# GROUND Rules — simulation specification

Status: **v0.1 draft**, derived 2026-07-31 from the authoritative sister
repo `ground-game`, edition dataset **GROUND-DARVO-CORE-0.1**
(`editions/ground-darvo-r0/`: Rules_Text, Actions, DARVO, Relations,
Problems, Solutions, Scenarios, Modes, Tokens, Player_Mats, Glossary).
This is a derivation, not a design: where the dataset is silent, the gap
is listed in §Underdetermined with a PROVISIONAL simulation default and
must be flagged back to ground-game, never silently canonized.

Every rule is numbered and individually testable; scenario files cover
rules via their `covers:` list (M-D1-COV). Names in `CAPS` are dataset
terms.

---

## 1. Objects and state (GR-O)

- **GR-O01** A game has 2–6 players, exactly 5 rounds, one Scenario card,
  and one Mode card.
- **GR-O02** Per-player state: Stress (integer 0–5), Freedom token
  (READY/SPENT), DARVO marker (OFF/DENY/ATTACK/REVERSE), Focus/Blame token
  (with owner and location), 2 relation slots, a hand of Solution cards,
  a set of 5 Action cards, claimed Problems, and 0+ Protection tokens.
- **GR-O03** Table state: Surface Problem (face up), hidden Problems (face
  down), Denied tokens on Problems, Solution deck and discard, Lead marker
  (one player), Round marker (1–5), relation tiles (Bond/Rivalry side)
  between player pairs.
- **GR-O04** A Problem has: required Solution suit (Clarify, Repair,
  Boundary, or Change), point value, visibility (face up / face down),
  Denied flag, and claimed-by (a player or nobody).
- **GR-O05** A relation between two players is exactly one of Bond or
  Rivalry; at most one relation may exist between the same two players.

## 2. Setup (GR-S)

- **GR-S01** Setup uses the chosen Scenario's Surface Problem face up and
  its hidden Problems face down, filtered by player count: priorities 1–2
  for 2 players, 1–3 for 3–4 players, 1–4 for 5–6 players.
- **GR-S02** Each player starts with: Stress 2, Freedom READY, DARVO
  marker OFF, Focus/Blame token (Focus side, unplaced), two free relation
  slots, and two dealt Solution cards.
- **GR-S03** The Lead marker starts with a (seeded-)random player; the
  Round marker starts at 1.
- **GR-S04** The Solution deck is the 24 core Solution cards (6 per suit)
  minus those dealt, shuffled deterministically from the game seed.

## 3. Round structure (GR-R)

- **GR-R01** Each round has four steps in order: Select, Reveal, Resolve,
  End.
- **GR-R02 (Select)** Every player simultaneously chooses exactly one of
  their five Actions face down, with target designation where the Action
  requires one. Choices are hidden from other players until Reveal
  (commit/reveal).
- **GR-R03 (Select, stress gate)** A player at Stress 4 or 5 may select
  only ATTACK or GROUND, unless they spend their READY Freedom token
  during Select (before Reveal), which permits any one Action and turns
  the token to SPENT.
- **GR-R04 (Reveal)** All selected Actions are revealed simultaneously.
- **GR-R05 (Reveal, GROUND mode)** A player who revealed GROUND chooses
  its mode (GR / OU / ND) and its target *after* seeing all revealed
  Actions, before resolution begins.
- **GR-R06 (Resolve)** Resolution proceeds in fixed step order:
  1 GROUND, 2 Support, 3 active DARVO stages, 4 Investigate, 5 Attack,
  6 Solve.
- **GR-R07 (Resolve, ties)** Within the same step, resolve starting with
  the Lead player, continuing clockwise.
- **GR-R08 (End)** At End: clamp all Stress to 0–5; any player at Stress 5
  whose DARVO marker is OFF sets it to DENY (their sequence begins next
  round); rotate Lead clockwise; advance the Round marker.
- **GR-R09** After Round 5's End step, the game ends and scoring applies
  (GR-E).

## 4. Stress and Freedom (GR-F)

- **GR-F01** Stress is always an integer clamped to 0–5.
- **GR-F02** At Stress 0–3 all five Actions are selectable.
- **GR-F03** A Freedom token is READY or SPENT; spending is only possible
  when READY, and only during Select (GR-R03).
- **GR-F04** GROUND—GR readies its player's Freedom token. Support
  received through an existing Bond readies the target's Freedom token.

