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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: Damion Milliken <u9467882@***.EDU.AU>
Subject: Re: Why Decker Suck :-)
Date: Thu, 27 Oct 1994 20:21:00 +1000
Marc writes:

> Am I the only GM who likes to run deckers? I get the impression
> that everyone things deckers are a total waste of time. Why is that?
> They add such an incredible element to the campaign!
> Has anyone else out there ever participated in an all-decker
> campaign? What a riot...

Deckers are vital to most campaigns, but they really suck as PC material.
Too much time ends up getting devoted to the decker and his decking, with
the rest of the team sitting there and saying "Hey, I know, how 'bout we cut
power to the entire city block?" and "Yeah, what a great idea, it'll both
knock out all the security in the building, and get this damn decker outa
the matrix so we can get on with this run!". And as someone pointed out, the
quick resolution methods in VR somewhat lose the point of decking. I find
that either running the deckers part of the game before hand (and then
having the decker a multi use character so he can participate in the run
normally), or using two GMs like they do at some cons works pretty well. Of
course neither of these options are particularily convienient, so NPC
deckers usually abound, sinse they are really easy to run, it's just a case
of GM decides.

--
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. 2
From: Paolo Marcucci <marcucci@***.TS.ASTRO.IT>
Subject: Re: Why Decker Suck :-) (fwd)
Date: Thu, 27 Oct 1994 11:43:10 MET
Damion (in response to Marc) wrote things about deckers and the inability
to use them effectively in gaming terms.

So, if the standard SR2 rules actually stops the game for a while and the
fast resolution system from VR is a kind of a cheat for the decker and all
the toys he can have, why not design a new, fast, original, chromed and
plausible :) matrix run system?

Something that keeps track of the decker stats, the deck, the programs
and all the toys (routers, dampers, etc...) in a usable way. I hate to
have to wait for VR2 to get some working rules....

Bye, Paolo

PS: maybe with cards? I was trying to implement a computer program to
emulate a deck, but, given that my players are not always computer-literate,
that would take more time to teach them how to move the mouse than really
perform the run. And it takes away something from the game experience,
ya see, "the black no-headed golem attacks you with whirlwind arms" is
quite difficult to implement in Windows :)
--
________________________________________________________________________
Paolo Marcucci marcucci@***.ts.astro.it
<a href="http://www.oat.ts.astro.it/marcucci/home.html">My Home
Page</a>
Message no. 3
From: "Wow, Reality. That's a switch" <MHILLIARD@****.ALBION.EDU>
Subject: Re: Why Decker Suck :-)
Date: Thu, 27 Oct 1994 07:48:12 -0500
I've never played a decker anywhere but ShadowTK, but I ran a Netrunner
in a Cyberpunk 2020 game and it raised the same problems. At first, while
I was wreaking havoc in the Net the other players would sit around, twiddle
their thumbs, or poke their nose into a sourcebook. But we came up with a
solution. A quick trip for pizza, caffeine. and other essential victuals
*grin* was SOP in those days. It used to be before the game started, but we
got the bright idea to do it while I was hijacking data. Then the only person
who had cause to complain was me, 'cus they always screwed up my order. =)

It also provided some roleplaying opportunities, when I took a greenie along
with and she tripped some Watchdog ICE. The other characters had to break
us out of jail.

Another solution is to give all the players some facility with decking. We
all use Internet, and I sure as hell wouldn't call myself a hacker! This is
actually easier in SR than Cyberpunk-all you need is a datajaclk

and the
Computer skill. (In CP you need a neural processor with a cybermodem link,
interface plugs, AND the Interface skill, which only the Netrunner character
class can get).

Phelan
Message no. 4
From: Chris Lubrecht <lubrecht@***.EDU>
Subject: Re: Why Decker Suck :-)
Date: Thu, 27 Oct 1994 09:15:30 -0400
There is a third school of thought here. (sorry I did not quote Damion's
post...can't figure out my editor). The third school is....

one action=one action....as I remember it, ony travel in the matrix is
fast, if ya wanna do something it takes place in real time. Run both
matrix and decker at the same time. This is the method used in my games
and it works pretty good.

Nigel
Message no. 5
From: Damion Milliken <u9467882@***.EDU.AU>
Subject: Re: Why Decker Suck :-)
Date: Fri, 28 Oct 1994 11:50:34 +1000
Nigel writes:

> one action=one action....as I remember it, ony travel in the matrix is
> fast, if ya wanna do something it takes place in real time. Run both
> matrix and decker at the same time. This is the method used in my games
> and it works pretty good.

This would work well during a run, when a lot of the time is passed turn by
turn, but when not in combat or very near combat situations, it is a litle
suckful.

Team is slumming (or living it up in some cases) at the local bars in an
attempt to glean information on their target. While decker is busting into
said targets corps computer system, in an effort to do the same.

Decker: I'll blast the Ice with my cyber-flamethrower!
GM: OK, how about the rest of you?
Team: OK, we'll head off to the next bar, there's not much here.
GM: OK, you get 3m towards the door. Decker?
Decker: I'll head to the next node.
GM: Team?
Team: That's another 3m then is it?
GM: Yep, at this rate, with the next bar 2 klicks away, you'll make it by
the time the decker has over run the entire system. Oh, give us about two
hours or so of real time, the two minutes of game time will take at least
that.
Team: Well, we'll head off.
<Team gets up and leaves, to twiddle their thumbs for two hours>

Lynx writes:

> sorry boys but i will have to disagree with everyone on the
> discussion that claims deckers suck. I myself refuse to play anything
> but a decker and i like them. Hypothetical question: How do suppose
> you can get your men to the top of a 50 story building if you dumbies
> knock out all of the power on the city block??(THINK ABOUT IT!)
> Hypothetical questions answer: You need a decker in the matrix(du)
> who can control both the security and the elavators. Anyone who
> knows decking would know that. And also deckers have that cash
> most of the time. Easy access to the banks.!!!!!
>
> Try thinking before you open your mouths next time,

Hypothetical Answers: 1) Take the stairs
2) Bypass the entire building and come in from chopper
3) Bypass the entire building; rapell
4) Bypass the entire building, jump across from the
next one
5) Bribery; bribe/blackmail some of the guards
6) Stealth - sneak in
7) Bravado - bluff your way in

You get the idea, the matrix is not the be all and end all of breaking and
entering methods, merely the most recent addition. Perhaps you should take
your own advice, and try using your brain a little more, rather than just
jumping to the automatic conclusion that someone is attacking your favourite
character type, so you must defend. Many times it is all but impossible to
penetrate the security systems from the matrix, wether because they are
offline, or you are trying to break into Mitsuhama, and your decker is a
little afraid. There are many more ways to skin a cat, most particulrily
when it cccomes to breaking and entering (I don't proclaim to be an expert,
but others on here have come up with plenty of great BE ideas in the past),
a decker isn't all that is neccesary, nor is merely having a decker
sufficient in some cases.

--
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+

Further Reading

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Thwap!