Unrest channels the spirit of Android: Netrunner, Star Wars and 1984 in a colourful head-to-head card game

A new two-player card game will pit Rebels against the Empire in an asymmetric showdown with more than a dash of the legendary Android: Netrunner (RIP) about it. And no, it’s not a Star Wars game.

That said, Unrest takes a Star Wars-like format as it casts one player as the Rebellion and one as the oppressive Empire. The Empire must defend its districts - named with 1984-evoking names like the Ministry of Truth, Ministry of Plenty and Ministry of Peace - against liberation by the rebels as they embark on missions against the regime.

Like Netrunner’s hacker-versus-megacorp tussle, the Rebellion and Empire each play using a unique deck of cards and differing rules. The Rebellion player plays their cards hidden or revealed, adding an element of bluffing to the Empire’s attempts to stop the uprising.

If the rebels are able to build a stack of cards that meets the requirements of one or four mission cards on the table - for instance, having a certain number of cards in a given type, a combined value and/or not including other suits - they can liberate a district, moving the player closer to victory. Suits also evoke the dystopian theme, representing the influence of Misdirection, Intel, Upheaval and Disruption.

Meanwhile, the Empire can spend the two actions on their turn to reveal hidden cards, destroy cards, move cards between districts or stop the Rebellion playing to a specific district that round. Each round, the Rebellion plays cards behind an area of interest token between two adjacent districts, before the Empire player decides how to split the cards between the districts, enabling them to try and avoid the completion of missions.

If the Empire is able to stave off the Rebellion’s missions for long enough to deplete the Rebellion’s deck and hold control of three districts - with games lasting around 10 to 20 minutes - they win.

Unrest will be released at retail on October 25th, priced at $15.