A suggestion here. From every game that I have played and GM'd, these characters are typically NPCs or substitutes. Why? Well, unlike just about every other genre, these two are specialized. Too often, this is how a run goes down:
- Team gets a job.
- Team does research on the job.
- Decker runs against job to find info/crack security/etc.
- Rigger drives the rest of the team to the location of the run.
- Rigger and decker play strip-poker in the back of the GMC Bulldog until the team comes back with the scientist/chip/whatever in hand.
- Rigger drives team back to whereever they need to meet the Mr. Johnson for payment.
- Adventure ends and the team gets drunk in some seedy bar.
So what's wrong with that? Nothing, if you're not a Decker or a Rigger. What's described above is the typical role that a Decker and Rigger play. The Decker is the info-gatherer, the Rigger is the "Limo-driver," pure and simple. This deal isn't so fantastic if you are one of these players, so here's a couple of suggestions to spice up the lives of these two "classes."
We'll start with:
Riggers
I'll start with Riggers since they seem to have the bigger problem, but actually have the easiest fix. First, let's take a look at what makes up a Rigger: Drones and Vehicles. These two things are the main advantages that Riggers have over the other types of character. So everything that makes this character more interesting will come from these two items.
Drones are generally cheaper than vehicles, so let's start with them. Now the main staple of the Rigger's Drone Arsenal is the Rotodrone; it's a good size and it's not a bad thing right out of the box. Slap an autocannon under it on a turret and you're set. But these vehicles ain't exactly quiet or discreet. You don't want to have that autocannon open up on a public street, right? Right?! Anyway (sicko), this is a good place to start. Keep that rotodrone, but take a look at those other vehicles.
The first thing to check out is drones that don't fly. I know, I know: the Wandjina is just waaaay too cool, but maybe it wouldn't help your team out as much as a smaller ground vehicle would. Let me give you two scenarios. In the first one, you have a suped-up rotodrone. In the second, you have a suped-up ground-pounder:
- The team flops out of the back of your van and you log off so you can set up your rotodrone. It's not as hard as it looks - you've done it a few times. It takes about five minutes and the team moves to get into place, waiting for your air cover to get up and look down. You jack back into your rig and see the world through the eyes of your drone. You zip up a couple of stories and keep a sharp eye out for guards. Now that you're in place, the team moves in, disappearing within the building. You fly around, looking for evidence of alarms or possible ambushes, but see nothing. The door bursts open and your team storms out, shooting back over their shoulders. A few seconds later, a security team pours out behind them, firing like crazy. You open up with your autocannon, reducing them to a fine, red mist. Now you just need to land the thing (or have it tail you), pack it up, and toss it in the back of the truck. Mission over.
- You pull the truck over and get out, the team helping to unload the small wheeled vehicle. The silenced weapon on it is ready to rock in less than a minute. The team creeps forward into position and you roll your little rover right up behind them. A quick scan with the beefed up sensors doesn't detect any ambushes around, so you roll out into the courtyard, keeping to the shadows (just in case). At the door, the team gets it open and in your rover rolls. Taking point, the knee-high drone is pretty good at staying hidden. The team follows a short distance behind, seeing if you see anything. Then the shit hits the fan and your little drone is forced to open up with its main gun. While the drone's slagged, the team manages to get the thing they're after and bail out. Sure, you're down one drone, but the team will reimburse you for that (better a drone than a person).
Which one sounds like more fun? So that's drones. Vehicles are the next bit. Most people go in for the GMC Bulldog, since it's huge and has plenty of room for all those guns, er, toys. Take a look at some of the other things, though. Maybe a yacht for a homebase? If you guys ever need a hideout, there's no better place than a mobile one (of course, isolation can be bad, too). Limos, in the right settings, can get you in places other vehicles couldn't. Helicoptors are always good, but are also vulnerable. Maybe you're a rigger on a bike. How could that be useful? Think about it chummer; let your imagination run wild.
Before I get to the whole point of this Muse, let's get on to deckers.
Deckers
Deckers have a bit tougher job than Riggers. Riggers have access to both cars and drones, giving them a very broad base to build from. Deckers are not quite as lucky: they are bonded to their deck and can only affect things that are directly connected to the Matrix. On every run, there's always somewhere where decking comes in handy. The problem? That point rarely lasts the entire adventure; once your job's done, you're left sitting there twiddling your thumbs. Of course, there are jobs where you will need to be "live" in the Matrix shutting off slaves or manipulating files while the team is running around inside. But those runs are generally rare or given to specialized groups.
So what do you do? There are a few options. The first is to spread out a bit. What do I mean by that? Get a smartlink installed, get some muscle replacements, get some wired (or boosted) reflexes. You don't need to go too crazy: most teams have a Sammy that doubles as a minor decker, but you'd be doing it the other way: a computer-heavy Sammy. This is one way to involve yourself a bit deeper than, "Hey! Decker! Look up this crap!"
And there's another option, too (I would never, never leave you with one option). Here it is: influence what jobs the team takes. In other words, only take jobs where it sounds like the team would need a decker for most of it.
There's other options beyond those two, also. You could go in for a low-level rig and be the back up rigger. You could become a very good shot with none of the 'ware and simply tag along on runs after you've "done your part."
Those are a few choices for ya. Now on to the point of this muse. Deckers and Riggers are the hardest characters to play "as is," because it's up to you to involve yourself. As a GM, it's up to me to make adventures where everyone can play and have a good time, but Deckers and Riggers are so specialized that there is a very limited selection of runs that they can participate in the whole way through.
Generalize and you'll be able to take any job. Or stay the way you are and become really, really good at it. That's my two cents.
[Musings] [Home]
|
