NetRunner is a game based on the genre of Cyberpunk and Cyberspace. The object is to break into computers and steal as much money as you can. To do this, you have a cyberdeck, and various programs. But the systems you are attempting to break into also have programs (called ICE: Intrusion Counter Electronics) that will try to prevent you from breaking in. These programs can do anything from alerting a computer operator who will drop carrier on you, to trying to kill you.
Name and Stats
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To start out in the game, you must first pick the ‘nym (short for pseudonym) that you wish to use in the game. This is the name by which all the other players will know you.
Then you will be taken to the Stats Selection screen. The game will give you five chances to select stats with varying pro’s and cons. If you don’t choose any of the five, you will be able to try back the next day. The stats, also referred to as attributes, are explained below:
Intelligence
Lets you do more damage to ICE and helps
minimize damage the ICE does to you. One
of the most important stats.
Reflex
Decides who is faster and who attacks first.
And since there are programs that kill you
in one shot this is very important.
Body
Some ICE attack you physically, like sending
a large amount voltage down the phone line,
to fry your brains or stop your heart. This
is how much damage you can take before you die.
Luck
This is rather ambiguous. It can help you hit
an ICE when you would have missed, or cause an
ICE to miss when it would have hit. It can
help you do more damage (IE you hit the ICE
in a tender place accidently). Luck can be
helpful but don’t count on it.
Brokers
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Brokers are your only source of the necessary equipment and software that lets you Deck. Since most of the items the Broker sells you are extremely illegal to possess, they cannot be obtained by normal means──and they tendto be expensive. Note that while Brokers are generally quite careful and reliable insofar as the programs they sell you, there is always a small chance that a rogue virus will pop up in the warez. But don’t worry, if that happens you’ll find out real quick.
Franny
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Franny runs a pirate BBS for you to buy/sell software and leave messages to other netrunners about your exploits or give/get tips etc. She tries to keep the programs in her program section virus free, but she is busy, and with the disreputable bunch of users she’s got, they keep popping back up. She’ll buy programs if the ones you have are better than the ones she has. The risk of getting virii here is definitely higher than buying the ‘wares from a broker, but then here they are cheap.
The BBS is intentionally low-tech (non-cyberspace) so it’s harder to break into. Only known hackers, crackers, and miscreants are given access.The Secret Service (SS), FBI, and Netcops are not aware of this BBS yet so don’t worry… yet. (Maybe next version)
Techs
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Without Techs, the breed of Deckers would be a dying one. They sell you improvements, repairs, and modifications for your Cyberdeck, some of which are listed below:
Deck Speed
Your Deck Speed starts out at 0,
but you can build this up to 10.
The cost to upgrade your deck
speed is the current speed plus
one, squared times 1000. So if
your current speed was 3, your
next upgrade would cost:
(3 + 1) * (3 + 1) = 16,000
Deck Armor
You start out with 2 points of
Deck Armor, but this can be
upgraded to 5. The means of
figuring the cost is the same
as for Deck Speed.
Deck Memory
Your Deck Memory indicates
how many programs your Deck
can hold in storage at one
time. It starts out at 10,
but a one-time modification
can increase the storage
capacity to 20 programs. It
costs 25,000 creds.
Replacement ROM
Some ICE, like the Burner,
will attack your Deck directly
rather than attacking you. When
this happen, your ROM will be
burnt out, which will prevent
you from Decking again until it
is replaced. This replacement
costs 1,000 creds.
Wares
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Warez are the programs you use to support your socially unacceptable but highly profitable activities. They range from simple funds transfers to super-powerful ICEbreaking virii designed to smash a system’s defenses. They are divided into three categories: ICEbreakers, Analyzation, and Defense.
─ICEbreakers─
These are your basic (and not-so-basic) attack programs, which you use
to crack the defenses and ICE guarding a system you wish to rob blind.
Each of them function differently, and have different strategies
attached to them. They include:
Icepick
The simplest and least powerful attack program. Effective against
most smaller ICE, but useless for long-term use. You start out
with one copy of this, and it costs 2,000 creds.
Torch
Slightly more powerful than Icepick. Very effective against mid-
range ICE, and can wipe out smaller ICE in one hit. Cost is 16,000
creds.
Flamethrower
A common, but extremely powerful ICEbreaker program. Affordable
effective against almost any kind of ICE. Cost is 64,000 creds.
Spark/Arc/Lightning
Similar in power and identical in pricing to the
Icepick/Torch/Flamethrower set of programs, these are unique in
that they will destroy any ICE in exactly two hits. This is useful
against higher-level ICE, against which you could waste precious
time hacking away with Flamethrower, but against even a lowly
Crasher ICE, the powerful Lightning would still take two hits. The
difference in power is that each successive program is more likely
to hit and cause damage.
