Hi! Thanks for posting–I know that it’s never easy to put things out onto the internet for folks to critique (it’s also easier to be a critic than a creator); and I think posting on Stimhack is perhaps the biggest chance to have folks who understand what you are aiming to do here.
From my first blush, the website definitely has the framework. It’s sleek and the copper tints match well with the world you are trying to build. However, had I zero knowledge of netrunner, with mostly text explanations of the game, I don’t have a good sense of what the game looks like.
As for the concept, as a frequent poster of all things ANR, I’m both your target audience as well as the person who will give you the biggest push back. As a post above said, “Why wouldn’t I just play netrunner?” And while I understand the response, “It’s Streamlined Netrunner + Scythe + Gloomhaven in a 1920s Afterlife World”–my response to that response is still to push away.
Consider The Spoils, a nearly identical MTG clone. It def. “fixed” a few things that were wrong with MTG, and for quite a while was moderately successful. However, from my observation, it never shook the “It’s reskinned Magic The Gathering tag.” Limbo pushes me into this mindset.
Can you win over the devout ANR players? Maybe? I dunno.
Lastly, and this is a bit pick-nitty, but using “scoop” in place of “run” has an odd feeling in my brain. “I scoop that target there.” versus “I run that server there.” Maybe it’s just having played ANR for YEARS and so I’m conditioned and used to that language. Of course, every now and then I still smirk immaturely at the term “Jack-Out.”
So even then, “jack out” versus “stop the scoop” thematically feels pretty different.
One HUGE barrier to ANR is that there is thematic language for nearly EVERYTHING (except “remove from game.” I wish we adopted a term for that )however, one of the brilliant things about that thematic terminology is that it eventually lends itself to some good mental short cutting that ties in perfectly with what is happening in the game.
Scoop, Target, Character, Deck, Discard–all of these are the “same mental shortcuts” as above, but when we go side by side with Run, Server, HQ, RnD, Archives…the richness of the ANR world starts to surface even in the game’s terminology.
Do I think the game itself will be fun? Probably! A better version of a campaign setting than Terminal Directive sounds pretty awesome. And you have some neat tweaks to the game (like how to gain money by selling cards–oh yeah, “trash” is another keyword! ).
And I know you spent A LOT of time and effort on this, (hence me not just poo-pooing it due to personal cyberpunk tribalism), but I also know that I’m pretty close to your target audience…and as part of that sliver of the venn diagram, I am going to approach this with a good bit of hesitation.
So, there’s my thoughts. Feel free to ask any questions! For what it’s worth, I do hope this game does land how you want it to and it is well received and gets a shot at entering the world.
Thanks again for putting stuff out there. That ain’t easy.