I agree with you that it would behoove them to release at GC. I also know that FFG makes announcements and then goes silent for months (ie Star Wars). When we see card spotlights, intro videos, and a rulebook…that's when I'll start getting excited.

 At GenCon in 2008, FFG had several board games for sale literally right after they had been solicited. Arkham Horror: The Black Goat of the Woods and Descent: Caves of ice expansions were both available for purchase. I know that in other years there have been other special "rush" printings. 

I think expansions are different than a new game, though.  Also, even if you see a bit of it at GenCon, that's no guarantee of general availability any time soon.  They were showing off Dust Warfare last year, and it just made it to the shelves a month or so ago.

I know that I will not buy Netrunner. LCG is just another milking cow for FFG and I hate an idea that in order to play the game I need to buy 15 additional card packs. Because otherwise my "experience will not be full"…

Sorry

 Thanks for popping in. Enjoy your board games. Those of us who enjoy expanding and morphing games will have fun with this.

skolo said:

I recommend taking a wait-and-see approach.

While I haven't played all of FFG's Living Card Games yet, the ones I have always seem to play just fine out of the box. They are a complete and full play experience, but one that can be further enhanced, as advertised, by the addition of monthly packs. When I eventually go and purchase these packs, it's because I want to, not because I feel that FFG has sold me an incomplete product. Part of the psyche of the expandable card gamer is that we actually want to buy more of the game we love, so that we can try cool things with our favorite faction(s), find new ways to make old and underused cards suddenly awesome, etc. However, if you prefer a game that remains the same and never changes, the Core Set has been designed with you in mind as well. You simply play out of the box, and ignore any packs or expansions that are available.

MarthWMaster said:

indeed. I will wait and see…

skolo said:

It's also worth noting that the original Netrunner was one of the least card dependent CCG's of its time. It's surprisingly common to find people who still have sealed booster that they never felt the need to open. 

Why is this? Simply, a lot of the game in Netrunner is based on timing. You can be rewarded if you know when to play a card, regardless of whether you have the cash to really put it to use. Similarly, you can always make a run, even if you lack a suitably outfitted cyberdeck. You play the cards, the cards don't play you. 

(E.g. You don't always need a powerful defense card [i.e ICE] to protect your corporate assets, not if you can hide your valuables in plain sight and bluff your opponent into making the wrong decisions [these cards are played face down]. Maybe you have a powerful intrusion countermeasure you can't pay to activate? Put it down anyway, it might act as a deterrent to the runner even risking the run.  Bluffing, and secret knowledge, play a large role in this cat and mouse game -- where neither player is every fully sure who is the cat and who is the mouse). 

Additionally, the amazingly free form turn structure also helps: you have X number of actions, and with those actions you can either draw a card, take a dollar (i.e. "bits," though the name may change), play a card, make a run (if you're the runner) or dispel effects (e.g. pay two bits to remove a tag). Many CCGs could box you into a corner, leaving you unable to take your full allotment of actions (due to lack of cards, or other resource restrictions, etc), with Netrunner you can always do something. No cards worth playing? Use all those actions to draw more, or grab some cash to bolster a future run. Hell, why not just make a run on that unprotected datafort and see if you get lucky? It's theoretically possible to win a match without even playing any cards. 

In short, Netrunner might be the best LCG for playing right out of the box. However, the card packs will certainly offer new strategies and mechanics to explore. 

 This is something that Garfield addresses in his interview… which is now up! Along with a sneak peak at the first Runner identity, Noise.