Alternate Uses for the Holonet

[CRMcNeill]

A while back, I started a topic on evolved GPS application in the SWU. One of the ideas I posited was ships with passive receivers using the Holonet satellite network for detailed navigation information. I know the story on the Holonet was that it was restricted to military and governmental use, but there is occasional mention of other uses, like a Holo-comm set up in the hold of the Falcon. While I agree that the full-holo communications seen in the films would be restricted in the Rebellion era, is it possible that there could be other, less data-intensive uses, like sending one-way text or voice-only messages? Or that there are other potential uses for the Holonet by PCs?

Thoughts?
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

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[Fallon Kell]

I would assume electronic financial transactions go through the Holonet.
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[Nico_Davout]

In my games holonet is like internet today + 3D capabilities for communication + satellite navigation. The only difference is that internet is for one planet and holonet is for the entire galaxy (limited to the network and era of course). So there is no limit what you can do it with it.

I recommend you a communications chapter in SW D20 Hero's Guide. There are a few pages about sending messages, planetary and galactic networks, how comlinks works, holonet etc.

For sending messages you can also use subspace transmissions.

"Subspace transceivers can send audio, video, and nonholographic data throughout the galaxy by bouncing their signals off of the various satellites placed both in deep space as well as in inhabited systems. This means that communications are relatively fast at short ranges, but begin to get slower and slower as the distance grows, taking hours or days to travel from remote regions of the galaxy to the Core, and even longer to span the galaxy."
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Han Solo shot first, midichlosomething do not exist, Rebel Alliance was created as in the WEG books and indoctrination theory is the true ending of ME3.

[CRMcNeill]

[CRMcNeill]

[vanir]

Most military tactics in this sphere revolves around disrupting enemy communications networks, but you'd have to be using the HoloNet as part of your organisation of Imperial forces as a GM in the first place for its benefits to be removed by player actions.

I suppose as an incidental incorporation into the campaign you could have players use the HoloNet for disinformation and Intelligence gathering. They'd want to be real good slicers, the HoloNet is real time galaxy wide communications (but only for transceivers within range of the beacons, the network is among the beacons), COMPNOR technical personnel at Coruscant itself would monitor the system for security breaches, discovering them within minutes, real time, and send military response when a beacon is compromised, repair teams where an important beacon has simply failed. Maybe a really good slicer could cause a security breach that looked like a beacon simply failed, but either way the players aren't going to control any beacon or unsigned HoloNet access for very long.

Still I guess it is somewhat of an adventure hook, rebel characters could get a mission to attempt HoloNet access for Intelligence gathering, say discovering information on secret Imperial projects an agent has gained rumours about. They would have to access the HoloNet at either an Imperial class starport computer/information portal, which is monitored and you'd need cover identities such as IPKCs and fake backgrounds, so you won't alert security...and you'd have limited HoloNet access. Imperial military information is probably kept within a closed system among the HoloNet so you may need to actually break into a COMPNOR office at the starport and use their terminals to access the data.
But...if you took a scoutship or some kitted out freighter with specialised slicer equipment out into the main trade route, and accessed a HoloNet beacon directly, hardwiring your own terminal into the beacon transmitter, you might have an easier time as far as being identified access goes...but the security breach will probably be logged at Coruscant in realtime and a response dispatched which could be there in hours or if unlucky, if an Imperial patrol isn't far, minutes...

[Nico_Davout]

[Fallon Kell]

[Ray]

And, of course, the Holonet is for Porn.

[CRMcNeill]

[jmanski]

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[CRMcNeill]