Shadowrun: Edge Zone
Shadowrun: Edge Zone Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
The following information tells you everything you need to know to start playing Shadowrun: Edge Zone (SR:EZ).
What's in the Box?
- Each box has 342 cards of multiple types: Challenges, Contacts, Drone, Gear, Location, Matrix, Objectives, Runners, Special, Spells and Spirit, plus one Summary card
- 121 double-sided tokens
- 1 six-sided die
- Rulebook
Object of the Game
In Shadowrun: Edge Zone, your goal is to earn enough Reputation points to crown yourself the best fixer in the Sprawl.
At the beginning of the game, all players must agree on the number of Reputation points required to win the game. 60-75 points are the recommended goal for a two-player game and 75-100 for a game with three or more players. The first player to acquire the agreed-upon number of Reputation points wins the game.
The higher the number of Reputation points required to win the game, the longer the game will last. The Reputation point total should always be at least 50, so that players must take at least two Objectives to win the game.
How to Earn Points
You earn Reputation points by assembling a team of Runners to accomplish Objectives, such as slaying dragons or stealing the latest in bleeding-edge tech. Meanwhile, your opponents protect the Objectives with various Challenges—obstacles for your team of runners to overcome—such as security guards, paranormal guard critters, and automated turrets.
Accomplishing Objectives requires legwork. You use nuyen (money) to pay your Contacts for information, visit Locations around the sprawl for info and help, and equip your Runners with the best Gear you can find, all to increase your team's chances of success. Once your team is equipped and you feel ready to tackle a shadowrun, the action begins!
If you succeed in an Objective, you gain Reputation points. If you fail, well, time to count the dead, heal your wounded, and prepare for the next job.
Building a Deck
To play the game, you first need to build a deck. This will actually be two decks: your Objective deck and your Runner deck.
Your Objective deck must contain at least 6 Objectives and must contain at least enough Reputation points to win the game. It may only contain one copy of any single Objective.
Your Runner deck must contain at least sixty cards but no more than one hundred. We recommend between sixty and seventy cards, as larger decks tend to be less effective. You may place up to three copies of any single card in your deck. If a card is designated as Unique or a Prime Runner, you may only put one copy of that card in your deck.
Decks may be built using any combination of cards from either the SR:EZ Mayhem Box, the SR:EZ Magic Box, or any future expansion sets. While each Core Box Set focuses on a specific area of the Shadowrun universe, don't feel you can only play to that focus. The most legendary Runner teams have a healthy mix of all roles to face any obstacle in their way!
Sample Deck
The following list suggests a good beginning deck. This list only scratches the surface of deck-building possibilities, but it is a good place to start. As you collect additional cards, you can build more specialized decks according to specific themes, such as a troll, rigger or street samurai deck. If you build a deck that bombs, don't sweat it—part of the fun of playing is finding new and inventive ways to create a winning deck, and sometimes that means experiments that don't work!
- 12-20 Runners
- 12-20 Challenges
- 1-5 Contacts
- 5-10 Gear cards
- 1-5 Locations
- 10 Specials
The Law of the Shadows
If a rule on a card contradicts the rules printing in this book, the rule on the card takes precedence. Cards that manipulate, ignore, or even reverse these rules reflect the fact that the chaotic world of Shadowrun continually affects the lives of those who dwell in it—in other words, drek happens.
There are no exchanges or permanent loss of cards in SR:EZ.
If there is confusion or conflict about how to interpret the rules on a card and you are unable to find a satisfactory resolution using this book, resolve the disagreement by rolling a D6.
Game Fundamentals
The following information explains the basic concepts and mechanics of SR:EZ.
Number of Players
Any number of players can play the game. SR:EZ works equally well for two-player or multiplayer games.
Hand Capacity
You may have a maximum of 7 cards in your hand at the end of your turn but you may have more than 7 cards in your hand during your turn. If your turn is ending and you still have more than 7 cards, discard down to 7.
Game Terms
The following terms are used throughout this rulebook and on the cards to describe game play.
- The Credstick: The Credstick is the physical place on the playing surface where you pile the tokens representing your nuyen.
- Deploy: Bringing a card into play.
- Frag: In some situations, a card may be fragged (removed from play). Cards that are fragged are set off to the side and can no longer be used in the current game. You may return such cards to your deck only after the game is over.
- Nuyen: Nuyen (money) is the currency of the Shadowrun world. Most of the cards in the SR:EZ have a nuyen deployment cost. You must pay this cost to bring the card into play from your hand.
- Present: A card referred to as "present" may be in one of three situations. 1) On a shadowrun. This includes all Runners on the shadowrun as well as the currently revealed Challenge. 2) In the safehouse. This includes all unturned Runners currently in the safehouse. 3) In Runner-against-Runner combat. This includes all the Runners involved in the combat on both sides.
- Reputation: Players earn Reputation points to win the game by taking Objectives. All earned Reputation points should be placed in a Reputation pile in front of the player.
- The Safehouse: The safehouse is the area on the playing surface directly in front of the player (see Player Setup, p. 5). You play Runner cards and Gear cards directly from your hand into the safehouse. Shadowruns take place outside the safehouse.
- Shadowrun (or Run): Players send their Runners on shadowruns—missions to take an Objective and thereby earn Reputation points.
