[Djinnocide]

As I've mentioned in other threads, I'm a new GM, and in my limited experiences so far, I've kept the clutter that comes with Decking and the Matrix to a minimum. The party Decker has stuck to doing most of his Decking in AR and all he's had to worry about are the ramifications of failing a Sleaze or Attack action and the occasional resistance that comes with a target's firewall rating. As the group is getting more comfortable with the system I've let the additional rules start to trickle in, but I'm finding myself not fully understanding how (and perhaps more importantly when) to incorporate things like Hosts, Spiders and G-Men, so I'm hoping that you fine folks can take a look at this and maybe explain your own practices when it comes to Hosts and Grids.

First off, do you tend to give every building in meat space it's own Host equivalent in the matrix? Is the logic behind this a matter of providing Matrix protection for the people and devices associated with said building or is there more to it? In the instance that there is a Host and a Physical location, how would a Decker be aware of the Host if he's only using AR?

What are some of the instances that a host would exist in the Matrix and not have a physical representation in the real world?

Are we to assume that a Host exists on a server somewhere in an office building the same way that a website exists in real life?

Do all Hosts typically have a Spider keeping an eye on things?

Speaking of Spiders, I get that they are the ones responsible for deploying IC and acting to eliminate any threats that come across a Host, but would you say that a G-Man and GOD perform the same sort of function? With a Host being a much more condensed location to keep an eye on, how does the G-Man do his job with so many more things to worry about? Do G-Men actively seek out wrong-doers on the open Grid or do they retaliate to criminal activity?

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

With regards to G-Men:  I don't think they bother with deploying IC.. that's solely up to the Host.  Be it automatically (when Patrol IC detects naughtiness) or when a Spider manually launches them.   IC isn't necessary on the Grid at large because the G-Men themselves are far more effective than IC.

The G-Men pretty much cease caring after they've performed their convergence actions.  They've booted the hacker offline and appraised the law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the hacker's physical location, their job is literally done.  They probably only care about what happens from there out to the extent of retaining records of the hacking spree in the event there's actually a trial.

Should a hacker survive convergence with brain and 'deck intact and jack right back in to the matrix before the cops can arrive, in the eyes of the G-Men he's again 'pure as the driven snow' unless he begins racking up an Overwatch score again.

[Djinnocide]

Thanks for the reply, Devil Rat.

[Lorebane24]

Personally, I try to think of hosts as a website, and ask myself if a given building would have a website attached to it were it operating in the modern age.  If it would, I give it a host.  I usually think of hosts as coming in two types as well.  One type includes those designed to ease the use of consumers or provide entertainment to them, such as social networking hosts or the host for your local library.  Easy to get into, and your persona has an easy excuse for being there, even if you're up to something illegal.  There are other hosts that are used to make it easier to sort and catalog data, as you might find in most corporate headquarters.  These ones, in my game, have tighter security, and usually have a spider attached to them.  When I use spiders, they are also responsible for managing the hosts' archives, so they're being paid to do more than sit around and wait for a hacker (as far as competence goes, for most runs I build them to be slightly below par to the PC hacker, but they've got IC on their side, and of course higher security areas have better spiders).  There are other hosts that combine the two.  A hospital, for example, has an open area that people use to check in on the status of friends or relatives in the hospital or to get general information about treatments, billing, or accommodations.  Such a host would also have some areas that are protected and closed off to the public, mostly used to keep financial records and detailed patient information, or keep track of medical equipment.

Small operations I never give a host to, but that doesn't mean there's nothing for a hacker to do.  Mom and pop shops might not have a host, but they will still have remote security cameras and other devices that either operate on autosofts or are slaved to the owner's commlink.  For me, it's mostly a question of how much of a presence the place needs to have matrix wise, and how much security they expect to need for their data.

[Djinnocide]

Perfect! That's exactly the type of reply I was looking for.

Based on your description, would the social/entertainment hosts serve any other function besides providing the visitor with info/entertainment? I'm just trying to think of how to incorporate those sorts of hosts into my games by giving the players a purpose to be there. Would it just be a Matrix location for them to gather and meet friends (or potential employers)? Would any of the devices in the physical building they represent be located inside the host?

I keep having this thought of Hosts acting as a security barrier against the party's decker for seeing and interacting with the devices (commlinks, machinery, etc). Am I barking up the wrong tree with that?

