Renegade Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• 1.0 Introduction
  • 1.1 Gameplay Overview
  • 1.2 Components Overview
• 2.0 Setting Up
• Glossary of Terms
• 3.0 Cyber Warfare Weapons
• 4.0 Winning and Losing
• 5.0 Sequence of Play
• 6.0 Intel Phase
• 7.0 Command Phase
  • 7.1 Start of Turn Step
  • 7.2 Restock Hack Shack Step
  • Of Sparks and Guardians
  • 7.3 New Sparks Step
  • 7.4 Command Actions Step
  • 7.5 Replenish Hand Step
  • 7.6 End of Turn Step
• 8.0 Countermeasures Phase
  • 8.1 SMC's Revenge Step
  • 8.2 Success or Failure Step
  • 8.3 Move Sparks Step
  • 8.4 Scoring Token Step
• 9.0 Refresh Phase
  • 9.1 End of Game Step
  • 9.2 New Deal Step
  • 9.3 Hack Shack Purge Step
• 10.0 Your Winning Score
• 11.0 Gameplay Variants
• 12.0 Rootkits
• The Renegades
• 13.0 Walkthrough
• Quick Reference

1.0 Introduction

Renegade is a game designed by Richard Wilkins for 1 to 5 players ages 14 and up with a playing time of approximately 90 minutes.

1.1 Gameplay Overview

You will hack into a network of five servers, operated by one of four SMCs (plus a tutorial Simulator SMC to ease new players into the game). Each of these SMCs brings its own style of defenses and increased complexity that you will need to defeat. Once you are jacked into an SMC's servers, you and your friends will assume the role of an Avatar (each with its own special ability), moving across the server's partitions and fighting for control of the network. But the SMCs will use Countermeasures to thwart your hacking efforts; survive them, and your team of hackers can take control and claim victory.

The game is played solitaire or co-operatively: All players will win or lose together.

The Hacker's Handbook

Game terms presented for the first time (and defined) are in small bold caps (e.g., network).

1.2 Components Overview

• 140 cards, as follows:
  • 75 Basic Command cards (15 per player color, forming their starting decks)
  • 36 Advanced Command cards
  • 5 SMC cards representing the different Super-Massive Computers
  • 24 Countermeasure cards (8 per Security Level: Copper, Silver, and Gold)
• 5 double-sided Renegade Profile sheets that describe each Renegade and their special ability, along with a summary of rules and effects
• 6 countersheets, which provide:
  • 5 server tiles
  • 15 Red/Yellow circular tokens
  • 15 Blue/Green circular tokens
  • 25 Black/Gray circular tokens
  • 25 square tokens (5 each of Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, and Black/Gray)
  • 7 Purple circular tokens
  • 3 circular Countermeasure Scoring tokens (one each of Copper, Silver, and Gold)
  • 10 Avatar standees
• 2 Infection Dice (one red, one black)
• 3 ICE Dice (one each of Copper, Silver, and Gold) — used in the d-ICE variant (see 11.0); these dice replace the SMC's black Infection Die when resolving Infection combat
• 1 Partition Die
• 1 Server Die — the Partition Die and Server Die, used together, are called the Spark Dice. They generate a random server color and a specific partition's number on that server.
• 1 Rulebook

Renegade Key Code (color legend)

Contaminants, Installations, Commands, and Servers all share a five-color code:

Color	Contaminant	Installation	Command	Server
Red	Virus	Propagator	Destruction	Salvation
Yellow	Replicant	Replicator	Deception	Virtue
Green	Uplink	Neural Hub	Cognition	Freedom
Blue	Data Node	Data Port	Information	Justice
Purple	(any)	(any)	Leadership	Faith

Countermeasures (Sparks/Flares and Guardians/Firewalls) are black and gray, and are not tied to any one color — they can appear on, and affect, any server.

2.0 Setting Up

Running a Simulation: For your first game, and when teaching new players, we have provided a "Simulation SMC" to challenge: The RS20 SMC and the Simulation Countermeasure cards. These simulation Countermeasure cards are a defined set for use with the RS20 SMC for tutorial purposes only and should never be mixed in with the general set of Countermeasure cards when creating a Countermeasure deck for any other SMC.

1. Determine the Alpha Hacker (i.e., the first player) by whatever method you choose. That Renegade remains the Alpha Hacker for the rest of the game.
2. Establish the Game Level: Select one SMC card to battle against and place all unused cards in the box. Each SMC card has a different difficulty and comes with its own setup and operating instructions. This is the "villain" you must bring down!
3. Create Your SMC Adversary: Sort the Countermeasure cards by Security Level: Copper, Silver, and Gold (if using the Simulation SMC, see the box above).
   1. Shuffle each pile separately with the descriptions showing (and their Success/Fail events face down).
   2. Draw the number of cards from each pile as indicated at the top of the SMC card you have selected (during Step 2, above).
   3. Arrange these drawn Countermeasure cards to form the Countermeasure deck by placing the Copper card(s) on top, the Silver card(s) in the middle, and the Gold card(s) on the bottom.
   4. Place all unused Countermeasure cards in the box.
4. Create the SMC Network: Shuffle the five server tiles. Starting with the Alpha Hacker, each Renegade (i.e., player) takes turns drawing and placing a server tile in the center of the table, until all five are placed, with these notes:
   1. In the regular game, place server tiles so the partition spaces are all the same color (each server tile should display a single color). The multicolored side is used in the Fragmented Servers variant (see 11.0).
   2. After placing the first server, subsequently placed servers must connect to the network in such a way that at least two of its partitions are touching existing partitions.
   3. The numbers on each of the newly placed servers must be in the same orientation as all previously placed servers.
5. Going Renegade: Each player establishes themselves on the network by following these steps:

   1. Each Renegade chooses one Profile sheet (or you may shuffle them and deal one at random to each player) and takes its corresponding Avatar standee and deck of 15 Basic Command cards (as shown by the matching-colored icon in the bottom-right corner of each Basic Command card).

   2. Each Renegade places their Avatar standee on the Access Point (the #6 partition) of their same-colored server (also referred to as the Home Server).

      Example: Hettie Magnetic, the yellow-colored Renegade, sets up on the Access Point (i.e., the #6 partition) of Virtue, the yellow-colored server; this is noted at the bottom of Hettie's Profile Sheet as "Virtue #6."

   3. With each Renegade's Avatar standee now on the network, add one same-colored (circular) Contaminant token on their Access Point.

      Continuing the above example: Hettie would also set up with one Replicant, the yellow-colored Contaminant token, at Virtue #6.

6. The SMC's Defenses: Read the directions on the SMC card being challenged and follow its setup instructions.
7. Renegade Intrusion: Count the number of Access Points on the network that do not have an Avatar standee there. Receive that many Data Node (blue) tokens and place them, collectively, however you wish across the network. These Data Nodes represent the intel that your absent Renegades have gathered about the SMC.
8. Open the Hack Shack: Shuffle the 36 Advanced Command cards and place them, face down, to form an Advanced Command card (ACC) deck (this deck area is commonly referred to as the Hack Shack). Reveal the first four cards and place them in a row, face up, next to the ACC deck.
9. The Deal: Each player shuffles their starting deck of 15 Basic Command cards and deals themselves a hand of five cards. You can replace your entire hand, shuffling it back into your deck and dealing a new hand of five cards, adding one Spark (black) token to your Access Point each time you do so.
10. Tidy Up: Set aside all remaining unused components, snacks, and beverages (e.g., your cans of Ginger Cool).

Glossary of Terms

Access Point The #6 partition in each server.

Actions What you do during your Command Actions Step to alter conditions on the network and improve your Command deck.

