 Card back to theNetRunner CCG | |
| Designers | Richard Garfield |
|---|---|
| Publishers | Wizards of the Coast |
| Years active | April 1996 to 1999 |
| Players | 2 |
| Setup time | 15 minutes |
| Playing time | ≈45 minutes |
| Chance | Some |
| Age range | 9+ |
| Skills | Card playing Arithmetic Asymmetrical gameplay Bluffing Deduction |
Netrunner is an out-of-printcollectible card game (CCG) designed byRichard Garfield, the creator ofMagic: The Gathering. It was published byWizards of the Coast and introduced in April 1996.[1] It was produced until 1999.[2] The game took place in the setting for theCyberpunk 2020role-playing game (RPG), but it also drew from the broadercyberpunk genre.
In 2012,Fantasy Flight Games releasedAndroid: Netrunner, a new card game based onNetrunner, under license from Wizards of the Coast. Since 2019, the game has been run by the nonprofit games publisher Null Signal Games.
Netrunner depictscyberspace combat between a globalmega-corporation (the Corp) and a hacker (the Runner). The Corp aims to complete its secret agendas before the Runner can hack in and steal data. It isn't easy, though, as the Corp has strong defensivedata forts protected by malevolent computer programs known asICE (short forIntrusion Countermeasures Electronics). Runners must use special programs of their own, calledicebreakers, to break through and steal the hidden plans. All this is paid for in the game bybits (representing currency), which are earned and spent during the course of play.[3]
An interesting feature ofNetrunner is itsasymmetry: each side has different abilities and uses completely different cards distinguished by alternate card backs. This contrasts with most otherCCGs, which usually depict a "battle between peers" where each opponent draws upon the same card pool. While a player does not have to play both sides except in tournament play, many players believe that a firm understanding of both leads to better overall player ability.
TheCyberpunk 2020 supplementRache Bartmoss' Brainware Blowout featured rules on usingNetrunner cards instead of the RPG's existing system to simulate netrunning during game sessions. It also gave conversions to the RPG of some of the cards in the base set (the rest having been mentioned in one book or another).
Many fan-made expansions have been created forNetrunner and released online. Some of them have been sanctioned for tournament play.[7]
Netrunner launched with a proto-alternate reality game calledWebrunner: The Hidden Agenda, which cast players as hackers against the evil Futukora corporation. Players broke through seven puzzle-themed "gates" to get the secret data ("agenda"). The popular game was the first online game tied into a product release, making the front page ofThe New York Times technology section.[8]
A sequel,Webrunner II: The Forbidden Code, followed on release of theProteus expansion. In this, players were cast as security chiefs beset by hackers.
Netrunner was playable online through CCG Workshop in the past, but it was shut down by Wizards of the Coast. It is now possible to playNetrunner online using Magic Workstation on Runners' Net, a site which also holds IRC chats and forums to discuss the game. Players may also use other CCG engines such as LackeyCCG or Gccg, which allows players to build and shareplugins for different card games and play the games online. This game can now be played on the OCTGN online game system.
Zvi Mowshowitz, a well-knownMagic: The GatheringPro Tour player, attempted to purchase the license forNetrunner fromWizards of the Coast after the company stopped producing the game. Negotiations, however, fell apart without any revival of the game or transfer of ownership.
In 2012,Fantasy Flight Games announced that they were releasing a modified version ofNetrunner, under license from Wizards of the Coast, calledAndroid: Netrunner.
In 2018, Fantasy Flight Games announced that their partnership with Wizards of the Coast to license development of the game was concluding. Starting October 22, 2018, Fantasy Flight no longer sellsNetrunner products.[9]
Since 2019, Null Signal Games has continued to release new expansion sets forNetrunner, compatible with previousAndroid: Netrunner products, and run in-person and online organised tournaments.[10]
In August and September 2021, Wizards of the Coast renewed trademarks for both physical and digitalNetrunner goods and content.[11][12] However, as of February 23, 2022, Wizards of the Coast filed a Notice of Abandonment for the trademark application.[13]
Andy Butcher reviewedNetrunner forArcane magazine in 1996, rating it a 9 out of 10 overall.[14] Butcher comments that "Netrunner is almost without fault. It's certainly the best new card game in the last year, and arguably the best sinceMagic started it all. Richard Garfield has done it again."[14]
Netrunner was lauded by critics, such asInQuest magazine, for its balanced gameplay and impressive artwork.[15] In 1999Pyramid magazine namedNetrunner as one of "The Millennium's Most Underrated Games". According to editorScott Haring, "among the connoisseurs of the card game design art,Netrunner is considered to be one of the best-designed games ever."[16]