Mandate 2038: Components
Mandate 2038 keeps player-visible writing separate from mechanics and from generated output. Edit the source that owns the kind of change you are making.
| Source | Owns | Do not put here |
|---|---|---|
content/copy/ | Printable component, box, card, and player-aid copy | Numeric mechanics, IDs, or internal notes |
content/data/ | Stable IDs, timing, quantities, mechanics, and machine contracts | Flavor, tone rules, art briefs, or player-facing prose |
content/runtime/ | Browser labels, instructions, messages, simulation labels, and guide copy | Printed card copy or mechanical rules |
experimental/copy/ and experimental/data/ | Deferred optional-module copy and mechanics | Baseline-game material |
content/graph.json | Source-to-output declarations and semantic contexts | Authored game prose |
dist/ | Compiler-produced runtime JSON, printable documents, site pages, and kits | Any hand edits |
content/copy/ is a sparse copy overlay: its IDs bind player-facing fields to their mechanical record in content/data/. The compiler performs a fail-closed keyed merge and rejects unknown identities or incompatible shapes.
| Copy source | Player-facing surface | Mechanical source |
|---|---|---|
content/copy/world-copy.json | Box, world primer, tokens, declarations, endings | content/data/world-copy.json |
content/copy/reference-cards.json | Governance Board Era panels and foldout player-aid panels | content/data/reference-cards.json |
content/copy/factions.json | Faction boards and abilities | content/data/factions.json |
content/copy/game-config.json | Actions, Eras, map, resources, Training, and Power | content/data/game-config.json |
content/copy/mandates.json | Era Mandates | content/data/mandates.json |
content/copy/headlines.json | Headline cards | content/data/headlines.json |
content/copy/escalations.json | Shared Program cards | content/data/escalations.json |
experimental/copy/*.json | Deferred modules | matching experimental/data/*.json |
The player-readable document templates are content/copy/core-rules.md and content/copy/world-and-institutions.md. They compile to dist/docs/ and are then rendered into the site reader. Begin a broad lore pass with content/copy/world-copy.json; revise the world companion once the short premise is settled; revise the rulebook for play instruction rather than lore or internal rationale.
content/player-copy-contract.json records the player surface that consumes each copy subtree. After changing content, run:
npm run content:build
npm run content:check
npm run content:validateNever edit dist/runtime/, dist/docs/, dist/site/, or dist/physical-kit/ by hand.