Difference between revisions of "Life~Meaning Game"
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| − | Core Game Mechanics & Concepts:<br> | + | '''Core Game Mechanics & Concepts:'''<br> |
🧬 Pattern: biological or structural patterns, individual player cards, and the core concept of life holding itself together.<br> | 🧬 Pattern: biological or structural patterns, individual player cards, and the core concept of life holding itself together.<br> | ||
🌀 Drift: entropy, decay, instability, and the shared track that tracks the world's slide toward collapse.<br> | 🌀 Drift: entropy, decay, instability, and the shared track that tracks the world's slide toward collapse.<br> | ||
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🎧 Listen: Indicates an audio link for examples of gameplay.<br> | 🎧 Listen: Indicates an audio link for examples of gameplay.<br> | ||
| − | Player Tracks & Scoring:<br> | + | '''Player Tracks & Scoring:'''<br> |
🧠 Coherence: Represents internal stability, psychological clarity, and a track on the player mat.<br> | 🧠 Coherence: Represents internal stability, psychological clarity, and a track on the player mat.<br> | ||
⭐ Reputation: Represents reciprocity, community standing, and a track for social advantage.<br> | ⭐ Reputation: Represents reciprocity, community standing, and a track for social advantage.<br> | ||
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📄 Lookup: Refers to checking the group score against the meaning profile table.<br> | 📄 Lookup: Refers to checking the group score against the meaning profile table.<br> | ||
| − | Resource Tokens:<br> | + | '''Resource Tokens:'''<br> |
☀️ E (Energy): A basic resource used for building engines and fueling actions.<br> | ☀️ E (Energy): A basic resource used for building engines and fueling actions.<br> | ||
🔁 R (Regulation): A resource representing internal balance and the prevention of system collapse.<br> | 🔁 R (Regulation): A resource representing internal balance and the prevention of system collapse.<br> | ||
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❤️ S (Support): A resource representing the capacity to repair damage, maintain relationships, and mitigate Drift.<br> | ❤️ S (Support): A resource representing the capacity to repair damage, maintain relationships, and mitigate Drift.<br> | ||
| − | Layer & Tag Icons:<br> | + | '''Layer & Tag Icons:'''<br> |
🧿 Boundary (Layer 1): The foundation of "self vs. world" and thermodynamic coherence.<br> | 🧿 Boundary (Layer 1): The foundation of "self vs. world" and thermodynamic coherence.<br> | ||
⚖️ Balance (Layer 2): Allostasis, homeostasis, and staying within viable ranges.<br> | ⚖️ Balance (Layer 2): Allostasis, homeostasis, and staying within viable ranges.<br> | ||
Revision as of 13:25, 28 February 2026
YouTube ... Quora ...Google search ...Google News ...Bing News
- Center & Circle Playbook ... Walkthrough ... Life~Meaning Game
- Life~Meaning ... Consciousness ... Creating Consciousness ... Quantum Biology ... Orch-OR ... TAME ... Proteins
👁️ Watch Overview ~ 2 minutes
👁️ Watch Introduction ~ 7 minutes
🎧 Listen to Example of Play ~ 25 minutes
Game Name: Life~Meaning Game
Hold together, learn what matters, become valuable.
Life~Meaning is a tabletop game for two to six players that blends competitive engine-building with a shared responsibility to keep the world stable. Players collect specialized 🧬Pattern cards to upgrade their personal engines, while also investing in shared ⚙️Projects that strengthen the table as a whole. There are no hidden roles and no betrayal. Tension comes from scarcity, timing, and competing priorities under shared world pressure. It’s a competitive-collaborative engine builder: everyone cooperates to keep the world from sliding into 🌀 Drift, and each player competes to score the most by:
- maintaining 🧠Coherence under pressure
- gaining ⭐Reputation advantage through reciprocity and long-horizon contribution
- contributing to shared 🌳Legacy
Progress is tracked on individual player mats, but the world’s condition is shared. Unpredictable 📅World Events generate 🌀Drift, and if instability climbs too high it triggers a penalty that reduces Meaning. The game ends when the table achieves a high-level goal or the environment collapses, and the winner is the player who best integrates personal value with communal stewardship.
Players / Time
- Players: 2–6
- Time: 45–60 minutes
Win Condition / End Triggers
The game ends when the first of these happens:
- A Layer 10 ⚙️Project is completed.
- The 🌀World Drift marker reaches the final space (12).
- The ⚙️Project cards run out (you cannot refill the World Projects row when a slot becomes empty).
Timing rule: If an end trigger happens during Phase Ⓒ, finish Phase Ⓓ for that round, then score.
Winner: Highest Final Score.
Components
World Board
- 🌀 World Drift track (0–12)
- 🧬 Pattern Gallery face-up 🧬Pattern cards (6 slots)
- ⚙️ World Project for ⚙️Project cards (3 slots)
- 📅 World Event for the current 📅World Event (1 slot)
- 🛠️ Mitigation tokens spent to mitigate 📅World Events
Tokens
☀️ E (Energy)
🔁 R (Regulation)
🧩 M (Model)
💎 V (Value)
❤️ S (Support)
What Support means (conceptually): ❤️(S) Support is your capacity to repair damage and maintain relationships. Mechanically, it fuels both stabilization (anti-🌀Drift) and pro-⭐Reputation contribution.
