--- title: "Card design: questions (World 13)" date: 2026-07-04 status: draft tags: [world, walker-narrative, grief-arc, denial, anger, destiny-entity, keyword-cost-modifiers, compound, card-design] modules: [data-worlds] related: - .lore/work/specs/questions.md - .lore/work/plans/questions.md --- # Card design: questions (World 13) The spec (`.lore/work/specs/questions.md`) deliberately deferred concrete card templates, exact numbers, and deck counts to "an explicit authoring pass" (see its Scope note and Open Questions). This document is that pass — every world/reward card template below is ready to drop into `src/data/allCards.json`, and the deck composition is ready for `src/data/worlds/questions/cards.json`. **Calibration source:** every cost, keyword-apply value, `ForceDestroy`/`ExileTopWorldCards` amount, and deck-slot count below is matched against shipped precedent — Eden Prime (`Alarm`, `ClearCostPerKeywordCount`), New Derelict (`Lockdown`, `ClearCostPerSelfKeyword`), and Transit Authority (`Reroute`). Nothing here is invented from scratch; where a number diverges from precedent (Destiny's `ExileTopWorldCards` amount, notably), the reasoning is called out inline. **One design decision this pass had to resolve that the spec left implicit:** whether Act 2/3's `Denial`/`Anger` are authored statically (`"Denial:2"` in a card's `keywords` array) or gained at runtime (`ApplyKeyword`). This matters because `RemoveKeyword` only strips runtime-*applied* keywords, never authored/static ones (see `[[world-authoring-engine-gotchas]]` finding #3). REQ-W13-19 requires tool-fetch cards to grant a working `RemoveKeyword` counter — so any card meant to be countered must gain its keyword via `ApplyKeyword`, not carry it statically. The one deliberate exception is `Destiny` itself and the escalated self-transform card `He Isn't Coming Back`: both author `Denial:2` statically and are treated as intentionally uncounterable by the Denial-strip reward, which is the mechanical expression of "some avoidance calcifies past the point a single tool clears it." Every other Denial/Anger-bearing card below gains its keyword via `ApplyKeyword{target:"self"}` on `onDraw`, making it strippable. ## World cards (`src/data/allCards.json` → `cardTemplates`) All templates below define all five hooks explicitly (`{ "kind": "None" }` where empty), per C3. ### Act 1 — Loss, fear, helplessness (no Denial/Anger yet) ```json "Waiting Room Silence": { "kind": "world", "name": "Waiting Room Silence", "rarity": "common", "cost": 2, "keywords": ["Obstructed"], "discardable": true, "onDiscarded": { "kind": "Draw", "world": 1 }, "onCleared": { "kind": "None" }, "onPartialClear": { "kind": "None" }, "onDraw": { "kind": "None" }, "onEndOfTurn": { "kind": "None" } }, "I'm Outta Here": { "kind": "world", "name": "I'm Outta Here", "rarity": "common", "cost": 1, "keywords": [], "discardable": true, "onDiscarded": { "kind": "None" }, "onCleared": { "kind": "None" }, "onPartialClear": { "kind": "None" }, "onDraw": { "kind": "None" }, "onEndOfTurn": { "kind": "DestroySelf" } }, "The Monitor Keeps Beeping": { "kind": "world", "name": "The Monitor Keeps Beeping", "rarity": "uncommon", "cost": 4, "keywords": [], "discardable": true, "onDiscarded": { "kind": "None" }, "onCleared": { "kind": "None" }, "onPartialClear": { "kind": "None" }, "onDraw": { "kind": "None" }, "onEndOfTurn": { "kind": "ForceDestroy", "amount": 1 } } ``` - `I'm Outta Here` anchors REQ-W13-5: its only effect anywhere is `DestroySelf`, placed in `onEndOfTurn` per rule C1a (`DestroySelf` is only meaningful there — the engine has `selfId`). Left