Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the upcoming release of the Genesis Cycle , the first six Data Packs for Android: Netrunner The Card Game .
Since we first announced our plans to release the game, news of
Android: Netrunner
has surged through the net, taking the world by storm. The game proved a tremendous success at Gen Con Indy, and the first printing has similarly raced out of our warehouse. Clearly, the game’s cyberstruggles, classic origins, and rebirth as a
Living Card Game®
have resonated with an enthusiastic audience of gamers worldwide, establishing a firm base for future growth.
Now, Android: Netrunner will grow organically through the introduction of monthly Data Packs, each of which introduces sixty new cards (three copies each of twenty individual cards) that intensify the game’s cyberstruggles and permits players to adopt new strategies or reinforce existing ones. The upcoming Data Packs from Genesis build upon the strength’s of the game’s Core Set and expand players’ deck-building options with thematic and imaginative new ice, icebreakers, and faction identity cards.
The Right Tool for the Job
Megacorporations become more flexible than ever as Genesis introduces a wide range of new agendas, both neutral and faction-specific, that allow Corp players to gain greater control over their strategies. They also benefit from the introduction of inventive new ice that they can use to defend their servers. Finally, in Genesis , the game’s megacorps uncover devastating new ways to use traces, as well as powerful new ice and operations that can initiate traces.
However, runners gain new tools in Genesis , too, including new hardware, icebreakers, and other programs. Also, their efforts pay off in the underworld where they find a host of new resources. Some of the Runner’s new contacts help secure the credits necessary to assault corporate servers; others help accelerate card draw. Taken together, the Runner’s new resources and other cards make their runs more unpredictable than ever before.
As you look forward the exciting new options made possible by the cards in Genesis , lead developer Lukas Litzsinger offers his insight into the cycle’s origins.
Lukas Litzsinger on the Origins of Genesis
I set out to design Genesis with several goals. The first goal was to increase deck-building options. Obviously releasing 120 new cards will do that, but more specifically, I wanted to give players new options for agendas and identities. The second goal was to increase the number of traces in the game, and to expand upon the trace system. Lastly, I wanted to solidify and clarify the strengths and weaknesses of the factions.
The Core Set introduced the thematic concepts of identity cards and faction-specific agendas, but Genesis expands upon these and gives players greater freedom to choose the themes that best fit them. In Genesis , each faction will receive a new identity card. These new identity cards will offer players tough choices between their unique abilities, and the selection of one identity over another can change the tempo of the game. Also in Genesis , each Corp will get new agendas to advance. These will provide players with extra surprises and more control over the composition of their decks.
Genesis
also opens up the trace system with more cards (especially ice) that use traces. Tracing is one of the major departures of the game from its original incarnation, and so I wanted to solidify its role in
Android: Netrunner
as soon as I could. In fact, this cycle pushes tracing beyond the mere dichotomy of winning and losing; several cards offer interesting, granular effects based on the result.
Data Hound
is a good example. On the flip side, the Runner will have more ways to combat traces and find new ways to use links.
Lastly, Genesis will expand and evolve upon themes for each faction. I really wanted to reinforce the differences between each one; Haas-Bioroid will feel even more defensive, Criminals even faster, Jinteki even tricker. Underlying it all is a commitment to maintain the exciting and interactive gameplay at the heart of Android: Netrunner . I hope you enjoy it.
Thanks, Lukas!
While you look forward to upgrading your games of Android: Netrunner , keep your eyes open for more information about the Genesis Cycle , as well as our upcoming announcement of the cycle’s first Data Pack!
Based on the classic card game designed by Richard Garfield,
Android: Netrunner The Card Game
is a game for two players set in the dystopian future of
Android
. It pits monolothic megacorps against subversive netrunners in a high-stakes struggle for the control of valuable data.