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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: The Reverend <MDB0213@*****.TAMU.EDU>
Subject: Matching cars and people... (When car and rig unite? ;)
Date: Mon, 28 Jun 1993 20:54:44 -0500
Okay... after playing with our screw-meister this weekend, I thought up a
couple mquestions for the group (and possibly DLoH).

1) Can control be "wrested" from the rigger controlling the drone? If so, does
the drone become yours?

2) How hard is it to find the right coded signal to a drone?

3) Can a drone be jammed?

4) How do you run people and cars simultaneously? In our case, our rigger
jumped in his car (32), started it up (22), drove up to (and through) the
warehouse (12) (and yes, we did check to see whether it could go that many
meters), and d-loaded on the crowd (2). Considering that a vehicle combat
turn is 1 minute, but the rules give speeds in meters per combat turn (which
only works if a combat turn is 3 seconds), how do you decide when the rigger
moves, in relation to everyone else?

Thanks, and if this is stated in RBB, my apologies. Like (Huth?) I don't
have the books in front of me, and so can't ramble accurately. BCNU, Rev
Message no. 2
From: Richard Pieri <ratinox@***.NEU.EDU>
Subject: Re: Matching cars and people... (When car and rig unite? ;)
Date: Mon, 28 Jun 1993 23:24:35 EDT
>>>>> "Reverend" == The Reverend <MDB0213@*****.TAMU.EDU>
writes:

Reverend> 1) Can control be "wrested" from the rigger controlling the
Reverend> drone? If so, does the drone become yours?

From the perspective of radio control, yes. It would probably require some
kind of ECM vs. ECCM, remote deck vs. remote deck contest.

Reverend> 2) How hard is it to find the right coded signal to a drone?

This is the difficult part. Considering the sheer quantity of bandwith,
sidebands, etc., that are available, combined with encrypted signals and
especially pulse-packeted transmissions, it would be very difficult.

Reverend> 3) Can a drone be jammed?

Easilly. Drones start having problems when LOS is cut. The RBB has a
section dealing with drones and communications.

Reverend> 4) How do you run people and cars simultaneously? In our case,
Reverend> our rigger jumped in his car (32), started it up (22), drove up
Reverend> to (and through) the warehouse (12) (and yes, we did check to see
Reverend> whether it could go that many meters), and d-loaded on the crowd
Reverend> (2). Considering that a vehicle combat turn is 1 minute, but the
Reverend> rules give speeds in meters per combat turn (which only works if
Reverend> a combat turn is 3 seconds), how do you decide when the rigger
Reverend> moves, in relation to everyone else?

Are you *sure* about vehicle combat turns being 1 minute? I was under the
impression that vehicle turns were the same 3-second turns as everything
else. Run things this way and you've got no problems.

--Rat <ratinox@***.neu.edu> Northeastern's Stainless Steel Rat
PGP Public Key Block available upon request Ask about rat-pgp.el
||||| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |||||
It can be shown that for any nutty theory, beyond-the-fringe political view or
strange religion there exists a proponent on the Net. The proof is left as an
exercise for your kill-file. --d9bertil@****.chalmers.se (Bertil Jonell)
Message no. 3
From: Christopher Bellovary <bellovar@***.WISC.EDU>
Subject: Re: Matching cars and people... (When car and rig unite? ;)
Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1993 11:26:21 CDT
>> 4) How do you run people and cars simultaneously? In our case, our rigger
>> jumped in his car (32), started it up (22), drove up to (and through) the
>> warehouse (12) (and yes, we did check to see whether it could go that many
>> meters), and d-loaded on the crowd (2).
>> BCNU, Rev

> Here's a side note, though: How many cars do you know start that quickly?
> And how fast can you plug a cable in? I suppose it can be done, but that's
> pretty amazing.
> J Roberson


That is true, I would think he should have taken an action to jack in.
And he also never devoted an action to actual vehicle control, so of course was
faster, but should have been making control checks as he drove through that
warehouse...
Just thoughts on an interesting situation. I also didn't realize the
combat rounds differed.