- Sleaze: To sleaze means to slip undetected past Challenges—the defensive measures designed to stop a Runner team from reaching its goal. A Runner team that has the proper skills may sleaze past a Challenge and thereby avoid a fight. For example, a Runner team sneaking past a sleeping guard dog is sleazing the dog.
Playing the Game
Beginning the Game
Separate your Objective cards from the rest of your deck. Shuffle them and place them face down on the table (see Card Setup, below). This is your Objective pile.
Shuffle the rest of your deck, have an opposing player cut the cards, and place them face down next to your Objective pile. This is your draw pile.
Draw seven cards from the top of your draw pile and place 5 nuyen in your Credstick. You are ready to begin the game. Randomly determine who will play first. Play continues around the table in clockwise order.
Dealt a Bad Hand
If a player begins the game without a Challenge card in his hand, they may declare they have been dealt a Bad Hand (though they may also choose to start the game with no Challenges in their hand). The player must show their cards to their opponents (to prove they have no Challenge cards) and then trash them. The player then reshuffles their draw pile and draws a new hand. Other players in the game do not have to redraw their hands but may do so if they wish. Every player who chooses to take advantage of the Bad Hand must follow the procedure above.
A Bad Hand can be declared once and only once at the beginning of the game. After the player has discarded and redrawn their hand, they must begin the game with those cards.
Player Setup and Game Setup
The Player Setup and Game Setup diagrams are shown on pages 5 and 6 of the printed rulebook.
Player Setup (labeled diagram): Challenge; Current Objective; Challenge; Runner with Gear (three placements); Runner; Contact; Location; Completed Objectives; Objectives; Draw Deck; Trash.
Game Setup: diagrams show the play areas for Player 1 through Player 4 around the table, each with its own safehouse, Objective and Challenge stacks.
Game Turns
Each turn in the SR:EZ is broken down into six phases: the Objective phase, the Credstick phase, the Refresh phase, the Legwork phase, the Shadowrun phase, and the End phase. Even if you choose not to do anything during a phase, the phase still occurs. For example, every turn has a Shadowrun phase regardless of whether or not you attempt a shadowrun. Every player completes each phase in turn order, then all players move to the next phase. The phases take place in the same order every turn.
Certain card rules refer to effects as lasting until the end of the turn. This always refers to the end of the player's turn in progress at the time the card was played.
An abbreviated version of the sequence of play appears on the rules card included in each starter deck.
1. Objective Phase
Place an Objective card from your Objective pile face down in front of you. The Objective will remain face down until the beginning of your next turn, when it will be turned face up (referred to as revealed). Because players may only attempt a shadowrun against a revealed Objective, playing the Objective face down gives each player a chance to play Challenges to defend their Objective.
Each player may only have one Objective in play at a time. If an Objective is taken in a shadowrun, trashed, or otherwise removed from play, the owner of the Objective must wait until the beginning of their next Objective phase to play a new Objective.
2. Credstick Phase
During the first Credstick phase of the game, add 5 nuyen to your Credstick (your pile of tokens). This is added to the 5 nuyen collected during the setup phase.
In subsequent Credstick phases, add any additional nuyen allowed by specific cards you have in play (Runners with Fame, certain Contacts, and so on).
Pay any Upkeep costs for Prime Runners, Specials, or other cards that may require Upkeep. If you cannot pay the full Upkeep cost of a card, trash the card.
Rather than collecting nuyen during this phase, you may choose to draw enough cards to fill your hand back up to 7 cards. Players who do this must still pay any necessary Upkeep costs.
3. The Refresh Phase
Unturn any turned cards that you control. Draw one card.
Turn damaged Runners to heal all damage taken in previous turns; once it is turned, remove all damage from the card. If Runners are not turned here, they will not heal.
Gear cards with Threat Ratings, such as Drones and Spirits, also can take damage during combat. To heal or repair a Gear card, turn the Gear card and the Runner holding it and remove all damage counters on the Gear card. A Runner may not remove damage from both themselves and a Gear card they are holding in the same turn, and only a single Gear card may be healed each turn.
4. Legwork Phase
Playing Your Cards
During the Legwork phase, you may perform any of the following options as many times as you like and in any order. Remember to pay the deployment cost of cards before bringing them into play.
- Play a Challenge on an Objective
- Deploy a Runner, Contact, or Location
- Swap Gear between Runners
- Place Gear on an unturned Runner you control
- Use a Contact or Location
- Play a Special card
Play Challenges
Challenge cards are deployed onto any Objective in play. Each player should create a stack of Challenges by playing their Challenge cards on the side of the Objective nearest them, (see Game Setup, p. 6).
In a two-player game, each player can play up to three Challenges on an Objective. In a three-player game, each player may play two Challenges on each Objective. In a game with four or more players, each player may play only one Challenge on each Objective.
In each Challenge stack, play each new Challenge on top of the previous Challenge so that the Runner team faces the last Challenge played as its first Challenge on a shadowrun.
Certain Challenges may not be played on some Objectives. If a Challenge played on a facedown Objective cannot be played on that particular Objective because of certain restrictions (which can only be determined after the Objective is revealed)—for example, No Indoor Challenges—the Challenge remains as a bluff (see Bluffing, below).
