Hey Guys! This is not a post that discusses augmentation of Slicer talents or home brewing, but rather to discuss creative encounters for players as well as answer some general questions among each other.

First, what can you do? Glad you asked. Below is a list of just a few of the possibilities

· Retrieving information: You want to either gather evidence or learn of an organization’s operating method. Whatever the reason, you want in.

· Planting Information: You are planting evidence, you are planting a backdoor for later use, or you are planting a virus.

· Gaining control of a network: You want to control the system for a time to maybe loop camera feeds or you want vent the facility and watch explosive decompression in action. Maybe you need to cover your tracks or cover your ally’s escape.

· Gaining control of a security system: Want to free your friend? Maybe there are too many guards. That turret system sure would make a good ally if it suddenly turned on the controllers.

· Shutting down a system: Maybe there is just too much chaos, and you need to shut down the whole system, and taking the droids and turrets and locked doors with it.

· Defending a system: Once you’re in control, you need to maintain that control. Surely the network admin will not simply let you get away with your antics.

· Erase your trail: While in there, you will need to hide who you are. You’ve done this a few times and people are starting to figure out your MO. Make them start from scratch.

· Ship to ship cyberwarfare: Imagine what you could do if you had control of their systems. Imagine what they could do to you if you didn’t defend yours…

Understanding Intruder/Defender

When you are actively assaulting another entity’s program, you are the Intruder. Some question arises after you have wrested control from the defender as to your status, but know that you are still playing on foreign soil and know little about the terrain. On the other side, you are a defender when someone attempts to slice your system, and the same benefits are granted to you. This extends to DROIDS YOU HAVE PROGRAMED as well. If someone tries to slice them, you are the defender.

Talent Clarifications

Codebreaker: This talent will allow you to remove one setback per rank from computers checks to “break codes and decrypt communications” as well as decrease the difficulty of computers checks for the same thing . This can seem very ambiguous or even limiting at first, but when explored, can offer an opportunities not available to others. First off, reducing the difficulty off gaining access to anything is something even Thieves don't have as a talent. This will enhance your work with the Bypass Security talent. Considering the challenges you will face, this is a perk you are obligated to take (like literally obligated because it is the only way to access the rest of the talent tree). The removal of a setback dice stacks with multiple ranks, and trust me when I say that setbacks can add up fast. This talent is used primarily for intrusion into restricted (see: locked) areas.

Technical Aptitude: This one makes people a little squeamish, because there is not hard and fast guideline to how long a slicing encounter takes place. The good news is that I just deleted a whole paragraph because I realized it doesn’t have to be a slicing encounter per se, but ANY computer-related tasks. This includes writing droid programs which can take up to a dedicated weeks’ worth of time. Other ways to use this is trying to accomplish computer-based tasks in stressful or hostile areas. The GM could roll a few checks for the character to be harassed, but reduce the number based on this skill.

Bypass Security: This skill removes a setback per rank from computer checks to disable security devices or open locked doors. It may seem straight forward, but some people may ask what the difference between the two are. Mag-safes, storage crates, and other non-portal electronic locks are security devices. Electronic portals such as cells, doors, and the like can also be opened.

Don't be shy about shutting down cameras, sensors, and other intrusion alert devices (thanks @Kaigen for this obviously awesome use I missed!)

Defensive Slicing: This is a great one for the defensive team. “While defending computer systems, add a setback per rank to opponent’s computer checks.” For this ability, a question arises to who is the defender after a system has been hijacked, and you are jockeying for control. They are still the defender, but you have an opportunity to make life difficult for them.

Improved Defensive Slicing: There is some debate as to the merit of this ability. Is upgrading difficulty better than adding dice? I am sure there is a mathematical answer to this, but for now, you will take the difficulty dice and upgrade them a number of times equal to your ranks of Defensive Slicing. Sudden those stacked talents turned three purple difficulty dice into three red challenge dice; a much more serious risk.

Skilled Slicer: This is your bread and butter talent. By spending a triumph during a slicing encounter, all of your future checks during the encounter are maneuvers instead of actions. That means you can now perform TWO commands in a system per turn instead of one. If you suffer two strain you can perform THREE commands per turn! “Special Modifications” p.86-88 list several actions you can perform, and when doubled- or tripled-up, they can make short work of any opposing slicer.

Master Slicer: Simply put, as an incidental for two strain, you are going to DECREASE the difficulty of your next computers or other slicing check by 1 to a minimum of <easy> . This can be used outside of encounters with the GM’s approval, but the indicator of “Once per round…” makes it part of a structured time event (encounter).

Resources

The best resource for understanding a Slicing encounter will be the “Special Modifications” sourcebook.

