The current mechanic is "there is only one party decker, who is defined to be Damned Good
at what he does. Anything more complicated than a data gathering run will get played out;
data gathering runs will be reduced to a single Int+Lore roll. Craft (Hardware) and Craft (Software)
are useful for building decks, writing programs, and deconstructing or analyzing either.
When in the Matrix, it's VR: use your apropriate stealth/larceny/investigation skills, capped
by Craft (Software). Your attributes are replaced by the Performance number of your deck, unless
you're an Otaku, in which case you use your normal attributes (yes, punching a computer program
does do (Str)B damage to it for Otaku, but emptying a gun into it is Dex+Archery...). A computer
with a Performance number of N is a Resources 2+(N/2) expenditure, with whether you round up or
down dependent on other features like satellite uplinks, hardened cases, and cool styling.
Non-Deckers use Trinity's method, which is to give a computer a general Performance stat, and then a number of Applications, each about as broad as a normal character's skill *specialty*. A rating N program is a rating N expenditure. That covers non-deckers pretty well: you have an avatar/agent, it talks to you, and that's it.
Old mechanics, probably best ignored
Brian's mentioned he likes the Trinity computer system. I don't know it. But here is one obvious system that occured to me.
Crafts (Computer) is a skill in the crafts family. It is used to build and repair decks, and to work with programs (charms there do give mystic deckers a distinct edge, causing him to write faster, write better, and rend other's programs more easily).
When decked in, one may use other skills in the Matix. One's effective skill in the matrix cannot exceed one's Crafts (Computer) skill, just like trying to use skills while riding a horse.
Stealth allows you to avoid security programs.
Larceny steals data and gets past passwords and other locks.
Bureacracy helps navigate arcane filestructures, and get useful information from automations.
Linguistics can solve encryption problems.
Watchfullness helps write better guard programs and do computer forensics.
Resistance and Endurance help you write more durable programs.
etc., etc.
Athletics, Occult, Presence, Socialize, Survival, and Medicine are the skills I see as not being at all applicable in the Matrix. Others are only tangentally useful.
This encourages Deckers to pick a style of decking (thief, fighter, guard, etc) and to have similar skills in and out of the matrix.
If there is a "Technomage" discipline, it's probably Occult, Crafts, Bureaucracy, Linguistics.
I like this; Trinity's method is to give a computer a general Performance stat, and then a number of Applications, each about as broad as a normal character's skill *specialty*. A rating N program is a rating N expenditure. That covers non-deckers pretty well: you have an avatar/agent, it talks to you, and that's it.
Deckers deserve a more interesting mechanic. I guess Decking charms are useful, so now we need to come up with what sort of things a Decker can do: I think they're Lore charms, because you're right, the Crafts tree is kinda weird for actual decking. The skills Craft (Electronics) and Craft (Software) cover building computers and writing software, and the charms work acceptably for that.
Thus, I'd make the cap-skill Lore, not Craft (Computer). This makes Otaku triply weird. :)
Certainly, the idea of outside skills applying in the matrix is *great*: it encourages Deckers to be good at stuff in the real world, too. Socialize is good for social engineering, Medicine lets you fix your programs, Survival is mostly useful in weird sculpted environments, Presence has some use, but not much, it's true. I suppose if you use Melee to hit a program with a data sword, you might as well use Athletics for lifting data... this raises the bizarre image of a nerd working out to make his drives bigger, but we're sufficiently past "realistic" here that I think it's worth it.
Should normal skill charms be usable in the matrix? Sure, as combos with a special Supplemental Lore charm which is explicitly comboable with other abilities' charms, and allows their use in the Matrix. What else would a supernaturally good decker be able to do that *isn't* covered by charms of other abilities?
* Go real fast in the matrix (initiative boost, extra actions), trash other programs, etc. seem to be already covered. Hm. I should look at the Otaku...
