When we began work on the art for the Liberation Cycle, we knew it would be important to connect with some local talent, and to include art by as many Brazilian artists as we could. Having artists from the area helped ensure the people and locations represented in the commissioned art would have an additional degree of authenticity, while also giving us access to further consultation about specific cards where needed. We began to reach out to artists, some who had done cyberpunk art before, some who had not. We initially contacted ten artists, out of whom we were able to contract five. They ranged from experienced game artists, creature creators, folklore specialists, and talented new faces.
Here’s a more in-depth look at the wonderful local artists who lent their talents to the Liberation Cycle, helping to make the cycle feel rich and alive.
Matheus Calza
From Piracicaba – São Paulo
We found Matheus through his Artstation and other online portfolios. While most of his work is of the fantasy genre, the amount of detail and characterization he put into each piece really stood out to us. It can be a bit of a gamble, giving Identity art to a new artist, but in this case we are so glad we did. The personality he gave our 3 Runner ID’s was stunning, and as we were lining up pieces for RWR, we wanted to give him more opportunities to add characters to this world. I think his 3 pieces speak for themselves in that regard.
Do you have any connections to cyberpunk/card games or other games outside of Netrunner?
“I mainly work with fantasy stuff, so Netrunner is the only cyberpunk- themed project I currently work on.”
Is there a particular piece you enjoyed working on for us?
“I loved working on Arruaceiras Crew, you always have very diverse characters, and these five were a fun challenge.”
Anything else you’d like to share?
“You have an awesome team. It’s been a fantastic opportunity to work with you and I’m looking forward to more!”
Cards:
- Mercury: Chrome Libertador
- Arissana Rocha Nahu: Street Artist
- Sebastião Souza Pessoa: Activist Organizer
- Arruaceiras Crew
- Jeitinho
- Warm Reception
Arruaceiras Crew
Anarch Resource: Connection – Seedy
Install cost: 2 – Influence cost: 3
Take 1 tag: The ice you are encountering gets -2 strength for the remainder of this encounter. Use this ability only once per turn.
, 2 : Trash the ice you are encountering if its strength is 0 or less.
“You might have been the spark, Seb, but we’re the flame.”
Illustrated by Matheus Calza.
João Queiroz
Born in Porto Velho, the capital of Rondônia, a state in the Amazon bioregion.
Nowadays, resides in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina.
ArtStation
Instagram
“People can find me across the internet by searching the handle @q1r0z”
João had been on our radar for a while as an artist with an entirely unique approach to Amazofuturism and Brazilian-based cyberpunk. When our work on The Automata Initiative started, we knew we wanted to bring this distinctive look into the world of Netrunner. While scheduling meant we weren’t able to get him to do pieces for Rebellion Without Rehearsal, the vibrant tone and feeling of his pieces in The Automata Initiative mean his pieces are stand-outs for the entire cycle.
Do you have any connections to cyberpunk/card games or other games outside of Netrunner?
“Last year, I created an artwork of a Caboclo de Lança, a known folklore icon (especially in the Northeast region of Brazil), for a card game that centers around Brazilian folklore, but it hasn’t been released yet. I’m also currently creating the art for a board game based on my artistic and conceptual work of Amazofuturism that will be released this year. This Netrunner expansion was my first time illustrating for a known card game franchise and I’m really honored to have been invited to work on it, because one of my goals when I decided to become a sci-fi illustrator was to create an artwork for Netrunner. At the time, that seemed really far away, but here we are :)”
Is there a particular piece you enjoyed working on for us?
“I really liked working on Adrian Seis. I took my time conceptualizing the character and experimenting with the character design and scene composition. It was also a breakthrough for me to work with bold forms, flat shapes and exotic color schemes, because the insights I had while working on this one have been influencing me and my art to this day.”
Anything else you’d like to share?
