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Spoofing Life Styles in 5th

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Marcus

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« on: <06-12-17/0040:10> »
Have the Life Style Spoofing Rules been updated to 5th?
The Unwired table seems like it should fairly easily adapted, but before doing so I figured I'd check and see if there is an official version.

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« Reply #1 on: <06-12-17/0216:10> »
Nope. No such revival exists. How much does lifestyle play a part in your game?

Jack_Spade

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« Reply #2 on: <06-12-17/0234:55> »
SR5 tries to follow the concept "everything has its price". Spoofing a lifestyle doesn't fit in there anymore - and to be fair, the new matrix really doesn't allow you to keep up any longterm hacks as you accrue overwatch every quarter of an hour.
talk think matrix

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Marcus

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« Reply #3 on: <06-12-17/1155:30> »
Nope. No such revival exists. How much does lifestyle play a part in your game?

For couple of my players getting a Permanent High or Luxury Life Style is often an end game goal.

For most cases Spoofing Life style is more a statement about the character's hacking skills, and if characters want to take risks that add flavor to the story, I don't see any reason not to let them. I'm happy to let the dice sort it out.

SR5 tries to follow the concept "everything has its price". Spoofing a lifestyle doesn't fit in there anymore - and to be fair, the new matrix really doesn't allow you to keep up any longterm hacks as you accrue overwatch every quarter of an hour.

So running the risk involved and suffering the consequence of failure are not a price?
Also you don't think you can hack an address into a deliver drone, or spoof a name into restaurants reservation list in 5th?

« Last Edit: <06-12-17/1213:57> by Marcus »
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UnLimiTeD

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« Reply #4 on: <06-13-17/0146:41> »
In fact such things are explicitly mentioned in the fluff sections of the books, f.Ex. with Slamm0 getting year cards for baseball games and premium treatment for food delivery without actually having paid for it.
You need a lot more granular lifestyle handling than the standard brackets for that to have any real effect, but it's possible.
Still waiting on a Vector-Thrust Liminal Body.

Jack_Spade

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« Reply #5 on: <06-13-17/0420:00> »
SR5 tries to follow the concept "everything has its price". Spoofing a lifestyle doesn't fit in there anymore - and to be fair, the new matrix really doesn't allow you to keep up any longterm hacks as you accrue overwatch every quarter of an hour.

So running the risk involved and suffering the consequence of failure are not a price?
Also you don't think you can hack an address into a deliver drone, or spoof a name into restaurants reservation list in 5th?

No. That's only a potential cost. Even living a normal, paid lifestyle can be taken away if you fail at your job as shadowrunner.

You can hack drones - but you have to do it step by step and not as a catch all test. The new matrix is very unfriendly in that regard - especially if the drone is slaved to a high rating host. giving the drone 15+ dice to defend (slaved to a R6 host).
You can pull that off once in a while, but for a lifestyle you need to do that every two days or so - and not fuck up while doing it. GOD is out to get you. Failing your HotF check marks you. Do it often enough and someone will use the collected information about you and your device to look you up.
The SR5 matrix is a lot more aggressive against hackers. The Grid Overwatch Division has been founded explicitly to deal with them.

And fluff is not really a good argument - some of the writers are mentally still not in 5e, or write about absolute matrix cracks who are good enough to pull this off (which also means they are good enough that they don't really need it too)
talk think matrix

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Revenant Kynos Isaint Rex

UnLimiTeD

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« Reply #6 on: <06-13-17/0514:24> »
Well, I won't blame the writers. The new matrix is nonsensical, with rules that contradict each other etc.
Wouldn't want to delve too deep into that.
That said, if you can convince the system that you paid for a Year card for your favourite team (you need to hack the actual host and modifiy the logs), then all the more power to you.
Hacking a drone is only worth it A) for temporary gain, like so it won't shoot you, or B)to steal it, though cars are probably a better target.
But if you turn that skill into money, you're not really spoofing a lifestyle anymore, you're just gaining it through illegal means.
Still waiting on a Vector-Thrust Liminal Body.

Marcus

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« Reply #7 on: <06-13-17/1843:11> »

No. That's only a potential cost. Even living a normal, paid lifestyle can be taken away if you fail at your job as shadowrunner.

You can hack drones - but you have to do it step by step and not as a catch all test. The new matrix is very unfriendly in that regard - especially if the drone is slaved to a high rating host. giving the drone 15+ dice to defend (slaved to a R6 host).
You can pull that off once in a while, but for a lifestyle you need to do that every two days or so - and not fuck up while doing it. GOD is out to get you. Failing your HotF check marks you. Do it often enough and someone will use the collected information about you and your device to look you up.
The SR5 matrix is a lot more aggressive against hackers. The Grid Overwatch Division has been founded explicitly to deal with them.

And fluff is not really a good argument - some of the writers are mentally still not in 5e, or write about absolute matrix cracks who are good enough to pull this off (which also means they are good enough that they don't really need it too)

If I took that approach my player would just ask to do it as a side run.  Following that, based upon core pay rates scaling from opposition pool they would probably make more the spoofing would actually be worth, at-least following the table presented in Unwired. In short this becomes a simulations vs simplification argument. To me it's an easier situation to resolve as an extended test based upon difficulties outlined in Unwired. But hey, you do you Jack. For me spoofing life style has been part of the game for as long as I have played, so I'll keeping it in.

Oh one last thing blaming the fluff writers is pretty weak bro, you can do better, dig deep.

Peace!


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Reaver

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« Reply #8 on: <06-13-17/2035:52> »
4e was the first time that I can remember that they actually allowed you to spoof a lifestyle. But given how the 4e matrix was made.... that was easy!

(Face it, in 4e the matrix was a wet paper towel compared to 3e.... and 5e).


If you want him to spoof his life style, let him. You're just going to handwave it.
Where am I going? And why am I in a hand basket ???

Remember: You can't fix Stupid. But you can beat on it with a 2x4 until it smartens up! Or dies.

Marcus

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« Reply #9 on: <06-13-17/2059:06> »
I swear i did it back in 3rd, but i guess it must have been a house rule in that game, b/c I couldn't find difficulties before 4th ether.

The Unwired Table isn't hard to Update, just need change the pool, and figure out what happens when you fail. Probably a visit from the Cops or GoD.
« Last Edit: <06-13-17/2107:21> by Marcus »
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Jack_Spade

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« Reply #10 on: <06-14-17/0252:14> »
If I took that approach my player would just ask to do it as a side run.  Following that, based upon core pay rates scaling from opposition pool they would probably make more the spoofing would actually be worth, at-least following the table presented in Unwired. In short this becomes a simulations vs simplification argument. To me it's an easier situation to resolve as an extended test based upon difficulties outlined in Unwired. But hey, you do you Jack. For me spoofing life style has been part of the game for as long as I have played, so I'll keeping it in.

Oh one last thing blaming the fluff writers is pretty weak bro, you can do better, dig deep.

Peace!

Sure, if you want to indulge them - just another kind of run to pay the bills. But I think there are more fun ways to spend your time as a hacker. And I personally have no problem with your playstyle. I just explained to you why it's no longer part of 5e.

And I'm not blaming the fluff writers for anything. I say you can't use fluff as an argument for crunch.

Si vis pacem... ;)
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To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield
Revenant Kynos Isaint Rex