Let's Design: Cyberpunk Hacking Rules

[Abstract Machine]

It's no more than ease of use really, Onix.

Part of the problem I found with hacking was that you'd have to break off, or switch, gameplay. With cards you can have things 'ticking over' and even affecting other parts of the game.

Your experience may be different. Filching ideas from Netrunner is quite handy too.

[Onix]

I totally agree that having a hack that's ticking down is a cool idea. I also agree that having an easy way of tracking it is also a good idea, I'm just not getting how the cards do that for me. I think you're looking at this from a perspective I don't have.

The idea is I take it that you have a hack that you've worked on, write it down on a card and place it in front of you, and then when the player sees an opportunity to use it, they activate it? I'm cool with that. Is that what you're getting at or do I have the wrong idea?

[Abstract Machine]

Well, I’m not giving you much detail.

If I recall, there could be as many cards as there were hardware ‘slots’, each of which contained a type of hack. Filling over half your hardware slots began to slow your REF or INT over in the real world.

It was a kind of always-on connection, which meant you could affect the environment in which you and the other PCs were operating, such as breaking and entering or switching lights on or off to affect stealth or combat.

You could just use a sheet of paper for this, of course, but using cards meant you could mix and match hacking applications without having to stop and rub things out or whatever.

Really, it was about making sure hacking was integrated into the rest of the game.