
- BGG rank
- BGG #830
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Star Wars: Destiny
- 2 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2016

Rules assistance for Android: Netrunner – Humanity's Shadow
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Android: Netrunner – Humanity's Shadow is an expansion for Android: Netrunner released in 2013 for 2 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Richard Garfield and Lukas Litzsinger and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Secret Unit Deployment.
Game description from the publisher: "Corporations like to forget the human costs of their achievements. They don't like to think about the thousands of people who they've trod upon and who live in the shadows of their corporate offices. But every such person is a potential ally for all of us runners." –Shade Hardware and programs drive efficiency, but talent trumps them both. In the future of Android: Netrunner, humans compete for work with bioroids and clones. Business is built as much from programs and hardware as from cash and concrete. To find your way in this tech-centric world, you need to be savvy to the latest upgrades, and you need a good deal of imagination. Humanity's Shadow, the fifth Data Pack in the "Genesis Cycle" for Android: Netrunner The Card Game, gives you a chance to get your hands on both the most bleeding edge technology and the talent you need to make it sing. Its sixty new cards (three copies each of twenty different cards) allow players to customize their strategies while recruiting more personalized and imaginative assistance. With a new Criminal identity, a daring new resource, and unique sysops for the Corporations, Humanity's Shadow profiles some of the most talented individuals pulling the strings behind the game’s cyberstruggles. New events for the Runners allow you to customize your strategies while the game's Corporations look to increase their security with a more hands-on approach based upon new operations, talented sysops, traces, and traps.
Android: Netrunner – Humanity's Shadow supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Android: Netrunner – Humanity's Shadow is 45 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Android: Netrunner – Humanity's Shadow for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Android: Netrunner – Humanity's Shadow has a complexity rating of 3.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Android: Netrunner – Humanity's Shadow belongs to these categories: Card Game, Bluffing, and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Secret Unit Deployment. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Android: Netrunner – Humanity's Shadow are: Richard Garfield and Lukas Litzsinger. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Android: Netrunner – Humanity's Shadow as an expansion for Android: Netrunner. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Android: Netrunner to use it. Check that your edition of Android: Netrunner is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.