Chromatic Shadows: Universal Identification

 

One last development post for 2025! I've been circling around the concept of  "universal identification" with respects to Chromatic Shadows for a while now.  As I was editing the 'Downtime Phases' chapter earlier this week, it finally clicked that UID was a critical piece of worldbuilding tech that could really drive home the dystopian "near future" themes, and crank up the tension and paranoia. I sat down and wrote the rules in one go. So much of CS lore is about how the Sprawl government keeps tabs on the citizenry, regulates the social caste system and reinforces its zone based economic apartheid. All critical themes, that could be significantly underlined. This is what I've got so far: Digital Universal Identification-- a unique digital signature used for regulating character movement and social mobility within the Sprawl. The higher (more authenticated) the tier, the greater a character's social status and access to elite spaces. Movement and avoiding detection becomes more deliberate and fraught, and new situations and story possibilities open up.

Description

In the Sprawl, a citizen’s economic legitimacy and freedom of movement is regulated by a secure government issued digital “passport” known as Universal Identification (UID). UIDs are issued at birth, and embeds redundant biometric data into a government database which is typically keyed to a user’s iPilot or an official UID scan card. A standard UID provides a unique numerical key code and captures a user’s retina, fingerprint and facial recognition signature. All of this is built upon a database logging a user’s credit rating, their legal status, any outstanding warrants or official debts, as well as their “Sprawl Zone” Clearance--official access (or restrictions) to various major zones and neighborhoods. A character’s starting origin grants a starting UID tier. This starting UID tier can be bought up or increased during play, or reduced as a consequence of a character losing a lifestyle tier. A character might not want to use their "official" UID over the course of a mission, where their movement can be officially tracked and traced back. Many operators use "black market" UIDs and false identities to avoid legal entanglements.

Travelling Between Zones

Security checkpoints gate access to various Sprawl zones. UIDs are routinely scanned at theses checkpoints, and people without the proper clearance are turned away, and sometimes detained for questioning by SprawlSec officers. This can limit an operator’s freedom of movement, but there are workarounds including sneaking through, alternate access points, black market UIDs and old fashioned bribes. A proxy will often outfit an operator team with fake UIDs to allow them access to the various zones within the scope of their mission.

SYSTEM

Universal Identifcations are rated 1-3. 

• RATING 1: Lowest tier, least secure. Access to Barrens and Slags only. Standard issue from the government. Provides access to low-end healthcare clinics and basic government services. Easily counterfeited or appropriated from the undeclared dead.  [Cost: official issue 100 c., black market 500 c.]
• RATING 2: Standard tier, moderately secure. Access to Metroplex, Barrens, Fortress Estates, and Slags. [Note: Standard UIDs restrict access to Arcologies, but normal Arcology residents would have an “arcology only” Rating 2 UID.] Access to government services, hospitals, banking and lending services. Moderately secure and difficult but not impossible to counterfeit. [Cost: official issue 1000 c., black market 5000 c.]
• RATING 3: Highest Tier: Access to CorpSec and certain restricted government/ corporate zones and elite neighborhoods. Very secure and not easily counterfeited, although appropriating the UID of a dead person is still possible. A character with a Rating 3 UID gains a +1 bonus to social tests when interacting with SprawlSec officers and law enforcement. [Cost: official issue 5,000 c., black market 25,000 c.]