PTSD: Terminal 01

Welcome to the Terminal In a world rebuilt after AI dominance, the few operator networks skilled enough to seize control of the terminals are chasing two things: Fame and SYSM (System Points). Post Traumatic System Disorder: Terminal 01 is a cybersecurity-themed, hybrid strategy card game where players compete as notorious hackers navigating dark nets, managing data streams, and infiltrating high-stakes target subnets. To win, you must compile exploits in physical memory stacks, trade for rule-breaking scripts, manipulate global markets, and lock your digital assets onto the public blockchain before your competitors shut you down. The Gameplay Loop Over a series of rounds, players compete to infiltrate target subnets (Location Cards) revealed on the board. You begin with a hand of 5 data cards, representing encrypted program fragments. On your turn, you must choose exactly one of eight system commands: Scan: Query the network and draw data cards equal to the current Network Scan Speed (1–6). But beware: your hand limit is 7 data cards. Exceeding it triggers immediate data loss (discarding down to 7). Disrupt: Burn data cards to manipulate the board's six market tracks, shift the scan speed, or push the end-game SYSM crypto multiplier up or down. Program: Play a single data card from your hand into one of your 3 physical memory stacks (up to 7 cards per stack). Flush (Discard Stack): Wipe a memory stack clean if the active subnets shift and your compiled payload no longer matches. Trade: Spend program fragments to acquire advanced scripts from the Black, Grey, or White Hat markets. The price fluctuates based on rolls of the market dice. Hack: Execute a compiled memory stack against an active Location. If your fragments match the required inputs and your suit value is high enough (overcoming firewall defenses and competing hackers), you successfully hack the subnet, placing a control cube, rolling for card rewards, and claiming Fame. Harden: Discard a matching data type to place an additional control cube on a location where you already have presence, securing your dominance. Blockchain: Commit a data card face-up to your public blockchain ledger (maximum of 10 cards) to establish your end-game scoring multipliers. Key Mechanical Pillars Memory Stack Programming: Unlike traditional hand-builders, you must compile your payloads in order. Stacking fragments (containing identifiers like ACC, KEY, DATA, NET and suits like Hack [HKT], Crack [CRK], Break [BRK], Bypass [BYP]) requires foresight to match the specific inputs of the location firewalls. The Hat Markets (White, Grey, and Black Hat Decks): White Hat: cards offer personal protections and stack expansions. Black Hat: cards unleash chaos on opponents, forcing cards to be discarded or reducing their cache sizes. Grey Hat: cards trigger global market events, swaps, and interactive deals. Market Manipulation: The value of the data you gather is not static. Using the Disrupt command, you shift the market value of the 6 data tracks (AI Intel, Government, Financial, Personal, Market Intel, and Wildcards) between 1 and 10. Blockchain Scoring Engine: At the end of the game, players score points by multiplying the final values of the 6 market tracks by the corresponding card types in their personal Blockchain Piles. This total is multiplied by the shared SYSM Crypto Multiplier (1–6) and added to the Fame earned from successfully hacking and dominating locations. Post-Kickstarter Open-Source Plans Self-Compiling Game Engine: Following the Kickstarter campaign, the developers plan to open-source the game's custom build system and card generation scripts, allowing the community to hack, balance, and compile their own custom decks. Hometown Subnets: Post-campaign, the custom deck generator will enable players to compile custom Print-and-Play decks featuring Location cards mapped to real landmarks, local subnets, and geographic grids from their actual hometowns. Proof of Exploit QR Codes: The back of every card features a unique, game-compiled QR code. Physical players can scan their successful hacks to verify their achievements digitally and upload their scores to a global leaderboard. (Fully optional; the core game remains a standalone tabletop experience). Components 1 Shared Network Gameboard (with Market Tracks & Dice Slots) 150 Data Cards (Poker size, 2.5" × 3.5") 18 Location Cards (Jumbo size, 5.5" × 3.5") 36 Market Cards (12 Black Hat, 12 Grey Hat, 12 White Hat) 6 Player Identity Cards (featuring unique Hacker Handles & one-shot special abilities) 6 Player Reference Aids (Actions and Command sets) 4 Custom Six-Sided Dice (d6 for Scan & Market Pricing) Influence / Control Cubes (for Location presence and market tracking) 1 Rulebook