[Michael Chandra]

Yeah, a balancing factor against players using grenades should be that the competition quickly follows suit. That isn't an option in Missions. I'd probably start handing out Notoriety or even Public Awareness if chosen to use at the wrong location, though. The enemies, on the other hand, don't use grenades so no risk at a total party wipe in 1 shot. Well except for if your GM hates you and makes Auslander overcast his Toxic Wave (which in all fairness he shouldn't).

I think the price of Missions is indeed a bit much, color costs money, sure, but I'm not entirely sure it's needed. It's a move they decided to make, we'll see whether they think it's worth it or go back to black-n-white.

[SnackerBob]

I've seen so many complaints about grenade damage that I need to ask, Where are all of these runs taking place that grenades are such a viable option?

[Michael Chandra]

If you're only interested in taking out the opponents, and got a clear distant line of sight, they work just fine. And if there's a wall nearby, everyone within 10m of detonation of a frag grenade will die.

[DWC]

I've seen so many complaints about grenade damage that I need to ask, Where are all of these runs taking place that grenades are such a viable option?

Season 5 is set in the sprawl that used to be the Chicago Containment Zone.  About half of the 2013 CMPs are also set in similarly lawless locales.  Of the stuff I've played so far for 2013, only one of the Missions modules has taken place somewhere that required even a minimum of finesse and discretion.  Then again, as soon as I saw that Season 5 was going to the Containment Zone, I built my new Missions character around the reckless and callous use of heavy weapons and explosives, because there's really no incentive not to use them.

[Michael Chandra]

Yep, definitely going to apply Notoriety and Public Awareness there. And please play Carbon Copy with that mindset. Please! And let me know how much the GM curses you out afterwards. ^_^

[martinchaen]

How do you brick cyber eyes? They are not wireless and as such won't show up as an icon, surely. At best, you could brick the piece of the cybereyes that have wireless bonuses but it's questionable how that would work.

As for balancing encounters, I agree that this is highly challenging. Getting used to your players and knowing what they can do (i.e. experience) is likely your best bet, as is following some of the advice in this thread.

[Michael Chandra]

How do you brick cyber eyes? They are not wireless

Yes they are. All cyberware has the option to go wireless. Given how the cybereyes here contain the smartlink, it's perfectly fair to assume he's running them wireless and that they are thus hackable, if you get past the commlink all the gear is slaved to.

[martinchaen]

Wait, what!? "All cyberware has the option to go wireless." Where is this stated? A hacker can basically brick your cyberlegs and render you immobile? The hell?

I thought only devices with wireless bonuses could be hacked.

In any case, any self-respecting shadowrunner would just run cyberware with no wireless bonus as wireless OFF, rendering hacking impossible, right? And a smartlink does not have a wireless bonus, and as such can be presumed to function through the neural interface (not to be confused with a DNI). That only leaves the smartgun system requiring a wireless connection, and thus being exposed.

Or am I reading this whole thing wrong?

[Michael Chandra]

Only gear that is wireless can be hacked wireless. All gear CAN be wireless. And how else did you think that implanted smartlink communicated with a smartgun when you don't get wires involved? There is no such thing as a neural interface, there's only DNI in the rules. If you want two pieces of gear to communicate, either draw a cable or let them run wireless. And this NPC doesn't have a cable listed.

"Almost every device you can think of has been computerized and equipped with a wireless link, including your microwave, your gun, maybe even your eyes."
"Toggling an individual device’s wireless functionality off is a Free Action, as is toggling all of your wireless devices to “wireless off.” You lose wireless bonuses, but the items can no longer be wirelessly hacked."

There's a reason I took Simsense Vertigo and don't bother with smartguns on my streetsam: Not interested in being hacked.

[martinchaen]

Michael, exactly. You have the option of running wireless off, and only devices with wireless bonuses are really affected.

As for the neural interface, check the augmentations chapter. There's a specific note on neural interface (not to be confused with a DNI); I'm at work right now so can't give you a page reference.

Simsense Vertigo applies to AR, though, right?

Thanks for elaborating.

[Michael Chandra]

Michael, exactly. You have the option of running wireless off, and only devices with wireless bonuses are really affected.