Alpha Hacker The first player selected during setup. That player is referred to as the Alpha Hacker for the rest of the game.

Avatar The player standee representing the location of your character.

Command Resource used to take Actions. There are five types: Information (blue), Cognition (green), Deception (yellow), Destruction (red), and Leadership (purple).

Contaminant The programs you upload to the network. There are four types: Data Node (blue), Replicant (yellow), Uplink (green), and Virus (red). Each have their own special abilities to help you fight the SMC.

Countermeasure The SMC's programs designed to fend off your attacks. There are four types: Sparks (black), Flares (gray), Guardians (black), and Firewalls (gray).

Delete Removing a piece from the network and returning it to the stock of unused pieces.

Home Server The server that matches your Avatar's color (i.e., the blue server tile is the blue Avatar's Home Server).

Installation Upgraded versions of Contaminants. There are four types: Data Ports (blue), Replicators (yellow), Neural Hubs (green), and Propagators (red).

Network The entirety of the game board, comprised of its five connected server tiles.

Partition Each separate (numbered) hexagonal space on a server. Pieces exist in, and move between, partitions.

• Closed Partition: Any partition completely surrounded by other partitions.
• Open Partition: Any partition not completely surrounded by other partitions.

Passing Ending your Player Turn while still having one or more Command cards in your hand.

Security Level Shown as Copper, Silver, and Gold, the colors represent the different difficulty levels on each Countermeasure card.

Server Each of the five differently colored subdivisions of the network. Each server has a color and a name as follows: Salvation (red), Virtue (yellow), Freedom (green), Justice (blue), Faith (purple).

Super-Massive Computer (SMC) The SMC is the "villain" you must bring down before determining victory. Each of them have varying levels of difficulty, setup, and operating instructions. The network represents the SMC.

The Magic Rules (these apply at all times!)

1. Always add Sparks one at a time.
2. No partition can have more than two Sparks; adding a third immediately creates a Guardian.
3. Guardians cannot coexist with Sparks; a Spark Explosion will occur instead (see page 12).
4. You cannot place your Installation tokens on a partition that has a Guardian token.
5. No partition can contain more than three Contaminant tokens of the same type.
6. Whenever there is a conflict between this rulebook and the text on a card, the card's text takes precedence, but you can never violate the stacking rules above.

3.0 Cyber Warfare Weapons

1. Insert Cards Here: The Command cards in your hand generate Commands, Execute Actions, and effects that you use to conduct your Turn. The bottom portion of each Command card specifies the resource(s) it provides.

   • A. Commands: Each Command card shows the quantity and type of Commands it generates (shown here: Destruction, Deception, Cognition, Information, and Leadership). You use (discard) one or more Command cards to generate enough Commands of the proper color to perform a single, specific Action.
   • B. Execute Actions: Some Advanced Command cards (ACCs) include an Execute Action. Unless otherwise specified on that card, you can either generate Commands with that card OR perform its Execute Action.
   • C. Events: Some Advanced Command cards include text (that does not contain the word "Execute") explaining a special ability that it can perform.

   Command Card Breakdown

   • A - Card Title
   • B - Card Cost
   • C - Advanced or Basic Denotation
   • D - Command Generation
   • E - Special Text
   • F - Basic Card Player Denotation

2. Token Resistance: Circular or square, the various tokens in play on the network represent potential activity there. Your Renegades place "good" hacker Contaminant (colored, circular) tokens and build them up into Installation (like-colored, square) tokens. The SMC fights back with "bad" Countermeasures to thwart your Renegades.

   • A. Quantities are Limited: You cannot create additional tokens. If you run out of your Contaminant (15 each, but see "Binary Bits" below) or Installation tokens (5 of each), you cannot place more on the network until the stock is replenished. If you run out of SMC Spark (25) or Guardian (5) tokens and must place one more, you lose!
   • B. Binary Bits: Note that your Contaminant tokens have a different color on each side (red/yellow and blue/green). However, there are only 15 total tokens in each pairing, so playing one reduces the availability of both of those colors in the stock of unused pieces!
   • C. Contaminant Types:
     • Viruses (red) allow you to Delete (removing from the network and returning to the stock of unused pieces) the SMC's Countermeasures – Sparks (black) and Guardians (black) – by using an Infect Action and successfully rolling the Infection Dice.
     • Replicants (yellow), when they outnumber Sparks in a partition, can change one Spark into another Contaminant of your choosing using the Modify Action.
     • Uplinks (green) connect a Renegade's partition to any other partition with an Uplink or Neural Hub, allowing that Renegade to Shift (or "push") away Sparks and Contaminants from it using the Shift Action. You can always use Shift to push away circular tokens in your Avatar's partition; Uplinks and Neural Hubs allow you to reach across the network to push them around these "virtually connected" partitions as well.
     • Data Nodes (blue) connect partitions with "pathways" that are free to Move along, when using Information to perform a Move Action. Adjacent partitions' Data Nodes create pathways through the SMC's servers allowing your Avatars to Move around more quickly and easily.
   • D. SMC Spark Countermeasure:
     • Sparks (black): Their presence prevents you from performing an Upload or Install Action at that partition. They also attack your Contaminants.
   • E. Three-of-a-kind Contaminants combine into one Installation: A key concept in Renegade is that three circular tokens can combine into one like-colored square token (with its stronger, related ability).
     • a. Important: There is a stacking limit. No partition can have more than three Contaminants or one Installation of each type.
     • b. You cannot voluntarily Move or Shift a Spark to a partition containing a Guardian.
     • c. When performing your Actions, you can never break rules "a" or "b" above.
   • F. Installation Types:
     • Propagators (red; created by three Viruses + one Destruction Command point): Once Installed, they spawn new Virus tokens at a lower cost with the Propagate Action.
     • Replicators (yellow; created by three Replicants + one Deception Command point): Once Installed, they spawn new Replicant tokens at a lower cost with the Replicate Action.
     • Neural Hubs (green; created by three Uplinks + one Cognition Command point): Once Installed, these command centers allow you to exert the power of your mind to act on any partition on your server.
     • Data Ports (blue; created by three Data Nodes + one Information Command point): Once Installed, in addition to being part of a pathway (like a Data Node), these also allow you to teleport your Avatar from its partition to any other partition on the network during a Move Action.
   • G. SMC Guardian Countermeasure:
     • Guardians (black): By their presence, they prevent you from performing an Upload or Install Action at that partition. These are harder to Delete (eliminate) than Sparks and, when a Spark enters a partition containing a Guardian, there is a Spark Explosion, and that Spark is cloned into two (see below).

4.0 Winning and Losing

If you are required to place a Spark or Guardian token into play and none remain in the stock, you immediately lose the game.

After surviving the last Countermeasure card, you win the game. To determine how well you did in winning, see 10.0.

5.0 Sequence of Play

You play Renegade in a number of cycles (Game Turns) as required to win or lose (see 4.0). The number of Cycles per game depends on which SMC you are playing against (e.g., Alpha Moby requires three Cycles; one in Copper, one in Silver, and one in Gold). Sequence of play is as follows:

1. Intel Phase (6.0)

2. Command Phase (7.0): Composed of three Rounds; each Round, starting with the Alpha Hacker and proceeding clockwise, each player performs a Player Turn, as follows:

   • A. Start of Turn Step (7.1)
   • B. Restock Hack Shack Step (7.2)
   • C. New Sparks Step (7.3)
   • D. Command Actions Step (7.4)
   • E. Replenish Hand Step (7.5)
   • F. End of Turn Step (7.6)

   When all players have completed their Turns, that Round is complete. Begin a new Round. Once the third Round is complete, proceed to the Countermeasures Phase.

