THE MATRIX
The Matrix: Red Pill is a role-playing campaign set in the world of the Wachowski brothers' trilogy of science-fiction movies The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded, and The Matrix Revolutions. Players will take on the role of a Resuscitated human freed from the prison of the matrix.
It is set between the first two films, The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded. Morpheus captains the hovercraft NEBUCHADNEZZAR, with his remaining crew of Trinity, Neo, and the new addition of operator Link. Other notable ships include Captain Niobe's LOGOS and Captain Thaddeus' OSIRIS. Also active as hovercraft commanders are Captain Mifuno, Captain Sorren and Captain Ballard.
Players in The Matrix: Red Pill are based aboard Captain Kanji's TETRAGRAMMATON.
RULES ADDENDA
FREEDMINDS
Each player will be playing a Freedmind characacter: a resuscitated human. Only those rescued from The Matrix have the cyber connections required to jack back in, and become a Jumper. Humans born in Zion are known as Freeborn. There are three background options for how a character became a Freedmind::
Rescue: Like Morpheus rescued Neo, a member of the Resistance hand-picked you to be pulled from The Matrix. You better be worth it. The older you were, the more difficult the adjustment to the "real" world was for you. Neural Bonus: +1D Quickness
Potential: You were one of the Oracle's "potentials"; humans who manifested an ability to manipulate The Matrix early in life. Freed from constant immersion in The Matrix, you now have the opportunity to put your skills to work. Neural Bonus: +1D Awareness
Reboot: Every system has glitches, and you were the victim of one. Your tank malfunctioned, ejecting you from The Matrix with no preparation. A passing hovercraft picked you up, and you've been struggling to adjust ever since. Neural Bonus: +1D Endurance
LOAD
As seen in The Matrix movies, Jumpers that hack back into the Matrix can create weapons and equipment to bring into the Matrix. Each piece of equipment that the character takes into the Matrix uses up some of the bandwidth of the broadcasting equipment. This bandwith usage is known as Load.
There is a limit to how much a person can download before being noticed. Hovercrafts have a Load Limit as to how much they can transmit safely into the Matrix without raising alarms. Each item of equipment, each gun, each Harrier Jump Jet that Jumpers take into the Matrix increases this Load - even the act of projecting a single consciousness into the Matrix is considerable. Load can also be increased and decreased depending on the strength of the broadcast signal, and proximity to a receiver Node. The generic Nebuchadnezzar-class hovercraft is equipped with electronics with a Load Limit of 500D at 5 kilometers.
In game play, certain items - such as normal clothing - have a negligible Load. However, every item that has a die of effect adds an equivalent Load. For example, a Jumper wearing 1D body armor, carrying a 3D pistol and a +1D lockpick set would have a 5D Load Total. Each die of load increases the chances that the Matrix's defense systems will detect and react against the intrusion. An operator automatically reduces this Load by 1D for every dice of Computer Operations posessed. This does not require a roll. An operator can further mask the Load signature by making a Computer Ops roll, with the difficulty being the number of dice in the Load Total. A success means the operator masks double their score in Computer operations. For every two points the operator exceeds the target number by, they can mask an extra die of Load.
Example: Toggle, an operator, is preparing to send two Jumpers into the Matrix. Their combined Load Total is 10D. Toggle has Computer Operations of 6D. She rolls an 18. Toggle succeeded (10 or more), so her Computer Ops score is doubled to 12D of Load. She made the roll by eight points, so may mask 8 / 2 = +4D of Load. Toggle can successfully mask up to 16D of Load on this hack - more than enough for this little jaunt.
Example 2: Toggle is sending a large strike team into the Matrix. Their load total is 22D. Toggle automatically can mask 6D, but makes her roll with a target of 22. She gets lucky and rolls a 26. That means 6 x 2 + (4/2) = 14D is masked. 8D is unmasked and may alert the Matrix defense programs. It's a good thing her team is packing some serious heat.