Players may look at Challenges they have deployed but may not rearrange them. Once a Challenge is played on an Objective, it remains there until sleazed, defeated in combat, or removed by a Special card or special trait.
Bluffing
A player may choose to play a non-Challenge card on an Objective as if it were a Challenge. Such a bluff can discourage other players from attacking an Objective.
Bluffs count toward the maximum number of Challenges per Objective. Trash any Challenges played as bluffs when they are encountered during a shadowrun.
Deploy Cards
Place any number of Runners, Contacts, and Locations from your hand into your safehouse (the area in front of you) by paying the nuyen deployment cost. These cards come into play unturned and may be used as soon as they are deployed.
Gear cards are played on unturned Runners and may be used immediately.
Gear cards can only be played on Runners who possess the required skills. For example, only a Shaman or other Runner with the Conjure skill can hold a Gear/Spirit card; a Decker cannot hold a Gear/Spirit card because they don't possess the Conjure skill.
Swapping Gear
You may swap Gear between Runners if both Runners possess the necessary skills to use the Gear. To swap Gear, turn both Runners and move the Gear. The exception is Cyberware, which may not be swapped.
Use Cards
You may use Runners, Locations, Contacts, and some Gear cards during the Legwork phase.
Some Locations may require you to turn a Runner in order to use the Location.
Runners with the Recon skill may be turned to perform a Recon (see p. 14).
Deckers may use a Gear/Program card and Mages and other Runners with Sorcery may use a Gear/Spell card. This action does not cause the user to turn, but the Program or Spell card is turned and cannot be used in the Shadowrun phase.
Unless otherwise stated, Locations and Contacts can be used any number of times during the Legwork phase.
Play Special Cards
You may play Special cards at any time during the Legwork phase. Special cards take effect immediately.
5. Shadowrun Phase
Each player may attempt one shadowrun per turn. You may choose not to send your Runners on shadowruns, but it's much more difficult to win Reputation (and the game) if you don't make runs against Objectives.
At least one Runner must survive the run in order for the shadowrunning player to take the Objective, even if the Objective has no Requirements. If the last or only Runner dies on the final Challenge or in the attempt to fulfill the requirements on the Objective, you cannot take the Objective.
At the end of the Shadowrun phase (regardless of success or failure), the player must immediately move on to the End phase.
To go on a shadowrun, perform the following steps in the order given.
Step 1: Choose an Objective
Declare a revealed Objective as the target of your shadowrun. Depending on your resources—the Runners and Gear in your safehouse, or any tricks you have up your sleeve—some Objectives will make more appealing targets than others. A player may make a run against their own Objective but does not face their own Challenge stack.
Step 2: Select Runners
Designate up to six unturned Runners as your shadowrunning team (or Runner team). Spirits and Drones do not count toward this total. Turn those selected Runners.
Step 3: Encounter Challenge Cards
The shadowrunning player must sleaze or face each Challenge their opponents have placed on the target Objective. In a multi-player game, the Objective's owner chooses which Challenge stack the shadowrunning player will encounter first. The Runners must encounter all the Challenges in one stack before moving on to the next stack.
If there are no Challenges that belong to opposing players on the Objective, the Runner team must simply meet any requirements on the Objective to take it. Opposing players can attempt to stop a Runner team from taking an undefended Objective by intercepting the shadowrun using their Runners. See Intercepting a Shadowrun, p. 20 in Combat.
If a player chooses not to continue the shadowrun and returns his team to the safehouse, the Runner team is considered to have pulled out of the run. If a Runner team fails for any reason to take the Objective and survives, the team also is considered to have pulled out of the shadowrun. Individual Runners may not pull out of a shadowrun. The team as a whole either stays or pulls out.
Sleazing Challenge Cards
The owner of the Challenge stack reveals the Challenge on the top of the stack and reads the sleaze requirement aloud. If any Runner or combination of Runners on the Runner team meets the sleaze requirement, the Challenge is sleazed—the Runners sneak past the Challenge without triggering the alarm. Trash sleazed Challenge cards.
If a Challenge has no sleaze requirement, it cannot be sleazed. In that case, follow the instructions on the card.
For example, if a Challenge has a sleaze requirement of Piloting 3 and two of the Runners on the team have Piloting at the base level of 1, the Challenge is not sleazed. But if one Runner on the team has Piloting 1 and another has Piloting 2, then the Runners' combined Piloting of 3 allows the team to sleaze the Challenge.
Each time a Challenge is sleazed, the shadowrunning player must choose whether or not to continue the shadowrun before the next Challenge is revealed. If they choose to pull out, the Runners return to the safehouse, and the Shadowrun phase is over. If they choose to continue, the next Challenge on the stack is revealed, and play continues as described above.
If a team of Runners fails to sleaze a Challenge, they trigger the alarm and must face the Challenge card.
Facing Challenge Cards
Once a Runner team triggers an alarm, all Challenges are alerted to the Runners' presence. The Runners cannot sleaze Challenges for the remainder of the shadowrun and they must face the Challenge on which they triggered the alarm. If that Challenge has a Threat Rating, the Runners must fight the threat (see Combat, p. 18) and deal with any special abilities of the Challenge.