3. Countermeasures Phase (8.0)

   • A. SMC's Revenge Step (8.1):
     • i. Virus Battle Segment
     • ii. Delete Contaminants Segment
     • iii. Delete Installations Segment
   • B. Success or Failure Step (8.2)
   • C. Move Sparks Step (8.3)
   • D. Scoring Token Step (8.4)

4. Refresh Phase (9.0)

   • A. End of Game Step (9.1)
   • B. New Deal Step (9.2)
   • C. Hack Shack Purge Step (9.3)

6.0 Intel Phase

Refresh your memory by re-reading the SMC card's special Gameplay Instruction (on its lower half). Then read the lower portion of the SMC's current Countermeasure card (i.e., the Copper, Silver, or Gold card that is face up for that Cycle). All Renegades should note the special rules and Goal for that Cycle.

The Countermeasure card remains face up during the Command Phase. Renegades can only look at the current Countermeasure card.

Renegades will succeed or fail in achieving the current Countermeasure card's Goal as a result of the Actions they perform during the ensuing Command Phase. In addition, Renegades cannot inspect the Success/Fail outcomes until they are revealed during the Countermeasures Phase.

7.0 Command Phase

You complete the Cycle's Command Phase in three Rounds. Every Round, beginning with the Alpha Hacker, each player performs a Player Turn. A player turn consists of six Steps (explained below) performed in order. After a player has taken their Turn, play proceeds clockwise (i.e., to your left). After completing all three Rounds, proceed to the Countermeasures Phase.

Important: Note the SMC card's special instructions; these may affect play during the Command Phase.

7.1 Start of Turn Step

Start of your Turn effects occur at this time.

7.2 Restock Hack Shack Step

If any of the four positions in the Hack Shack are empty, draw the top card(s) from the Advanced Command card (ACC) deck to restock it back up to four cards.

Should the ACC deck become depleted, the Hack Shack is officially "sold out" and not restocked for the rest of the game.

Of Sparks and Guardians

The SMC's core defenses are represented by Spark and Guardian tokens. Throughout the game, the SMC places and moves these Countermeasures across the network's partitions to foil your hacking efforts.

1. Hacked Off: If you are required to place a Spark or Guardian token into play and none remain in the stock, you immediately lose the game!

2. Timing is Everything: Whenever adding or moving Sparks, do so one at a time, completing the addition or movement effects of the first Spark before proceeding with the second, and so forth.

3. Of Flares and Firewalls: These are the reverse sides of Sparks and Guardians respectively. Flares are created during a Spark Explosion (see part 5, below). Firewalls are created from Flares. Important: Flares are Sparks and Firewalls are Guardians, but with additional enhancements. Any time the cards or rules refer to Sparks they also refer to Flares. Any time the cards or rules refer to Guardians they also refer to Firewalls.

   The instant a Flare shares a partition with any Contaminant, the Flare immediately "neutralizes" one of them (of your choice); stack it on top of that neutralized Contaminant (i.e., the Flare token on top of the Contaminant token) to symbolize this.

   Neutralized Contaminants are unusable; however, the neutralizing Flare continues to fully function as a Spark!

   A Flare can only neutralize a single Contaminant. The neutralized Contaminant remains imprisoned by that Flare until it is Deleted (at which time both tokens are returned to the stock).

   If any Flares create a Guardian through the normal Spark rules, place it as a Firewall instead.

   Avatars cannot voluntarily enter a partition with a Firewall. The instant an Avatar and a Firewall share a partition, relocate that Avatar by rolling the Spark Dice and placing the Avatar in the indicated partition.

4. Creating Guardians: A Guardian is a powerful, immobile Countermeasure. The instant a third Spark token enters a partition, immediately return those three Sparks to the stock and replace them in that partition with one Guardian token.

   As soon as a Guardian token is placed, immediately Delete all Contaminant and Installation tokens in that partition.

   If any Flares create a Guardian, place it as a Firewall instead.

5. Spark Explosions: Whenever a Spark token enters a partition containing a Guardian token, they cannot coexist so – Boom! – a spark explosion occurs. That means, instead of adding one Spark token to that Guardian's partition, add two Flare tokens to the next-lowest numbered partition instead (remembering to do so one at a time per "Timing is Everything," part 2, unless that partition contains a Guardian, then see "Chain Reaction" below).

   Exception: When moving Spark tokens to the next-higher numbered partition during the Countermeasures Phase, Spark Explosions will also proceed to the next-higher numbered partition on that server.

   Chain Reaction: If that next-numbered partition where exploded Flare tokens must be placed also contains a Guardian token, again, they cannot coexist. Instead, create another Flare token and skip ahead to the next-lowest numbered partition – and so on around the server, adding another Flare token every time one would be placed with a Guardian token. Be careful; when you see two adjacent Guardians, they might quickly create a third one in this manner!

Spark Explosion & Chain Reaction Example

There are two Spark tokens on partition #2 and Guardian tokens on partitions #5, #3, and #1 when a Spark token arrives at partition #5 – Boom! – two Flare tokens are placed (one at a time) in partition #4 instead. Remember that Flares are placed in the next-lowest numbered partition.

Another Spark token arrives at partition #3 – Boom! – two Flare tokens are placed (one at a time) in partition #2. The first Flare arriving in partition #2 instantly creates a Firewall there (wiping out all Contaminant and Installation tokens in partition #2). Worse, that was the last Guardian in the stock!

The second Flare arriving in partition #2 explodes from the just-placed Firewall – Boom! – two Flares would be placed in partition #1 instead. Unfortunately, there is already a Guardian token in partition #1, so – Boom! – three Flares are placed (one at a time) in partition #6 instead. These three Flares would normally create a Firewall in partition #6, but since there are none left in stock, the Renegades immediately lose the game!

7.3 New Sparks Step

Skip this step on the Alpha Hacker's very first turn.

Place new Sparks according to the current Security Level of the Round. The number of Sparks you must place is indicated on the bottom of the SMC card as a number of dots in a box. Find the box that matches the color of the current Security Level (Copper, Silver, or Gold) and place that many Sparks.

When placing new Spark tokens, where they are placed is determined by rolling the Spark Dice. The Spark Dice will generate a random server color (via the Server Die; the white side is the server where your Avatar is currently located) and a random partition number (via the Partition Die).

Important: Throughout the game, when asked, the player whose Turn it is rolls the Spark Dice. The Alpha Hacker rolls if no one is currently taking their Turn.

Example: The Spark Dice result is a server face and a "1," so you would place that new Spark token at the server where your Avatar is located in the #1 partition.

7.4 Command Actions Step

You play your Command cards (representing your hacker's tool kit) during this Step to generate sufficient Command points, as shown on the bottom of each card: Destruction (red), Deception (yellow), Cognition (green), Information (blue), and Leadership (purple; which you can declare to be any other color when played).

These allow you to perform Actions. Each Action requires a certain quantity and type of Command points to perform (every Action requires that you play at least one Command card), as explained later in this rule. What defines your effectiveness as a Renegade is how cleverly you play and combine your Command cards.

1. Perspective: The results of your Actions occur from the perspective of your Avatar. You cannot use your Actions to affect another Renegade's Avatar.

2. Action Limits: During this Phase, you play cards from your hand, face up, onto the table (so all can see) to generate sufficient Command points to take a single Action at a time. After taking that Action, place the cards paying for it in your Discard Pile (i.e., a new deck of face-up discards alongside your Command deck). As long as you have cards in your hand to generate sufficient Command points, you can continue taking Actions or pass.

   By passing during either of the first two Rounds, you can save one card and carry it forward to the next Round, thus having six cards in your hand to play on your next Player Turn. You cannot save a card on the third Round.

