The Year is the Future.
The internet has become a labyrinth of interconnected virtual reality environments known as gates. These omni-sensory, digital wonderlands can take on any form its creator desires, changing shape and size on a whim. They are endlessly customizable, the perfect escape from the degrading global climate caused by governmental corruption. They are also the perfect target for cyberattacks, capable of infiltration and exploitation. Forum posts tell tales of hackers for hire, digital demons, ghosts in the machines who can bend these lucid dreams to their own will. It is a ruthless, dangerous endeavor that leaves those who fail trapped in a prison of ones and zeroes, their physical bodies left to wither and decay. Those who are successful, though, join the ranks among the best of the best. Their title?
Gate Crasher.
Face off against rival hackers in a free-for-all digital deathmatch to see who will be ground to cyberdust and who will emerge victorious.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for becoming a beta tester for my game! Getting to this point has been several months of hard work, late nights, and countless hours wrestling with Photoshop. I am so grateful that you are willing to take a chance on an indie game designer's first official project, and I am so excited to see which of you will join the ranks among the most elite hackers in the world. Below is a form to complete that allows you to share with me your experience playing Gate Crasher: Beta Edition. You'll be able to let me know what you feel is working, what isn't working, what's fun, and even a space for you to suggest what you'd like to see in future versions of the game. Again, thank you so so much, and happy hacking!
-Zack
What’s in the Box
6 Hacker Profiles
6 Firewall Cards (in 2 halves)
1 Protocol Deck (36 cards)
12 six-sided dice (d6’s)
1 Mainframe Security Cutout Card
Setup
If you are playing for the first time, cut out the six Mainframe Counter squares on your Mainframe Trackers card.
Begin by having each player select a Hacker Profile, a Firewall card, and a pair of dice. Each hacker has a unique ability, so be sure to read carefully before making your selection!
Once each player has made their selection, place your Hacker Profile in front of you and your Mainframe Counter on level 3 of the Mainframe Security tracker on the profile itself. Place any unselected Hacker Profiles back in the box.
Next, shuffle the Protocol deck before dealing 5 cards to each player face down. Players may look at their cards once they are dealt. Once all cards have been dealt, place the remaining deck in the center of the play area, leaving some space next to it for the discard pile. Finally, Place your dice on 00 on your Firewall card.
When completed, it should look something like this:
How To Play
Each game of Gate Crasher is divided into rounds, with each round containing 3 phases.
Phase 1: Initialization
At the beginning of each round, all players simultaneously Initialize. Roll both of your dice, and mark the result by placing your dice on your Firewall card, one in each column (ex. Ash initialized and rolled a total of 8. They placed one of their dice on the ‘0’ of the 10’s column and the ‘8’ of the 1’s column). This determines the initial strength of your Firewall for the round.
When not rolling your dice, keep them on your Firewall card as an easy way of tracking your firewall’s strength throughout the round.
Phase 2: Execution
Once Initialization is complete, the player with the lowest Firewall strength goes first. On a player’s turn, they may execute (play) up to 1 protocol card from their hand and perform that protocol’s action. Once a player has executed a protocol and placed their protocol card in the discard pile, they draw a card from the Protocol Deck, and the next player takes their turn, moving clockwise. The turn cycle repeats until there are no more cards in the Protocol Deck.
Protocols Include:
Bolster: Roll 2 dice and add the result to your Firewall’s strength.
Data Mine: Discard this card and draw another one from the top of the deck
Packet Loss: Choose an opponent. Roll 2 dice and subtract the result from their Firewall’s strength.
File Extraction: Look at an opponent’s hand, remove 1 card from it, and add it to your own hand.
An important note re: File Extraction
When you execute a File Extraction, you do not draw a card at the end of your turn. Forgive me for not having that printed on the cards themselves.
Phase 2 is where your Hacker’s unique abilities have the opportunity to shine. Be sure to activate them when the time is right and use their digital prowess to your advantage!
Phase 3: Overclock
When the Protocol Deck runs out, the final phase begins! During the Overclock phase, each player gets one final turn before the round ends. During this final turn, you may execute up to 3 protocols before taking no more actions for the round (unless your Hacker’s ability states otherwise). Any protocols remaining in your hand after your final turn add 3 points to your firewall’s strength.
At the end of the round, all players calculate their final Firewall strength. The player with the strongest Firewall wins the round, and all other players reduce their Mainframe Security by 1 on their Hacker Profiles. If your Mainframe Security level drops to 0, you are eliminated from the game. You have been sliced!
Then, all Protocol cards are reshuffled back into the Protocol Deck, players are dealt a new hand of 5 cards, Firewall strength is reset to 00, and a new round begins.
How To Win
When you defeat each of your opponents by reducing their Mainframe Security levels to 0, you win the game and earn the title of Gate Crasher.
Miscellaneous Rules
If your Hacker’s ability reads “you may”, you can choose to activate it or not.
Thank You’s
A massive thank you to everyone who has helped bring Gate Crasher to life thus far! From helping me with developing the initial concept of the game, to early playtesting, to helping cut and round the physical cards themselves, and even just being excited about the game when I wasn’t. Thank you to my lovely partner, Ash, as well as Nicole, Gabby, Gavin, Micah, Julian, Avery, Troy, Jesse, Will, Bianca, Allie, Mom, and Jake. I could not have done any of this without you.