Last modified March 20, 2026 by Jarjar

OVERVIEW
In a dystopian future, society created "Mother," a sentient supercomputer (SMC) that turned against its creators. It is within this cyberpunk context that the story unfolds. Deckers, a cooperative deck-building game, which is actually intended to be a reissue of Renegade Released a few years ago, it offers a clarification of the rules, all the expansions, and a new visual identity. Playable solo or in teams of up to four players, players infiltrate a network of servers controlled by one of the supercomputers (SMC), each with its own level of complexity and unique defenses.

Each player takes on the role of a Decker and develops their deck of command cards. The game is played over three rounds, each with a distinct objective, which players will have consulted at the start of the game. Only the last objective needs to be completed to win. With 10 different Deckers, 7 unique SMCs spread across four difficulty levels, and no fewer than 40 objective cards, replayability is guaranteed!

My first impressions
Having only played it solo so far, this game gave me similar feelings to Spirit IslandIt requires a good understanding of all the mechanics to optimize puzzle-solving, and that's not easy. It's a very cerebral experience. In my first few games, I overlooked some rules, which of course changed the final result. There are several small details that are easy to forget. I managed to beat the first SMC Alpha Moby and the Hackerman using the suggested starting objective cards, but that's where it ends for now. The SMC Spider is another level of opponent I still have a lot of work to do to overcome.

There are many ways to act during a turn, so many angles of approach to try to solve a problem, and so much information at our disposal that it is almost inevitable to find a way out and achieve spectacular things, worthy of a hacker.

Deck construction reminiscent of that of Mage KnightIt relies on a strict one-for-one replacement mechanism: any new card purchased goes directly into the hand, but an existing card must be immediately removed from the deck. This provides good control over your hand and forces you to stay alert to market offers.

The asymmetry between the characters is interesting: the Deckers don't just play differently on the surface, they function in fundamentally distinct ways. Some are designed for fast hacking, others for control, support, or resource optimization.

The more you play, the more opportunities you discover; what you learn from one game to the next is very rewarding. Initial planning is really important; I see it as a game before the game. For example, the choice of the Decker is made last. This allows you to choose the one that best fits the proposed scenario.

The network of colored hexagonal tiles may seem bland at first glance, and the game's specific terminology (SMCs, sparks, ghosts) requires some getting used to. The structure of the three objectives, especially the particularly demanding final missions, sometimes lacks coherence, which contributes to raising the difficulty level. It is therefore essential to read and understand the objectives carefully before starting, trying from the outset to establish connections between them and the actions to come.

The game rewards rigorous planning and the ability to learn from mistakes rather than repeat them, a progression akin to Jacob's Ladder. It gets better with each playthrough, not because it becomes easier, but because you improve.

A tiny box that contains a lot of material!

I'm sharing a very good game report that you can find here on Reddit:

Deckers – Second Run at the Game
byu/BountyHunterSAx inboard games

SOLO MODE

TECHNICAL SHEET
Number of games played: 5 (solo)
Best player configuration: 1-2
Price paid: CAD 69
Level: experienced player (BGG complexity: 3.79/5)

MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I loved :
>> The one-for-one deck-building system
>> The very high replayability in this small box
>> The theme, even if not very prominent, is well integrated
>> Super good heist-Faced with several choices, we will certainly seek satisfaction in solving it.
>> Compact box, easy to take out
Victory is earned through mastery of the systems rather than through luck.

I liked less :
>> Quite a steep learning curve
>> We are facing a very difficult game; you have to enjoy losing and starting over several times to succeed.
>> Feeling like work rather than fun
>> It would have been nice to also include difficulty levels for the objectives
>> I have the impression that some combinations of objectives are unrealistic

Deckers impresses with its cyberpunk atmosphere, offering a very demanding, well-constructed game with high replayability.

FUN FACTOR 🙂 🙂 🙂