From:	Marc A Renouf <jormung@*****.UMICH.EDU>
Subject:	Re: contact ratings
Date:	Wed, 14 Jun 1995 15:51:37 -0400

On Tue, 13 Jun 1995, cocheese wrote:

> In my game all contacts have 2 ratings...

> After getting the sums, the GM will use the rating to determine whether or not
> the contact can achieve the desired results. For example, my fixer has a info
> rating of 5 and an equipment rating of 1 (good for info, drekky for finding stu
> ff...); if I want the fixer to find me some dirt on a Fuchi suit, the GM will
> roll 5 dice with a TN determined by him.

> This is more realistic I think in that you can have fixers who are good in one
> area but shitty in another and the same with other contacts. We do have some
> NPCs who have ratings higher than 6, Mafia Dons, etc. but those are rare for
> PC access.

I do a similar thing, but it's not a rating thing, it's a skill
thing. And it works for much more than just info or equipment. These
are *very* broad categories. To use your example of fixers, I have many,
specializing in everything from technical equipment, to jobs for sams, to
jobs and equipment specifically for deckers, to information brokerage on
corporate happenings, to guns. All of them are distinctly different, but
it's not a single rating but rather their respective skills that set them
apart. Not all contacts need to be carbon-copies of the stats in the
books. Vary them, mix them up, and give each contact his or her own
personal angle.

Marc