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Message no. 1
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Gurth)
Subject: Rigger/deckers (was Re: SR Editions)
Date: Thu Jun 28 05:35:25 2001
According to Euphonium, on Thu, 28 Jun 2001 the word on the street was...

> When one of my PCs put together a starting rigger-decker, she got the extra
> skill points by setting resources lower, and started without a deck.

Not to put too fine a point on this, but IMHO a decker without a deck is
just a character with a datajack and Computer skill. This only costs you a
bit of money and a few skill points; actually being a decker costs _plenty_
of cash, and that's, I think, the most obvious drawback to making a
rigger/decker as a starting character.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
A bad day fishing is still better than a good day dying.
-> NAGEE Editor * ShadowRN GridSec * Triangle Virtuoso <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://plastic.dumpshock.com <-

GC3.12: GAT/! d-(dpu) s:- !a>? C+@ UL P L++ E W-(++) N o? K w+(--) O V?
PS+ PE(-)(+) Y PGP- t@ 5++ X(+) R+++(-)>$ tv+ b++@ DI- D+ G+ e h! !r y?
Incubated into the First Church of the Sqooshy Ball, 21-05-1998
Message no. 2
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Zixx)
Subject: Rigger/deckers (was Re: SR Editions)
Date: Thu Jun 28 06:10:01 2001
Gurth wrote:

> According to Euphonium, on Thu, 28 Jun 2001 the word on the street was...
>
> > When one of my PCs put together a starting rigger-decker, she got the
> > extra skill points by setting resources lower, and started without a
> > deck.
>
> Not to put too fine a point on this, but IMHO a decker without a deck is
> just a character with a datajack and Computer skill. This only costs you a
> bit of money and a few skill points; actually being a decker costs _plenty_
> of cash, and that's, I think, the most obvious drawback to making a
> rigger/decker as a starting character.

Well, depends on wether you're Bobby Quine or Automatic Jack :)
Sure, a console-cowboy needs nothing more then a high compter(decking) skill
und a datajack, but a serious decker needs more skills: Computer, Computer
B/R, Electronics(B/R), Etiquette(Matrix) + any number of knowledge-skills
with relevance to cracking systems...

Zixx
Message no. 3
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Michael Schmidt)
Subject: Rigger/deckers (was Re: SR Editions)
Date: Thu Jun 28 09:05:01 2001
On Thu, 28 Jun 2001, Zixx wrote:

> Gurth wrote:
> > Not to put too fine a point on this, but IMHO a decker without a deck is
> > just a character with a datajack and Computer skill. This only costs you a
> > bit of money and a few skill points; actually being a decker costs _plenty_
> > of cash, and that's, I think, the most obvious drawback to making a
> > rigger/decker as a starting character.
>
> Well, depends on wether you're Bobby Quine or Automatic Jack :)
> Sure, a console-cowboy needs nothing more then a high compter(decking) skill
> und a datajack, but a serious decker needs more skills: Computer, Computer
> B/R, Electronics(B/R), Etiquette(Matrix) + any number of knowledge-skills
> with relevance to cracking systems...

I by myself play a rigger/decker combi, and I experienced that it is a
little bit harder with SR3 than it was with SR2. (You can't have all those
fance electronics and knowledge skills and run around with a SMG, Stinger
and also have the explosives skill... just for backup of course)

The cash is a problem, but less with an VR-rule composed deck than with a
Fairlight Ex for example. I found, the best way is to buy a nice deck and
write the soft by myself. Saves a lot of money.

Michael Schmidt

Icewolf
Message no. 4
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Zixx)
Subject: Rigger/deckers (was Re: SR Editions)
Date: Thu Jun 28 10:35:00 2001
Michael Schmidt wrote:

> I by myself play a rigger/decker combi, and I experienced that it is a
> little bit harder with SR3 than it was with SR2. (You can't have all those
> fance electronics and knowledge skills and run around with a SMG, Stinger
> and also have the explosives skill... just for backup of course)

OK, if you want the rigger/decker/sam, I guess you'e fucked ;)


Zixx
Message no. 5
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Euphonium)
Subject: Rigger/deckers (was Re: SR Editions)
Date: Thu Jun 28 14:20:12 2001
> Gurth wrote:
>
> > According to Euphonium, on Thu, 28 Jun 2001 the word on the street
was...
> >
> > > When one of my PCs put together a starting rigger-decker, she got the
> > > extra skill points by setting resources lower, and started without a
> > > deck.
> >
> > Not to put too fine a point on this, but IMHO a decker without a deck is
> > just a character with a datajack and Computer skill. This only costs you
a
> > bit of money and a few skill points; actually being a decker costs
_plenty_
> > of cash, and that's, I think, the most obvious drawback to making a
> > rigger/decker as a starting character.
>
> Well, depends on wether you're Bobby Quine or Automatic Jack :)
> Sure, a console-cowboy needs nothing more then a high compter(decking)
skill
> und a datajack, but a serious decker needs more skills: Computer, Computer
> B/R, Electronics(B/R), Etiquette(Matrix) + any number of knowledge-skills
> with relevance to cracking systems...
>
> Zixx
>
>

If all she had was computer skill and a jack, I'd agree, but she also had
the B/R skills, knowledge skills such as System Design and Matrix Protocols.
And in a pinch you can always run the matrix naked.

Also, how often does a starting CHR have ALL the gear they want?

>>>>>[I used to be against the idea of Mind-Control Lasers, but now I can't
imagine how I ever lived without them]<<<<<
Message no. 6
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Zixx)
Subject: Rigger/deckers (was Re: SR Editions)
Date: Fri Jun 29 04:50:06 2001
Euphonium wrote:

(I'll assume you answered my post, not Gurth's, as you message said)
> > und a datajack, but a serious decker needs more skills: Computer,
> > Computer B/R, Electronics(B/R), Etiquette(Matrix) + any number of
> > knowledge-skills with relevance to cracking systems...
> >
> > Zixx
>
> If all she had was computer skill and a jack, I'd agree, but she also had
> the B/R skills, knowledge skills such as System Design and Matrix
> Protocols. And in a pinch you can always run the matrix naked.

What I wanted to say is that there are console-cowboys - people who can hack
anything, but couldn't write a program that counts from 1 to 20, and there
are the more hacker-like types, who write their own programs, tweak their
deck, stuff like this. IMO both are types of deckers and there's nothing
wrong with any of them. Actually, it's quite nice to have the CC, since you
have much more time for inter-PC-interaction...

> Also, how often does a starting CHR have ALL the gear they want?

Well, since my players never get the monowhip.....;)))

Zixx

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