// Game Talk :: Commlinks, Programs, Response, and Signal //

Dave here. After going over the rulebook some more I made some cool discoveries. For the first few game sessions I was totally confused about the Response stat, and why it seemed to be connected between a character's commlink and whatever drone or vehicle he was attempting to remotely command.

Commlinks and the stats that go with Commlinks are almost like secondary characters.  The strength and effectiveness of your remotely commanded drones, vehicles, matrix constructs, and avatars are all determined by the stats within your Commlink.  The Computer and Pilot skill can be used to increase available dice pools during matrix actions, that includes hacking, rigging, and any actions taken in the Matrix.  There are cybercombat and cyberdefense skills specifically for combat use within the matrix (remember how Neo learned how to perform impossible feats in the Matrix?).

Programs are specific tools that add to die pools during Matrix actions. Think of programs like equip-able weapons or armor that you switch out to perform specific tasks.  Each program has a specific rating, that this rating is added to die pools for that specific action within the Matrix. Here are the available programs:

Response is basically a measure of how fast your commlink can send signals to wireless nodes. Response is like Reaction or Agility, it represents the ability to do something very fast.  Drones and Vehicles that are being remotely commanded use the Response attribute of the commander's commlink.  If Tron is using a Response 7 commlink to command his spy drones, the drones will use the Response rating for any Reaction or Agility-based tests.

Signal is a measure of the ability to send and receive signals.  These signals can be wireless transmissions from nodes or remote commands from Commlink users with the proper permission.  The higher a Signal rating, the easier it is for the device or drone to access information.  Signal should be used for a remotely commanded drone or vehicle in place of any Intuition or Logic test.

I hope these ideas made sense, post any comments or questions below!!