Slicers are in the Age of Rebellion CRB under Spy and the Edge of the Empire CRB under Technician.

The equipment of a Slicer is spread across so many resources, but...

http://swrpg.viluppo.net/equipment/gear/

…is an amazing index for everything you need to outfit your slicer.

Some final thoughts/questions I have been pondering regarding slicing encounters.

1. Do not monopolize the time of your session. Understand what you want to accomplish, and work with your GM to move through it by studying up on the encounter process and types of upgrades, downgrades, increases, decreases, additions, and removals you will be utilizing. It also helps the GM if you have your sources ready to go at a moment’s request. Like any encounter, this can become cumbersome if you are not prepared. After all, I bet that war machine player knows how the whole combat flow should look for his character.

2. Speak with the GM if you have ideas or questions. I am going to wager that they know less about this particular type of encounter than you, and might need your advice. Help them help you.

3. Could Technical Aptitude be used cinematically? Like, during the encounter, maybe uploading a transmission might take 8 rounds normally, but your two ranks in the Technical Aptitude talent reduce it to 4, meaning you and your crew can make a quick escape as things become harrowing.

4. Could Defensive Slicing be used if you have kicked out the system administrator and taken control? Do you become the defender? (I addressed this, but I still like the idea of dumping a couple setbacks on them for failing at their job).

5. A big one is where to specialize afterwards. Analyst gives you a few extra ranks in some key talents (Two ranks of Codebreaker and one rank of Technical Aptitude). I guess you would take something that fits your play style or need. I wonder if the upcoming Cyphers and Masks sourcebook will add a few other options for technically oriented spies. Due to the bonus you get from being on a terminal directly linked to the system you are accessing, sneaking in places will be a valuable asset. Thief or Assassin are handy, especially if a wayward guard stumbles into a room you are working in.

I hope this guide has been helpful. Moreover, I hope it is accurate. I am going to be diving into a game as a slicer here soon, and as I searched for information to soak up, I noticed that there wasn’t much in the way of consolidated Slicer information/discussion area; mostly disjointed conversations about talents.

I recently ran an adventure where two slicers were facing off against each other. It was a game of beating base difficulties with the slicers spending advantages to give the other slicer black dice. All the time the rest of the party is running through the corridors of an Imperial medical facility in an effort to steal a few kiloliters of bacta.

STATION LOCKDOWN PROTOCOLS:

• Gain system access 2 PURPLE

• Boot opponent from system 4 PURPLE

• Open / Close door 2 PURPLE

• Open / Close airlock 3 PURPLE

• Engage / Disengage Magnetic Shield in Docking Bay 3 PURPLE

• Scan with sensors to give directions or detect people 2 PURPLE

I've been a bit squeamish about including slicing encounters, or encouraging characters based on that archetype, for just some of the reasons you specified. Thanks for breaking it down, that was a nicely-done post, Geodes.

6 hours ago, SFC Snuffy said:

I've been a bit squeamish about including slicing encounters, or encouraging characters based on that archetype, for just some of the reasons you specified. Thanks for breaking it down, that was a nicely-done post, Geodes.

When I told my GM I was going to be a slicer, I swear I saw his lip twinge at the corner a bit.

In a narrative game like FFG SW, it is really hard to qualitatively express encounters. I mean, that's what the skills are even for, right? It's just difficult to give these support specializations teeth. Luckily, there is so much leeway in a galaxy far far away regarding tech, that you have some liberty.

I'm also helping a friend with becoming a mechanic/crafter. I like how the first thing "Special Modifications" tells you is that you have to work with the GM and get approval first. This removes the nonsense related to power crafting (this is not the system for those people). It also mentions that the lists for additional perks are options and suggestions. I would love to make a personal defense droid with a combat chassis and elimination directives to protect my tiny squishy slicer, but I won't power build for it.

On 8/31/2017 at 1:40 PM, P-Dub663 said:

I recently ran an adventure where two slicers were facing off against each other. It was a game of beating base difficulties with the slicers spending advantages to give the other slicer black dice. All the time the rest of the party is running through the corridors of an Imperial medical facility in an effort to steal a few kiloliters of bacta.

STATION LOCKDOWN PROTOCOLS:

• Gain system access 2 PURPLE

• Boot opponent from system 4 PURPLE

• Open / Close door 2 PURPLE

• Open / Close airlock 3 PURPLE

• Engage / Disengage Magnetic Shield in Docking Bay 3 PURPLE

• Scan with sensors to give directions or detect people 2 PURPLE

This already sounds awesome! I can imagine running through a corridor and suddenly the door ahead flashes red as it becomes locked down. You silently scream inside at your ally slicer to get into gear when suddenly the door behind you shuts and locks, blocking the pursuers and buying you time.

