SG2048: Hacking
This document outlines new rules for hacking that supersedes the rules from The Sprawl. These rules are intended for the Hacker class. Other classes who acquires a cyberdeck may attempt to hack, though they are likely to be quickly discovered when doing so without the Console Cowboy move (a standard military grade cyberdeck has 1 Stealth).
Access
First, you're going to need to find a way in. Some servers are connected to the matrix, so that's one place to start. But the good stuff is going to be hosted off-grid. Either way, to get on the right network, you'll need to find a backdoor.
Backdoor Your Way (Cool)
First, you'll need to find a way in. If someone's shown you the way, take the 10+ or 7-9 result as appropriate. Otherwise, roll +Cool:
10+: You find a vulnerable subsystem and you're in!
7-9: You find an access point, but choose one below:
- It's a low tier system. Take -1 ongoing to Locate and Transform moves.
- They're watching you. +1 Trace.
- Someone is suspicious. Advance a mission clock
6-: The MC may make a move as fictionally appropriate, or ask you to choose two from above.
Things are much simpler if you need to hack something that's right there.
Hardline Access
If you can plug your deck right into the network equipment, you're set. Just don't get fried.
Some gadgets have wireless access that is only minimally secured, and you might as well have hardline access to it.
Unsecured Wireless
If you need to hack that gadget over there (an autonomous trolley, an AR ad display, some bloke's phone) and it only has cursory security on its WiFi, you can do it. Just don't get fancy.
Locate
Once you're in the network, you need to switch systems until you find what you're looking for. If the network is small enough that you can "see" your target, skip directly to Dig for Dirt or Leave Your Mark.
Find Your Way can also be used to "move" your virtual presence to a different system.
Find Your Way (Mind)
To navigate the digital maze to find what you're looking for, roll +Mind:
10+: You find it. Easy.
7-9: You find it, but you've drawn some heat. Choose one:
- You've leaving some unintended breadcrumbs. +1 Trace.
- ICE activates within the system
Transform
Once you are at an appropriate system, you can get extra information with Dig for Dirt, which may open up an opportunity to manipulate the system with Leave Your Mark. In some systems, you may be able to do the latter directly.
Dig for Dirt (Synth)
Once you've found the right file system, it's a matter of searching and slurping. Roll +Synth: 10+: Choose 3. 7-9: Choose 2.
- You find what you're looking for.
- You do it quietly.
- You do it quickly.
- You find an opportunity to Leave Your Mark.
- You find some juicy Paydata to dig for.
Leave Your Mark (Synth)
Sometimes read access isn't enough. Sometimes, you need to tamper with their goods. Roll +Mind: 10+: It's done, but choose 1. 7-9: Not your best work. Choose 2.
- Eh, it's not quite what you wanted to do, but close enough.
- It's sloppy. Someone will revert the changes before long.
- You've left traces, but nothing that matters. Advance a mission clock.
- It's a clean edit, but in a way only few can manage. Advance a corporate clock.
MC Moves
When rolling a 6-, or otherwise indicated by the rules of The Sprawl, the MC may make one of the following MC moves:
- The tracer's ticking: +1 Trace. (Soft Move)
- Now you've done it: Activate an ICE appropriate to the system. (Soft Move) If this is the first ICE in the system, execute its routine (Hard Move)
- This is gonna suck: Activated ICE executes its routine.
- Another MC move appropriate to the fiction.
Matrix Combat
Sooner or later, you'll run into Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics (ICE). You'll need to get pass them to get to the goods.
Melt ICE (Edge)
When you attempt to evade, destroy or disable an activated ICE construct, roll Edge. 7+: you evade, destroy, or temporarily disable the system, your choice 7-9: the system successfully executes a routine before you can disable it
Sometimes the best way forward is to avoid the ICE...
Elude
When you act despite the ICE on your trail, roll an additional 1d6. After the rolls either accept the result with Disadvantage, or face down the ICE and accept the unmodified roll.
As a last resort, you can try to jack out before the ICE fries you.
Jack Out (Cool)
When you are about to be damaged by ICE, you can try to jack out. Roll Cool. 10+: you disconnect yourself from the system before any serious harm occurs 7-9: you jack out, dazed, and also (choose one):
- You lose some data
- You take some of the established consequences
- The owners of the system trace your current location
6-: you take the established consequences... and you’re still connected
Getting ICE'ed
Blue ICE
When Blue ICE executes a routine, the MC chooses 1:
- Trigger an alarm (advance relevant Mission Clock)
- Trace an intruder’s location (Trace +1)
- Identify intruder (advance Corporate Clock)
- Call for counter-hacker backup
Red ICE
When Red ICE executes a routine, the MC chooses 2:
- Trigger an alarm (advance relevant Mission Clock)
- Trace an intruder’s location (Trace +2)
- Identify an intruder (advance Corporate Clock)
- Damage an intruder’s cyberdeck
Black ICE
When Black ICE executes a routine, the MC chooses 3:
- Trigger an alarm (advance relevant Mission Clock)
- Trace an intruder’s location (Trace +3)
- Identify an intruder (advance Corporate Clock)
- Damage an intruder’s cyberdeck
- Inflict physical harm to a jacked in intruder (1-harm +AP)
When Trace exceeds your Stealth, immediately advance a Corporate Clock. Moreover, your physical location is revealed, and ICE gain the option to Sever A Connection.