Quick look at skills and what they'd be useful for in the Matrix
o Melee, Archery, Thrown, Martial Arts, Brawl--battling with ICE. Charms may be useful for whatever they're useful for out of the matrix (multiple attacks, sneaky, rerouted-so-you-don't-know-where-I-am attacks, and the like. Brawl's charms destroying inanimate objects don't work on ICE, but do a number on walls or minor, seditary, mookish programs)
o Endurance, Resistance--helps your programs (your avatar is also a program) to resist damage and run for long times without little resource expenditure or chance of crashing.
o Survival--possibly useful in some odd VR environments. Not useful in the matrix natively.
o Performance, Presence--useful for interacting with people, not really useful for interacting with programs. Geeks do not great public speakers make, as a rule.
o Investigation--computer snooping and forensics. essentially, investigation in the matrix.
o Lore--if the matrix is like the wyld, complete with data corruption and empty space (possibly even set up as defenses), Solar lore charms are very useful. In addition, the essence, willpower, and health level lending charms could apply to programs, allowing you to shuffle resources among your mook programs. Mystic deckers might even be able to sacrifice their own health levels, not just those of their avatars, to heal damaged programs in the matrix.
o Crafts--a big one. Builds programs and your avatar. Charms help your build these faster and better, and give them protection from various things, and allows you to shred programs much more easily. "craftsman needs no tools" allows you to use a phantom deck, simulated in your brain, for decking--one of the defining features of Otaku. It probably has a rating based on your stats and crafts skill.
o Occult--the matrix and magic don't get along will just now. The matrix is *not* a metaplane to project into (at least as far as anyone can tell). Like survival, might be useful in contrived portions of the matrix (makes a good security check for the MageDeckers discussion group archives).
o Medicine--crafts (and some lore charms) are used to repair programs. Medicine might be useful for dealing with those biofeedback problems that ICE gives your, and for patching trashed deckers up, but not really useful for anything else in the matrix (see survival and occult, always possible for people to code contrived sim-environments).
o Athletics--probably shouldn't be useful in the matrix, instead substitute the rating of your deck for your athletics skill (bigger drives help your carry more data, better connections allow you more fluid and faster motion, etc.) It may be the case that athletics charms are upgrades to decks...some quick ideas in ExaltedHackingAthleticDecking.
o Awareness--did you notice those security programs tailing you?
o Larceny--some sleeze programs, stealing data, hiding your identity, pretending to be someone else.
o Dodge--avoiding things, particularly damage. Can you walk through their the virtual firestorm (wall?) without damage? Some overlap with Larceny, oddly.
o Stealth--actually hiding your presence in the matrix.
o Bureaucracy--interacting with most bots, does most of your navigation--effectively, the "survival" of the Matrix. Many deckers have high bureaucracy, they just think that way. Annoys the heck out of people who have trouble thinking like that. (based on real life computer programmers...)
o Linguistics--solves encription problems (and creates them, useful for secure communication), and the standard things it's useful for in realspace (the manual is in french? No problem!)
o Socialize--again, useful for human interaction, possible interaction with some more sophisticated bots. knowledge of hacker ettiquite. Possible some understanding of interface proticols, but that's probably more under lore.
o Mounts, Vehicles--umm...mounting drives? sorry, bad pun. Possibly useful for hitching rides on other programs, ones built to navigate and transport people along the matrix from location to location.
Attributes
Manipulation can be substituted for appearance (you know what people think looks good)
Charisma is useful for human interaction, and stays the same.
Wits probably substitutes for dexterity in fast-thinking situations, Intelligence for slower processes.
Strength and Stamina are aspects of your avatars, and thus depend on your programming skill. Stamina might be your Stamina for some applications (actual trials of endurance, soaking biofeedback damage from black ICE). Intelligence might act as Strength.
Deckers are probably the closest thing to beastmasters out there. They talk to the little programs, they train the little programs, they bond with the little programs. They and drone riggers are really major mookmasters. A otaku/decker/drone rigger discipline would be Crafts, Bureaucracy, Lore, and Linguistics. And (at least I think) would be really damn cool. You'd probably take Larceny, Stealth, Investigation, and...Awareness? to get the standard shadowrun decker type.
--zebediah. Feel free to comment in place.