So my wife and I have played several games of Netrunner and have fallen in love with it. I've gone back to the rulebook several times for clarifications, but the rulebook doesn't seem clear enough to me on this.

Does ALL of the Runner's Program's (and any in the Hardware or Resource Row) strength stack when making a run on a server and encountering the Ice protecting it? Or does the Runner have to choose a certain Icebreaker card to use when running against a server? Also if the Runner has to select 1 piece of Icebreaker to run with, when encountering the next piece of Ice can she use a different Icebreaker.

Thank you, any help is greatly appreciated.

First of all, I strongly suggest re-reading the relevant bits in the rulebook that explain runs and icebreakers, and the example run on page 19 in particular. There's some misconceptions underlying your questions that shouldn't come up with careful reading of the rulebook, and might be due to trying to apply mechanics from other card games to this one.

Icebreakers have nothing to do with runs (but everything to do with ice). You as the runner make a run on a server, independent of the icebreakers you have installed. You can also run without icebreakers. During a run, all of your installed icebreakers are available to you, as tools, to deal with the ice you (the runner) encounter during your run.

Let's say you have a barrier icebreaker (such as Battering Ram ) and a code gate icebreaker (such as Gordian Blade ) installed. You initiate a run by spending a click -- you run on a server protected by three pieces of ice (1 rezzed, 2 unrezzed). The first ice is a rezzed Enigma , a code gate . Gordian Blade allows you to break code gate subroutines (meaning subroutines on a piece of ice that has the type code gate ). In order to break subroutines on a piece of ice, the strength of the icebreaker you want to use has to match or exceed the strength of the ice you are encountering. Enigma has a strength of 2, so you don't need to further increase the strength of Gordian Blade , which is also strength 2; so you use Gordian Blade 's first paid ability to break the two subroutines on Enigma , spending two credits. Since you broke all the subroutines, none of them execute to inflict their effects on you. You opt to continue the run. The corporatino rezzes the second piece of ice, Wall of Thorns , which is a strength 5 barrier . You now want to use Battering Ram , which can break barrier subroutines. It has a strength of 3, so in order to break any subroutines on Wall of Thorns , you'll first need to increase its strength by 2 to match the 5 strength of the ice by using the second paid ability on Battering Ram . Then you can use its first paid ability to break the two subroutines on Wall of Thorns . No subroutines execute and you decide to continue the run. The corp rezzes Neural Katana , a strength 3 sentry ice. You have no icebreaker installed that can break sentry subroutines, so the subroutines executues to deal 3 net damage to you, forcing you to discard 3 cards at random from your hand. You started your run with 4 cards in hand, so you still live. All subroutines executed and there was no "end the run" subroutine, and since that was the last piece of ice protecting the server, you now have to the option to continue the run and access the card in the server.

Let me know if you still have any questions.

Thank you for the reply! I may have been unclear with my question. I know you don't need an Icebreaker to run because they are 2 separate things. You did answer my question in your example of the Runner selecting the Icebreaker that best goes up against the Ice he is encountering, and not adding up all of the strength the runner has in his Rig cumulatively. I will reread the rule book, but also let's say the runner starts a run, and encounters a piece of Ice that he doesn't ahve the strength to overcome, does the negative effects on the Ice still take place? Or does the Runner just get 'repelled' back and nothing happens?

Thanks again.

Let's say you have a barrier icebreaker (such as Battering Ram ) and a code gate icebreaker (such as Gordian Blade ) installed. You initiate a run by spending a click -- you run on a server protected by three pieces of ice (1 rezzed, 2 unrezzed). The first ice is a rezzed Enigma , a code gate . Gordian Blade allows you to break code gate subroutines (meaning subroutines on a piece of ice that has the type code gate ). In order to break subroutines on a piece of ice, the strength of the icebreaker you want to use has to match or exceed the strength of the ice you are encountering. Enigma has a strength of 2, so you don't need to further increase the strength of Gordian Blade , which is also strength 2; so you use Gordian Blade 's first paid ability to break the two subroutines on Enigma , spending two credits. Since you broke all the subroutines, none of them execute to inflict their effects on you. You opt to continue the run. The corporatino rezzes the second piece of ice, Wall of Thorns , which is a strength 5 barrier. You now want to use Battering Ram , which can break barrier subroutines. It has a strength of 3, so in order to break any subroutines on Wall of Thorns , you'll first need to increase its strength by 2 to match the 5 strength of the ice by using the second paid ability on Battering Ram . Then you can use its first paid ability to break the two subroutines on Wall of Thorns . No subroutines execute and you decide to continue the run. The corp rezzes Neural Katana , a strength 3 sentry ice. You have no icebreaker installed that can break sentry subroutines, so the subroutines executues to deal 3 net damage to you, forcing you to discard 3 cards at random from your hand. You started your run with 4 cards in hand, so you still live. All subroutines executed and there was no "end the run" subroutine, and since that was the last piece of ice protecting the server, you now have to the option to continue the run and access the card in the server.

Let me know if you still have any questions.

let's say the runner starts a run, and encounters a piece of Ice that he doesn't ahve the strength to overcome, does the negative effects on the Ice still take place? Or does the Runner just get 'repelled' back and nothing happens?

First of all, I don't know if you just worded it unfortunately, or if you still didn't understand how icebreakers and ice work -- the runner doesn't have a strength. Icebreakers have strength, which matters in the context of using them to interact with ice.

So the question you asked should have been answered by my example run, namely in the instance of encountering Neural Katana . The runner encountered Neural Katana and didn't break its subroutine, so the subroutine executed to inflict its effect. If you encounter a piece of ice, its subroutines will execute unless you break them (or bypass the ice by using a card effect such as Femme Fatale 's). It doesn't matter why you didn't break them; whether you didn't have enough credits to use your icebreaker or didn't have a relevant icebreaker to begin with makes no difference.

Awesome, thanks for the clarification