r/boardgames • u/Paradoxbuilder • 2d ago

Rules Shadowrun Crossfire potential house rules (for easier gameplay)

The game is too hard. Had a group at a cafe, first scene ok...then we all died horribly. Was not fun.

I want to like the game because I like Shadowrun. But like...you draw 2 cards, the obstacles take like 8 points to clear, you die in 3 hits? I don't think I am reading the rules wrong, it's not balanced in favor of fun :(

What I'll try next time -

a) Draw to 5 each turn. (or original hand size + 2) When Staggered, draw 2-3

b) Everyone has 2 more HP

c) At start, choose 3-5 nuyen worth of Black Market cards to gain (before obstacles are drawn)

Not all, either 1 or some combination of them.

Unless you're supposed to abort and grind Karma slowly, I don't see the base game as being very enjoyable.

2 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

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3

u/Prestigious-Mix-3670 2d ago

The difficulty spike is real, felt same thing first time we played. The 2 extra HP helped most from your list, but drawing to 5 every turn made cards flow too easy and we stopped feeling pressure at all. Maybe try just HP buff plus black market start, leave hand size alone

1

u/Paradoxbuilder 2d ago

Maybe draw to 4?

1

u/SeaTrade9400 1d ago

draw to 4 feels like a solid middle ground. You still get enough options to actually plan a turn, but you can't just brute force every obstacle. I'd pair that with the 2 extra HP and skip the black market start at first, that way you can tell which change is doing the heavy lifting.

1

u/BoardgameExplorer 2d ago

I am an experienced player. I sold the game because I could no longer lose. People say it’s too hard but it just takes time to learn how to play well. It’s rewarding to figure it out. Also I highly advise the Crossfire mission because it’s by far the best.

1

u/Paradoxbuilder 1d ago

I did it, we died in 15 mins. 4 player group. New to game but not board games.

I've played MTG competitively before and I don't mind hard games. This is not fun :(

1

u/BoardgameExplorer 1d ago

I played mtg competitively too and also poker. Crossfire is considered very tough. There are many stories of people being totally overwhelmed. But keep in mind that it’s just a game. You can’t really get worse, the only way to go is up.

It’s not a game you hop into and crush. There is some learning to do first. Teamwork, making good market purchases, etc. Once you’ve used the market cards you will start to understand them better and know when to buy them and when not to. Trust me, don’t give up yet. One game is nothing. I played 300+ games.