FIRST_RUN.md step 3 to go live.Every card is a concept-specific configuration of one mechanic family. Cards are data; families are engine code. A card is playable as soon as its family·mode is implemented.
particle_spread · biology · simulator.predict
Concept: Diffusion
Player does: Predict how particles spread from the crowded chamber
Breaks: Particles move toward empty space on purpose
Particles move randomly and simply spread out net from high to low concentration; they have no destination in mind.
membrane_balance · biology · simulator.predict
Concept: Osmosis
Player does: Predict which way water crosses and whether the cell swells or shrinks
Breaks: Salt crosses the membrane instead of water
In osmosis, water crosses the semipermeable membrane toward the higher solute concentration; the solute itself often cannot cross.
atp_gate · biology · simulator.intervene
Concept: Active transport
Player does: Spend ATP to pump ions against the gradient before the budget runs out
Breaks: Transport always goes down the gradient
Active transport uses ATP to move substances against their concentration gradient, unlike passive diffusion.
dock_blocker · biology · simulator.predict
Concept: Competitive inhibition
Player does: Decoys occupy sites; predict how much more substrate restores the rate
Breaks: Inhibitors destroy enzymes
A competitive inhibitor blocks the active site reversibly; adding more substrate can outcompete it and restore the reaction rate.
meiosis_shuffle · biology · simulator.sample
Concept: Meiosis & variation
Player does: Shuffle homolog pairs; predict how many gamete types appear
Breaks: Meiosis makes identical cells
Meiosis shuffles homologous chromosomes to produce genetically varied gametes, not identical cells.
survival_sim · biology · simulator.predict
Concept: Natural selection
Player does: Change the environment; predict which trait spreads
Breaks: Individuals evolve because they need to
Natural selection acts on existing variation across a population over generations; individuals themselves do not evolve by need.
drift_sim · biology · simulator.sample
Concept: Genetic drift
Player does: Run tiny populations and watch alleles vanish by chance
Breaks: Evolution always improves fitness
Genetic drift changes allele frequencies by random chance, especially in small populations, regardless of fitness.
feedback_controller · biology · simulator.intervene
Concept: Homeostasis
Player does: Release insulin or glucagon to keep glucose in the safe band
Breaks: Hormones switch on and stay on
Hormonal control in homeostasis is a continuous feedback loop, releasing and easing off as the level shifts, not an on/off switch.
threshold_pulse · biology · simulator.intervene
Concept: Action potentials
Player does: Stack inputs until threshold fires an all-or-none spike
Breaks: Stronger stimuli make bigger action potentials
An action potential is all-or-none once it fires; a stronger stimulus raises firing frequency, not the spike's size.
vaccine_memory · biology · simulator.predict
Concept: Immunological memory
Player does: Predict how fast the second infection is cleared
Breaks: Vaccines give you the disease
A vaccine trains memory cells to recognize a pathogen without causing the actual disease.
Which socket each family mounts on in each genre (LIBRARY §5). The boss socket is always allowed. Hosts built tonight: dungeon, mystery, platformer.
| Family | Dungeon crawler boss: boss | Investigation adventure boss: accusation | Side-view obstacle course boss: boss | Grid puzzle / escape room boss: boss | Management sim boss: crisis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Truth Finder | chest / boss Treasure chests; the one bearing the false claim is a mimic | cross_exam / accusation One witness's claim contradicts the facts; object to the lie | gate / boss Three doors; the one with the false claim collapses | tile_board / boss Remove the odd tile to release the chain | event_card / crisis Advisors' claims; the false one tanks a stat |
| Sequencer | door / boss Glyph door pressed in process order | corkboard / accusation Rebuild the timeline on the corkboard | gap / boss Bridge planks in order; the wrong order leaves a gap | conveyor / boss Order the parcels on the conveyor | research_node / crisis Tech tree order |
| Tuner | door / boss Vault rings, catapult, or alchemy dials spinning on the function | lab / accusation Calibrate the instrument; set the lighthouse sweep | moving_platform / gate / boss Saw wheels, launch pads, a balloon that only lifts when tuned | lock / beam_board / boss Dial locks and gear trains | policy_dial / production_line / crisis Machine settings on the production line |
| Mapper | altar / enemy / boss Rune line on the altar floor, or an archery range on a number line | conversation / accusation At the auction, bid the right magnitude; pin the map | gap / boss The floor is a number line; land on the value | tile_board / boss Place the tile at its position on the axis | market / crisis Place goods on the price line |
| Sorter | enemy / boss Type-matched weapons; category-keyed doors | evidence / accusation File claims into case folders | gate / boss Only matching-category platforms are solid | goal_pad / boss Push crates onto category pads | market / crisis Route goods to districts |
| Linker | enemy / boss Chain lightning between pairs | corkboard / accusation String the board | pickup / boss Grapple anchors | pipe_board / boss Flow-style pairing | research_node / crisis Supply links |
| Investigator | door / boss Rooms are hypotheses; clues seal their doors | accusation / corkboard Pin clues, eliminate suspects, accuse | gate / boss Clues seal the doors of eliminated hypotheses | tile_board / boss Logic grid | event_card / crisis Policy debate with evidence |
| Function World | altar / boss Rune track whose floor height is f(x) | lab / accusation Sensor readings converging on a timestamp | gap / boss The terrain is y = f(x); the missing tile | tile_board / boss Track tiles that follow f | market / crisis Price curve over time |
| Balance | altar / boss Alchemy scale; spilled atoms become slimes | archive / accusation The ledger is off by one entry | switch / boss Seesaw bridge | lock / boss Cancel terms, DragonBox-style | ledger / crisis Balance budgets and flows |
| Simulator | enemy / boss Ecology rooms, reactor waves | lab / accusation Keep the patient stable overnight | moving_platform / boss Population or glucose lifts | beam_board / boss Place species so all are fed | crisis / policy_dial Run the economy or ecosystem |
| Builder | forge / boss Craft a molecule, circuit, or golem program | lab / accusation Build the compound or circuit | switch / boss Wire the elevator; word-block bridge | tile_board / boss Valence grid, Lightbot | production_line / crisis Lay out the factory |
| Transformer | forge / boss Crafting-bench machines | lab / accusation Decode the letter or cipher | pickup / gate / boss Power-up machine, cipher platforms | conveyor / pipe_board / boss Route through machines | production_line / crisis Processing chain |
| Accumulator | forge / boss Fill the reservoir to forge the key | archive / accusation Rebuild totals from rate logs | gap / boss Fill the pit; velocity ghost | conveyor / boss Fill tanks | production_line / crisis Output over time |
| Recall | enemy / boss Spells are flashcards, cooldowns are spacing | conversation / accusation Riddle-keeper interrogation | pickup / boss Type the term to double-jump | tile_board / boss Timed word tiles | research_node / crisis Quick recall boosts research |