[d20 Modern] Need some fancy terminology for computer hardware

[JPL]

I like verisimilitude in my games, especially modern-era games. Little details that add flavor. The d20 Modern Weapons Locker covers the firearms end of things, but one area where I fall apart is computer hardware — don’t know anything about it at all.

A one-shot I’m working on has an “action hacker” type character — the guy with the keyboard who gets important info to the guys with the guns. I’d like to be able to write something more than “masterwork laptop computer” on the character sheet.

So someone who knows this stuff, tell me...assuming a formidable budget...what does Action Hacker use? Just give me some good techspeak, so players who know this stuff will be impressed.

Two setups:

1. The command center. A la Marshall on “Alias” or Oracle from “Birds of Prey”...something for the home office, for your general hacking / mission control /communications hub activities.

2. The portable. A la Mainframe from G.I. Joe, for missions where Action Hacker needs to be on the move. The most he can fit into one big carrying case.

Thanks.

 

[Psilocybes]

Only things that come to mind for portable:

Consol
Deck
Cyberdeck

Or you could give it a name:
Digica IceBreaker 9000
AmeriTek FaerieDeck X4

 

[tjoneslo]

Most good teckspeak computers rely upon the description of technical abilities to be cool: 54.75 Ghz 128 bit 32-way processor with 64 gigs synapic response memory. Action Hacker (if truly leet) builds his own systems.

The base computer should have a code name. Oracle is a (well|over) used name. The other idea is to come up with a cool acronym and use that.

 

[Galethorn]

Ow! My sensibilities!

As somebody who knows a fair bit about computers, I recomend going with terms like "Bluetooth uplink," "quad-channel 64-bit processsing," and "isobytes," along with throwing out terms like "workstation" for powerful systems, and "access point" for stuff involving networks.

 

[JPL]

Ow! My sensibilities!

As somebody who knows a fair bit about computers, I recomend going with terms like "Bluetooth uplink," "quad-channel 64-bit processsing," and "isobytes," along with throwing out terms like "workstation" for powerful systems, and "access point" for stuff involving networks.

That's what I'm looking for --- real-world stuff.

And I do like the idea that he's assembled his own system, but I'd still like to know the constituent parts.

Now this 54.75 Ghz 128 bit 32-way processor with 64 gigs synapic response memory...I take it that's good?

 

[zenld]

i dont even try to compete in this area. i have a guy in my group who works on this crap for real. so i can never keep up with his knowledge of computer bits and pieces.

but go for it. let me know if it works.

and i love the acronym generator. cracks me up!

zen

 

[thedangerranger]

Now this 54.75 Ghz 128 bit 32-way processor with 64 gigs synapic response memory...I take it that's good?

Very good. Unfortunately completely fictional if you are looking to ground your CPU in current reality. If you're looking to quantify the power of your C&C center try rating it in the low hundreds of teraflops. That's how current supercomputers are rated. Take a look at http://www.top500.org/lists/2004/11/

If you were looking for something more grounded in the current state of computing for your laptop you might go with:
"A heatpiped, dual 64bit cpu, with 3 gigs of RAM, all in a laptop. It's got an all solid state hard drive system with seek/read times in the nanoseconds. Hardware accelerated decryption engines and a redundant path satellite uplink with conventional wireless failover."

That still a little unrealistic, but in theory possible. Truthfully though, hackers are more interested in connectivity than in teraflops that their processor can push out. Concentrate on the connectivity for the portable.

 

[Asmor]

First of all, I would reccomend for the most 1337 points, don't give him anything special, physically.

Give him a plain old laptop that he bought from Circuit City, with wireless internet.

From there, have him SSH through a few shell accounts to connect to his real computer, a super computer owned by a large corporation which he infiltrated a long time ago and 'borrows' when neccessary, then bounce through a few more shell accounts in various 3rd world countries and do watcha gotta do.

When he's actually gonna do something fun, stick him in a car (have someone else driving) and have him drive around affluent neighborhoods, coffee shops, etc that have unsecured wireless internet connections.

Maybe it's just me, but I think that's a much cooler concept, and probably a lot more realistic. Not as flashy, but then again flashiness is the last thing you want when you're a hacker. It'd be the equivelent of a rogue walking around with everything he stole in a sack.

 

[Thanee]

Actually, while hardware is, of course, nice, hacking is much more software-oriented.

Bye
Thanee

 

[maddman75]

First of all, I would reccomend for the most 1337 points, don't give him anything special, physically.

Give him a plain old laptop that he bought from Circuit City, with wireless internet.

From there, have him SSH through a few shell accounts to connect to his real computer, a super computer owned by a large corporation which he infiltrated a long time ago and 'borrows' when neccessary, then bounce through a few more shell accounts in various 3rd world countries and do watcha gotta do.

W3rd. Have the supercomputer be a Beowulf Cluster - basically take a bunch of off the shelf PCs, install linux and some special software on them, and you have a supercomputer. And of course he'll run linux for his hacking, with VMWare running on Windows so he can get his fix of Half-Life 2, EQ, and WoW.