If that Challenge does not have a Threat Rating, follow the instructions on the card. For example, the Challenge card Hellish Traffic has no Threat Rating; if the Runner team fails to sleaze the card, the shadowrun ends and the team cannot continue on the shadowrun to face the next Challenge.
If the Runners defeat the Challenge, it is trashed. The shadowrunning player may choose to continue the shadowrun or pull their team out.
If the Runners cannot defeat the Challenge, the shadowrun is over. Turn the Challenge face down in its original position in the Challenge stack.
Step 4: Taking the Objective
If the Runners successfully sleaze or defeat all of the Challenges on an Objective and reach the Objective, they must then meet any requirements on the Objective in order to take it and earn Reputation points. Players place Objectives they have taken on their Reputation pile (returning opponent's Objectives to them at the end of the game). If the Runner team cannot meet the requirements, the Objective remains in play face-up.
Negative Reputation Points
Some cards make it possible for a Runner team to lose Reputation points. Once you enter negative numbers for Reputation, ignore any further negative modifiers to Reputation points. If (and when) you boost your Reputation points above zero, you again may be affected by cards that reduce your Reputation points to negative numbers.
6. End Phase
Announce that your Shadowrun phase is finished. This tells your opponents that you have reached the end of your turn; this is their final opportunity to play Stinger cards or use card abilities during your turn.
Trash as many cards from your hand as you wish. If your hand contains more than seven cards, you must discard down to seven.
Declare your turn finished.
If your draw pile is empty, shuffle your trash pile and place it face down as a new draw pile. There is no penalty or bonus for running out of cards.
Searching Your Deck
Certain cards allow you to search your deck and add a card to your hand or deploy a card. Anytime you search your deck, you must shuffle the remaining cards.
Card Categories
SR:EZ uses seven different types of cards: Runners (the main characters of the game), Gear (items for the Runners, such as Armor, Weapons, Spells, Drones and so on), Objectives (the targets of shadowruns and the primary source of Reputation points), Challenges (things that get in the way of succeeding at a shadowrun), Locations (places in the world of Shadowrun), Contacts (potentially useful people who live in the shadows) and Specials/Stingers (the wild cards of the game).
A complete description of each card category appears in About the Cards, p. 12.
Dice Rolls
Some cards require the player to roll a six-sided die, indicated by the abbreviation D6 in the text, and consult a table on the card for the result. In some cases, the die-roll result will modify an existing number. For example, a weapon may inflict D6 + 4 damage. In other words, the weapon will inflict damage equal to the result of the D6 roll plus 4 additional points. A result of 5 in this case would cause 9 points of damage. A modifier may also be negative, as in a spell that inflicts D6 – 2 damage. In this case, a die roll result of 5 would yield a final result of 3.
A dice roll cannot be modified to a value of less than 1. There is no maximum value.
Token
You use tokens primarily to represent your available nuyen and to mark damage your Runners have received. The cards also may require you to use tokens to track other elements of the game.
Included in each Core Box Set are a supply of nuyen and damage tokens, as well as generic Shadowrun "S" logo tokens for other things you may need to track.
Timing Issues
If two people want to play a card simultaneously, the person who is currently taking their turn gets to play their card first. If neither player is in the middle of their turn, the players should roll D6; the higher roll goes first.
Parts of a Card
Runner card (example: Dirk Montgomery - Detective): name & profession; race & card type; deployment cost; skills; special trait; threat rating; core set icon (magic). The example shows the deployment cost as "4/1" nuyen, with the Upkeep value on the right of the slash.
Challenge card (example: Heavy Sentry Gun): card name; card type & keyword; sleaze requirement; threat rating; special trait; core set icon (mayhem).
Objective card (example: Harlequin's Game): card name; reputation points; card type; rules text; core set icon (magic).
About the Cards
Deployment Cost
Runners, Gear, Locations, Contacts and Specials cost nuyen to deploy. This is a one-time cost, paid when the player puts the card into play. Deployment costs are indicated by a number followed by the nuyen cost (see Parts of a Card, p. 11). When a Deployment cost is two numbers separated by a slash, the number on the left is the initial deployment cost, and the number on the right is the Upkeep value of the card.
Threat Rating
Runner and Challenge cards, and some Gear cards, have Threat Ratings. The Threat Rating represents the card's ability to inflict and take damage, indicated by two numbers separated by a slash (for example, 2/3). The number to the left of the slash represents the base Attack Value of the card. This is the amount of damage the card can inflict. The number to the right of the slash represents the Body of the card. This is how much damage a card can take before being killed or otherwise dispatched. These numbers can be modified by other cards.
Some Threat Ratings include Armor, indicated after the Threat Rating in parentheses; for example, 2/3 (A2). In this example, the card has an Attack Value of 2, a Body of 3 and an Armor Rating of 2. Armor protects its wearer by absorbing a certain amount of damage from an attack (see Armor, p. 18 in Combat).
Some Gear and Objective cards modify the Threat Ratings of Runners or Challenges, respectively.
Pumpable Cards
Players may pay nuyen to pump up the Threat Ratings of some Challenges, Runners, and certain other cards, indicated on the cards by a nuyen cost and a Threat Rating modifier. For example, 2 nuyen: +2/+2 on a card indicates that for every 2 nuyen the owner of the card pays, they add 2 to the target Runner's Attack Value and 2 to their Body.
