Great White Games/Pinnacle Entertainment Group

[thurak]

Hi everyone,

I was talking with one of the writers for future products for IZ, and he felt it would be a good idea to create a forum thread where people can ask question about the setting, the new rules, and in general, things you don't understand or agree with.

I'm also going to be starting an errata document that I'll obviously be releasing as a free download on my website.

It's my hope that this thread will help make the errata document more complete.

So, if you have any questions or concerns at all, please feel free to express them here, and we'll do our best to help enlighten you.

Thanks for your time.
_________________
David Jarvis

Gun Metal games

[Stampede]

I'm going to get this ball rolling with a few Questions I've already asked Thurak over email, so the Awnsers can be posted here for those who are curious.

Deep Questions
Given the nature of the Deep, and how it's a Virtual Reality over-lay of the Planet, built by Satellites and then transmitted to the TAPS of everyone on earth, There's a few potential odd circumstances..

1.) Can Characters who are Ghosting within the Deep actually see Dead Bodies? Given a dead body is no longer transmitting it's data, unless a Satellite is updating the area very quickly, wouldn't the body be effectively invisible to the Ghosting character?

2.) Does this mean, Most Animals are also invisible to an individual who is Ghosting, as well as People who don't have an Actual TAP?

3.) How often does the GISP update? If a Building is knocked over for construction purposes.. How long until it's VR appearance is changed to reflect this?

4.) Many characters in the Fiction tend to use Cell Phones or mention them. Also given the Flavor text on how one may actually have to wait a few seconds do to server load to make a call using AR, my question becomes.. Do People Still use Actual Cell Phones, with Separate Cell Phone Signals? And I imagine if they do, these Phones are still capable of interfacing with the Deep, much like our Phones do with the Internet today..

I could see the above having a couple of potential answers.
a.) The Cell Phone works entirely off the Deep, it's just a device some people carry around with them physically as an extra tool to interface with the Deep, but it doesn't work off of Cell Phone Towers anymore.

or

b.) Cell Phones in 2088 are now Devices which simultaneously interface with the Deep, and also use Cell Phone Signals and Towers. The Advantage being, if the Server Load in your Area is particularly high, causing Lag, you can just default to the Cell Phone Signal to carry the call. The Signal could even potentially be picked up by the GISP and translated to the recievers TAP, or the Phone could be simply one of the best ways to make sure your Phone conversation is, ironically, more Secure then say simply using a Deep OOL and talking over a Pipe (which has the potential to be hacked and listened in on) versus the Cell Phone Signal which can also potentially be hacked, but only by using very specialized now very Rare equipment.


Just to get us started here!
_________________
David Viars
Line Developer for Interface Zero
Gun Metal Games

[thurak]

[Wolfson]

One thing I'd add, regarding cell phones, is a thought on tech lag. When a person is used to a certain degree of technology, the lack thereof stands out all the more.

If you grew up with vinyl LPs, they sounded find - until you started listening to digital music. Then all the pops and scratches started standing out. The same with phones and land lines - not a problem until the age of wireless.

People in IZ using cell phones are likely to notice subtle things like the 'flatness' or 'dullness' of the reception. If you're used to receiving non-verbal queues via your TAP, the audio-only transmission of a cell phone may even leave you confused about content or meaning.

Also, in an age where everything is piped through HR, a guy on a cell phone will actually stand out as much as someone walking down the street and using a walkie-talkie would today.

Just some of my own thoughts.
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[JethSeux]

Would weapons like the AGA Thunderbolt or the Street Talker be considered Semi Automatic? In the SW core book the 1Model 1911 Colt .45 Pistol for instance can fire off two rounds for a +1 to hit and a +1 to damage, would the same hold true for these futuristic magazine fed guns?

[thurak]

[Bewildered Badger]

What do androids look like? Indistinguishable from humans, Data from Star Trek, something out of I, Robot, or what?
How much would a non-emancipated android cost? New and second hand?
For that matter, how much for the various types of Sim? Can anyone buy them, or is it restricted. Do you need a permit?
How long does it take to grow a Sim?

Thanks for your time.

[thurak]

Hiya!

Let's see if I can answer your questions.

