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Netrunner (Like Magic, sort of but not really, w/ bluffing and cyberhacking)

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A

AstroLad

Hail to the KING baby
pic1311439.png


This thread is intended to be a discussion of and introduction to Android: Netrunner, currently the top-rated card game on BoardGameGeek.

What is it?
ADN01-cardfan-1.png


Netrunner is a two-player "Living Card Game." The card distribution is fixed (i.e., no packs with random cards) and "data packs" with specific cards come out monthly to supplement the existing pool.

One player plays as the Corp, trying to install ICE to protect its servers (hand (HQ), deck (R&D), discard pile (Archives), and new areas (Remote Servers) created to host cards) while installing Assets & Upgrades and advancing and scoring Agendas (first to 7 points of Agendas wins). The other is the Runner, making runs on all of the Corp's servers to access cards, often blindly, hoping that they access Agendas, which they can then immediately score. The Runner also at some point needs to install Programs to get past the Corp's defenses, and also Resources and Hardware to improve its economy and other abilities. The two sides draw from completely different card pools and have very different mechanics to how their turns work.

The game is full of bluffing and counters to counters, because nearly everything the Corp installs is facedown. Is that card I've advanced twice a Priority Requisition that you want to go in and steal or is it a Project Junebug that might kill you? (Besides losing on points, the Runner also loses if he has to discard a card and has an empty hand, and the Corp loses if he has to Draw and has no cards to draw.)

Check out the reviews below if you want even more of a taste of what Netrunner offers. A nice official video tutorial is available here.

How hyped and praised is it?
Now, here's the clever part. The advantage the corp has is secrecy. Netrunner was actually developed by Richard Garfield, the man behind Magic: The Gathering, in an attempt to create a game that was more skill-based and "like poker". At this (as at everything else), it's a huge success.
Most of the corp's turn is spent installing assets and agendas, or installing Ice and upgrades on top of these. The twist is that everything is played face down, and it's only the instant that these become relevant - the runner discovering that a server is being run by code maestro Akitaro Watanabe, say - that the corp pays to "rez" them, flipping them face up. Which means the corp is playing a shell game, trying to coax the hacker into calling in every favour to blitz through wall after wall of Ice to access a worthless advertising campaign.

But the hacker has a similarly joyous advantage. They're not just restricted to running on these little internet fiefdoms. The hacker can announce runs on the corporation's R&D, archives or HQ; in other words, the corp player's deck, their discard pile or even their hand. If Netrunner is summed up by a single moment, it's when you're playing the corp and draw a whole suite of agendas into your hand, knowing there's nowhere you can hide them.

Knitting both of these twists together is the rule that whenever the corp's hand overflows, cards are discarded to their archives face down, leading to hilarious game-winning moments where the hacker finds schematics for robot brains in the bin.
The end result is a game defined by an inescapable tension. Playing as either side, you'll always feel you're about to lose, because while you can make grim estimates of how far you are from victory, the other player could win at any point. Worse, even the most lovingly crafted deck will often feel like a second antagonist. Both sides need programs, yes, and events and resources, but you'll need money for all of that, and so sitting down to play Netrunner absolutely feels like you've taken a seat under a sword of Damocles that you've fastened there yourself.
Click to expand...

Eurogamer Review

I’m going to stop talking about it now. If you love games, and you admire great games design, Netrunner is a game that you need. We can all stop being cryptic and mysterious about it now. We can all stop feeling guilty. Pick it up and dig in. Learn it.

Netrunner is now. And it’s the best.
Click to expand...
Rock, Paper, Shotgun Review

How can I play online?
Ile8aPG.jpg]
Click to expand...

Resources
cardgamedb: Place to build and save decks.
jinteki.net: Unofficial place to play online.
netrunnercards: Easy search.
Player Resources: Finding Opponents, Events and Tournaments : BGG thread with tons of info.
BGG Threads for Beginners:
Practices to Help Beginner Corporations
Practices to Help Beginner Runners
Cards that you need to learn: There actually aren't that many!

ADN01-cardfan-2.png
 
M

mercviper

Member
Whoo! Subbed. When I get home I'll go through my NBN/Crim decklists and post them up here. They're kinda outdated since I stopped playing after What Lies Ahead came out, but I've got each expansion since so some major overhauls will be done.
 
B

bigkrev

Member
Does the LCG use the same rules the old CCG used? Are the cards backwards compatable (even if you need to use sleeves to hide different backs, for example?)
 
L

Lucario

Member
I own the base game, cost me $30. Know 0 people who play. :(

It sucks there isn't a nerdy get-together activity that's inexpensive and as widely appreciated as Magic cube. Those fucking things cost ~5-10k, and netrunner looks like it has some amazingly varied gameplay.