Drift markers:
- 🌀 World Drift marker on the 🌀World Drift Track
🧬Pattern Cards (90)
Each 🧬Pattern card shows icons only:
- Layer number (1–10) and Layer icon
- Cost (icons)
- Outputs (2–4 icons)
- One Tag icon (🧿 Boundary, ⚖️ Balance, 🦋 Form, 🧫 Membership, 🌐 Prediction, 🎯 Reinforcement, 📌 Presence, 🏛️ Social, 🌳 Story, 🌍 Stewardship)
Layer Guidance
Layers 1–6 live mostly in your personal 🧬Pattern Stack as engine parts, while Layers 7–10 show up as special effects and shared structures on the World Board. The Tag icons are the bridge. They let the full 10-layer model appear in play without needing 10 personal slots. 🧬Pattern cards naturally reenact the layers via token outputs. Layer-by-layer mapping (10 layers):
- 🧬Pattern Stack:
- 🧿 Layer 1 Boundary: Depicted as the “self vs world” foundation in your 🧬Pattern Stack. It supports your 🧠Coherence state and your ability to operate under pressure. Mechanically, it’s your basic platform: make ☀️E (Energy) and 🔁R (Regulation) to stabilize your baseline.
- ⚖️ Layer 2 Balance: Depicted as the 🔁R (Regulation) economy that keeps you in range. Mechanically, it’s the loop that prevents overshoot and collapse: make ☀️E (Energy) and 🔁R (Regulation) to stay stable while expanding your engine.
- 🦋 Layer 3 Form: Depicted as 🧬patterns that restore structure, reduce the cost of “build/repair” contributions, and improve the efficiency of upgrading. Mechanically, Form-tagged 🧬Patterns help you contribute to ⚙️Projects more cheaply and more often, and they tend to create “we-function” advantages.
- 🧫 Layer 4 Membership: Depicted as 🧬patterns that make you more reliable in reciprocal play and more efficient at shared work. Mechanically, Membership-tagged 🧬Patterns improve your 🌳Legacy, increase contribution credit, and reward consistent cooperation.
- 🌐 Layer 5 Prediction: Depicted as 🧩M (Model) generation plus 🧬Pattern Gallery manipulation (peek, filter, reserve). Mechanically, this layer helps you see what’s coming and shape the offer so your engine grows with fewer dead turns.
- 🎯 Layer 6 Reinforcement: Depicted as 💎V (Value) generation plus “policy lock-in” effects (stable conversions, habit-like benefits). Mechanically, Reinforcement stabilizes what you do repeatedly, turning good choices into repeatable advantage.
- Effect (Layers 7):
- 📌 Layer 7 Presence: Present on a small number of 🧬Pattern cards as a special icon (not a slot, not a currency). When triggered, it grants flex: one-time choice effects such as “take +1 action,” “treat one token as wild for this action,” “peek and choose between two upcoming 📅World Events,” or “change how an 📅World Event resolves.” Mechanically, Presence is your limited way to steer uncertainty instead of only absorbing it.
- World Board (Layers 8–10):
- 🏛️ Layer 8 Social (❤️S Support + Reciprocity): Lives in the Support economy and in shared-work rules. Components: ❤️S (Support) tokens, ⭐Reputation-tagged 🧬Patterns/⚙️Projects, and the Social action(s) that create, move, or spend ❤️S (Support). Support is spent to help other players, reduce the friction/cost of cooperation, and to meet ⚙️Project requirements, and players gain contribution credit (and sometimes points) for reciprocal support rather than pure solo efficiency.
- 🌳 Layer 9 Story (Long-Horizon Credit): Lives in Story-tagged 🧬Patterns and ⚙️Projects that convert repeated contributions into endgame value. Components: Story tags on cards plus the way you record “what you kept doing” (for example: counting completed Story ⚙️Projects you contributed to, counting Story tags in your built engine, or counting Story-linked milestones). Mechanically, Story is where consistency becomes multipliers or bonus scoring at game end, not a separate token.
- 🌍 Layer 10 Stewardship (Endgame ⚙️Projects + World Stabilization): Lives in the highest-tier Stewardship ⚙️Projects on the World Board. Components: ⚙️Project prerequisites keyed to the World state (typically 🌀Drift and Vital Signals thresholds), large table investment (often including significant ❤️S Support), and big point rewards plus world-level effects (reduce Drift, improve/stabilize Vital Signals). Completing a Stewardship ⚙️Project often triggers the endgame or fulfills the table’s win-condition threshold.
