:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.: : Earth's Dreamlands : Info on: RPG's, :(313)558-5024 : area code : :RPGNet World HQ & Archive: Drugs, Industrial :(313)558-5517 : changes to : : 1000's of text files : music, Fiction, :InterNet : (810) after : : No Elite / No porn : HomeBrew Beer. :rpgnet@aol.com: Dec 1,1993 : :.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.: Chapter 3: NETROAMING CYBERSPACE AND NETROAMING Any character can travel through Cyberspace by using a gadget called a cyberdeck (see p.00). The character must jack into the cyberdeck by a headset or pinky slot. The deck, in turn, must be connected to anything that plugs into the wall. If you don't have a computer handy, just jack into the toaster. It's all part of the Net. Why go to cyberspace? Because it's the "place" that connects all the phones and computers in the world. When you call your buddy in another city, neither of you moves, but you meet in cyberspace. With a cyberdeck, though, you don't just send your voices -- you can see! Basic cyberspace looks like the inside of a gigantic neon jungle-gym. There are bars of light in all colors and shapes. Each character, place and program is represented by a different splash of color, which is constantly changing. It can be very confusing. Make a Smarts Roll any time you see something, to understand what it is. If you roll a 12, you're automatically Boggled. Therefore, all but the most experienced Netroamers use a Worldgram (see p.00). This is a chip that makes cyberspace look and act just like an "ordinary" TOON world. Characters look (sort of) like themselves, programs look like buildings or animals, attack programs look like weapons, valuable data looks like money, and so on. Netroamers must follow the rules of the worldgram that they are in -- unless the Animator decides otherwise, or creates a worldgram with no rules. No matter what program a Netroamer has, they must blend in with the worldgram unless the Animator thinks they'd be funnier if they didn't. GETTING AROUND IN A WORLDGRAM Once in the Net, just act as though everything you see is real. It is... kind of. You can buy special programs (see p.00) to serve you as weapons, armor, and so on. The things that you see are metaphors for the things that are really happening in the Net. The Animator tells you what you see and you have to figure out what it means. Some Skills will help; when in doubt, make a Smarts roll. For instance, suppose you're raiding the Skratchanichi Megacorp to swipe a data file of suspected Toonpunks, and replace it with a file of chicken jokes. You're using the Dungeons and Toons worldgram. When you plug in, the first thing you see is a deep, dark forest (the Net). You figure out the way to Skratchanichi and start walking. Soon you are attacked by wolves (random defensive programs). You defeat them and go on. Before long, you see a great black tower (Skratchanichi Megacorp). In front is a huge dragon (the main defense program). Maybe you try to fast-talk it to let you by; maybe you fight it (good luck!), or maybe you walk around to look for a back door (which netroamers call a "back door." Go figure). Once you're past the guardian, you explore the rooms of the castle (the different Skratchanichi computers). Every so often you may be noticed by a castle guard or a monster (more defense programs). Deal with them quickly, or they may give the alarm (setting off lots of security programs). Programs which Fall Down won't bother you again on that run. Eventually you find the room you want. There are no guardians, but the door looks funny. Looking closely, you see a string (a Trapgram!) With a Set/Remove Traps roll, you get past it. Inside the room, the high-security databank is represented by a strongbox with a funny lock (another trapgram). You fail your Set/Remove Traps roll, and a spear pops out, doing 4 points of damage to your cyberbody. (When you take all the damage you can to your cyberbody, it Falls Down and yu get booted from the Net by a large steel-toed work boot.) But you get in and grab the huge, musty book (the data file). In its place you leave the bag of bats (your joke file). Perhaps you grab a few jewels (other interesting information) while you're at it. Now you've got to get out again. If you just "unplug", you'll be safe, but you won't have your loot. So you have to get past the guardians, out of the castle, and back to the place where you entered the Net. But as you leave the strongroom, you see a huge, shadowy form -- a gigantic tiger in black armor, holding an enormous broadsword. It's Yugota Skratchanichi himself! Uh oh... SKILLS AND SHTICKS IN CYBERSPACE A Netroamer keeps his normal attributes and skills, and can even get program chips (p.00) to improve them! He does not get to take his Shticks into cyberspace. But he can buy Shtickgrams to replace them -- or to give him new Shtciks -- as many as his deck will hold! EXTRA ACTIONS Time passes faster in cyberspace than it does in realspace, so once a Netroamer plugs in, he gets more than one Action per turn! How many Actions he gets is based on what type of cyberdeck he's using. See p.00. PROGRAMMING In cyberspace, you can temporarily change an existing program by making a Fast-Talk roll (to convince it to change). So, when you hack a security program, you can talk it out of attacking you -- at least right then! A failed roll will usually cause problems. Outside of cyberspace, just programming on an ordinary computer, make a Read roll to make a small change. To make a big change, or to create a brand-new program, requires the Weird Science Shtick (p.00). Everything on the Net is by definition Weird. THE DENIZENS OF CYBERSPACE Everything in Cyberspace looks like something else -- something normal to the worldgram. The skills See/Hear/Smell, Hide/Spot Hidden and Identify Dangerous Thing will be very useful for avoiding booby-trap programs (including those that look harmless but aren't). Most of the creatures in Cyberspace are really programs, there to protect Corporate secrets. This will mean that most of them have Resist Fast-Talk scores of 9 or better. They will also have fairly high Fight rolls. A Netroamer might also encounter: Other Netroamers. They may be friendly, hostile or just silly. They may have programs that disguise them! Cops. A cop in the Net may