Calvinball Tactics

Starts as tic-tac-toe. Ends as procedural theater.

This layer adds special pieces and card hands. Soldiers self-propel at turn start, Ghosts cohabit cells, Anchors lock territory, and every card play competes against your 2 AP economy.

Turn 1Player XAP 2Deck 12Discard 0

Board Sandbox

Select an action, then click a cell. Standard pieces are X/O, Soldier is XS/OS, Anchor is XA/OA, and Ghosts appear as top-right GX/GO markers.

Current Hand

Choose an action, then click a cell. Card plays are now live.

Public Game Log

Turn 1: X opened the file and drew 3 cards.

Referee Office

Spend 2 AP to submit a dispute or piece definition. The ruling is binding and permanently logged for this session.

Ruling Register

No rulings yet. File the first complaint.

Design Pillars

Rule changes always cost actions, so chaos has an opportunity cost.
Cards constrain mutations so players cannot invent everything at once.
The referee is binding, even when the ruling sounds like city hall fan fiction.

In This Build

3x3 tactical sandbox with place, erase, move, and card actions
Special pieces: Soldier, Ghost, and Anchor with distinct behavior
Shared deck + per-player hands (3-card start, draw 1 at turn start, max hand 5)
Server-backed referee rulings with seriousness score and public log

Next Systems

Board mutation graph (line drawing, anchors, and closed region detection)
Secret win condition cards and reveal bonuses
Disruption cards and out-of-turn counters
Async share-link multiplayer with persisted room state