Source of Truth

Game Mechanics Notes

Testing-playground rules, class data, combat, decks, AI behavior & UI requirements.

1Map & Environment Testing Playground

15 × 15
Grid — 225 squares total
3 × 3
Central boulder — blocks movement & sight

Starting Elements

  • A boat and a dock sit on the edge of the map.
  • Deployment: one player deploys on the boat, the other on the dock.

2Character & Class Data

New Class — Scout

  • Stats: 2 HP, +3 movement bonus.
  • Quick and nimble, but not very sturdy if caught in a fight.
  • Perk: the +3 movement bonus counts toward the speed-boost calculation when the Scout forgoes their attack to move.

Missing Hero — Camsin

  • Needs to be added to the hero selection board.

3Movement Mechanics

Basics

  • Base movement: all units start with 3 squares per turn.
  • Diagonals: count as 1.5 movement, rounded down.
Example: the first diagonal square costs 1 movement; the second diagonal costs 2.

Movement Splitting

  • Units can spend movement in pieces before and after actions.
Example: move 2 squares up → attack → move 1 square back.

Forgoing Attack — Speed Boost

  • Any unit can completely forgo their attack to increase movement by +50%, rounded in the player's favor.
  • UI: triggered via a button like "Move Again (Forgo Attack)" once base movement is spent.

Squad Tethering

  • Squad members are not tethered — they can move independently across the map to support each other.

4Turn Order & Phase Structure

  • Player turn: squads use simultaneous turns. Once every squad member has concluded their actions, the player turn ends.
  • Enemy turn: follows immediately after the player squad's turn concludes.

5Combat & Targeting

  • Attack action: one attack per unit per turn (unless forgone for movement).
  • Targeting: players must be able to manually select their specific target when attacking — fixes the automated-targeting issue from the previous version.

6Card Deck Mechanics

Player Deck

  • Deck UI: a player must always be able to see the cards remaining in their attack deck.
  • Attack resolution: when a unit attacks, they draw a card from the deck.
  • Miss card rule: a drawn miss card is shuffled back into the deck at the end of the round — not immediately.
  • Deck depletion: if the attack deck runs out completely, it must be shuffled immediately.

Zombie Deck

  • Zombie damage is modified by drawing from a deck.
  • Planned upgrade: later in the game, players will be able to see the remaining cards in the zombie deck.

7AI & Enemy Behavior Zombies

20
Basic zombies total for the test phase
10 + 10
10 start split on one half of the map; 10 filter in from off-map during play

Targeting Priority

  • Zombies always target the closest unit first.
  • Tie-breaker: at equal distance, target the unit with the highest HP next.
Example: a zombie targets a healthy hero over a vulnerable child.

Attack Damage

  • When a zombie attacks, a card is drawn from the deck to modify the zombie's baseline damage before applying it to the target.

World Lore / System Feature

  • Each town/city has a maximum zombie count limit.
  • Players can see a town/city's population as an indicator of total potential enemy density.

8Line of Sight

  • Visibility: a zombie is visible only if an unobstructed line can be drawn from the exact center of the unit's square to the exact center of the zombie's square.
  • Blockers: sight is broken if the line hits a wall, goes off the map, or cuts through the 3×3 central boulder.
Shelved: traditional "revealed tiles / fog of war" mechanics are on hold until core combat is verified.

9UI & Tracking Requirements

Status Board

  • A board displaying overall squad health, numbers, and roles.
Example: tracker showing "Soldier 1 has 4 / 5 HP."

Token Identifiers

  • Units use specific token designations (e.g., "Soldier 1", "Engineer 4") matching a tracker interface for managing wound tokens or health sliders.

Enemy Tracker

  • A similar status/health tracker system needs to be implemented for active enemies on the field.