Hey all,

I have a question about the codebreaker talent. It states that it gives bonuses to 'when breaking codes'. What does it really mean? Any slicing activity i.e. gaining access to restricted systems?

The guy who's playing our droid is also a programmer so he argues along these lines. On the other hand, limiting the usage of the talent to only deciphering messages would make it almost useless.

Its says it applys when breaking codes or decrypting communications. What this means exactly is up to the gm.

Also note it doesn't really give a bonus, it just removes a penalty. If the penalty wasn't there to begin with, it doesn't do much.

Whenever my players get their hands on communications or computer files that someone wants kept secret (which happens relatively often in my adventures), I often rule that they're encrypted and can't be read/watched/listened to until they've been decrypted. Gives the group's slicer something to do.

Typically I set one setback die for off-the-shelf encryption program, 2 setback dice for more serious private or corporate encrypts, and 3 or more for Imperial encryptations. Or I have the slicer roll against the encrypting NPC's Computer skill.

Yes, the assumption that such files would be encrypted actually never occurred to be - too obvious haha. So in such a case the talent in question would lower difficulties. After giving it some thought I'll probably allow the player to use the talent fairly often, since it seems a basic talent in the slicer tree (which branches off quite late), and by analogy, other careers get talents that help with their main skills also in the beginning.

Typically I set one setback die for off-the-shelf encryption program, 2 setback dice for more serious private or corporate encrypts, and 3 or more for Imperial encryptations. Or I have the slicer roll against the encrypting NPC's Computer skill.

That's actually not a bad guideline, though I'm not entirely convinced that every Imperial file would be so heavily encrypted. The super-important top-secret ones certainly, but same could be said for corporate encrypts, particularly those that routinely deal with military projects. Still, it's a good place to start from, and can be tweaked as the story requires.

Am I missing something? But the description for codebreaker (in AoR beta at least) seems contradictory ... one off difficulty per rank in decrypting, but two lines lower says only can have one rank ... what gives ?

The difficulty decrease does not change with number of ranks, but the number of setback dice ignored does. So rank 1 = decrease difficulty once (minimum Easy) + ignore 1 setback die. Rank 2 = decrease difficulty once (minimum Easy) + ignore 2 setback dice.

Typically I set one setback die for off-the-shelf encryption program, 2 setback dice for more serious private or corporate encrypts, and 3 or more for Imperial encryptations. Or I have the slicer roll against the encrypting NPC's Computer skill.

That's actually not a bad guideline, though I'm not entirely convinced that every Imperial file would be so heavily encrypted. The super-important top-secret ones certainly, but same could be said for corporate encrypts, particularly those that routinely deal with military projects. Still, it's a good place to start from, and can be tweaked as the story requires.

Hmm. I like this solution (certainly makes all those other talents that help you ignore Setbacks more attractive) but it's making me think I've misunderstood the GM. I thought Setbacks occur not from difficulty of the task, but from the conditions you're under when you attempt it. Like, in this case, if you were decrypting something while under fire. Or drunk. Or on an old, glitchy computer.

That's actually not a bad guideline, though I'm not entirely convinced that every Imperial file would be so heavily encrypted. The super-important top-secret ones certainly, but same could be said for corporate encrypts, particularly those that routinely deal with military projects. Still, it's a good place to start from, and can be tweaked as the story requires.

I'd hardly call that heavily encrypted if something that someone with a 1 skill in computers, which, given you are on the internet is at least as much as you have, is able break in a few rounds. I'd call that "utterly pointless encryption".

The difficulty decrease does not change with number of ranks, but the number of setback dice ignored does. So rank 1 = decrease difficulty once (minimum Easy) + ignore 1 setback die. Rank 2 = decrease difficulty once (minimum Easy) + ignore 2 setback dice.

I think it's pretty silly it is a difficulty roll to begin with. If a person with average intelligence and NO computer skill can get 4 successes and break any code in existence, it makes encrypting anything completely pointless, no one would do it, you'd be spending way more time and money encrypting than people are spending decrypting.

I'd change any decryption attempt into an opposed check against a set number of successes, say 6 for an easy code, with codebreaker giving 1 automatic success. Setbacks could be added for being in combat, using a deck instead of a terminal, working against algorithms that aren't publicly known etc.