“I want to thank you all at Null Signal Games for giving me this opportunity and I hope the fans enjoy the artworks 🙂 I’m wishing great success for the project and I hope we can work together once more in the future.”
Cards:
Júlio Rocha
From Rio de Janeiro, Lumiar up in the mountains.
Júlio was another artist we found via his website. While his work spans genres, from fantasy to horror, to sci-fi, what jumped out to us immediately were the bizarre and wonderful creatures he created. We decided to try him out on the demonic Audrey v2 and folklore figure Curupira. He really wowed us with his unique and slightly retro approach to netspace, so when work for Rebellion Without Rehearsal began, we were pumped to get him for two more netspace creatures, this time on the Corp side!
Do you have any connections to cyberpunk/card games or other games outside of Netrunner?
“I do some illustrations for Shadowrun and here and there for other publishers.”
Is there a particular piece you enjoyed working on for us?“Really liked revisiting Curupira, but this time in a cyber setting.”
Anything else you’d like to share?“Hope the cards see some fun plays!”
Cards:
Boto
Jinteki Ice: Barrier – AP
Rez cost: 6 – Influence cost: 2 – Strength: 4
Threat 4 → This ice gets +2 strength. (This ability is active if any player has 4 or more agenda points.)
Do 2 net damage.
You may trash 1 card from HQ to end the run.
You may trash 1 card from HQ to end the run.
They live forever in the rivers of the Net.
Illustrated by Júlio Rocha.
Rafael Monk
Based in Recife – Pernambuco
Portfolio: ArtStation – Rafael Monk
@monkium.bsky.social ☁️ (@Monkium) / X (twitter.com)
While we were really happy with the local artists we had lined up for The Automata Initiative, as work on Rebellion Without Rehearsal began spinning up, we knew we wanted to get a few more pieces done by people from the area. Finding Rafael was a wonderful stroke of luck. His work on the RPG Starfinder includes some very cyberpunk-like details, including glowing hard-light structures, bad-ass characters, and strong, clear aesthetic choices. Those elements all show up in spades on his work on Juli Moreira Lee.
Is there a particular piece you enjoyed working on for us?
“I did only one card but it was a very smooth and easy going process overall, and I really liked the end result.”
Cards:
- Juli Moreira Lee
Arthur Miglionni
From the countryside of São Paulo, in the northwest of the state.
Arthur came to us as a recommendation from Rafael Monk, and we’re grateful to him for that! New to card games, Arthur is a talented character artist. We were excited for him to give some real personality to two of cyber-Brazil’s denizens and connections. Arthur’s ability to create characters rich with personality and that fit into the look and feel of the world of Netrunner made him a joy to work with.
Do you have any connections to cyberpunk/card games or other games outside of Netrunner?
“This was my first work for a card game in this genre.”
Is there a particular piece you enjoyed working on for us?
“Both cards I’ve worked on were quite challenging, especially Valentina’s, but I’m very proud of them and it was fun to do.”
Anything else you’d like to share?
I’m really excited to see the final release and honored to be part of it.
Cards:
- “Pretty” Mary da Silva
- Valentina Ferreira Carvalho
⬩ Valentina Ferreira Carvalho
Neutral Resource: Connection
Install cost: 2 – Influence cost: 0
Whenever you remove 1 or more tags, gain 1 .
Threat 3 → When you install this resource during your turn, you may remove 1 tag or gain 2 . (This ability is active if any player has 3 or more agenda points.)
“I came home from Siberia to find a better purpose for myself.”
Illustrated by Arthur Miglionni.
Rebellion Without Rehearsal will be released on March 18, 2024. It will be available on the Null Signal Games online store, through our print-on-demand partners, selected game stores and authorized resellers, and as free print-and-play PDFs from its product page. It will also be playable on Jinteki.net within a few days of release.
Excited about future sets? Apply to be a playtester for “Dawn”, the set after Rebellion Without Rehearsal. All experience levels welcome, especially newer players! Click here for details!
