Cockatrice team

The Cockatrice team maintains an open-source virtual tabletop client that enables enthusiasts of trading-card and board games to build, share, and play custom decks in real time across Windows, macOS, and Linux. Built around a flexible game engine, Cockatrice renders card images, tokens, dice rolls, life counters, and battlefield zones so users can recreate the tactile feel of physical matches without geographic limits. Typical use cases include casual pickup games, competitive league nights, play-testing new deck ideas before purchasing physical cards, and remote teaching of rule-sets for titles such as Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, or fan-made sets. Server operators can host private or public rooms, enforce formats, and manage user permissions, while an integrated deck editor pulls card data from community repositories and exports ready-to-play lists. Because the software is protocol-driven rather than rules-enforced, it supports virtually any turn-based card or board game that can be expressed through zones, counters, and face-down states. Extensibility is provided through XML databases, custom card art packs, and plugin scripting, allowing hobbyists to adapt the client to new editions or entirely original games. All source code is publicly tracked on GitHub, ensuring transparent development and frequent community contributions. The publisher’s software is available free of charge on get.nero.com, where downloads are delivered through trusted Windows package sources such as winget, always installing the latest release and permitting batch installation alongside other applications.