME:-)



Many people run the shadows, praying that whatever gods they worship will smile upon them.
I waltz through shadows with my gods, and I lead!

-SHADOWDANCER-
Message no. 6
From: Malcalypse The Younger <shadow@******.NET>
Subject: Re: Deckers DO suck...
Date: Sun, 30 Oct 1994 20:58:24 -0500
On Sat, 29 Oct 1994, Shadowdancer wrote:

> I do not think you have given deckers a real chance. Sure, deckers
> are slow and weak in combat, but that is just in the beginning. With
> VR, deckers can customize decks and programs to be faster. And
> with autoexec, speed-up of game time is a cinch. Point made that

What is autoexec? i have heard it mentioned several times, but I don't
know what it is...

Shadow
Message no. 7
From: Star <KADAMS@*****.VINU.EDU>
Subject: Re: Deckers DO suck...
Date: Mon, 31 Oct 1994 20:14:32 EST
> What is autoexec? i have heard it mentioned several times, but I
don't
> know what it is...
>
> Shadow
>

Auto-exe is a program that automaticly loads up your other programs
and saves you about 4 dice rolls. With this program you do not have
to manually load up your kick-ass attack program while fighting a
black 10 node in the matrix (Black IC node for thoses who don't know).
Lacking this program is what adds most of the time to the boring
times the other runners have during the game.




A love that is never can always be obtained, a love that
is lost can never be regained. Think of the ones loved,
and smile.



-Star-
Message no. 8
From: Shadowdancer <BRIDDLE@*****.VINU.EDU>
Subject: Re: Deckers DO suck...
Date: Mon, 31 Oct 1994 21:07:12 EST
Shadow writes:

> What is autoexec? i have heard it mentioned several times, but I
don't
> know what it is...
>
>
Autoexec is very similar to the autoexec.bat found booting most PCs.
It is a batch file that automatically loads what ever programs it is
instructed to. In SR, autoexec does the same thing. Instead of
making a execution roll, the decker simply rolls to run the program.
Easier and faster then trying to beat the system security when
executing and then running your programs. Does not take that much
memory either. The drawback is that if the system has a higher rating
then the autoexec, ie auto of 4, security orange-8, then the decker
gets an across the board modifier equel to the difference in the
ratings, in this case a +4 to EVERYTHING!!!! Get a high autoexec,
though, and no problems.



Many people run the shadows, praying that whatever gods they worship will smile upon them.
I waltz through shadows with my gods, and I lead!

-SHADOWDANCER-

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These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.

Thwap!