Decks 'R' Us

by Jens-Arthur Leirbakk

With the introduction of Virtual Realities 2.0, the way a decker would customize his own deck was radically changed. At the same time, the decks and programs in SR2 suddenly became useless since they just weren't good enough.
Unfortunately, a new set of decks wasn't listed in VR2.0 so that one could phase out the old decks in SR2. This is what I have tried to rectify, by making new decks that are better than useless, and conform to the VR2.0 rules.

It seems as if the decks in VR2.0 has a tendency of being more expensive than comparative decks from SR2.0, but that's just yet another opening for a GM to get a decker character to burn more nuyen. As a side effect of the tinkering I did using the VR2.0 rules, I've also included a deck-design-sheet for VR2.0. Because of space difficulties, the formulas are somewhat altered - but should still give the same result as the VR2.0 step-by-step formulas. I hope.

Radio Shack PCD-130:
Radio Shack PCD-130 isn't really a brand name, as much as it is a common denominator for badly designed, homegriwn decks, often modified cyberterminals with a minimum of processing power. This is the equivalent of a deck one can build with a minimum of education and nuyen, and is scrapped the moment one has the money for a real deck. The PCD-130 doesn't have an ASIST interface at all, as it is a tortoise. Which is just as well, since brain-frying is more than just a possibility if you insist on tangling with serious IC and was jacked in through a deck of this type.

VR2.0 stats: MPCP 2 (Bod, Evasion: 2, Sensor, Masking: 1), Active Memory: 200 Mp, I/O Speed 20 MePS, Storage Memory: 200 Mp, Vidscreen. Cost: 10 990 nuyen, 10% discount 9 891 nuyen, 20% discount 8 792 nuyen. Availability: 4/5 days, Street Index: 1.

Allegiance Alpha-II:
Alpha-II is the new flagship of Allegiance Cybersystems, which has made a small name for themselves as independent deck manufacturers. They are located in Pueblo Corporate Council, where there are no laws restricting building cyberdecks. Allegiance Cybersystems make small, cheap decks, and seem to be able to sell them with at least some modest profit. At any rate the Alpha-II has a tendency to pop up in decker wannabe circles. The Alpha-II is a "real" deck, with ASIST interface and everything. Rumours say that if you know someone with a connection to AC, one can buy an Alpha-II with hot ASIST - cool ASIST is standard.

VR2.0 stats: MPCP 3 (Bod 3, Evasion, Sensor, Masking: 2), Active Memory: 200 Mp, Hardening 1, I/O Speed 40 MePS, Storage Memory: 300 Mp, Level 2 deck case (1/2). Cost: 24 195 nuyen, 10% discount 21 775 nuyen, 20% discount 19 356 nuyen. Availability: 4/7 days, Street Index: 1.

Sony CDY-420:
The Sony CDY-420 is a commercially available deck, produced by Sony on a license from Fuchi. The CDY-420 is a very downscaled Cyber-42 design, with cheap circuits. These decks are mostly produced in Indonesia and Malaysia, but have a habit of popping up in the oddest of places. The CDY-420 isn't exactly a bad deck, and many mediocre deckers use this deck, since they can't afford the Fuchi models. Since the parts of this deck are special Sony circuitry, they cost 10% more than equivalent parts and has a +1 Availability in Seattle. Sony CDY-420 is delivered with cool ASIST, just like the Alpha-II, but is often the first deckers modify. Cool ASIST is for wusses.

VR2.0 stats: MPCP 6 (Bod, Evasion, Sensor, Masking: 4), Active Memory: 200 Mp, Hardening 3, I/O Speed 120 MePS, Storage Memory: 500 Mp, Level 2 deck case (1/2), 1 hitcher jack. Cost: 153 780 nuyen, 10% discount 138 402 nuyen, 20% discount 123 024 nuyen. Availability: 5/9 days, Street Index: 0.9.

Fuchi Cyber-42:
The Fuchi Cyber-42 is designed around the same MPCP as Sony CDY-420, but is quite simply much more top-notch than the Sony CDY-420. Fuchi make this deck primarily for sale to other corps needing good decks for their own deckers. As Fuchi decks are so good, there is a -1TN bonus for any target numbers regarding repairing the deck. This deck is close to SOTA for normal, mortal deckers. It is delivered with both hot and cool ASIST.