Plastique/Nitro/Fusion
Similar in function to the Icepick/Torch/Flamethrower set of
ICEbreakers, this set of programs is far more powerful. Plastique
costs 250,000 creds, Nitro costs 1,000,000 creds, and Fusion costs
4,000,000 creds.
─Analyzation─
The Analyzation genre of programs deals with information and data
retrieval, as well as tactical and diagnostic assimilation.
Transfer
This program is absolutely *essential* to any decker’s career. It
is used to transfer money and data from a system. When you find a
Data node that has money in it, run this program and the money will
automatically be credited to your account. It works by causing the
system to perform an electronic funds transfer, and then
manipulating the data to hide the transfer. Since its operation is
quite simple, and the fact that it is so necessary and commonplace,
the price for this program is relatively low──1,000 creds.
Analyze
While a Decker is certainly able to make his fortune without this
program, its purchase is strongly encouraged. This program can only
be run while you are in the CPU node of a system, and when
activated it gives you a readout of the total number of ICE and
credits left in the system, up to the moment. This is invaluable in
terms of time saved finding out afterwards exactly how worthless
(or valuable) a run into the system would have been, and to find
out if you missed any money after a run. It costs 3,000 creds.
Diagnostics
Another essential program here, the Diagnostics program checks out
all your programs in memory, and highlights in red the ones which
have been corrupted by hits from ICE attacks. It is advised that
you run this after every battle in which you get hit.
Unfortunately, the cost of this program is prohibitive──25,000
creds. However, most Deckers agree that the program is well worth
the price.
Recon
The Recon program scans the adjacent nodes of a system, and tells
you what ICE and credits, if any, are in them. Note that some
higher-level ICE can fool the Recon program into concealing their
existence, so be careful when using it in high-security systems. It
costs 5,000 credits, and can be very handy at times.
Viruscan
The Viruscan program is the only way of finding out if you have a
virus in memory, short of the virus popping out and rearing its
ugly head. Virii tend to be several days ahead of Viruscan, so if
you got a virus on Game Day 4, only a Viruscan bought on Game Day 7
or later would detect it. Luckily, it only costs 1,000 creds, so
you’re not out by much.
─Defense─
Defense programs are designed to aid you in moving through a system
unmolested, and in guarding a system.
Stealth/Stealth II
These two sister programs are designed to make you invisible to
ICE, so that you may pass through a few nodes undetected. It can be
useful if you’re hurt bad and don’t want to have to tackle a lot of
ICE. You cannot run this program once an ICE has seen you, however.
Stealth costs 8,000 creds. Stealth II is somewhat stronger and more
likely to succeed, and costs 50,000 creds. Note that it is
generally considered among netrunners that only wimps use this
program, and that they aren’t “real” Deckers.
Matrix Mine
These are nasty little things that you can use you really nail
another Decker. You can run it in almost any node of a system, and
once run it will delete itself from memory, and the next day a
Matrix Mine ICE will emerge in that node, and will attack the first
Decker to enter that node (including you). The program is
copy-protected, so it cannot be backed up, and costs 100,000 creds.
Drugs
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Drugs will increase your stats to give you an edge in your decking, but drugs are dangerous. Every time you take them, there is a small chance you will die, or if you take a lot in one day, there is a chance you will burn some neurons, lowering that stat some.
ICE
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ICE──short for Intrusion Counter Electronics──are programs that try to keep you out of the system they are protecting. You can either try to sneak past the ICE, or try to blow them to kingdom-come. Some ICE include:
Corruption1-3
These will try to corrupt the programs in your deck to raise the chance
that they will crash. NOTE: A corrupted program can still work; it will
just crash some, most, or all of the time depending on the amount of
corruption.
Wight/Wraith/Vampire
These ICE are little stronger and will attack your program to make them
weaker. If a program loses all it’s strength, it will be deleted from
your deck. Note that if you copy a damaged program, the copy will also
be damaged.
Burner
This will attempt to burn out the ROM in your deck, making it unusable
for netrunning till you replace the ROM. If you do not have the credits
to replace the ROM, don’t worry──all NetRunners get a small income
daily from various off jobs, and you’ll eventually have enough to
replace it.
Crasher
Perhaps one of the most annoying ICE, as this one will just crash your
deck and make you drop out of the system.
Raider
A variation of Crasher ICE, this will steal all of your money then Crash
your deck.
