A VOLUNTEER-LED gaming organisation is deep in the midst of planning a 300-person world championship tournament in Edinburgh later this year.
The non-profit Null Signal Games is now in talks with Dovecot Studios to expand capacity to fit the legion of gamers keen to visit Scotland’s capital from October 17 to 19.
Android: Netrunner was a card game produced by Fantasy Flight Games between 2012 and 2018 but their licensing agreement on the IP expired.
A group of volunteers and engaged fans took up the game’s mantle and have been successfully running tournaments and releasing new content as Null Signal Games, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the continuation and management of the game.
Null Signal Games’ organised play manager, Jeff Pruyne, said: “This is our fourth in-person world since the pandemic, and it’s on track to be the largest gathering of Netrunner players ever.
“We’ve been expanding the event every year, and we’re excited to offer learn-to-play events on Sunday, along with support for all kinds of involvement, including cosplay, trivia and alternative formats.”
Netrunner is an asymmetrical duel where one player takes on the role of a nefarious corporation determined to advance their agenda, and one player acts as the Runner, a hacker who is trying to stop them from controlling or destroying the world.
Mike Prosser, a player from Glasgow who has been part of the community since 2015, said that the model of the game made it more accessible to him in the beginning: “It doesn’t feel like it wants to financially punish me.”
Unlike other competitive card games, Netrunner does not demand that players shell out money on randomised booster packs. Instead, it operates more like a traditional board game – players buy each set in its entirety when released, with no luck or trading required.
Prosser continued: “The really tight integration between the Cyberpunk themes and the game’s mechanics instantly sold me on the game.”
Chris Dyer, a veteran player and former world champion, said: “Netrunner instantly felt very refreshing and different to every other card game I’d played, which are inevitably variations on creatures beating each other up.
“By contrast, Netrunner is vividly imaginative; an asymmetrical cerebral duel where one player constructs an elaborate puzzle for the other to try to solve. The core mechanics and structure of the game are brilliantly designed, so the success or failure of both players is constantly on a knife edge, and it’s the decisions that you make rather than the cards in your deck that will determine the result. It’s endlessly deep, relentlessly skill-testing and incredibly strategic.
“I couldn’t be more excited to go to the world championships in Edinburgh. The UK has always had a very enthusiastic group of players that have travelled all over the world to play competitive Netrunner, often with great success, so it’s fitting that the most prestigious event on the calendar is finally on home soil.
“Edinburgh is one of my favourite cities, and it’s home to a lot of great friends that I’ve met through Netrunner, so I can’t wait to spend a weekend catching up with them and playing my favourite card game in a city that I love to visit!’
Edinburgh-based player and former vice-president of engagement for Null Signal Games, Ed Fortune, was part of the team that brought the world championships to the UK for the first time.
“With the UK having one of the largest player bases in the world, it felt like the right time for it to be held here,” he said.
“I had previously helped organise the 2023 world championships in Barcelona, and what struck me was the importance of being able to visit such a fantastic host city.
“Hosting in a culturally significant city that is welcoming to all was really important to me. Scotland has historically been a hub of Netrunner players, with a fantastic community known for putting on great events.
“This made my adopted home city of Edinburgh the obvious choice, and the Scottish community put forward a compelling case for the world championships to be hosted here.
“Accommodation is abundant, good food is everywhere, and the city is on many people’s bucket lists to visit.”
Dundee-based player and local organiser Ronan McGarry added: “Edinburgh is well-suited for the event, a dense city that will encourage locality in the attendees. It’s a great city – beautiful, friendly and accommodating. I’m really confident that all the attendees will have a great time at worlds.
“As a local organiser, I’ve seen the level of excitement that worlds in Scotland has generated among both newer and veteran players. Our community chats have been busy, turnout to weekly events is up and interest is at a high. It’s really a joy to see so much interest in the game after so long.”
Pruyne highlighted Edinburgh’s range of amenities and tourist attractions that visitors can easily walk to, adding: “Edinburgh had a ton of ways for people to travel into the city, along with a strong local scene to help us find volunteers, venue scouts and evangelists for the city. Scotland was an obvious choice for us in terms of selecting a city we thought people from around the world would be excited to travel to.”
The tournament will be happening in Dovecot Studios, an arts and heritage site in the city centre. Pruyne said that working with an arts venue suits the organisation well: “A big part of our community includes artists making custom card arts, game components and artwork that we’re looking forward to displaying during the event,” he said.
The 2022 and 2023 world champion William Huang, who is based in Toronto, is looking forward to coming to Scotland to reclaim his crown: “I’ll definitely be coming to Scotland to try to win a third time. It’s an exciting time for the game after a big rotation and I look forward to competing.
“I’ve never been to Scotland before but I’ve heard great things about the community there so I’m sure it’ll be a great time.”
The event is almost sold out but players can join the waitlist for tickets at Null Signal Games’ website.
