So I just got a copy Android: Netrunner yesterday after having it on my "wish list" for quite a while and played through a couple of games with my buddy. We don't usually play card games but this one was right up our alley because of the fact it's designed for 2 players. Any way I have a few questions about play and strategy that we couldn't figure out:

First: Does a Runner need to have equal strength for each subroutine he attacks on an ICE or do they just need to have equal or better strength once? So if I attack "Wall of Thorns" with a "Crypsis" do I need to: spend 5 credits to make "Crypsis'" strenth equal to "Wall of Thorns", then spend 1 credit to break one subroutine on "WoT", then spend 5 more credits to make "Crypsis'" strength equal to "WoT" and then another credit to break the second subroutine for a total of 12 credits? Or do I just need to spend the 5 credits to make "Crypsis'" strength 5 and then 2 credits (1 for breaking each subroutine) for a total of 7 credits?

Second: Do upgrades only affect the server they're on or do their abilites work on all servers?

Strength boosts on an Icebreaker last until the encounter with the ICE ends, unless otherwise stated. That means you don't have to increase for each subroutine.

Upgrades typically only affect the server they are installed in, however the card will specify. As an example, Akitaro Watinabe and SanSan City Grid both specify 'this server'.

Minor terminology thing as well, Icrbreakers don't 'attack' ICE, they 'interact' with ICE. One of the most common ways is by breaking subroutines, but some atypical Icebreakers may have other effects (such as Wyrm bring able to lower ICE strength). It is important to remember that Icebreakers must match or exceed ICE strength to perform ANY interactions (so Wyrm must match or exceed ICE strength before it can lower the ICE strength).

Welcome to Netrunner!

Thanks for the clarification. We were playing it where the runner (me) had to have strength equal for each subroutine. This wasn't a problem because we were playing the suggested: Jinteki vs. Shaper for our first few games and I was able to get out a few programs/card combos that gave me a huge credit surplus. I really like this game and the balance seems pretty good so far. We haven't played many games so we can't judge if one side, runner or corporation is a little better one way or the other but it doesn't seem so. Looking forward to playing more games and probably getting one or more of the expansions. Especially since I've already gotten almost all the expansions for Talisman.

If you were playing Jinteki/Shaper then you probably already noticed that the Shaper 'breakers from the Core set keep their boosted strength fir the whole run then? Much more efficient than Crypsis, but he's great in a bind if you're desperate to access a server.

Thanks for the clarification. We were playing it where the runner (me) had to have strength equal for each subroutine. This wasn't a problem because we were playing the suggested: Jinteki vs. Shaper for our first few games and I was able to get out a few programs/card combos that gave me a huge credit surplus. I really like this game and the balance seems pretty good so far. We haven't played many games so we can't judge if one side, runner or corporation is a little better one way or the other but it doesn't seem so. Looking forward to playing more games and probably getting one or more of the expansions. Especially since I've already gotten almost all the expansions for Talisman.

You do not have Strength. ICE and Icebreakers have Strength. You are Running an obstacle course into the Server. The Ice is the obstacle. You can let the ICE perform its subroutines or you can use an Icebreaker of Strength greater than or equal to the ICE to prevent the subroutines from firing (or you can let some of the subroutines fire and break others).

Welcome to Netrunner!

Think of it this way - each piece of ice you encounter, you have brought a toolbox with you - your icebreakers. You can use any or all of those tools as appropriate to the problem. One of the things I have seen a lot with newer players is not getting the point of Wyrm, because there's an assumption that only one breaker can be used per piece of ice. ANY breaker can be used on a piece of ice, you just have to follow the rules on the cards (e.g. "break barrier subroutine" vs "break code gate subroutine" immediately tells you which ice breaker is of use when you find a Wall of Static). Wyrm allows you to lower the strength of a target piece of ice so that another, more efficient breaker can be used to break the subroutines. I'm not saying this is an overall efficient thing to do, but it is how breakers work in general.

You, the player, are making runs. The programs you have installed are what lets you actually make SUCCESSFUL runs.