From:	marc.renouf@******.com (Renouf, Marc A.)
Subject:	The speed of decking
Date:	Tue, 4 Oct 2005 16:02:27 -0400

> -----Original Message-----
> From: shadowrn-bounces@*****.dumpshock.com
> [mailto:shadowrn-bounces@*****.dumpshock.com] On Behalf Of Ray Macey
> Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2005 3:42 PM
> >
> > 20 minutes real time, or 20 minutes game time?
>
> I was specifically referring to real time. The game time was
> nice and quick, but the real time wasn't. Your example went
> nice and quick because no IC was triggered, and (correct me
> if I'm wrong), no huge amount of effort was put in to
> describing the system you were cracking so as to "get in and
> out fast" without breaking the flow of the game

The system was sculpted, but not overly so. There was no IC
triggered because I was good at my job, I have a decent deck (the
equivalent of a Kraftwerk-8), and the system wasn't overly secure (I'm
guessing Orange-average). I've gotten into cybercombat before, but
those only lasted one or two combat turns (just long enough for me to
get my wits about me and jack out). I've also run Matrix overwatch
before (opening doors, fooling security cams, etc) and that's fun
because it puts you in the same timeline as the rest of the players
regardless of how long it takes.
That said, you are right in at least one regard, and I believe
Kori also raised the same point - anytime a PC goes off on their own,
there's the potential for other players to be bored. I've seen the same
thing happen with street-samurai - if the run goes well and there's no
combat, they're bored shitless.
In my opinion, it's the responsibility of the *player* to come
up with a character that can contribute in more than just one area of
the game. My character is a decker, sure. But it's what *kind* of
decker he is that's important - he's an intrusion decker. His ideal run
involves getting on site and hacking closed systems from inside, where
you've bypassed outer layers of Matrix security by getting through
layers of physical security and hacking from on site. I have lots of
Electronics and B/R skills and gear to bypass all sorts of security. My
deck is in my cyberarm and my datajack is in my eye. I'm sneaky and I'm
also the group's "face man," with a decent Charisma and high negotiation
skills (with a Friendly Face to boot). I have a ton of contacts, many
of which span the globe (the Friends Abroad edge). Oh, and did I
neglect to mention that I'm a Neo-Jesuit priest and that our group is a
dirty-tricks squad working directly for the Vatican? The character is a
blast to play whether I'm decking or not, but it was encumbent upon me,
the player, to create a character like that.
I think too many GMs let players create characters that are
overly specialized, and that quite often the rest of the campaign (or at
least everyone's enjoyment of it) suffers as a result.

Marc