Hit & Run
This is just like the Raider ICE, except after it crashes you out of the
system, it will move to a different node in the system.
Flatliner
This ICE will attack your Deck’s electronics, in an attempt to stop
your heart. If your Body is damaged below 0, you will be effectively
Flatlined, and have to return the next day.
Mindwipe
This ICE will send high amounts of voltage through the phone lines in
an attempt to fry your brain. If your Int falls below 0, you will be
killed, and have to return the next day.
AI
There are rumors of AI’s (Artificial Intelligences) being in some of the
higher level systems, but nobody seems to have first hand knowledge. It
could be just stories, or that nobody has survived.
Security Levels
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Different systems have different levels of security. When decking you will see these levels as blue, green, yellow, red, or black. The higher the level, the faster the systems, the deadlier the ICE, but… the higher the rewards.
Fighting a particular ICE in a lower level system will be easier than fighting the same type ICE in a higher level system. So beware.
Node Types
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There are different types of nodes that you may encounter within a system. They are…
SAN
System Access Node. The entrance and exit between the Net and the
system.
CPU
Central Processing Unit. Here, all the SubProcessors are organized
and the entire system is co-ordinated. You can hook an Analyze
program into this node to find out, vaguely, what’s in the system.
SPU
Sub Processing Unit. Smaller, less powerful processors designed to
carry out specific tasks and assist ICE in the defense of the system.
DATA
Data Node. Here, money and data are accumulated and stored safely out
of the reach of incorrigible criminals. (Heh) You will rarely, if
ever, find a Data node with money that is not guarded by an ICE, so
beware.
IOP
Input Output Port. Monitors, Keyboards, Modems, RS-232 ports, and any
other variations on the basic theme of Input/Output. There is
currently no way to access these ports… yet.
DLJ
Data Line Junction. A section of the system where optical cables by
the thousands convey the endeless stream of data which is life to
Deckers. Unforunately, the current line of Cyberdecks available to
Deckers is insufficiently powerful to access these lines…
S_N
Slave Node. A completely independent SubProcessor linked to the
mother system for a specific purpose.
Decking
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Decking is actually going into the system. Not physically into the system, but it will seem like you are. You are in reality sending your programs into the other computer and trying to get it to run them, while it is sending programs to your deck, trying to get it to run it’s programs (ICE).
First, you jack into your deck. (WITH YOUR NUMLOCK ON) Use you keypad to move through the net. Systems are displayed as small to large boxes. To enter a system, just move into one of these boxes.
Also, as you move around the net, you may see ‘ghosts’ (grey figures). These mark where another netrunner has left the net at, and when you leave the net, you will leave a ‘ghost’ too.
You enter a system through the SAN (System Access Node). Next move through the system looking for data nodes (that is where the money is at). You will only be able to see what is in your node, and what type of nodes are adjacent to the node you’re in.
If there is an ICE in the node you are in, and it sees you, it will attempt to attack you (or sound alarm or whatever). You may or may not get to attack it first. You cannot leave this node until you have destroyed the ICE, except by jacking out (pulling the plug), which will kick you out of the whole Net until you jack back in, and effectively remove you from the system.
Once you’ve made it to a data node (there can be more than one), execute your transfer program, and you are richer. You can lose money going into a system if it does more damage to you and your deck, than what you manage to steal. Pick your systems wisely.
Appendix
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Burning Chrome by William Gibson
Neuromancer by William Gibson
Count Zero by William Gibson
Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson
Dreams of Flesh and Sand by W.T. Quick
Dreams of Gods and Men by W.T. Quick
Singularities by W.T. Quick
Hardwired by Walter Jon Williams
Voice Of The Whirlwind by Walter Jon Williams
The Company Man by Joe Clifford Faust
Vickers by Mick Farren
The Feelies by Mick Farren
The Running Man by Richard Bachman
(Stephen King)
Other good sources are various ‘CyberPunk’ role-playing games
on the market:
ShadowRun by FASA
Virtual Realities by FASA
CyberPunk 2020 by R. Talsorian Games
CyberSpace by ICE
GURPS CyberPunk by Steve Jackson Games
And for a good look at what a ‘CyberPunk’ world looks like,
rent the movie Blade Runner!
Finally, it works well to listen to speed metal while playing
this game (IE Yngwie Malmsteen, Megadeath, or Metallica).
GOOD LUCK!
To play NetRunner, point your favorite telnet client to capitolshrill.com or use our handy web based terminal.
Available Scores
/home/capshril/public_html/scores/netrun.ans was last modified: January 01 1970 00:00:00.
Scores updated nightly-ish as new data is available. Current scores can be found on the BBS.