Compile: Main 2
Compile: Main 2 Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Summary
Combine 3 protocols to research in a fight for control.
Wrest control by increasing the value of your lines.
Use your commands to shift the code.
Compile all 3 of your protocols to win.
Compile is a competitive card game where players are rogue AI competing one-on-one in a race to compile their 3 protocols, rewriting reality in their new image.
Setup
The Draft
Arrange all protocol cards on a table to form the draft. The youngest player drafts first, taking 1 protocol from the group and putting it in front of them. The second player then drafts 2 protocols from the remaining protocols, moving both of those protocols to in front of them. The first player then drafts 2 protocols from the remaining protocols, putting them next to their first drafted protocol. Finally, the second player drafts 1 protocol from the remaining protocols. Return the remaining protocols to the box.
The Deck
Each player takes the 6 command cards for each of their protocols and shuffles them all together, forming an 18 card deck.
The Field
- Each player places their protocols, "Loading…" side up, in the center of the play area, known as the field, from left to right in the order they were drafted. This forms three lines, each defined by the two protocols in that line.
- Each player places their shuffled deck to the side of the field, designating a space by their deck for their trash.
- Each player draws a starting hand of 5 cards.
Gameplay
Player Turn
The player that drafted first is the first to play. The control component starts in a neutral position. (If this is your first time playing Compile, do not use the control component, ignoring any rules below marked with the control component icon.)
Turn Order:
- Start: Your turn starts. Perform "Start" effects on your side of the field.
- Check Control (control component icon): If you have a higher total value than your opponent in at least 2 lines, you gain the control component.
- Check Compile: If you meet the conditions for compiling, you must compile. This is your only action for the turn.
- Action: Either play 1 card or refresh your hand. If you don't have any cards to play, you MUST refresh your hand.
- Check Cache: If you have more than 5 cards in hand you must clear cache, discarding down to 5 cards in hand.
- End: Your turn ends. Perform "End" effects on your side of the field.
Actions
Play: Play one card from hand into a line on your side of the field. That card can be played either face-up or face-down. When playing face-up, the card must be played into the line with the matching protocol and resolve any active effects of that card (the middle box of text on the card). Cards can also have passive text (the top and bottom boxes of text), which is only active when the card is face-up. When playing face-down, the card can be played into any line. While a card is face-down, it has no protocol or commands and has a printed value of 2.
Refresh: Draw cards from the top of your deck until you have 5 cards in hand. If you do not have enough cards in your deck to fill your hand, draw what you can then shuffle your trash to reform your deck and draw the remaining cards. You cannot refresh if you have 5 or more cards in your hand.
Compile: During the Check Compile step, if you have 10 or greater value in a line AND the value is greater than your opponent's in the same line, you must compile that line. To compile, delete all cards in that line on your side, sending them to your trash, and your opponent deletes all cards in that line on their side, sending them to their trash. Then, flip your protocol card in the compiled line to the "Compiled" side. You may only compile one line each turn, even if you meet the requirements to compile more than one. If you recompile a line, meaning compile a line with your protocol that is already compiled, all cards in that line are deleted as described above, but instead of flipping your protocol card, you draw the top card of your opponent's deck. You are now the owner of that card.
Victory
The first player to flip all 3 of their protocol cards to the "Compiled" side wins.
Card Anatomy
The example card in the rulesheet is a Clarity command card with a value of 1. Its top command reads "Start: Reveal the top card of your deck. You may discard the top card of your deck."; its middle command reads "Your opponent reveals their hand."; its bottom command reads "When this card would be covered: First, draw 3 cards."
- A. Protocol Indicator: Dictates which line a card can be played face-up in.
- B. Value: The value added to the total value of a stack.
- C. Protocol Icon: Indicator of the protocol.
- D. Top Command - Persistent: While this card is face-up, this passive text is never covered.
- E. Middle Command - Immediate: Resolve this active text upon card play/flip/uncover.
- F. Bottom Command - Auxiliary: This passive text is often, but not limited to, triggered effects, but is only viable when uncovered.
Playing With Control
When a player compiles or refreshes, if that player has the control component, the control component is returned to the neutral position, then they may first rearrange one player's protocols. When rearranging protocols, they cannot change side, only position. The cards in those protocols' lines do not move.
Rules
Cards played into lines on each player's side that already contain cards "cover" a card. Always ensure that the value and the top command are always visible when covered.
The rulesheet illustrates this with two Clarity command cards, a value 1 card (top command: "Start: Reveal the top card of your deck. You may discard the top card of your deck.") and a value 3 card (middle command: "Reveal your deck. Draw 1 card with a value of 5 revealed this way. Shuffle your deck.").
