System Operations

Almost any task a decker may perform in cyberspace is expressed as a system operation. This section covers most of them. In game terms, a system operation is not a skill or program— it is simply a rules procedure for determining whether the decker succeeds in performing his intended action. Every system operation consists of three parts: a System Test, an appropriate utility, and a type of game action.

Most system operations fall into one of three broad categories: interrogations, ongoing operations, and monitored operations.

Interrogations

In most system operations, a decker gives the host/grid system an order, which the system immediately carries out. During interrogation operations, however, a decker engages in a “dialogue” with a system as he searches for specific information. A decker may have to repeat an interrogation operation more than once to locate the exact file or slave control that he needs.

The more precisely the decker defines the criteria for the interrogation, the better his chances of success in an interrogation operation. The character should provide specific references to names, events, or functions in order to succeed. Conducting an interrogation operation resembles legwork in the physical Shadowrun world—the character must ask questions until he gets the answer he needs or verifies that the information is not available. In addition, after all the interrogating is accomplished, a decker may have only found a pointer that gives him the address of a file on another host. The decker may in fact have to follow several links through several hosts before he actually scores the data.

Ongoing Operations

Some operations are finished as soon as the decker succeeds at the System Test. Other operations, such as uploads and downloads, take time. In these ongoing operations, the decker begins the operation, then allows it to run without giving it any further directions.

Monitored Operations

Monitored operations must be carefully controlled after they are set in motion. After a decker makes the initial System Test to begin a monitored operation, he must maintain the operation. If he fails, the operation aborts and he must repeat the operation System Test to restart it. In some cases, allowing a monitored operation to abort may result in irreversible consequences in the real world; such as alerting the security network that it's being probed.