Interview with Holger Janssen, TRC Rules Sensei

by Jens Kreutzer
(translated from the German by Jens Kreutzer)

Holger, for quite some time, you have been the TRC "Rules Sensei", which is the person appointed by the TRC to adjudicate Netrunner rules questions and decide on official rulings for shady areas of card interaction. Many players know you as a reassuring presence in the background of the Netrunner-l newsgroup, always ready to shed light on the various rules problems people stumble across during play. Could you perhaps tell us a bit about yourself, so that people can get to know you a little better?

I was born in Bonn, the former capital of West Germany, in 1971, but now I live in Uberlingen (near Konstanz, in the south of Germany close to the Swiss border). I'm 30 years of age, and I'm doing R&D in aviation technology as a Dipl.-Ing. (academically qualified engineer) for a living. This includes launching the odd test projectile over the North Sea at supersonic speed ... :-)

Since when have you been playing Netrunner, and what did you find so attractive about it?

In short, from the very beginning - or rather, even earlier. In 1996, I was a student in Aachen, and a friend introduced me to Netrunner even before it was generally available. He had received some cards for playtesting because he had done some Magic translation for WotC. At first, Netrunner was quite popular even with the Magic players.
Regarding your second question: I have always been interested in card games, and when faced with the decision whether to pick up Magic:The Gathering or Netrunner as my CCG of choice back then, Netrunner won because of its science-fiction background and the other players' not being too far ahead in terms of their play experience. Moreover, Netrunner could be played much better even with just a few cards, which, by the way, is one reason for the popularity Sealed-deck play is enjoying now. And it is Sealed that has always been my favorite tournament format. Another nice aspect of Netrunner are the two different sides of the game. Both need to be mastered, and they feel quite different from each other. Most players seem to understand or like the Corp better, but I prefer the challenge of the Runner.

Have you got any other experience with playing CCGs or roleplaying games? Have you got any other hobbies as well?

Like I mentioned above, I've also played some Magic, but only Sealed deck. I also went to some tournaments. Apart from that, I like playing boardgames, especially strategic ones. Add to that the various sports I do: basketball, skiing, rowing. As for roleplaying games, I played those a lot back in my school days. It was mostly Midgard (an RPG published in Germany) and Traveller.

How did it came to pass that you became Rules Sensei?

Well, somehow it just happened. When the TRC was looking for a new Rules Sensei, the Rabbi (Douglas) contacted me and asked if I would do the job. I answered that if the players thought I could manage it, I would try. Eventually, I got appointed. I had been answering most of the rules questions in Germany before then, and I probably got a reputation by responding to rules questions on the Netrunner-l. The downside of the position is that there can be a lot of work at certain times, and that I cannot always expect the silent agreement of all players when I make a decision.

When deliberating on a rules issue, what are the principles that influence your decision? Is there a general "philosophy" that you try to adhere to when deciding?

At the moment I try to stay consistent with all the rulings made before. This is not always possible, as you might have noticed. And I try not having to correct myself too often. I think I will do a rules update sometime, but there is no timeframe yet. Apart from that, a ruling should also fit in with the "received" way a game of Netrunner should flow. If somebody comes up with really weird combinations or effects, then these should probably not work. You have to look at all cards as a whole and try to keep your principles as straightforward as possible.

Is there a place where people can get all of the current rulings?

You caught me - that is something of a weak spot. There hasn't really changed that much about the rulings since I became Rules Sensei, and therefore, the files on the usual webpages should still be valid. They can also be found on my own website, but I haven't been updating it for quite some time. If players have a specific rules question that hasn't been covered yet in the current rulings, they are always welcome to either email me directly at Holger.Janssen@vr-web.de or to post the question to the Netrunner-l newsgroup, which I usually read on a regular basis.

In your opinion, what is the most "broken" (i. e., abusive) card in Netrunner on the Corp side?

The biggest problem is probably the definition of the expression "broken". Opinions really tend differ on this quite strongly. In this respect, Tycho Extension does not necessarily have to be considered "broken", but it is a card that defines the area of Constructed play to a great extent, and so it deservedly is now part of the Restricted list.

And on the Runner side?

Here, the choice is rather difficult. There are a lot of cards that can really annoy the Corp, but that doesn't mean that they are broken at all. You probably have to ask which card has the greatest influence on the way the Corp is playing. To answer this, you'd probably have to name the combination of Precision Bribery/Time to Collect.

Do you have a favorite memory about a particularly interesting or exciting game of Netrunner?

I've surely had many interesting games, but I can't recall a special event right now. The most exciting games are probably those in which both players have a chance of winning (meaning their planned deck strategy works out), and one of them then narrowly manages to decide the game in his or her favor.

Apart from being our Rules Sensei, you are perhaps the most-feared Sealed-deck Netrunner player in Germany. You are especially famous for your analytical and calm (some would say cool and aloof) way of playing, no matter what the current situation is like, which has earned you the nickname, or rather, nom de guerre of "The AI". A joke question to go with it: How many Pacifica Regional AI and Krumz do you own?

Fortunately not so many Krumz, but thanks to the promo cards, I have quite a few Pacificas. :-)

Let me ask you about Sealed-deck construction. What are the things that go through your mind when you're picking the cards to play with?

I think that there are some good articles on deck construction in Sealed on the 'Net. The most important basics are well explained there. Apart from those, people tend to have personal preferences and dislikes of certain cards, which everybody develops over time. I reckon that with good players, the decks they'd build will only differ by not more than 5-8 cards.

Do you have a favorite deck strategy for Constructed?

Well, especially as Runner, I tend towards a playing style that is more active/offensive than passive.

Favorite card?

Right now, Priority Wreck and Unlisted Research Lab are my "in" cards. :-)

Thank you very much for your time, and also for your continued efforts as Rules Sensei.