
- BGG rank
- BGG #830
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Star Wars: Destiny
- 2 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2016

Rules assistance for Android: Netrunner – First Contact
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Android: Netrunner – First Contact is an expansion for Android: Netrunner released in 2014 for 2 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Richard Garfield and Lukas Litzsinger and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Secret Unit Deployment.
Game description from the publisher: "Welcome to Heinlein." First Contact is the third Data Pack in the "Lunar Cycle" for Android: Netrunner. After heading Upstalk and passing through The Spaces Between, it's time to land on the moon. First Contact shakes up the contests between Corp and Runner by introducing three new region upgrades, mythic ice, new traps, resources, and a new Anarch identity. The Data Pack's sixty cards (three copies each of twenty different cards) also depict a new meat space where gravity is low, people all wear spacesuits, there's only one fully established city, and everything is enclosed. Confined. Watched. From the remotest edges of Port Anson Grid to the seedy underbelly of Duggar's, First Contact immerses players in a strange and alien setting in which there are very few places the game's Corps don't control completely, everything you thought you knew is just a shade different, and it's all that much more important to find someone to guide you through your ongoing cyberstruggles...
Android: Netrunner – First Contact supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Android: Netrunner – First Contact is 45 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Android: Netrunner – First Contact for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Android: Netrunner – First Contact has a complexity rating of 3.4 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Android: Netrunner – First Contact belongs to these categories: Card Game, Bluffing, and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Secret Unit Deployment. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Android: Netrunner – First Contact are: Richard Garfield and Lukas Litzsinger. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Android: Netrunner – First Contact as an expansion for Android: Netrunner. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Android: Netrunner to use it. Check that your edition of Android: Netrunner is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.