Digging into Android:Netrunner

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Android:Netrunner (ANR) is a game I've had in my collection for years. I played along with the tutorial shortly after I got it. As it turns out, the friend of mine in LA who was playing it a lot decided to stop playing it, and my local friend isn't a fan of expandable card games. So ANR just hasn't gotten to my table.

Since I have some free time at the moment, I've been working through my short-ish list of unplayed non-wargames, of which I'm counting ANR.

First impression: this is a fairly difficult game to learn, and to play well.

After playing about 1/3 of a deck solo, this impression feels validated. I'm going to play out a few more rounds, then pack it up and call it a play. My curiousity is satisfied. This is a game I could really dig into, but at the moment, I'd prefer to dig deeper into Race for the Galaxy and Lord of the Rings expandable card game.

There a couple of reasons for this. The first is the that Race for the Galaxy is a very popular and reasonably quickly playing game. In comparison, ANR is not as popular, and opponents are harder to find. ANR is more difficult to play solitaire than Race for the Galaxy, and Lord of the Rings is designed for solitaire. Lacking opponents and the ability for easily playing solitaire puts ANR back on the shelf for a while.

Which is a pity, because I think I'd really like the game. Actually, I do really like the game, just not enough that it would supercede other games.

I'm calling this game good, and putting it up for now. I hope to revisit ANR in the relatively near future, perhaps early next year, or even later this year. If I find a convenient opponent, I'll be all over it.

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What to play next?

Deciding what to play next is always a tough call when faced with a closet full of games, all of which were purchased with intent to play. Here's one I'm dealing with the decision.

  • Something New: this means both something new to me and a game which has been published recently, within the last two or three years.
  • Something Classic: I've acquired a number of games properly considered "classic" which haven't yet been played. The current example would be PanzerGruppe Guderian.
  • Something Again: mastery requires constant practice, which means playing games many, many times to allow nuance to appear.
  • Something Vietnam: as I'm on a Vietnam binge. I don't have all the Vietnam games ever published, but I can say that I have a lot of them, and probably more than most people.
  • Something Obscure: as it's fun to poke around in the dustier corners of game design.
  • Something Different: break away from the same old publishers and try a game from one of the new kids on the block. Or, conversely, dip into legacy with a classic tried and true.
  • Something Light: once in a while it's nice to actually finish a game all the way through in one sitting, in an hour or two.
  • Something Heavy: if possible, it's nice to set up something big and complicated which can be left out for days or weeks or even months, for a leisurely stroll through a very large or long game.

There are surely many more ways to choose, but the above method keeps me busy enough, helps me get both breadth and depth into my play, and provides me with a sense of progress.

The odd man out

When there is an odd man out:

  • Have a solo game ready to play.
  • Keep score or advise on a game in progress.
  • Referee a game in progress.