Focus & Other Limitations on Computers

[bigdamnhero]

When building a computer, how appropriate-vs-munchkiney is it to apply Limitations such as Focus? It seems like Ace Futuretastic's wrist computer (IIF) ought to cost more than my laptop (OAF), which ought to cost more than 70's Bond Villain's computer room (OAF Immobile), but I'm not sure where to capture that cost. If so, does the Limitation apply to the cost of the Perk, or does it need to be applied on the computer's character sheet to each Characteristic, Program, etc? (Sounds tedious.) I guess you could reflect it as a Physical Complication, but since there's no required level of Matching Comps for computers and they don't reduce the cost any, it would just be there for flavor.

 

There could be other Limitations you might want to apply, such as Increased END or Extra Time, or even Advantages such as Reduced END. I'd just never really thought about how to reflect that in the build. Thanks,

[Steve Long]

Now that I've moved the question, I'll provide my answer. But I'm sure other gamers will amble into the room to offer their own well-considered opinions.  

 

If you look at published books, you'll see that I largely agree with your logic re: Computers characters carry around. Superheroes' wrist computers, UNTIL agents' laptops, and so on usually have the Focus Limitation because they're easily taken away from their owners. In this case, the Limitation applies to the final cost of the Computer. For example, suppose a Computer is built on 30 Total Points. That means it costs the character (30/5 =) 6 points. If it's an OAF, it therefore costs the character (6/2 =) 3 points. This would apply to other Limitations as well, though I think that many "Limitations" on a Computer (such as it working slowly) would be better represented as Physical Complications (or the like) for the Computer.

 

Computers built into Vehicles and Bases do not take the Focus Limitation.

 

If I ever get to write The Ultimate Gadgeteer I'll definitely delve into all this stuff in greater detail, but I think for most campaigns these few basic rules suffice just fine.

[Christopher R Taylor]

I would consider allowing someone to put a focus limitation on a computer put in a base if it was especially vulnerable or easy to access, destroy, or remove.  If your computer is like the Bat-Computer and takes up a wall, then no, it is just part of the base.  But if its a laptop or something small that anyone in the base can get to and affect easily, I would consider it.

[Hyper-Man]

I applied the Focus Limitation to the Perk when I built Hal Jordan's Ring as a Computer.