Very cinematic. Very cool.

Thanks for this very helpful post. I have four players, for three of them I have the paths layed out for to fit into their specialization/background/story, but not for the fourth - who is (you guessed it) is a slicer. I always try to give the slicer more in screen time, but he usually falls behind the other three. But I got some very nice ideas here.

Did anyone try an approach like in Shadowrun or more precise in its video games where the characters are sucked into a cyber reality and there they hack there way through the data stream?

Just a thought, but if Skilled Slicer turns all slicing actions into maneuvers, you can only perform 2 maneuvers per turn. If the change is mandatory, then you can't perform 3 slicing actions/maneuvers. If the change is voluntary ( may perform an action as a maneuver. though I don't remember the talent being phrased that way), then you could pull it off, although that might be a bit much for a balanced encounter.

At least in my game, I would go with the former ruling. Two actions per round is still pretty good.

6 hours ago, Seam said:

Did anyone try an approach like in Shadowrun or more precise in its video games where the characters are sucked into a cyber reality and there they hack there way through the data stream?

That doesn't have the Star Wars feel to me. VR wasn't much of a thing in the universe with the possible exception of some of the Jedi Trials conducted on Coruscant.

Usually my slicer, who is also sneaky, has to infiltrate the base, find the command center, and hack the systems. This gives her the ability to provide bonuses to the party, disrupt the enemy, and still remain part of the action. Think more Felicity Smoak, less Shadowrun.

I don't want to start an extended debate, but I'll note that it's possible to interpret Codebreaker's scope much more narrowly. When I've run games in the past, it's applied exclusively to things like listening in on enemy comms and decrypting stolen files as opposed to a general buff on slicing actions , which I think is too strong for how cheap Codebreaker is and steps on the toes of Master Slicer. It helps give the Slicer broader means of participating even when they can't access an integrated computer system, because unless the enemy is practicing strict radio silence, there is going to be enemy communications to listen in on, and judging by the DH77 Headcomm (Forged in Battle), such checks should almost always have setbacks attached.

10 hours ago, Blackbird888 said:

Just a thought, but if Skilled Slicer turns all slicing actions into maneuvers, you can only perform 2 maneuvers per turn. If the change is mandatory, then you can't perform 3 slicing actions/maneuvers. If the change is voluntary ( may perform an action as a maneuver. though I don't remember the talent being phrased that way), then you could pull it off, although that might be a bit much for a balanced encounter.

At least in my game, I would go with the former ruling. Two actions per round is still pretty good.

Two actions is powerful enough, I agree. The talent reads: "When making a Computers check may spend [TRIUMPH] to make further Computers checks within this system as maneuvers." I would like to see what others know about this. My sense is that spending strain to get another slicing action carries a cost, which makes it less powerful than just getting three slicing actions per round (two maneuvers and an action).

5 hours ago, Kaigen said:

I don't want to start an extended debate, but I'll note that it's possible to interpret Codebreaker's scope much more narrowly. When I've run games in the past, it's applied exclusively to things like listening in on enemy comms and decrypting stolen files as opposed to a general buff on slicing actions , which I think is too strong for how cheap Codebreaker is and steps on the toes of Master Slicer. It helps give the Slicer broader means of participating even when they can't access an integrated computer system, because unless the enemy is practicing strict radio silence, there is going to be enemy communications to listen in on, and judging by the DH77 Headcomm (Forged in Battle), such checks should almost always have setbacks attached.

I agree that interpretation can be narrow, so I would like to look at the two skills you mentioned.

Codebreaker reads: "Remove [SETBACK] per rank in Codebreaker from checks to break codes or decrypt communications. Decrease difficulty of checks to break codes or decrypt communications by 1."

Master Slicer reads: "Once per round, may take a Master Slicer incidental to suffer 2 strain and decrease difficulty of Computers or other slicing checks by 1, minimum [DIFFICULTY]." We can set aside dycrypt communications, because that DOES have a very specific role not addressed by other talents in the Slicer tree.

"...break codes..." is fairly specific, but what is breaking a code? If we go with prevailing understanding, it would almost be exclusively security related, and then it would basically notch up your Bypass Security Talent. Perhaps getting into the system to begin with (gaining access to a system to start a slicing encounter)? After stepping back and looking at everything, you are probably right. I'll edit the definition of the Codebreaker talent to be focused on slicing electronic gateways.

Afterthought: You are spending two strain to decrease the difficulty by one. Can this be done multiple times? If not, it seems a bit less powerful as my above assumption after contemplating @Kaigen 's post.

Full text of Master Slicer says "Once per round." I suppose theoretically you could wait multiple rounds before making the check to reuse it, but that seems counter-intuitive.

