Tiers and Scenarios
Sovereignty has three tiers of complexity. Start simple, add depth when ready.
Three tiers
Section titled “Three tiers”| Tier | Name | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Campfire | Coins, reputation, promises, IOUs, vouchers |
| 2 | Town Hall | Shared market board with supply pools, resource scarcity, dynamic pricing, resource-cost upgrades |
| 3 | Treaty Table | Binding treaties with escrowed stakes — promises with teeth |
Core rules are stable through v1.x. Each tier includes everything from the tiers below it.
sov new --tier campfire -p Alice -p Bobsov new --tier town-hall -p Alice -p Bob -p Carolsov new --tier treaty-table -p Alice -p Bob -p CarolMarket Day (variant)
Section titled “Market Day (variant)”Market Day is a gentler introduction to resources. It uses a fixed-price market board where prices are always 2 coins and supply never runs out. Use it as a stepping stone between Campfire and Town Hall.
sov new --tier market-day -p Alice -p BobTown Hall details
Section titled “Town Hall details”Town Hall adds three resources: food, wood, and tools. A shared market board tracks supply per resource. Prices shift based on scarcity (supply 2 or fewer raises the price by 1) and events. Workshop upgrades cost 2 coins + 1 wood. Builder upgrades cost 3 coins + 1 tools.
Treaty Table details
Section titled “Treaty Table details”Treaties are binding agreements between two players. Both sides put up collateral (coins and/or resources) in escrow. At least one party must stake something — otherwise, use a promise instead.
- If one side breaks the treaty, the breaker forfeits their stake to the harmed party, who also gets their own stake back. The breaker loses 3 reputation.
- If honored (or if neither side breaks before the deadline), stakes are returned and both gain +1 reputation.
- Each player can have at most 2 active treaties at once.
- Stake caps: 5 coins and 3 total resource units per stake.
- Treaties have a duration in rounds (default 3). Expired treaties that nobody broke are auto-honored.
Scenario packs
Section titled “Scenario packs”Scenarios add vibes — no new rules. Each pack sets a tier, recipe, and mood.
| Scenario | Tier | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Cozy Night | Campfire / Market Day | First game, mixed groups |
| Market Panic | Town Hall | Economy drama |
| Promises Matter | Campfire | Trust and commitment |
| Treaty Night | Treaty Table | High-stakes agreements |
Using scenarios
Section titled “Using scenarios”Browse available scenarios:
sov scenario listGenerate a share code for a scenario:
sov scenario code cozy-night -s 42Start a game from a share code:
sov new --code "SOV|..." -p Alice -p BobValidate custom scenarios
Section titled “Validate custom scenarios”If you create your own scenario files:
sov scenario lint