Would like to see this take off.
 
A

AstroLad

Hail to the KING baby
bigkrev said:
Does the LCG use the same rules the old CCG used? Are the cards backwards compatable (even if you need to use sleeves to hide different backs, for example?)
Click to expand...

The core mechanics are the same (i.e., awesome), but many changes have been made to the overall game. See this guide for the full detail.
 
B

bigkrev

Member
Lucario said:
I own the base game, cost me $30. Know 0 people who play. :(

It sucks there isn't a nerdy get-together activity that's inexpensive and as widely appreciated as Magic cube. Those fucking things cost ~5-10k, and netrunner looks like it has some amazingly varied gameplay.

Would like to see this take off.
Click to expand...

My LGS runs Star Wars LCG and Netrunner LCG. Of course, the only one i've ever tried was Game of Thrones, which also has close to 50 expansions at this point and is kind of hard to get into :(

The LCG model only makes sense to me if you get in early. If you even fall a year or 2 behind, not only does product availability become an issue, but the cost gets too high.
 
A

AstroLad

Hail to the KING baby
Lucario said:
I own the base game, cost me $30. Know 0 people who play. :(

It sucks there isn't a nerdy get-together activity that's inexpensive and as widely appreciated as Magic cube. Those fucking things cost ~5-10k, and netrunner looks like it has some amazingly varied gameplay.

Would like to see this take off.
Click to expand...

Check out Player Resources: Finding Opponents, Events and Tournaments from the OP. You might be able to find something. Me I mostly play OCTGN to stay sharp, then monthly tournaments which are a ton of fun (totally unpredictable what decks people run). Also got some people at work into it so it's a lot of Netrunner right now.
 
D

daevv

Member
I figured this thread was coming, alot of talk about it in the boardgame thread. ;)

The game looks good but 2 player is a drawback for our gaming group. Was/is there any multiplayer variants?

Edit: I've also noticed that the base game is getting harder and harder to find for the base price. It's either sold out online or the total comes to $65+.
 
A

AstroLad

Hail to the KING baby
bigkrev said:
My LGS runs Star Wars LCG and Netrunner LCG. Of course, the only one i've ever tried was Game of Thrones, which also has close to 50 expansions at this point and is kind of hard to get into :(

The LCG model only makes sense to me if you get in early. If you even fall a year or 2 behind, not only does product availability become an issue, but the cost gets too high.
Click to expand...
There is a definite ceiling on cost I think. For example, none of my decks run cards from every expansion. And if cost was an issue I could easily swap out cards from some expansions for cards that I already had. All this usually means is a slight shift and strategy and not a degradation of deck quality. If you are talking about putting together a tournament-winning deck, you'll definitely want several data packs yeah. But a tournament-competitive deck? Should run you <$75 at online prices. And a casual deck to play with friends well all you really need is the core set. (The core factions are all very well-balanced against each other per OCTGN stats.)
 
V

VGChampion

Member
Still only playing with the starter box all these months. I feel like I haven't even scratched the surface with this game. I do want to buy more cards soon but I have no need for deck building yet.
 
A

AstroLad

Hail to the KING baby
Wrestlemania said:
If I wanted to start playing this with a friend, would we need one of the starter packs or two?
Click to expand...

One core set includes enough for both sides. There are 4 Corp factions and 3 Runner factions, and all you need to do to swap between them is put in the respective Corp & Runner neutral cards.
 
O

Ohnonono

Member
Its Neuromancer the card game and its amazing. Currently running Andromeda and Tag&Bag Weyland (I have to because I have 3 alt art Scorched Earth that I will cry if I don't get to play!)

Next decks will likely be NBN and the new Anarch runner from next cycle.

I have OCTGN all set up by I only want to try it with someone that wont get mad at me for not knowing what I am doing with the program at first.


Edit: Thanks to AstroLad for giving a rad game its own thread.
 
shoplifter

shoplifter

Member
Played this waaaaaay back in the day, and have yet to open my LCG box. Need to convince the wife to play it with me. Someone at CCP needs to nut up and do this with Jyhad.
 
U

ucdawg12

Member
the starter set seems hard to find. can you start with the expansions like creation and control or do you need to start with a starter set?
 
O

Ohnonono

Member
ucdawg12 said:
the starter set seems hard to find. can you start with the expansions like creation and control or do you need to start with a starter set?
Click to expand...

Creation and Control does have 2 pre-constructed decklists for HB and Shaper included in the box. That said the core set has some of the best cards and you will want it(or 2) for sure.
 
D

Draxal

Member
Ohnonono said:
Creation and Control does have 2 pre-constructed decklists for HB and Shaper included in the box. That said the core set has some of the best cards and you will want it(or 2) for sure.
Click to expand...

