Custom Cyberpunk Setting - Can someone explain Netrunning?

[starslayer]

Originally Posted by fieryscubadivingaccident

Wow, this forum is quite active, thanks for all the responses! I've followed @sir_pudding's advice and grabbed that issue of Pyramid.

@Refplace, that makes a lot of sense! To make sure I'm understanding it right: a hacker first enters a network. A hacker can move from node to node, but only if she has defeated any security programs running on nodes "ahead" of her (?) A hacker cannot advance to additional nodes until the programs on that one have been beaten? And "combat" is a division of turns into phases -- which represent the relative speeds of the hacker's computer and the system being invaded? I think I get it? I think what's still confusing me is how movement works. Can a hacker run a program from one system against another? further down the line? Can a hacker hop to one node, and then simply hop to another without defeating its defenses?

Regarding the concerns about netrunning bogging down gameplay: Perhaps I should have clarified that the my game concept is a retro-futurist cyberpunk game, a TL7 world with some TL8+ tech tossed in there.

I like the idea behind the 3e version of Netrunning because it is very similar to how the Metaverse is described in Snow Crash. While researching cyberpunk game systems for my concept, i kept finding a common complaint that 'hacking dungeons' can drag down gameplay; they often just become an exchange between the GM and whoever's playing a 'hacker' class. Snow Crash itself acknowledges the absurdity of the Neuromancer-style cyberspace as being limited to a tiny sliver of the population with neural interfaces. So, in Snow Crash, the Metaverse is accessible through terminals and VR headsets. I'll be following a similar model such that any player can enter cyberspace, regardless of whether or not they're a 'hacker' class. Plus, my players seem enthusiastic about the prospect of a 'hacking' game mechanic.

I don't think anything you have posted is going to help with the bogging down of gameplay, nor addressed the absudity of cyberspace as a mirror of real-space.

The issue here is that cyberspace becomes an inherit party splitter, and it creates 'dual roles' for your combat classes (IE- you can be a real combat class, or a virtual combat class; and they will require completely different skills and abilities to be good at it).

By instead focusing on the kinetic effect of hacking (via a magic system) you keep the combat classes/players doing what they wanted to be doing- fighting things- you allow the computer-wizards to be computer-wizards (by being wizards under the guise of computer).

Example: The party is fighting some bad guys in front of a locked door. The bag guys also have some automated turrets, and half of the bad guys are cybernetically enhanced.

Later they encounter a laser grid defense system.

'Cyberworld' version:
The party comes under fire. The party combattants lay there own fire down and get the party to cover. Some intense rounds of combat take place during this period where the hackers have a much higher chance of getting hit (since they are not combat class guys), and the presumably heroic combat classes provide blocking coverage and covering fire for there more squishy hacker/scholar allies. Once the hackers are under cover and unlikely to take a stray bullet they jack in; given that the party is under heavy fire, one of the combat types jacks in as well to provide some additional support;
Combat now splits into two 'planes'
One in which the hackers are hulking digital barbarians in a fantasy landscape (and the real world fighter who came along with them is a weak flimsy bartender), the other where they are in a gunfight.

The GM now has to run dual combats, dual initiatives, and occasionally make the effects of one translate over to the other (perhaps one of the gnolls the fantasy hackers are fighting is actually a security system from one of the cyborgs- if that cyborg gets killed, the gnoll just vanishes- if a bullet manages to hit one of the hackers, then they just vanish from cyberspace while there body dies, etc). Its a nightmare to GM and hard for the players to keep track of, but at least everything is happening on roughly the same time-scale. Eventually between the fighter types shooting things, and the virtual barbarians 'hacking' the turrets to turn on the enemies the party won. The fighter type who accompanied the hackers questions if there was any utility in that.

Later on the party encounters a laser grid defense; One of the fighter types figures he is acrobatic enough to get past; but it will be tight. The hacker says they will help- they jack in. As of that moment the rest of the party is doing nothing while the hackers do whatever to either slow down or full on disable the laser-grid.

'computer wizardry' version;

The party comes under fire from the entrenched bad guys. One of the hackers activates a flight path predictor program (charm of lesser strengthen chance to increase party defense for those with cybernetics). Another one of the hackers activates a targeting scrambler (charm of lesser destroy chance to reduce enemy attack, against enemy cybernetics/machines only, resisted) This allows the party to much more easily get to cover.

Once under cover one of the hackers writes a program (over many multiple rounds of combat) to overheat the enemy cyborg's cybernetics (lesser destroy body to attempt to cause the affliction 'agony' to the cyborg)

The other hacker has a machine override program already written and activates that (greater control mind to take over the turret's and redirect them)

All the while the hackers are actively involved in the battle, making active decicions on when to be coding, and when to be hiding, or giving up concentration in order to dodge.

Later they encounter the laser grid, the acrobat says he can almost do it. The hackers say they will help then. The first hacker writes a program to enhance the cybernetics in the acrobat (lesser strengthen body- provides a bonus to dodging laser grids +4), and the other writes a program to slow down the grid tracking (lesser weaken mind- provides a penalty to laser grid scanning -4)- this takes them about a minute (but this is done via quick rolls)- and then the acrobatis WAY more likely to succeed (total of a net 8 bonus).

They could have tried to shut the laser grid off outright, but that would have been much harder

Has our intrepid hackers ever critically failed an effect than a potent anti-penetration program would initiate similar but stronger effects against the whole party.

No party splitting, and there is more reason for the hackers to HELP the party do things, than to just 'CSI' it while the rest of the group listens to the goings on in cyberspace.