287 lines
16 KiB
Plaintext
287 lines
16 KiB
Plaintext
|
:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:
|
|||
|
: Earth's Dreamlands : Info on: RPG's, :(313)558-5024 : area code :
|
|||
|
:RPGNet World HQ & Archive: Drugs, Industrial :(313)558-5517 : changes to :
|
|||
|
: 1000's of text files : music, Fiction, :InterNet : (810) after :
|
|||
|
: No Elite / No porn : HomeBrew Beer. :rpgnet@aol.com: Dec 1,1993 :
|
|||
|
:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Chapter 3:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
NETROAMING
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
CYBERSPACE AND NETROAMING
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Any character can travel through Cyberspace by using a
|
|||
|
gadget called a cyberdeck (see p.00). The character must
|
|||
|
jack into the cyberdeck by a headset or pinky slot. The
|
|||
|
deck, in turn, must be connected to anything that plugs into
|
|||
|
the wall. If you don't have a computer handy, just jack into
|
|||
|
the toaster. It's all part of the Net.
|
|||
|
Why go to cyberspace? Because it's the "place" that
|
|||
|
connects all the phones and computers in the world. When you
|
|||
|
call your buddy in another city, neither of you moves, but
|
|||
|
you meet in cyberspace. With a cyberdeck, though, you don't
|
|||
|
just send your voices -- you can see! Basic cyberspace looks
|
|||
|
like the inside of a gigantic neon jungle-gym. There are
|
|||
|
bars of light in all colors and shapes. Each character,
|
|||
|
place and program is represented by a different splash of
|
|||
|
color, which is constantly changing. It can be very
|
|||
|
confusing. Make a Smarts Roll any time you see something, to
|
|||
|
understand what it is. If you roll a 12, you're
|
|||
|
automatically Boggled.
|
|||
|
Therefore, all but the most experienced Netroamers use a
|
|||
|
Worldgram (see p.00). This is a chip that makes cyberspace
|
|||
|
look and act just like an "ordinary" TOON world. Characters
|
|||
|
look (sort of) like themselves, programs look like buildings
|
|||
|
or animals, attack programs look like weapons, valuable data
|
|||
|
looks like money, and so on.
|
|||
|
Netroamers must follow the rules of the worldgram that
|
|||
|
they are in -- unless the Animator decides otherwise, or
|
|||
|
creates a worldgram with no rules. No matter what program a
|
|||
|
Netroamer has, they must blend in with the worldgram unless
|
|||
|
the Animator thinks they'd be funnier if they didn't.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
GETTING AROUND IN A WORLDGRAM
|
|||
|
Once in the Net, just act as though everything you see
|
|||
|
is real. It is... kind of. You can buy special programs
|
|||
|
(see p.00) to serve you as weapons, armor, and so on.
|
|||
|
The things that you see are metaphors for the things
|
|||
|
that are really happening in the Net. The Animator tells you
|
|||
|
what you see and you have to figure out what it means. Some
|
|||
|
Skills will help; when in doubt, make a Smarts roll. For
|
|||
|
instance, suppose you're raiding the Skratchanichi Megacorp
|
|||
|
to swipe a data file of suspected Toonpunks, and replace it
|
|||
|
with a file of chicken jokes. You're using the Dungeons and
|
|||
|
Toons worldgram.
|
|||
|
When you plug in, the first thing you see is a deep,
|
|||
|
dark forest (the Net). You figure out the way to
|
|||
|
Skratchanichi and start walking. Soon you are attacked by
|
|||
|
wolves (random defensive programs). You defeat them and go
|
|||
|
on.
|
|||
|
Before long, you see a great black tower (Skratchanichi
|
|||
|
Megacorp). In front is a huge dragon (the main defense
|
|||
|
program). Maybe you try to fast-talk it to let you by; maybe
|
|||
|
you fight it (good luck!), or maybe you walk around to look
|
|||
|
for a back door (which netroamers call a "back door." Go
|
|||
|
figure).
