Periphial Coding - Tangential Moves

These moves are there to expand the Source Code universe. It may be conceptually wrong to call them Tangential, but the idea is that these moves are not the Core of what gameplay is to be.

First up is expanded firefights, then the concept of Noise and how to solve the whole economy issue.

In a firefight you may get these additional options:

Why? Because I like more detailed firefights in my games, and ... well do I need more reasons.

When you SPRAY AND PRAY to give someone cover ROLL + EDGE. Doing this adds + reload to any weapon you are using (naturally this can’t be done with a + reload weapon). On a 10+ pick three. On a 7-9 pick two.
•   You don’t empty your clip (- reload).
•   You keep them covered (only incidental fire; 0- harm or 1- harm).
•   You don’t do collateral damage.
•   You don’t generate Noise.

When you BRAVE THE HEAT to get somewhere or stay put under fire ROLL + ATTITUDE. On a 10+ you can keep going for three ticks, just taking incidental fire (0- harm or 1- harm). On a 7-9 you can keep it together for one tick. If you miss you fucked up and are really hanging out there, vulnerable as fuck.
Alternative:
On a 10+ you pick three. On a 7-9 you can pick two. If you miss you fucked up and are really hanging out there, vulnerable as fuck.
•   You get there or at least closer.
•   You only take incidental fire (0- harm or 1- harm).
•   Feel the flow (take a + 1 if you are still BRAVING THE HEAT).
•   You are back under or find cover.
•   You get do what you wanted to.

When you GET THE FUCK DOWN to stay out of harm’s way ROLL + STREET. This isn’t a dodge bullets move! You got to see it coming. It’s a move for those times you just want to curl up into a little ball and let the hail of death pass you by. On a 10+ pick two, 7-9 pick one.
•   You are under cover and safe.
•   You drop off the radar.
•   You may do shit.

Operating in the Fourth World may lead to:

These moves are basic, but may not always come into play, which is why I put them in tangential. The last one is a prime candidate for a basic move.

Sometimes when YOU TAKE A HIT, the Controller may tell you to ROLL + HARM. On a 10+ the Controller can chose one:
•   You are out action; unconscious, trapped, incoherent or scrambled.
•   It was a hard hit, take + 1-harm.
•   Pick two from the 7-9 list below.
On a 7-9 the Controller can choose one:
•   You lose your footing.
•   You lose your grip on whatever you were holding.
•   You lose track of someone or something important you were attending to.
•   A piece of your kit gets shot to shit.
•   You miss noticing something important.
On a miss the Controller may still choose one from this list, but then you take - 1-harm.

When you LET YOUR CRED SPEAK FOR YOU the first time you meet someone important ROLL + STREET. On a hit they know your rep, say what they’ve heard and the Controller will let them act accordingly. On a 10 + you get a + 1 forward when dealing with them. On a miss they heard of you, but the Controller get’s to say what.

For the next move to make sense I will need to explain the concept of Noise. Noise is tied into the situation that is happening in the fiction, but also the Operators Contracts and Obligations.

Noise

Constant net-access means constant traceability. Being a Ghost in the Floating World means hiding your signal under the background information overflow. Certain actions generate Noise, which open for Controller to Fuck with you.

Each operator has a base Signal. This is how much Noise sie generates if sie does something that generates Noise.

Noise has six segments.
1-3 is still hard to trace. Your Operators enemies must make a dedicated effort to find hir, if they are actively looking, then this gives them a lead. So if you are off the radar, this isn’t too bad, if your hot then expect complications. Noise at this level fades rather quickly, drowning in the general hubbub of the Floating World.
5-6 and you are over the threshold. If your Operators enemies are not actively looking, this will get their attention. Expect complications shortly. Noise at this level does not go away without some work.
6 is spiking. Your Operator is like a beacon in the A.R. You will get fucked, and you will get fucked rapidly. Your immediate surroundings may be considered to be a Free Fire Zone. This takes some effort to get lowered.