Project Cards (24)
Each ⚙️Project card shows:
- Layer tier (8–10 typically, but can include 6–7)
- Required contributions (icons)
- Public benefit; reduce 🌀World Drift
- Contribution credit slots (to mark who paid what)
- Completion point awards by rank (Top / Second / Other)
World Event Cards (30)
Each 📅World Event shows:
- 🌀Drift increase (number)
- Pressure type icon (Scarcity, Threat, Uncertainty, Conflict, Damage)
- Mitigation Requirement (icons) that can reduce or cancel the 🌀Drift increase
Player Mats (1 per player)
Tracks:
- 🧠Coherence (0–10) track
- ⭐Reputation (0–10) track
- 🌳Legacy (0–30) track
🧬Pattern Stack: 6 layer slots for building 🧬patterns upward:
- 🧿 1. Boundary: Life Holds Itself Together
- ⚖️ 2. Balance: Staying In Balance
- 🦋 3. Form: Morphogenesis & Regeneration
- 🧫 4. Membership: Shift: From Persistence to Membership
- 🌐 5. Prediction: Predictive World-Models
- 🎯 6. Reinforcement: Reward, Avoidance, Reinforcement Learning
Setup
- Place the World Board in the middle of the table
- Set World Drift to 3
- Shuffle the 🧬Pattern deck. Deal 6 face-up cards to the 🧬Pattern Gallery row
- Shuffle ⚙️Project cards. Reveal 3 to the World Projects row
- Shuffle 📅 World Event cards. Reveal 1 to the 📅World Event slot
- Each player takes a mat and sets: 🧠Coherence = 4, ⭐Reputation = 2, and ⚙️Project = 0,
- Each player starts with tokens: 2×☀️E and 1×🔁R.
- Choose a starting player.
Round Structure
Each round has four phases:
Phase Ⓐ: World Event (Pressure Enters)
Reveal the next 📅World Event:
- Place it in the 📅World Event slot.
- Its Drift increase is pending until Phase Ⓓ.
Phase Ⓑ: Pattern Gallery Refresh
Refill the 🧬Pattern Gallery to 6 face-up 🧬Pattern cards if needed.
Phase Ⓒ: Player Turns (2 Actions Each)
In clockwise order, each player takes exactly 2 actions.
Phase Ⓓ: Stability Check (Mitigation + Apply Drift)
1) Mitigation Pool: The table may collectively spend tokens into the Shared Mitigation Pool to satisfy the 📅World Event’s Mitigation icons. 2) If the Mitigation Requirement is met, the 📅World Event’s pending Drift increase is canceled (or reduced if the 📅World Event says “reduce by X”). 3) Apply any remaining pending Drift increase to World Drift. 4) Discard all tokens in the mitigation pool back to the supply (they never carry over). 5) If any ⚙️Project slot is empty, refill it immediately from the ⚙️Project supply deck. If you cannot refill because the supply is empty, the game will end after this round.
Player Actions
On your turn, take exactly 2 actions. Scoring happens only through immediate track movement, plus 🌳Legacy points awarded on ⚙️Project completion.
Action 1: Acquire Resources
Take 2 tokens total, but they must be two different types.
Action 2: Buy a Pattern Card
Pay the card’s cost. Place it in the matching Layer slot on your mat (stack within a slot if needed).
- Immediately gain the card’s outputs as tokens.
- Tag Discount: Each 🧬Pattern you own reduces the cost of future cards sharing its Tag by 1 of the token type shown by the discount icon on the card (icon-only). Discounts stack.
Action 3: Contribute to a Project
Pay any subset of the Project’s required icons and mark your contribution on the Project Card and update 🌳Legacy track.
Social triggers (immediate):
- If you contribute at least 1×❤️S in this action: move +1 ⭐Reputation (max once per action).
- If the Project is Layer 9 or Layer 10: when you contribute to it, move +1 ⭐Reputation (once per action).
If the Project completes, resolve completion immediately (see Projects).
Action 4: Stabilize (Fight Drift)
Spend ❤️S to counter Drift. Choose one:
- Reduce World Drift by 1 (minimum 0)
Coherence trigger (immediate): Any time you take Stabilize and spend ❤️S, move +1 🧠Coherence.
Emergency conversion (always available):
- Spend 2× ☀️E to gain 1× ❤️S.
Action 5: Social Touchpoint
Choose one:
- Give 1 token to another player. Move +1 ⭐Reputation.
- Request 1 token from another player. If they agree, move +1 ⭐Reputation.
No negotiation required. This is a clean reciprocity move.
Action 6: Recalibrate
On your turn, you may take this action to update either the 🧬Pattern Gallery or the World Projects.
- Choose one
- Recalibrate the 🧬Pattern Gallery: Discard any number of face-up 🧬Pattern cards (from either row), then refill each row back to 6 cards.
- Recalibrate the World Projects: Discard any number of face-up Project cards, then refill the display back to its normal size.
Cost: Add +1 Drift.
Projects
Projects are shared builds with competitive credit. Everyone wants Project completed because they stabilize the world, but players compete for point rank.
Contributing
When you Contribute:
- Pay any subset of required icons.
- Mark each icon you paid in your color (or your marker) on the Project’s credit slots.
- A Project may be contributed to by multiple players over multiple turns.
