netrunner

Netrunner is a collectible card game set in a dystopian cyberpunk future. Players take on the roles of either a powerful mega-corporation or a lone hacker known as a runner. The game's core mechanic involves one player, the corporation, building and defending a network of servers containing valuable data, while the other player, the runner, attempts to infiltrate these servers and steal the data.

The corporation player strategically places and advances ice (intrusion countermeasures electronics) to protect their servers. These ice cards represent various security measures, from simple firewalls to complex AI programs. The runner player builds a deck of cards representing their hacking tools, cybernetic enhancements, and illicit contacts. They must manage their resources, known as credits, to play cards and deploy programs that can bypass or break the corporation's defenses.

A key element of Netrunner is its asymmetrical gameplay. The corporation player focuses on defense, resource management, and building a robust network, while the runner player is on the offensive, seeking to exploit weaknesses and achieve their objectives before the corporation can stop them. Victory is typically achieved by the runner stealing a certain number of "advancement tokens" from the corporation's servers or by the corporation successfully executing their own agenda cards. The game is known for its deep strategic complexity and thematic immersion.