3. Command Inefficiency: All Command points generated by the cards you use must go toward paying for that single Action. Any excess Command points generated while paying for that single Action are wasted. You do not get to "keep the change" and put those excess Command points to another use.

4. Command Completion: Once your Action is completed and its Command card(s) discarded, you cannot undo that Action.

5. Read Only Memory: You may freely examine all discards, but can never examine unrevealed card information.

6. Wild Card: You may discard any three Command cards to generate one Leadership Command point.

7. ACC Effects and Execute Actions: Most Advanced Command cards have a special Execute Action, Interrupt, Reveal, or other effects explained at the bottom of each card, below the Command point symbol(s).

   • If you can use either the Command points or the special text, the special text will begin with the words "OR" (e.g., "OR Execute" or "OR Interrupt").
   • If you can use both the Command points and the special text, the special text will begin with the word "AND" or "ALSO" (e.g., "AND Reveal" or "ALSO, when").
   • An Execute Action can only be used during your Player Turn. An Interrupt can be used at any time.
   • If the text instructs you to "Reveal" that card from your hand, place it face up in front of you as proof you possess it and leave it on the table until you either use or discard it (or pass and return it to your hand for your next Player Turn). Cards can only be Revealed once during a Turn. Cards that are Revealed can still be used later during the Turn, either for their Command points or additional effects. Advanced Command cards that are not Revealed are discarded immediately upon use.

After generating sufficient Command points (as shown on the bottom of each Command card), the following Actions are available for you to perform during your Player Turn:

Move Action

For each blue Information Command point spent for a Move Action, your Avatar receives one Movement point. When not moving along a pathway (see below), entry into each adjacent partition costs one Movement point. You do not have to spend all the available Movement points during that Move Action, but excess Movement points not spent at that time are lost.

1. You Can Take It With You: Whenever Moving from one partition to another, you may also freely take with you up to three identical Contaminants (those Contaminants must be of the same type; e.g., all Data Nodes or all Replicants or all Viruses).
   • Color Bind: You cannot carry different type (colored) Contaminants with you at the same time.
   • Stacking Limit: You cannot create a situation, ever, where doing so would see more than three Contaminant tokens of the same type (color) in a given partition, if even for a moment.
   • Shuffling: You can pick up and drop off different type (color) Contaminant tokens as you make a multi-partition movement, provided a Move directly between any two adjacent partitions follows the above restrictions.
   • Sparks: You cannot carry Sparks unless a card effect allows it. In that case, however, you can never Move them to a partition where there is already a Guardian.
2. The Information Highway: When activated to Move, it costs one Movement point to enter or exit a partition that does not contain any Data Nodes or Data Ports. Data Nodes carried with you do not count as being in a partition (i.e., blue tokens in both the partition you are moving from and the partition you are moving to create a zero Movement point "pathway" for Renegades to glide through).
   • A Ticket to Ride: You must generate at least one Command point and activate your Avatar to perform a Move Action before you can enter another partition, even if it is on a pathway (i.e., you cannot simply Move along a pathway without generating any Command points to get you started!).

Movement Example

If you generate three Information Command points, you have three Movement points to spend during that Move Action and can Move to another partition up to three partitions (spaces) away.

With your three Movement points, you: Move one green (Uplink) Contaminant token to partition #2 and drop it off there; then move two yellow (Replicant) Contaminant tokens to partition #3 and drop off one there; you then carry the remaining yellow (Replicant) Contaminant token to partition #6, ending your Move Action.

• Teleporting: When activated to Move, your Avatar may Move from a Data Port to any other partition on the network for one Movement point. If the destination partition contains a Data Node or Data Port, then it will cost zero Movement points!

Shift Action

Instead of physically moving your Avatar around the network and carrying Contaminant tokens, you can project the power of your mind using one green Cognition Command point to Shift (or push) one circular Spark or Contaminant token from your Avatar's current partition to an adjacent partition.

You may Shift more than once with a single Action.

For example, by creating two green Cognition Command points you can Shift two times; that is, Shifting one Spark or Contaminant from your Avatar's partition, and then Shifting a second Spark or Contaminant from your Avatar's partition.

1. Mindfulness: The basic restrictions always apply:
   • Three Contaminant Limit: No partition can ever have more than three of each type of Contaminant token in it.
   • No Spark Explosions: You cannot Shift Sparks to a partition where there is already a Guardian.
   • Installations are Immobile: You cannot Shift square (Contaminant or Countermeasure) tokens.
2. Outreach: Green tokens, Uplinks and Neural Hubs, allow you to act "remotely" as if your Avatar were elsewhere operating from that partition.
   • A. Remote Shifting: While your Avatar is on a partition with an Uplink or Neural Hub token, you can perform Shift Actions from any other partition that also has an Uplink or Neural Hub.
     • Every Shift is separate, made independently from other Shifts performed by Cognition Command points generated at that time.
     • You can even Shift the receiving Uplink token. In this manner, you can Shift a remote Uplink around the network to your advantage.
   • B. Remote via Neural Hub: While your Avatar is on a partition with a Neural Hub token, it gains the ability to perform any Action as if it were on any desired partition on that server by temporarily "ghosting" a copy of your Avatar there. Experience shows this makes it the most powerful Installation token in the game!
     • After performing that Action, your ghost Avatar disappears; it is like you never left that partition's Neural Hub… because you have not!
     • When performing a Move Action from a Neural Hub token, your Avatar does not physically Move to or from an alternate location on that server. However, you can collect Contaminant tokens (or Sparks if you are playing Tilda Sweet) by first "ghosting" to another partition on that server and acting as if you were physically Moving from that partition.

Shifting Via Uplink Example: Your Avatar is on Faith #5 where there is an Uplink token. You notice that there are two Spark tokens on Salvation #3 that you would like to break up and, because there is also an Uplink token on Salvation #3, you can! By generating green Cognition Command points, you can Shift circular tokens away from their partition via remote Uplinks as if your Avatar were standing right there!

Upload Action

One way to add a Contaminant token to the network is to Upload it on your Avatar's partition. You can only Upload when your Avatar is in a partition that has fewer than three of that type of Contaminant present (remembering the three Contaminant per type limit) and contains no Countermeasures (Sparks or Guardians).

1. Standard Upload: For three Command points of any one color, you can Upload one Contaminant token of that same color; i.e., three matching Command points = one matching Contaminant (e.g., three Information Command points can be used to Upload one Data Node token) provided no Spark or Guardian tokens are present at that partition.
2. Replicate: If your Avatar's partition includes a Replicator, then one Replicant token can be Uploaded there for each Deception Command point you generate (i.e., you can Upload multiple Replicants as one Action), regardless of the presence of Spark tokens.
3. Propagate: If your Avatar's partition includes a Propagator, then one Virus token can be Uploaded there for each Destruction Command point you generate (i.e., you can Upload multiple Viruses as one Action), regardless of the presence of Spark tokens.

Modify Action

Another way to add a Contaminant token to the network is to Modify ("convert") a Spark token at your Avatar's partition (you cannot Modify Guardian tokens). This can only be performed when your Avatar is at a partition that has more Replicant tokens than Spark tokens. It costs two Command points to Modify that Spark token. Delete it and replace it with one of your Contaminant tokens:

1. It requires one Deception Command point to initiate the Modification; plus
2. One Command point of the type of Contaminant you wish to Modify that Spark into; i.e., Destruction = Virus, Deception = Replicant, Cognition = Uplink, Information = Data Node, and Leadership = any Contaminant token you choose.