|
|||
|
Once you're past the guardian, you explore the rooms of
|
|||
|
the castle (the different Skratchanichi computers). Every so
|
|||
|
often you may be noticed by a castle guard or a monster (more
|
|||
|
defense programs). Deal with them quickly, or they may give
|
|||
|
the alarm (setting off lots of security programs). Programs
|
|||
|
which Fall Down won't bother you again on that run.
|
|||
|
Eventually you find the room you want. There are no
|
|||
|
guardians, but the door looks funny. Looking closely, you
|
|||
|
see a string (a Trapgram!) With a Set/Remove Traps roll, you
|
|||
|
get past it.
|
|||
|
Inside the room, the high-security databank is
|
|||
|
represented by a strongbox with a funny lock (another
|
|||
|
trapgram). You fail your Set/Remove Traps roll, and a spear
|
|||
|
pops out, doing 4 points of damage to your cyberbody. (When
|
|||
|
you take all the damage you can to your cyberbody, it Falls
|
|||
|
Down and yu get booted from the Net by a large steel-toed
|
|||
|
work boot.) But you get in and grab the huge, musty book
|
|||
|
(the data file). In its place you leave the bag of bats
|
|||
|
(your joke file). Perhaps you grab a few jewels (other
|
|||
|
interesting information) while you're at it.
|
|||
|
Now you've got to get out again. If you just "unplug",
|
|||
|
you'll be safe, but you won't have your loot. So you have to
|
|||
|
get past the guardians, out of the castle, and back to the
|
|||
|
place where you entered the Net.
|
|||
|
But as you leave the strongroom, you see a huge, shadowy
|
|||
|
form -- a gigantic tiger in black armor, holding an enormous
|
|||
|
broadsword. It's Yugota Skratchanichi himself! Uh oh...
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
SKILLS AND SHTICKS IN CYBERSPACE
|
|||
|
A Netroamer keeps his normal attributes and skills, and
|
|||
|
can even get program chips (p.00) to improve them! He does
|
|||
|
not get to take his Shticks into cyberspace. But he can buy
|
|||
|
Shtickgrams to replace them -- or to give him new Shtciks --
|
|||
|
as many as his deck will hold!
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
EXTRA ACTIONS
|
|||
|
Time passes faster in cyberspace than it does in
|
|||
|
realspace, so once a Netroamer plugs in, he gets more than
|
|||
|
one Action per turn! How many Actions he gets is based on
|
|||
|
what type of cyberdeck he's using. See p.00.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
PROGRAMMING
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
In cyberspace, you can temporarily change an existing
|
|||
|
program by making a Fast-Talk roll (to convince it to
|
|||
|
change). So, when you hack a security program, you can talk
|
|||
|
it out of attacking you -- at least right then! A failed
|
|||
|
roll will usually cause problems. Outside of cyberspace,
|
|||
|
just programming on an ordinary computer, make a Read roll to
|
|||
|
make a small change.
|
|||
|
To make a big change, or to create a brand-new program,
|
|||
|
requires the Weird Science Shtick (p.00). Everything on the
|
|||
|
Net is by definition Weird.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
THE DENIZENS OF CYBERSPACE
|
|||
|
Everything in Cyberspace looks like something else --
|
|||
|
something normal to the worldgram. The skills
|
|||
|
See/Hear/Smell, Hide/Spot Hidden and Identify Dangerous Thing
|
|||
|
will be very useful for avoiding booby-trap programs
|
|||
|
(including those that look harmless but aren't).
|
|||
|
Most of the creatures in Cyberspace are really programs,
|
|||
|
there to protect Corporate secrets. This will mean that most
|
|||
|
of them have Resist Fast-Talk scores of 9 or better. They
|
|||
|
will also have fairly high Fight rolls.
|
|||
|
A Netroamer might also encounter:
|
|||
|
Other Netroamers. They may be friendly, hostile or just
|
|||
|
silly. They may have programs that disguise them!