Both turned and unturned cards may be pumped up. Only the player who owns a pumpable card may pump up that card. Players may spend any amount of nuyen to pump up a card. Unless the card states otherwise, pumped-up Threat Ratings always return to normal at the end of the turn.
Some pumpable cards increase the card's Attack Value but lower its Body: for example, +2/–2. Pumping such a card until the Body drops to 0 or lower kills the card. Trash a card with a modified Body of 0 after the card inflicts damage. Once a pump effect drops the Body to 0 or below the first time, that card may no longer be pumped.
If a card survives damage in excess of its base Body because its Threat Rating has been pumped up, the card is killed at the end of the turn when the Threat Rating returns to normal. For example, the cyborg Runner Tin Man has a base Threat Rating of 5/5. If the owning player pumps up Tin Man to 10/10 and he survives a shadowrun but takes 8 points of damage, he dies when his Threat Rating reverts to 5/5 at the end of the turn.
Target Runner vs. User
The phrase "target Runner" indicates that a Runner is the target of a card or game effect. If a card includes the phrase "target Runner," the player who owns the card chooses the target of the card. For example, the Special card Green Apple Quicksteps forces a target Runner to immediately return to the safehouse.
The word "user" on a card refers to the Runner using the card, not the player playing the card. For example, the Gear/Weapon card Ares Predator reads, "+3/+0 to user." When this card is played on a Runner, that Runner becomes the user of the card and receives a bonus of +3/+0 to their Threat Rating.
Runners
Runners (or shadowrunners) are the main characters of the game. More than any other cards you choose to include in your deck, the Runner cards will determine your deck's attitude and style.
Players deploy Runner cards in their safehouses and use them to build teams to go on shadowruns.
Skills
Skills represent the primary distinction between Runners, making each Runner different and enabling them to survive in the shadows. Runners use their skills to achieve Objectives or sleaze past Challenges.
All skills have a base rating of 1. Skills with a small number to the upper right are enhanced skills; the number represents an increased skill rating and is indicated in the text as in the following example: Runner with Athletics 2 has an Athletics skill rating of 2: they have twice the ability of a Runner without enhanced Athletics skill.
Some cards give Runners a skill or add to a Runner's skill. For example, the Skillsoft: Athletics card reads, "User receives Athletics +1." If the target Runner does not possess the Athletics skill, they now have the skill at the base rating of 1. If the target Runner has the Athletics skill, they now have Athletics 2. If the target Runner has enhanced Athletics (Athletics 2), the card gives them Athletics 3.
The following skill descriptions include the icon that represents the skill on the cards.
- Athletics: Athletics allows a Runner to push his or her body beyond normal levels of endurance.
- Conjure: Shamans and other Runners with Conjure use the Conjure skill to summon and command Gear/Spirit cards.
- Decking: The Decking skill allows Deckers (cybernetically enhanced Runners who can manipulate encoded data with their minds) to access the worldwide communications net known as the Matrix.
- Demolitions: A Runner with the Demolitions skill is highly experienced working with explosives.
- Firearms: Runners with Firearms are proficient with a variety of projectile weapons.
- Gunnery: Runners with the Gunnery skill specialize in firing really big weapons.
- Leadership: Leadership allows Runners to remain calm under pressure and to successfully manage difficult situations.
- Melee: Runners with Melee are experts at fighting with their hands and with hand-to-hand weaponry.
- Piloting: The Piloting skill allows riggers (Runners who use a cybernetic link to control vehicles and drones) to drive or steer anything with wheels, wings, treads or any other type of mechanical propulsion.
- Social: The Social skill allows Runners to succeed in situations where talking is more important than shooting.
- Sorcery: The Sorcery skill allows Mages and other Runners with Sorcery to use Gear/Spell cards.
Special Traits
Some Runners have special traits that make them unusual among the denizens of the Sprawl. These traits appear as keywords on Runner cards. All special traits have a base rating of 1, unless otherwise indicated. A Runner may use his special trait at any time during the game.
Some traits require the player to turn the Runner in order to use them; others do not. If a Runner has been turned to go on a run, they may still use a special trait that does not require them to turn.
- Anti-social: If a Runner with the Anti-social trait is present during a shadowrun, the shadowrunning team automatically fails to sleaze any Challenge with a Social sleaze requirement. The alarm is triggered for the remainder of the run.
- Biotech: Biotech allows a Runner to completely heal themselves or a target Runner (but not Spirits or Drones) who is present, provided the target Runner has a Body of at least 1. The Runner must turn to use Biotech unless they are on a shadowrun. If on a shadowrun, they need not turn but may only use the trait between Challenges. This trait can only be used once per turn. A Runner with enhanced Biotech may heal a number of Runners equal to their Biotech rating but must heal them all at the same time. For example, a Runner with Biotech 2 may heal two Runners. This special trait cannot be used on Cyborgs.
- Fame: A player may add 1 nuyen to the amount they collect during the Credstick phase for every point of Fame their deployed Runners possess. For example, if a player has one Runner in play with Fame 2 or two Runners in play with Fame, the player would add 2 nuyen to his Credstick during the Credstick phase.
