Hacker Frequently Asked Questions

Updated July 23, 2010

Copyright © 1999-2024 by Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated. All Rights Reserved.


Does an account on a hub count as "adjacent" when trying to hack into, or nark on, a system of a similar network type?
Yes, it does.
Can you intentionally trigger ICE?
Yes, just by hacking a system and saying "I'm triggering the ICE."
When playing Hacker Lite, do you lose all of your equipment when a raid card is played on you or just your modem?
You only lose your modem.
Can you use more than one set of allies at a time?
Yes.
Can you nark on any Indial?
Yes. Since you call from your home system, you are already adjacent to it.
Do crashed systems roll for housecleaning?
No.
Can the NCIC's special ability return someone to the game if they've already gotten three busts?
No. Good try, but no.
If you use a defense card (e.g., Congressional Inquiry, Whoops, Dummy Equipment, etc.), after being raided, do you still lose the rest of your turn?
If you lose your equipment, you lose your turn, but not otherwise. However, you always lose your account on the system you were hacking into when you were raided.
Hacker II gives components for 7 or 8 players. What's the starting card setup for those games?
Whoops . . . 7-player game: 17 regular systems, 4 indials. 8-player game: 19 regular systems, 5 indials.
In Hacker II, does "never housecleans" really mean it? For instance, will a Black ICE trace cause a housecleaning on a never-housecleans system? What about the Hacker Hysteria card?
No. A system which never housecleans REALLY never housecleans . . . except, as the rules say, to try to deal with the Worm. Of course, a hacker can always do his own housecleaning on such a system.
What is the die roll for automatic housecleaning when there are 7 or 8 players on a system? The original Hacker rules only go up to 6 players (of course). Automatic housecleaning occurs on a die roll of 1, 2, or 3 when there are 6 players present on a system.
It's still at a roll of 1, 2 or 3 for 6 or more players.

Steve Jackson Games * Hacker