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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.