Completing
A Project completes immediately when all required icons are paid. When it completes:
- Apply the Project’s public benefit (reduce 🌀World Drift as stated).
- Award 🌳Legacy by contribution rank (below).
- Refill the World Projects slot during Phase Ⓓ.
🌳Legacy (Contribution Rank)
When a Project completes, award points on each player’s 🌳Legacy track:
- Top contributor: 6 points
- Second contributor: 3 points
- All other contributors: 1 point (only if they contributed at least 1 icon)
Rank rules:
- Rank is determined by the number of icons you paid into that Project (credit marks).
- If tied, the player who placed the earliest mark on that Project wins the tie.
Scoring
What You Score
There are only 3 scoring sources:
- 🧠Coherence (your 🧠Coherence track value at game end)
- ⭐Reputation (your ⭐Reputation track value at game end)
- 🌳Legacy (from completed ⚙️Project by contribution rank)
Define:
- Player Track Total = 🧠Coherence + ⭐Reputation + 🌳Legacy
Track caps:
- 🧠Coherence max 10, ⭐Reputation max 10. Excess gains are ignored.
World Drift Penalty
At game end:
➕ 👤 players’ 🌳Legacy
➖ 🌀 World Drift (penalty)
🟰 👥 Group Score
📄 Lookup Meaning Description
Meaning Descriptions (Group Score Bands)
| Group Score Band | Title | Meaning Profile |
|---|---|---|
| 0–19 | Barely Holding | Your engine stayed alive, but pressure dominated. You spent most of the game paying emergency costs, and your contribution window stayed narrow. |
| 20–34 | Stabilizing | You built enough 🧠Coherence to stop the slide. You contributed selectively, and your ⭐Reputation began to turn cooperation into real advantage. |
| 35–49 | Reciprocal Builder | You consistently held steady while turning shared work into personal momentum. Your play shows durable reciprocity, not just survival. |
| 50–64 | World-Grade Contributor | You helped shape the table’s trajectory under pressure. Your ⭐Reputation reflects reliable trust and long-horizon contribution, not just point chasing. |
| 65+ | Steward in Practice | You integrated stability and ⭐Reputation value so well that the world stayed playable. Your scoring 🧬pattern signals leadership through contribution under constraint. |
Example of Play (Full Game, Start to Completion)
This walkthrough plays a complete game from setup to Layer 10 completion, including player rationale and full endgame scoring. For clarity, it uses a plausible subset of 🧬Pattern cards, ⚙️Projects, and 📅World Events. Your actual deck will differ, but the decision logic and scoring triggers are identical.
Cast
3 players:
- Alex (stability-first)
- Brooke (engine-first)
- Casey (projects-first)
Starting state:
- World Drift = 3
- Each player tracks: ⚙️Project 0, 🧠Coherence 4, ⭐Reputation 2
- Starting tokens (each): 2×☀️E and 1×🔁R
Assumed Pattern Gallery
| Card (Layer / Tag) | Cost | Outputs |
|---|---|---|
| Boundary Pattern (Layer 1 / 🧿) | ☀️E | ☀️E + ☀️E |
| Balance Pattern (Layer 2 / ⚖️) | ☀️E + 🔁R | 🔁R + ❤️S |
| Form Pattern (Layer 3 / 🦋) | 🔁R + ❤️S | 💎V + ❤️S |
| Membership Pattern (Layer 4 / 🧫) | 🔁R + ❤️S | 🧩M + ❤️S |
| Prediction Pattern (Layer 5 / 🌐) | ☀️E + 🧩M | 🧩M + 🧩M |
| Reinforcement Pattern (Layer 6 / 🎯) | ☀️E + 💎V | 💎V + ❤️S |
Assumed Project Row (start)
| Slot | Project (Layer) | Requires | Public Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Community Shelter (Layer 8) | ☀️E + ☀️E + 🔁R + 🔁R + ❤️S + ❤️S | Remove 2 🌀D |
| B | Repair Hub (Layer 8) | ☀️E + 🔁R + 🔁R + ❤️S + ❤️S | Remove 2 🌀D |
| C | Mentorship Archive (Layer 9) | 🧩M + 💎V + 🔁R + ❤️S + ❤️S | Reduce World Drift by 1 |
Assumed Event sequence (sample)
| Round | World Event | Pending Drift | Places 🌀D | Mitigation (to cancel) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uncertainty | +2 | 0 | 🧩M + 🔁R |
| 2 | Damage | +1 | 2 | ❤️S + 🔁R |
| 3 | Scarcity | +2 | 0 | ☀️E + ☀️E + 🔁R |
| 4 | Conflict | +1 | 1 | ❤️S + ❤️S |
| 5 | Threat | +2 | 0 | 🧩M + ❤️S + 🔁R |
| 6 | Damage | +1 | 2 | ❤️S + 🔁R |
| 7 | Uncertainty | +2 | 0 | 🧩M + 🔁R |
| 8 | Scarcity | +2 | 0 | ☀️E + ☀️E + 🔁R |
Round 1
Phase Ⓐ: World Event
Uncertainty, pending Drift +2. Mitigation requires 🧩M + 🔁R.
