How do you all view these items?

I know Computer Spikes (Data Spikes) dont appear in the books currently, but its been mentioned in UaBS.

I see Data Breakers and Spikes to be more one use tools, that you interact with via your Slicer Gear.

Slicer Gear being more along the lines of a Laptop, Data Breakers being like External Drives with automated programs, and Spikes similar but like a USB stick, again, one shot devices.

But im not sure yet... looking for inspiration.

(Related to my other post)

RD

How do you all view these items?

I know Computer Spikes (Data Spikes) dont appear in the books currently, but its been mentioned in UaBS.

I see Data Breakers and Spikes to be more one use tools, that you interact with via your Slicer Gear.

Slicer Gear being more along the lines of a Laptop, Data Breakers being like External Drives with automated programs, and Spikes similar but like a USB stick, again, one shot devices.

But im not sure yet... looking for inspiration.

(Related to my other post)

RD

The first season of Rebels has a data spike near the end that they use to hack the Imperial Communication tower.

How do you all view these items?

I know Computer Spikes (Data Spikes) dont appear in the books currently, but its been mentioned in UaBS.

I see Data Breakers and Spikes to be more one use tools, that you interact with via your Slicer Gear.

Slicer Gear being more along the lines of a Laptop, Data Breakers being like External Drives with automated programs, and Spikes similar but like a USB stick, again, one shot devices.

But im not sure yet... looking for inspiration.

(Related to my other post)

RD

The first season of Rebels has a data spike near the end that they use to hack the Imperial Communication tower.

Not having seen the episode more than once, and that was quite a while ago, and I cant seem to find it to watch.... thats not much help

Slicer gear could be a heavily-modified datapad with a bunch of different interfaces (think USB, ethernet, serial, parallel, ISA, Firewire, etc) and custom encryption and decryption algorithms and password breakers that the slicer can use to infiltrate a protected computer or network. A data breaker could be part of the slicer gear, but maybe with larger-capacity storage on which to download massive amounts of data (like you said, think external hard drive, along with additional software supporting a variety of download protocols). A data spike would be used to allow external access to a system and would probably come in a variety of interface types.

About Rebels and the data spike... this brings up something that we see for the first time in ANH. In ANH, we didn't see R2-D2 interface with the star destroyer's computers and "turn off" the tractor beam. Obi-Wan had to physically go to the tractor beam controls in order to turn them off. Yet, R2-D2 was able to turn off the trash compactor.

What I take from this, and from what was shown in that Rebels episode, is that important subsystems (that is, systems important to the plot) are never networked into a facilities computers such that any joker can just access a keyboard and cause a self-destruct or turn off life support. This is similar to the Battlestar Galactica remake where none of the Galactica's computers were networked to prevent Cylon viruses from taking down the entire ship. If you want to cause an engine overload, you need to go to the engine room to do it. If you want to cut power to a building or ship, you need to go to the power generator to do it.

In Rebels, they wanted to take over a communications tower. But, they couldn't just hack into the planetary "internet" to do it. They had to go directly to the tower. However, they also wanted to be able to control the tower from their ship to make their propaganda broadcasts. This is where the data spike came in.

If you want to remotely control a ship's engine, or control a building's power grid, or control any other piece of important equipment, you would still need to go to the source. However, you can use a data spike to interface with the source, and then you'll be able to control it in whatever manner the data spike works. I could see data spikes that could work off R/F signals remotely, or maybe transmit on the Star Wars equivalent of a WiFi network, or even one that accesses the "internet" (or holonet) so that you can control it from pretty much any data terminal. In these cases, data spikes would practically-speaking be "one shot", in that you'll probably not want to return to the heavily-guarded engine room to retrieve them.

This is how I view them, at any rate.

Equipment for hacking such as a specialized Datapad would give a Bonus. A program for breaking a certain type of system might give an upgrade?

Finally, a "data spike" to me is something you can just plug in and let it work it's own magic. No hands-on hacking needed. I'm assuming like above it's a one use USB with a program pre-written to slice and do some specific task. This would be something expensive to buy from a slicer or perhaps the PC slicer makes it in advance. So, when you make it to the depths of ENCOM you just plug it in and let it do it's work while you and the other PCs fight off the hordes of neon red glowing Stormtroopers. Even though you did the computer work earlier when you created it, you don't get to actually make your Computer action roll to see how you did until the dramatic moment it gets downloaded. If it wasn't a PCs work, the dice are still rolled using the skill of whatever NPC you bought it from (all the while hoping he actually was a slicer and not just a con-artist).

Jewel of Yavin has rules for the creation of a data spike, it's a good resource for this. I'd make it a bit easier than Yavin though, the bar there seems set pretty high.

Jewel of Yavin has rules for the creation of a data spike, it's a good resource for this. I'd make it a bit easier than Yavin though, the bar there seems set pretty high.

THATS Where I read it! Blast my brain.... depression really mucks with the memory.

Jewel of Yavin has rules for the creation of a data spike, it's a good resource for this. I'd make it a bit easier than Yavin though, the bar there seems set pretty high.

THATS Where I read it! Blast my brain.... depression really mucks with the memory.

Hmm, page 40. I think I would still make the roll when you plugged it in, not when it is made. Knowing in advance how well your spike will work (or not work well, so why even bring it?) is less dramatic. Better to roll and see how many Bonus or Setback you get right before you must roll your Computer slicing check.

Computer spikes rules are in jewel of yavin.

It also has a chart determinig effect.