Install Action

To increase their power exponentially, you may exchange three same-colored Contaminant tokens at your Avatar's partition for one like-colored (immobile) Installation token by spending one like-colored Command point using the Install Action (e.g., one Command point + three same-colored Contaminants = one Installation).

You can only Install when your Avatar is at a partition that has:

• No Spark or Guardian tokens present; and
• No partition can have two Installations of the same type (color).

Infect Action

The way you attack and Delete a Spark or Guardian token at your Avatar's partition is to Infect it with Viruses via Destruction Command points (and supplemented by your Virus tokens present there). You must have at least one Virus token present to perform the Infect Action.

Procedure:

1. Generate one or more red Destruction Command points and declare your attack. Then roll the two Infection Dice (red for you and black for the SMC) and adjust their separate results as follows:
   • A. To your attacking red Infection Die roll, add the number of red Destruction Command points and the number of red Virus tokens. That total (die roll + Destruction Command points + Virus tokens) equals your "Infection score."
   • B. To the SMC's black Resistance Die roll, add the number of Spark tokens, or add 4 if there is a Guardian token there (die roll + Sparks, or die roll + 4 for a Guardian). That total equals the SMC's "Resistance score."
2. If your Infection score is greater than the SMC's Resistance score, you have won that battle; Delete all Sparks or the Guardian from that partition. If your Infection score is less than or equal to the SMC's Resistance score, you have lost that battle; Delete one Virus token at that partition.

Execute Action

Discard an Advanced Command card to ignore its Command points and instead use its "Execute" Action.

Shop Action

You improve your abilities as a Renegade by purchasing cards at the Hack Shack (i.e., this is how you upgrade your Command card deck).

In order to purchase an Advanced Command (ACC) card from the Hack Shack, you must pay for it with Command points (its cost is shown in the upper right hand corner) as follows:

1. Reveal cards from your hand that contain the Command points necessary to pay for the cost of the ACC. (Overpayment is allowed, but excess Command points are lost.)
2. Take the purchased card from the Hack Shack and add it to your hand. It is immediately available for use.
3. Of the cards used to purchase the new ACC, choose one of the revealed cards to Delete and discard the rest.

At the end of a Shop Action you should still have a total of 15 cards between your Command deck, Discard Pile, and hand.

7.5 Replenish Hand Step

During the first two Rounds of each Cycle, draw five more cards from your Command deck and prepare for your next Player Turn. After you complete the third Round, you will have a depleted Command deck so there will be no cards in it for you to draw.

7.6 End of Turn Step

Some effects occur at the end of your Turn; this is when you perform them. Afterwards, play proceeds to the player on your left with their Start of Turn Step.

• When each player has finished their Turn, that Round is complete. Begin a new Round.
• When the third Round is complete (i.e., each player will have gone through their entire Command deck of 15 cards), proceed to the Countermeasures Phase.

8.0 Countermeasures Phase

The SMC strikes back at your intrusions. Conduct the following Steps in order:

8.1 SMC's Revenge Step

1. Virus Battle Segment: Virus tokens must attack all Spark and Guardian tokens in their partition with Infect Actions (7.4), but you cannot play Command cards! Repeat as needed until Virus tokens no longer exist in the same partition as either Spark or Guardian tokens. These are battles "to the death."
2. Delete Contaminants Segment: Remaining Spark and Guardian tokens on the network automatically Delete all Contaminant tokens in their partitions.
3. Delete Installations Segment: Guardian tokens on the network automatically Delete all Installation tokens in their partitions.

Your Avatars are unaffected by the SMC's revenge.

8.2 Success or Failure Step

Determine if you have successfully completed the SMC's current Countermeasure card Goal (or failed to do so). Then, flip over that card and perform its corresponding Success or Fail event. Follow its instructions from top to bottom, and in the order presented.

When instructed to place Sparks, Guardians, or Contaminants on more than one partition and/or server, place them in any order you desire, keeping in mind the "Magic Rules" (see the Glossary of Terms).

Important: Keep that card in its same (Success or Fail) orientation and apply the Move Sparks Step (below).

8.3 Move Sparks Step

Per the four colored arrows of the current Countermeasure card (as oriented), Sparks will move up or down on the servers that match the color of those arrows (i.e., a red arrow would affect the red server). Starting with the arrow on the left and working to the right, proceed as follows:

• If the arrow is pointing up, Move each Spark token located on the lowest numbered partition that contains Sparks to the next higher numbered partition.
• If the arrow is pointing down, Move each Spark token located on the highest numbered partition that contains Sparks to the next lower numbered partition.
• "Loop" between partitions #1 and #6 when moving up and down (i.e., up from #6 to #1 or down from #1 to #6).
• Resolve Spark Explosions (see 7.2, "Of Sparks and Guardians," part 5) as they occur.
• Immediately replace three Spark tokens on a partition with a Guardian token.
• Spark Explosions follow the direction of the arrow! When Sparks Move up, so do their Spark Explosions. Completely resolve Spark Explosions as they occur before performing any remaining Spark token movement.

8.4 Scoring Token Step

If you Succeeded on all of the Countermeasure cards at the current Security Level, gain a Countermeasure Scoring token. It improves your score at the end of the game (10.0).

If you Failed, Delete that Countermeasure card, placing it in the box.

9.0 Refresh Phase

Prepare for the next Cycle or end the game.

9.1 End of Game Step

If there are no more Countermeasure cards remaining to play, the game is over and you have won (see 10.0). Now you can relax with refreshments and celebrate your victory!

9.2 New Deal Step

If there is another Countermeasure card remaining, then play the next Cycle. Each Renegade discards any cards still in their hand, shuffles their Command deck, and deals themselves a fresh hand of five cards.

9.3 Hack Shack Purge Step

Discard all of the cards available at the Hack Shack. A fresh restock of four cards will be set during the Alpha Hacker's next Turn.

10.0 Your Winning Score

After surviving the final Countermeasure card, measure the degree of your success in Victory Points (VPs) as follows:

• +1 VP per complete set of 5 Spark tokens in the stock.

• +1 VP per Installation token on the network.

• +5 VPs per Guardian token in the stock.

• +25 VPs per Countermeasure Scoring token earned by successfully completing all Countermeasures at that Security Level (Copper, Silver, and Gold).

  Note: Mother has two silver Countermeasure cards, so both have to be successfully completed to earn the silver Countermeasure Scoring token.

Winning Score Results

• 0–69 VPs: Good job, Renegades. You have survived your encounter with the SMCs for just long enough to progress the Renegade cause. Mother has been distracted and her defenses weakened, but you did not do quite enough to bring her down. We need to regroup and consider how we can do better next time….
• 70–99 VPs: Great work today, comrades! You have seriously damaged Mother's network, allowing our rescue operatives to free a great many civilians from her influence. These are the kind of victories that will finally save humanity. You can truly say, "I am Renegade!"
• 100+ VPs: Congratulations! Your victory over the SMCs has brought you notable acclaim amongst your comrades. Mother's network is seriously crippled. Whole districts have been freed from her grasp. With leaders like you, faith in humanity will quickly be restored. You are a true freedom fighter who can proudly say, "I am Renegade!"

11.0 Gameplay Variants

Once you are familiar with the base game, you may wish to try some of these variants. Feel free to combine them for even more interesting gameplay.

Fragmented Servers

When laying out the network, place all server tiles with their "fragmented" (multi-color) sides face up. When fragmented, "server" always refers to the six partitions of the same color, not those that share a server tile.

Simultaneous Play

Allow all Renegades to conduct that Round's Player Turns simultaneously (i.e., performing their Actions in any order they choose). Immediately replace Advanced Command cards in the Hack Shack when purchased. Players can choose to start their turns at any time during that Round's Command Phase (and performing their Start of Turn Step at that time).