alone, the card leaves on its own. No `onCleared: DestroySelf` variant exists because that hook has no `selfId` to act on. - `The Monitor Keeps Beeping` is the `ForceDestroy`-queuing card REQ-W13-16 calls for, with no `Brace`-granting reward introduced anywhere in this world — the pressure is meant to land, not be neutralized, in Act 1. ### Act 2 — Denial ```json "Everyone Says It's Nothing": { "kind": "world", "name": "Everyone Says It's Nothing", "rarity": "uncommon", "cost": 4, "keywords": [], "discardable": true, "onDiscarded": { "kind": "None" }, "onCleared": { "kind": "None" }, "onPartialClear": { "kind": "None" }, "onDraw": { "kind": "ApplyKeyword", "keyword": "Denial", "value": 2, "target": "self" }, "onEndOfTurn": { "kind": "KeywordGate", "keyword": "Denial", "min": 2, "zone": "hand", "then": { "kind": "ForceDestroy", "amount": 1 } } }, "The Test Results Sit Unopened": { "kind": "world", "name": "The Test Results Sit Unopened", "rarity": "common", "cost": 3, "keywords": ["Obstructed"], "discardable": true, "onDiscarded": { "kind": "None" }, "onCleared": { "kind": "GainCard", "template": "Ask The Question" }, "onPartialClear": { "kind": "None" }, "onDraw": { "kind": "ApplyKeyword", "keyword": "Denial", "value": 1, "target": "self" }, "onEndOfTurn": { "kind": "None" } }, "She Says She's Fine": { "kind": "world", "name": "She Says She's Fine", "rarity": "common", "cost": 2, "keywords": [], "discardable": true, "onDiscarded": { "kind": "None" }, "onCleared": { "kind": "None" }, "onPartialClear": { "kind": "None" }, "onDraw": { "kind": "None" }, "onEndOfTurn": { "kind": "Sequence", "steps": [ { "kind": "AddWorldCardToDeck", "template": "He Isn't Coming Back", "bTop": true }, { "kind": "DestroySelf" } ] } }, "He Isn't Coming Back": { "kind": "world", "name": "He Isn't Coming Back", "rarity": "rare", "cost": 5, "keywords": ["Denial:2"], "discardable": false, "onDiscarded": { "kind": "None" }, "onCleared": { "kind": "None" }, "onPartialClear": { "kind": "None" }, "onDraw": { "kind": "None" }, "onEndOfTurn": { "kind": "ForceDestroy", "amount": 1 } } ``` - `Everyone Says It's Nothing` is the Act 2 signature threat: draws in with `Denial:2` applied to itself (strippable), escalates to `ForceDestroy` once 2+ Denial-carrying cards sit in hand — the self-tax has teeth if ignored. - `The Test Results Sit Unopened` is the Obstructed tool-fetch card (REQ-W13-19): clearing it grants `Ask The Question`, the Denial-strip reward. - `She Says She's Fine` → `He Isn't Coming Back` is the Self-Transform Pattern (REQ-W13-17): `AddWorldCardToDeck{bTop:true}` + `DestroySelf`, never `ReturnWorldCards`. The escalated card authors `Denial:2` statically and is `discardable:false` — deliberately uncounterable by the Denial-strip reward, per the design note above. ### Act 3 — Anger ```json "It Isn't Fair": { "kind": "world", "name": "It Isn't Fair", "rarity": "uncommon", "cost": 4, "keywords": [], "discardable": true, "onDiscarded": { "kind": "None" }, "onCleared": { "kind": "None" }, "onPartialClear": { "kind": "None" }, "onDraw": { "kind": "ApplyKeyword", "keyword": "Anger", "value": 1, "target": "self" }, "onEndOfTurn": { "kind": "KeywordGate", "keyword": "Anger", "min": 2, "zone": "hand", "then": { "kind": "ApplyKeyword", "keyword": "Anger", "value": 1, "target": "randomWorldCardInHand" } } }, "Nobody Warned You": { "kind": "world", "name": "Nobody Warned You", "rarity": "common", "cost": 3, "keywords": ["Obstructed"], "discardable": true, "onDiscarded": { "kind": "None" }, "onCleared": { "kind": "GainCard", "template": "Let It Out" }, "onPartialClear": { "kind": "None" }, "onDraw": { "kind": "ApplyKeyword", "keyword": "Anger", "value": 1, "target": "self" }, "onEndOfTurn": { "kind": "None" } }, "The Question That Has No Answer": { "kind": "world", "name": "The Question That Has No Answer", "rarity": "signature", "cost": 6, "keywords": [], "discardable": true, "onDiscarded": { "kind": "None" }, "onCleared": { "kind": "GainCard", "template": "Why" }, "onPartialClear": { "kind": "None" }, "onDraw": { "kind": "ApplyKeyword", "keyword": "Anger", "value": 2, "target": "self" }, "onEndOfTurn": { "kind": "Sequence", "steps": [ { "kind": "DamageScaled", "base": 2, "per": { "kind": "KeywordInHand", "keyword": "Anger" }, "amount": 1 }, { "kind": "AddThreatToWorldDeck" } ] } }, "Destiny": { "kind": "world", "name": "Destiny", "rarity": "signature", "cost": 6, "keywords": ["Denial:2"], "discardable": true, "onDiscarded": { "kind": "None" }, "onCleared": { "kind": "ExileTopWorldCards", "amount": 3 }, "onPartialClear": { "kind": "None" }, "onDraw": { "kind": "None" }, "onEndOfTurn": { "kind": "None" } } ``` - `It Isn't Fair` is the Act 3 signature Anger threat: self-applies `Anger:1` on draw, spreads it to a random hand card once 2+ Anger-carrying cards are present — "Anger doesn't stay contained to what caused it" (REQ-W13-10) made literal. - `Nobody Warned You` is Act 3's Obstructed tool-fetch (second half of REQ-W13-19): grants `Let It Out`, the Anger-strip reward. - `The Question That Has No Answer` grants `Why`, the `DealProgressAll`-based reward — this is how REQ-W13-18's "`DealProgressAll`-based card as the indiscriminate 'Why' swing" gets into the World Card Recipe, mirroring exactly how Eden Prime's `Paradise Runs` grants `Hush the Valley`. Its own `onEndOfTurn` escalation (`DamageScaled` off `Anger` count + `AddThreatToWorldDeck`) mirrors every other world's signature-tier closer (`Paradise Runs`, `The Order Arrives`, `Entity Detected`). - `Destiny` (REQ-W13-12/13): authored `Denial:2` self-taxes per `ClearCostPerSelfKeyword`; its cost additionally climbs from `Anger`'s ambient `ClearCostPerKeywordCount` tax whenever any Anger-carrying card sits in hand — no bespoke effect needed, both modifiers apply automatically once registered (Slice 1 of the plan). Effective cost = `6 (base) + 2×costPer(Denial) + count(Anger)×costPer(Anger)` — with the two Act 3 hazards above routinely putting 1-2 Anger-carrying cards in hand, this typically lands around 10-11, noticeably steeper than any other card in the game (next-highest is 6). `onCleared: ExileTopWorldCards{amount:3}` is larger than any existing player-card use of the effect (existing precedent tops out at 2) — deliberate, matching REQ-W13-13's framing of "cutting off future moments entirely and permanently," a heavier and more final effect than the tactical retreat existing player cards use it for. `The Walker` is referenced by `{ "templateId": "The Walker", "count": 1 }` in deck composition only — never redefined here (REQ-W13-2). ## Reward player cards (`src/data/allCards.json` → `cardTemplates`) ```json "Ask The Question": { "kind": "player", "name": "Ask The Question", "rarity": "common", "energyCost": 1, "effect": { "kind": "Sequence", "steps": [ { "kind": "DealProgress", "base": 2 }, { "kind": "RemoveKeyword", "keyword": "Denial", "target": "hand", "amount": 2 } ] } }, "Let It Out": { "kind": "player", "name": "Let It Out", "rarity": "common", "energyCost": 1, "effect": { "kind": "Sequence", "steps": [ { "kind": "DealProgress", "base": 2 }, { "kind": "RemoveKeyword", "keyword": "Anger", "target": "hand", "amount": 2 } ] } }, "Why": { "kind": "player", "name": "Why", "rarity": "rare", "energyCost": 2, "exhaust": true, "effect": { "kind": "Sequence", "steps": [ { "kind": "DealProgressAll", "base": 1 }, { "kind": "RemoveKeyword", "keyword": "Anger", "target": "hand", "amount": 1 } ] } }, "Sit With It a While": { "kind": "player", "name": "Sit With It a While", "rarity": "common", "energyCost": 1, "effect": { "kind": "Modal", "branches": [ { "kind": "ThawCards", "amount": 1, "heatCost": 1 }, { "kind": "Heal", "amount": 2 } ] } } ``` - `Ask The Question` / `Let It Out` are REQ-W13-14's two central reward cards — `RemoveKeyword` amount 2 matches the mid-range of shipped precedent (New Derelict's `Override Badge` uses amount 1, its `Manual Release` uses amount 3; Eden Prime's `Gentle Approach` uses amount 1). Paired with a small `DealProgress` per the standard "small progress + keyword removal" reward shape (mirrors `Gentle Approach` exactly). - `Why` mirrors `Hush the Valley`'s exact shape (`DealProgressAll` + a `RemoveKeyword` on the world's own signature keyword), granted only through clearing `The Question That Has No Answer` — not independently available in the reward pool, matching how `Hush the Valley` is gated behind `Paradise Runs`. - `Sit With It a While` is the one permitted Freeze/Thaw flavor touch (REQ-W13-15) — a `Modal` choice between minor `ThawCards` and a plain `Heal`, deliberately not central to either reward or world identity. ## Deck composition (`src/data/worlds/questions/cards.json`) ```json { "worldId": "questions", "deckComposition": { "acts": [ { "cards": [ { "templateId": "Waiting Room Silence", "count": 3 }, { "templateId": "I'm Outta Here", "count": 2 }, { "templateId": "The Monitor Keeps Beeping", "count": 2 } ] }, { "cards": [ { "templateId": "Everyone Says It's Nothing", "count": 3 }, { "templateId": "The Test Results Sit Unopened", "count": 2 }, { "templateId": "She Says She's Fine", "count": 2 }, { "templateId": "He Isn't Coming Back", "count": 1 } ] }, { "cards": [ { "templateId": "It Isn't Fair", "count": 3 }, { "templateId": "Nobody Warned You", "count": 2 }, { "templateId": "The Question That Has No Answer", "count": 1 }, { "templateId": "Destiny", "count": 1 }, { "templateId": "The Walker", "count": 1 } ] } ] } } ``` Act 1: 7 cards, foreshadow-only (REQ-W13-20 — lightest). Act 2: 8 cards. Act 3: 8 cards including `Destiny` and the fixed `The Walker` closer (REQ-W13-21). Sizes match the 7/8/7–8 shape used by Eden Prime and New Derelict, escalating card density (not raw count) is what carries Acts 2/3's extra weight, consistent with the spec's framing that it's Denial/Anger *density*, not deck size alone, that should climb. ## Open items this pass did not resolve - These are still placeholders per the spec's own Open Questions, not settled by this pass: final `worldId`/title, the `compound` signature verb name, and whether `costPer` should differ from the `1` used here (chosen only because it matches every existing `KEYWORD_COST_MODIFIERS` entry — `Lockdown`, `Alarm`, `Reroute` are all `costPer: 1`). - Rarity weights (`common`/`uncommon`/`rare`/`signature` distribution across the deck) follow the existing per-card `rarity` field convention but haven't been checked against the project's `sim/` balance tooling — recommend a `bun run sim` pass once this is authored, mirroring how other worlds got hand-verified plus sim-checked (see `[[sim-completeness-results-2026-07]]`). - No Brace-granting reward exists anywhere in this world's design, by choice — Act 1's `ForceDestroy` pressure and Act 2/3's escalating `ForceDestroy` on ignored Denial are meant to land, not be neutralized. Flag to the user if this reads as too punishing once played by hand.