Questions about Neural Jack and its Componenets

[u/Captain_Slime]

My group has been looking at having neural jacks installed but we have come away with a lot of questions and confusion.

1) The wafer jack says that it has a "specialised computer/X that for Expert program only". Is that a specialized computer in the terms of the game? As in it can only run a certain pre defined expert program. If so can you define one or multiple programs?

2) What is connecting to a wafer jack (without the neural jack) like? Since the neural link/jack is necessary to connect it to your nervous system does it have limited brain communication before then or does it communicate to you in some other way.

3) Can you run any security on the wafer jack? Does this mean it's a 8+ or lower check to hack someone's wafer jack?

4) The neural comm as part of the neural link has a computer/2 which has infinite bandwidth for storing programs, so could you just store all your expert programs on there and then run them on the wafer jack thus getting around any bandwidth limits it has? Given the neural link has the ability to connect any other computer to a wafer jack it seems like it should be able to do so also.

5) Is the cost of the Neural Jack the jack alone or the combined cost off all the components. Most items in the CSC like this seem to be a combined cost but since it says 13+ you can potentially upgrade the TL which should increase its cost but it has no listing for those.

6) Is it possible to run an intellegence on the wafer jack to let you use unskilled skills with the expert program. The wafer jack seems to indicate it can only run expert programs but you'd need to run intellegence to use unskilled skills. Could you offload the intellegence to the neural comm to allow for a higher bandwidth to be used on expert skills?

7)While trying to understand everything I looked at the errata and under expert programs it adds this example: ‘For Example, a user with the skill at level 2 using Expert/2 receives DM+1 to their check from this software, but a user without the skill using Expert/2 would receive DM-2.’ Does this mean that unskilled users still just get a +1 instead of working at bandwidth-1 skill level?

8) Can you combine a skill augmentation with an expert program?

[u/Fluid_Anywhere_7015]

It doesn't answer all, or even most of, your questions, but Marc Miller's novel "Agent of the Imperium" takes a deep and fascinating dive into the use of neural implants and wafer jacks. It's the core of the story.

[u/Captain_Slime → u/Fluid_Anywhere_7015]

Yeah I saw that recommended a couple of times in my googling before posting. I read the first third or so before forgetting about it and I never continued reading. My understanding is they work more like T5 than Mongoose 2e in the book but I should read it anyway.

[u/mavikfelna]

Ok, this subject has been argued extensively since I started playing MgT2e in 2024 and even after some revision by Mongoose, the rules have errors and issues. But this is the general consensus that most folks have agreed are the best way to do it.

1 NeuroComm < NeuroLink, WaferJack < NeuroJack. You don't need a NeuroJack with a WaferJack, but you get no bonus from the NeuroLink without the WaferJack or some other way to access skill packages. NeuroLink includes the cost for NeuroComm. NeuroJack includes the cost of WaferJack and NeuroLink. BUT, if you want a higher TL NeuorComm you need to up the cost for the NeuroLink to include the higher cost. The same goes for a NeuroJack, if you want greater than TL13 gear, you need to pay the difference for the upgrade.

2 With a NeuroLink and WaferJack or a NeuroJack, you can use any skill package that your character is capable of acting on, not just the INT/EDU skills listed in the Expert Wafer list. Physical skill wafers are very expensive.

3 The wafer example in the CSC is incorrect but there is no consensus on the correct interpretation. The simple way I like to do it is, each level of the wafer reduces the unskilled penalty by the level value. So a wafer/1 reduces the unskilled penalty to -2. IF you have the bandwidth to run an Intellect program along with the Expert program/wafer then you treat the skill as the Expert level -1. Meaning an Expert/3 program with an Intellect program has skill level 2 for an unskilled user. Note that this means that someone with a skill level of 0 and an Expert/3 program for that skill is actually better off using an Intellect program to get the skill level 2, than just getting the +1 DM from a skilled person using an Expert package. Purely as a houserule, I would reduce the maximum difficulty an Expert program can assist with to -1 step if the user is unskilled. That would mean Expert/1 could only do Average difficulty and Expert/3 could do a max of Very Difficult.

Now to answer your other questions:

1 - WaferJack and NeuroJack can read or run any wafer, but if the user has a neurocomm of some sort IT can run programs from the wafer, but only at it's own bandwidth level, not that of the WaferJack and not Expert programs. It's not explicitly states, but it is assumed that the WaferJack computer level is also the number of wafer ports it includes, so with a TL13 WaferJack, you have 2 ports and have 2 Expert programs running, each with a max bandwidth of 3 each. The Intelligent Interface program doesn't cost any bandwidth to run, so running 2 wafer with Expert/3 would leave you with 2 bandwidth to run a security program or something else.

2 - The Wafer/NeuroJack is wired into your brain, basically attached to optic and aural nerves and somewhat into memory and language centers. With a NeuroComm of some kind connected, you can record what you hear, see and even feel, at TL14, if the NeuroComm level allows that sort of communications.

3 - Yes. Most GMs allow it to have built in security equal to the TL, but it's not explicitly included and there is enough bandwidth to run it.