Hard-Core Mode

When a Guardian is formed, immediately Delete all Contaminant and Installation tokens on the entire server.

Horde Mode

Do not set up an SMC or any Countermeasure cards. Instead:

• Setup: Place one Spark token on every Faith partition, and one Spark token on each Renegade's Access Point.
• Command Phase: During each Renegade's New Sparks Step, roll the Spark Dice once during the first Cycle, twice during the second Cycle, and three times in the third Cycle. Place two Spark tokens on each partition rolled (instead of only one).
• Victory Conditions: Do not bother keeping score. This is a test of brute survival. Can you make it to the end of three Cycles?

d-ICE (Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics) Mode

During an Infect Action and the Virus Battle Segment, instead of rolling the (normal) black Infection Die to generate the SMC's result added to the Countermeasure's strength, use the corresponding Copper, Silver, or Gold Infection Die depending on which Security Level defense you are fighting that Cycle (making their defenses more difficult to combat).

Designer's Note: The results on the black die are normal: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 with a 3.5 result average. The Copper die is: 2, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 with a 3.67 result average. The Silver die is: 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, and 6 with a 4.0 average. The Gold die is: 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, and 6 with a 4.5 average. Plan your calculations accordingly!

12.0 Rootkits

Rootkits (purple) are a special type of Contaminant that are only available in games when there is a Renegade with a Leadership (purple) Profile, such as Rupert Stanz, playing.

Special Ability: You can treat a partition's versatile Rootkit as any other single type of Contaminant each time you take an Action (only) there.

Limitations: There are certain limitations when Rootkits are in the game:

• Only one Rootkit, at most, per partition, is allowed (instead of the usual three for other Contaminants).
• Only a Renegade with a Leadership (purple) Profile can place Rootkits onto the network. Placement requires:
  • Three Leadership Command points to Upload a Rootkit; or
  • One Deception Command point plus one Leadership Command point to Modify a Spark to a Rootkit.

The Renegades

Tilda Sweet When she takes a Move Action, Tilda can carry one Spark or one different-colored Contaminant in addition to the usual up to three Contaminant tokens of one type that each Renegade is allowed to carry.

For example, she could carry three Uplinks + one Spark, or two Viruses + one Replicant. She could not carry three Uplinks + one Uplink as that would violate the three per partition limit rule.

Tilda's a straight-up wirehead. She's concise and logical; when she doesn't grok some NewTek, she'll take it apart and put it back together, more than likely improving it in the process. Her mind is a databank of knowledge, recalling specs and stories of infamous SMC runs. Her speciality is combining hardware modules, meaning she can kludge a hack in short order before the Sparks have a chance to react. She's something of a lurker, not always at the forefront of an attack, but her ability to punch into a system and her situational awareness has her marked out as a possible black-op leader of the future and has earned her the moniker "Ballerina."

Monty Quantum When Monty is at an Uplink or Neural Hub, he can "ghost" his Actions not just to any partition on that server (as other Renegades do from Neural Hubs), but to any partition that contains any type of Installation anywhere on the network! If it is another (i.e., remote) Neural Hub, he can ghost his Action to any partition on that server ("Command by proxy").

Oshin Noro His skill adds two (+2) to any Infection scores at his partition at all times. The Infection score becomes: Infection Die roll + Destruction Command points + Virus tokens + 2.

His Avatar does not count as a Virus token, and other Renegades on his server cannot apply Oshin's skill when he is on a different partition with a Neural Hub; i.e., Commanding from a Neural Hub only applies to the Renegade actually taking an Action.

Hettie Magnetic Once per Player Turn, when performing a Modify Action, Hettie's Avatar can act as a Replicant, adding one (+1) to the total number of Replicants in her location. Although she acts as a Contaminant, she does not count for the three Contaminant stacking limit.

Tokyo Black As an Action, for four Information Command points, you can reposition (i.e., remove and replace) your current server per the setup instructions, provided you do not disconnect any other server from the rest of the network.

Devon "Dex" Romeo You may save an extra card between turns during the first two Rounds of each Cycle.

Angel Nitrate You may place any Spark that spawns at, or moves to, your partition on an adjacent partition instead.

The Techno Twins You control two Avatars, both sharing your Access Point (#6). Each Action must be performed by either Avatar, not both. Any mention of "your partition" or "your server" can be either Avatar's.

Rupert Stanz Adds Rootkit tokens to the game (only one per partition, at most, not three as with other Contaminants). When taking a Command Action (only!), players treat a Rootkit token as any color Contaminant.

Do not use Rupert during the Walkthrough or for your first few games. His "advanced profile" is better discovered after you have more experience as a Renegade.

13.0 Walkthrough

"Listen up Prospects. You're looking at the RS20, a simulator designed by our Black Agents.

"These guys are ex-corp, so they know what it takes to bring down the SMCs. They have created three Countermeasures for this test. Each is harder than the last, from Copper, through Silver, to Gold. This is no picnic for posers. If you fail, then restart the sim.

"I've put all the dirtboys and wireheads every dark corner of this city can throw at us through this sim. We've been scraping the barrel looking for new recruits. It is like zero-hour in a puppet parlor up here and folks are losing hope. But someone thinks you guys are something special.

"But let me warn you... only the best will make it through Gold and be called a 'Renegade.' Attempt to streak through the SMCs without the proper tools and the proper training and you will be nothing but a chalk outline. And you had better pay attention to the restrictions each Countermeasure imposes on you. We do not want you guys makin' like Ronin and trying to cheat the system. Not unless it gets our say-so. Using techniques prohibited by the sim's Countermeasures means immediate disqualification. So listen closely to your instructors and do as they say.

"Last piece of advice: When you reach Gold, we will be jacking-in from the Hack Shack, a bar in Sapporo's Susukino district. There you can trade for better Commands, so do so every chance you get! Prospects aren't normally allowed in the bar but we have, call it a 'special arrangement,' that you be allowed entry once you have made it through the first two simulations. Use this opportunity, because this dispensation costs the Renegade fixers heavily each time we run the training program.

And be careful in there. Every dirty rotten perp and street leech is gonna pick you out the crowd if you go in looking like some wide-eyed monkey. Use your skills, use your training, and try to fit in.

"Good luck, Prospects. See you on the other side!"

[Rupert Stanz, Ace Renegade First Class]

This walkthrough teaches the fundamentals of gameplay by demonstrating one Cycle of the game. You can run this simulation solo or cooperatively in teams of two, three, or four players.

First, arrange the network as pictured (while normally random, for this walkthrough we want everyone using the same board):

Next, shuffle the Advanced Command cards and, from that deck, reveal four face up that are available for purchase; this is the Hack Shack. These cards are not available to you for the first two Cycles of the Simulator; just ignore them until you get to the Gold Countermeasure card. Once you have graduated, and if you wish to replay the Simulator, feel free to use them any time.

This walkthrough will be taking you through a solitaire game with the blue player, Tilda Sweet, but if you want to play alongside her, either alone or with friends, you are free to add additional Renegades to join the team. Tilda is the designated Alpha Hacker for this walkthrough.

Take Tilda's Renegade Profile sheet and place it in front of you as a reference. Underneath Tilda's portrait is her special ability, so make a note of it. (Tilda's gives her a special carrying ability when she moves about the network.) Place Tilda's Avatar standee on the #6 space (called the server's Access Point) of her like-colored (Home Server) tile; Tilda's is Justice #6. Your Avatar standee represents your (virtual) location on the network (game board) and moves about from partition to partition (i.e., hexagonal space to hexagonal space). Finally, place a like-colored Contaminant token at her Access Point; Tilda starts with a Data Node on Justice #6.

