Shadowrun: The Trading Card Game – Underworld
- 2–8 players
- 1998
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,383
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Shadowrun: The Trading Card Game
1997
Rules assistance for Shadowrun: The Trading Card Game
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–8 players
- 60 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.7/5
Rules assistant for Shadowrun: The Trading Card Game
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Shadowrun: The Trading Card Game is a board game released in 1997 for 2–8 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Mike Nielsen and its main mechanics are Deck Construction.
Expansions
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #15,501
- BGG rating
- 6.8
VOR: The Maelstrom
- 2–10 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 1999
- BGG rank
- BGG #16,809
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Cyberpunk Trading Card Game
- 2 players
- 15–30 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2026
- BGG rank
- BGG #169
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Magic: The Gathering
- 2–6 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 1993
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,277
- BGG rating
- 7.9
Flesh and Blood
- 2 players
- 10–50 min
- Complexity 3.6/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,907
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Pokémon Trading Card Game: Battle Academy
- 2 players
- 20–45 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2020
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,378
- BGG rating
- 6.3
Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game
- 2 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 2.9/5
- 1999
- BGG rank
- BGG #15,237
- BGG rating
- 8.1
Warhammer Underworlds: Deathgorge
- 2 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2023
- BGG rank
- BGG #818
- BGG rating
- 7.5
A Game of Thrones: The Card Game (Second Edition)
- 2–4 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 3.5/5
- 2015
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,317
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire
- 2 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,959
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Middle-earth
- 1–5 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 3.7/5
- 1995
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,853
- BGG rating
- 6.4
Pokémon Trading Card Game
- 2 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 1996
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,125
- BGG rating
- 7.9
Warhammer Underworlds: Gnarlwood
- 2–4 players
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2022
About the game
This game takes fantasy with magic, elves, dwarves, orcs, trolls etc., and puts them in a cyberpunk world 60 years in the future. There are 7 types of cards... Runners - You collect groups of these characters and use them to make runs on objectives. Some of these can support the group through computers while staying safe at home. These cards have symbols on them that represent their abilities and these are use to bypass threats without actually having to face them. Objectives - These are what you are making runs on. They are worth reputation points and usually have a task that you must best or a number of symbols that you have to match with the symbols on your runners. Challenge - You assign these to the objectives as additional hurdles that you have to get by before you can tackle the objective. Usually you can overcome them with the right symbols but if not they can represent nasty things you will have to fight or things that will just hurt you. Gear - This is stuff that you assign to runners to help them make runs. Some gear requires you to have a runner with a matching symbol. Locations - These represent places that you control and can help you in various ways. Contacts - These represent people that will help you. Specials - These are instants that you play to affect the current situation. Everything is driven by money which is hard to come by. It costs money to acquire almost every card and a lot of cards require money spent just to keep them in play or every time you use them.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Fanpro
- Diseños Orbitales
- ISA
- FASA
Questions and answers
Shadowrun: The Trading Card Game supports 2–8 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Shadowrun: The Trading Card Game is 60 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 Shadowrun: The Trading Card Game for ages 12 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.
Shadowrun: The Trading Card Game has a complexity rating of 2.7 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light 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.
Shadowrun: The Trading Card Game belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fantasy, and Fighting. Its main mechanics are Deck Construction. 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 Shadowrun: The Trading Card Game are: Mike Nielsen. 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 Shadowrun: The Trading Card Game as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.