I MC’d my first con-game at New Mexicon last Sunday (Downtown Dataheist). I experimented with the following Matrix moves for the session.
Login (SYNTH)
>>10+: You are in clean
>>7-9: choose one
>>Blue Ice executes a routine
>>Encrypted (takes time)
>>Restricted access (-1 ongoing to matrix moves while access is restricted)
Compromise Security (MIND)
Manipulate Systems (SYNTH)
>>10+: +1 Hold +[Intel]
>>7-9: +1 Hold & Blue Ice executes a routine
Spend Hold to effect sub-systems (except Deactivate ICE- use MELT ICE)
Search for Paydata (MIND)
>>10+: +1 Paydata +[Intel]
>>7-9: +1 Paydata & Blue Ice executes a routine
(sell it with Hit the Street)
Console Cowboy: spend [Intel] for one of the following effects
>>Gain +1 Hold on Compromise Security or Manipulate Systems
>>Avoid one ICE routine
>>Upgrade access from Restricted to Unrestricted
No one picked the Hacker, but the Fixer took a Neural Interface with Data Storage, and thus he was in charge of NetRunning for the mission (so the Console Cowboy modification wasn’t used). The Fixer enacted approximately 7-9 rolls while in the Matrix during the action phase (including the Login), and probably because he was sub-optimized for NetRunning, he got ~2 Hits, ~2 Misses and the rest were Weak Hits. With this set of modified moves I felt like I was able to utilize more of the “Running the Matrix” chapter (Activate Trace, Alert Sys-op, Sever a connection, Melt ICE) while the player was still able to overcome security measures within the mission and complete his secondary mission (I don’t think he found Paydata, but he tried). It seemed like a lot of moves compared to some of the other players, by contrast the Killer and Driver probably only rolled 4-5 rolls each for the whole game (I could have done better with spotlight management). Overall, I would like to playtest these moves again, or perhaps think of a way to streamline the Matrix moves besides just doing a mission with in a mission.
Did you consider making a new currency instead of using [intel]? What was your thinking there?
My thought of using [intel] as currency for Console Cowboy was to 1) reduce the number of rolls the Hacker had to do, and 2) I could see using [intel] for those effects in terms of the fiction (sometimes I’ve seen the [intel] not being used up, but in this session all the [intel] was used, and the Fixer generated at least +1 [intel] ). I could definitely see generating a new currency for Matrix moves, but I wanted to use mechanics that were already there and I wasn’t sure about how a new currency would affect game balance…
I really like that the players get a choice as to whether the IC is going to do a routine. Would you have different moves for red and black IC?
Using intel as a hold for the matrix moves kind of make sense. (you could technically use intel to open up short cuts anyway, this just allows the player not have to think so hard about it.) It puts more weight on doing those research rolls before diving. With data storage that could be highly profitable with 2 intel per hard hit.
I really don’t like ‘it takes time’ options since a lot of my missions aren’t under a time crunch. It’s hard to manipulate the fiction to be meaningful other than some elevator music.
I reserved Red and Black ICE moves for when the player Misses and I didn’t modify the lists from the book.
With Encrypted (it takes time), there are other consequences from moves which utilize this (Hit the Streets), so I was trying to emulate that. I imagine it complicating an Infiltrator’s or Killer’s movement around a facility by not getting the locks open at the right time or not creating a diversion elsewhere. Alternately, I could see that it could Advance the appropriate Mission Clock (“Jane-06 isn’t supposed to be at work today, why is she jacking in on the work account?”)
interesting with the red IC on a miss.
I don’t like the it takes time option on the ‘hit the street’ move either lol. if its about a complication down the road or a clock advance because of dawdling, i’d rather list it as such so the player knows what they’re getting into.
It can also feel weird since it sometimes leads to moving the spotlight away, but login is the opening matrix move.
I’m for player facing transparency, which can be rough two options do the same thing, since a possible blue IC routine is also to raise the alarm.
A possible alternative could be “a human user notices your entry”.