GAME INFORMATION
PHYSICAL LOCATION AND PERCEPTION
The Matrix is vast, although there is no real distance involved. In technical terms, the question is whether the persona (remember, it’s only a program) is able to access and decipher the data space of other programs or the controllers for hardware elements in a system. This information is processed by a person’s Matrix interface. The Matrix protocols prioritize objects that are physically close and then virtually close to the device. In this way, distance is relative to the amount of time that it will take someone to sift through the enormous amount of data.
The following rules are used to expand the Matrix Perceptions rules (p. 178, SR6) for detecting devices on the Matrix. Gamemasters can pre-roll Willpower + Sleaze or buy hits for silent devices to set the Matrix Perception threshold. If a device is not hiding, the base threshold is 0. The base threshold has Matrix Perception threshold modifiers applied to them. If the threshold is met or exceeded, the device is spotted. The device will remain visible for 12 + (number of hits above threshold) hours, or until the target performs a successful Hide action, or until the device is rebooted or shut off—whichever comes first.
For example, Pointdexter is trying to find an opposing team in the plaza outside the Space Needle. The opposing team is running silent, and the gamemaster has rolled their defense roll and received 2 hits. Because the Seattle Center is busy with tons of devices, the threshold is increased by 8, but is reduced by 2 because Pointdexter has done their research and knows the specific device being used to protect the PAN. This means that Pointdexter needs to get 8 hits in order to spot the hidden team.
For another example, on a host, the Patrol IC attempts to ensure personas and devices have valid access. If the decker hacks the corporate host during midday, there are 1,500 employees currently logged in. This makes it more difficult for the Patrol IC to perceive the decker. The Patrol IC rolls Rating x 2 versus the decker’s Willpower + Sleaze. If the decker is successful, the IC moves on and continues its patrol through the host. A single Patrol IC can run Matrix Perception twice per turn (it’s a Major Action), meaning that the IC won’t return to that specific area to check again for 750 turns, unless an alarm has been triggered or the decker moves to a new area. That means if you are on a host with thousands of personas and icons, it should take a single patrol IC a long time to actually track you down. If the decker had gone in at night when there were only twenty active personas, the Patrol IC would check their location every ten turns.
A skilled observer may gain additional information about a PAN or host if they exceed the threshold by 2 or more. The GM may provide the player with an estimate of the host or device rating, or information about the icons in a PAN.
What can be seen across the borders from a host to the wider Matrix or vice-versa? Seeing across the event horizon of a host is a limited channel. When looking from a host out to the wider Matrix, you are able to run Matrix searches, but otherwise cannot see other nearby devices that are not on the host. When you’re out in the Matrix and you observe a host, you can’t see anything inside unless the host specifically broadcasts it—except for remote devices such as cameras and locks, which still require a Matrix Perception action to see. It’s common for some hosts to broadcast the general layout of their internal structure, excluding secret or classified hosts. For instance, a shopping center might broadcast the presence of individual store hosts within the larger mall host. For locks, cameras, and other Matrix devices that have a physical presence, the observer must succeed at a Matrix Perception (2) test in order to spot them.
