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Free Born humans have a casual familiarity with Real World tech and geography that Free Minds simply cannot match, even with all the training programs available. (Practice is still necessary to maintain expert levels of performance in any skill.) Though they cannot enter the Matrix, Free Borns are indispensable crewmembers on each and every Resistance hovercraft. They usually serve as pilots, engineers, and operators.

The Operator is the person in the Real World who connects Free Minds to the Matrix, loads up their gear in the Construct, and sets up their exit points. The Operator also monitors all aspects of the mission and coordinates communication between separated units. They are called "operators" because of the way they answer phone calls from the Matrix: as if they were an actual phone operator. That way, any coppertop who accidentally dials the hacker's number won't notice anything unusual.

The Operator role is makes for perfect GM characters. They can stay silent most of the time, yet are always available to answer questions and provide assistance to characters inside the Matrix. This isn't to say that a player can't be the Operator, just that it might be a less exciting job than actually getting to run around the Matrix.

Free Born characters should be created using the standard rules for your game system. However, they should always have high statistics in things like "area knowledge," "hovercraft piloting," and "Real World Tech," at least as high as any of the Free Mind characters. After all, they grew up out here!

Other ways to prevent the Free Minds from overshadowing the Free Born include giving the Free Born command of the ship, access to special knowledge (via contacts in Zion), or having the Free Minds newly rescued from the Matrix. Also remember that Free Minds should be in relatively poor physical condition relative to the Free Born, since their bodies went unused for most of their lives. Their physical stats should be correspondingly higher.