[Oni]

So how hard and what do you think it would take to hijack different vehicles and drones? Mostly ones that are just unattainable during character creation?

I can foresee the groups TM trying to hijack a vehicle, in motion, or more likely in flight...
My current guess is having the knowledge skills or connections to find the target vehicle, preferably on the ground or at worse in motion. Then pushing out or killing the rigger if there is one or on board IC. Then the escape, landing and removal of any tracking devices? 

What are you thoughts folks? What am I missing?

[Charybdis]

Missing? Repercussions...

If the plan is to hijack vehicles/drones that are unattainable at CharGen, the normal reason for this is that they are high-end devices.

As such, they will have high-end security (not just what's listed under the off-the-shelf models) and more than likely be owned by people on the Knight Errant VIP list, guaranteeing a very fast response time.

Should it be possible? Sure
Should it be an easy, cookie-cutter process? Oh hell no

Drones and Vehicles aren't my forte, but as examples:
- Escorts. These things may have friends
- Passive RFID. These things are damned hard to find and erase, especially on larger vehicles
- Speed: The high-end stuff is normally pretty fast, and could be dodging wi-fi (or getting interference) pretty easily.
- Upgraded defenses: Firewalls, Riggers, even Magical security. All these are great options to keep other people's sticky fingers off your shiny toys

[Lacynth40]

Even if it's not KE that will come after you, I think you might be talking like military hardware. Which, good luck with that. The military doesn't exactly just FORGET that they lost a FB Unicorn to a bunch of shadowrunners. Even the low end military stuff will get you sent to a military prison long enough for the next edition to come out. That's if the spooks they get to chase you down even leave any bits left after they find you and reclaim their hardware.

[UmaroVI]

In SR, the answer to this is that no, you can't steal vehicles permanently. It's actually not super hard to steal them in theory, but they always have a bunch of inaccessible hidden stealth RFID tags. The reason for this is that if stealing cars were not super duper hard, there would be no point in shadowrunning. Don't look at high end cars, look at low end cars that still cost 10-20000 nuyen. If stealing them were as easy as hacking into their node (which is a trivial task for a good hacker) and driving off, you could make more in a night of car theft than in a week of shadowrunning and with less danger.

So basically, if your players want to steal a vehicle for a short-term thing, let them. If they want to permanently steal vehicles, explain that Shadowrun Doesn't Work Like That and try not to think too hard about it.

[CanRay]

Again, depends on what it is, what it's doing, who owns it, and so on...

Stealing a transport truck full of fertilizer is a lot easier than stealing a transport truck full of cigarettes which is a lot easier than stealing a transport truck full of toilets (With illegal firearms concealed in them.).

[Exodus]

Again, depends on what it is, what it's doing, who owns it, and so on...

Stealing a transport truck full of fertilizer is a lot easier than stealing a transport truck full of cigarettes which is a lot easier than stealing a transport truck full of toilets (With illegal firearms concealed in them.).

I think the Shadowrun equivalent of CTU would be a little worried about a truckload fertilizer. Fertilizer that can be used to make a hell of a bomb.

I had to stat-out Jack Bauer because my players stole a truck of fertilizer and nicknamed it "Doorbuster Deals" or something like that.

[Onion Man]

If you include the option of physical and magical force to reach and utilize physical controls (either manually or by intimidating the current crew), the actual hijacking should be relatively easy... just like real life.

Getting away with it is a little different, and actions have consequences.

Hijack a truck full of snack foods and sunglasses headed for your local stuffer shack?  Maybe you just get away with it.  Now you have a hot truck to deal with, probably an APB on the truck as soon as it doesn't arrive where it should be.

Hijack a truck full of fertilizer?  Government and corporate liability teams will be all over investigating and looking for that giant mobile bomb that likely terrorists have just hijacked.  Truck full of weapons or a military vehicle?  Same deal.

Hijack anything from smugglers or the mob?  Suddenly you have hitmen and carbombs peppering your life until you're either too expensive to deal with or dead.

[CanRay]

OK, fertilizer, bad suggestion as a low-value item.  (I grew up in a mining town, I know about explosives but more the pre-made variety rather than improvised.  Should have known better, considering the nitrates in fertilizer.).

Oh!  I got it!  Cheap US-Style beer!  Who the hell would hijack a truck full of that stuff.   

[Trenchknife]

Every college fraternity in the world. 

[Oni]

Hey guys thanks for the info, I'll keep this all in mind.

[Red Canti]

So, does the Sixth World still have chop shops? It seems kind of silly to be a carjacker in a world that lacks chop shops.

[JoeNapalm]

Heh. Ever been in a rough neighborhood, just strolling along, and you see a really nice car sitting there in the tow-away zone, doors unlocked, engine running?

Ever wondered why no one is messing with that car?

JoeNapalm's GM Rule #7:

"7.   If it's shiny, it probably belongs to someone."
"7b. If it's really shiny, it belongs to someone tough enough that no one has taken it away from them, yet."
"7c. If it's really shiny, and unguarded, it belongs to someone so scary that only an idiot would even think of stealing it."

-Jn-
Ifriti Sophist

[CanRay]

So, does the Sixth World still have chop shops? It seems kind of silly to be a carjacker in a world that lacks chop shops.

Yes, but stealing Ford AmeriCars doesn't pay as well as Shadowrunning. 

[Wayfinder]

Stealing cars in SR is no harder than today just uses different rules. First you have hack the node and convince the pilot you are the owner. Then you have to defeat any mechanical locks. Then you have to get the vehicle to stop transmitting it's Gridguide info by installing a spoofing chip. Finally you have to zap any RFID tags installed not only by the owner/security provider but also the embedded tags manufacturers include in the feed stock they manufacture the parts out of. All before the owner realizes the car is gone.

[Tsuzua]

Yes, but stealing Ford AmeriCars doesn't pay as well as Shadowrunning. 

You'll be surprised.  Even if you assume the missions 10% resell rate, a mercury comet is 1400Y.  That's only 7 to match a shadowrun of 10000Y.   An empty bulldog van is 3500Y so that's only 3.  Is stealing say 1 van and say 5 comets comparable in toughness to a 10500Y shadowrun?  Maybe (though I doubt it).  If the pay better than 10%, you'll rapidly end up with car stealing being better.  At 30%, that's 4200Y for a comet or 10500Y for a van.

I assume there's enough vans and comets out there that you shouldn't have too much trouble finding them.

Edit- I'm with Umaro.  It's fine if the PCs grab and ditch a vehicle for their run.  There's problems when they want to sell said car afterwards.  Then again, I'm of the opinion Shadowrun works a lot better when the players aren't in it for the money but are instead vigilantes taking meager pay to help regular folks.