[USP45]

Here's an easy one:

Just wanted to clarify that Table2-1 Gritty Damage is a (nicely done for comprehension) recap of normal damage yeah? The "gritty" piece comes later in the form of no soak rolls and a vigor roll for each wound (and new incap tables).

[thurak]

Good morning.

Yep, that's correct. Characters determine how many wounds they get wounds by comparing the damage rolled to the "Damage over toughness" entry on Chart 2:1 and apply the results. Each time they take a wound, they need to make vigor rolls on chart 2:2. If they succeed on a Vigor roll, there is no further effect beyond wound penalties.

If they fail, they roll on the incapacitation table and the injuries table if the result indicates they should do so.

Very nasty.
_________________
David Jarvis

Gun Metal games

[USP45]

Hi!
Here's a quickie concerning hacking a firewall.

If a masking program can be used to slip through a firewall and that attempt ignores the domain's penalty, why would anyone use a Cutter?

[Wolfson]

<Raises Hand> Ooh! Ooh! I know this one...

Because if you fail to slip through that firewall but still need that data right away, you may need to just blast your way in. Look at it this way: If you can use Stealth to sneak into a building and past the guards, why would anyone want lockpicks or weapons?

At least that's my take on it...
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- Savage Mojo Line Developers
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[thurak]

[Wolfson]

Yeah, there's all that, too. I know when I started putting together a Hacker for IZ, I immediately realized I needed all of the types of programs, not just some of them. Although I may be using it 'wrong', I tend to use Masking programs to hide my presence and Cutting programs to actually do the work of getting through nasty firewalls (or, in other words, I use Masking for Stealth and Cutter for Lockpicking... or just blowing holes through things, if it comes to that).
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[thurak]

Generally speaking, you can use Masking in tandem with any other program you have, so long as your TAP has enough slots.

It's best to think of programs like the Masking program (and Armor programs) as always running in the background. Generally, they only really come into play during a hack when something happens that affects them.

That's not to say you can't use a Masking program to sneak your way through a firewall, it's just a bit counter-intuitive, as you're choosing to forgo what is essentially a free roll to cut through the firewall with your Cutter program in favor of an Opposed test against the system.
_________________
David Jarvis

Gun Metal games

[Wolfson]

That's basically what I was driving at. I don't tend to use Masking to get through firewalls so much as to sneak around the system - like I said, I've been using Masking programs in lieu of Stealth. Now, if I've got a kick-ass Masking program and I'm in a low-end system, I'd consider 'sneaking' through a firewall since the odds might be in my favor. But in general, as you previously indicated, I'd probably follow your idea of activating the Masking to get the heck out if I was in too deep.
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[USP45]

Thanks for the reply. Nice job on Zeeks by the way. Just finished a quick read-through. High quality as usual.

[USP45]

What are your thoughts on ammo?

Since there are no ammo costs in IZ can we assume that something along the lines of combining the Cost of Living rules with the SWEX ammo-level rules should do the trick?

[thurak]

Hiya,

Strange that you asked this question. We're building an errata document and this is one of the subjects we've been discussing. I'm of two minds on this subject.

On one hand, I think having characters worry about how much ammo they have adds more bookkeeping to the game, and don't mind if there's some hand-waving involved to keep things FFF.

On the other hand, I can also appreciate the desire to know how much ammo (and what types) your character has, and how much it all costs. One of the fun parts of a cyberpunk game is choosing cool weapons and having nifty types of ammo for use in a variety of situations.

With that in mind, the errata document will suggest that a box of 100 rounds costs 10% of the purchase price of the weapon it was designed for. So ammo for an AGA Thunder bolt would cost 150 credits (purchase price of the weapon is 1,500 credits).

Alternately, as you suggest, you can use the Cost of Living rules in IZ along with the SWEX ammo rules if you like, and that should be perfectly fine.
_________________
David Jarvis

Gun Metal games

[Wolfson]

Just for the record (and nothing official), I use a rough and dirty conversion of $1 Savage Worlds equals about 10 credits Interface Zero. It doesn't work so well for a number of high-end items, and it isn't necessarily a 'clean' crossover, but it helps me set prices for those niggling things like Ammo.
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- Savage Mojo Line Developers
- Freelance Writers and Editors
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