Yeah; my only complaint with this rather outstanding opening post nd ffg lcgs in general. Is that you will need 3 core sets to have 3 of every card in the core; although two will suffice for the majority of people. Probably need to sneak that someplace in the OP.
 
A

AstroLad

Hail to the KING baby
Draxal said:
Yeah; my only complaint with this rather outstanding opening post nd ffg lcgs in general. Is that you will need 3 core sets to have 3 of every card in the core; although two will suffice for the majority of people. Probably need to sneak that someplace in the OP.
Click to expand...

There's a lot of discussion around the model, but hopefully the identification of the game as an "LCG" is enough to at least flag the topic. Honestly there are lots of other things I'd talk about in the OP first than the benefit of 2 vs. 3 core (marginal at best). ;)

I can sum it up here though:

For casual play: 1 core
For mid-level tournament play: 2 cores + 2-3 data packs
For high-level/winning tournament play: 2-3 cores + 5-7 data packs
 
J

joeyjoejoeshabadoo

Member
ucdawg12 said:
the starter set seems hard to find. can you start with the expansions like creation and control or do you need to start with a starter set?
Click to expand...
Technically, yes. You can build a Haas Biroid (Corp) and Shaper (Runner) decks. The only problem you may find is the lack of counters. However, you can use anything as a stand in.

If you don't mind slightly overpaying, there is the core set on Amazon for ~ $47 shipped.
 
A

AstroLad

Hail to the KING baby
joeyjoejoeshabadoo said:
Technically, yes. You can build a Haas Biroid (Corp) and Shaper (Runner) decks. The only problem you may find is the lack of counters. However, you can use anything as a stand in.

If you don't mind slightly overpaying, there is the core set on Amazon for ~ $47 shipped.
Click to expand...

Also if you can wait a bit, Coolstuffinc and Mini Market ($26) will get it back in stock in the next few weeks I'm sure:
http://www.coolstuffinc.com/p/165000
http://www.miniaturemarket.com/ffgadn01.html
 
A

AstroLad

Hail to the KING baby
Ohnonono said:
Its Neuromancer the card game and its amazing. Currently running Andromeda and Tag&Bag Weyland (I have to because I have 3 alt art Scorched Earth that I will cry if I don't get to play!)

Next decks will likely be NBN and the new Anarch runner from next cycle.

I have OCTGN all set up by I only want to try it with someone that wont get mad at me for not knowing what I am doing with the program at first.


Edit: Thanks to AstroLad for giving a rad game its own thread.
Click to expand...

Just title your game "new to OCTGN" or something and you'll be sure to get someone friendly, usually pretty quickly.
 
D

Draxal

Member
AstroLad said:
There's a lot of discussion around the model, but hopefully the identification of the game as an "LCG" is enough to at least flag the topic. Honestly there are lots of other things I'd talk about in the OP first than the benefit of 2 vs. 3 core (marginal at best). ;)

I can sum it up here though:

For casual play: 1 core
For mid-level tournament play: 2 cores + 2-3 data packs
For high-level/winning tournament play: 2-3 cores + 5-7 data packs
Click to expand...

Oh no doubt the difference between 2/3 cores is minimal, but the difference between 2 and 1 isn't.

And I'm not sure many of us knows what a lcg or how random the distribution can be with the core monthly and deluxe sets.
 
A

AstroLad

Hail to the KING baby
Draxal said:
Oh no doubt the difference between 2/3 cores is minimal, but the difference between 2 and 1 isn't.

And I'm not sure many of us knows what a lcg or how random the distribution can be with the core monthly and deluxe sets.
Click to expand...

That's why I said it in the OP! "Netrunner is a two-player "Living Card Game." The card distribution is fixed (i.e., no packs with random cards) and "data packs" with specific cards come out monthly to supplement the existing pool."

But if someone is looking to build a tournament-ready deck I am happy to help out with that. I do think 2 core is needed, and from there the data packs really depend on the strategy chosen.
 
J

joeyjoejoeshabadoo

Member
Draxal said:
And I'm not sure many of us knows what a lcg or how random the distribution can be with the core monthly and deluxe sets.
Click to expand...
LCG takes the CCG idea (regular boosters and expansions) but takes away all the guess work. When you buy a booster (called Data Packs) you know exactly what cards are in the set and how many. The big expansions, which so far for Netrunner is just Creation and Control, they focus on certain factions. For instance, Creation and Control has some neutral cards but the main focus was on Haas Biroid and Shapers.
 
D

Draxal

Member
AstroLad said:
That's why I said it in the OP! "Netrunner is a two-player "Living Card Game." The card distribution is fixed (i.e., no packs with random cards) and "data packs" with specific cards come out monthly to supplement the existing pool."

