Thoughts on things I want to see in a RPG, part II.
My first post was mostly about how the character affects the world and how it has sustaining repercussions. This one is more about the character him/herself. While the character creation should be robust, it should be equally robust for modifying the character during the game itself. Especially with the presence of cybernetics, bodymods, plastic surgeons, holographic interfaces, VR overlays, etc. It made me realize that the character could (and SHOULD if they are your mercenary for hire type) have different personas within the game itself. Something like disguises, but on a number of levels.
1) Let's start with base appearance. In the character creation screen at the start of the game, scars and eyecolor and all, whatever the player makes is the character's game world identity for photographs when they begin. This is the face on the Visitor pass plastic cards, their ID, all their above-the-board identification. But this appearance CAN change over the course of the game. Let's consider cybernetics for a moment: some high-end cybernetic eyes may be impossible to tell from the real thing; however, others may not. This changes the base appearance value and how recognizable a person is as the person on their ID until it is updated. The more mods before an update, the harder it is for people to recognize you on sight. This can be both good and bad. If you are Wanted, it can make it harder for authorities to identify you if they are using an outdated identification photo or bit of old video feed. There should be hidden values for facial/body recognition that change the more the player changes their look/body in game.
2) Subdermal identification chips are inevitable in such a technologically based society, though those too can be changed, spoofed, or their broadcast altered with some work. This is easier to manage, though there are consequences for removing the chip entirely or being found with an altered identification. Mostly for 'dumb' computer identification methods but they are EVERYWHERE. Subway token booths, checkpoint doorways in higher security buildings, airports, etc. Not a big deal, but one to keep in mind unless it's how AR tracks you. Then it's on every single corner everywhere. Which leads me to...
3) Augmented reality identity is like a sideways tangent into an online persona, but not the same as a decker's avatar within the system. Augmented reality is also inevitable in these technological times. Think of them as the computer laying over images into reality constantly through a cybereye or cranial input or something as crude as AR glasses. 'Altered Carbon' does a good job of showing what augmented reality looks like, but doesn't also show that it's likely users would put overlays on themselves. The way the AR interfaces with the player also likely through the subdermal identification chips, but there may be other reasons.
4) Professional identity/Codename. On top of the above, there's how whatever business you interface with identifies you. Some may use your real name/face, others may assign a codename/ID to increase plausible deniability. There can easily be more than one professional alias and reputation (if the player can manage it correctly) to be in good standing with multiple rival organizations at once... until they find out, anyway.
There are others I'm missing but the point is the player shouldn't have just ONE identity but many, layered on top of one of another. That identity changes over time in the game, making it harder to link one to another (or easier if you allow Facebook to link your profiles), and the player would have to keep in mind what identity is going where. Depending on the type of game they are playing, especially with how important information exchange is in this kind of world, it can get very complex very fast. Perhaps this is just more complications for not a lot of enjoyment, but seems odd if police can identify 'Joe Brown' at all times, even if he goes to a bodymod shop and replaces his arms, half of his face, adds six inches in height with elongated cyberlegs, and 40 pounds of synthmuscle under his skin. Just like the player's actions on the world have lasting repercussions and change the world, the players actions to himself change how the world regard him in kind.