[Nick14Nack]

Hi there,

currently I am preparing a run where the runners need to steal something from a building which is in the middle of the city, while there is a huge party crowd around the building.
For the plot to work it's important that the runners can only communicate with each other while in close proximity.
How can I best prevent communication via Matrix and via magic?

Best,
Daniel

[Reaver]

....

you can't really.

The building itself could be Wi-Fi disabled, meaning that no signals could enter or exit the building. (done with faraday cages built into the structure and Inhibiting paints on the walls)

BUT, that also means the Matrix is cut off in the building as well, so no real work could be done by the employees in there. Nor could THEY receive E-mails, phone calls, or Matrix traffic of any kind. (which limits their security options as well)

Magical comms are limited in and of themselves, but could be complicated by wards and barriers.


What is the this building supposed to be used for anyway?

[Adder]

I've implemented something like this by having everything covered in wi-fi blocking paint and running hardlines through the building when Matrix access is necessary. You can even have wifi available in select areas through a broadcaster at the end of the lines.

You could do so for the sections outside of the party area (blocking wi-fi for a party seems absurd by in-game standards). You'll need a really great reason for that level of security, though.

[Jayde Moon]

One of the mitigating factors to runners being able to freely communicate is that it should cost them actions.  This is rarely well adjudicated with players using comms as a free-for-all for infinite sharing of plans and ideas during initiative passes.

For absolutely knocking out comms whilst allowing their enemy to maintain comms, consider a jammer.  This would need to be house ruled, since frequency targetted or excluding jamming is outside of the cope of SR mechanics, but a highly specialized Electronic Warfare facility on site would be able to jam some frequencies while leaving certain channels open.

Most secure comms utiltize frequency hopping, which is nearly impossible to jam with targetted jamming, but if instead they just blow the entire frequency spectrum but leave open only their own single channel, then it's possible.

Signal inhibiting walls could theoretically contain the jamming so that it is only within the building.

[Nick14Nack]

Hi, here is what I came up with up to this point:

Today there will be a new prototype revealed at a big launch event in that building (think "Apple Watch"). There is a huge crowd outside waiting for the launch party, the matrix outside of the building is overloaded almost to the point of power done - and the building itself was capped from the matrix to prevent any leakage of information prior to the big reveal. Therefore there are also magic barriers and spirits to prohibit mages to sneak around and get an early look at the new prototype.
In my opinion this should lead to the runners only being able to communicate when outside the building, or by talking/short range communication inside the building.
What do you think? Does this make sense?

Best,
Daniel

[psycho835]

One of the mitigating factors to runners being able to freely communicate is that it should cost them actions.  This is rarely well adjudicated with players using comms as a free-for-all for infinite sharing of plans and ideas during initiative passes.

For absolutely knocking out comms whilst allowing their enemy to maintain comms, consider a jammer.  This would need to be house ruled, since frequency targetted or excluding jamming is outside of the cope of SR mechanics, but a highly specialized Electronic Warfare facility on site would be able to jam some frequencies while leaving certain channels open.

Most secure comms utiltize frequency hopping, which is nearly impossible to jam with targetted jamming, but if instead they just blow the entire frequency spectrum but leave open only their own single channel, then it's possible.

Signal inhibiting walls could theoretically contain the jamming so that it is only within the building.

What about smart jammers? They jam everything except the frequency of your choice.

[Walks Through Walls]

Nick14Nack

What you are talking about would hinder communication between the inside and outside of the building which is what the people running the show want, but those inside could communicate freely with those inside and those outside could freely communicate with those outside. Unless you made the walls of each room a faraday cage or something to block a signal. This would become cumbersome and expensive quickly.
Does something else in the run get wrecked if they can communicate with each other inside the building? If not then let it go and just stop the comms in  and out of the building.

[Jayde Moon]

*SNIP*

What about smart jammers? They jam everything except the frequency of your choice.

I didn't know that 'Smart Jammers' are a thing available in any of the current SR rulebooks, but that's exactly what I'm talking about.

[farothel]

Nick14Nack

What you are talking about would hinder communication between the inside and outside of the building which is what the people running the show want, but those inside could communicate freely with those inside and those outside could freely communicate with those outside. Unless you made the walls of each room a faraday cage or something to block a signal. This would become cumbersome and expensive quickly.
Does something else in the run get wrecked if they can communicate with each other inside the building? If not then let it go and just stop the comms in  and out of the building.

I assume he means that because of the high volume of network traffic, the network there has a bottleneck, making that the team can't communicate because calls aren't routed through (just like current day cell phone networks can go down because of the high volume of calls).  And since most runners will be on the public matrix, which will be affected first, it's an easy way to block communications.

[Nick14Nack]

Does something else in the run get wrecked if they can communicate with each other inside the building? If not then let it go and just stop the comms in and out of the building.

The main idea of the run is that there will be two groups of runners (with players in separate rooms with a GM each) who will only be able to communicate via a complex software (simulated by the players having to use morse alphabet). Therefore keeping down communication actually is the main concern.

[psycho835]

*SNIP*

What about smart jammers? They jam everything except the frequency of your choice.

I didn't know that 'Smart Jammers' are a thing available in any of the current SR rulebooks, but that's exactly what I'm talking about.

Old toys shouldn't be retconned away just because new edition books don't mention them. Especially if it's GM who wants to use them.

[Kincaid]

*SNIP*

What about smart jammers? They jam everything except the frequency of your choice.

I didn't know that 'Smart Jammers' are a thing available in any of the current SR rulebooks, but that's exactly what I'm talking about.

Old toys shouldn't be retconned away just because new edition books don't mention them. Especially if it's GM who wants to use them.

That's essentially the wireless bonus given to all jammers in 5e.  But yeah, with the possible exception of emotitoys, there are all kinds of things in previous editions that haven't seen the light of day in 5e that are still around--E.g. prism switches are still around.

[Sendaz]

  But yeah, with the possible exception of emotitoys, there are all kinds of things in previous editions that haven't seen the light of day in 5e that are still around--E.g. prism switches are still around.

Until it turns out all prism switches were built from clear silica based nanites and thus melted down along with the other various nanites

Hey, it could happen.

[Jayde Moon]

Hell yeah, GMs should use whatever they want.  Didn't mean to imply that if it's not in the current edition sourcebooks, it no longer existed.  Mostly a nod to the idea that some people may not have access to pre-fifth edition references, which the rest of us take for granted.

[ksyr]

Can you make this a social event thingy where everyone is invited to leave behind their comlinks and enjoy face to face socialising for the evening? All guests at the party will be expected to have their comlinks switched off and if the local host detects any online comlinks the guest will be kindly reminded to switch it off. No threats, force, jamming or violence. Just the social stigma of being the "guy who couldn't obey one simple request". Also, everyone else at the party will remember his face in case something happens that night.