## 5. Actions (GR-A)

- **GR-A01 (INVESTIGATE)** Reveal one chosen hidden, non-Denied Problem,
  then draw one Solution. If no hidden non-Denied Problems remain, draw
  one Solution only.
- **GR-A02 (SOLVE)** Targeting one face-up, non-Denied Problem: when Solve
  resolves, discard one Solution matching the Problem's required suit and
  claim the Problem. If the Problem was already claimed by an earlier
  resolver this round (Lead order), the Solution is not discarded and
  nothing happens.
- **GR-A03 (SUPPORT, no relation)** Target gets −1 Stress; a Bond may then
  form per GR-L02.
- **GR-A04 (SUPPORT, existing Bond)** Target gets −2 Stress, target's
  Freedom becomes READY, and if the target is in an active DARVO sequence
  its current stage is cancelled and the whole sequence ends (marker to
  OFF).
- **GR-A05 (SUPPORT, existing Rivalry)** Target gets −1 Stress; the target
  chooses: flip the relation to Bond, or break it.
- **GR-A06 (ATTACK, no relation)** Target gets +1 Stress; a Rivalry forms
  automatically if both players have a free slot (GR-L03).
- **GR-A07 (ATTACK, existing Bond)** Target gets +2 Stress and the Bond
  flips to Rivalry.
- **GR-A08 (ATTACK, existing Rivalry)** Target gets +2 Stress and the
  relation breaks (both link tokens return).
- **GR-A09 (ATTACK, cancellation)** Protection or GROUND—OU may cancel an
  Attack. A cancelled Attack changes neither Stress nor relations.
- **GR-A10 (GROUND—GR, Ground & Restate)** Self: −2 Stress and Freedom
  becomes READY. If the player is in an active DARVO sequence, the current
  stage still resolves this round, then the remaining sequence ends.
- **GR-A11 (GROUND—OU, Observe & Uphold)** Choose one: restore one Denied
  Problem (face up, remove Denied token); cancel one Attack targeting the
  player this round; or protect one face-up Problem from Deny this round.
- **GR-A12 (GROUND—ND, Name & Decide)** Choose one: remove one Blame token
  from the player; break one relation involving the player; or reject one
  Reverse targeting the player this round.
- **GR-A13** SUPPORT and ATTACK target one *other* player; INVESTIGATE
  targets a hidden Problem; SOLVE targets a face-up non-Denied Problem.

## 6. Relations (GR-L)

- **GR-L01** Each player has exactly 2 relation slots; each relation
  consumes one slot from each endpoint. If either endpoint lacks a free
  slot, the immediate Support/Attack effect still applies but no relation
  forms.
- **GR-L02 (Bond formation)** A no-relation Support creates a Bond only if
  both players have a free slot **and the target accepts**.
- **GR-L03 (Rivalry formation)** A no-relation Attack creates a Rivalry
  automatically (no consent) if both players have a free slot.
- **GR-L04 (Flip/break)** Bond→Rivalry on Attack-through-Bond (GR-A07);
  Rivalry→Bond or break by target's choice on Support-through-Rivalry
  (GR-A05); break on Attack-through-Rivalry (GR-A08); GROUND—ND may break
  any relation involving its player (GR-A12).
- **GR-L05** A Bond formed this round by a Support does not itself cancel
  DARVO; only Support through a Bond that existed before this round's
  Support step regulates DARVO (GR-A04).

## 7. DARVO sequence (GR-D)

- **GR-D01 (Trigger)** At End, a player at Stress 5 with marker OFF sets
  the marker to DENY; their DENY stage resolves in the next round's DARVO
  step (GR-R08).
- **GR-D02 (Binding)** Once triggered, the sequence advances one stage per
  consecutive round — DENY, then ATTACK, then REVERSE — regardless of the
  player's later Stress, unless ended early (GR-D06/GR-A04/GR-A10).
- **GR-D03 (DENY)** Mandatory effect in the DARVO step: choose one
  face-up, unsolved Problem not protected by GROUND—OU this round; turn it
  face down and place a Denied token. A Denied Problem cannot be solved or
  revealed by ordinary Investigate; only GROUND—OU restores it.
- **GR-D04 (ATTACK stage)** Mandatory effect: make one extra Attack
  against any other player, resolved with the normal relation rules
  (GR-A06..A09), in addition to the player's chosen Action. Then place the
  player's Focus token beside the target — even if the extra Attack was
  cancelled. The Focus target is remembered as the REVERSE target.
- **GR-D05 (REVERSE)** Mandatory effect targeting the Focus holder: unless
  rejected by that player's GROUND—ND this round, flip Focus to Blame in
  front of them, give them +1 Stress, and gain one Protection token. Then
  (rejected or not — see §Underdetermined U5) the sequence owner reduces
  own Stress by 2 and the sequence ends (marker OFF).
- **GR-D06 (Early end)** The sequence ends immediately when: an existing
  Bond's Support cancels the current stage (GR-A04), or GROUND—GR ends it
  after the current stage resolves (GR-A10). If it ends before REVERSE,
  the placed Focus token is removed.
- **GR-D07** A player whose marker is not OFF cannot trigger a new
  sequence (GR-R08); after the sequence ends, the marker is OFF and
  re-triggering is possible at a later End.