But if someone is looking to build a tournament-ready deck I am happy to help out with that. I do think 2 core is needed, and from there the data packs really depend on the strategy chosen.
Click to expand...

I was posting on the cellphone earlier and I definitely didn't come off the way as I intended too; and I apologize for leading this thread astray.

I play one of FFG's other LCGS (Star Wars). And in order to have a touney play set, you would need one of each force pack, 2 of the base set, 2 of the first deluxe expansion and 1 of the second deluxe expansion. What I intended to say was that FFG doesn't make it easy for consumer to let them know how much of each sets do you have to buy (that being the random distribution I meant in the earlier post); and is kinda confusing if you don't research it (which I'm assuming most of the people here don't know).

Anyway, bringing this back on track, do each data pack and deluxe pack have full playsets or would you need to buy multiple versions of them?
 
JetBlackPanda

JetBlackPanda

Member
I have played maybe 3-4 games of Netrunner and I really really like it! Its just hard to find time to play with just 2 people.

most of the time if the games come out there are 4-5 people over.
 
P

Pau

Member
Sweet! I just started playing this a couple of weeks ago with my boyfriend. I managed to find a nice group in NYC who meets up twice a week to play.

I'm still super new to the game though and I'm not quite sure what I'm doing. I'm currently trying to build a Weyland deck using one core set and the What Lies Ahead expansion. Any tips?
 
A

AstroLad

Hail to the KING baby
Draxal said:
Anyway, bringing this back on track, do each data pack and deluxe pack have full playsets or would you need to buy multiple versions of them?
Click to expand...

Oh no, no offense taken. It's actually quite a good issue for people looking to get "tournament ready." Every data pack has 3x every card, so you only ever need to buy one.

I'm still super new to the game though and I'm not quite sure what I'm doing. I'm currently trying to build a Weyland deck using one core set and the What Lies Ahead expansion. Any tips?
Click to expand...
There are some really great posts on BGG to get people into the game:
Practices to Help Beginner Corporations
Practices to Help Beginner Runners
Cards that you need to learn: There actually aren't that many!
 
A

AstroLad

Hail to the KING baby
Karkador said:
I have yet to win a game of Netrunner :<
Click to expand...

Run a generic Andromeda or Gabe deck and you will win your fair share. So easy to pilot, which is why I've run Criminal from Day One. See "Criminal Resource Denial" here. Though fwiw I've now switched to a lategame Andromeda deck (posted in OP). It centers entirely around R&D interface and the ability to make very efficient, though infrequent, runs.
 
T

TerminalDogma

Member
Yeah as others have said, I've been wanting to try/buy this game since it came out, but whenever I'm playing board/card games with people its usually at least 3-5 people. Never just two.
 
P

Pau

Member
K

Karkador

Banned
AstroLad said:
Run a generic Andromeda or Gabe deck and you will win your fair share. So easy to pilot, which is why I've run Criminal from Day One. See "Criminal Resource Denial" here. Though fwiw I've now switched to a lategame Andromeda deck (posted in OP). It centers entirely around R&D interface and the ability to make very efficient, though infrequent, runs.
Click to expand...

I tried making my own Jinteki deck and it didn't do so well (all my money-making cards got taken out). I tried a preconstructed deck from the Creation&Control expansion, and I felt like i was doing better and putting some pressure on the Corp player, but still probably made a lot of dumb mistakes. With that said, out of the games I've played (which haven't been many), I've mostly played Corp.
 
P

Prophet Steve

Member
Pau said:
Thank you! It is a bit depressing to see that people think there's a certain play style or deck that significantly outclasses the others and that the game is broken. When you play in tournaments, do you find this is the case?

And does OCTGN work on Mac?
Click to expand...

I think the thing is that with every new deck old cards will become useful or less useful. I think there is also a bit more focus on having every party balanced rather than every card.
 
A

AstroLad

Hail to the KING baby
Pau said:
Thank you! It is a bit depressing to see that people think there's a certain play style or deck that significantly outclasses the others and that the game is broken. When you play in tournaments, do you find this is the case?

And does OCTGN work on Mac?
Click to expand...

Nah not really. Everyone says Andromeda/Gabe is super-strong, and Weyland (and sometimes HB, though less so recently) dominate Corp. And then turns out the winning decks from GenCon (huge tourney) are Shaper & Jinteki. So the game is quite well balanced.
 
S

squidyj

Member
Melange mining corp..... card dialogue "the he3 must flow"

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
 
K

Karkador

Banned
I was reading an article about how the mechanics of this game differ from Magic in that Netrunner is more of a dynamic game and the important decision-making is more in the actual game than in the deck-building, as where Magic is almost entirely about building winning decks and that's where all the decision-making is.

I've never seriously played Magic, though, so I don't know if that's accurate.
 
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