The Netrun is Just Another Dungeon (and That's a Good Thing)

I'll admit I have very little experience with cyberpunk themed RPGs. My cousin borrowed Shadowrun from a friend back in the early 90s and we looked through the book. Maybe made characters? And that was it. In the 00s, my buddy Steve had some Forge-inspired story-first games he was developing, and we did some cyberpunk themed games with that. Alex tried to get a RIFTS game going around 10 years ago, which had some cyberpunk elements but was really more superheroic/mecha oriented. More recently, at the Busan Tabletop Gaming Con, I got to play in Keith's Cyberpunk RED game, which was a lot of fun. I think that's about it. 

And yet, while cyberpunk is not my go-to sci fi subgenre, I do really enjoy the themes and aesthetics of it. And I've got some (I think) good ideas for my Missions & Mayhem cyberpunk campaign module, which for now I think will be titled Neon & Nihilism. (Unless I can think of something better in the meantime). 

In M&M's base rules, computer hacking is designed to be relatively quick and painless for the group, as most often only one Hero will be hacking while the others wait around. Make a few quick choices, a few quick rolls, and maybe have to deal with some complications before you succeed or fail. 

For N&N, though, the netrun is probably going to be a fairly important aspect of the campaign. And one complaint I've read about with that in other games is exactly what I was trying to avoid with the main game's hacking rules -- one player taking up a large amount of the game session on the hack/netrun, while the other players sit around twiddling their fingers or scrolling on their phones. 

For N&N, I think I've got a good idea to handle this and get everyone involved. Each Hero (PC) will have a net avatar. This is a secondary character that represents the Hero in cyberspace. The Avatar will have its own class (I'm thinking a Fighter/Thief/Wizard style trio). And the Net will be dungeons. In order to hack into a company's system, the Avatar adventuring party will have to brave the dangers of the dungeon to collect the treasure (whatever info or sabotage they have planned for the netrun). 

The Fighter type class (Cyber-Samurai?) is there to battle security modules and sentient programs to protect the other runners. 

The Thief type class (Shadow Slicer?) is there to retrieve (or plant) whatever needs retrieving, as well as outwitting security programs. 

The Wizard type class (Code Mage?) is there to try and rearrange the virtual environment to the runners' advantage, and will have some limited specials (spells) that can help with combat or infiltration/exfiltration. 

A corporate computer system, internet construct, or AI becomes a series of encounter areas with various challenges meant to keep the party OUT, or eliminate them once they get IN. And somewhere in the maze of programs, data files, subroutines, and whatnot is whatever goal the netrunners are after.  

So pretty much like a D&D dungeon crawl. 

The upside is that the netrun becomes its own adventure, and everyone participates. The downside is that the netrun becomes a dungeon that needs to be prepared, and that players will need two separate character sheets for the campaign. 

I'm also not sure yet how advancement of the meatspace Hero will affect the netrunner Avatar, and vice versa.  

Luckily for me, our modern age isn't that far removed from the typical dystopian cyberpunk setting. Late-stage capitalist megacorps, invasive surveillance tech, government controlled by the oligarchs, and the masses mostly sheep willing to stare at their screens all day waiting for the next dopamine hit. So I won't need to add a lot to the meatspace side of the rules (maybe some replicants, a few gene-splice mods, some cyberware, a bit more near-future tech). M&M can already handle a lot of that. Most of the focus of the book can be on the netrun aspect of the campaign. 

Another Successful Play Test

 This afternoon, I ran Steven (my younger) and my friends Denis and Charles through a stealth/subterfuge infiltration mission with Missions & Mayhem. Well, first we needed to update Charles and Denis' Heroes to the new rules. That went pretty well, with minimal fuss and only a few things fudged to match what came before to what they have now. 

The rules worked well. They were simple for me to run, with minimal referencing to the rules (they're written by me, but in flux so my mental model of the game doesn't always update to my latest ideas). The new proficiency system (2d4/2d6/2d8) was simple and easy for them to grasp, and very easy to implement in play. Yes, it is basically a skill system. But it's independent of class/level for its power growth, and it's limited to just the three levels. 

