Some of the best fun I had at PAX was sitting down with some random people Sunday morning and playing a game I'd never even heard of before. A couple of hours with some great people learning and playing something that ended up being a blast.
Board games, you guys. They're fantastic.
Someone teach me to play Android: Netrunner. I'm getting a copy in the next week or so and I'm psyched.
Fantasy Flight makes videos demonstrating how their game is played and they are produced very well. The complete Android Netrunner video is
here.
Unfortunately, since Netrunner is a rather deep game, to have a more focused video without a lot of asides/sidebars they had to omit a few things. Of course there were passionate players that wanted to help the community understand the game and get the most enjoyment out of it (because the game is
brilliant). Many people have found
this video very helpful in learning the game.
I recommend watching those videos in the order I listed them and then reading the rulebook included in the box. You'll find it much easier to comprehend and will surely find yourself nodding along as you read it because it just sinks in that much easier.
There is also an FAQ which further clarifies some rules. It's unlikely you need it right away, but as you come across certain things that you're not quite sure about, it'll come in very handy. The reason being is that this and most other card games like it have a 'golden rule' which is "If the text of a card directly conflicts with the rules
in this book, the card text takes precedence." This can sometimes be confusing, but as you play the game, it'll be easy to see and understand how they work without even thinking. I'm making it sound much more complex than it is, you'll see for yourself when you play, it's a great game with a lot of depth. Anyway,
here's a direct link to the PDF of the current FAQ version.
If you get right into it, you'll want a second core set (to have 3x certain cards so you can properly build a deck) and no doubt the data packs will entice you with their wonderful cards and possibilities. The first deluxe set just came out and it's pretty cool. I'm not sure where you are, but if you have a gaming store near you it's likely they will hold tournaments with cool prizes. FFG also hold regional competitions (once a year, I think) with very cool prizes on offer.
Hopefully this helps get you started.
Edit: If you're interested, Team Covenant has videos of Netrunner being played with commentary. I think they're quite cool.
Linkage.