VR2.0 stats: MPCP 6 (Bod, Evasion: 4, Sensor, Masking: 5), Active Memory: 400 Mp, Hardening 4, I/O Speed 250 MePS, Storage Memory: 700 Mp, 2 hitcher jacks, Level 2 deck case (2/3), 1200 Mp Off-Line Storage. Cost: hot: 197 928 nuyen / cool: 191 088 nuyen, 10% discount 178 135 / 171 979 nuyen, 20% discount 158 342 / 152 870 nuyen. Availability: 6/12 days, Street Index: 1.1.

Fuchi Cyber-62:
The Fuchi Cyber-62 is the best deck Fuchi sell to others. Quite simply. Other corps not into heavy R&D on deck programs of their own, buy these decks from Fuchi for their own top-notch deckers. As Fuchi decks are so good, there is a -1TN bonus for any target numbers regarding repairing the deck. This deck is SOTA for normal deckers, and is delivered with hot ASIST.

VR2.0 stats: MPCP 8 (Bod, Evasion, Sensor, Masking: 6), Active Memory: 600 Mp, Hardening 5, ICCM filter, I/O Speed 300 MePS, Response Increase level 1, Storage Memory: 800 Mp, 2 hitcher jacks, Level 3 deck case (3/4), 2000 Mp Off-Line Storage. Cost: 874 680 nuyen, 10% discount 787 212 nuyen, 20% discount 699 744 nuyen. Availability: 8/18 days, Street Index: 1.5.

Fuchi Cyber-722 beta:
This is the bleeding edge of what Fuchi make. It is a space rocket of a deck, with at least one of everything. This deck is also called Mainframe-in-a-box, although that is something of an exaggeration. Unless you have a pipeline into the laboratories of Fairlight, or is a personal, close friend of some godly deckmeister, this deck is the absolute maximum of what you can get. Stores of this deck has actually been the target of some corporate raids from other megacorps - which only goes to show how good it is. It is delivered with hot ASIST only.

VR2.0 stats: MPCP 10 (Bod, Evasion: 7, Sensor, Masking: 8), Active Memory: 800 Mp, Hardening 6, ICCM filter, I/O Speed 600 MePS, Response Increase level 2, Satlink interface, Storage Memory: 900 Mp, 2 hitcher jacks, dikoted Level 3 deck case (4/5), 20000 Mp Off-Line Storage, Vidscreen. Cost: 2 869 090 nuyen, 10% discount 2 582 181 nuyen, 20% discount 2 295 272 nuyen. Availability: 11/30 days, Street Index: 1.5

Fairlight Grasscutter: The Fairlight Grasscutter is the new Holy Grail of deckers, after it dethroned the legendary Fairlight Excalibur. The Grasscutter is, like the Excalibur, named after a famous sword. As the sword is of Japanese ancestry in this case, one can presume that Dr. Hirayama Ichikawa, the target of a hostile extraction from MCT last year, was involved in this project. Grasscutter has also gotten another meaning, which was adopted by the decker community, namely the classic "Your ass is grass, and I've got a Grasscutter". This deck is almost unique, as less than 20 Grasscutters has been manufactured so far. A Reality Filter running on a metaphor of feudal Japan is standard on all Grasscutters.

VR2.0 stats: MPCP 12 [Reality filter] (Bod, Evasion, Sensor, Masking: 9), Active Memory: 1200 Mp, Hardening 8, ICCM filter, I/O Speed 1000 MePS, Response Increase level 3, Satlink Interface, Storage Memory: 1500 Mp, dikoted Level 4 deck case (5/6), 80000 Mp Off-Line Storage, Vidscreen, 5 hitcher jacks. Cost: 7 629 700 nuyen, 10% discount 6 866 730 nuyen, 20% discount 6 103 760 nuyen. Availability: 22/50 days, Street Index: 2

Lately, some decks made by a deckmeister/decker going by the handle of Turing has surfaced in Seattle. They are hard to get, but rather cheap (Turing can always use the nuyen). The decks Turing make are always delivered with cool ASIST, as he doesn't want to make it too easy to get brain-fried in the Matrix.