The new version of the "I know a guy" rules came into play, and worked in the group's favor so they were happy with that. In this case, they decided to pose as OSHA inspectors, and Steven's "I know a guy" roll showed that his hero did know a guy who could get them OSHA uniforms. A bit of forgery here, paying to have the rich hero's helicopter (Charles's) decorated with OSHA livery there, a little shopping, and they were set for their mission. 

A few things did come up in play that either hadn't been addressed yet, or I'd dropped from the rules. In particular at the end of the mission, they noticed the hidden security camera only AFTER they'd hacked the computer system. But their cover wasn't yet blown so they decided on a quick retreat rather than deal with that. In a campaign, this is the sort of thing that would bring them heat. At the moment, I've dropped the "wanted status" but the players today seemed to think it should come back.  

We also discussed a few ways to make it work. For one thing, they suggested that random encounter chances could be pegged to a character's (or group's) wanted status. Every few game hours, or once per scene/setting, roll to see if someone recognizes the wanted PC and alerts the authorities. I'd need to work out how that system plays out, something I hadn't finalized before dropping the original idea. 

To complete it, I'll need to decide exactly what sorts of complications might arise from being wanted, how likely they are to occur, what are the effects of each possible complication, and what players can do to lower their heat. 

There was hardly any combat this session. The manager in the office was already suspicious of them, and when they came in to "monitor the computer system for safety reasons" he wouldn't buy their story. So they tasered him. While he was out, they hacked the computer and got the information they were after. 

Which reminds me, the computer hacking rules worked OK, but I think I need to increase the chances of automated responses to actions while hacking. Most of the actions have low percentages, and there weren't any reactions or complications from the hack. To spice things up, I need to bump them up a bit. Not too much, or no one will try hacking. 

The important thing is, the entire hack was quick, and the other players weren't bored while it happened. So that's a success. 

My take-away: The basic combat rules are good. The proficiency system is good. Most of the resolution mechanics are easy to run. I need to tinker with a few probabilities and add/refine a few systems. 

We also leveled up everyone's heroes to 3rd level. Charles stuck with Fast Hero 3, but Denis multiclassed into Strong 2/Tough 1. Steven decided to do the changes later, but he will go Fast 2/Smart 1. Charles was a little confused by getting both a talent from his class, and a free proficiency slot from being 3rd character level, but we got that sorted quickly. Denis leveled up with no problem, but a complaint. When he rolled for hit points, the die slipped when he picked it up. It was a 2. I saw that it obviously slipped from his hand, so I let him re-roll it. He got a 1. 

Next time, I will run a combat heavy mission, in order to test out some of the more advanced combat rules (the autofire rules, explosives, etc.). We expect some or all of the heroes to die, but since it's a play test not a regular campaign, they'll resurrect if that happens. Charles didn't roll very well for hit points either, so they're all feeling a bit uneasy about a heavy combat mission. Should be fun!

Computer Hacking in RPGs

 I'm finally working on some computer hacking rules for Missions & Mayhem. I've heard before from fellow gamers, and reading a lot on the internet about how many games try to make hacking fun and exciting, or make it fairly realistic, but it turns into a mini-game that one player is playing while everyone else sits and twiddles their thumbs. Or, it just gets made into a single skill check that is not very exciting. 

There's got to be a sweet spot of just complex enough (providing choice/strategy to the hacker PC) while not bogging down into 30+ minutes of solo play. And as always for M&M, I am trying to follow the KISS principle. Don't make any mechanic more complex than it needs to be. 

Or as Einstein (I think) once said, "Make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler." 

Right now, I've got two ideas in mind. One is for hacker vs hacker scenes, as you might see in a spy or superhero movie/show. The other is for simple player vs system checks, but could also be used for hacker vs hacker stuff. 

My original idea was to try and make a strategy vs strategy results chart, similar to the Chainmail jousting rules. The PC hacker selects a strategy. The opposing NPC hacker (or the system being hacked) selects a countermeasure strategy. Cross reference on the table to see what happens. 

But I'd really need to test and refine that chart. I remember Delta analyzed the Nash equilibrium of the Chainmail joust, and there is definitely a single dominant strategy to it that will more often than not result in a win. And that's boring if you always know the optimal options to select. 