Next, take Tilda's starting deck of 15 Basic Command cards (color-coded on their fronts with a blue icon in their lower-right corner). You would normally shuffle this deck and deal yourself a hand of five cards, but for this walkthrough take these specific five cards: Bypass, Data Steal, Decrypt, Infiltrate, and Trickery Master.

If you are playing an additional Renegade, or have friends joining you, do likewise with their own-color Avatars on those like-colored servers, with a like-colored Contaminant there to start, and their own Command decks with the same five-card hand.

Jacked-In and Connected

If Tilda is playing solo, there will be four servers with unoccupied Access Points (if you are playing with a team, one fewer server per Renegade has an unoccupied Access Point). Even though Access Points are unoccupied, you still have the knowledge to utilize them; to represent this, and since blue is the color of Information in Renegade, place one Data Node (the blue Contaminant) token on each of the unoccupied Access Points. Normally, you may place these freely during setup, but for this walkthrough place them on the vacant Access Points.

Now that you are connected to the network, let us size up your opponent.

What You Are Up Against

Set up the RS20-Simulator SMC card as your adversary. Create its Countermeasure deck from the three Simulator Countermeasure cards, with Copper on top, Silver under that, and Gold on the bottom; you play through one card per Cycle, so this game will last three Cycles. Do not look at their Success/Failure side! All will be revealed in time….

Now, checking the SMC card, the RS20-Simulator tells you to place, on each Renegade's Home Server, two Sparks and one Replicant on partition #4, and one Replicant on partition #6 (i.e., their Access Point). Thus, on Tilda's blue Home Server (Justice), you will set up her Avatar standee and a Data Node on her Access Point (#6), and on partition #4 you will set up two Sparks and one Replicant.

Also place one Spark on every odd-numbered partition (i.e., #1, #3, and #5) on Faith that is adjacent to a partition with two Sparks. With the game board in this configuration playing solo as Tilda, this will just be partition #3 on Faith, but this can vary as different networks are arranged for different numbers of Renegades each game!

Intel Phase

With the SMC's world created, it is time to learn the first unofficial Rule of Renegade: Think first; then do. Welcome to the Intel Phase, Prospect!

This is the moment to check the Goal on this Cycle's Countermeasure card; as it is the first Cycle, the Goal of the Copper card is the one you are trying to achieve while conducting your Player Turns. It reads:

"GOAL: Every Renegade's Home Server and Faith must have no Sparks."

Beneath the Goal is that Cycle's special rule(s):

"Nice Try, But Too Obvious: You cannot Shift a Spark into a partition that already has two Sparks."

Three Sparks on the same partition immediately removes them, but the SMC replaces them with a Guardian. Removing Sparks is your Goal, but making Guardians out of them is not the best way to do it; you are not ready for Guardians just yet!

You will either achieve that Goal or you will not. That is determined later, but you want to keep it in mind while playing your Turns during the Command Phase.

Command Phase

This Phase is the main focus of Renegade. Each Renegade conducts a Player Turn using (and discarding) their hand's Commands to hack the SMC and otherwise improve their position in the game, afterward replenishing their hand and the offerings at the Hack Shack (if they purchased any Advanced Command cards from there on their Turn).

When all players have completed one Player Turn each, that Round is over and a new Round begins; after completing the third Round, the Command Phase is over. So every player will have a chance to play through their deck of 15 Command cards each Command Phase.

About Commands

Taking Actions requires Commands, and Command cards have symbols near the bottom of their cards indicating how many and of what type of Commands that card generates. Blue Information Commands allow movement; green Cognitive Commands allow you to "ghost" your Actions where your Avatar is not located; yellow Deception Commands can turn evil Sparks into friendly Contaminants; and red Destruction Commands allow you to directly fight SMC Countermeasures in "battles to the death."

Let's Play!

Tilda Sweet's Avatar is standing on her Access Point (#6) with a Data Node present there, ready to issue some Commands….

Remember: Our Goal in the Copper Cycle is to ensure we have removed (i.e. Deleted or Shifted away) all Sparks from the Faith server and from each Renegade's Home Server (yours is Justice; and if you are the only Renegade playing, then you do not need to worry about Sparks on Salvation, Virtue, or Freedom).

ROUND 1

Tilda starts by playing the Command card Decrypt to generate two Information Commands to Move her Avatar. She takes one Replicant with her from her partition (#6) to partition #4 on her Home Server. Notice she moved only one partition using a card that gave her two Commands; she only required one to Move one partition. This is okay as you ignore excess Commands generated when you take an Action; they fizzle out immediately as that Action impacts play. Having used her Decrypt card for her Move Action, Tilda discards it, face up, in a Discard Pile in her player area, next to her Command deck.

Now let us deal with some of those Sparks! Tilda discards the Bypass card from her hand to generate one green Cognition Command point allowing her to use the Shift Action to Shift (or push) one of the Sparks from partition #4 to the adjacent partition #3. Now that Tilda outnumbers the Sparks there with her Replicants, she can use the Modify Action.

Using her Trickery Master card, Tilda uses the Modify Action to change the remaining Spark on her partition into a Virus. Trickery Master gives her the one Deception Command point she needs to perform the Modify Action. She also uses the one Leadership Command point which, being wild, she can designate as the one Destruction Command point she requires to change a Spark into a Virus. Tilda then discards the Command card Trickery Master from her hand and replaces the Spark in her partition with a Virus.

Finally, Tilda uses her Data Steal card to take another Move Action, bringing her newly created Virus to partition #3 (where she just Shifted a Spark to previously). Tilda muses, "I would like to perform an Infect Action next, but let us see if we can improve our odds a little."

Having done all she plans to for this Round, Tilda ends her Turn. Renegades can keep one card in hand, if desired, between Rounds, so Tilda retains the Infiltrate card and ends her Turn by drawing five more Command cards into her hand (for a total of six); these are: Infiltrate, Data Scan, Interrupt, Focus, and Focus.

If you are playing as a team, continue Round 1 by using each player taking a Turn to Shift a Spark to Faith, Modifying a Spark into a Virus, moving with the Virus to Faith, before finally ending their Turn, until Tilda is ready to begin Round 2.

ROUND 2

With a sigh, Tilda remarks, "Welcome to Round 2, Prospects! I was hoping to draw some red Destruction Commands into my hand, but I have been real unlucky. However, all is not lost just yet…."

Tilda uses as many Destruction and Leadership Command points as she can to perform the Infect Action. She can also discard any three cards from her hand to generate one additional Leadership Command point, which is wild!

Tilda generates a mighty four Destruction Command points by discarding Infiltrate, Data Scan (its being used as Destruction), and a set of three cards: Interrupt, Focus, and Focus (for one Leadership, which she also declares as a Destruction). Now she rolls the Infection Dice (hers is the red die and the SMC's is the black die). Tilda rolls a 2 and a 5 and calculates her Infection score versus the SMC's Resistance score:

With one Virus on her partition, plus four Destruction, plus 2, her total Infection score is 7 (1 Virus + 4 Destruction + 2 = 7); with die roll of 5 + 2, the SMC has a Resistance score of 7. With the scores tied, Tilda loses the battle and Deletes one Virus from her partition #3. Remember, when a Renegade scores higher, remove all Sparks from that partition; scoring less or equal to the SMC's Resistance score causes the Deletion of one Virus!

Tilda ends her Turn now, saving Decrypt for Round 3, and drawing her final five cards: Data Steal, Diversion, Memory Steal, Renegade Apprentice, and Sabotage.

If you are playing as a team, continue Round 2 by using as many Infect Actions as you can to Delete more Sparks from the network, referring to the previous example for how it is done.

