Shadowrun

Catalyst Game Labs => Errata => Topic started by: Darkhorse on <08-03-17/1517:53>

Title: Drone customization problems, and suggested fix
Post by: Darkhorse on <08-03-17/1517:53>
I truly enjoy playing Shadowrun, and want to make my favorite RPG better. The books are full of contradictory information, bad editing, and other problems. Freelance writers or developers who write these books need to share information so they're on the same page. Either that, or the editors need to devote a little more to QA.

The drone and vehicle customization of the CRB and Rigger 5 are badly out of sync. Upgrades for the same thing cost different amount of nuyen and/or customization slots. They need to be normalized. Two examples and their proposed fixes are below:

Pilot upgrade - In the CRB this is just a chip purchase. In my opinion this makes more sense than having to spend customization slots. If a Fairlight Excalibur deck can do all kinds of stuff, yet fit into a purse, there is no reason it should cost 6 slots in a vehicle for a Rating 6 Pilot. I can do the same thing under the CRB rules for nothing but money. You can't even blame it on wiring, because wire technology in 2075 or later is probably hair-thin. We've had fiber-optics for 2 decades now in the real world.

I can see other vehicle upgrades costing slots (Speed needs a bigger engine, Handling needs better shocks or struts, etc.) but a Pilot is at most a CPU upgrade.

Weapon Mounts - If a drone and vehicle mount has the same name, and can be placed in either vehicle, then it should have the same ability to mount the same weapons. (ie, a Standard Vehicle mount can handle up to a Sniper rifle, but a Standard Drone mount can only handle an SMG). They even have different slot costs, which is just silly.

Basically, my gripe is that I can take a stock MCT Rotodrone, upgrade the Pilot to 6 under Ruleset A (but not under the other), or put a pair of Standard weapon mounts on it with assault rifles under Ruleset B (but not under A). That needs to be fixed, so we can do both. It's the same device.
Title: Re: Drone customization problems, and suggested fix
Post by: Kiirnodel on <08-03-17/2239:24>
In the Core Rulebook it isn't an option, there aren't rules for upgrading the Pilot rating in the Core.

Upgrading Pilot in a drone by the drone-specific rules costs 0 mod points for a +1, or 1 MP for each point after the first. And when you think about it, it can make some sense. Upgrading the drones core processing, is like upgrading your laptop's motherboard, it might be possible to make some slight adjustments, but a big upgrade and you're essentially building a whole new device.

If you use the non-drone rules, you have a pool of Electromagnetic mod points, which doesn't affect your ability to get other categories of mods. Essentially this is all the changes you can make to the vehicle's electronics, same deal about trying to over-modify a device.

As for differences between drone and general vehicle rules, remember that the drone modding rules are optional and specifically change some of the normal modification rules for drones. If you don't like having different rules, don't use the optional set.

Remember, though, that using the drone-style weapon mounts means that you don't have to worry about flexibility, and makes it easier to make them concealed (pop-out mounts). And yes, the two mod rules let you do different things, it might make one thing easier and another thing harder. That's just how using different rules works.
Title: Re: Drone customization problems, and suggested fix
Post by: Darkhorse on <08-04-17/1355:31>
I'm sorry for confusion. I checked and the Matrix chip upgrade for Pilot is in the Rigger 5.0 book. It is compatible with the CRB upgrade rules.

In the Core Rulebook it isn't an option, there aren't rules for upgrading the Pilot rating in the Core.

Upgrading Pilot in a drone by the drone-specific rules costs 0 mod points for a +1, or 1 MP for each point after the first. And when you think about it, it can make some sense. Upgrading the drones core processing, is like upgrading your laptop's motherboard, it might be possible to make some slight adjustments, but a big upgrade and you're essentially building a whole new device.

While that is true, it is still a device that fits into the case of a laptop. That is what I'm trying to do here. One of your rules allows a Pilot of 6 to fit inside a Body of 4. The other does not. It should fit, simply because the other one does.

If you use the non-drone rules, you have a pool of Electromagnetic mod points, which doesn't affect your ability to get other categories of mods. Essentially this is all the changes you can make to the vehicle's electronics, same deal about trying to over-modify a device.

As for differences between drone and general vehicle rules, remember that the drone modding rules are optional and specifically change some of the normal modification rules for drones. If you don't like having different rules, don't use the optional set.

Remember, though, that using the drone-style weapon mounts means that you don't have to worry about flexibility, and makes it easier to make them concealed (pop-out mounts). And yes, the two mod rules let you do different things, it might make one thing easier and another thing harder. That's just how using different rules works.

Flexibility is not a bad thing. Most Riggers worth their salt are going to trick out their stuff. My whole argument is that no matter what rules you use, the same stuff should fit inside the same chassis.