u/Bignholy

If I am in a corporate host, can I make a check to gain Admin access for future rolls on that host, or do I have to gain Admin access every time I interact with a system on that host?

Example: I want to crack into a host, hack a camera to edit the recording into a loop, and hack a lock to open it. This requires Admin access level to do. Which if the following is correct:

1. Make a Cracking (Brute Force) check against [Host Rating +2] for immediate admin access and take the action against the camera. Make another Cracking (Brute Force) check against [Host Rating +2] for immediate admin access and take the action against the lock.
2. Make the Cracking (Brute Force) check against [Host Rating +2] to step from outsider to Admin, and then wait till the signal from the team and make a check against [Host Rating] to hack the camera, followed by another Cracking (Brute Force) check against [Host Rating +2] for a new admin access and take the action against the lock.
3. Make the Cracking (Brute Force) check against [Host Rating +2] to step from outsider to Admin, and then do further checks against [Host Rating] while I remain in the host.

I am assuming I do this undetected, because while it is not explicit, I would understand a GM having my access revoked after each action if spotted.

Basically: Do squatters have any rights to their territory in the UCAS?

Is there a reason Ares can't just stomp into the Shattergraves and take the barrens as their own property? Is the land held legally by the UCAS, the city in question, the beings who squat there, or is it hypothetically up for grabs if the corp wants to go through the effort?

Asking because I am setting up a guide to the city I run games in, and was wondering why a corp could not just snap up such a location.

EDIT: Thanks for the info, everyone. The consensus seems to be "No rights, and generally not worth it for the Corporations so they don't bother," which is sufficient for me.

Page 178 says the following: "Obtaining a more powerful variant of an existing spell requires learning a new spell with a higher threshold."

So does that mean when you learn, say, a combat spell, you have to choose the area addition to the base threshold when you buy the spell, as opposed to determining it at time of casting? Do you have to purchase different sizes for Illusion spells separately?

Also, do they define anywhere how far Magic Fingers can reach? Right. Shadowrun. LOS. Whoopsie.

>^(Locals, I don't need engagement on this, I am just posting it so I have a convenient and formatted post to share when I am busy selling the concept of SRA2 on other subreddits like the colossal fanboy I have become, rather than opening a discussion. We all know SRA2 is the best. Well, most of us. Those of us with taste. (And yes, that is a joke, no problem if it's not your cuppa). That said, if you want to add on, feel free. Or don't. I'm not your dad, chummer.)

SRA2 is the on-boarding option for Shadowrun as far as I am concerned, and I recommend it to everyone just getting into the setting, or anyone not interested in 3+ rolls per attack per combat round and table, tables, TABLES!

• The rules are simplified: You roll Stat + Skill, trying to get enough 5’s and 6’s to beat the Threshold the GM gives you. That's it. There are ways to adjust it slightly (Advantage, Disadvantage, Risk), but the only core concept you need to know to jump in is the roll used for literally everything.
• There is enough depth to create unique characters. There are enough rules to build with, without being over-complicated like baseline SR.
• Players make all rolls in most cases: If it's not a major NPC, you as GM need never roll a thing. That means you don't have to break focus from your job as a story teller/narrator to do your own crunch. You don't have to roll a dozen attacks from NPC's in a big battle when they shoot at each other: You just decide who and how many get shot.
• The main book presents the setting in a reasonably clear and concise manner. It gives players the info they need to jump in, as opposed to trying to cram all of the last almost-40 years of metaplot and history down their throat. It also does a good job of presenting what life is like and core concepts of how things work.
• The book is organized well, which makes finding things easier. Considering this is a large weakness of Shadowrun in general, regardless of edition, I feel it’s worth saying.
• The subsystems of the game for various roles (magic, matrix, rigging) are relatively simple. If you’ve ever played any edition of Shadowrun, cracked open the Matrix section, and went crosseyed, you know what I am talking about. SRA2 is very good at using the core mechanics of the game to cover almost every aspect of the various roles, as well as explaining non-mechanic concepts in a clear manner.

There are a couple challenges new players may face, however:

• Risk, Risk Reduction, and Edge are all vital parts of the game, and all three are concepts outside of many TTRPG’s grasp, so it'll have a learning curve. I taught a completly-new-to-TTRPG's player all that in two sessions by using examples with the players who got it before them.
• The game is a narrative driven game, which might take adjustment. Most narrative effects are deliberately not defined, and are intended to be used as the table sees fit. So, for example, say you have wired reflexes. It has rules based effects, but it is also a narrative effect. So the question is, what does Wired Reflexes help with and when can I use it to apply for advantage? It would not really apply to an attempt to shoot someone... but if the player and GM agree, it could be used to apply for advantage if the player is going for a quick draw, or trying to avoid being shot, or possibly even an ambush scenario (The GM determines combat order without rolls, so they might judge that in an ambush all the NPC's go first... but the player with wired reflexes might ask if they can go before them by reacting fast enough). The system offers a degree of freedom of action that many games do not, and it can be hard for some folks to really get that.
• Legwork will take adjustment. In SRA2, you don't go full blown heist movie level planning. You instead perform a test based on how your character would contribute to getting information, and the results of each test goes to a combined pool that lets you retroactively change the narrative to help deal with problems. So for example, the group is breaking into a bank vault. They get to the main vault door and face a maglock stopping them. The decker might say "Good thing I brought a maglock passkey" and spend some of the legwork dice to do so. They still have to roll to disable the lock, but if they didn't have that tool, they'd be buggered or at least have a much harder time dealing with it.
• Shadow Amps are basically everything special about your character, and while they are an awesome concept that simplifies character creation, new players will need guidance on how they work and what sort of thing they might want for their specific type of character. The person I on-boarded made a ganger, and had no idea what they could do for amps, so the group explained concepts like subdermal armor and wired reflexes and smartguns, and they decided what to do from there.

All in all, it will take adjustment, but if you want to run Shadowrun, this is absolutely the best way to get into it. Being the infamous SRA2 stan I am, I feel it is the best Shadowrun period, but even if you want to transition into the more crunchy editions later, this is still the best way to get you and your group into the setting with minimal fuss and minimal crunch related headaches.