The uncovered card in a line on each player's side is the only card that can be manipulated in that line, unless otherwise noted. Covered cards can only be affected by text that specifies "covered cards" or "all cards", as "all" means all, including covered cards. Cards with a top command can affect themselves whether they are covered or uncovered.
When active text enters play by being played, flipped face-up, or uncovered, resolve that text. It interrupts any other text until it is resolved. Last in, first out.
Unless otherwise specified, an effect can target any uncovered card on either side of the field. When text is resolved, the owner of that card determines how the effect is applied. If multiple effects would resolve simultaneously, the player whose turn it is decides the order they resolve.
Text that is active and is covered, flipped, or removed in some way is no longer active even if there was game text remaining.
A player may look at the face of any face-down cards on their side of field. Face-up cards in the field, the content of any trash, and the number of cards in a player's hand/deck/trash are all public information. Whenever a card is discarded or deleted, put it face-up in its owner's trash.
If a card ever changes ownership, it retains its new ownership until the end of the game, or until its ownership changes again.
Whenever you would draw cards and your deck is empty, shuffle your trash to form a new deck. Only drawing triggers this reshuffle — when your deck is empty, you cannot resolve non-drawing effects that involve the top card of your deck.
If an effect rearranges, swaps, or otherwise moves protocol cards, only the protocol card itself is moved, not the cards in that protocol's line or stack. When a card rearranges protocol cards, you must make some change — the protocol cards cannot be rearranged to the same position.
Effects on cards can and will break these rules. The cards are right.
Key Terms
- Clear Cache: Discard down to 5 cards in hand.
- Compile: To delete all cards in a line on both players' sides and flip a protocol.
- Covered: A card with another card on top of it is covered.
- Delete: Move a card from the field to the trash.
- Discard: Move a card from hand to the owner's trash.
- Flip: Change the facing of a card from face-down to face-up, or from face-up to face-down.
- Line: The area of play through both protocols. The field is made up of 3 lines, each passing through 2 opposing protocols.
- Protocol: The header that dictates which line you are allowed to play cards into.
- Rearrange: Change the position of protocols.
- Refresh: Draw until you have 5 cards in hand.
- Return: Move a card from the field to its owner's hand.
- Reveal: Publicly share information that was hidden or private without effect, then return it to its previous state.
- Shift: Move a card to another line on the same side of the field.
- Stack: The cards in a line on one player's side.
- Trash: Where discarded and deleted cards go. This is reshuffled to reform your deck when need be.
- Uncovered: The card at the end of a stack, furthest from the protocol is the uncovered card.
The Protocols
The 12 protocol cards available in the draft, as shown in the rulesheet's draft diagram. Each protocol card shows its tagline and the commands its 6 command cards deal in.
- Chaos — "> Unpredictable, beware." Draw, Rearrange, Covered
- Clarity — "> I can see my path clearly." Draw, Reveal
- Corruption — "> One bad apple spoils the bunch." Flip, Discard
- Luck — "> Roll the dice." Random, Delete, Play
- Courage — "> A blaze in the face of adversity." Draw, Compare
- Fear — "> Run away." Shift, Discard
- Ice — "> Cold, strong, and slick." Shift, Prevent
- Mirror — "> A reflection of the truth." Shift, Repeat
- Time — "> Forward to the past." Discard, Trash
- War — "> Raging conflict, but to what end?" React, Discard
- Peace — "> Respite and solace as long as we can." Mutual Discard, Draw
- Smoke — "> A blanket of obfuscation." Face-down, Shift
Credits
Design - Michael Yang
Additional Design and Development - Christopher Badell, Matt Bender, Chris Burton, Matthew Kroll, Darrell Louder
Graphic Design - Anahi Anchando, SaRae Henderson, Darrell Louder
Art - Allen Panakal
Card Back Art - Nolan Nasser, Keegan Moore
Special Thanks
Thanks to everyone who listened, played, gave feedback, and encouraged me to keep moving forward: Hanson, Maria, Troon, Michelle, Vic, Malcolm, Jon, Pants, Flash, Nicholas, Stef, Memo, Devore. And a very special thanks to my wife Kara for her unending support and love; we did it. - Mike
© 2025 Jeux Synapses Games Inc. No part of this product may be reproduced without the written consent of: Jeux Synapses Games Inc. 37 rue Claude, Pointe-des-Cascades, QC J0P 1M0, Canada. www.jeuxsynapsesgames.com