|
|||
|
Cops. A cop in the Net may be a total poser, or he may
|
|||
|
be very skilled, able to Boggle you and track you home.
|
|||
|
AIs. An AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is a computer
|
|||
|
character. Max Playroom (p.00) is an AI. An AI won't have a
|
|||
|
real body outside the net (Max is an exception, but he's
|
|||
|
special.) But an AI will have high Netroaming skills, and as
|
|||
|
many programs as the Animator wants to give it.
|
|||
|
Natives. Nobody knows where these folks came from, but
|
|||
|
there are creatures actually living in cyberspace. Sometimes
|
|||
|
they get irritated with Netroamers...
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
THINGS TO DO IN CYBERSPACE
|
|||
|
A good Netroamer can get into any computer anywhere. Or
|
|||
|
any toaster, washing machine, electric toothbrush... anything
|
|||
|
that's plugged into the wall... and make it do whatever he
|
|||
|
wants. (Look out, because if it's unplugged while you're
|
|||
|
inside, you're Boggled.)
|
|||
|
Inside a computer, you can get it to do strange
|
|||
|
things... read, change or delete data files... insert new
|
|||
|
files, including interesting virus programs... anything to
|
|||
|
shake up those serious Corps.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
NETROAMER STUFF
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
CYBERDECKS
|
|||
|
Cyberdecks are small, black boxes that allow a Netroamer
|
|||
|
or Programmer to interface with the Net, either in Program
|
|||
|
Mode or in Cyberspace. Decks are rated by their speed factor
|
|||
|
and the number of chipdips they have, as well as how many
|
|||
|
optional features they have. A deck with a speed factor of 2
|
|||
|
lets you do 2 actions per turn, while a speed factor of 4
|
|||
|
allows _4_ actions. The Net Profits Catalog lists several
|
|||
|
types of Cyberdecks, from stripped-down cheapies to state-of-
|
|||
|
the-art, fully-loaded, luxury models.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
PROGRAMS
|
|||
|
There are 12 basic kinds of grams, or programs,
|
|||
|
available to the public. Their cost depends on how reliable
|
|||
|
they are and what they do. Each one is contained on a little
|
|||
|
chip. These don't count against any limit on possessions;
|
|||
|
you can have as many as you can get your hands on.
|
|||
|
Some programs, like Shtickgrams, reqire a die roll to
|
|||
|
use. The normal off-the-shelf chip has a skill of 6.
|
|||
|
Programs that are created or stolen might have a higher die
|
|||
|
roll, but no program can be better than 11. The basic types
|
|||
|
of programs are listed below.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Worldgram
|
|||
|
These generate a specific world in cyberspace. Without
|
|||
|
a worldgram, cyberspace is different every time you enter it
|
|||
|
and always very strange. Worldgrams are usually pretty
|
|||
|
cheap.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Weapongrams
|
|||
|
You use these to fight your way into databases.
|
|||
|
Weapongrams have no intelligence and must be actively used by
|
|||
|
the Netroamer. This means if your weapongram is a gun, you
|
|||
|
must use the Fire Gun skill to use it. The price of
|
|||
|
weapongrams depends on how much damage they do.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Armorgrams
|
|||
|
These simulate armor, force fields or whatever
|
|||
|
protection the worldgram allows. These programs are also
|
|||
|
unintelligent, but you don't need to concentrate on using
|
|||
|
them. Cost depends on how much protection you get.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Shtickgrams
|
|||
|
Since your natural Shticks don't come with you into
|
|||
|
cyberspace, you need these to replace them. If you want, you
|
|||
|
can buy Shtickgrams that are different from your normal
|
|||
|
Shticks. Basic Shtickgrams don't cost too much, but if you
|
|||
|
want a better level than 6, you'll have to pay more for it.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Boostergrams
|
|||
|
Your attributes and skills _do_ come with you into
|
|||
|
cyberspace, but you can improve them. A boostergram gives
|
|||
|
you a plus on either a single skill or an attribute. As you
|
|||
|
probably guessed, boostergrams for one skill are much cheaper
|
|||
|
than attribute boostergrams. Of course, +1 also costs less
|
|||
|
than +2.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Bogglegrams
|
|||
|
Bogglegrams don't do actual damage, they just boggle
|
|||
|
things. They cost more if they do Maximum Boggling (see p.