A typical Turing-deck:

VR2.0 stats: MPCP 5 (Bod 3, Evasion 3, Sensor 4, Masking 5), Active Memory: 500 Mp, Hardening 4, I/O Speed 200 MePS, Response Increase 1, Satlink Interface, Storage Memory: 500 Mp, Level 2 deck case (2/3), 6000 Mp Off-Line Storage, 1 hitcher jack. Cost: 115 000 nuyen. Availability: 10/9 days (Seattle only), Street Index: 1

MPCP
 Software [MPCP Rtg.+2 for reality filter]:              Size (Rating²x8):
 Cook [MPCP Rtg.x3 days, Comp. B/R (MPCP)]:              Cost (5 x Size) :
 Installation [MPCP Rtgx2,Comp.B/R (MPCP)]:              Cost (35 x Rtg²):
 Tools: PC w/ Size Mp Memory, Microtronics Shop, Optical Chip Encoder

Persona
 Software [Bod (Rating), Evasion (Rating)]:              Size (Rating²x3):
 Software [Masking (Rating), Sensor (Rtg)]:              Size (Rating²x2):         
 Cook [Bod/Eva (Rtg)x3 days,Comp B/R(rtg)]:              Cost (Rating²x3):         
 Cook [Sensor/Mask(Rtg)x3, Comp B/R (rtg)]:              Cost (Rating²x2):         
 Installation [rtg.x2 days,Comp B/R (rtg)]:              Cost (35 x Rtg²):         
 Installation [rtg.x2 days,Comp B/R (rtg)]:              Cost (35 x Rtg²):         
 Tools: PC w/ Size Mp Memory, Microtronics Kit, Optical Chip Encoder

Active Memory
 Installation [Memory Size/100 days, Computer B/R (Memory Size/100 days)]:
 Parts [5 x Mem. Size, 25 x Mem. Size /10]:
 Tools: Microtronics Kit

ASIST Interface
 Software [Cool deck: Size (MPCP Rating²)]:
 Software [Hot deck: Size (MPCP Rating²)x2]:
 Cook [Cool: MPCP days,Comp B/R (MPCP Rtg)]:             Cost (20 x Rtg²):
 Cook [Hot: MPCP days, Comp B/R (MPCP Rtg)]:             Cost (40 x Rtg²):
 Installation [Hot: MPCP Rtg.,CompB/R(rtg)]:             Cost (50 x Rtg.):
 Installation [Cool: MPCP Rtg,CompB/R(rtg)]:             Cost (25 x Rtg.):
 Tools: PC w/ Size Mp Memory, Microtronics Kit, Optical Chip Encoder

Hardening
 Software [Hardening Rating]:                            Size (Rating²x8):
 Cook [MPCPxRtg days, Computer B/R (MPCP)]:              Cost (20xRtg²x8):
 Installation [MPCPxHard, Comp B/R (MPCP)]:              Cost (70xRtg.)  :         
 Tools: PC w/ Size Mp Memory, Microtronics Shop, Optical Chip Encoder

ICCM Biofeedback Filter
 Software [Size: (MPCP Rating²) x 4]:
 Cook [MPCPx2, avg. CompB/R-Biotech(MPCP)]:              Cost (20xRtg²x4):
 Installation [MPCPx2,avg.CompB/R-Bio(MPCP)]:            Cost (35 x Rtg²):
 Tools: PC w/ Size Mp Memory, Microtronics Shop, Bioscanner (installed, 5000
 nuyen), Optical Chip Encoder

I/O Speed
 Installation [I/O Spd/20,CompB/R(Spd/100)]:             Cost (3.5x Spd):
 Tools: Microtronics Kit

Response Increase
 Software [Size: MPCP Rtg^{2 x (Increase x2]:
 Cook [MPCPxInc., Comp B/R (Increase x2)] :              Cost (Size x 20):
 Installation [MPCP+Inc,Comp B/R (Inc x2)]:              Cost (35xInc x3):
 Tools: PC w/ Size Mp Memory, Microtronics Shop, Optical Chip Encoder

Satlink Interface
 Software [Size: (MPCP Rating2) x2]      :
 Cook [MPCP days, Computer B/R (MPCP)]   :               Cost (40 x Rtg²):
 Installation [MPCP days, Comp B/R(MPCP)]:               Cost (35 x MPCP):
 Tools: PC w/ Size Mp Memory, Microtronics Shop

Storage Memory
 Installation [Memory Size/100 days, Computer B/R (Memory Size/100)]:              
 Parts [5 x Memory Size + Memory Size nuyen]:         
 Tools: Microtronics Kit

Miscellaneous Components
 Casing [Basic (0/1) - 0, (1/2) - 500, (2/3) - 2000, (3/4)-5000]      :            
 Hitcher Jack [48 hours, target number # jacks +1, 250 nuyen per jack]:            
 Off-Line Storage [24 hours, target number 3, 50 + (0.5 x Mp)]        :            
 Vidscreen [12 hours, target number 4, 100 nuyen]                     :}

Taken from the pages of Jens-Arthur Leirbakk