project-image

INTERFACE ZERO 3.0

Created by David Jarvis/Gun Metal Games

The third edition of Interface Zero for the Savage Worlds Adventure Edition.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

9/16/2020 update: Progress
over 3 years ago – Fri, Sep 18, 2020 at 10:34:32 PM

Hi everyone.

I'm just updating you on progress! A few things:

The Player's Guide

The final layout is in progress. I've just finished everything up to the end of the gear chapter. I just have to insert the setting rules, the world information/timeline, etc. and then send it to another person to finalize everything, do the Index/Table Of Contents and link all of the page references. 

You can grab the Change log PDF below. It lists almost every change I've made so far.

 PG Changelog 

Here's the actual PDF for you to check out. It's laid out up to the end of the gear chapter.

 Revised PDF pages 1-113 

Finally, I've changed the cover. It seems like with every version, I've been either accused of being racist for lack of diversity, or I'm exploiting women, and other stuff... It's been draining, so I've gone back to a Cover I used for the Starfinder Edition. I hope you like it, because it's not changing.

The GM's Guide

The GM's Guide is coming along nicely, and I'm planning on having it done by mid-to-late October.

OK, that's it for now. I hope all is well with you.

Thanks for your time.

8/21/2020: Progress Update.
over 3 years ago – Fri, Aug 21, 2020 at 09:48:17 PM

Hi everyone, just an update on a few things.

Player's Guide Revisions

We're getting close to the finish line on the revisions. We're addressing issues with Origins, revising some Edges, modifying some of the weapons and equipment, cutting things that are found in SWADE, adjusting some of the damage codes for weapons to make them more effective against heavily armored opponents, adding in the modifications to Hacking, and the fiction which supports it.  After that's finished, I'll refine the layout for the PDF and Offset versions, and then lay out the Print on Demand Version, as the format needs to change to 8 x 10 so I can offer it in Hard Cover. I'm not sure why Graphic novel format isn't available in POD on DTRPG, but it is what it is.

Once the POD is laid out, I'll order proof copies and, once I'm happy, I'll send out coupons to everyone to get it (if you choose to do so) at cost + shipping. 

GM's Guide

The GM's Guide is coming along. I wanted to have it out this month, but the hacking rewrite and supporting fiction cut into my ability to accomplish that. I apologize.

Introductory Fiction

Finally, below you can find a link to a document called "The Road to 2095." It sets the tone of the world and addresses some of the events which led to an event I call the "Tendril Access Plague." I hope you enjoy it.

 The Road to 2095 

8/15/2020: GM's Guide Cover
over 3 years ago – Sun, Aug 16, 2020 at 09:27:28 PM

It doesn't have the graphic design around it, but I thought I'd share.

8/11/2020 Update: Hacking v2
over 3 years ago – Wed, Aug 12, 2020 at 08:44:55 AM

Hi everyone, just an update and a preview of Hacking v2.

So, the basic idea with these rules is to first present the core mechanic by itself. These rules are all you need to  complete a hack (aside from the tech). Next I introduce what I call Plugins. Plugins are a variety of optional rules you can bolt on to the core mechanic to get the type of hacking experience that works for your game.

Note: The TAP and Hacking Rigs are not written yet. I'm fiddling with things, dealing with the story line to make sure using a TAP is still viable, but also risky.  Hacking rigs will facilitate the old-school cyberpunk "jacking In" experience, but again. I want to make sure I have a proper backstory written first. The programs are written, but not included yet.

You can check out the rules here: Hacking v2 

THE PROBLEM WITH HACKING IN IZ 3.0:
over 3 years ago – Sat, Aug 01, 2020 at 12:08:41 AM

Hi everyone, just hopping in to talk about hacking. This is a long post, so here’s the TLDR version: Hacking sucks. It’s NOT SWADE, NOT FFF, and It’s been re-written yet again.  Spoiler: The TAP is going away.

OK, for those of you who want to know more, let’s get to it.

Back in 2006 when we started work on Interface Zero, we wanted to produce a game that was cyberpunk, but NOT Shadowrun, so no Magic or meta-humanity (though we were digging the idea of gene splicing, and hybrids were born). Other concepts grew out of a desire to get out of the shadow of the monolith that is Shadowrun (We were fools for even thinking that we could). Decking, the Matrix, and computers built for the task are obviously not unique to Shadowrun (or CP2020 for that matter). If you don’t believe me, go read (or re-read as the case may be) William Gibson’s Sprawl Trilogy. But I’m getting off track.

