Program three moves ahead, pull the lever, and watch two wind-up
fencers resolve the exchange beat by beat. Read the steam. Outwit the machine.
keys 1–6 place cards · backspace removes · enter pulls the lever
You
Foe
tap stage to fast-forward
The Rules of the Bout
The Duel
Each fighter runs on 3 brass cogs. Lose all three and your mainspring pops.
A match lasts up to 5 exchanges. Each exchange, both fighters secretly punch 3 moves onto a card; the beats then resolve simultaneously.
After 5 exchanges, whoever has more cogs left wins. A tie forces sudden-death exchanges.
Before each exchange the automaton's works telegraph part of its card — lower ranks reveal more, and truthfully. Higher ranks reveal less, and study your habits.
The Six Cards
The Beat Matrix — your card vs theirs
Wind-Up: does nothing that beat, but your next strike deals 2 and smashes a matching guard or powers through a clash. The charge is spent when you strike (even if it misses) and is lost when the exchange ends.
Sidestep: dodges any strike — but sidestep twice in a row and a strike on the second step catches you off balance.
Strikes at different heights pass each other: both land. Strikes at the same height clash harmlessly — unless one is wound up.