- Guard: The Guard trait allows a Runner to take damage directed at another Runner that is present. A Runner with Guard may take damage equal to their Body. Any excess damage must be taken by the original target. A runner using Guard during a shadowrun need not turn to use the trait; at all other times, they are required to turn.
- Hermit: A Runner with the Hermit special trait cannot visit or use Location cards.
- Recon: The Recon trait allows a Runner to turn to view one Challenge card during the Legwork phase of the Runner's owner's turn. A Runner with enhanced Recon may perform a number of Recons equal to his Recon rating. For example, a Runner with Recon 2 may perform two Recons (look at 2 Challenge cards) per turn.
- Stamina: A Runner with Stamina ignores the effects of Fatigue (see Fatigue in Combat, p. 18).
Prime Runners
Prime Runners are Runners who have achieved legendary status in the sprawl. They are extraordinary individuals who possess powers and skills beyond those of the typical Runner. Only one of each Prime Runner can be in play at the same time. For example, if you are holding Lord Torgo in your hand and your opponent has Lord Torgo in play, you cannot play Lord Torgo until your opponent's card is trashed or fragged.
Prime Runners have an Upkeep cost in addition to a deployment cost, shown in the upper right corner of the card and separated from the deployment cost by a slash. The deployment cost appears to the left of the slash, the Upkeep cost to the right. You must pay a Prime Runner's Upkeep cost every turn to keep that card in play (see Credstick Phase, p. 7 in Playing the Game).
Prime Runners are also considered Unique, so only one of each may be included in a player's deck.
Dead Runners
When a Runner dies, trash the Runner card along with any Gear or Special cards that the Runner is holding.
Gear
Gear cards represent the equipment Runners use to make themselves better, stronger, and more effective. Players deploy Gear cards on unturned Runners to give Runners the edge they need to defeat Challenges and take Objectives. When a Gear card is played on a Runner, the Runner is said to be "holding" the Gear card. Players may swap Gear cards between Runners (see Swapping Gear, p. 8 in Playing the Game).
The Categories
Gear cards are divided into ten different types.
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Accessories: Accessories can be attached to Weapon cards. If a Weapon with an Accessory is trashed, the Accessory also is trashed.
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Armor: Armor cards add to a Runner's Body and increase the Runner's ability to withstand damage. A Runner may only hold one Armor card at a time. See Armor, p. 18 for additional Armor rules.
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Cyberware: Cyberware cards represent the metal put into a Runner's body, the artificial enhancements that can be surgically applied to an individual to improve their natural abilities. Players may deploy Cyberware cards only on their own Runners. Some Cyberware cards function as weapons, while others modify a Runner's skills.
Each piece of Cyberware has a deployment cost and an Essence cost. Essence represents a Runner's biological coherence, and every piece of Cyberware installed in a Runner destroys a little of that coherence. When Cyberware cards are deployed on a Runner, they lose Essence. A Runner may hold up to 6 Essence points of Cyberware: if you try to give a Runner more than 6 Essence points worth of Cyberware, the Runner dies. Trash all Gear/Cyberware cards on the dead Runner along with the Runner.
Because Cyberware has a crippling effect on Runners who use magic, Mages and Shamans cannot use Cyberware. Burned-Out Mages can use it, however, because they have lost part of their ability to use magic. They often try to compensate for their failing skills with Cyberware.
Cyberware cannot be swapped between Runners and cannot be replaced or removed once it is deployed on a Runner. The addition of Cyberware cannot give a Runner more than the normal number of limbs (two legs, two arms, one head).
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Drones: Drone cards (remotely piloted vehicles) may only be used by Riggers. Drone cards have a deployment cost and a Threat Rating. When used on shadowruns, a Drone is treated as a Runner and may attack and take damage. Because the Rigger is busy controlling the Drone, when a Rigger uses Drones on a shadowrun, they may not add their Attack Value to the team's Attack Value during combat. The Rigger, however, is still vulnerable to attacks from Challenges or Special Cards (see Combat, p. 18).
Gear Keywords
The following keywords appear on cards to indicate special abilities of certain types of Gear.
- Burst Fire: This keyword appears on Gear cards as a nuyen cost followed by the words Burst Fire (for example, 2 nuyen: Burst Fire). Burst Fire allows you to pay the listed nuyen cost and roll D6, then add the result to the Attack Value of the target card. Burst Fire may be used once per weapon per combat.
- Indirect Fire: Indirect Fire allows a Runner to use a weapon to assist a Shadowrun without leaving the safehouse. Turn the Runner holding the weapon to add that weapon's Attack Value to the cumulative Attack Value of the shadowrunning team. The Runner using the weapon does not add his Attack Value to the team's and is not eligible to take damage from the shadowrun.
- Silenced Weapon: If the alarm on a Challenge is triggered, and the shadowrunning team defeats the Challenge using only Silenced Weapons, the team may continue the shadowrun as though the alarm was never triggered.
Objectives
Objective cards are the target of shadowruns and the primary source of the Reputation points required to win the game. Objective cards are played from a separate pile.
Each Objective has special rules and/or requirements indicated on the card that a Runner team must fulfill in order to win the Objective. Before you begin a shadowrun against an Objective, read the text on the card carefully. These rules may affect Challenges, Runners, the rules of the game, or even other Objectives. Keywords have the same meaning on both Objectives and Challenges (see below).
