[SDTroll]

I have moved to the next section of the rules, and questions start appearing.  Just one so far, how does your OS decrease.  I have found plenty of ways to increase it, but nothing that says how it decreases.  When you log out, does it drop to 0 immediately?  Is there a time before it drops? Does it have a rate which it drops at?  Maybe I'm missing it, but I can't find it.

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

It was omitted. It's supposed to be the same as it was in 5e- OS resets to 0 when you end your matrix session.

[SDTroll]

Thanks, for a follow up, when doing a probe action, it is listed as an extended action but written like an opposed test.  Which is it supposed to be?  Is the Willpower+Firewall or Firewall x2 supposed to be the threshold?  Is it treated like an opposed action but each attempt takes a minute instead of a round? 

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

It's a special thing, exactly as written.  It's a unique extended test that also incorporates an opposed roll.  If you get any net hits on the first interval, you can sit happy or you can push your luck and hope for more.  And more OS!

Also note that it doesn't say it, but the intent is that the Probe wears off if you reboot/end your matrix session- you're not supposed to be able to push your luck on jacking up your OS, then reset and clear it for the rest of the hack.

[SDTroll]

Also note that it doesn't say it, but the intent is that the Probe wears off if you reboot/end your matrix session- you're not supposed to be able to push your luck on jacking up your OS, then reset and clear it for the rest of the hack.

Really? That seems very counter-intuitive for me.  Of course so does a lot of the game.  Is there any where that indicates that?  My read was that the probe could be used an time before the duration expires.  Thus a big advantage if you have time is to set up the probe and come back later to use Backdoor Entry on it.  Not a huge deal, just very different than I read.

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

Also note that it doesn't say it, but the intent is that the Probe wears off if you reboot/end your matrix session- you're not supposed to be able to push your luck on jacking up your OS, then reset and clear it for the rest of the hack.

Really? That seems very counter-intuitive for me.  Of course so does a lot of the game.  Is there any where that indicates that?  My read was that the probe could be used an time before the duration expires.  Thus a big advantage if you have time is to set up the probe and come back later to use Backdoor Entry on it.  Not a huge deal, just very different than I read.

Indeed. Again that's the RAI, but not the RAW.

[Xenon]

For now just treat matrix search as a regular simple test that take 10 minutes (and then you use your net hits directly on the existing legwork table on p. 50) and probe as a regular opposed test that take 1 minute (and then you use your net hits as extra dice when you later take the backdoor entry action).

As written it is clear that you are supposed to probe the hostile network before you actually need the access, sometimes this is done in preparation even hours before the actual run. If you need access here and now (during time pressure) you would instead resort to brute force.

The intent might be that both overwatch score and your probed back doors disappear on reboot, but currently there are no rules indicating or explaining this.

[Michael Chandra]

I disagree with that houserule about Matrix Search, given how Matrix Search explicitly is restricted to what's publicly available so won't find the same things as contacts and normal legwork can. As such restricting Deckers to a simple test is being too hostile towards deckers. With Probe, you're supposed to keep raising the bonus by it being extended, so the suggested houserule completely defies the intended way of working (that you can keep pushing for more bonus, but at a price).

[Xenon]

I disagree with that houserule about Matrix Search

The table on p. 50 is currently balanced after the fact that you take a simple test, until future errata will give us a revisited legwork table with thresholds balanced for matrix search being an extended test even Banshee agree that we could treat it as a simple test:

original intent factored in much higher thresholds than what was ultimately established.
...
with the lower thresholds as established in the legwork section makes this almost obsolete.
...
Two possible solutions if you want to change it either limit it to a simple test or use much higher thresholds.

the intended way of working (that you can keep pushing for more bonus, but at a price).

There are only two types of tests in SR6:

Simple tests (which are clearly explained)
Extended tests (which are also clearly explained)

What Banshee intended is something completely different and much more complicated. And not at all documented nor explained. And in most cases it will be mathematically best to just stop after one interval (which mean you treat it as a regular opposed test that take 1 minute - just as I suggested).


This is how Banshee intended for the Probe extended test to be resolved:

• It act very much like a regular opposed test (that take 1 minute). Just like an opposed test this unique test is failed if the opposing side get more hits and successful on a tie or better.
• If the opposed test failed then the whole probe attempt failed and you have to start over (possible by applying the Trying Again rule).
• If the opposed test was successful then you may either choose to stop there or you may choose to push your luck and take a new opposed test.
• If you choose to stop then your net hits will act as a positive dice pool modifier on your future Backdoor Entry test
• If you choose to push your luck and take a new opposed test then you spend another minute and you reduce the total dice pool by 1 dice (similar a regular extended test). The opposing dice pool is not reduced.
• Repeat until you choose to stop or until an opposed test fail at which point the whole probe attempt fail and have to be started over (no matter how many net hits you might have got from previous opposed tests!)

None of this is explained in the book and it is so complicated that nobody would have figured out how to resolve it correctly simply by guessing (we tried, remember). Currently only the handful people that read his post (and this post) will know about this.

Rather than explaining all this to a new player it is far easier to just tell them to "resolve it as an opposed test that take 1 minute".

And technically this is not breaking RAW nor RAI (as you are perfectly free to choose to not continue rolling after your first successful opposed test - and in most cases it is also mathematically better to stop rolling after just one interval anyway).