## 8. Problems and solving (GR-P)

- **GR-P01** Only face-up, non-Denied Problems can be targeted by SOLVE or
  claimed.
- **GR-P02** Hidden (face-down, non-Denied) Problems can only be revealed
  by INVESTIGATE (GR-A01); Denied Problems only by GROUND—OU (GR-A11).
- **GR-P03** A claimed Problem belongs to its claimant and counts its
  printed value for scoring; a Problem can be claimed at most once.
- **GR-P04** Competing SOLVEs on the same Problem in the same round
  resolve in Lead order (GR-R07); losers keep their Solution (GR-A02).
- **GR-P05** *(ruled by ground-game 2026-08-03, GROUND-WP-0002 T02)*
  **SOLVE is offered only where it can do something.** A seat may select
  SOLVE on a Problem only if it is face-up, non-Denied, **unclaimed**, and
  the seat **holds a Solution of the required suit**. A Problem claimed in
  a *prior* round is not a legal target; the same-round race of GR-P04 is
  unaffected, because both seats select before either resolves.

  *Not a bluff mechanic.* CB-WP-0018 raised the possibility that
  selecting an unfulfillable SOLVE was an intended face-down bluff. The
  ruling is that it was a filter bug: *"the player always knows their
  hand… physical tables self-police the same way."*

## 9. Protection, Focus and Blame (GR-T)

- **GR-T01** A Protection token cancels the next Attack against its
  holder (including a DARVO extra Attack), then returns to the supply.
- **GR-T02** A Blame token in front of a player is worth −1 to that
  player's personal score and stays until removed by GROUND—ND.
- **GR-T03** Each player has exactly one Focus/Blame token; it is either
  unplaced (Focus, with owner), placed Focus-side (during own DARVO), or
  flipped to Blame in front of the REVERSE target.

## 10. Game end and scoring (GR-E)

- **GR-E01** After Round 5, sum the printed values of all claimed
  Problems; the Scenario's threshold (by player count: 2p → 5, 3–4p → 7,
  5–6p → 9 in dataset 0.1) decides group success where the Mode uses it.
- **GR-E02 (SHARED GROUND, co-op)** One shared score; group succeeds iff
  total ≥ threshold. Mastery rating = successes minus 1 per Blame token in
  play and 1 per Denied Problem.
- **GR-E03 (COMMON PROBLEM, PERSONAL EDGE, semi-co-op)** Group must meet
  the threshold; if it does, each player scores claimed value −1 per Blame
  they hold; highest wins. Tiebreak: lower Stress, then more Bonds, then
  shared victory.
- **GR-E04 (BONDED COALITIONS)** Group must meet the threshold; each
  connected Bond network is a coalition (unbonded players are solo);
  coalition score = sum of members' personal scores; highest coalition
  wins. Rivalries do not connect. Tiebreak: lower combined Stress, then
  fewer Blame tokens, then shared victory.

---

## The finding register

Moved to [`FindingRegister.md`](FindingRegister.md) on 2026-08-05 — this
file crossed the loadability limit. The U-items below are its
`underdetermined` rows; `make design` reports over it.

## Underdetermined in dataset 0.1 — RULED 2026-08-03, applied 2026-08-05

**Owner: ground-game. Raised: 2026-07-31. Ruled 2026-08-03**
(GROUND-WP-0002 T05): **all ten confirmed** as the defaults clay-borg
already simulates. Applied here 2026-08-05 (CB-WP-0026).

**Nothing below awaits a ruling.** The defaults are now the rules for
dataset 0.1, and the `provisional: true` flags they carried have been
lifted — a flag that outlives its question is a lie with a timestamp.