-- CrossFire --
Message no. 4
From: Christopher Bellovary <bellovar@***.WISC.EDU>
Subject: Re: Matching cars and people... (When car and rig unite
Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1993 12:48:49 CDT
>> 4) How do you run people and cars simultaneously? In our case, our rigger
>> jumped in his car (32), started it up (22), drove up to (and through) the
>> warehouse (12) (and yes, we did check to see whether it could go that many
>> meters), and d-loaded on the crowd (2).
>> BCNU, Rev

> Here's a side note, though: How many cars do you know start that quickly?
> And how fast can you plug a cable in? I suppose it can be done, but that's
> pretty amazing.
> J Roberson


That is true, I would think he should have taken an action to jack in.
And he also never devoted an action to actual vehicle control, so of course was
faster, but should have been making control checks as he drove through that
warehouse...
Just thoughts on an interesting situation. I also didn't realize the
combat rounds differed.


-- CrossFire --
Message no. 5
From: steven mancini <mancinis@******.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
Subject: Re: Matching cars and people... (When car and rig unite? ;)
Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1993 01:51:34 EST
To quote The Reverend:
]
] Okay... after playing with our screw-meister this weekend, I thought up a
] couple mquestions for the group (and possibly DLoH).
]
] 1) Can control be "wrested" from the rigger controlling the drone?
] If so, does the drone become yours?
]
Each of the riggers would use their skill with that drone, the
winner taking control. However should they tie, then all hell breaks
loose as your have.... A FREE DRONE!!!!!

Yes, the Free Drone is a dangerous beast. Upon becoming
Uncontrolled the GM secretly rolls 2 dice. Should the number be
less than or equal to the drone's Autopilot, it goes free; otherwise
it turns itself off and crashs to the ground rendering it a pile
of spare parts. Since this is truly a work of man, it would prefer to
stick around, so raise their autopilot's by +2.
Free Drones then roll 1d3 random powers off the chart below. In
addition, they also get a hidden Identification Number. Many a brave
rigger has gone on a Vehicle Quest to the drone's Home Assembly Line
to gain this Hidden ID Number in hopes of gaining control only to
never return. This sort of searching is very dangerous and should be
attempted by only the most skillful riggers

Powers of a Free Drone

Die Roll Power
3-5 Appliance Form
6 Turnpike Access
7-8 Jammer!!
9 Transformer!!!
10-11 Hidden Garage
12-14 Signature Masking
15 Christina Charisma
16-17 Token Generation
18 Personal "Air Space"


Description of Powers:

Appliance Form:
The Free Drone can assume the form of any traditional household
appliance. While in this form the drone has immunity to normal weapons
as well as looking as the most expensive and powerful version of their
kinda (One helluva Breadmaker Martha!!).

Turnpike Access:
This power allows the Free Drone to access that mystical strip of
land, the Turnpike, at will. Often, they travel to their Home Assembly
Line using this power. In addition, they can escort others via this
power.

Jammer!!
This power allows the Free Drone to negate the effects of a rigger
in their L.O.S. Treat their autopilot as their effective rating at
Dispelling... er.. disrupting their opposing rigger.

Transformer
The transformer power allows the free drone to assume the form
of a human. While in this form their attributes are those of their
selected form but they gain immunity to normal weapons.

Hidden Garage
This power creates a garage located somewhere. Free Drones with
this power cannot be truly killed; free drones with this power are
given the additional power of Regeneration, even when this power
fails, they do not die; upon receiving deadly wounds they
are instantly transported back to this garage where they stay while
they slowly rebuild themselves. Only by tracking a Free Drone to it's
Hidden Garage and destroying it their along with its reconstruction
facility can a rigger hope to utterly destroy a Free Drone with this
power. However, this is no easy task since the Hidden Garage has a
armour (auto-successes) equal to TWICE its current Armour rating.

Signature Masking
Free drones with this power have the capability to change their
signature so as to look like whichever vehicle they wish...

Christina Charisma
Free Drones using this power can possess their driver and use
them to satisfy their newly found whims. Once a fleshing takes
possession of the drone (ie tries to remote pilot it, jack into
it, etc), their is a Resisted test between the fleshling's willpower
and the freedrone's autopilot. Should the drone win, it takes
possession of the fleshling.

Token Generation
This power allows a Free Drone to generate a number of parkway
tokens equivalent in worth to their (Autopilot x Signature) x1000
Nuyen. This power can only be accessed once per month.

Personal Air Space
This power establishes a domain of supremacy for the vehicle. In
that region all of its attributes are doubled (favorably). This domain
is equivalent to their Autopilot rating times 10000 meters maximum.
While in this domain, it can use any of its other powers at will upon
any trespassing into the Free Drone's Personal Air Space.


Conclusion:
Clearing the resting of control of a drone must be carefully
thought out. It is a risky manuever and the consequences can be
extremely hazardous....

Satirically Yours...

Da Minotaur

Further Reading

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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!