Pixel Deck · 養 edition

§ 01

牌The Deck

Ten distinct cards, twenty-four total. Each card carries a hanzi face and a C face. The C function isn't decoration — it is the rule. Read the code, read the rule.

0001道

無

wú

emptiness · void

void *wu(void) {
return NULL;
}

PLACE → return one card from the pool to the bottom of the deck.

0003道

值

zhí

worth · value

int zhi(int x) {
return x;
}

PLACE → next player's TRANSFORM is free this round.

0007道

張

zhāng

stretch · dilate

double zhang(double t, double rho) {
return t * rho;
}

PLACE → pool doubles its effective size for one round.

0011道

岔

chà

fork · diverge

int cha(int *a, int *b, int v) {
*a = v; *b = v;
return 2;
}

PLACE → duplicate one card already in the dormant pool.

0013道

碎

suì

shatter · fragment

void sui(void *p) {
free(p);
}

PLACE → choose any player; they discard one hand card to the deck bottom.

0019道

封

fēng

seal · close

const int feng(int x) {
return x;
}

PLACE → declare a card type sealed against RECEIVE for one round.

0023道

道

dào

way · path

void (*dao)(void) = NULL;

PLACE → all players reveal one latched card to the table for one round.

0029道

養

yǎng

nurture · sustain

void yang(int *seed) {
while (*seed > 0) (*seed)--;
}

PLACE → return one sealed card from any player's 化 pile to the dormant pool.

0031道

化

huà

transform · become

void *hua(void *src, size_t n) {
  void *dst = malloc(n);
  memcpy(dst, src, n);
  return dst;
}

PLACE → swap the rules of two cards in the dormant pool for one round.

0037道

專

zhuān

latch · focus

volatile int zhuan = 1;
while (zhuan) { /* hold */ }

PLACE → skip your next turn, draw 3 cards immediately.

§ 02

則The Rules

Three states. Three suits. Three actions per turn. Everything in the game runs on threes — that's the whole law.

states

專Latched

Held in hand, committed but not yet expressed. Face-down. Only you see your latched cards.

states

養Dormant

Placed on the table, face-up, in the shared pool. Available to all players via RECEIVE.

states

化Transformed

Sealed into your scored pile. Out of play. Counted at end. The win condition is three distinct hanzi here.

The Turn — pick one

HOLD — draw one card from the deck into your hand. Hand limit: 5 cards.
RECEIVE — take one card from the dormant pool (養) into your hand. The pool refills at end of turn.
TRANSFORM · PLACE — play a card from your hand onto the table. Resolve the card's C-face rule.
TRANSFORM · SEAL — move a card from the table into your 化 pile. Declare aloud: hanzi · gloss · C signature. The seal teaches.

Winning

Condition	How to trigger
Seal Three (default)	First player to seal three different hanzi into their 化 pile wins.
The Chord (advanced)	Seal three cards forming a recognized chord pattern (Void · Operator · Way · Worth).
Empty Deck (fallback)	If the deck and pool both empty, the player with the largest 化 pile wins.

Player Count Scaling

players	starting hand	initial pool	character
2	4 cards	4 cards	hand-heavy, tactical
3	3 cards	3 cards	standard · the trinity baseline
4	3 cards	4 cards	pool grows · politics emerge
5	2 cards	5 cards	pool dominates · hand is precious

§ 03

物The Merch

The deck made wearable, stickable, holdable. Every product carries the Foundations ribbon — 20% pre-payback, 80% post-payback. The buyer knows exactly what their money does.

The Physical Deck

$24–32 · est.

24 cards on 310gsm linen-finish stock. Matte black tuck box, teal foil stamp. Folded rulebook insert.

v0.1 · planned

Single-Card Tees

$28–35 · ten designs

Heavyweight cotton, deep noir. Each hanzi as a large front print, C function small at hem. One tee per card type.

v0.1 · planned

The Hoodie

$65–85 · single design

All ten hanzi grid on the back. 道場 mark left chest. Chord patterns down the sleeve. The prestige item.

v0.2 · queued

Sticker Pack

$12–15 · pack of 10

Die-cut vinyl, matte finish, ~3" each. One per hanzi. Foundations-friendly entry tier.

v0.1 · planned

The Print

$40–60 · limited

16×20 art print. All ten hanzi in a triadic mandala, 道場 mark center. Signed limited edition optional.

v0.2 · queued

Founder's Box

$120 · boxed set

Deck + hoodie + sticker pack + signed print, in a single SKU. The full collector's edition.

v0.3 · concept

§ 04

本The Foundations

Every dollar this deck moves is tracked on an append-only ledger. 20% to The Foundations pre-payback, 80% post-payback. The flip is automatic, data-dependent, and public.

pre-payback

80 / 20

Founder recovers build costs + Founder's Seed.
Foundations net 20% from day one.

post-payback

20 / 80

Founder retains 20% operational retainer.
Foundations net 80% in perpetuity.

The Founder's Seed — $2,500 — is the first entry on the ledger. It represents prior out-of-pocket funding that kept the broader work running long enough for this deck to be designable at all. The deck must repay that seed before the post-payback flip engages. The seed is not a debt; it is a first cost, marked clearly, recovered transparently, then forgotten.

ledger_id · pixel-deck-001
founder · bmore.ftw
beneficiary · The Foundations
seed · $2,500.00 · counted in payback
rules · append-only · SHA-256 chained · public on launch

§ 05

試Beta & Roadmap

v0.1 is the latched edition. The rules are deliberately under-specified in places — that's where playtesting lives.

version	scope	state
v0.1	CJK suit · 10 distinct cards · 24 total · paired with C	專 latched
v0.2	+ Sanskrit suit (10 cards, Devanāgarī) · paired with Haskell	養 dormant
v0.3	+ Arabic suit (10 cards, abjad) · paired with assembly	養 dormant
v1.0	full triadic deck · inter-suit chord patterns · sealed canon	化 future