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.
replication_chamber · math · simulator.reach_state
Concept: Exponential growth
Player does: Set the growth factor so the colony hits the target on day n
Breaks: Exponential growth is fast linear growth
Exponential growth multiplies by a constant factor each step, which eventually outpaces any linear growth no matter how fast.
inheritance_machine · math · simulator.reach_state
Concept: Recursive sequences
Player does: Set a₁ and the rule so generation 5 matches
Breaks: Recursive and explicit rules can't describe the same sequence
A recursive rule and an explicit formula can generate exactly the same sequence, just computed differently.
repeat_experiment · math · simulator.sample
Concept: Variability
Player does: Rerun the identical experiment; predict the spread
Breaks: Same setup, same result
Random variation means identical setups can still produce different results from trial to trial.
prediction_stabilizer · math · simulator.sample
Concept: Law of large numbers
Player does: Choose how many trials until the estimate stays in the band
Breaks: After five heads, tails is due
Independent trials have no memory, so past outcomes don't change future odds; the law of large numbers only stabilizes averages over many trials.
long_run_casino · math · simulator.sample
Concept: Expected value
Player does: Pick the table with the best long-run payoff, then watch 1,000 plays
Breaks: The biggest prize is the best bet
Expected value weighs each payoff by its probability, so a rare huge prize can still be a worse bet than a smaller frequent one.
population_collector · math · simulator.sample
Concept: Sampling bias
Player does: Sample only reachable districts; explain why the estimate drifts
Breaks: A bigger biased sample fixes the bias
A biased sampling method stays biased no matter how large the sample gets; only fixing the method removes the bias.
capture_the_parameter · math · simulator.sample
Concept: Confidence intervals
Player does: Throw interval nets; predict how many catch the hidden true value
Breaks: There's a 95% chance this one interval holds the value
A 95% confidence level describes the method's long-run capture rate across many intervals, not the chance for one already-computed interval.
odds_forge · math · simulator.sample
Concept: Probability & counting
Player does: Choose the fork with the best odds of loot
Breaks: Two outcomes means 50/50
Probability depends on how many ways each outcome can occur, not just how many outcomes are listed.
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 |