Shouldn’t the Hacker have a move for reducing the action clock similarly to that Infiltrator one where he pulls it off with 12+ rolls?
This was the argument our hacker presented in last session, and it makes sense to me. See, the hacker seems the playbook apt to exert greater control on the mission site security through distractions, alerts supression, cams surveillance, fake service calls, etc. much more than the Infiltrator move descriptions suggest (fast-talking guards into relaxing and similar). Thoughts?
PS: how would you do a custom move for it? I thought about simply replicating the Infiltrator move for the hacker but rolling with Mind or Synth. Thoughts?
Can’t they just take that infiltrator move when they advance and call it even?
Sure, but then it uses Edge or Style, stats appropriate to the Infiltrator, not the hacker.
Edit: Actually it’s worse. The moves conditions are described in such ways specific to the infiltrator. So its even less useful for hackers.
What about this?
“Security Expert: while you’re jacked into a system and no alerts were triggered, when you roll 12+ to compromise security or manipulate system, you may spend one hold to reduce the Mission Clock by one segment.”
If both you and the player think this sounds like something the Hacker should be able to do, then go for it.
You might want to change the wording to: “while you’re jacked into a system and there are no active alerts…” Otherwise an alert being triggered even once shuts down the move.
I’m curious how often this would get triggered. The Hacker in my game has some pretty high stats and rolls very well.
Chris, my hacker player seemed pretty proficient too. I think if the wording allow him to do it as long no alert is active, he may wipe the floor with the clock. Haha. I think he should only be allowed to do it if no alert was triggered yet. Once one is triggered, bye bye. The move can’t be used anymore in this mission. Don’t know how would this work in practice though.
As written though, I feel the move presents a non-choice. As soon as the MC triggers an alert the move “turns off”, so why wouldn’t the player use this ability at the first opportunity?
If the trigger were “and there are no active alerts”, the Hacker is able to go turn off any active alerts, allowing the move to trigger again. I feel that provides a more interesting choice, as spending hold to go cancel an alert might not be the best thing for the Hacker to do in a given situation.
I still worry that the move allows the Hacker to completely clear the Action Clock though. Master of Disguise triggers off of a move that requires the Infiltrator to interact with people, which is risky. It’s exciting. This move allows the Hacker to be off by themselves interacting with a matrix system. I don’t think that is as exciting.
Hmmm, I like your suggestion about the “while alert is active..”, it really sounds more interesting, but I think it would make it too easy on the hacker.
An alternative would be to keep your wording, but separate the move just like the Infiltrator ones – one for Compromise Sec, another for Manipulate System. This way you make it harder for the hacker to dominate. Thoughts ?
PS: about excitement, I think it’s there as long there is risk involved, and both situations – Fast Talk and Compromise Sec – have it in the form of options for advancing the clock.
I don’t think separating the moves – one for Compromise Security another for Manipulate Systems – would prevent the Hacker from dominating. Your move already triggers on a 12+ from either move, so splitting them up doesn’t do anything except take up 2x as much space to write out.
I don’t get your reasoning. See, the very fact it’s separated would force the hacker to go with one or the other. The move circumstancial nature (12+ on the roll) would make it unreliable for a hacker to get both. Thus it would reduce the frequency it would be triggered. Eg: a hacker with “Security Expert” would only trigger it when trying to Compromise Sec, while a hacker with “Manipulator Expert” would only have a chance to trigger it while manipulating systems.
It seems obvious to me this would totally reduce the hacker chance to dominate (just like the separation of the Infiltrator ones do – see Master of Disguise and Stealth Op). Maybe I’m not understanding your point?
Just had this idea! Keep the move singular, with your wording (..while alarms are not active..) and effecting both Compromise Sec and Manipulate System, BUT restrict it to Security Nodes and Root only. What a about this? 🙂
Ah, wait. My mistake. For some reason I thought the character would have both moves. Splitting them up so that the player chooses only one or the other is a way to reduce how often they’re moving the Action Clock back.
I like restricting it to the Root node. I’d word the move something like this: Security Expert Whenever you Compromise Security while in a Root node, on a 12+ you may clear one segment of the Action Clock as long as there are no active alerts.”
Or something like that.
For the sake of variety, how about instead of another move that reduces the clock, a move that blocks the clock from increasing? The hacker isn’t practising the face-to-face deceit that the infiltrator relies on – instead, they can orchestrate timely comms failures and other such things to isolate anyone trying to raise an alarm.
As a move, something along the lines of “when the action clock is raised, roll. On a 10+, the action clock is not raised. On 7-9, the clock is not raised, but you’ve attracted some attention by doing so… choose from some appropriate matrix consequences”
Chris Stone-Bush, yeah I that’s what I had in mind. 😉 I think your latest wording is great. I would adjust the following: if we allow it to work with both Compromise Sec and Manipulate Sys, then limit it to specific nodes (say, Sec and Root only). Now, if you limit it to just, say, Compromise Sec, then allow it in any node. In other words:
Security Expert (version 1): Whenever you Compromise Security or Manipulate System while in a Root or Security node, on a 12+ you may spend one hold to clear one segment of the Action Clock, as long as there are no active alerts.
Security Expert (version 2): Whenever you Compromise Security, on a 12+ you may spend one hold to clear one segment of the Action Clock, as long as there are no active alerts.
Genre-wise, I would go with version 1. It just makes more sense that you cool down site alertness by manipulating/looping cameras in a Sec node or editing logs in the Root. For simplicity sake and simmetry to the Infiltrator moves though, version 2 seems more apt. Thoughts ?
Simon Geard, that’s a neat idea too. Blocking a clock increase instead of reducing it. But making it a default 10+ roll would make the hacker too powerful, no? Perhaps keeping it in-line with the other “clock manipulating” moves and effecting it with 12+ rolls would be more balanced. What about this?
Security Expert (version 3) whenever you’re logged to a system and no alert is active, when an Action Clock segment is filled, roll Mind. On 12+ you prevent it.”
You got any thoughts on this one, Hamish Cameron?