From: mjl17@mbuc.bio.cam.ac.uk (Michael Lush)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Demon netrunner
Date: 2 Sep 92 19:06:17 GMT
Organization: U. of Cambridge, England


>Has anyone designed an alternate quick resolution system for matrix
>runs?  There is the problem with the one in "Alternate Realities" in
>that it encourages a very lean deck, with little to no compensation for
>it.
>
>Troy L. Nothnagel


        I've had vague ideas about a net running system based on
specalised AI's called Data Demons,  which would work as an adjunct to
the normal decking system.   The Deaker could brief a demon
about the system its to crash then send it scooting off to do the
dirty deed,  while the deker waits 'safe' (Ha!) in his or her
Home cyber space to await its return.

        The chance of sucess would depend on the relative strength of
the system and the Demon, plus the amount of intellegence the demon has
on the system,  (ie system layout, type of security system used,even knowing
who wrote the system may help (poor Regdor... always leaves a loophole
under the Beta level system codeing)).

        The actual game mechanics could be quite simple,  determine system
strength (computing power+securty rateing+gardion demons, etc),
and determine Demon strength (computing power+ice breakers+
intellegence, etc),  then do a simple contest of
skills/strength/whatever to see if the demon comes back, and how sucessful
it was.

        Demons may have limited decision makeing abilities and too 
long a priority list would confuse the poor thing,
and may not recognise target data when it scans it,  so the deaker
may have to go in if the mission parameters are vague.

        The idea is to concentrate the effort on intellegence gathering
so everyone can join in,  deakers can do scouting runs penetrating just
far enough to run mapper utilities and release spy viruses.  The techie
could figure out what hardwares on line and what modifications have been
done,  as well as generaly bugging,  freaking, and tapping the target
to get data on the encodeing methods.    The Street Sam's etc. could
coerse passcodes etc.  And finaly the Fixer may just be able to track
down all this data through contacts.

	Of course you could go the whole hog and give each nondecking player
a demon to run/play during netruns. 

        On the other hand the whole run could be resolved
on a couple of dicerolls,  (especially if the fixer comes up with the
goods),  letting play get onto the important bit.

        A halfway house might make the break in as normal then deligate the
data file entry and exploration etc to the demons.

        An interisting angle would be to make the 'Demons'
learn with each run (and perhaps get stroppy as they get stronger...)
and dekers are people who have the 'Cyber Charisma' and patience to deal
whith the tempremental things.   This could change the dekers image
to a sort of demonologists,  someone who initialy can only talk the
the demons (an apprentice) but as s/he grows in experience and skill can
'summon' (write) demons of greater strength.   In cyberspace sutch a
an archmagi would be an impressive sight surronded in a huge cloud of
demons of various sizes.

        Another effect would be to make hacking utils more personal
with unique names skills and personalities,  and decking may take on
a more arcane flavour.


-- 
Michael

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NPC rights activist           |      Nameless Abominations are people too.


	PS 	I'd be interisted to hear comments/suggestions to store against 
the day I finaly implement the system.  Thanks.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc