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A few questions.

Discussion in 'Modiphius Entertainment' started by Kulvain, Apr 29, 2018.

  1. Kulvain

    Kulvain New Member

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    Hello everyone, i've gm'ed a few sessions and like the system very much, but i encountered some rules questions.

    -to trigger a special breach effect, e.g. with OBLIVION, do you need to suffer a real breach (5+ dmg) or is it enoug to get 1 dmg and pay the appropriate momentum?

    -controlliong REM'S remotely increase the complication range by +2 (or +1 if using VR mode). The remote presence gear says that it eliminates the penalites to difficulty and complication range, but i cant find what difficult increase you get for using REM's.

    -how do Geists work? Can they just assist their owners or roll tests themselves? And if they can, do they roll like a normal PC (2d20) or just 1d20 like e.g. a trooper NPC?

    Thanks in advance and please excuse my english.
     
  2. Section9

    Section9 Well-Known Member

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    As for the first question, I think you need to roll an Effect, and then spend a Momentum.

    Not sure about the other two questions, let's get @Solodice in here.
     
  3. AdmiralJCJF

    AdmiralJCJF Heart of the Hyperpower

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    I think that's true of all of us.

    Welcome to the party!

    The latter, you just need to deal at least some damage and then spend the appropriate momentum to activate the Special Breach Effect.

    Given the function of Face to Face Reactions this can be harder than it first appears (unless your NPCs run out of Heat to React with).

    I'm not sure that there is a difficulty increase. This might be an artifact of an earlier version of the rules where there WAS such a penalty, but which got ditched later in the design process.

    They are effectively another character which the PC controls that can help them out. They can either make checks for themselves OR assist on rolls. If they are testing for themselves then they roll 2d20 and can spend Heat (and access the Momentum pool if the PCs agree). They can also assist their PC, adding 1d20 to the test (but testing against their own Attribute+Skill).

    It's important to note that while they may be able to assist physical actions without their own body (by offering additional auto-aim-assist on a Ballistics test, for example) they cannot physically act otherwise (to pick a physical lock or apply a bandage) unless their have their own Remote body (in which case they use their own Attributes or those of the Remote, whichever is lower).

    Not at all, you were very clear.
     
  4. inane.imp

    inane.imp Well-Known Member

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    I think their utility also comes down a lot to how much you 'enable' them and how much your GM lets you exploit them*. But yeah, if you have a plan with how you use them there's a lot you can get them to do.

    For instance, in the (high-powered) campaign I'm just about to start with @stevenart74 as the GM I've set up my TAG pilot's geist to be really quite decent at Anaylsis, and Ok at Observation, Tech and Hacking. Basically as an 'engineering / tactical' aid. So my plan is to get her to:
    • run diagnostics (Analysis) on my TAG to assist on Tech tests;
    • make tactical assessments (Analysis) during combat as Exploit actions to generate Momentum that I can spend shooting people (or GTFOing, as appropriate),
    • overclock the TAG's subsystems (Tech test) as either Exploit actions or Assistance on Teamwork Piloting tests
    • She has access to my visual feeds so can either independently monitor them (Observation tests on her own) or assist my PC (Teamwork Observation tests) OR run non-realtime analysis on them to spot things I've missed (Analysis tests that trade time for difficulty)
    • She'll also be on 'quantronic security duty' while my pilot is dealing with issues in the real (Obs 10, Hacking 10 means that she's a big enough threat to delay attacks/summon help) and will be able to assist with routine quantronic security processes (like checking my TAG for backdoors etc on start up) or do them herself if I need to do a simultaneous actions
    You can easily build them to either mitigate your weaknesses (if you're socially inept buying a Vizier geist gives you a coach whispering in your ear during face-to-face psywar actions or even conducts the meeting entirely for you) or accentuate your strengths (a Hacker who uses his Hacking-optimised Geist as someone to watch his back in quantronic scenes).

    You can also buy upgrades for them as a way of dealing with particular situations. Going into space with a complete mud-monkey character, buy an Extraplanetary upgrade for your Geist (Extraplanetary +2 EXP, Meteor Head): then, when you're drifting away after a zero-G combat scene and slowly leaking oxygen you have someone to calmly coach your panicky character through applying the patch to the leak, simultaneously manage your O2 supply to eke extra life out of it AND ping the Tomcats to come save your arse. All for a very reasonable price (and 100% guaranteed not to have any backdoors installed by the Observance ;) ).

    *The "my Geist does 'X' as an Exploit action and my PC does 'Y', spending the momentum my Geist just generated" is probably one of the most exploitable interactions in the Geist / PC relationship. As a GM I'd be cautious about letting my players get away with it on tenuous justifications: if there's nothing the Geist can really do to assist the PC then I'd tend to disallow it.
     
    #4 inane.imp, May 1, 2018
    Last edited: May 1, 2018
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  5. AdmiralJCJF

    AdmiralJCJF Heart of the Hyperpower

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    Yeah, getting attributes to 10 and improving skills are pretty cheap on Geists, as are picking up relevant talents to help make those even more effective.

    If you have the right setup it's not expensive to get your Geist seeing, hearing and feeling everything you do. That allows for them to make basically any sensory check, and they can certainly do any kind of interaction quantronically (I'm a big fan of Personality + Lifestyle builds to help out characters who hard dump social to buy stuff).

    Defensive Hacking Geists are another high importance setup for a lot of characters too, which syncs nicely with Psychology and Medicine (thanks to Intelligence being a great stat) and options like autoinjectors and automedkits to allow a wide range of support.
     
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  6. inane.imp

    inane.imp Well-Known Member

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    AWA and INT get you the vast majority of 'quantronic only' skills. Particularly since Infowar Stealth is Stealth+INT. PERs, as you say, has very obvious applications. With those three you're golden, unless you want your Geist to pilot things. But most REMs come with their own LAI which have decent stats as it is: so it's not strictly necessary.

    Geists are also great because even socially awkward engineers / hackers can readily get access to their upgrades since you can use Hacking or Tech for the acquisition rolls.

    FakeEdit: wow I just did a quick survey of AWA / INT / PERS skills. Pretty much everything except Education and Hacking get a re-roll as the first talent: and Hacking gets it as a second level talent. That re-roll is massive on teamwork tests where you're only rolling a single D20.

    Buying 2 EXP and first level talent only costs you Restriction 1, Cost 1+5$, Tariff 1 so approx 4 Cashflow (or you can buy 2 EXP + first level talent for 3 different skills at a cost of Restriction 2, Cost 1+5$, Tariff 1).
     
    #6 inane.imp, May 1, 2018
    Last edited: May 1, 2018
  7. Kulvain

    Kulvain New Member

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    Half a year later and i've played some nice sessions. Not as much as i wanted to, but still very good.
    I want to thank you again for the help, but i fear i have to rely on the compiled knowledge of the hivemind again.

    It may be that i have misread it the entire time, but is every person automatically connected to their local quantronic zone?

    E.g. Is everybody in a restaurant with its own quantronic zone visible and a potentially target for a hacker that is watching this zone?
     
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  8. stevenart74

    stevenart74 Well-Known Member

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    As far as the material I know Yes. . .

    Obviously the "Setting" will be differentiated; a typical Mall Fast-Food Course in Pan-Oceania will have JUST "Basic Support Infrastructure" for EACH client (and Personnel) "Quantronic Target Area". . .

    A Luxury Top-5-Star Restaurant offering exclusive course from all the Human Sphere (and beyond), usually chosen by Lobby Representatives to discuss important Corporate Matters between Allies / Contacts / Rivals, would have far more "Secure Basis" such as "Privacy Booths" where "White Noise Firewalls" will somehow "Insulate" the guests at a SPECIFIC Table (and ONLY that Specific Table) on top of what "Security Consultant" they could have with them. . .

    Infinity is LESS "Cyberpunk Anarchy" (like the aforementioned "Cyberpunk 2020" Talsorian Game soon-to-be-revamped in Videogame Setting) where "Young Teenager Rebels" will Hack "Everyone and their Dog" just for the "Lulz"; powerful Hacker (good enough to hack ANYONE in a Restaurant) will be either in the employ of National Agencies (Law Enforcement or Military), Big Mercenary Firms or ELITE of Submondo Criminals. . .

    In Tunguska Mothership the Pan-O TOP TIER Level of "Privacy Virtual Security" will PROBABLY be EVEN on Fast Food Shops; Corporate Bank Vaults and Exclusive Hotels will have MILITARY GRADE firewalls there AND active "Datasphere Patrols" of Interventor-Grade Hackers, as well as ANY kind of conceivable "Biometric Scan" routinely tested against Infiltrators on the Level of Hashashin Fidays (and MAYBE even on Speculo Killers inconceivable efficacy of fool security). . .

    . . . . .

    So my Personal Advice is =

    If Your Hacker P.C. wants to amuse Himself by Hacking EVERYONE (And their plate of Linguine Pasta) allow it, if they are powerful enough (and with hylarious, potentially disastrous consequences if some "Botched Roll" happen OR if You have "Enough Heat Points" to waste to punish their behaviour). . .

    If is an N.P.C. that wants to Hack the Players Comlogs / Geists I will allow it JUST for "Campaign Purposes" (example, an Enemy Nemesis-Level hacker dead-set on ruining their days) and not a "Casual Happenstance". . .

    . . . . .

    Of course should Your Restaurant be in Rural Caledonia of Planet Dawn (where Comlogs are JUST weirdly complicate wristwatches if there is NOT a Local Arachne Node set by Allied Nomads) then "Hacking" is usually done with. . . . .Teseum Claymores (as in "Hack'N'Slash" !!!). . . . .
     