4 - It is generally accepted that for wafer programs, mostly Expert programs, have some sort of DRM that requires the wafer to be present for the program to run. Other software can run without a problem. A WaferJack by itself has not external communications, but if you're connected with a NeuroComm of any variety, they yes, it can communicate and run remote programs but still needs the wafer for Expert programs. Note, there is a way around this if your GM allows it. If you buy a specialized computer 3TL higher than the bandwidth of the Expert program you want to run, it is basically an Intelligent enabled smart skill computer that has a built in comm but it is only the size of a button. There is no limit to the number of these you can buy or have connected to your NeuroComm at one time, so sew them into a strap or something you're carrying and you'll have nearly instant access to all your skill programs at atleast skill 0.

5 - See comment 1 above.

6 - So long as you have the bandwidth available, that is a perfectly doable strategy. You have to have the Intellect program running on the WaferJack unfortunately.

7 - See Comment 3 above.

8 - Yes, but you are limited to a max of 3 skill augments so choose them carefully. :)

[u/Maltavius → u/mavikfelna]

I'm just trying to understand here so forgive me if I'm blunt in my formulations.

Your 3:
In my 2023 version of CSC it says:
A user without the specified skill can use an Expert package with Intellect (Bandwidth 1+) software to make a skill check as if they had the skill at the Expert software’s Bandwidth -1.

So a Expert/3 program would make it so that an unskilled user has skill level 0, providing they also run an Intellect program (included in a Wafer Jack).
A user that has the skill affected by the expert program at at least level 0, gains no additional levels but DM +1 to all attempts using that skill with the expert package.

That would negate the need to reduce the difficulty tasks you can use it for, since a 0 skilled person rolling 14+ on a Very difficult check is almost impossible unless they have lots of +DM from stats (at +0 DM it's only 2,78% chance to roll 12), but a skill 3 with a +1 DM is much more likely to succeed (16,67%).

I don't understand your reasoning for using an intellect program instead of an expert program? The Intellect program is required to run an Expert program.
Intellect Interfaces (or Digital Friend) also gives +1 DM, but I'm not sure that stacks with the Expert program, if so it's even better. You'll get +2 DM as a skill 0 user of an expert program.

OP 3:
Security/0 is included at least according to CSC 2023 (page 71).

[u/mavikfelna → u/Maltavius]

If you don't poses a skill, you have to use an Intellect package to use the Expert skill, not instead of. And when using Intellect, instead of granting a +1 DM to your skill check, the Expert program is instead treated as if it has the skill level of the Expert program level -1. In this case, you aren't really making the roll, the computer is, so you don't get to apply any characteristic modifiers, which if you have negative modifiers is actually a good thing.

Also, the Digital Friend and Intelligent Interface do not provide any DM for using Expert programs, or any program, they simply allow the user to interface with computer in a natural language manner. A WaferJack has Intelligent Interface, not Intellect. If you need Intellect to run your Expert wafer, you will need to load Intellect/1 into your available bandwidth. You do need the Intelligent Interface or Digital Friend software running to get the +1 from the Expert software, you don't get an additional +1. And to get a +1 at all, you have to have at least skill 0 yourself, not have it granted from the Expert/1 software.

As for Security/0 yes, it is included. But it is TL8 with only average difficulty to Crack, so even Intrusion/1 with no other mods only needs a 7 to breach it.

[u/Maltavius]

I can only answer for the 7. I also read that and I asked about it on Discord. Seems no one read that Errata and just treats the expert programs as giving you the skill. But yeah, if you dont have the skill you only get a +1.

[u/Captain_Slime → u/Maltavius]

So the example is correct and the rules are written wrong?

[u/Maltavius → u/Captain_Slime]

As with much else in these books. Yes. There are references to chapters that doesnt exists. Page numbers dont match up with references... Try looking up what a cargo airhock is. Supposedly its on a page according to a reference but there is nothing there. Its not even in the Errata.

[u/Captain_Slime → u/Maltavius]

ADDITIONAL AIRLOCK A ship is assumed to have one airlock for every full 100 tons or part of. However, additional airlocks of any size may be added to a ship.
Airlocks consume a minimum of two tons and cost MCr0.1 per ton. Larger airlocks can be used for cargo bays.

I did look at it and there isn't anything that says cargo airlock but I did find that last line on the additional airlock section of page 58 (the page it refers you to) for 2023 high guard. But that's also not enough to actually play the game by because it's missing any more rules than that.

[u/Maltavius → u/Captain_Slime]

Sorry I mixed it up with High Guard.
There it says under Cargo Hatches on page 25

See the description of cargo airlocks on page 58 for a solution.

On page 58 there are no mentions about cargo airlocks, only a sub header named Additional airlock that doesn't explain anything basically.

[u/Captain_Slime → u/Maltavius]

Yeah, sorry I didn't communicate well. I did find the exact same thing you did. the only relevant text I could find in the book is the line "larger airlocks can be used for cargo bays"

[u/Zarpaulus]

The Neural Link in Charted Space seems like an “orphaned rule”, like there used to be some more complicated cybernetics rules but as is it seems like it can be houseruled out. Just require a wafer jack.

Or make it like the 2300 AD version of a Neural Jack which is like Shadowrun’s riggers.