When you go DARK AND SILENT to reduce your Noise ROLL + HACK. You got to keep moving, and you got to move fast. It is expensive as hell, you do take a – 1-Credit. On a 10+ pick three, on a 7-9 pick two:
•   Your noise drops one segment (may be chosen more than once).
•   They just know your general location.
•   You kept the cost down ignore the Credit loss.

A core element is the constant evolution of technology. Everything is in motion, nothing is permanent. What was hot shit yesterday is hacked and outmoded today. Therefor:

State of the Art, SOTA.

The world is changing real quick. The Operators are right there on the cutting edge of this wave. They got to be, ‘cause their clients and targets are driving it. Falling behind is death, or worse. An Operator needs to keep hir IBrain and Personal Area Network SOTA constantly sharp. Now the fancier the sleeve or the shell of the Operator, the more expensive the SOTA gets.

An Operator is either SOTA or sie is not. Being SOTA is the default, it doesn’t garner any benefits. Not being SOTA is shit, or just outright dangerous. Not being SOTA gives the Operator:
•   + 1 signal.
•   - 1-firewall.
•   - 1 ghost.

At the start of every session or after some downtime the Operator needs to maintain hir SOTA.

When you MAINTAIN SOTA you spend Credit and ROLL + (SOTA – SPENT CREDIT). On a hit your are SOTA. On a 10+ you spend - 1-credit. On a miss you are not SOTA.

Economy of greed.

* this has been one of my major stumbling blocks. When this smacked into place this morning it all became so much more simpler.*

Money is information, there is no hard currency anymore. So any Operator knows how to maintain and hide different lines of credit. This is hir Credit Rating, or Credit for simplicity. Whenever the Operator needs to get a significant piece of kit (with game effects) sie tests hir credit.

When you BURN CREDIT to acquire a piece of kit ROLL + CREDIT. This takes time and effort, ‘cause you don’t want any piece of kit right of the mall. You need to go looking and that costs time and credit. On a hit you get it. With 10+ there are no catches, on a 7-9 either your Credit takes a hit ( - 1-credit) or you generate Noise. If you miss you get both, and you don’t get the kit.

Credit has a base of zero. At the start of a session, or after some downtime, the Operator checks to see how hir contracts/obligation(s) worked out. You name which ones sie worked and you ROLL + ATTITUDE. On a 10+ they all scored, raised Credit. 7-9 gives you a hit on at least one, if you worked more then you get Credit from each, but one, which goes sour. On a miss they all went to hell. It is going to be a busy day.

Contracts are like the gigs from the ApW Operators playbook and are acquired during lifepath generation or as an advance taken during play.

Paydata or the economy of information.

When the Operator acquires Paydata in play, name it. Paydata that is kept more than two down-periods is obsolete and loses its value. Spend it or lose it, simple really.

Spending or dumping Paydata raises Credit temporarily by one for each point of Paydata sold. This adds to the next BURN CREDIT move, or MAINTAIN SOTA move. There are two ways to dump Paydata.

When you DUMP IT ON THE OPEN MARKET you get the Credit boost quick and dirty, but you generate Noise. Also if you dump more than one point of Paydata you get less - 1-credit, but you always get at least one.

When you FIND A BUYER however, you take your time seek out just the right client, ROLL + STREET. On a 10+ you get both, on a 7-9 pick one:
•   You push the price (+ 1-credit)
•   You don’t generate noise.

Dumped Paydata is gone.

I really really like "Noise" as a sort of parallel fictional complication generating harm. Good stuff. I think it would translate well into any sort of "heat" in other criminal focused games, whether they're mobland gangsters or hackers or whatever.

Thanks. I know one can argue that it isn't strictly necessary when you play a game where one of the principles is Respond with fuckery, but I think it adds a little bit of flavor to the setting and thus colors gameplay.

We'll see how it works in play though.