Rules Clarification: Agent Programs (CSCp69)

It would be better across the board to just call Expert programs Skill programs, IMHO. "Intellect" and "Intelligent" are also too similar and do cause confusion. Intellect would be better as Advanced Agent anyway.
 
I should probably just look at the rules, but what is there to keep you from putting a Mini Robot Brain in a Mobile Comm to run your Expert Software?
 
hopsnbaer said:
I should probably just look at the rules, but what is there to keep you from putting a Mini Robot Brain in a Mobile Comm to run your Expert Software?
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Not sure it would change much. The differing costs are for different things. The robot stuff is only for robots and the other for biological. Thats my opinion anyway.
 
rinku said:
Expert programs are the skill ones. Usable by a character to have the skill at bandwidth -1, or to get a +1 to an existing skill. If you do have an existing skill, you may as well just get the cheap bandwidth 1 version. If you *don't* have the skill, you'd benefit from the higher skill rated programs. Mostly, though, those are of benefit for Intellect programs.
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I was looking at this today with a Wafer Jack skill of Expert/3. The character had skill 0, so they could only get a DM+1. And I realized an unskilled person would have a DM+2.

To me, that’s ridiculous. I immediately decided to house rule it that anyone would get bandwidth of skill -1. If they already had skill 2, too bad. No bonus.

Maybe if they had skill 2 it should allow that person skill/3. Not sure. I’d have to think about that.
 
I agree. Although that program is bloody expensive, and won't fit into the wafer jacks available in the core book, which are Computer/2 and are only capable of running Skill-0 or Skill-1 programs. (which brings up another terminology confusion - "Bandwidth" vs "Capacity Bandwidth"...)

But there is a Computer/3 version in the Catalogue, and the issue comes up with any Computer/3+, including all ship computers. So the house rule is needed.

Another way you might do it is to say both rules apply. So a person with actual skill gets the program at bandwidth-1 as well as a +1.

Actually, I really like that idea. You end up with:

Program Unskilled Skill-0 Skill-1 Skill-2 Skill-3
BW/1 +0 +1 +2 +3 +4 (same as RAW)
BW/2 +1 +2 +2 +3 +4 (better for skill zero, otherwise same)
BW/3 +2 +3 +3 +3 +4 (better for skill zero and one but a pretty expensive option across the board)

And as a footnote, at TL14 an unskilled character might be better off with a plastic pal.
 
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Yenaldlooshi said:
Ooh!! I just got my PDF version. What page numbers?
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I too would like to know.
rinku said:
I agree. Although that program is bloody expensive, and won't fit into the wafer jacks available in the core book, which are Computer/2 and are only capable of running Skill-0 or Skill-1 programs. (which brings up another terminology confusion - "Bandwidth" vs "Capacity Bandwidth"...)

But there is a Computer/3 version in the Catalogue, and the issue comes up with any Computer/3+, including all ship computers. So the house rule is needed.

Another way you might do it is to say both rules apply. So a person with actual skill gets the program at bandwidth-1 as well as a +1.

Actually, I really like that idea. You end up with:

Program Unskilled Skill-0 Skill-1 Skill-2 Skill-3
BW/1 +0 +1 +2 +3 +4 (same as RAW)
BW/2 +1 +2 +2 +3 +4 (better for skill zero, otherwise same)
BW/3 +2 +3 +3 +3 +4 (better for skill zero and one but a pretty expensive option across the board)

And as a footnote, at TL14 an unskilled character might be better off with a plastic pal.
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I like this idea. Thanks.
 
Terry Mixon said:
Not sure it would change much. The differing costs are for different things. The robot stuff is only for robots and the other for biological. Thats my opinion anyway.
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Robots seem much more capable, and I see no difference from a Robot that fits in your hand, to a Comm Link. It is not consistent. Again, I do need to refresh myself with the robot rules.
 
hopsnbaer said:
Robots seem much more capable, and I see no difference from a Robot that fits in your hand, to a Comm Link. It is not consistent. Again, I do need to refresh myself with the robot rules.
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They are much more capable. The issue is that they aren’t made to use the skills to directly apply to the Traveller, only for their own use of the skills. The ones for the Traveller are more expensive but they can’t use the ones for the robot, at least not without just letting the robot do it all.
 
Thanks for the reminder - new episode today :)

I really hope they renew this series, there is quite a catalogue of books to work through.
 
Terry Mixon said:
They are much more capable. The issue is that they aren’t made to use the skills to directly apply to the Traveller, only for their own use of the skills. The ones for the Traveller are more expensive but they can’t use the ones for the robot, at least not without just letting the robot do it all.
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How else does regular Expert skill software work. It runs on a Computer and the PC's follow the instructions. Why would the Robot not be able to run that? These are why I want a rewrite of the Computer Skill System. I want something I don't have to house rule.

At the very least a Mobile Comm Robot could do a Task chain to assist.

Why not build 15 specialized computers, each for a different skill to 0 size and put them in a Portable Computer and switch between them so you save on Bandwidth.

The rules say you can use a Neural Comm as a dumb terminal to run software on another computer. Does that mean with your Computer/0 Neural comm with a 5k Transmitter you can run Expert/3 Software off a Computer in your stateroom from a 3 Kilometers away?
 
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hopsnbaer said:
Why not build 15 specialized computers, each for a different skill to 0 size and put them in a Portable Computer and switch between them so you save on Bandwidth.
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Why put them in a portable computer, specialised computers to carry a single expert package can be very low TL and made at very small at higher TLs. Have them as buttons on your coat talking to your mobile comm.
hopsnbaer said:
The rules say you can use a Neural Comm as a dumb terminal to run software on another computer. Does that mean with your Computer/0 Neural comm with a 5k Transmitter you can run Expert/3 Software off a Computer in your stateroom from a 3 Kilometers away?
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Yes as long as you are happy with an expert package being run through a dumb terminal. If the signal was blocked you would be out of luck as well, but these are edge conditions (not that a well informed enemy wouldn't try to isolate you from your helper).
 
swordtart said:
Why put them in a portable computer, specialised computers to carry a single expert package can be very low TL and made at very small at higher TLs. Have them as buttons on your coat talking to your mobile comm.

Yes as long as you are happy with an expert package being run through a dumb terminal. If the signal was blocked you would be out of luck as well, but these are edge conditions (not that a well informed enemy wouldn't try to isolate you from your helper).
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Put them in a Mobile Comm for Convenience

Went on a bit of a rant there.
 
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