No, anything which runs wireless could be hacked. Your commlink doesn't have a wireless bonus, but it can be hacked if you're using it wireless. Same goes for the smartgun and cybereyes. And yes, a runner can run things without wireless and even use cables for some things, at which point solely wireless bonuses gear is what matters for hackability. But this NPC is using a Smartlink and it doesn't say he uses a cable and runs without wireless, so his eyes are indeed hackable.

There is no such thing as a Neural Interface. Perhaps you're using the wrong term.

Simsense Vertigo applies to AR, yes. So no using Smartguns and no using AR.

[martinchaen]

Michael Good point about the referenced character.

As for neural interface (notice no caps, as it is not a discreet item per se), it is definitely defined. Brought up the core book on my phone to double check, thank you very much

"Besides their wireless functionality, almost all cyberware devices are equipped with a neural interface (not to be confused with DNI) that lets you mentally activate and control their functions. You can use this in place of wireless control, preventing wireless hacking, as long as all of the “moving parts” are connected to your nervous system. An item that has a wireless bonus, however, can only gain that full level of functionality if wireless functionality is active."

As I read this, you can run most cyberware without having it wirelessly enabled (a smartlink wouldn't need to be wireless if the character had an implanted commlink, for example, as the two could communicate directly through this neural interface), but wireless bonuses only apply if the item has wireless on.

[Michael Chandra]

Sigh... Stupid idiotic pdf finder... Still, that supports that the smartlink would have to be online if you don't accompany it with an implanted commlink, and then the commlink has to be online unless the smartgun is implanted. Either way, unless the entire system runs by external or internal 'wires', it's going by air and leaves you open to hacking.

[Kincaid]

Michael, exactly. You have the option of running wireless off, and only devices with wireless bonuses are really affected.

No, anything which runs wireless could be hacked. Your commlink doesn't have a wireless bonus, but it can be hacked if you're using it wireless. Same goes for the smartgun and cybereyes. And yes, a runner can run things without wireless and even use cables for some things, at which point solely wireless bonuses gear is what matters for hackability. But this NPC is using a Smartlink and it doesn't say he uses a cable and runs without wireless, so his eyes are indeed hackable.

There is no such thing as a Neural Interface. Perhaps you're using the wrong term.

Simsense Vertigo applies to AR, yes. So no using Smartguns and no using AR.

I suspect he was referencing neural interface from page 451, under Augmentation.  Neural interface protects augmentation with internal "moving parts" from being wirelessly hacked.  Even those augmentations leave you open to hacking if you enjoy their wireless bonuses, however.

Just about everything is wireless and can be hacked (in theory) when it gets within handshake range.  However, since there's no reason not to turn off wireless functionality on items without a wireless bonus while "on the job," runners can protect themselves pretty easily.  My character only turns on his plastic bone lacing's wireless-ness during downtime, for example.

EDIT: Beaten to the punch.

[Mmurphy]

Many Missions game are built up with the option of alternative paths, but yes, usually you'll end up at the same point. This is quite reasonable, since otherwise the thing would become huge and GMs aren't supposed to just improvise complete story segments since that could significantly impact the difference between different characters who have played the same adventure.

If you want to play it as homegame, there's far more freedom and you can throw all kinds of alternative stuff at people. But even then, a homegame starts with a big path choice: Either you take the Run or the session ends.

What Mission did you play, by the way?

I played the first scenario for Chicago.  I don't remember the name Chasing the Wind, but it started off with us having to go repair a wireless node at an abandoned airport and ended with us having to defeat a a lab girl.  I do (and did) realize that the GM's where fairly new to the 5th edition system but we more or less just 'moved along in a group' waiting for someone to 'stumble' onto the right information.   All this was fine, I really did not expect too much from the missions. 

My comment was for the poster asking how to balance the encounters.  The best answer I can give is 'don't'.  Make the encounter with what the cheap corporation would have on hand.  If the cheap corporation has an abundance of mages for some reason, then put a mage on security duty (even if the players do not have a mage themselves).  If what the corporation has is too light, then the runners can get off easy.  If it is too heavy, then the runners need to figure out another way to accomplish the goal.  If the encounters are always balanced, then why would the runners increase skills, get better cyber/bio or learn new spells; the runs will always be balanced so getting better just means the opposition gets better.

When I say 'cheap corporations' I mean: they will spend as little money as necessary to perform a function, this way the board of directors get BIG, HUGE bonuses.