From:	MDB0213@*****.TAMU.EDU
Subject:	Riggers in SR in general
Date:	Wed, 27 Jan 93 23:46:22 CET

After reading everyone's responses, (and having some time of my own), I decided
that I might as well respond as well. First, let me start with the fact that I
have only played riggers from the onset, and have been playing them for more
than 2 and a half years now. I love riggers, find them fascinating, and capable
of much more than glorified taxi-drivers.

Most of what a rigger can do is limited by several things.
1) What the GM will allow.
2) Money!!!!
3) Imagination.
1 is simple. Im my campaigns, I have managed to get "goodies" that weren't
in the books. I was in a high powered/money campaign, and I was able to buy
tiny drones (about the size of small breadboxes, and one scorpion sized) that
cost me about 175,000 EACH. (Boy was I pissed when RBB came out, and turns out
that it should have cost MUCH less!) However, with RBB and the possibility of
small drones, my character went from gunnery (with multiple flying drones,
capable of carrying twin valiants, and usually capable of following the group)
to surveillance. Who needs astral mages listening in when a tech-device will
work the same? For instance, if we had a techno to bug, we'd do it magically.
If we were following people that had mages on hand, I'd "bug" them (literally!)
and follow them that way. As Doom likes to say, "where magic fails, tech
Prevails!"

Also, just because you're in the car doesn't mean a thing!
with drones providing cover, surveillance, etc, you be a BIG help to the group!
We may not be able to go EVERYwhere, but we can sure try!

Additionally, multiple drones can provide distractions. When you have enough
firepower goes off, the victims usually don't care that they are "only" drones.

(aside: if ECM goes off, and you are the cause, you should still have control of
your drone. It tends to be directional, and I'm sure that by 2050 [or so] they
have come up with a way for the person controlling the ECM to not be affected)

When my first Rigger, J Earl Williams, left the group, he was working on a
gunnipede. It looked like a bunch of flying balls hooked together in a line
(like a centipede), but each one carried a pistol! Okay, try taking 20-30
(with reactive triggers, of course) bullets from predator 2s! Outside the
rules, yes, but given time and money, a LOT can be done (need I add that I
had every vehicle B/R skill, electronics B/R, and a couple others?).

And of course, don't limit yourself in a car. Both JEW and Brodie carried their
decks with them. Yes they are expensive (the riggs, that is), but what are you
saving them for? Now, you can follow the group. If you have a decent electronic
B/R skill, you can not only help with the alarms and such on the way, but
remember this:
1) usually there will be a vehicle or 2 just lying around. If remote capable,
you change the frequency that they are controlled with to YOUR deck's frequency,
and you now have a drone. If not, climb on in! Escape vehicle, distraction, or
what-not.
2) Buildings in 2050 tend to be "rigger controlled". This means that a good
rigger, like a good decker, can "jack-in" to the building itself! I remember
doing something like this in an arcology (after I hijacked a shuttle-bus and
used it to take the group to the elevators, I jacked into the elevators and
tried to use that to get us to our objective.
Look at it as a rigger opportunity. Decker's can jack into the computer system,
why can't riggers jack into the security systems? In one of the NAN runs, there
is a HEAVILY armored vehicle waiting to be stolen! Have the decker jack in,
break the password, then you jack in and drive!

These are just a few ideas, in typical ramble fashion. If anyone has any other
questions, feel free to shoot (but not at me!;). Riggers have the potential
to be the most fun of all the types! They can be heavy gunners, sneaks, escape
artists (gee, we're trapped...where'd that Hughes Airstar come from?), and much
much more!

Reverend
---
The Reverend (NEW ADDRESS! mdb0213@****.tamu.edu)
"They called me the Reverend when I entered the church unstained"

aka
Head Shot "A Head Shot a day keeps the Doktor away"