Black Hats (2026)

Overview

Black Hats is a head-to-head, tactical board game with a deckbuilding component to boot. Players take turns commanding their VR hackers (called runners) or playing executable cards to support them from a custom-built cyberdeck. Your cyberdeck allows you to hack the hex board upon which you play.

There are 24 runners, 20 rigs, and 45 unique executable cards to choose from in deck building, allowing you to craft a strategy that feels unique to you and your crew. Rigs provide a runner with a stat line and potentially an ability, but every runner has their own signature active and passive ability. There is a huge amount of experimentation and re-playability to be enjoyed!

The tactical core of the game revolves around the hacking mechanic. The network is divided by connecting groups of same-colored hexes into "subnets," but both players can change the color of any space at any time with their cards, reshaping the board as you play. An enemy that sits across the board may be absolutely unreachable or just a single space away and, if you can outsmart your opponent, you control which.

Forget about range, cover, and terrain - on this virtual battlefield you trade trenches for subnets and fire support for executable cards. The battles on the network aren't fought with soldiers, they're fought with runners.

Hire your crew, customize your cyberdeck, and hack your way to an early retirement. This is Black Hats!

—description from the designer