Challenges
Challenges represent all the things that get in the way of a successful shadowrun. They cover the spectrum of obstacles a team of Runners might encounter on the way to winning an Objective, from nasty critters to security to bad traffic. Each category of Challenge card has a keyword (see Challenge Keywords, p. 17) that defines certain rules or limitations associated with the card.
Most Challenges have a sleaze requirement that determines whether or not the Runner team can sneak past the Challenge without triggering the alarm. If the alarm is triggered, the shadowrunning team must face the Threat Rating of the Challenge and fight its way to the Objective (see Combat, p. 18). Most sleaze requirements are based on skills. If the Runner team has the necessary skills, it will successfully sleaze the Challenge.
If a Challenge has no Threat Rating, then the shadowrunning team must deal with any special instructions that appear on the card. (See Legwork Phase, p. 7 in Playing the Game.)
Challenge Keywords
Challenges may have more than one keyword, which means a single Challenge card can combine various restrictions and effects.
- Awakened: Awakened Challenges represent the powerful mystical beings that inhabit the magically active world of Shadowrun.
- Barrier: Barrier Challenges are physical magical obstacles that get in the way of the Runners.
- Closed System: A closed system is not connected to the Matrix. The Runner team cannot access these Challenges from the safehouse, and so the Decker must leave the safehouse and go on the shadowrun. In other words, a Decker cannot use Programs to affect Closed System Challenges unless they are present on the shadowrun.
- Electrical: Electrical Challenges are electrical electronic and are vulnerable to Matrix attacks.
- Indoors: The Challenge is indoors.
- Miscellaneous: Challenges whose effects do not fit the other Challenge categories.
- Outdoors: The Challenge is outdoors.
- Personnel: Personnel Challenges are the guards, grunts, and security teams hired to protect Objective.
- Street: Street Challenges represent street-level problems that the Runners may encounter, including gangs, organized crime and traffic.
- Vehicle: These Challenges represent vehicle-related situations that may arise while Runners are en route to an Objective.
Locations
Location cards represent places in the world of Shadowrun. Each card has a deployment cost and a unique function, which is described on the card. Some Location cards require the player to pay nuyen each time their Runners use the card. Unless otherwise stated, Location cards may only be used during the Legwork phase (see Legwork Phase, p. 7 in Playing the Game).
Contacts
Contact cards represent the people who live in the shadows and who will help Runners—for a price. Cards that target or affect a specific metatype can affect Contacts of that metatype (a Contact's metatype appears on each card). Each Contact card has a deployment cost and a unique function. Some Contacts require the player to pay nuyen each time their Runners use the card. Unless otherwise stated, Contact cards may be used only during the Legwork phase.
Specials
Special cards are the wild cards of the game. They represent unique events and occurrences in the world of Shadowrun, from food poisoning to rampaging mutants and can only be played on your turn. Some Special cards called Stingers can be played at any time in the game, allowing players to mimic the unpredictability of life. Stinger cards have an exclamation-point icon in the upper right corner of the card. Like other cards, the deployment cost of Stinger cards must be paid before the card can be put into play.
Combat
With the exception of combat situations that arise through the play of Special cards and interceptions by opposing Runner teams, combat occurs when the alarm is triggered during a shadowrun. The alarm is triggered when a team of Runners fails to sleaze a Challenge, and so most combat situations involve Runners and the threat posed by Challenges.
Resolving Combat
Combat may only occur between cards that have Threat Ratings. Combat is resolved by comparing the Attack Value of a card to the Body of an opposing card. Attacks and damage take place simultaneously, and the cards involved inflict and receive damage at exactly the same time. This is true in all combat situations, whether they involve two cards or ten cards.
Combat between Runners and Challenges takes place in three basic steps, explained below. Treat combat between Runners and Objectives in the same way as for Challenges (see p. 19, Combat Between Runners).
Armor
Both Runners and Challenges may have Armor, indicated in parentheses as A and a number (for example, A2). Some Gear cards can be played on a Runner to modify their Armor Rating, or to provide unarmored Runners with Armor. Armor provided by Gear cards is indicated two ways. The first is as A + a number, for example, A + 1. In this case, a Runner with Armor increases the rating of that Armor by 1, and a Runner without Armor receives an Armor Rating of 1. Armor provided by Gear cards may also be indicated as A and a number (for example, A1). In this case, the Armor provided by the Gear is not cumulative with any other Armor. If a Runner has Armor of A1 and is holding a Vehicle card that provides Armor of A2, the Runner is protected by an Armor Rating of 2.
Armor blocks damage from each potential source of attack. In combat, the Armor Rating of a card is subtracted from the Attack Value of each attacking card before the target card takes damage. For example, when a team of Runners attacks an armored Challenge, subtract the Armor Rating of the Challenge from the Attack Value of each Runner. This means that if a Runner with an Attack Value of 6 fights a Challenge with an Armor Rating of 3, the Runner inflicts only 3 points of damage on the Challenge. The Armor deflects the other 3 points.
Armor-Piercing Damage
Any damage described as armor-piercing ignores the effects of Armor. In other words, if a Runner uses the Gear/Accessory card Armor-Piercing Ammo to damage another Runner protected by Armor, the target Runner may not subtract his Armor Rating from the damage; they must take the full damage of the attack.
