[notacop]

So im looking threw stoof and planning things. The more I read the more I see that stealing ANYTHING is impossible to get away with. Transferring ownership is Extended Hardware + Logic [Mental] (24, 1 hour)... so I steal a medikit (which I know will have device ownership and trackers) and a soy-slurpy (which PROBABLY has device owner ship and trackers) from stuffershack its hours of hard work to make sure we save 300ish Nuyen.

So in a game about thieves and law breakers... we cant break the law or be thieves?

Very confused. PS... not a cop

[Quatar]

Jam the signal (area jammers are cheap), disable it (yes you can't use it for that time), stuff it in a box lined with that anti-technomancer material or otherwise block it's matrix access. Can't Trace Icon it if you can't find it. Then inside a shielded workshop, change the ownership.

Yes, it's not very useful for cheap stuff, but expensive stuff, well you can't just walk in and get away with it easily, it does take some amount of planning, but it is possible.

[Xenon]

You need to be connected to the matrix for the whole change ownership extended test


You either
1) Make sure the owner does not come looking for his stuff before you steal it (narcoject, clout, kidnapping, bullet to the head etc)
Or
2) Turn it's wireless OFF and use the item for a short while as  throwback device before you sell it to a fence at a faction of the value (or just dump it somewhere in the sprawl).


Shadowrun is not really like D&D where a majority of your income might comes from looting corpses...

[Quatar]

You need to be connected to the matrix for the whole change ownership extended test

Well doesn't say so anywhere, and it's a Hardware test, not a Computer test, nor is it a Matrix Action. So to me it seems you have to pry the device open and basically stamp a fake serial number on it (figuratively speaking). So next time you turn it on the matrix does not register it as "Commlink of Joe Smith [reported stolen]" but as "New item, please enter your registration info here"

At least that's how I understand it. YMMV

[Raven2049]

no it would not be like "stamping a new serial number" you would have to rewrite the code for the icon, or the code that is imbedded in an RFID chip built into the device. you also may have to erase the serial number but its not as simple as that.

my best guess is your swapping out an (for lack of a better term) ownership microchip that was coded and somehow is Read Only (not write capable) when the item was bought, for a second chip that has your ownership information on it. i agree that you should not need the matrix for that tho.

that being said who knows? theres no data trails book out yet so we dont have official rulings on it yet

[adzling]

For more expensive items faraday room FTW (room lined with aluminum foil), for the cheaper items a jammer and tag eraser.

Although given the difficulty and time involved don't expect to make much or any money from looting stuff, as previous poster said this ain't D&D.

[Xenon]

You need to be connected to the matrix for the whole change ownership extended test

Well doesn't say so anywhere, and it's a Hardware test, not a Computer test, nor is it a Matrix Action. So to me it seems you have to pry the device open and basically stamp a fake serial number on it (figuratively speaking). So next time you turn it on the matrix does not register it as "Commlink of Joe Smith [reported stolen]" but as "New item, please enter your registration info here"

At least that's how I understand it. YMMV

You basically tamper with the hardware [for hours] forcing the hardware to register its new owner in the on-line databases around the matrix.

[Quatar]

Well I was grossly simplifying the process, it could very well involve changing some hardware chips against new ones.

Since ownership can be transfered easily in a process that takes about 1 minute, I doubt the chips are read only, yet they might well be encrypted and exchanging them might be the only way. But as you said, we dont have Data Trails yet, so every GM has to find a solution that fits for them.
All we really know is "it takes this long and it doesn't cost any nuyen" (at least not significant enough to mention it) but not what's actually involved. If it requires matrix access is apparently up for debate.

But yes, you won't make tons of money from the loot usually. If you're lucky, then maybe cyberware will fetch a neat coin, and also has the advantage of being fairly sure that the owner is not coming after you anymore But weapons and stuff? Maybe not.

[Xenon]

If it requires matrix access is apparently up for debate.

Not really.

Quote from Aaron on the subject:

If you steal a car, use it and dump it is my advice. With something that valuable, you'll probably be tracked before you can change its ownership (and possibly even before you can disable the wireless).¹
...
¹And before you ask, yes, you have to be online to change ownership.

[Quatar]

Who's Aaron?
Nevermind

But his signature says

I like to answer questions, but my answers are not official and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of Catalyst Game Labs or its employees. I might even be wrong.

So, just because he says so doesn't mean I can't be of a different opinion.

[Adder]

My interpretation of the anti-theft rules is to discourage compulsive looting of corpses by the players. They "shouldn't" (in my eyes) be trying to loot every guard they kill for guns, ammo, clothing, commlink and raiding their bank accounts. Capturing an assault cannon or a cyberdeck and going through the hoops of changing ownership is much more reasonable.

Lots of devices work perfectly fine without wireless access, so you can always try turning it into a throwback.

[Quatar]

It's also a good reason why fences only pay a tiny fraction of the list-price of the item.

[UnLimiTeD]

I suppose your friendly neighbourhood technomancer could spoof command to "legally" transfer ownership? 

[Quatar]

Hmm, I don't know if I'd allow that, tbh. If you could just Spoof the command to transfer ownership, then it would make the "it's a super difficult extended test" kinda obsolete.

With Spoof you can tell a device "I'm your owner, do this and that", but for legally transfering ownership probably a lot more is required, that you can't simply spoof.

[8-bit]

I agree with Quatar on this one, I wouldn't allow a Technomancer to just Spoof transfer ownership.

I am unsure if I would even allow a single Puppeteer roll to work either. Seems a little powerful.