“Checkmate in three.”
–Reina Roja

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the upcoming release of Opening Moves , the first Spin Cycle Data Pack for Android: Netrunner The Card Game !

In the future of Android: Netrunner , humanity is extending its reach to the far edges of the solar system, refinements in brain mapping technology have driven the evolution of bioroids intelligent enough to join us in the workplace, and a handful of companies control the vast majority of the world’s resources. These megacorporations are all household names. They’re responsible for the buildings in which we live, as well as the threedees and sensies that we stream. Their logos are splashed across the cityscapes, and their influence pervades every level of society.

Now, as the elite hackers known as “runners” continue their silent, subversive series of assaults against their servers and assets, these vast corporations have a chance to assess the effectiveness of the strategies they’ve developed through the Core Set and Genesis Cycle . Are they functional? Are they fully future proof? Or is it time to invest more fully in powerful operations and, perhaps, even to risk negative public exposure in order to take some truly drastic action? Just how dark can a corporation become before it suffers from the backlash?

The sixty new cards (three copies each of twenty individual cards) from Opening Moves introduce a wealth of new programs, resources, agendas, ice, and operations. You’ll find a wide range of wildly innovative cards, from the Anarch’s Caïssa programs and the Shaper’s Stealth chip to NBN’s executive asset and new Illicit ice for the Corp. These cards will allow you to pursue new deck-building themes and take entirely new approaches to the game’s challenges.

For more information about how Opening Moves begins the exploration of major new themes that will continue throughout the Spin Cycle , we turn to lead developer Lukas Litzsinger.

Lead Developer Lukas Litzsinger on the Spin Cycle

Welcome to the Spin Cycle ! This cycle expands upon the game in exciting ways, and focuses on two mechanics: one that already exists within the Core Set , and one that is making its first appearance in the LCG® .

The first focus of the Spin Cycle is bad publicity. Corps will find plenty of powerful cards that will tempt them to take bad publicity. To what lengths will you go to keep those pesky Runners out of your servers, or take them down in meat space? Runners will gain ways to take advantage of bad publicity. They’ll even find ways to usurp the Corporate messaging machinery and tag them with some bad publicity. On the whole, managing bad publicity becomes an important aspect of business. Too much bad publicity, and the Corp will find that its servers are tissue paper, and the Runner is a pair of scissors. If the Corp takes too much bad publicity, chances are they’ve lost. Fire up the PR machine!

The next theme running through the set is the introduction of “Double” operations and events. These cards provide powerful effects at a loss of flexibility. Each Double costs an extra to play. That’s a giant investment for a Runner, eating up one-half of his base of four . Doubles are even riskier for the Corp, taking up two-thirds of its turn, but the payoff can be game-changing. Players of the classic 1990s game may remember this mechanic, and almost all of the original doubles are back, in one form or another. In addition, they are accompanied by many new ones. These cards can change the rhythm of the game and provide for even more dramatic and exciting finishes.

Of course, not all of the set’s cards play to these two themes, and here are some other exciting tidbits about what it includes:

• A fully upgraded Psi card to trigger all-new mind games
  
• Deadly new “illicit” ice for each Corp
  
• A Criminal console worth all of its eleven cost
  
• A card that can deal six net damage

The Spin Cycle was a lot of fun to work on, and should provide for interesting new strategies on each side. There are many game-changing cards, but we wanted to make sure that the focus of the game stayed firmly on initiating and defending runs. So get ready to jack in!

–Lukas Litzsinger, Android: Netrunner Lead Developer

Perception Is Reality

After the cyberstruggles of the Core Set and Genesis Cycle , Corps and Runners both have a chance to reevaluate their strategies, and the second round is coming. When Opening Moves kicks off the Spin Cycle , you’ll find a wide range of insidious new tricks and dramatic new decision points. More risk, more gamble, more potential reward. Will you maneuver yourself toward victory with your Opening Moves ?

Opening Moves is scheduled to arrive at retailers in the third quarter of 2013!