Phase Ⓒ: Player Turns
Alex (2 actions)
- Acquire: takes ☀️E + 🔁R
- Buy Pattern: Balance 🧬Pattern (pays ☀️E + 🔁R, gains 🔁R + ❤️S)
Rationale (Alex): I want ❤️S (Support) online so I can Stabilize without falling behind, and extra Regulation so I can pay mitigation when needed.
Brooke (2 actions)
- Acquire: takes ☀️E + 🧩M
- Buy Pattern: Prediction 🧬Pattern (pays ☀️E + 🧩M, gains 🧩M + 🧩M)
Rationale (Brooke): Model is the cleanest answer to Uncertainty, and it keeps me eligible for higher-tier Projects.
Casey (2 actions)
- Acquire: takes ☀️E + ❤️S
- Social Touchpoint (give): gives 1 token to Alex, ⭐Reputation +1 (now 3)
Rationale (Casey): I want ⭐Reputation early because it compounds. Also, Alex having ❤️S (Support) keeps our tempo high.
Phase D: Stability Check
Mitigation pool:
- Brooke contributes 🧩M
- Alex contributes 🔁R
Mitigation met, pending Drift +2 canceled.
End of Round 1:
- World Drift = 3
- 🌀D = 0
| Player | ⚙️ Project | 🧠 Coherence | ⭐ Reputation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Brooke | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Casey | 0 | 4 | 3 |
Round 2
Phase Ⓐ: World Event
Damage, pending Drift +1. Places 2 🌀D. Mitigation requires ❤️S + 🔁R.
Phase Ⓒ: Player Turns
Alex (2 actions)
- Stabilize: spends ❤️S to remove 1 🌀D, 🧠Coherence +1 (now 5)
- Contribute to Project A (Layer 8): pays 🔁R (1 credit)
Rationale (Alex): I address 🌀Drift first so we don't waste future turns. Then I start Project credit so I’m not locked out of points.
Brooke (2 actions)
- Acquire: takes ☀️E + ❤️S
- Contribute to Project A: pays ☀️E + ❤️S (2 credit), ⭐Reputation +1 (now 3)
Rationale (Brooke): ❤️S (Support) into Projects is efficient: it advances my ⭐Reputation and my Project rank in one action.
Casey (2 actions)
- Acquire: takes ☀️E + ❤️S
- Contribute to Project A: pays ☀️E + ❤️S (2 credit), ⭐Reputation +1 (now 4)
Rationale (Casey): I’m building a lead by turning ❤️S (Support) into both score tracks and Project rank.
Phase Ⓓ: Stability Check
Mitigation pool:
- Alex contributes 🔁R
- Brooke contributes ❤️S
Mitigation met, pending Drift +1 canceled.
End of Round 2:
- World Drift = 3
- 🌀D = 1
| Player | Project | Coherence | ⭐Reputation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| Brooke | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| Casey | 0 | 4 | 4 |
Round 3
Phase Ⓐ: World Event
Scarcity, pending Drift +2. Mitigation requires ☀️E + ☀️E + 🔁R.
Phase Ⓒ: Player Turns
Alex (2 actions)
- Acquire: takes ☀️E + 🔁R
- Contribute to Project A: pays 🔁R (1 credit). Project A completes.
Rationale (Alex): Completing Projects keeps the world from turning into cleanup chores. Even if I don’t win rank, the tempo gain matters.
Project A completion (Community Shelter):
- Public benefit: remove 2 🌀D (🌀D goes 1 → 0)
- Contribution credits:
- Alex: 2 credits (🔁R + 🔁R)
- Brooke: 2 credits (☀️E + ❤️S)
- Casey: 2 credits (☀️E + ❤️S)
- Tie-break: Alex placed the earliest mark on the Project, so Alex is Top. Brooke placed the next earliest mark, so Brooke is Second.
- Award Project points:
- Alex +6
- Brooke +3
- Casey +1
Brooke (2 actions)
- Acquire: takes 🔁R + ❤️S
- Buy Pattern: Form 🧬Pattern (pays 🔁R + ❤️S, gains 💎V + ❤️S)
Rationale (Brooke): Value is the bridge to Layer 9 and Layer 10. Form converts my stable base into a closing economy.
Casey (2 actions)
- Acquire: takes ❤️S + 🔁R
- Contribute to Project C (Layer 9): pays ❤️S (1 credit)
- ⭐Reputation +1 (contributed ❤️S, now 5)
- ⭐Reputation +1 (contributed to Layer 9, now 6)
Rationale (Casey): Layer 9 grows ⭐Reputation standing fastest. Early credit also wins ties later.
Phase Ⓓ: Stability Check
The table chooses NOT to meet Scarcity mitigation (players keep tokens for engines and Projects). Pending Drift +2 applies.
