CARD EFFECTS AND COSTS: Certain card abilities are written as "cost(s): effect." All of the costs must be satisfied to use the ability. Note that we and the Runner cannot borrow future actions to satisfy costs or card requirements; we can only take our actions on our turns. Also, if taking an action is part of the cost of an ability, we can only use that ability when we could normally take an action.

Examples:

A card reads:

, : Draw two cards.

We can take an action and pay to draw two cards.

, : Remove up to three tags, at no cost.

If the Runner uses an action and trashes this card, he or she removes up to three tags.

Ablative counter: Prevent 1 meat damage.

If the Runner removes an Ablative counter from this card, he or she prevents 1 meat damage.

Resolving a card effect involves following the instructions for that effect before doing anything else in the game. If a player is instructed to do something that normally would take an action to do, that player does not take any actions other than those required by the cost of the effect. However, other card costs associated with a card effect must be paid, unless otherwise indicated. For example, if we are required to rez a card, we must pay the rez cost.

Example Effects:

An operation card reads:
Add four advancement counters to any combination of installed cards that can be advanced.
Adding four counters is an extension of the action of playing this card: we do not have to take any actions to do what this text says, other than the action to play the operation.

A program card reads:
: Make a run on the Archives. If run is successful, do not access cards from the Archives; instead, treat run as a successful run on HQ.
If you have this program in play and you want to use this effect, you only take the action required by the action-button icon ()--not one action to use the program and another to make the run.

KEYWORDS: A card's keywords are the bold-face words in the first line of its text box. These keywords indicate what categories that card falls under.

Both we and the Runner have several cards that affect or are unaffected by other cards with certain keywords; these affected keywords are in bold-face text in a card's rules text. Note that a card's title is never used to determine whether it can be subject to a card effect.

Example:
A card reads:
Score 1 agenda point if you liberated any Black Ops agendas this turn.
If the Runner plays this card, and had stolen any agenda with the words "Black Ops" in its keyword line during the turn, he or she would score 1 extra agenda point.