Fatigue
When a Runner takes damage, that damage inhibits their ability to perform during a shadowrun and the Runner suffers from Fatigue. To represent the effects of Fatigue, subtract the unhealed damage the Runner has taken from both their Attack Value and their Body. This modifier to the Runner's Threat Rating remains in effect until the damage is healed.
Runners with Stamina may ignore the effects of Fatigue.
Attacking First
When a card has the ability to attack first, it inflicts damage and uses special abilities before other cards have a chance to do so.
Step 1: Damage to the Challenge
Add together the Attack Values of all Runners engaged in the combat, modifying the Runners' Threat Ratings for Gear cards as necessary. If the combat involves a Spirit or Drone, use the appropriate Threat Rating according to the rules on p. 12, About The Cards.
Compare the total Attack Value of the shadowrunning team to the Body of the Challenge, accounting for Armor when necessary. If the total Attack Value equals or exceeds the Body of the Challenge, the Challenge is defeated.
If the total Attack Value of the Runners does not equal or exceed the Body of the Challenge, the shadowrun is over and the Challenge is returned, face down, to its original position. Challenges do not retain damage like Runners and need not be healed; if they are not defeated, they return to the Challenge stack and fight the next Runner team at full strength.
Step 2: Damage to the Runner, Spirit, or Drone
The Challenge inflicts an amount of damage on the Runner team equal to the Challenge's Attack Value. The shadowrunning player chooses how to divide the damage between Runners, Drones, and Spirits present on the run, accounting for Armor when necessary. You may not allocate an amount of damage to a Runner, Spirit or Drone higher than its current Body. In other words, a card may not take more damage than is needed to "kill" it.
If a card takes an amount of damage less than its Body (survives the attack but is wounded), place a number of tokens on the card equal to the amount of damage taken. This damage may be healed during your next turn.
Step 3: Trash Defeated Cards
Trash all Challenges, Runners, Spirits and Drones defeated in combat. Also trash any Gear cards held by Runners defeated in combat.
Combat Between Runners
Certain cards and situations are designed to bring Runners into conflict with other Runners. Combat between Runners is resolved in the same way as combat against Challenges. Unlike combat against Challenges, however, once the combat is resolved, the Runners must return to their respective safehouses (or are trashed if killed during the combat)—the Runner team may not choose to stay and fight a second time (as when facing a second Challenge).
Only unturned Runners may voluntarily enter combat with other Runners. Turn Runners in order to attack opposing Runners.
When combat has been resolved, the surviving Runners return to the safehouse in their original turned or unturned state.
Two Runners
Compare the Threat Ratings of the Runners involved, accounting for Armor as appropriate. If a Runner's Attack Value equals or exceeds the Body of his opponent, that opponent is defeated. Because damage occurs simultaneously, two Runners may kill each other in combat. Trash any defeated Runners along with any Gear cards they are holding.
Three or More Runners
When more than two Runners engage in combat, the Runners pair up into individual conflicts. The player who initiated the combat (the Attacker) chooses an opponent for each of his Runners to fight. (You may want to physically move the cards opposite each other to avoid confusion when combat is resolved.)
If the Attacker's Runners outnumber their opponent's (the Defender), then the Attacker chooses which of the individual conflicts his extra Runners join. If the Defender's Runners outnumber the Attacker's, than the Defender chooses which of the individual conflicts his extra Runners join.
For example, Mike sends his team of three Runners to fight Jim's team of five Runners. Mike initiated the conflict, so he chooses opponents for his three Runners. Because Jim's team outnumbers Mike's team, however, Jim chooses which of the three individual fights his two extra Runners will join. Jim may choose to add both Runners to one conflict, creating a three-on-one situation, or he may split up his two extra Runners to create a pair of two-on-one battles.
If a Runner controls Drones or Spirits, they may involve them in any of the individual battles taking place (including his own). Treat Drones and Spirits as Runners in this situation. If a Runner controlling Drones or Spirits is killed in combat, trash the Drones or Spirits along with the Runner.
When all of the individual fights have been arranged, compare the Threat Ratings of the Runners involved to determine the outcome of the battles. If multiple Runners are fighting a single opponent, add their Threat Ratings together to determine damage.
If a single Runner is fighting against several opponents, the single Runner's owner chooses where to allocate the damage.
Once combat is resolved, trash any defeated Runners and any Gear cards they are holding.
Intercepting a Shadowrun
If a player declares a shadowrun against an undefended Objective (an Objective with no opponents' Challenges guarding it), the Objective's owner may choose to intercept the shadowrun with one or more of his unturned Runners. If the Objective's owner chooses not to intercept the shadowrun, another player may do so. The option to intercept proceeds clockwise around the table until a player chooses to intercept or until each player has declined to defend the Objective. Only one player may intercept the shadowrun.
Note that only one shadowrun on each revealed Objective may be intercepted per game.
To intercept a shadowrun, a player must turn a Runner (or team of Runners) and engage the shadowrunning team in combat. Combat is resolved as described in Combat Between Runners, above.
Intercepting a shadowrun automatically ends the shadowrun. The Runner team is considered to have pulled out of the shadowrun even if the team defeats the intercepting Runners.