[Mara]

Own a pistol. Even if you can't use it, but nothing cries out serious business like a gun pointed into the face of someone. And get a lasersight for your smartlinked pistol. So his buddies know exactly where you are aiming at.

You know....Circumstance bonus of 1 Die to intimidation if you do that *AND* know how to use a pistol! More depending on where
the little red dot is hovering over...

[Kontact]

All the money.
Have it.
Gear is modifiers, and modifiers can contribute as much as a 3rd stat when you do them right, so buy as much as you can.
Even if your GM is Monty Hall, optimization is about being as good as you can be now and being even better later.

If you're a mage, it's better to buy that big-ass focus and bind it with bp than it is to save up and bind it later with karma and earnings.

Custom-high lifestyle still gives you high starting cash.  Money is good.

Don't forget Command.  Using Remote Operation in conjunction with an automated device will replace your attribute with the Command program's rating.  This means anyone with a command program of 6 and a rating 6 medkit can do first aid with 12 dice from hotsim VR.  It's a setup that will cost you less than 1 bp worth of cash.

Keep knowledge skills diverse.  Specifics are for specializations.  Don't get Denver Street Gangs, Seattle Street Gangs or Lagos Street Gangs.  Get Street Gangs.  Get Politics.  Get Data Havens.  Having some idea about a lot of things is better than having a good idea about irrelevant things.  And, remember, your GM wants to give you this information.

[gargaM0NK]

Good call on lifestyles!

My favorite is to start with one month of high, as follows (assuming no qualities allowed):
Comforts: Squatter (2) - Fluff
Entertainment: Luxury (6) - Fluff*
Necessities: High (4)
Neighborhood: Low (2) - don't want higher in case going back home after a run becomes a reason for lone-star to stop you
Security: Luxury (6) - Live in a gated neighborhood in a crappy community, have a safer place.

Total 20 = standard high lifestyle, for increased starting cash.
After the first month, drop to middle by removing 5 from Entertainment.  When doing this be sure to pick up the premium matrix services (unwired 202) that came with High for free.  Unlimited anonymous commcodes is stupidly useful and not that expensive.  If you get sold out, and the only person who had that commcode was your fixer...

*if your ST lets you use entertainment to not have to pay for drinks at meets/etc, you should squeeze a point out of comforts, necessities, or security to keep this high enough that you don't have to record every soygin 'n tonic you drink using etiquette with Mr. Johnson.

[Mara]

With regards to Lifestyles, one of my favourite ways to go is:
Mild Allergy to Soy,
Make sure that I have High Necessities to cover that all my food is "Real Food", not Soy,
So, I tend to do:
Comforts, Entertainment, Security at Middle(3), Neighborhood at Low(2), Necessities at High(4)

It ends up giving you relatively free points. Since, after all, a mild allergy is only a -1 to your Dice Pools,
so, in general, even if you end up having to eat soy at a meet, it is more a discomfort allergy, not a dangerous one(I have
a few of these RL, namely to onions and black olives). And, of course, it meets one thing any GM would like:
it is a disadvantage that actually impacts the game, and will come into play...

[All4BigGuns]

Just watch out for the GMs who'll say "Your last food shipment had a lot of soy snuck in. Increase your allergy to moderate and you get the penalty everyday for the next month." Such GMs are out there.

[Operator]

Don't forget Command.  Using Remote Operation in conjunction with an automated device will replace your attribute with the Command program's rating.  This means anyone with a command program of 6 and a rating 6 medkit can do first aid with 12 dice from hotsim VR.  It's a setup that will cost you less than 1 bp worth of cash.

+1 for that. Command is versatile, and I was thinking about its applications in a remote-controlled bomb disposal drone.

[gargaM0NK]

Does a RAW medkit have the capacity to do the care itself, or is it just the resources to do so by hand?

Command is a good call, you can also pick up analyze 6 for next to nothing, and Firewall 6 without restricted gear, giving Joe the Runner sys

• +firewall[6] + analyze [6] for unwelcome guests.

[All4BigGuns]

Except you need Restricted Gear for Response 6 to use that Firewall. The Analyze on the other hand could make use of Optimization and Ergonomic program options.

[gargaM0NK]

I've gotten in trouble for relying over-much on this before, but according to the FAQ, Firewall is a matrix attribute, rather than a program and so, unlike system, can be brought to 6 without raising response.   Is this contradicted in the rules somewhere?

[All4BigGuns]

How about that nowhere in the rulebook description of Firewall does it state that it is an exception to that rule.

[Yogi]

I've gotten in trouble for relying over-much on this before, but according to the FAQ, Firewall is a matrix attribute, rather than a program and so, unlike system, can be brought to 6 without raising response.   Is this contradicted in the rules somewhere?

Not that I have seen and do it for most/all my characters. 

And no where does it say that it is included in that rule. 

[Operator]

I've gotten in trouble for relying over-much on this before, but according to the FAQ, Firewall is a matrix attribute, rather than a program and so, unlike system, can be brought to 6 without raising response.   Is this contradicted in the rules somewhere?

System is capped by Response (p.222 SR4A), but there is no such mention of a limitation for Firewall; it's described as the device's built-in security software. The FAQ specifically appears to refute support* the notion that Firewall is not limited since it is a Matrix attribute.

If you're looking to upgrade a device's hardware (Response/Signal), then the upgrades can be no larger than the device's base ratings +2.

Except you need Restricted Gear for Response 6 to use that Firewall. The Analyze on the other hand could make use of Optimization and Ergonomic program options.

When did Response start acting as a hard limit for program ratings? That role belongs to System.

*EDIT: I need to avoid rushing my forum posts and leave myself a 20-minute grace period for work.

[vinnmun]

It's not but since system is limited by response and program ratings are limited by system when being used.

[All4BigGuns]

If Firewall were meant to be the singular exception, the rulebook description would specify it as such. It doesn't so it isn't.

[Yogi]

If Firewall were meant to be the singular exception, the rulebook description would specify it as such. It doesn't so it isn't.

This horse has been beaten to death may times in other threads.

Six of one, half dozen of the other.    Meaning some see it one way, others see it another.   

Edit:

Though I do find it interesting that HERO LAB, a licensed character generator for SR lets you purchase Firewall up to 6 at Char Gen.