Gameable hacker scavenger hunt?
This is an intriguing recruiting mechanism that seems like it could be used in a longer campaign as a secondary story arc. Who’s recruiting and for what purpose? Combined with physical tasks/challenges as part of the clue hunting would open this to teamwork.
Originally shared by Christo Meid
Cryptographic scavenger hunt.
This is an old post, but a very intriguing idea. And interesting that those that get into the private challenges seem to have kept the secret if they figured out who was running this.
I would use a project clock, like in Blades in the Dark, or like the Reporter playbook’s story clock. Basically the PC has six segments they have to fill, and each segment is filled by getting into a specific system in a specific mainframe. Tie these into the runs the hacker is doing. They’re running against Omni? Well one of the scavenger hunt items is rumored to be buried in the Omni Arcology farm system’s datastore. They’re kidnapping a Neotek executive? Well as they’re heading down the highway, moments before hitting the armored limo, they see the mysterious dirigible that holds one of the puzzle pieces. They just have to hack it… while also supporting the comms blackout their team needs to kidnap the exec.
Like personal directives, each tick on the clock should cost something or add a complication to a mission.
Completing the clock would give the hacker mad rep (something like 10 Cred) and a new and mysterious Contact.
Jon Lemich i really like your idea of using the Reporter clocks. I find it more interesting if the puzzle can’t be completed alone, requiring others on the team to contribute. Just because there’s only one Hacker playbook in play doesn’t mean others on the team aren’t also hackers..
It bothers me a little that only the Hacker gets Jack In and anyone else has to spend an Advance to get it.
Well, you could start a game with everyone getting the Jack In advance, and the Hacker getting to choose an advance…
Maybe Jack In provides Melt ICE, but everyone can use Log In, Manipulate Systems, Compromise Security, Jack Out, and Search for Paydata. Melt ICE is worth being a playbook move that sets the Hacker apart. Everyone else has to suffer ICE attacks while they rush to get what they need (which would get very expensive) or else Jack Out.