[Unahim]

I agree that it definitely adds to the storytelling ability to have a decker's gear evolve with his skills; starting with a commlink, evolving to a second hand RCC he comes across, into a low end deck and then on to bigger things. Being new to Shadowrun I'm just not as clear on how viable it is gameplay/mechanics wise. I'm used to RPGs with a lot of min/maxing so the idea of not starting with a high end deck seems like it could cause you and your team unnecessary issues.

And it will. If any kind of Cybercombat or whatever breaks out, your Edge is going to be gone in a second. But it's a good budget alternative for non-dedicated deckers, imo.

[ZeConster]

It only says "Hey, here's a list of programs are useful on an RCC." It doesn't say "These are the only programs you may use!"

True, although it's implied by "Riggers can utilize a number of cyberprograms that deckers usually use" - of course, I guess that can be interpreted multiple ways.

[Unahim]

It only says "Hey, here's a list of programs are useful on an RCC." It doesn't say "These are the only programs you may use!"

True, although it's implied by "Riggers can utilize a number of cyberprograms that deckers usually use" - of course, I guess that can be interpreted multiple ways.

Yeah, he's not a Rigger, but a Decker using a fourth-rate RCC out of lack of funds :p

[ZeConster]

It only says "Hey, here's a list of programs are useful on an RCC." It doesn't say "These are the only programs you may use!"

True, although it's implied by "Riggers can utilize a number of cyberprograms that deckers usually use" - of course, I guess that can be interpreted multiple ways.

Yeah, he's not a Rigger, but a Decker using a fourth-rate RCC out of lack of funds :p

-_q
Anyway, the Rigger part's not the one that's open to interpretation - you use an RCC, you're officially a member of the Rigger club, so "Riggers" there means "someone using an RCC" - but the "can utilize a number of cyberprograms" bit can either be taken to mean "these are the programs you can run on RCCs" or "these are the programs that are useful on RCCs". Might want to ask in the FAQ or something.

[Unahim]

Really though, he's getting something barely (if at all) above a Rating 6 Commlink in functionality, at over triple the cost. Is there any reason to ban it if the RAW doesn't do so outright?

[ZeConster]

If RAW doesn't ban him from doing so (and unless we get a more official opinion, it's a matter of interpretation as to whether it does or does not), then yes, there's definitely a pretty big reason why the GM might want to forbid it, and that is the Exploit cyberprogram, which gives +2 to Sleaze when attempting a Hack on the Fly. If you also get Stealth and Edit, and drop Decryption, this gives you 0/1(3)/4(6)/6 - enough to hack small fries and steal their files without using Edge - for 21,580¥, which is less than half what the cheapest Cyberdeck costs you, while also having extra functionalities cyberdecks aren't capable of (namely the whole "make drones kill anyone that tries to go after you" thing). For an extra 330¥ you can add Virtual Machine and Fork, doubling the speed at which you can steal files.

[The Masked Ferret]

Plus, if you have 3 marks on a persona or deuce, you can reboot the device, possibly causing dumpshock. Plus, it's a data processing action, so no alert or consequence if it fails. If it success on a persona, it can cause dumpshock. 6 damage only resisted with will.

[Unahim]

Plus, if you have 3 marks on a persona or deuce, you can reboot the device, possibly causing dumpshock. Plus, it's a data processing action, so no alert or consequence if it fails. If it success on a persona, it can cause dumpshock. 6 damage only resisted with will.

Will and Firewall.