State of the Corp - December 1998

by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes

It has been an exciting year for Netrunner, both in the TRC and here at Wizards of the Coast. We've seen the resumption of official DCI sanctioning, and the input of TRC organizers has been invaluable. We're still experiencing some growing pains, but on the whole I think official sanctioning is a good thing for the game. And Wizards is committed to further support for this and its other "backlist" games in 1999.

Of course, the most exciting part of that commitment is Wizards' promise to release some new Netrunner cards next year! At this point I don't have many details, and I don't want to indulge in idle speculation. What I do know is that the number of cards will probably be rather limited, so Wizards can judge the level of player support out there. These cards are likely to be drawn from the Silent Impact expansion, since it's already designed - why invent new cards and commission new art? They'll be released by the fall of next year, but possibly earlier. The schedule hasn't been worked out yet.

In addition, the new brand manager (Andrew Finch) has given his OK to distributing cards as needed for promoting the game, including major support for large tournaments. I expect there will be several national and large regional events next year. Andrew has also said he'd support large events with custom T-shirts - look for more details soon. I also look forward to experimental league-style play in 1999.

All in all, it looks like 1999 will be a remarkable year for Netrunner. To all of you, as always, thanks for your hard work. Have a great holiday!