Mneme Space Combat

Mneme space combat turn based game.

A browser-based tactical companion for the Mneme Space Combat tabletop rules, handling Newtonian physics, relative-distance combat, and AI opponents.

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What This Is

Mneme Space Combat (MSC) is a streamlined alternative to standard Cepheus Engine space combat. This repository contains:

• Game design documents for the browser-based tactical engine
• Encounter mechanics built around relative distance and velocity
• AI behavior trees for automated opponent ships
• QA replay system for logging and reviewing engagements
• Integration with the existing CE ShipGen and CE CharacterGen tools

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Quick Links

Document	Description
DESIGN.md	Core design: encounters, relative distance, weapons, tech levels, AI architecture
MNEME_SPACE_COMBAT_SUMMARY.md	Consolidated rules summary (v2.41–v2.45) from the wiki
251101-12__CE_MNEME_SPACE_COMBAT_v2_45.docx	Master rules document (available on request — 131 MB)

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⚠ Incoming design directive — Theater of the Mind + 3-Phase Conflict (2026-07-28)

Justin's directive of 2026-07-28: Theater of the Mind becomes the default and fastest mode, and the rigid 3-round combat becomes a 3-Phase Conflict (Escalation → Catalyst → Pivot) with a story-vehicle twist at the pivot. Tactical rules — spaces, moves, positioning — remain as the opt-in mode.

The directive names Mneme Variant Combat (personal combat, sourced in gitb-mneme-rules) and the Mneme Cepheus Engine book. This repo is an adjacent third consumer, not a named target — ship combat is meant to share the same pacing spine so the line reads as one game, but nothing here is required to change until the rules are drafted and Justin approves the mirror.

Canonical source (do not fork it here): ../gitb-mneme-rules/docs/260728-theater-of-the-mind-3-phase-conflict.md

This repo's turn/phase structure in DESIGN.md predates the directive and has not yet been reconciled with it. Ship combat and personal combat are meant to share one pacing spine; until the rules are drafted and approved, treat DESIGN.md's turn order as provisional on this point.

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Design Pillars

1. Relative Distance, Not Absolute Position
   Combat math is built purely around relative vectors. You are rarely shooting at the ship; you are shooting at the empty space where the ship will be in ten seconds.

2. Intercept Geometry Matters
   Encounters are classified by approach geometry — converging course, parallel intercept, overtaking vector — which changes weapon effectiveness and evasion windows.

3. Crew Roles Drive Actions
   Captain, NavComm, Engineer, Pilot, Gunner. Each role has a distinct phase in the turn order.

4. Browser-First, Math-Backed
   The companion game runs in the browser but simulates real orbital-mechanics math. Players see the result, not the trigonometry.

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Encounter Workflow (High Level)

1. Detection Phase — Sensor ping reveals obscured contact
2. Trajectory Phase — Engine calculates intercept geometry
3. Decision Phase — Player chooses: intercept, hold, or evade
4. Tactical Phase — Transition to combat grid based on relative vectors
5. Resolution Phase — Turn-based combat using Mneme action economy

See DESIGN.md for the full breakdown.

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Tech Stack (Planned)

Layer	Technology
Physics Engine	Custom JS/TS (vector math)
Frontend	Vanilla JS or lightweight framework
Backend (optional)	Node.js or Python for QA replay storage
AI	Behavior Trees (not neural nets)
Data Format	JSON (ship stats, encounter logs)

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Related Repos

• ce-shipgen — Ship generator providing hull, drive, and weapon data
• cecharactergen — Crew generator for character stats
• mneme-world-generator-pwa — World generator (shared universe)

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Org: Game in the Brain
License: TBD (likely OGL-compatible for Cepheus Engine SRD content)