From:	Caxal Balam arkainer@*****.com
Subject:	NPC Deckers [was: Construction of items...]
Date:	Wed, 25 Aug 1999 12:46:07 -0500 (CDT)

>
> Sure mages go on the Astral, which requires the same
> kind of GM to
> Player one-on-one interaction that deckers require,
> but mages also
> have lots of mage-specific things they can do that
> don't require the
> GM's 100% attention. They can cast spells, they can
> use their
> spirits, and so on.

Wrong, remember that each action in real world its one action in the
Matrix, so sometimes you are about to hack a data heaven for some hot
info while the rest of the troupe fights to give you a few more
seconds. So you must roll your initiative in the same time as your
buddies and see how well it will be.

In this kind of situations my GM swaps in my turn of initiative as well
as in the rest of the party, so the Gm doesnt gives me a his whole
attention.


> Deckers however are more limited. Unless you get
> hyper-creative,
> nearly all the decker-specific activities require
> that one-on-one.
> When they're not jacked in, the decker is relegated
> to doing the
> generic tasks that really anyone on the team can
> take care of, like
> using electronics skill to pick locks, negotiating
> with the Johnson,
> pulling a gun and shooting people and so on.

Ok, what are the relegated activities? Every activity its just as
important as the other. I dont care if you could hit the ass of a fly
from a 100 yards if you cant finish the deal with Johnson just because
you couldnt enter a place in a "silent mode" (I dont care I just blew
up the lock), remember: Ignorance can kill you faster than a Fireball.
And the deckers got all the info.

> While a decker might be good at some of these
> auxiliary tasks, and
> possibly better than anyone else on the team,
> they're not dependent
> on the character being a decker. Decker players have
> to strike a
> delicate balance: if they focus on trying to be the
> best decker they
> can be, they're not as effective in the meat world.

No way, the only thing a decker needs its a Datajack, a fair computer
skill thats it (mainly), so you could give him a Booster Reflexes just
in case, a good Athletics, a hell of Negotiations, and a fair Pistols
and you got a really nice Semi Street Sam how can be just as deadly as
any recently new char.


A large part of the problem comes from the fact that
> a decking
> requires either a connection to the
> telecommunications grid or
> internal network the target host is on, or a bulky
> satlink dish. The
> decker either needs to remain stationary, or tap out
> a series of
> connections as the team moves from location to
> location. It would be
> nice if deckers were allowed to use some form of
> wireless
> communication.

Ok, what about the cell phones?, adn remember this is 2056 theres a
Telcom almost every corner. And with the VR2 rules you can deck even
while you are in a fight (with a lot of penalties but well). What do
you expect a semi-autonomous robot that can shoot, break into Ares
Matrix and throw a Fireball?
>
> The other big part of the problem, a decker needs to
> drop into an
> immersive VR simulation to do anything on the
> matrix. While normally,
> this is a good thing, it'd be nice if they could do
> some stuff
> without having to go into their own little world all
> the time. Really
> clever use of smartframes can help with this some,
> but that's not the
> easiest decker trick in the book to pull off.

Come on... ok its hard to deck and see the real world at the same time,
but thats part of the cool thing in a decker you could enter get the
info and run. But a really good decker its not just the get the info,
its the planning of strategies, get the flaws of the Co., and with the
help of the Rigger getting you out of the Co. with you pants still on.
So having a decker in a troupe its a MUST if you are running any
mission... If its just a munching, forgot it get yourself a Vampire
almost inmmortal street sam and go...

>
> Because of these two issues, a PC Decker usually
> gets stuck with the
> feeling of "just being along for the ride" during a
> high action run.
> They'll probably be contributing to what the team is
> doing, but they
> don't get many real chances to be the shining star
> of the team. The
> other character types will be dominant in the
> activity that goes on
> in the meat world such as combat, and when the
> decker does get a
> chance to go for the glory, none of the other
> players get to
> interact.

Ok, my actual char its a decker with two cyberarms, one with his deck
and the other with some gadgets. His an expert in infiltrations and
security, so because his the decker he gets all the info on the Co. and
plans the infitration of all the troupe he is in the lead of what to do
and when to do it. So in a few words he runs the show before, while and
after the run. He gets in, decks inside, and comes out... simple

So who the hell cares about combat if thats the part you dont want to
confront (I still dont know a runner who likes to be in the middle of a
gunfight with Lone Star cops just for the fun...) Besides while you are
in the matrix there are some stuff called "Hikerjacks" that lets anyone
to see what are you doing in the matrix

>
> Is it any wonder why even the players who think
> decking is cool and
> the matrix rules are spectacular don't usually play
> deckers, and GMs
> get in the habit of using NPC deckers?

I would reconsider that part...
==------------------------------------------------------------
Caxal Balam
The Roar of the Jaguar
"That's the things were and that's the things are"
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