|
|||
|
00). Bogglegrams are often found as defensive programs,
|
|||
|
linked to Trapgrams.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Creaturegrams
|
|||
|
This is the intelligent version of a weapongram. Once
|
|||
|
you tell them what to do, they will do it until they've
|
|||
|
accomplished the goal or been destroyed. Price is based on
|
|||
|
the type of creature.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Buddygram
|
|||
|
With a buddygram, you have a travelling companion that
|
|||
|
can help you out by doing simple tasks. Buddygrams aren't
|
|||
|
very smart, but they can be very useful. Buddygrams are
|
|||
|
pretty expensive.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Gadgetgrams
|
|||
|
You can't take gadgets into cyberspace, so these
|
|||
|
programs do the job of simulating them. You can buy a
|
|||
|
gadgetgram to reproduce anything from a ping pong ball to a
|
|||
|
starship. Some gadgetgrams can be dozens of different
|
|||
|
things, but they're generally all of the same type. The more
|
|||
|
complex the gadget, the more expensive the gadgetgram. The
|
|||
|
cost of gadgetgrams is up to the Animator.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Trapgrams
|
|||
|
These programs are designed to do something to other
|
|||
|
programs, databases, hardware or even someone using a deck.
|
|||
|
Netroamers will usually encounter them as part of the
|
|||
|
defenses when they attack a Megacorp system.
|
|||
|
An Identify Dangerous Thing roll will spot a Trapgram; a
|
|||
|
Set/Remove Trap roll will let you get past it. If you fail,
|
|||
|
_something awful happens_. It may call creaturegrams or live
|
|||
|
Netroamers. It may cost your cyberbody Hit Points (it can't
|
|||
|
hurt your real body).It may throw you out of cyberspace. It
|
|||
|
may Boggle you or do something silly to you. The worst ones
|
|||
|
can Mindfry you or even Zero you Out.
|
|||
|
All Trapgrams are very expensive. The worse the
|
|||
|
results, the more costly they are. An Animator who is
|
|||
|
concerned with realism (what's that) will have only a few of
|
|||
|
the really nasty trapgrams, and they'll be right at the heart
|
|||
|
of the megacorp's defenses.
|
|||
|
They are often combined with one of the other types of
|
|||
|
programs or even a _virus_. A turn or two after the main
|
|||
|
program activates, the Trapgram goes off. Only a few
|
|||
|
Trapgrams are legal. All the rest are both illegal and
|
|||
|
dangerous.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Gigglegrams
|
|||
|
Gigglegrams cause all sorts of problems, but none of the
|
|||
|
damage is really bad. One example is a gigglegram that
|
|||
|
causes a series of "knock knock jokes" to flash onscreen
|
|||
|
during an important speech by a Corp executive. Another
|
|||
|
might have the machines that build car bodies make them in
|
|||
|
the shape of bananas. They would still work, but they'd look
|
|||
|
really screwy. It goes without saying that all gigglegrams
|
|||
|
are _highly illegal!_ Despite this, they are fairly
|
|||
|
inexpensive on the Street.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Viruses
|
|||
|
A virus is a very special program designed to duplicate
|
|||
|
itself inside a deck, database or program and then move
|
|||
|
through the Net looking for others to infect. A virus can
|
|||
|
contain one or more other programs and can set them off in
|
|||
|
any order the programmer wants. Viruses are even more
|
|||
|
illegal than gigglegrams and are a lot more expensive and
|
|||
|
harder to find.
|
|||
|
|