We wanted something different. We looked at the various media that inspired us and went with a concept loosely based on both Minority Report and The Altered Carbon novels, a computer chip inside your head, part biological, part computer. Having one allowed you to interact with the world around you in interesting ways, especially with hacking. The concept was by no means original, but we felt there was room to explore and possibly develop it into a workable framework. Hyper Reality was simply what we imagined Augmented Reality would develop into over the course of decades, and that’s how the TAP and Hyper reality were born. Now, roughly thirteen years after the release of the True20 version, I’ve come to realize I should have cut that idea and went for a more analog solution because let me tell you, it’s caused nothing but pain.

Sometimes, a concept that is narratively cool (or at least mildly interesting) does not translate into a rules system—ANY rules system—and the Tendril Access Processor is a prime example of this. Having a computer inside your head that allows you to directly interface with anything  and ANYONE around you is pretty neat—until you start writing rules for it. I confess I wrote none of the hacking mechanics for the True20 version, but I wrote almost all of them for all iterations of Savage Worlds. In my work, I tried to balance the Savage Worlds system with the Interface Zero setting, and it wasn’t (and still isn’t) easy.

Originally, we (the creators of IZ) saw the TAP and hacking in real time as a great way to keep the hacker with the group. We didn’t want to introduce a system where the hacker is off doing their own thing while the rest of the group sits around. We didn’t want to bog the game down like that. Well, guess what…it happened anyway (and no, the irony is not lost on me). The whole problem is that once you introduce a kind of technology that works like the TAP, there are tons of little questions that crop up. I’m not going to get into the gory details of all the discussions I’ve had with fans over the years, but suffice to say that in trying to answer those questions (legitimate or not) and at the same time stay true to the setting, I had to write more rules. I’m just talking about the Savage Worlds editions of IZ, mind you.

As an aside, I also suspect that some of the hardest questions and critiques came from people with a Shadowrun background…but I could just be paranoid there. *shrug* Regardless, instead of recognizing the problem was largely revolving around the Tendril Access Processor and how it worked, I just wrote more rules. I wrote them to answer my own questions. I wrote them to please people who wanted more crunch…but what I didn’t do, was write to just please myself.

In the Interface Zero 3.0 Kickstarter and the run-up to it, I talked about wanting to get back to an old-school type of cyberpunk. I started the work that way, but as with before, I fell into the trap of trying to answer too many questions, trying to please too many people, trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

And please, let me be clear. The comments, questions and ESPECIALLY the critiques over the past year were (and are) all valid.

I’m now in the perfect situation of doing something about it before the book goes to it’s long-awaited printing. I still have other errata to fix, so this is just another one of those things.

So, no more TAP. It’s not a question of simply erasing it as if it never existed, though. See, I never finished the Charon story line. I purposely left it blank because I didn’t want to get into a “Deus Ex—Renraku Shutdown” situation, and until now, I frankly haven’t known what to do with that pesky AI…. But it’s still around in 2095, and now I have some clarity on the subject. It’s ridiculously simple, though I’m sure I’ll get hate for it (can’t please everyone). You’ll get to read exactly what happens in the revised edition (unless you’ve digitally burned your copies and professed your undying hatred of all things Gun Metal Games, that is).

Anyways, now, characters must have access to a computer system (either portable computer, or a desktop) in order to hack. Hacking is no longer something you can do to other people or their cybernetics, smart weapons, etc., because hey…No TAP. Hackers may still do things like hack a security camera, a sentry gun, or any other electronic device.

Hyper Reality still exists, but it’s really just a slightly enhanced for of the Augmented Reality tech we see now, and in movies where you see all of these digital holograms all over the place.

Here’s the nutshell hacking system.

Roll your hacking skill plus any bonuses provided by a program against a TN of 4, and any modifiers imposed by the Intrusion Defense System of the computer or device you are trying to hack. Succeed, and you’re in. Fail and you may try again. Crit Fail, and you are locked out.  As an option, the Game Master can choose to require a dramatic task.  Furthermore, how long it actually takes it completely up to the GM.

Once you’re in, you can manipulate the system in some way (I’ve added some basic guidelines in this section). Make a Hacking roll (again, add any bonuses you get from programs). If you succeed, you accomplish the task. Again, how long it takes is completely up to the GM.

If you fail, the IDS makes a Notice roll to detect your activity. If it does, it sounds an alarm and can either try to boot you from the system or launch malware. Force booting a character is easily accomplished by an Opposed Hacking roll. Fail the test and you’re out. Launching malware is as simple as making a Hacking roll.

That’s pretty much it. I already have programs written, and it’s simple enough to turn the TAP into a computer; I just need to cut out stuff like sprites, ranges(maybe) and a few other elements. I need to change up the edges as well.

I’m really trying to keep things as simple as possible, truly I am. That said, I know I’m going to get a ton of hate for this, precisely because the end-product is not as complex as people want it to be.

I can’t please everyone.

If you’re still reading this, Thanks for your time.