So, I've not technically played Netrunner yet, but it's probably my next board game I pick up. I've read the rules, I've watched some tutorials, I tend to "get" board games really easily, I'm pretty confident in saying I know pretty much exactly how the game is played.

Same can not be said for others. I know this game is a bit technical, but my friends are gamers and I think they can handle it fine.... if I present it right.

I guess my main question is, should a player who has never played before be playing the Corp or the Runner? I'm sure I can handle doing either one, but what should my newb friends play? Is there a smart way to teach this game to ensure maximum fun on the first play through? Is there a faction matchup that is good?

I heard the default was like Shaper vs Jinteki. This scares me because Jinteki is all about traps and such. I'm worried that after a lot of explaining and somebody is starting to get the game then they run into project Junebug and die and go "this game is BS!".

ty

-awp

I will say give them Runner first. The corp (any corp) has to have hidden information, so if they have to ask 'what does this card do' it's less of an issue if they're the runner.

Secondly, if you're worried about them hitting a Jinteki trap and flatlining too easily, you have two options. One is play another corp.

The other, which I prefer, is to advise them of the dangers. Show them the cards beforehand, let them know that Snare can fire from anywhere except Archives and needs 4 credits to trigger. Let them know how dangerous a Junebug with 2 or more counters is. Let them see Neural EMP, and advise them not to end a turn with an empty hand. Show them Neural Katana, and explain what it does.

Then gently remind them as you play:

"Ok, I've installed this card in a remote and advanced it. That makes it either an Agenda, or a trap which can damage you. It has two advancements, so if it IS a trap, that's four net damage".

"This remote is unrezzed and un-advanced. It could be anything from money generation like PAD or Melange, to a trap like Snare or Junebug (which does nothing without advancements) to an actual Agenda I could be trying to advance three times next turn to score."

"Before you start that R&D run, remember that Snare can still fire from R&D and I have enough credits to trigger it. Of course, you might NOT hit a Snare. Would you like to spend a click or two drawing cards before you run, or take the risk?"

"Ok, so you ran through my Neural Katana taking three damage. You have enough cards to survive taking damage from scoring, but not from a trap. Do you want to continue the run or jack out now?"

I've found that gentle prodding like that, whilst not being prescriptive about how people play, can really help take the sting out of losing to a bad run. You're not telling them what to do, just giving the same information a more experienced player will already have, so they can at least make an informed decision before making any decisions.

Other than that, spend a little while going over ICE and Icebreakers, paying particular attention to the fact that you don't NEED Icebreakers to run, and you don't declare 'I'm making a run with Gordian Blade' (for example). This seems to have been the most common misconception when I've been teaching people (a lot of whom are MtG players, and have trouble understanding that the runner and NOT the program makes a run, and that if ICE doesn't end the run, they can keep going without breaking it).

I'll add my 2 cents here as I'm currently teaching my wife the game. I have an approach much like what Commisar said above and it is working great. I'm starting her with Runner and used Weyland myself. I feel like my Weyland deck covers the broadest gamut of rules to make sure and encounter all the basic mechanics of the game. (Tags, big ice, traces, traps).

Now honestly in this game a rules understanding does not necessarily ensure an understanding of the strategic nuances to be able to advise when the runner should or should not run. You will both be learning that through trial and error. It will still work for teaching the mechanics but you probably won't be able to advise them on which runs would be good for them due to the board state as it appears to the runner. In this case just advise them to run a lot and let them pick where. I you decide to use Jinteki, just warn them of traps or they might get really frustrated with that if they are already struggling with the rules.

Lastly not knowing your gaming background or your friends, I'll make one more comment. The game is like a CCG more than a typical board game. The game is balanced overall at a competition level and across multiple play throughs including switching sides between corp and runner but each individual game is not always balanced. It is quite possible to just get blown out in 5 minutes due to a bad draw and luck on your opponents side. Hopefully that doesn't happen in your first game but it could. Just shuffle up and play again. Some people have a hard time with this if they aren't used to these types of games.

see... so I hear, but I often see the Corp just getting destroyed over and over again in a tournament setting (thats right. I watch tournaments of a game that I don't own and haven't played before. So what?). It seems like Runners win like 75% or more of the games that I've watched.

thanks for the advice though.

see... so I hear, but I often see the Corp just getting destroyed over and over again in a tournament setting (thats right. I watch tournaments of a game that I don't own and haven't played before. So what?). It seems like Runners win like 75% or more of the games that I've watched.

Yes that's true. I've read the runner does tend to do better over all statistically and I agree with that sentiment as well. But I'd also not concern yourself with it too much as you'll probably only notice that spread at the highest levels of play where the % of player error is much lower.