**No kernel behaviour changed**, because every ruling was a confirmation.
What changed is that these stopped being our guesses.

> **Three rulings carry more than "confirm", quoted rather than
> paraphrased.** **U1**: the Bond formed by *this* Support still does not
> cancel DARVO (printed designer note — this is what GR-L05 encodes).
> **U2**: clamp on every application, but **DARVO still arms only at End**
> when at Stress 5 (GR-R08) — the clamping rule and the trigger rule are
> separate. **U8**: GROUND—OU applies first and **Protection is consumed
> only if it actually cancels**.
>
> ground-game flagged **U2, U6 and U8** as the three that change play,
> because each decides whether a DARVO stage fires at all.

Formalization exposed points the dataset did not decide. Each is stated
with its default and the ruling that settled it.

- **U1 Bond acceptance timing (GR-L02):** when does the target "accept"?
  Default: a decision point during the Support resolution, target decides
  with full knowledge of revealed Actions.
  **RULED 2026-08-03 — confirm.** Target accepts during Support resolution, with full knowledge of revealed Actions. A Bond formed by *this* Support still does not cancel DARVO (printed designer note; GR-L05).
- **U2 Stress clamping during resolution (GR-F01):** dataset caps Stress
  at End; mats physically cap at 0–5. Default: clamp on every
  application (no intermediate values above 5/below 0). Note this
  interacts with DARVO triggering (a mid-round spike to 5 that is reduced
  again before End does not trigger).
  **RULED 2026-08-03 — confirm.** Clamp Stress to 0–5 on **every** application; matches the physical mats. DARVO still arms **only at End** when at Stress 5 (GR-R08).
- **U3 DENY with no legal target (GR-D03):** if no face-up unsolved
  unprotected Problem exists, default: the stage resolves as a no-op and
  the sequence still advances.
  **RULED 2026-08-03 — confirm.** No-op; the sequence still advances.
- **U4 Solution deck exhaustion (GR-A01):** default: reshuffle the discard
  into a new deck deterministically; if both are empty, the draw is
  skipped.
  **RULED 2026-08-03 — confirm.** Deterministic reshuffle of the discard into a new deck; if both are empty, skip the draw.
- **U5 Rejected REVERSE — self-effects (GR-D05):** the Actions sheet says
  GROUND—ND "rejects one Reverse"; the DARVO sheet orders the −2
  self-Stress after the flip/+1/Protection block. Default: rejection
  cancels the effects on the target (no Blame, no +1) **and** the
  Protection gain, but the sequence owner still takes −2 Stress and the
  sequence still ends; the Focus token returns unflipped.
  **RULED 2026-08-03 — confirm.** Rejection cancels the target effects (no Blame, no +1, no Protection) **and** the owner still takes −2 Stress and the sequence ends.
- **U6 Simultaneous Bond-Support and stage cancellation (GR-A04, GR-R06):**
  Support (step 2) resolves before DARVO stages (step 3), so a Bond
  Support in the same round cancels that round's stage before it fires.
  Stated as the intended reading; confirm.
  **RULED 2026-08-03 — confirm.** A pre-existing Bond Support (step 2) cancels that round's DARVO stage before it fires (step 3) and ends the sequence.
- **U7 Focus target elimination:** dataset has no player elimination, so
  no rule needed; confirm none exists.
  **RULED 2026-08-03 — confirm.** No player elimination.
- **U8 Multiple Attack cancellation sources (GR-A09):** if both Protection
  and GROUND—OU could cancel the same Attack, default: GROUND—OU (chosen
  at step 1) applies first; Protection is consumed only if it actually
  cancels.
  **RULED 2026-08-03 — confirm.** GROUND—OU applies first; Protection is consumed **only if it actually cancels**.
- **U9 Two players at Stress 5 at the same End (GR-R08):** both trigger;
  their stages resolve in Lead order in later rounds. No interaction rule
  needed; confirm.
  **RULED 2026-08-03 — confirm.** Both trigger; later stages resolve in Lead order. No extra interaction rule.
- **U10 Hand limits:** none stated. Default: no hand limit.

  **RULED 2026-08-03 — confirm.** No hand limit in r0. Revisit only if playtest shows bloat.
## Scenario coverage obligation

Every GR-rule above must be covered by ≥1 scenario under
`scenarios/ground/` (M-D1-COV); every U-item's default must be covered by
a scenario tagged `provisional: true` so a ground-game correction flips
the scenario, not the kernel.