User Guide

CYRERSPACE SURWAL
Survival in the cyberspace environment depends on the skills, equipment, software, and
information you’ve acquired in the earlier phases of the game. You may often find it necessary to
return to the Real World, because you’ve run out of money or need a new deck, more software,
more information, or you need to move to a new jack location to reach another area of cyberspace.
LIMITATIONS ON CYRERSPACE TRAVEL
There are two primary factors governing the distance that can be travelled at any one time by a
cowboy in cyberspace:
JACK RANGE LIMIT: There are several cyberspace jacks available in Chiba City. Physically
connecting your deck to one of these jacks (‘jacking in”) determines where you will be located
when you enter cyberspace. Most jacks can access only a limited area of cyberspace, called a
“zone”. Normally, you can only access areas of cyberspace within the jack’s zone limit.
CONNECT TIME: Few things are free in Chiba City. Using a cyberspace jack costs money just
like the long distance telephone charges of the 20th century. This creates another limit on how
far you can travel when you’re jacked in-if you run out of money on your credit chip, your
connection is broken, putting you back in the Real World.
CYRERSPACE DECKS .
Cyberspace decks, also called cyberdecks or matrix simulators, are illegal for private use, but
certain dealers have a liberal definition of private use, and continue to sell them to “independent
agencies.” Most cowboys define themselves as independent agencies. If a cowboy can afford it,
there are a wide range of matrix simulators available. So many, in fact, that an independent
reviewing service known as Consumer Review exists to help people decide which deck to buy.
There are a number of differences between the standard deck, which is legally available to the
average consumer, and a deck with cyberspace-capability.
SHIELDING: Cyberdecks have built-in combat shielding which protects the cyberdeck and its
software from ICE attacks.
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