So my current thinking is to use the second option, which would break hacking a system into three phases. 

Phase 1: Entry. Hacking into the system. Make a roll to get into the system. If the roll succeeds, you're in. Either way, make a check to see if the attempt was noticed.

This phase could be made much easier with some other character talents. One Charismatic Hero class talent, and several of the starting occupation talents allow for a check to get "information, access, or a favor" from an NPC or organization. This could be done to represent social engineering before the hack.

Phase 2: Manipulation. Depending on the security level of the system, this might be automatic for unsecured systems, or require a check/counter-check. Either way, once you're in, you can search for information (including physical location if unknown), download or copy information, attempt to reprogram the computer system, control connected (security) devices, or try to sabotage the system. The longer the PCs stay in the system (each additional check after the first) increases the odds of being noticed/having countermeasures triggered.

If the attempt to enter was noticed, countermeasures will be in place (if there are any). If not, each action runs the risk of being noticed, and triggering countermeasures. If there's an opposing hacker, the hacker can attempt to reverse hack the PCs and direct the countermeasures. And of course, this could all be reversed, with an NPC trying to hack the PCs' computer system.  

Phase 3: Exit. Attempt to cover your trace as you log out of the system. Depending on the countermeasure response, this might not be necessary as your cover could already be blown or you could have already been booted from the system. But it would be a simple check at the end. 

 Computer systems will have three categories. Unsecured systems are your typical home/office PC. Sure, they may have some passwords or firewalls, but nothing unusual, and no countermeasures unless an NPC hacker is on them. A lot of IoT devices will also be unsecured. 

Secured systems will have some automated countermeasures in place that can be triggered, and are harder to hack into during entry or exit cleanly. Unless an NPC hacker is working against the intrusion, though, the responses will be preprogrammed/limited. Most small to medium size businesses and non-military/intelligence government agencies would have this level of computer system.

Hardened systems will be the hardest to enter or have a clean exit, and will have responsive AI countermeasures that act as an NPC hacker even if none is present. This is what megacorps, militaries, and intelligence agencies use. 

Gold Box: Pool of Radiance

I've known for a while that the old TSR Gold Box DOS game Pool of Radiance was available for play online. I finally checked it out last night, and played around with it a bit more today.

I played it, and the first of the Dragonlance Gold Box games in college. Back then, we just messed around with it, except for one friend who really got into it and played through all three Dragonlance games (there were three, IIRC).

I remember having fun with the character creation and customization more than anything. Yes, it looks so primitive by today's standards. Even by the standards of 1988 (when the first game was published) I think it looks a bit blah. But I was thrilled that I could remake my own D&D characters in the game. Of course, we quickly realized that you could just max out each character's stats, and why not? The game is tough enough as it is.

Playing it now, I'm finding my way back into it, but there are a few things I'm probably missing by not checking out the manual. Like I once combat starts, monsters can lose morale and flee or surrender, but there's no way for my characters to do that that I can see. I haven't tried moving "off the board" yet, maybe that would do it.

And I'm thinking of restarting. I realized that a party of six Half-Elf Fighter/Cleric/Magic-Users might be optimal. Slow advancement, but lots of cure light wounds and sleep spells. Maybe one Fighter/Magic-User/Thief, because I'll probably need a thief later on.

Crapola

Two nights ago, we had a catastrophic hard drive failure on our PC.  And for some reason, our external hard drive had stopped automatically saving a backup over a year ago and we didn't notice.  So we've possibly lost a year plus worth of data.

My wife will take the old hard drive to a shop tomorrow and they'll see what they can salvage.

Back up your data, folks!  If you're like me, you always think about it when you're away from the computer, and when you get to the computer you aren't thinking about it anymore.

Anyway, for those of you hoping to see Chanbara released sometime this decade, don't worry, all of those files are on my netbook.  I've probably lost a few recently downloaded pictures (pending recovery operations tomorrow) but since they were all downloaded from the internet, I'm sure I can find them, or suitable replacements, again.

Once again, hurray for the public domain!

