So we started talking about Tactical Networks in Shadowrun.
The general consensus about them in their 5E iteration is that they are horribly overpriced for what they actually do, especially the lower-level iterations.
Hence, some houserules to replace the horrible rules in Run&Gun.
Integrated Tactical Processors are cyberdeck modules (Data Trails, p. 64) that run specialized software to analyze input from multiple sensors in real-time and provide members of a small team with real-time battlefield information and analysis.
To make use of an ITP, it must be connected to a device that acts as the master in a connected PAN or WAN. An ITP can provide it's bonuses to a number of members of a WAN equal to it's rating. To benefit properly from an ITP, each member needs an image and audio link, as well as a camera and omni-directional microphone. To get any bonus dice from an ITP, it needs to have at least three such members.
An ITP provides the following bonuses
- All sensor information available to the ITP is shared between all members. The ITP can be set to analyze sensor information for specific details, highlighting anything that fits the parameters to all or select members of the team. This provides a +2 bonus to Perception Tests.
- All information generated by Smartgun Systems and Biomonitors can be shared between team members. It can also be set to automatically trigger auto-injectors (whether implanted or not) under certain conditions.
- The ITP can use sensor information and available map data to generate real-time information on the current environment and to keep track of possible enemy positions. This provides a +2 bonus to Sneaking and Tracking tests.
- The ITP is specifically designed to run dedicated software for tactical combat coordination. This allows the leader of the team to use the Leadership skill on each other as a simple action. When making a Leadership-test, the teams leader can also lower their own Initiative by up to ten and use it to increase the Initiative of one other team member, or by half that amount for two team members. The ITP also comes with an agent-software that can coordinate combat maneuver tests in the absence of a dedicated leader with a dice pool equal to the ITPs rating +2. When assisting a dedicated leader, this software instead provides a +4 bonus to Leadership and Small Unit Tactics tests instead.
- By analyzing all available information, the ITP can predict enemy movement, analyze combat patterns and otherwise augment the teams combat performance. This provides a +1 bonus to all combat active skills as well as to Gunnery.
- The ITP can coordinate the processing power of several devices, providing a +1 bonus to the Firewall of the device it is connected to, and a +2 bonus to all Electronic Warfare tests.
- When integrated into a Rigger Command Console, each drone connected to the RCC can count as only half a member, and the rigger can grant permission to other members of the team to issue commands to the drones.
Integrated Tactical Processor Cyberdeck Modules
Rating 4-10, Availability 18F, 40.000 + (Rating x 5.000)
Please keep in mind that half the functionality of a tactical network can be done without one - you can share information from sensors and such anyway, and injectors can already be linked to biomonitors. Coordinating a Combat Maneuver is, for a trained team, a free action anyway, so having an agent do it is basically a replacement in case you don't have a skilled leader. Other than that I mostly went with the bonuses provided by a Level II PI-Tac.
Obviously I vastly reduced the price. That's because PI-Tacs were so horribly overpriced that even a Prime Runner basically can't afford one (well, a Level I, but those are basically useless). Consider the price of at least 60.000€ in exchange to the bonuses it gives - and the fact that you'll be run around with everything running in wireless, and thus vulnerable to being hacked.
Either way, as usual this is only a proposition. In a normal game I'd heavily encourage you to use this, since it provides a logical reason for people to use their devices in wireless mode, but since you said enemy hackers won't be much of a thing in this game that's less of an issue.
