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.
rock_cycle_wheel · earth_space · sequencer.cycle
Concept: Rock cycle
Player does: Rotate processes so each rock type becomes the next
Breaks: Rocks only change in one direction
The rock cycle has no fixed starting point; igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock can each transform into any other type.
strata_xray · earth_space · sequencer.rank
Concept: Relative dating
Player does: X-ray the cliff; order layers oldest to youngest
Breaks: Layer order says nothing about age
The law of superposition means undisturbed rock layers get younger from bottom to top.
plate_boundary_sorter · earth_space · sorter.bins
Concept: Plate boundaries
Player does: Sort features to convergent, divergent, or transform boundaries
Breaks: Earthquakes only happen at convergent boundaries
Earthquakes occur at all three boundary types, including the sliding motion of transform boundaries.
earthquake_triangulation · earth_space · mapper.plane
Concept: Locating epicenters
Player does: Draw three distance circles; mark where they meet
Breaks: One station can locate the epicenter
A single seismic station gives only a distance, so at least three stations are needed to triangulate the epicenter.
water_cycle_wheel · earth_space · sequencer.cycle
Concept: Water cycle
Player does: Restart the cycle by triggering stages in order
Breaks: Clouds are water vapor
Clouds are condensed liquid droplets or ice, while water vapor itself is invisible gas.
moon_phase_orbit · earth_space · mapper.plane
Concept: Moon phases
Player does: Place the Moon in its orbit to show the requested phase
Breaks: Phases are Earth's shadow
Moon phases come from the changing angle at which we see the Moon's sunlit half, not from Earth's shadow.
seasons_tilt · earth_space · truth_finder.mimic
Concept: Seasons
Player does: Expose the claim that summer is when Earth is closest to the Sun
Breaks: Seasons come from distance to the Sun
Seasons come from Earth's axial tilt changing sunlight angle and day length, not from distance to the Sun.
greenhouse_dial · earth_space · simulator.intervene
Concept: Greenhouse effect
Player does: Adjust emissions to keep temperature in the band
Breaks: The greenhouse effect is the ozone hole
The greenhouse effect traps heat via gases like CO2, which is a separate process from ozone depletion.
star_life · earth_space · sequencer.linear
Concept: Stellar evolution
Player does: Route the star through its life stages by mass
Breaks: All stars end as black holes
A star's mass decides its fate: only very massive stars can collapse into a black hole; smaller stars end as white dwarfs or neutron stars.
weather_fronts · earth_space · truth_finder.predict_reveal
Concept: Air masses & fronts
Player does: Predict the weather as the cold front arrives
Breaks: Warm air slides under cold air at a front
Warm air is less dense, so at a front it rises up and over the advancing cold air, not the other way around.
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 |