Category: Uncharted Worlds: Discussion

An interesting and unexpected request came up in the most recent game.

Players are about to use a Quantum Warp Drive that will jump them 450 years in to the future. Go with it.

One player asked me…

Can I upload my AI in to Sectornet, in order to do day-trading, so that when I arrive in the future, I’ll be obscenely wealthy ?

It was the end of the night, and I was tired and really needed to think this one through with more time on my hands. I said “Let me think about it, because your AI cannot just go on to Sectornet, no more than I can upload an AI in to the WWW. It needs to have a host somewhere, at least initially, before it bounces around networks and other hosts, etc”.

His idea was not to make massive moves on trades. Just a little safe and guaranteed one each day, bank the compound interest, wash, lather and repeat for 450 years….you do the math….

Now, I know the golden rule of UW is “Yes…and…”

We left it hanging in the air…ready for the next game, and he’s yet to make the roll to see if it works…

The idea has merit. So much merit. And could spin off in to many other ideas as well.

eg…two factions who hate each other pre-future jump are known to be 1 faction post jump in the future. I asked the players why they joined together. “To combat a greater threat”. Well, they’ve not twigged it yet, but just suppose this “greater threat” is that players AI, which has grown to a Skynet level of malevolence, and is the reason the future is very bleak indeed…

I could argue that, regardless of what the player rolls, a 6- or a 10+, their AI has been successful in that context. Yes, on a 10+, your AI made an absolute killing in the markets, destabilised nations, then planets, then systems, before people tried to shut it down. At which point, it retaliated. Hard. The future is wrecked, and the enemy factions are having to work together to try and survive. Perhaps on a 6-, the same could also be true, or perhaps dial it down a bit…you arrive in the future. And your debt through failed trading is 1 quadra-giga billion. Or they managed to shut it down after it caused some damage.

Besides, you don’t technically exist in the future. All your records have been wiped. Assuming he rolls 10+, how is he going to collect this immense fortune? (Probably create a new ID using existing DNA to prove he is who he says he is). Yeah, you may be more wealthy than Midas, but your AI is 450 years old, suffering from lack of care and bug cleaning, and has spent it all on high grade silicon cooling, and pleasure droids….and cannot remember who you are…

Forgive me…just rambling…gotta love this crazy and epic game !

I’d like to ask a question about a specific Move (Access + Interface) and also follow up with a more in depth question about hacking networks.

As I understand in general, use of a Move (and rolling dice) typically signifies that at the end, when all is resolved one way or another, your player turn is done. Time to move on to the next person. (Move Chains are the exception to this).

I think I’ve been running something wrong with my players.

On Player Bob’s go, he rolls Access + Interface to initially “get inside” the target computer system. Bob rolls 10+. All good.

Bob then says “Now that I am in, I want to do that thing with the system” and Bob immediately rolls again Access + Interface to try and do that thing”.

I see two errors here…

I think I should have stopped Bob after the initial and successful attempt to access the interface. Bob’s rolled dice, so time to move to the next player ?

The other error, is, I don’t think Bob needs to roll Access + Interface again to do the thing he wants inside the network, because he already has access. I think he needs to do Face Adversity / Get Involved / Assessment to do the thing he wants, is that right ?

However, as I noticed on another read of the rules (P25), it says “A successful Access gives one complete privileges over the content in that cluster”, so does Bob even need to make a second roll to do that thing, if he has complete access ?

Whilst we are talking about SectorNet, what are folk’s take on it ?

I kind of envision a galaxy spanning PWW (Planet Wide Web) as appropriate to the campaign.

In both of my campaigns, it exists in all the known and colonised planets.

Access is via wireless, or hardpoint/terminal if available, wherever you are. Within reason.

Reason being :

Any ship, of any type will have sufficient arrays to always be connected to SectorNet if desired. They are just nodes after all. If you met a surprise alien civilisation who have just popped up in the campaign world, never been met before…they are not on SectorNet. They have their own tech.

Any colonised planet with settlements will have SectorNet in all but the most remote locations. It’s no big deal to have a sat dish on a shack roof, in the middle of the forest.

If you happened to be in the forest / somewhere remote with your “deck”, and the dish on the roof was broken, now you are in trouble. No deck has enough juice to uplink to a satellite. Best fix that dish, or crank up the power on the deck…consequences. If your flyer is nearby, just uplink to that instead..boom…SectorNet. Seems legit ?

A bit about hacking now…

So let’s say the player wants to hack Evil Megacorp (EM)

It seems reasonable they exist on SN. But protected.

So, player wants to hack in to their network…

1. SectorNet is easily accessed by everyone. It’s just the PWW.

2. Player Bob makes Access + Interface to get in to EM network

3. Player Bob wants to do that thing. Drain all their accounts and bankrupt them immediately. Face Adversity + Interface. Bob succeeds. Bob has just destroyed a Faction. At least in the short term. Bob could have wiped off his Debts instead. Or all manner of massively game breaking things. Is Bob “playing in the spirit of the game” or just being a douchebag to the rest of the table ?

Final question if I may ?

Corporate Military jet about to drop a ton on bombs on you.

1. Log in to SectorNet

2. Try and access EM network with Access + Interface. Success.

3. Tell GM “I want to screw with the targeting on the jet”. Face Adversity + Interface. Success 10+

4. GM says “Well done, at the last moment the bombs fall short missing you and the crew on land”. (I guess for a partial, the bombs fall short, but take out some collateral)

Seems legit ?

Thank you !

The game is amazing, and I’ve run 6 sessions now. A fellow GM has now purchased it, and I know of another GM who is going to give it a try too 🙂