Advanced Computer Programming/Hacking Rules

[GreaterThanOne]

Does anyone know if there is book, article, etc. for 6th Edition (or that I could adapt) that covers advanced hacking/programming such as for a Cyberpunk, Modern, or Near Future setting?

 

If not, any suggestions on how to develop a system that would represent cyber 'Combat'?

 

 I'm thinking both Cryptography and Analyze: Network Security as complementary skills, but I am also thinking of perhaps a sort of mini-game element that might add to scenarios where the hacker is running in real time parallel to the 'action heroes' like in the movies. I am not opposed to adapting from another system to Hero if required.

Any ideas or suggestions welcome. 

[dmjalund]

I would include social hacking skills

[Ninja-Bear]

There’s a Cyberhero for 4th ed that might have some of that. Don’t know off the top of my head though.

[Duke Bushido]

43 minutes ago, Ninja-Bear said:

There’s a Cyberhero for 4th ed that might have some of that. Don’t know off the top of my head though.

 

 

You'd think so, and from outside, it's a great and obvious suggestion.  Unfortunately, there really isn't as much as you would think.  (As luck would have it, I was just re-reading it yesterday).  To be honest, the whole book felt a bit rushed an unfinished, as if there was a ton of content that was dropped or skipped over for various reasons (I always assumed page count limitations, but I wasn't there, so what do I know?).  There were rumors of an expansion supplement being planned even before release, but the unfortunate death of Mr. Scott stopped that from ever happening.  Don't get me wrong, there is ton of stuff...  "about computers...?" in the book, but mostly it's about SFX, cyber running in the net, presentation and construction of the net (which, as presented, might be confusing to someone with _no idea_ how computerized telecommunication worked to begin with), etc-- stuff very genre-specific and how to emulate what the authors saw as the most desirable parts of the genre.   As far as Computer Programming (the Skill) goes, it says "this is the skill that Netrunners will use to whip up new programs on the fly while in the Net" or words to that effect, without actually even going into much detail as to how that would work.   There are some interesting, Traveller-esque notions of computer storage, program size, etc, but for GTO's needs, there not much in there that's going to be particularly helpful.

 

I was really looking forward to that particular book way back when, but when I finally got a copy, I was disappointed.  Now don't get me wrong:  I would have _had_ to be disappointed; nothing could have matched what I had hoped would be in that book, what I really wanted to be in that book.  I could have had _volumes_ of HERO Does CyberPunk and been disappointed, so don't think the book is not worth a read!  Making matters worse, I had already purchased (and devoured) Western HERO by the time I snagged a copy of CyberHERO, and--- well, Western HERO was the best genre book HERO ever put out.  Let's face it: there's a reason that shows don't open with their best act.   

 

Still, for a book featuring input from George MacDonald, Terry Amthor, and Monte "Holy crap!  That's Monte Cook!" Cook, even objectively, I would have expected more. 

 

 

As to the problem GTO seems to be wrestling with: What are some ideas on simulating combat on a Netrun, well yes: there is information in there, but it's more of a "start here" kind of think without, in my own opinion, enough exposition.   Weirdly, it never touched on my least favorite method of doing this (which happened to be the most popular method under 4e rules for groups playing Cyberpunk games without the book): Extra Dimensional Movement.

 

It's my least favorite, but it _is_ workable, and if you don't want to buy the old 4e book, it's certainly a consideration: jack into your deck and "go to the dimension of cyberspace."

 

The gist of what Cyber HERO offered can be summed up as "treat it like mental combat" with the optional "treat it like real combat, and handle the return of a wounded online avatar to the netrunner as the merger of a wounded duplicate."

 

Not entirely accurate, but close enough, and without the risk of accidental piracy from the source material.

 

 

Good luck!

 

 

 

 

[Chris Goodwin]

The Ultimate Skill/HERO System Skills has some good advanced rules for using Computer Programming, including for hacking.  I probably wouldn't go much further than that.