So need some tips and advice on a big rig setup.

I know it has for its systems:

Internet connection/systems/data/plug-in

Ice: I mean it’s Ice

my question is how would I set up the flow chart for a big rig? What would you use for Ice and where? Any suggestions would be great as it’s kind of new for me.

I think everything I would suggest is already found somewhere in the "building network encounters" chapter (pages 139 + 140).

You should find everything you need there.

I get the question, "when a sysop or another hacker tries to break into another players Big Rig, what subsystems exist in the Big Rig and how is the ICE allocated?"

The rules don't cover or discuss this very much.

I am sure a Big Rig is pretty focused on Hacking or to say it another way, it runs ICE breakers.

Outside of that, while a Hacker could use it to stream entertainment or do their taxes, I doubt very much this happens. I would assume most of that stuff is done on the Hackers PAD and that the Big Rig is used for hacking.

I would just have one subsystem (ICE Breakers) and have all the ICE protect that.

Or

I would split my ICE Breakers into separate subsystems and spread out my ICE to protect them.

If it's a player's big rig, it's up to the player to decide how it's protected and what kind / how much ICe protect it. According to the rules for systems and subsystems of course. IMO an hacker is able to programs its own ICE breakers and its own ICEs. I can't see one trusting commercial products.

Good point. I still think there should not be many subsystems on a hackers rig. That being said, if the Hacker uses their hacking machine for other uses, I can see there being other, boring subsystems.

While the rules are pretty good, can a Hacker back track a sysop and disable their Rig/PAD/Whatever? I don't see why they couldn't but they limited these checks to sysops only. I wonder why.

Sysops is both a skill and position, meaning if an NPC hacker uses Hacking to intrude upon the PC’s device, the PC should be rolling Sysops and filling that role, gaining traces and all the bits and bobs that go with it.

Yeah but why can't they trace the SYSOps position from the server that they are hacking?

I’m confused by that. Are you asking why a hacker attacking a system can’t trace a sysop defending that system? As in their physical location?

i guess technically they could, and I wouldn't disallow it if I was the GM even though the book suggests it's only a sysop skill. Though it's not terribly useful information since a trace is just locating the system from which an operator is connecting to the net. The sysop is most likely connecting to the net from the server you are attacking.

As I see it you trace for 3 reasons:

1.) kick out a user and attempt to block their re-entry. A hacker isn't going to lockout the sysop since the sysop isn't connecting remotely as a user (with an account and IP that can be flagged). They have full administrative access to their own system and are more than likely co-located with the actual hardware. The hacker has the option to damage the system instead by executing malicious code on the server.

2.) find the attacker's net access point and hack it themselves. The hacker is already on the sysop's server so this doesn't make sense.

3.) trace the attacker's physical location so they can send a response team there or call the NAPD on the hacker. I guess the hacker could isolate the physical location of the server if they didn't know this information already, but I think the hacker could have gotten this information a number of other ways.

So unless we are in some unusual circumstance where the hacker has no idea what system they are currently in then I'm not sure what the point would be of tracing. Also thematically a hacker would be just looking at the path they used to connect to the server which seems trivial compared to the sysop scenario where there is more unknowns and guess work. the hackers trace would be simple and would not require a roll IMO.

Somewhere around here someone made cards for network encounters. These include icebreaker, ICE, and files one would likely find.

As for hookup, we all agreed that utility hooks-up, and what not are included with the Big Rig and whatever place is being housed.

Personally, I kept mine simple with 2 main files in my Big Rig, each with 3 layers of ice. [Dirty Laundry] [Pieces of 8]. First one is condemning information we have on the villains so far and the second is ill-gotten credits we have yet to launder. Works out great and it does need too much time for network attacks against me.