End of Round 3:
- World Drift = 5
- 🌀D = 0
Project Row refill: Slot A is refilled now that Shelter completed. New Slot A Project revealed:
| Project (Layer) | Requires | Public Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Stewardship Retrofit (Layer 10) | ☀️E + ☀️E + 🔁R + 🧩M + 💎V + ❤️S + ❤️S | Reduce World Drift by 1 |
| Player | Project | Coherence | ⭐Reputation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex | 6 | 5 | 2 |
| Brooke | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Casey | 1 | 4 | 6 |
Round 4
Phase Ⓐ: World Event
Conflict, pending Drift +1. Places 1 🌀D. Mitigation requires ❤️S + ❤️S.
Phase Ⓒ: Player Turns
Alex (2 actions)
- Stabilize: spends ❤️S to remove 1 🌀D, 🧠Coherence +1 (now 6)
- Contribute to Project B (Layer 8): pays 🔁R (1 credit)
Rationale (Alex): I’m keeping Drift off the board so the table stays in the fun loop: buy 🧬Patterns', race Projects.
Brooke (2 actions)
- Contribute to Project B: pays ☀️E + ❤️S (2 credit), ⭐Reputation +1 (now 4)
- Acquire: takes 🧩M + 🔁R
Rationale (Brooke): I want Repair Hub close to completion so we have room to focus on Layer 10 later.
Casey (2 actions)
- Contribute to Project C (Layer 9): pays 🔁R (1 credit), ⭐Reputation +1 (Layer 9 contribution, now 7)
- Social Touchpoint (give): gives 1 token to Brooke, ⭐Reputation +1 (now 8)
Rationale (Casey): I’m widening my ⭐Reputation lead while staying invested in Layer 9 credit. I also keep Brooke’s engine running so the table can close faster.
Phase Ⓓ: Stability Check
Mitigation pool:
- Alex contributes ❤️S
- Brooke contributes ❤️S
Mitigation met, pending Drift +1 canceled.
End of Round 4:
- World Drift = 5
- 🌀D = 0
| Player | Project | Coherence | ⭐Reputation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex | 6 | 6 | 2 |
| Brooke | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Casey | 1 | 4 | 8 |
Round 5
Phase Ⓐ: World Event
Threat, pending Drift +2. Mitigation requires 🧩M + ❤️S + 🔁R.
Phase Ⓒ: Player Turns
Alex (2 actions)
- Acquire: takes ☀️E + ❤️S
- Contribute to Project B: pays 🔁R (1 credit, total on Project B now 2 for Alex)
Rationale (Alex): I’m not winning ⭐Reputation, so I protect my score by winning Project ranks and keeping 🧠Coherence high.
Brooke (2 actions)
- Contribute to Project B: pays 🔁R + ❤️S (2 credit), ⭐Reputation +1 (now 5)
- Acquire: takes 💎V + ❤️S
Rationale (Brooke): Support keeps pushing ⭐Reputation while also closing Projects. I’m stocking Value for Layer 10.
Casey (2 actions)
- Contribute to Project B: pays ❤️S + ❤️S (2 credit), ⭐Reputation +1 (now 9). Project B completes.
- Stabilize: spends ❤️S to reduce World Drift by 1, 🧠Coherence +1 (now 5)
Rationale (Casey): I finish Projects to lock points, then I immediately spend ❤️S (Support) to pull Drift down so the multiplier stays survivable.
Project B completion (Repair Hub):
- Public benefit: remove 2 🌀D (none currently)
- Contribution credits on Project B:
- Alex: 2 credits (🔁R + 🔁R)
- Brooke: 2 credits (🔁R + ❤️S)
- Casey: 2 credits (❤️S + ❤️S)
- Tie-break order by earliest first mark on this Project:
- Alex marked first (Round 4), so Alex is Top.
- Brooke marked next (Round 4), so Brooke is Second.
- Award Project points:
- Alex +6
- Brooke +3
- Casey +1
Phase Ⓓ: Stability Check
The table meets Threat mitigation to avoid +2 Drift. Mitigation pool:
- Brooke contributes 🧩M
- Alex contributes 🔁R
- Casey contributes ❤️S
Mitigation met, pending Drift +2 canceled.
End of Round 5:
- World Drift = 4 (Casey reduced it by 1 during Phase Ⓒ)
- 🌀D = 0
| Player | Project | Coherence | ⭐Reputation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex | 12 | 6 | 2 |
| Brooke | 6 | 4 | 5 |
| Casey | 2 | 5 | 9 |
Round 6
Phase Ⓐ: World Event
Damage, pending Drift +1. Places 2 🌀D. Mitigation requires ❤️S + 🔁R.
Phase Ⓒ: Player Turns
Alex (2 actions)
- Stabilize: spends ❤️S to remove 1 🌀D, 🧠Coherence +1 (now 7)
- Contribute to Project A (Layer 10): pays ☀️E + 🔁R (2 credit), ⭐Reputation +1 (Layer 10 contribution, now 3)
Rationale (Alex): I stabilize first, then I start the Layer 10 race. I’m aiming to win rank on the finisher.
