1. Foundation

Infinity Codex is a relational strategy game. Cards do not merely represent isolated objects; they establish relationships among Forces, Elements, Creations, Locations, attachments, targets, and effects.

2. Quick Start

1. Build exactly 50 Power cards and exactly 50 Creation cards.
2. Choose between 1 and 10 Location cards as your starting Locations.
3. Select one Force from the Power Deck as your starting alignment.
4. Manifest one starting Location and the selected Force.
5. Begin turn one with the Power Phase, then continue to the Creation Phase.
6. Win when you draw the final card of your Creation Deck, unless a card or format supplies another victory condition.

3. Deck Construction

4. Game Setup

1. Verify both 50-card decks and the 1–10 Location group.
2. Choose a starting Force. It becomes active and establishes your initial alignment.
3. Choose and manifest a starting Location.
4. Shuffle the remaining Power and Creation cards separately.
5. Determine the first player by the agreed format or randomly.
6. Clear temporary statuses, pending targets, and carried-over effects.

5. Turn Structure

5.1 Power Phase

1. Manifest the top card of your Power Deck.
2. Resolve any “when manifested” Power effects.
3. Activate, expend, attach, or otherwise use legal Power cards as permitted.

5.2 Creation Phase

1. Draw the top card of your Creation Deck into your hand.
2. If that draw empties your Creation Deck, you satisfy the standard victory condition.
3. Manifest Creations by expending Elements matching the Creation Cost.
4. Activate effects, select legal targets, move eligible cards, and resolve attachments.

5.3 End Turn

Resolve end-of-turn instructions, remove effects whose duration ends, reset once-per-turn movement and activation markers, then pass priority.

6. Zones and Core Actions

Core Actions

• Draw: move the top card of a deck to hand.
• Manifest: place a legal card into the Arena or onto a legal Location.
• Activate: turn on or initiate a card's effect.
• Move: relocate an eligible manifested card to another legal Location.
• Attach: establish a host relationship between two cards.
• Unattach: end an attachment without destroying either card unless instructed.
• Expend: consume a manifested Element as payment, returning it to the bottom of the Power Deck after payment resolves.
• Destroy: remove a card from play and send it to the destination required by its Archetype or effect.
• Exile: remove a card from ordinary circulation.
• Return to Hand: remove a manifested card from the Arena and place it in its owner's hand.

7. Effects, Targets, and Resolution

1. Announce or activate the source card.
2. Confirm that timing, costs, and required conditions are legal.
3. Select all required legal targets.
4. Players may respond where the timing system permits.
5. Resolve the effect in written order.
6. Apply destruction, exile, movement, attachment, state, and duration changes.
7. Move Events to Exile after resolution unless their text says otherwise.

Movement

A Creation with ordinary movement may move once during its controller's turn. Attachments move with their host unless an effect separates them. Plants and Landmarks do not have ordinary movement.

Attachments

To attach a card, select the attaching card, choose Attach, then select its legal host. An attached card occupies its host's Location and remains a distinct card. If a host leaves play, resolve any explicit attachment instruction first; otherwise unattach the dependent card.

8. The Thirteen Forces

Forces are the governing alignments of the Codex: Space, Time, Creation, Energy, Motion, Frequency, Pressure, Chaos, Nature, Belief, Quantity, Power, and Destruction. A Force's card text—not its name alone—determines its mechanical effect.

9. Archetype Rules

Each card has one governing Archetype. Its Archetype determines deck placement and default zone behavior; card text may create an exception.

Force

Power Deck. Forces establish alignments and global relationships. A named Force is limited to one copy. The chosen starting Force begins manifested and active.

Element

Power Deck. Elements pay Creation Costs. To expend an Element, move it from the Arena to the bottom of the Power Deck after the paid action resolves. Up to five copies of a named Element are allowed.

Location

Starting Location group. Locations anchor cards and relationships. They do not count toward either 50-card deck and do not move through ordinary movement.

Organism

Creation Deck. Organisms manifest to legal Locations and may use ordinary movement once per turn unless restricted. They may carry or receive attachments when effects permit.

Plant

Creation Deck. A Plant may manifest to any active Location. Plants do not move through the ordinary movement action and move only when a card effect specifically moves them.

Object

Creation Deck. Objects manifest to a Location or legal host. An Object moves only through its own permission, a carrier, its host, or another card effect.

Technology

Creation Deck. Technologies create activated systems, modifiers, or attachments. Unless their text grants movement, they move with a host or by card effect.

Vehicle

Creation Deck. Vehicles may use ordinary movement and may transport attached cards when their effect or format permits. Transported attachments share the Vehicle's Location.

Landmark

Creation Deck. Landmarks manifest onto a Location and remain there. They have no ordinary movement and relocate only through a card effect.

Phenomena

Creation Deck. Phenomena establish persistent environmental or relational conditions. They remain at their manifested Location or host unless their duration ends or an effect moves them.

Event

Creation Deck. Events create immediate or timed effects. After an Event resolves, place it in Exile unless its text gives another destination.

Colour and Secondary Colour

Creation Deck. Colours are manifested Creations that establish colour relationships, requirements, or modifiers. They are not Elements unless the card's Archetype is explicitly Element.

Compound

Creation Deck. Compounds represent combined material states or compositions. They pay their printed Creation Cost and are not Elements unless explicitly identified as Element.

10. Rules Modes

11. Glossary