Decker Problems and How to Solve Them
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- 10 minutes read - 1992 wordsOne of the most common problems new GMs (And old for that matter) is running the Matrix for their players. In every edition of Shadowrun, the matrix has been a pivotal part of the game. It makes sense in the larger picture, Gibson’s Neuromancer (Which you absolutely NEED to read if your running Shadowrun or Cyberpunk! [Hardcover or Sprawl Trilogy (Plus Burning Chrome) - Good Christmas Gifts!] gives us the first console cowboy and we have been seeking that experience every since.
This experience I believe is what they were trying to distill in the various systems (Along with all of the movies that then came after). This experience is what your players are seeking and I believe this is why the Matrix has changed so drastically between every edition. No one is happy with how it is presented. There is some struggle between complexity and keeping the soul of the thing. My personal opinion, you can’t remove the complexity and keep the soul. Before we get into that let’s go over some more common complaints and how to combat them..
The Matrix is only for Deckers/Otaku/Technomancers
This I believe is the real root of the problem in a lot of games. The Matrix is treated as this strange world that only the “elite” can enter. The thing of it is, every character should be interacting with the Matrix hourly. Think of every time you touch your phone to check your email, watch a video, etc. If you’re interacting with the Internet, then you’re touching the Matrix. Not every encounter requires you to “dive” into the matrix.
On that note, let’s also talk about the Matrix as it is used every day. Trode nets should be so commonplace, that every character should know about them, have handled them and should know the experience of logging into the Matrix. A ton of daily activities would be replaced by being able to log into the Matrix for 20 minutes versus doing things by hand in an hour or two. Movie theaters that you and your friends from across the world could meet up at. Shopping where you can fully experience the thing you’re going to have shipped to your home. Home offices which are fully furnished and allow for business meetings are instantly affordable and available. Sure, having a Datajack makes it easier, faster and more comfortable, but everyone can get their hands on a trode net if they don’t want to go under the knife (or can’t afford to). Places like public libraries should even have (if not horribly gross) free trode nets to be used by people for free for a little while.
This isn’t to say of course that all of this isn’t available on phones, pagers, etc. People’s pocket Secretaries are our current smartphones (or Commlinks for the later editions when they REALLY pushed (or forced really) that everyone touches the Matrix).
Deckers take too long to run
Decking in a dramatic scene can become its own scene and with all things it does take time, but it doesn’t need to become hours to give the player what they are seeking and making the world feel a bit more cyberpunk.
Smaller systems
Smaller systems for earlier editions can still give the player the same challenge as larger systems if they are compartmentalized correctly. You can let your player find the target systems a bit faster by removing some of the fluff if you need too. This still lets them hit IC and combat the system itself to wrestle control from the server to let them open doors, fix elevators, loop cameras, etc. Decide what’s important to your story and place those things in the system for your player to attack.
Backdoors for larger systems
If you want to keep with larger systems, make part of the adventure figuring out how to bypass the worst of the system’s security to get into the backend of the system for what they need for the run. 2nd Edition did this really well, allowing players to hardwire into cameras or find other LTG addresses to enter the system from a different connection, completely changing the system they are facing. It’s also a very common trope in movies. It also allows for yet another thing the players can be given as a reward for good legwork or success at another run. LTGs I think are way under valued. Everyone wants to feel like they outsmarted the enemy by finding something they wanted to keep hidden. Backdoor LTGs and forgotten entry points are peak storytelling!
Vital systems only
If you absolutely need to get everything done quickly, consider making only the most important things part of the system. Every decker loves the idea of getting to mess with the environmental controls or vending machines, but it’s more than what they need. You can make systems that are only the security of the building and let them hack that specifically. This will get them into the guts of it quickly without having to jump through the loops. This is mostly the Backdoors idea without it being a reward.
Learn the system!!
I cannot stress enough how understanding the system you are using will instantly speed up any encounter. The reason your other scenes progress so quickly is because you use them all the time. Any system you use often will become faster. The more practiced you and your decker player are, the faster resolutions you can get to and still be satisfying for the player to experience. Never forget that this is all about running a game that players want to play. Hand Waving parts of anyone’s character enough will lead to frustrations. Give the same attention to the Matrix rules as you do for astral combats, rigging, etc. Once you know it well enough, you will begin to see the stories interlaced in the systems laid out. There is where your story telling gold lies.