be a total poser, or he may be very skilled, able to Boggle you and track you home. AIs. An AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is a computer character. Max Playroom (p.00) is an AI. An AI won't have a real body outside the net (Max is an exception, but he's special.) But an AI will have high Netroaming skills, and as many programs as the Animator wants to give it. Natives. Nobody knows where these folks came from, but there are creatures actually living in cyberspace. Sometimes they get irritated with Netroamers... THINGS TO DO IN CYBERSPACE A good Netroamer can get into any computer anywhere. Or any toaster, washing machine, electric toothbrush... anything that's plugged into the wall... and make it do whatever he wants. (Look out, because if it's unplugged while you're inside, you're Boggled.) Inside a computer, you can get it to do strange things... read, change or delete data files... insert new files, including interesting virus programs... anything to shake up those serious Corps. NETROAMER STUFF CYBERDECKS Cyberdecks are small, black boxes that allow a Netroamer or Programmer to interface with the Net, either in Program Mode or in Cyberspace. Decks are rated by their speed factor and the number of chipdips they have, as well as how many optional features they have. A deck with a speed factor of 2 lets you do 2 actions per turn, while a speed factor of 4 allows _4_ actions. The Net Profits Catalog lists several types of Cyberdecks, from stripped-down cheapies to state-of- the-art, fully-loaded, luxury models. PROGRAMS There are 12 basic kinds of grams, or programs, available to the public. Their cost depends on how reliable they are and what they do. Each one is contained on a little chip. These don't count against any limit on possessions; you can have as many as you can get your hands on. Some programs, like Shtickgrams, reqire a die roll to use. The normal off-the-shelf chip has a skill of 6. Programs that are created or stolen might have a higher die roll, but no program can be better than 11. The basic types of programs are listed below. Worldgram These generate a specific world in cyberspace. Without a worldgram, cyberspace is different every time you enter it and always very strange. Worldgrams are usually pretty cheap. Weapongrams You use these to fight your way into databases. Weapongrams have no intelligence and must be actively used by the Netroamer. This means if your weapongram is a gun, you must use the Fire Gun skill to use it. The price of weapongrams depends on how much damage they do. Armorgrams These simulate armor, force fields or whatever protection the worldgram allows. These programs are also unintelligent, but you don't need to concentrate on using them. Cost depends on how much protection you get. Shtickgrams Since your natural Shticks don't come with you into cyberspace, you need these to replace them. If you want, you can buy Shtickgrams that are different from your normal Shticks. Basic Shtickgrams don't cost too much, but if you want a better level than 6, you'll have to pay more for it. Boostergrams Your attributes and skills _do_ come with you into cyberspace, but you can improve them. A boostergram gives you a plus on either a single skill or an attribute. As you probably guessed, boostergrams for one skill are much cheaper than attribute boostergrams. Of course, +1 also costs less than +2. Bogglegrams Bogglegrams don't do actual damage, they just boggle things. They cost more if they do Maximum Boggling (see p. 00). Bogglegrams are often found as defensive programs, linked to Trapgrams. Creaturegrams This is the intelligent version of a weapongram. Once you tell them what to do, they will do it until they've accomplished the goal or been destroyed. Price is based on the type of creature. Buddygram With a buddygram, you have a travelling companion that can help you out by doing simple tasks. Buddygrams aren't very smart, but they can be very useful. Buddygrams are pretty expensive. Gadgetgrams You can't take gadgets into cyberspace, so these programs do the job of simulating them. You can buy a gadgetgram to reproduce anything from a ping pong ball to a starship. Some gadgetgrams can be dozens of different things, but they're generally all of the same type. The more complex the gadget, the more expensive the gadgetgram. The cost of gadgetgrams is up to the Animator. Trapgrams These programs are designed to do something to other programs, databases, hardware or even someone using a deck. Netroamers will usually encounter them as part of the defenses when they attack a Megacorp system. An Identify Dangerous Thing roll will spot a Trapgram; a Set/Remove Trap roll will let you get past it. If you fail, _something awful happens_. It may call creaturegrams or live Netroamers. It may cost your cyberbody Hit Points (it can't hurt your real body).It may throw you out of cyberspace. It may Boggle you or do something silly to you. The worst ones can Mindfry you or even Zero you Out. All Trapgrams are very expensive. The worse the results, the more costly they are. An Animator who is concerned with realism (what's that) will have only a few of the really nasty trapgrams, and they'll be right at the heart of the megacorp's defenses. They are often combined with one of the other types of programs or even a _virus_. A turn or two after the main program activates, the Trapgram goes off. Only a few Trapgrams are legal. All the rest are both illegal and dangerous. Gigglegrams Gigglegrams cause all sorts of problems, but none of the damage is really bad. One example is a gigglegram that causes a series of "knock knock jokes" to flash onscreen during an important speech by a Corp executive. Another might have the machines that build car bodies make them in the shape of bananas. They would still work, but they'd look really screwy. It goes without saying that all gigglegrams are _highly illegal!_ Despite this, they are fairly inexpensive on the Street. Viruses A virus is a very special program designed to duplicate itself inside a deck, database or program and then move through the Net looking for others to infect. A virus can contain one or more other programs and can set them off in any order the programmer wants. Viruses are even more illegal than gigglegrams and are a lot more expensive and harder to find.