BAD CAPTAIN GAMES

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One of TechNet’s most powerful Covert Ops, this card is available for cross-faction deck-building. Useful insurance against a feisty Nishka opponent, or an unexpected strike.

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Another of Anacron’s many tricks, Link allows for easy deck shuffling and cheap reinforcements... assuming you don’t get hit by a suspicious opponent’s Covert Op!

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Remember this? The banner image for our first convention: TempleCon! We’ve tried to keep the aesthetic of this image in the writing and design of Zero Sum 2.0: a future galaxy where technology is so ubiquitous most of it feels as natural as a handcrafted tool. Stark worlds posing dangerous challenges: harsh weather, vicious wildlife, the lure of the past, and the reminder that even the humans of tomorrow must forever strive to be better people. A constant struggle for survival against slim-looking odds, where the one thing you most desire might be just a bit too expensive to afford...

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Signature cards like this drone can form a key part of TechNet’s military strategy, and they’re not for sale at any price to cross-corporation deck builders.

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One of Anacron’s more expensive Covert Ops, this card can also be used in cross-corporation deck-building, making it a lucrative buy for aspiring TechNet or Nishka agents.

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Some TechNet units have the ability to repair themselves, for a modest materials fee. Go, technetium nanobots, go!

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Glory allows you to swap the attack and defense of any Unit you choose, for a modest price. Best used to turn a glass cannon into a tank, or vice versa.

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Cheap tactics allow for quick maneuvers when conditions change. Every deck has them, but draw boosts like this one are a bit more common in Anacron’s subtle yet effective base deck.

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What’s on your new year’s to do list? We’ve got another design pass to make, another editing round on our rulebook, and flavor text to write for a bunch of redesigned cards.

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Happy new year, friends! Our resolution: to Kickstart Zero Sum 2.0. We know it’s been a long wait, but we are so grateful for your support. Enjoy a safe and happy new year from all of us at Bad Captain. Thank you!

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Telepathic cave bears? No one mentioned this in the travel brochure!

Better solve this crisis with style, either using an elite diplomatic unit or a combined diplomatic corps. The reward lets you turn the deck in your favor, as much as you ever can, with crises.

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Some Crisis cards freeze corporation card types, preventing players from using some of the cards at their disposal for as long as the Crisis remains in play. Discerning agents can use this as a tool to slow down their enemies, assuming it doesn’t negatively impact their own advancement too much...

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Units which combine more than one role are highly desirable, offering greater flexibility when claiming crises. Hypatia’s status as a diplomacy/military unit allows her to tackle any Crisis with a diplomacy or military requirement. But that flexibility comes with a cost: she can also be targeted by cards which affect either role.

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Just as we redesigned split Crisis cards, Crises which require a single role to solve are now deliberately more lucrative, offering both of the rewards listed. This is to offset the generally higher cost required to claim them, and to reward role specialists for taking the risk inherent in such a deck-building strategy.

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Some Crisis cards are fleeting events, requiring strategy and flawless execution to claim before they disappear. That high Prestige value comes at a price, in this case requiring a strong science maneuver, probably led by an Elite Unit or two.

We strongly recommend that all agents avoid complicating the time streams.

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In Zero Sum, victory goes to the agent who accumulates the most Prestige. Prestige allows you to unlock new agent abilities or earn increased corporate funding. But not all Crisis cards are worth Prestige. Good for a quick burst of kredits or other swift and decisive actions, these cards are a bit of a gamble: can you take them fast enough to justify the spend?

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As part of their redesign, we tweaked the effects and rewards for all Crisis cards. In particular, cards which can be solved by multiple roles (diplomacy, military, or science) now grant players a choice of which terrible outcome engaging, corporation-funded learning opportunity they’d like to suffer strategize about each round. Similarly, these cards now offer a split reward: once you claim them, choose either of the listed options, but not both.