Deckers can do it all from home
This is something I’ve seen a ton of people mention and to me, this is all on the shoulders of the GM. If you let your players get away with this too often, it will become a problem very quickly. That being said, there is a reason why in the Hackers movie, everyone slaps Joey when he talks about hacking a bank across state lines from his bedroom. No person should want to do their illegal activities from their home. That is where “The Trace” comes in. Another thing to remember is the MOST protection any system will have is when someone approaches it from the outside. Hacking from the SAN and going inward should be a nightmare to be avoided (as per Backdoors). Remember, this is Shadowrun, if you are not going at a problem with some kind of edge, you’re going to be dead on the floor like everyone else.
Trace IC
This should be the IC that should scare the hell out of any player hacking from their home. Once the player is located. Police or worse are on their way. Remember that they are carrying like 50 years worth of broken laws in programs, illegal hardware, etc on them during these runs and while they are under, they can’t flee. If they legally own the property they are hacking from, then the police know who they are once that trace is complete. If they own it under a fake sin or the likes, that sin is burned. Every check with it could mean being arrested under computer fraud and abuse. Even if you log off before they arrive, you’re getting arrested and having your place searched. Remember this is the future of abusive laws. You keep your head down from the powers that be because they will knock it in if given the chance.
More dangerous IC
Another threat is being alone when an IC smokes you. With how the systems are setup in the older editions, there are threats you can prepare that no character can really survive without the most powerful decks and programs available. If they are having too many super easy runs, its time to up the ante and lay down some punishment. Bleeding from your ears unconscious in your own home while your friends are in a dangerous corp building means you might be dead before anyone can even find you. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve left decker characters who bit off way more than they could chew unconscious after coffee shops and in dumpster tapped into illegal lines. Once things get out of hand, they can usually really go poorly for the decker. So don’t be afraid to play with the difficult knob on systems.
Air gapped systems
This is the most common trope used in most adventures to get deckers to go on site. It’s an oldie and a goodie for a reason. Serious security means keeping the riff raff from even being tempted. This also allows for some more fun shenanigans from your players when they need to get into a secure building and try to wedge themselves into an elevator shaft so they can connect to the super secure network removed from the larger Matrix. An amazing scene for this is in the original Mission Impossible movie.
Deckers are better as NPCs
Another very common thing I see in games is where the decker/hacker character is always handed off to an NPC because of the difficulty involved. This then becomes a kind of binary switch for the PCs to handle. Either the NPC succeeded or failed and the players lose all of their agency in that aspect of the game. This is kind of a problem because it removes all of the tension that those actions could have given as well as making improvisations during the run difficult or at least less satisfying. This also applies (at least in my opinion) to the single roll resolutions.
With all of this laid before you, let’s talk about the experience that your player wants (at least from my opinion). We play these games to have some kind of an experience, so let’s make sure they get what they came for!
Players who decide on the Hacker/Decker role generally are looking for an ability to aid the team from afar and be able to out smart their enemy. To me, I always see this through specific actions they can take or things they can run into. Here is a list of what comes to mind when I think about it. I’ll add movie pairings where this exact thing happens.
- They want to be able to pop locks, defeat security, etc when the players get stuck in their run. (Sneakers)
- They want to be able to spot enemy movement through the cameras they hacked. (Mission Impossible)
- They want to be able to shut out the bad guys from their own tech. (Golden Eye)
- They want to be able to protect their runners gear or communications.
- They want to become aware of searches the bad guys have while they are trying to find the PCs and be given a chance to mislead or stop them. (Hackers)
- They want to find the hidden system or file with a vital clue to what’s really going on. (Hackers)
- They want to be able to see the trap the players are running into and be able to warn or stop it before it’s too late. (Sneakers)
- They want to be able to use the information that they found to hurt their enemies (UHF, Yes the Weird Al Movie)
What are some of the things you’ve run into? What troubles do you have that I haven’t covered? I’m interested to hear what people run into and why they don’t really do decking as apart of their game. Until next time chummers.