Veiled Dominion is a 4-player chess variant that reimagines the board not as a battlefield of conquest, but as a classroom for restraint. One player controls Rebirth, a piece dangerously overpowered by standard rules. The other three must cooperate—without a formal alliance—to suppress her by mastering restraint.
Status: Early open prototype (v0.1). Core rules and architecture are documented; engine implementation is in progress. See ARCHITECTURE_OVERVIEW.md for what's built.
This repository currently ships a TypeScript/Jest engine exercise harness (not a runnable Unity/.NET game client).
- Node.js 20+
- npm 10+
npm cinpm run typecheck
npm test- Open the repo in VS Code.
- Reopen in Dev Container.
- The container runs
npm ciautomatically.
No environment variables are required for local test runs right now. If needed later, copy .env.example to .env.
This repository is the actual Veiled Dominion game engine (C#/.NET, Unity) — game design, rules, and architecture.
If you're looking for the candidate coding exercise (TypeScript, used for hiring and VRS-supported training), that's a separate, self-contained repo: github.com/Loptr-Lab/training.
- The Radius of Ruin — Rebirth emits a 1-square aura. Any piece that ends its turn within it becomes Veiled: stripped to pawn-level movement for one turn.
- The Sanctuary — Death, Rebirth's mentor, provides a 1-square safe zone immune to the aura.
- Martyr's Boon — sacrificing an ally grants a token that can disable the aura for a turn.
- The Soul Reservoir — every 3 friendly pieces lost unlocks Rebirth's ability to phase through other pieces.
- Victory is possible three ways: standard checkmate, Rebirth reaching 10 Leadership Points through merciful (non-capturing) play, or the Mortal Factions winning collectively if Rebirth Veils 5 of her own pieces.
Full rules: RULEBOOK_v0.1. Full design doc: docs/design/GDD.md.
| Doc | Covers |
|---|---|
RULEBOOK_v0.1 |
Complete playable rules |
docs/design/GDD.md |
Master design document |
ARCHITECTURE_OVERVIEW.md |
Engine architecture, turn lifecycle, snapshot contract |
docs/CONTRIBUTOR_SKILLSET_AND_RESOURCES.md |
What you need to know before contributing engine code |
docs/variants/ |
Thematic variant proofs-of-concept |
Veiled Dominion's visual identity relies on extreme contrast (void-black vs. amber glow), which creates real risk for photosensitive and vestibular-sensitive players if not engineered carefully. We're building accessibility-first:
docs/ENGINE_ACCESSIBILITY_A11Y_PARADOX.md— rendering/temporal-safety rulesdocs/ENGINE_ACCESSIBILITY_AUDIO_AURA.md— non-visual play design for blind/low-vision playersdocs/ACCESSIBILITY_GRANT_POSITIONING.md— current build status against these specs
These docs track implementation status honestly (planned vs. built) — check there before assuming any given accessibility feature is live.
This project follows a Code of Conduct. See SECURITY.md to report a vulnerability.
See CONTRIBUTING.md for engine contribution guidelines and docs/CONTRIBUTOR_SKILLSET_AND_RESOURCES.md for the skills and arc you'll need.
Interested in contributing but new to the codebase? The training curriculum is a structured on-ramp, including a hands-on graded exercise that mirrors this engine's architecture.
Loptr Lab is an independent creative studio. If you'd like to support this project's development: see SPONSORS.md and SPONSORSHIP_STRATEGY.md, or become a sponsor.
See LICENSE.md.
Loptr Lab — questions@loptrlab.com