On the subject of Bypass Security, I actually look at it more broadly than you do. I think of "security devices" as things like security cameras, motion sensors, etc. This shores up Skulduggery's "Identifying the most vulnerable aspects of a security scheme" use, helping the slicer get to the secure terminal/server they need to physically access to accomplish their objective. To take an example from the comics, when Doctor Aphra notes that a "perfectly empty room" is probably trapped and uses microdroids to find the security lasers, that's Skulduggery and would be supported by the Bypass Security talent.

5 hours ago, Kaigen said:

Full text of Master Slicer says "Once per round." I suppose theoretically you could wait multiple rounds before making the check to reuse it, but that seems counter-intuitive.

On the subject of Bypass Security, I actually look at it more broadly than you do. I think of "security devices" as things like security cameras, motion sensors, etc. This shores up Skulduggery's "Identifying the most vulnerable aspects of a security scheme" use, helping the slicer get to the secure terminal/server they need to physically access to accomplish their objective. To take an example from the comics, when Doctor Aphra notes that a "perfectly empty room" is probably trapped and uses microdroids to find the security lasers, that's Skulduggery and would be supported by the Bypass Security talent.

I'm not following the part about the Master Slicer talent; forgive me. I did quite it as "Once per round...", but I do not know what you mean by waiting or why you would do so.

Regarding Bypass Security, I referenced the Thief specialization in the Smuggler career to wrap my head around intent. I certainly do agree that you could use it against other objects and will adjust the OP.

I attacked this problem in my game by statting devices as Slicing weapons and then giving all systems/networks stats like a Minion/Rival/Nemesis machine so that the Slicer has to enter combat to get what they want. I also made it so that Data is not like our data, but tracks it's own storage and use, so it inflates a lot. This means that the slicing devices essentially have Limited Ammo. I got tired of Slicer characters trying to bypass adventure by using their skill like super divination and telepathy/telekinesis.

24 minutes ago, Archlyte said:

I got tired of Slicer characters trying to bypass adventure by using their skill like super divination and telepathy/telekinesis.

You'll find that other skills, particularly Deception can become just as bad when used to bypass too many challenges. It's often hard to justify every baddie having high Willpower, Discipline, and ranks of Nobody's Fool. Sure, Setbacks can pile up, but most good liars have several ranks of Convincing Demeanor and/or Plausible Deniability to cut through those.

38 minutes ago, HappyDaze said:

You'll find that other skills, particularly Deception can become just as bad when used to bypass too many challenges. It's often hard to justify every baddie having high Willpower, Discipline, and ranks of Nobody's Fool. Sure, Setbacks can pile up, but most good liars have several ranks of Convincing Demeanor and/or Plausible Deniability to cut through those.

That's good advice. Thank you I will be on the look out for that for sure.

22 hours ago, Geodes said:

I'm not following the part about the Master Slicer talent; forgive me. I did quite it as "Once per round...", but I do not know what you mean by waiting or why you would do so.

I referenced the "Once per round" language, as you were asking if it can be done multiple times, which is a pretty clear no, unless you were talking about spreading its use out over multiple rounds.

That being said, the talent doesn't specify a time-based duration for the benefit, just that it applies to the next Computers check, so theoretically, you could activate Master Slicer as an incidental, spend your two strain, then do something else for the round. Then on the following round, you could activate it again, spend two more strain, and reduce the difficulty again. This will almost certainly not fly at any table, as it's pretty clearly against the intended use of the talent (why make it an incidental unless it was meant to be used immediately before a check?). It's also not really practical (aside from maybe the initial access check) because if you're breaking out the full slicing rules, it's because you have opposition, and you usually can't afford to waste time doing other things while they're activating security programs and trying to obtain your signature.

tl;dr You can only use Master Slicer once per round, meaning, for instance, that if you are using Skilled Slicer to make multiple checks a round, you only get the benefit on one of those checks. Trying to apply it multiple times to one check involves absurdities that will likely annoy your GM.

@Archlyte Another way to help with this problem is to rethink what's attached to the computer system. Depending on the installation, they might find that the emergency systems are operated by mechanical triggers and manual shutoffs, with no computer system for them to slice into. Security cameras might be wired solely to the security operations center making them inaccessible for "super divination" unless the group gets access to that room first. The point is not to shut down the slicer, but to manage expectations about what they can do. The Star Wars universe is not massively networked and run by computers in the same way as other sci-fi settings are.

Hello!

If you are into cybercombat and the like, a good reference could be Cyberpunk 2020 or Shadowrun. Both are RPGs that deal with cyberwarfare as part of their background, so they might have inspiration for what you are talking in here They include AI programs and other countermeasures as well.

Cheers,

Xavi