[inca1980]

So far in my games I haven't been able to really include the effects of addiction.  Especially to things that are pretty advantageous and don't have bad side-effects.  For example addiction to Hot Sim....the RAW doesn't really give you much guidance in how to include negative effects of getting addicted.  I mean, my Rigger is jacked in most of the time so doesn't ever have to go without hotsim.  He never really has to resist to not use it.  I hope the book "Vice" has some more specific rules about addiction.  Does anybody have any input on what they do in their games to make it a legitimate negative quality?

[FastJack]

Vice is actually more about criminal syndicates and organizations than the effects of addiction. (They're going more for Miami Vice than Intervention.)

SR4A p. 256 has a lot of info on the subject.

[Chaemera]

Addiction is largely a GM hand-wave process, even the rules for getting addicted are pretty much "when the GM feels like it, roll an addiction test".

First off, as a GM, I would probably veto the addiction negative quality for someone who's going to be constantly in contact with his chosen drug (hacker & hotsim, in your case).

Secondly, if he's constantly in hotsim-VR, and we'd agreed to stick with the "hotsim is addicting philosophy", I'd be calling addiction tests pretty frequently.

At this point, entering secure, Matrix-restricted / -isolated facilities would be pretty rough on the hacker, and there's always that run to the dark depths of West Virginia. . .

[Kot]

I used Addiction to simulate a characters OCD's, so it's a good rules-based storytelling tool. And it's trouble. And GM's love that, don't we all?

[Crossbow]

Depending on the severity of the addiction, I would say that the GM should be occaisionally using things like putting the character dead zones and definitely using some isolated systems if they are going to make the character earn those BPs or make him want to spend it down.

I would also do something like make sure the character is fully taking advantage of EVERY opportunity to use Hotsim, even the simplest datasearch requires full immersion.  If the character is sitting down, or waiting somewhere, perhaps at a meet or a stakeout, or just in a bar, he is fully immersed, doing SOMETHING.  Would be a real pain in the ass having a guy like that be a wingman or watching your back.

Also, as a GM I would definitely reduce the value of such an addiction.

[Bradd]

If the character always feeds his cravings, the addiction will probably get worse. Use regular Bod+Wil or Log+Wil tests (or both) to judge whether the addiction gets more severe, with frequency and threshold depending on just how badly the character abuses things. You'll need to use some judgment, but there are guidelines in the addiction rules. If the addiction gets severe enough, you start having problems like Essence loss.