How does one control a servo skull?

[AtlasDrake 0]

I am making an explorator and it gives me a free servo skull. I was wondering if there are any rules about controlling them. Anybody know? Thanks

[Errant 185]

Nothing concrete. Reading between the lines, you make a Command (or Tech-Use if you've got Binary Chatter) Test to issue it a command. In theory the servo-skull is also supposed to make what I vaguely remember as an Intelligence test with your degrees of success as a modifier to follow the instructions. 

[Erathia 648]

Binary Chatter is meant to be a highly compressed form of speech, so you could give it fairly detailed instructions correctly. They have just enough of a human brain left in their to understand natural speech, so in general they understand simple commands, and will exactly follow complex instructions even if it's detrimental.

 

I've ruled for my Explorator that if his instructions requires more than one IF/ELSE statement, or are longer than a non-run-on sentence, then the skull will not understand.

[Magellan 185]

There are no written rules about it, no.

[Nameless2all 210]

Actually I do believe there is something in the RT book about MIU/MUI implants being able to control Servo Skulls.  It's back in the Bionic/Equipment section of the book.  Don't have my book in front of me, so can't tell you what it specifically says or an exact page reference.

[Kasatka 157]

MIU control of servo skull would limit however, as it would need to be attached to your MIU port by a long trailing cable. I've simply said in my games that if you have a data slate you can remote control a servo skull, but you aren't literally flying an RC helecopter - you issue basic commands like "go there" "scan that" "record video of that doorway for 2 hours" kind of commands.

[venkelos 568]

Well, a Servo-skull is technically a Servitor, so any way your Explorator would command any Servitor should work. I would think that they have some sort of transmitter installed within their Mechanicus Implants, and they can do as above, or said tech-Priest can order a Servo-skull to take verbal orders/slate commands from another individual, say an Inquisitor. If verbal, KISS, as they are none too bright, and if instructing via remote, you can get more creative. Beyond that, yeah they weren't too descriptive, here or in DW. Even the relic one in Rites says "refer to DW p.376", which isn't very rules-heavy, minus the stat block for a SSkull. Oh well. I'd say keep it simple as your GM permits you.

[Errant 185]

151, Core. "An MIU gives the user the ability to experience the senses of any familiars he controls as if he were present." You hook in, you see what the skull sees or saw. Given that wireless technologies are lacking at best and MIU-links are all described as being cabled, this is typically why you'll see techpriests and the like with servo-skulls attached to mechadendrites; they act as ghetto optical 'dendrites or sensory supplements that they haven't taken the time to internalise with augmetics yet. 

 

The Inquisitor's Handbook is your best bet; it describes the most common different servo-skulls and how their programming functions. Basically it's just "Follow me and light your lantern if I go somewhere dark", "Follow me and announce my name and my deeds every fifty feet we travel" or the tech-priest controls the servo-skull directly and uses it as a second pair of hands or for better access to something his bulky frame can't reach.