Netrunner


'Netrunner' is a(nother) collectible trading card game by Richard Garfield (released in 1996). Unfortunately, it was discontinued not long thereafter. Although Wizards of the Coast's official website for the game doesn't exist anymore, there are still a couple of useful online resources, like Netrunner Central and Runners' Net.

The main charm of this game (in addition to being inspired on cyberpunk) is its unusual asymmetric nature. One player represents a corporation, trying to score hidden agendas that are protected by activation cost based ice in front of them. The other player represents a runner, using installation cost based ice breaking equipment to steal the corporation's agendas (possibly getting tagged/flatlined in the process).

Although there never was broad interest in this game, I managed to find some local tournaments (and even won a couple of them).

I still possess the entire Netrunner cards collection, which has very particular artwork. I will probably never get rid of this collection, because I loved the game so much.

Suddenly (in 2012), the Android: Netrunner game was released. After having purchased its initial package and having studied its game mechanics, conclusion is this new game was heavily inspired by the original one. Therefore, I might give it a try, just for fun ...