Counter-hackers
Corporate counter-hackers aren't as easily fooled or disabled as ICE. Treat them as ICE except that ICE specific moves do not work on them, and on a successful Melt ICE, start a clock representing their health (or work ethics) instead.
Damage on a cyberdeck impedes its function. Enough damage will dump shock the hacker back to reality (or the morgue).
When your cyberdeck is damaged, choose one (each choice may only be picked once)
- You lose access to its special ability (only for those with one)
- You take -1 ongoing while within the matrix
- Your deck is fried. Jack Out until you succeed.
Each damage cyberdecks takes 1 Cred to fix at a breadboarder.
The Surveillance State
Cameras and tracker tokens are ubiquitous in the world of SG2048. You can hardly go anywhere without being seen. However, with ubiquity comes complacency. With the myriad spying ways come a gray market of privacy entrepreneurs who are eager to snatch errant frames from the authorities for the right price. No questions asked.
Getting Paid (Legwork)
When you go to a meet to get paid by your employer, roll and add the number of unfilled segments on the Legwork Clock.
10+: choose 3 from the list below
7-9: choose 1 from the list below
- Trouble doesn't find you -- now or later
- You are paid in full
- The meeting doesn't attract the attention of outside parties
- The employer is identifiable
- You learned something from the mission; everyone marks experience
- You have time to Scrub Your Trail
Afterward, advance corporate clocks according to The All Seeing Eye.
The All Seeing Eye
If the corporation does not know their security was breached, at least for some time, then all's well and advance no clocks. Otherwise, the MC will advance everyone's corporate clocks a number of segments as indicated below (distributed according to the fiction):
1 segment if the corporation knows a breach occurred as a consequence of the op, but cannot discern when / where;
Or, 2 segments if the operatives were seen behaving suspiciously, by patrols or surveillance, and can be connected to the breach (now or later).
+1 segment if an operative was seen by patrols or surveillance openly committing a crime.
+1 segment if someone or something important was harmed as a consequence or in connection with the operation.
Scrub Your Trail
If you have the time and incentive, data janitors can scrub your trail from surveillance data. Doctored footage, corrupted drives and planted plausible deniability are a powerful thing.
Pay 1 Cred per operative to compromise surveillance footage of your operation. This removes all instances of "surveillance" from The All Seeing Eye when tallying corporate clock advances.
Learning from Mistakes
At the end of the mission, ask the group the following questions. For each "yes", everyone marks XP.
- Did you do the job? Or an alternative one? (2 XP)
- Did you overcome or circumvent a complication?
- Did you overcome or circumvent another complication?
- Did you uncover the truth behind the job, and use it to inform a decision?
Additionally, earn up to 2 additional XP for acting on personal directives or hitting other characters' signals.
Hacker 2.0
Cyberdecks
Choose one:
Apple Sirius: The deck has an intelligent agent that can be left to monitor a system. Give it a trigger and an action to perform. It acts with your abilities. Destroyed on damage (1 Cred to replace).
Microsoft Incognito: +1 Stealth. +1 forward to Jack Out.
Pfizer IntegriSurf: You retain control of your meat bod while hacking, just like riding a bike. Counts as a Neural Interface with Data Storage and no other tags.
Toyota HiFlux: Looks like an old model rec-deck to all but the closest scrutiny. Is also a bludgeoning weapon (2-harm, melee). Upon damage, you cannot select "lose access to its special ability".
Class Moves
You get these:
Console Cowboy: You have 3 Stealth when you use a cyberdeck. Without this move, a cyberdeck has 1 Stealth.
Prep Work: During the Legwork phase, you may take the time to hack low tier corporate servers to Dig for Dirt or Leave Your Mark directly. Each time you do this, take +1 Conspicuous. At the start of the Action phase, Roll 1d6. If it rolls under your Conspicuous, the MC makes a move.
Advancement Moves
Choose one:
Black ICE Vet: When Black ICE executes a routine against you, the MC only chooses two options.
Chromed: Choose another piece of cyberware at character creation or in downtime. Describe how you got it and paid for it the same as you did your first piece of cyberware.
EFF This: When you Get Paid, you can always Scrub Your Trail in addition to what is selected. If the group selects Scrub Your Trail, you can do it (for free).
Huawei Analytica: When you Declare a Contact, instead of "An Old Friend", you may choose instead to know something about them that they would share only with their closest friends. They have no idea who you are.
I Reject Your Reality: You substitute a nearby AR projection with one of your own choosing. You do it effortlessly with your deck, or in a few moments with a phone. When you Leave Your Mark on multimedia content, choose one fewer options.
QR Queen|Regent: Simple cosmetic or fashion choices render you unprocessable for facial recognition. Also, once per mission, you can produce a forged QR code as if you spent [intel].
Rep: When you appear in the Matrix with a recognisable avatar, roll Synth instead of Style for Fast Talk and instead of Edge for Play Hardball. When your reputation gets you into trouble, mark XP.
Tech support: When you help a team member through the matrix, roll with Advantage.
Temesek Multipass: When you Leave Your Mark on autonomous vehicles (not drones), choose one fewer options. You never pay for public transit.
Warjogger: You have Access to any nearby gadget with wireless connectivity, but take -1 ongoing to Locate and Transform moves on that system.
Zeroed: Your identity is a mystery which you closely guard. Your identity and your location have the +encrypted tag.