ROUND 3

With a visage of grim determination, Tilda states, "I do not like those Sparks on my partition; they block me from uploading new Contaminants. Now, if I can Modify one of those Sparks into something more useful, we might just achieve our Goal."

Tilda has a special ability that allows her to Move with a Spark. She discards Data Steal to Move back to partition #4 and carries one Spark with her.

Next she uses Diversion to Modify this Spark into a Replicant.

Now, with no Sparks on her partition, she is free to perform an Upload Action. She discards Sabotage (Destruction + one Leadership used as another Destruction, for a total of two Destruction) and Renegade Apprentice (one Destruction) for a total of three Destruction, to Upload one Virus to her partition.

"Let us Install a Replicator!"

Three like-Contaminants on the same partition where there are no Countermeasures (Sparks or Guardians) offer the opportunity to convert them into an Installation using the Install Action. Tilda uses the one Leadership Command from Memory Steal (Cognition + Leadership) as a Deception Command point to swap the three Replicants on partition #4 for one Replicator Installation, discarding Memory Steal without using its Cognition Command at all.

Finally, using the two Information Commands from Decrypt, Tilda performs a Move Action, allowing her to Move up to two partitions. She moves her Avatar and the newly created Virus to partition #3 and picks up the remaining Spark there en-route, finishing her Move Action at partition #6. Thus, she carried the Virus and Spark with her (thanks to her special Movement ability).

With no more cards in hand, and no more cards left to draw, Tilda ends her final Player Turn of the Command Phase.

If you are playing as a team, continue Round 3 by trying to create an Installation yourself. Do not target the Spark on partition #6, as we will need that for the next part of the walkthrough....

Countermeasures Phase

You have kicked the SMC as best you could during the Command Phase. Now, during the Countermeasures Phase, the SMC kicks back! If you are "all that," there should be no more Sparks left on the network except the one on partition #6. However, if more Sparks remain and share a partition with your Contaminants, those Sparks now attack.

Sparks Battle Step

As with an Infect Action, your Viruses battle Countermeasures to control their contested partitions. One at a time, in any order you desire, at each contested partition having one or more Viruses and one or more Countermeasures, an automatic Infect Action ensues with this difference: You cannot add Destruction Command points to your Infection score – your Viruses are on their own!

"First up, let us deal with the Spark on my partition!" Tilda rolls the Infection Dice and obtains a 3 on the red die and a 2 on the black die. A great result! The Infection score is 4 (3 + one Virus) and the Resistance score is 3 (2 + one Spark). Tilda is able to Delete the remaining Spark from her partition on Faith (#6). This time she was lucky!

If there are more partitions with both Viruses and one or more Countermeasures, continue rolling for them, one at a time, until they are all resolved.

When there are other Renegades participating in this walkthrough, there is a chance that some of your Contaminants are undefended – meaning they share a partition with a Spark and there are no Viruses to protect them; in this case, Delete all those Contaminants from the network (the SMC's Countermeasures destroyed them).

Success or Failure Step

Only now do you check whether you have successfully completed the Goal for this Copper Cycle. Remember, the Goal was to remove all Sparks from each player's Home Server, and also from the Faith server. If Tilda is playing alone, she has just Succeeded. If you are performing this walkthrough with other Renegades, there is a chance you left some Sparks undefeated. Did you Fail or Succeed in meeting the Goal's objective?

Knowing now whether you Succeeded or Failed, flip over that Cycle's Copper Countermeasure card (i.e., Simulation Stage 1) and rotate the card vertically so that you are reading the appropriate Fail or Success event right-side-up. You did Succeed, right?

Always follow instructions from top to bottom. Assuming you Succeeded, then you must "Add one Virus to Faith partitions #1, #2, and #3. Also add one Uplink to each partition on Faith."

If you Failed, then instead you should "Add one Virus to Faith partitions #1, #2, and #3. Also add one Uplink and one Spark to each partition on Faith."

Did you notice the difference between Success and Fail?

"Prospects! That first Cycle was the easy part. Now we are into the real business and ready to face some proper opposition. This is where we sort the black-hats from the wage-slaves.

"If you leave here still a 'Prospect' then you have only got yourself to blame, and you will find few friends here to give you any kind of sympathy.

"If you succeed, then you will leave with even fewer friends, because from then on you will be underground. You will live most of your existence in cyberspace or in some rotten joint that will be your only reality. Your currency will be infonomics, your daily meal will be dorphs and derms, and you will live for the next time you will be jacked-in. But you can hold your head up high. You will be one of the few. You will get to wear the patch of a respected brotherhood. You will have purpose. You will restore faith. You will be a Renegade."

[Rupert Stanz, Ace Renegade First Class]

Refresh Phase

You have completed the Copper Simulation Stage I Countermeasure card, so Delete it. This reveals the Silver Simulation Stage II Countermeasure card that you will confront next Cycle.

Before you start the new Cycle, however, each player reshuffles their Discard piles, creating their new, face-down Command decks, and draws five cards into their hand.

Feel free to continue the Simulation from here. Try to focus on creating Installations to complete the next Goal and keep on top of Sparks. Beginning this Cycle, each Avatar must roll for Sparks appearing at the start of their Player Turns, as shown by the black dot in the Silver-colored space at the very bottom of the RS20-Simulator SMC card.

The top indicates one Silver card Cycle for this SMC. The bottom indicates one Infection roll (to add a new Spark randomly) during each Player's Turn that Cycle. Note that more difficult SMC cards may require multiple random Spark additions each Player Turn!

And those Sparks are going to keep you busy!

Quick Reference

Actions List

• Move: One Movement point per Information Command point & carry (one, two, or three of the same type). Data Nodes create pathways at zero Movement cost; teleport from a Data Port.
• Shift: Shift one Spark or Contaminant out of a partition per Cognition Command point.
• Upload:
  • Standard: three same-color Command points = one matching Contaminant.
  • Replicate: Replicator + Deception = Replicant.
  • Propagate: Propagator + Destruction = Virus.
• Modify: If Replicants > Sparks at a partition, then Deception + one Command point of the target color converts a Spark into that Contaminant.
• Install: One Command point + three same-color Contaminants = one Installation.
• Infect:
  • Infection Die + Destruction Command points + Virus tokens = Infection score.
  • Resistance Die + Countermeasures (+1 per Spark, +4 for a Guardian) = Resistance score.
  • If Infection > Resistance, Delete all Sparks or the Guardian. If Infection ≤ Resistance, Delete one Virus.
• Execute: Use an Advanced Command card's Execute Action instead of its Commands.
• Shop: Spend Command points equal to cost to purchase one Advanced Command card from the Hack Shack; add to hand.

Your Card Commands

The symbols on the cards allow you one Command point per symbol of that color. These are:

• Destruction (red)
• Deception (yellow)
• Cognition (green)
• Information (blue)
• Leadership (purple); this "wild card" Command generates a Command in any of the other colors
• Shown when referring, collectively, to any and all Commands (white)

Your Installations

When you combine three of your Contaminants (circular, colored tokens) in the same partition, they can form one Installation (square, like-colored token):

• Propagator (red)
• Replicator (yellow)
• Neural Hub (green)
• Data Port (blue)
• Shown when referring, collectively, to any and all Installations (white)

SMC's Countermeasures

The black tokens and the gray tokens, both circular and square, are the SMC's tools for protecting itself against your attacks.

At the end of each Cycle these Countermeasures attack Contaminants:

• Spark (black): System Partition Renegade Countermeasures (S.P.R.C. – or "Spark" for short)
• Flare (gray): Created by Spark Explosions
• Guardian (black): Created by Sparks
• Firewall (gray): Created by Flares