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  9. AdmiralJCJF

    AdmiralJCJF Heart of the Hyperpower

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    Hi again.

    My own campaign has, likewise, been going well.

    In response to your questions:

    1 - By default, yes. Disconnecting would cripple most quantronic systems (and impose the +1 difficulty for anything without "Low Tech"), and also seems to be seen as rude in most of the Human Sphere society (a bit like wearing a hood in a restaurant).

    2 - Everyone in that zone will be "visible" to anyone in range.
     
  10. inane.imp

    inane.imp Well-Known Member

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    Nothing stops you running multiple personas though. So having a fake persona and a real one.

    So your fake persona is the one that's connected to the local zone.

    Cybermask does this 'ad hoc': ie you can do it 'immediately' to generate a new persona / pretend to be someone else. But you should be able to reproduce the effect using time and hardware.For instance: stealing and pwning someone's Commlog would let you pretend to be them Quantronicaly, or you can just Cybermask for the same result.

    Obviously there's a chance this deception will be noticed. [emoji6]

    The other point to note is that Personas aren't equally open. Some Halos will be little more than a name or tag (probably the minimal 'normal' behaviour) so you or your geist will need to do some light stalking to work out more information (Education or similar test for - in essence - Googling them) all the way up to ones that give open access to their full lifeblog (which even in a Quantronic age is a little out there).

    I wouldn't normally track the degree of privacy moment by moment. It's safe to say that a Ninja Hacker is in a hidden mode when infiltrating a target location and in an unobtrusive public mode when drinking tea at a local Tea house maintaining his cover, even if the player doesn't specify it.

    Basically I think of the Halo settings like this:
    Disconnected. Not broadcasting. Can't be detected. Can't be used. Probably has a penalty. Weird/rude or makes it obvious you're an atek.
    Hidden. Not broadcasting. Can be detected, Difficulty based on how well it was hidden. Can be used. Generally weird/rude, common in certain circumstances.
    Private. Will answer if queried (usually only name and maybe contact details). Detected via D(0) test (so normally doesn't need a test). Can be used. This is a common default.
    Semi-public. Broadcasts some private information (name, contact details and maybe location). Automatically detected. Can be used. Also a common default.
    Full-public. Broadcasts basically everything. Automatically detetected. Can be used. Only usually used on private networks with trusted parties; kinda socially awkward and a little rude if you do it in public.

    You can then set these permissions by group:
    IE general public = Private, friends = semi public, family/group = full public.
     
    #10 inane.imp, Oct 21, 2018
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2018
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  11. AdmiralJCJF

    AdmiralJCJF Heart of the Hyperpower

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    That sounds good, apart from your assumptions about Private and Semi-Public, which the setting makes clear are much less common than you believe and Full-Public which the setting makes clear is much MORE common than you believe.
     
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  12. inane.imp

    inane.imp Well-Known Member

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    Fair, but a lot of that depends on the sample.

    In the seedier parts you'll see less of the more overt options and the context oi.

    I've always taken that overt publicity with a grain of salt. The downsides to the sort of behaviour are huge, and the setting also makes it clear that locking down halos and granting tiered access to acquaintances is normal behaviour. It's shades of grey: there's a lot between minimal semi-public and full lifestreaming.

    It's certainly something I think about when building characters.

    One of the best game aspects of full lifestreaming is that it gives an information source characters can find with a bit of research. No need to hack into the security camera of a club when a large proportion of the patrons are streaming the experience... you just need to dig through the footage of dillettantes on party-drugs.
     
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  13. stevenart74

    stevenart74 Well-Known Member

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    Let's say that "Full Public" could be the "Social Norm" accepted behaviour in "Too Trusty" Pan-Oceania and gregarious Bakunin, while Paranoid States like Yujing (nearby "Sensible Targets" of the State Empire) and Tunguska (even in Food Courts) would have less publicized places. . .

    In fact I expect that there are Back Alleys in Tunguska where Young, but able Interventors-In-Training are selling cheap, but reliable, "Cybermasked Fake-Persona Catalogues" like is Halloween to not-so-hackerwise businesspeople that need to maintain a decent level of deceitfulness. . .

    After all Tunguska is "Caribbean Banks / Swiss Private Money-Laundering Attorney" IN SPACE !!!
     
  14. inane.imp

    inane.imp Well-Known Member

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    Even then, I'd expect behaviour on Vaudeville will range the whole gammut. I'd expect communities who routinely go completely private except for a link back to the ship (for safety and Social Energy purposes only) outside of their commune.

    And the putative man on the Vaudeville Omnizond may well be fully public within the confines of a Nomad Commercial Mission, but completely locked down as soon as they walk outside into the wilds of Neoterra.
     
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