Android Netrunner: Terminal Directive

Despite being another campaign style game, I recently picked up Android Netrunner: Terminal Directive.  This box had me interested for a few reasons, and I was lucky enough to have someone else at the shop that was interested in playing as well (better yet, he was interested in playing as the runner.)

My first and primary interest in this game is the mystery.  I love a good story, and a story that unveils itself with a feedback loop to gameplay is an immediate hook for me.  I’ve noticed with some of their other games (Arkham Horror LCG and the Lord of the Rings LCG,) Fantasy Flight has been able to pull off this conjunction rather well, so I’m excited to see what they can do with a science-fiction setting (especially one as rich as Android.)

Another interesting fact about Terminal Directive is that it is an asymmetric two player campaign game.  Before you say, “duh, Netrunner is an asymmetric two player game,” I find this more interesting in the context of other campaign style games that usually run 1-5 players.  With this game, it’s always going to be one other person, which gives it a stronger connection I think – it’s easier to get a single other person excited about a shared experience than a group.  The asymmetry is also interesting as it has potential to weave that asymmetry into many aspects of the story – not just the goals, but how they are met.

Finally, as part of the Android: Netrunner card game, I am interested in the new cards.  Not only does it have cards that would be useable in a normal deck, I have to wonder if there are cards that could be playable in a more casual format (even if they aren’t tournament legal.)

Overall, I’m looking forward to Terminal Directive – it should be fun to find out how the game evolves.