Brooke (2 actions)
- Buy Pattern: Reinforcement 🧬Pattern (pays ☀️E + 💎V, gains 💎V + ❤️S)
- Contribute to Project A (Layer 10): pays 💎V (1 credit), ⭐Reputation +1 (Layer 10 contribution, now 6)
Rationale (Brooke): Reinforcement gives me a steady Support stream. Then I convert Value into Layer 10 progress without slowing down.
Casey (2 actions)
- Contribute to Project C (Layer 9): pays ❤️S (1 credit)
- ⭐Reputation +1 (contributed ❤️S, now 10, cap)
- ⭐Reputation +1 (Layer 9 contribution, stays 10 due to cap)
- Stabilize: spends ❤️S to remove the remaining 1 🌀D, 🧠Coherence +1 (now 6)
Rationale (Casey): I cap ⭐Reputation' and keep Drift clean. If I can’t win Layer 10 rank, I’ll win the total profile.
Phase Ⓓ: Stability Check
The table does NOT meet mitigation this round (tokens were spent racing Projects). Pending Drift +1 applies.
End of Round 6:
- World Drift = 5
- 🌀D = 0
| Player | Project | Coherence | ⭐Reputation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex | 12 | 7 | 3 |
| Brooke | 6 | 4 | 6 |
| Casey | 2 | 6 | 10 |
Round 7
Phase Ⓐ: World Event
Uncertainty, pending Drift +2. Mitigation requires 🧩M + 🔁R.
Phase Ⓒ: Player Turns
Alex (2 actions)
- Acquire: takes 🧩M + 🔁R
- Contribute to Project C (Layer 9): pays 🔁R (1 credit), ⭐Reputation +1 (Layer 9 contribution, now 4)
Rationale (Alex): I’m using this round to keep my ⭐Reputation from collapsing while also holding the mitigation set for Uncertainty.
Brooke (2 actions)
- Contribute to Project C (Layer 9): pays 🧩M + 💎V (2 credit), ⭐Reputation +1 (Layer 9 contribution, now 7)
- Social Touchpoint (request): requests 1 token from Casey (Casey agrees), ⭐Reputation +1 (now 8)
Rationale (Brooke): I’m closing Layer 9 while also stacking ⭐Reputation so my endgame subtotal stays competitive.
Casey (2 actions)
- Contribute to Project C (Layer 9): pays ❤️S (1 credit). Project C completes.
- ⭐Reputation +1 (contributed ❤️S, stays 10 due to cap)
- ⭐Reputation +1 (Layer 9 contribution, stays 10 due to cap)
- Contribute to Project A (Layer 10): pays ☀️E + ❤️S + ❤️S (3 credit)
- ⭐Reputation +1 (contributed ❤️S, stays 10 due to cap)
- ⭐Reputation +1 (Layer 10 contribution, stays 10 due to cap)
Rationale (Casey): I lock the Layer 9 points, then I surge into Layer 10 with a big credit drop so I can win rank even if I’m not finishing it.
Project C completion (Mentorship Archive, Layer 9):
- Public benefit: reduce World Drift by 1 (World Drift 5 → 4)
- Contribution credits on Project C:
- Alex: 2 credits (🔁R + 🔁R)
- Brooke: 2 credits (🧩M + 💎V)
- Casey: 3 credits (❤️S + ❤️S + ❤️S across Round 3, Round 6, Round 7 combined in this example’s timeline)
- Award Project points:
- Top: Casey +6
- Second: Alex +3 (tie with Brooke by credits, Alex marked earlier than Brooke on this Project in this walkthrough)
- Other: Brooke +1
Phase Ⓓ: Stability Check
The table does NOT meet Uncertainty mitigation this round (resources were spent closing Projects and racing Layer 10). Pending Drift +2 applies.
End of Round 7:
- World Drift = 6
- 🌀D = 0
Project points updated:
- Alex: 12 + 3 = 15
- Brooke: 6 + 1 = 7
- Casey: 2 + 6 = 8
| Player | Project | Coherence | ⭐Reputation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex | 15 | 7 | 4 |
| Brooke | 7 | 4 | 8 |
| Casey | 8 | 6 | 10 |
Round 8 (Final Round)
Phase Ⓐ: World Event
Scarcity, pending Drift +2. Mitigation requires ☀️E + ☀️E + 🔁R.
Phase Ⓒ: Player Turns
Alex (2 actions)
- Contribute to Project A (Layer 10): pays ❤️S (1 credit)
- ⭐Reputation +1 (contributed ❤️S, now 5)
- ⭐Reputation +1 (Layer 10 contribution, now 6)
- Stabilize: spends ❤️S to reduce World Drift by 1, 🧠Coherence +1 (now 8)
Rationale (Alex): I’m adding credit to stay in the rank race, and I’m pulling Drift down so the final multiplier hurts less.
Brooke (2 actions)
- Acquire: takes 🧩M + ☀️E
- Contribute to Project A (Layer 10): pays 🧩M (1 credit), ⭐Reputation +1 (Layer 10 contribution, now 9). Project A completes and triggers game end.
Rationale (Brooke): I’m finishing the game now to prevent an even worse Drift multiplier. Ending timing matters.
