Shadowrun: The TCG

Shadowrun: The Trading Card Game adapted FASA's corporate-dystopian-meets-high-fantasy universe, where elf-samurai and orc-mages run shadow ops against megacorps in 2050s Seattle, into a CCG during the tail end of the cyberpunk wave.

The game

Published in 1997 by FASA, Shadowrun TCG is a two-player duel where each player builds a Runner team from Sixth World archetypes (Street Samurai, Decker, Shaman, Rigger, Physical Adept), then runs missions against the opposing player's corp defenses. Mechanics emphasize specialist team composition and Resource cards that stand in for nuyen, gear and contacts.

The context

FASA had been printing Shadowrun RPG material since 1989 and had a dense, beloved setting bible. The TCG was their attempt to convert that audience and to compete in the CCG boom alongside contemporaries like Battletech CCG (also theirs). Art was sourced from the existing Shadowrun illustrator roster, which made it visually continuous with the RPG books.

The collector angle

The Core Set is the primary English release, with the Underworld expansion following shortly after. FASA's 2001 shutdown killed further expansion. Because RPG players already had an art language, TCG cards often sell to Shadowrun RPG collectors rather than CCG players, which inflates prices on cards with notable artist credits (Doug Anderson, Jeff Laubenstein) above their playability rarity. The cancelled Bug City expansion has small-run playtest cards that are among the most valuable in Shadowrun memorabilia.