[imthedci]

Stupid question - Do you need to purchase a fake license to "legally" be able to drive a car with a fake SIN?

I ask because the gear section about fake licenses doesn't talk at all about driver's licenses, but some of the archetypes (which I would normally ignore, since they contain a lot of inconsistencies or so I hear) have driver's licenses listed with their fake SINs, so I'm getting confused.

[Michael Chandra]

Cars can drive by autopilot or by subscribing to GridGuide. You probably only need a license for manual operation.

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

I agree with MC on both counts.  If you own a car, and are sitting in the driver's seat, but are allowing Gridguide/autopilot to drive your car around then you don't need a license.  If the car's under manual control however, whoever's at the controls requires a license for all the same reasons as in the real world.  With all the same implications for driving without a license as in the real world, too.

[imthedci]

Makes sense, though I do find it odd that it's not mentioned anywhere. I'll have to borrow a friend's copy of the 5e crb and see if it's just change blindness (or maybe they're waiting for the rigger book).

Thanks for the help.

[Banshee]

Makes sense, though I do find it odd that it's not mentioned anywhere. I'll have to borrow a friend's copy of the 5e crb and see if it's just change blindness (or maybe they're waiting for the rigger book).

Thanks for the help.

For once it is not change blindness. SR has always been vague about licensing beyond specific gear items as noted by availability.

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

Makes sense, though I do find it odd that it's not mentioned anywhere. I'll have to borrow a friend's copy of the 5e crb and see if it's just change blindness (or maybe they're waiting for the rigger book).

Thanks for the help.

Well "what you need licenses for" is kind of hand-waivey.  Sure, there's the gear with availability codes that let you explicitly know you need licenses for them.  But for other stuff, it's up to "common sense"/GM fiat.

Some potential non-gear related licenses I think would be completely plausible:

Driver's License, Drone Operator's License, Resident Alien Card (for Fake SINs from another country), Marriage License (if it's important that you appear to be married to someone), Reproductive License (if it's important to appear to be the parent of someone), Adoption Papers (if it's important to appear to have adopted someone), Professional Credentials (Press, Emergency Services, Academic, Technical, etc)

And, of course, Licenses are a great way to mechanically represent Employee IDs.

Makes sense, though I do find it odd that it's not mentioned anywhere. I'll have to borrow a friend's copy of the 5e crb and see if it's just change blindness (or maybe they're waiting for the rigger book).

Thanks for the help.

For once it is not change blindness. SR has always been vague about licensing beyond specific gear items as noted by availability.

Beaten to the punch by the "Beats you to the punch" master.

[Sphinx]

You need a license for any piece of gear with an (L) next to its availability code. Beyond that, it's between you and your GM, and every GM is different.

Personally, I wouldn't require a separate driver's license. If you buy a vehicle, then I assume a relevant operator's license is part of your Fake SIN and Lifestyle expenses. For that matter, I don't ask players to buy a license for each individual item of restricted gear, either, just one per category (e.g., Firearms, Augmentations, Magic, Matrix gear). I'm a nice GM, and opposed to overly detailed bookkeeping on general principle.

I've had players ask if they could buy a fake license to give their character appropriately convincing credentials as a doctor, lawyer, and private investigator -- in every case I was happy to allow it, but it was their own idea. My only stipulations are that a fake license must be attached to a particular fake SIN (you can't just swap them around among different identities), and must be the same rating as that SIN (the rules on p.273 allow a fake license to have a lower rating than its SIN, but for simplicity we always make them the same).

[Urangenii]

Thanks a lot for the info

[Urangenii]

The gear section might not have much info on fake licenses, but it's always best to stick to the legal procedures when it comes to driving. Sometimes, archetypes might include fake driver's licenses along with fake SINs, but keep in mind that they might not always be consistent. Actually, for more info you can check out https://fakeyourdrank.com/state/ohio-fake-id. You should always consider both options.