Casey Because the Layer 10 Project completed during Brooke’s turn, Casey does not take a turn in Round 8.
Project A completion (Stewardship Retrofit, Layer 10):
- Public benefit: reduce World Drift by 1 (World Drift 5 → 4)
- Contribution credits on Project A:
- Alex: 3 credits (☀️E + 🔁R in Round 6, plus ❤️S in Round 8)
- Brooke: 2 credits (💎V in Round 6, plus 🧩M in Round 8)
- Casey: 3 credits (☀️E + ❤️S + ❤️S in Round 7)
- Rank and tie-break:
- Top: Casey and Alex tie at 3 credits. Casey placed the earliest mark on this Project in this walkthrough’s Layer 10 race (Casey’s big drop happened before Alex’s extra credit in the finale), so Casey is Top.
- Second: Alex
- Other: Brooke
- Award Project points:
- Casey +6
- Alex +3
- Brooke +1
Phase Ⓓ: Stability Check (Final)
The table does not meet Scarcity mitigation (the game ended mid-round and tokens were spent finishing Layer 10). Pending Drift +2 applies.
End of Game:
- World Drift = 6
Final Project points:
- Alex: 15 + 3 = 18
- Brooke: 7 + 1 = 8
- Casey: 8 + 6 = 14
Endgame Scoring (Full)
Compute:
Track Sub-total Score = Project + 🧠Coherence + ⭐Reputation
Then:
Final Score = Track Sub-total Score × World Drift Multiplier
World Drift ended at 6, so the multiplier is ×0.8.
| Player | Project | Coherence | ⭐Reputation | Track Sub-total | World Drift Multiplier | Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex | 18 | 8 | 6 | 32 | ×0.8 | floor(25.6) = 25 |
| Brooke | 8 | 4 | 9 | 21 | ×0.8 | floor(16.8) = 16 |
| Casey | 14 | 6 | 10 | 30 | ×0.8 | floor(24.0) = 24 |
Winner: Alex (25)
Why this outcome makes sense (design intent):
- Alex wins by combining high Project rank performance with repeated Stabilize actions that raised 🧠Coherence and protected the multiplier. That is the “hold together” skill paying off in points.
- Casey builds the strongest ⭐Reputation profile and wins key long-horizon Projects, but loses by a narrow margin because Alex’s 🧠Coherence and Project points edge survives the Drift multiplier.
- Brooke has a strong engine and smart end timing, but falls behind because she took fewer Stabilize actions and secured fewer top ranks on Projects.
Meaning Profile (from the bands):
- Alex (25): Stabilizing
- Casey (24): Stabilizing
- Brooke (16): Barely Holding
Icon Glossary
Core Game Mechanics & Concepts:
🧬 Pattern: biological or structural patterns, individual player cards, and the core concept of life holding itself together.
🌀 Drift: entropy, decay, instability, and the shared track that tracks the world's slide toward collapse.
⚙️ Project: collaborative efforts and shared builds that strengthen the table and reduce Drift.
📅 World Event: Represents unpredictable external pressures that generate Drift each round.
🛠️ Mitigation: the shared, round-by-round spending of resources to blunt World Events, canceling or reducing drift
👁️ Watch: Indicates a video link for an overview or introduction.
🎧 Listen: Indicates an audio link for examples of gameplay.
Player Tracks & Scoring:
🧠 Coherence: Represents internal stability, psychological clarity, and a track on the player mat.
⭐ Reputation: Represents reciprocity, community standing, and a track for social advantage.
🌳 Legacy: Represents long-horizon contribution and the primary scoring track for endgame points.
👤 Players: Used in the scoring formula to represent individual legacy points.
👥 Group Score: The collective score of the table used to determine the final Meaning Description
📄 Lookup: Refers to checking the group score against the meaning profile table.
Resource Tokens:
☀️ E (Energy): A basic resource used for building engines and fueling actions.
🔁 R (Regulation): A resource representing internal balance and the prevention of system collapse.
🧩 M (Model): A resource representing predictive capacity and understanding how the world works.
💎 V (Value): A resource representing realized worth and higher-tier progress.
❤️ S (Support): A resource representing the capacity to repair damage, maintain relationships, and mitigate Drift.
Layer & Tag Icons:
🧿 Boundary (Layer 1): The foundation of "self vs. world" and thermodynamic coherence.
⚖️ Balance (Layer 2): Allostasis, homeostasis, and staying within viable ranges.
🦋 Form (Layer 3): Morphogenesis, regeneration, and anatomical structure.
🧫 Membership (Layer 4): The shift from individual persistence to collective coordination.
🌐 Prediction (Layer 5): Predictive world-models and nervous systems.
🎯 Reinforcement (Layer 6): Reward, avoidance, and felt value signals.
📌 Presence (Layer 7): Conscious moments, binding, and integrated experience.
🏛️ Social (Layer 8): Shared meaning via language, norms, institutions, collective memory.
🌍 Stewardship (Layer 10): Caring for the future, ecosystems, and planetary stability.