I'm fairly certain I'm correct in understanding that an icon can't be seen by a persona if that icon is located inside a host (unless of course the persona goes into the host). I realize it's not terribly difficult to get inside a host (you just need to place a mark), but it would give my decker a reason to go inside a host and start looking around if everything in a building was invisible to his Matrix Perception tests.

Also, can anyone enlighten me on the steps involved in connecting a CorpSec goon's hardware to the Host? I'm assuming that's a normal practice as the Host would provide better security (in most cases), than the CorpSec could provide on his own. Or, is that the duty of the Spider to take care of?

[Lorebane24]

If a building has a physical host tied to it, most wireless devices that are a part of that building - security cameras, computers, ect... - will be slaved to the host, just like a decker can slave devices to their commlink to give them a better firewall.  I figure that most personal devices inside the building (weapons, commlinks and such) are NOT slaved to the host.  In theory, I guess you COULD slave a corporate goon's gear to a host, but I try not to overdo that, because it seems like it could get out of hand really fast.  Usually, IF there is a spider on site, I will have them slave vital pieces of gear to their deck.  If there isn't, then that gear is slaved to the commnlinks of the grunts (it's not unreasonable for most corporate employees to be able to afford a commlink with device rating 3 or 4).  I figure that creating this sort of PAN is pretty common practice.

If a persona is inside a host, it CANNOT be seen by users on the matrix.  You can only see it by entering the host.  Also, they cannot interact with anything outside the host, except for sending and receiving messages, and vice versa.  I'm actually not sure if the same thing would apply to devices, since they, so far as I know, still broadcast a signal to whatever is around them.  I had assumed that a decker could still see the cameras in AR (though they'd be operated as hidden devices) with a Matrix Perception test, but now that you've got me thinking, I'm not so sure...

[samiam]

All Matrix Actions can be performed in AR, Cold Sim VR or Hot Sim VR...so yes you could detect cameras & anything else you can see with Matrix Perception in AR.

In theory, I guess you COULD slave a corporate goon's gear to a host, but I try not to overdo that, because it seems like it could get out of hand really fast.  Usually, IF there is a spider on site, I will have them slave vital pieces of gear to their deck.  If there isn't, then that gear is slaved to the commnlinks of the grunts (it's not unreasonable for most corporate employees to be able to afford a commlink with device rating 3 or 4).  I figure that creating this sort of PAN is pretty common practice.

Even from a real world perspective in most cases there really isn't a reason for Corp Sec goons to slave their gear to a Spider's unit.  If the corp is large they will, along with their other security gear like guns/'wares/etc, likely supply high end commlinks for them to slave their gear to along with regular uses of one (I work at a Fortune 500 multinational and the vast majority of employees of a specific "grade" and above have company provided smart devices...a rather nice perk as long as you don't have the compulsive need to check your work e-mail 24/7).  Perhaps a commlink of a similar rating to that of the Host for a guideline.

This isn't RAW but just conceptual ideas...  A large Corp HQ will likely have multiple Hosts as all Corps have both a public presence (interactive consumer experience websites, Corporate Responsibility sites, Direct to Consumer sites for their product, job postings, etc) as well as their internal employee-only hubs - quite possibly multiples of those - for internal communication, shared servers for sharing data, HR sites, etc, and then likely yet another for personnel & financial data,etc.

Alternatively, for in-game purposes, it may be one huge Host but segmented off with varying levels of security.  Perhaps it takes one mark to get on a public facing section of a Host but once there you can proceed to attempt access to secure areas of the Host...perform a Change Icon action (not necessary but may throw off some Patrol IC for a bit)...and then Attack/Sleaze your way on to the Secured partition of the Host...another Mark or more to get in, etc. 

What are some of the instances that a host would exist in the Matrix and not have a physical representation in the real world?

Again, from real world...more and more corporate businesses are moving toward a "shared workspaces" model where employees telecommute and only come into the office for those meetings that cannot be done virtually.   Extrapolating that out 60+years...you can bet there will be many businesses that are operated 100% virtually...it reduces overheads.  If you don't need a brick & mortar location to meet with clientele in person...don't bother.

Based on your description, would the social/entertainment hosts serve any other function besides providing the visitor with info/entertainment?

Perhaps if a Host requires you to have a log-in that carries any personal information or if it sells goods/services then there is the ubiquitous "secured financial server".

Just some thoughts...let your imagination go wild with it.

[Djinnocide]

Thanks Sam, some good info there.