Anyway, back to work.  I've got to clear off enough space from our external hard drive for them to put all the data on if they can recover everything.


Update - We got all of our data.  Now I've got to spend the rest of the weekend getting the new hard drive and the external hard drive sorted out, and finish downloading and installing the programs we lost.  Fun fun!  

Virtual Tabletops? I could be interested...

I don't play any MMORPGs.  The only online (addictive) games I've played were all free (Utopia and its more open cousin Dystopia, and Kingdom of Loathing to be exact).

I don't have the time or patience for the 'grinding' anymore.  I tried playing Final Fantasy 6/3 on my NES emulator about two years ago, and gave up shortly.  Spending all that time beating slimes with sticks for a few coppers just to buy a dull knife (one step up from the stick!  Then I can save up for the padded vest instead of my tattered dirty jerkin faster!) isn't what I want out of a video game anymore.

The monthly subscription thing isn't too appealing, either.  I'd rather buy a game once, and then have it to play at my leisure. 

The virtual table top, if properly constructed, could possibly interest me.  Being in Korea, there aren't that many gamers I can find.  And I think I've documented thoroughly enough with my current group why RPGs don't seem to work well with us.  I've tried PbP games such as those on RPOL.  They usually don't work.

I did have good experiences years ago using OpenRPG combined with Yahoo Voice Chat (back around 2001/2002) to run some games with friends in other parts of Japan.

I think in my case, having something like a good, stable, VTT with plenty of people checking in and playing all sorts of games would be great for me.  I could play with people I know that live far away, or with strangers, or a mix of both, despite being on a different continent.  And I could find a group of players who want to play the same style of game as myself much more easily, I'd imagine. 

In the end, though, monthly subscription costs will likely keep me away from WotC's offerings, but if someone else came up with something similar and free, or pay as a one-time fee to download the software, I'd be on it.

Nothing beats a good face-to-face game with your friends, but this VTT idea might not be a bad one.

Getting a Netbook soon

I got a final tax refund from Japan last week. Yea! Part of the money we're gonna use to purchase a netbook. As of yesterday's shopping/web browsing, looks like we've settled on a Samsung NT N210. Nothing fancy, but from all reports and my own perusal, it's got a big enough keyboard, long battery life, and the matte screen cuts down on glare.

Anyway, how does this have anything to do with gaming? Well, it means I'll be able to take it just about anywhere, so I can finally get back to work on Flying Swordsmen during my down-time at the radio station and kindergarten, among other things.

Of course, with wireless access all over the place here in Korea, I'll need to be careful not to just spend all that extra time surfing the web!

Considering RPOL again

Looks like the either Star Frontiers or D&D game isn't gonna happen this summer after all. Chloe isn't interested (she plays darts every Saturday evening) and Bill's not interested and will be away for 6 weeks anyway. There had been some hope that if Chloe played, Bill would (they're dating).

That leaves just me, Josh and Alex, and Alex doesn't want to play RPGs with only 2 players, if the other player is Josh especially. So we may just stick to board games for now.

So if I want to put all this work I've sunk into the Maritime Campaign to use, the internet would be the way to go. With my crazy work schedule, Skype or chat games won't work. But something like RPOL, a message board game, could maybe.

But every time I've tried to get into a game on RPOL it's always died a sudden death shortly after things get interesting. People just don't seem to have the attention span to stick with it. And I get obsessive about checking for updates all the time, and waste so much of my day on the site hoping someone's posted something.

Bummer.

Technology in gaming

James M over at Grognardia has an article about computers in Traveller. Star Frontiers, from that year of awesome computing 1981, suffers from the same problem.

Last year, though, I came across the concept that will reconcile the Star Frontiers computer rules with the way modern computers have far outstripped what they appear to do.

What's called a computer in Star Frontiers is an AI machine. Something like I'm using right now to type this blog post is just a piece of tech, and falls under the Technician's skills--like chronocoms, polyvoxes, etc.

If you need to reprogram, repair or deal with an intelligent machine, you need a Computer Specialist because they're just SO complex. That's also why the most powerful ones are as big as a house. It's still not very "realistic" but it seems to answer the question of why the rules work the way they do.