2011-12-05

Netrunning, to easy?

Netrunning ...

Going classless ... in general Cyberpunk 2020 benefit a lot for being classless. But there is an instance where it gets a bit uncomfortable. Netrunning let you control remotes quite easily. You put the program on, it does the rest of the job.

This means anybody with 1 rank in Interface can get to control remotes without any kind of problem.

In fact, having 1 rank in interface let you do quite a lot of things into the interwebz ... and it feels cheap. The only moment where you need you Interface is when things get ugly. But not everybody uses black programs.

For a while I was wondering about expanding netrunning skills, adding skills like "infiltrating", "antisystem", "antipersonnel", etc. On top of that, change the rules so every task at hand requires an appropriate skill roll adding the program STR vs predetermined difficulty.

It didn't feel bad at all ... but, it has 2 things I don't like at all.

First, it forces the netrunner to spend a lot of skills to be competent in his job. A netrunner that don't even know how to walk maybe realistic ... but for adventure purposes is a pain in the ass.

The other point is ... you kill the possibility of script kiddies populating the net. And there is charm in this.

So by now I'm thinking in merely add more programs and a few checks more to make infiltration a bit more complicated, because I feel is one of the aspects less interesting about the rules.

When Cyberpunk 2020 was created there was that concept of wirehead people connecting to BBS. Right now, Internet is more like anybody has access to the web and have public faces for them. So changing a bit about datafortress construction should be enough. And proxies (prior LDC) procedures too.

Later I will try to put an example of an assault to a digital fortress. A bank nonetheless!

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