Netrunner

A Runner with bits is a dangerous thing...

• Netrunner
• by Wizards of the Coast
• Starter Packs (two 60-card decks) $17.95
• Booster Packs $2.95
• Available April 1996

etrunner is the latest collectible card game from Wizards of the Coast. Based on R. Talsorian's Cyberpunk 2020, Netrunner pits two players against one another in a futuristic battle waged across cyberspace. The goal is to acquire data, represented by "agenda" cards. On one side, the Corporation tries to develop agenda cards and protect them with ICE. On the other side, the Runner tries to break through the ICE and liberate (yes, they mean steal) agenda. The first player to score seven agenda points wins.

Players gets four actions per turn to spend however they want -- with the caveat that the Corporation must use one action to draw a card. Actions are typically used to draw, play and "install" (place) cards, draw "bits" or, in the Runner's case, begin a run. Most actions cost bits to perform, such as rezzing ICE or installing hardware. Bits are the primary energy source of the game, and generating them is a key tactic for both sides. (See more about turns.)

The Corporation is primarily concerned with spending its bits to build and protect data forts. Data forts are key components of the Corporation that are protected -- and attacked -- individually. They include the Corporation's drawing deck, hand and discard pile, as well as areas to develop agenda and node cards. The Runner attacks the various data forts, trying to break through the guarding ICE in the hopes of scoring coveted agenda points.

Netrunner is a jargon-packed game clearly designed to appeal to the general computer crowd. Like many things relating to computers and the Net, it manages to be both easy to learn and appealingly esoteric at the same time -- after one game, players will know the meaning of, "I spend four bits to rez my ICE...it looks like I can trace your link and use my tag to trash some hardware!"

The game itself is rich with maneuvering and strategy, and having two diametrically opposed sides lends Netrunner an added dimension many collectible card games lack. The Corporation typically plays a lower-key defensive game, while the Runner often succeeds by flamboyant tactics and daring risks. It's equally fun to explore both strategies, and being able to switch between them is a welcome change of pace.

Netrunner is also enhanced by excellent card quality and outstanding artwork. Some of the art was created in beta versions of new rendering programs -- probably impossible to discern from the cards, but a fitting touch. Although it's too soon to determine how much staying power Netrunner will have among gamers, this is clearly one of the best games to hit the collectible card scene since Wizards' original Magic: The Gathering created the industry.

After my first game, I wanted more. Great art, lots of options and just plain fun to play. But the question will always be, "Is it another Magic?" And the answer will always be, "No." -- Craig E.

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