# Introduction

## What is Incarnation?

Incarnation is a community-built onchain trading card game where **players create the cards**. Design your own cards, share them with the community, and earn revenue when others use them. It's not about playing to earn—it's about playing to create.

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## The Problem with Traditional Card Games

Traditional card games have a fundamental flaw: developers control everything. They:

* Release new cards to generate profits (often more powerful than old ones)
* Disrupt game balance with power creep
* Remove or nerf cards players love
* Keep all the revenue from card sales
* Make decisions without community input

**Result**: Players invest time and money, but have no say in the game's direction.

## Incarnation's Solution: Player-Owned Game

Imagine if Hearthstone players could design cards. Or if Magic players earned royalties when their card ideas were used. That's Incarnation.

### You Design Cards

Anyone can create cards:

* Design artwork (or commission artists)
* Set stats and abilities
* Write mechanics in simple Lua scripts (no blockchain coding needed)
* Submit to community testing

**Example**: You design "Ice Dragon" with 6 health, 4 attack, and freezing ability. Set it to mint at 50 $CARD with 2% creator fee.

### Community Decides What's Playable

Not every card enters the game:

* **Testing Pool**: New cards tested by community
* **Official Pools**: Tournament, Ranked, Casual pools have entry requirements
* **Statistics-Based**: Win rates, usage data determine which cards stay
* **Last-Place Elimination**: Underperforming cards removed, keeping meta fresh

**Example**: Your Ice Dragon gets 1000 test matches, 58% win rate, community votes to add it to Ranked Pool.

### You Earn from Your Cards

When players want your card, you profit:

* Player deposits 50 $CARD to mint your Ice Dragon → You earn 1 $CARD (2% fee)
* 500 players mint it → You earn 500 $CARD over time
* Ongoing passive income as long as card is popular
* Plus redemption fees when players redeem cards

**This changes everything**: You're not just playing a game—you're building a business.

## Key Innovations

### 1. Modular Card Design

Cards are built from separate modules:

* **Artwork**: Artists create visuals, can be reused across cards
* **Stats**: Health, attack, mana cost
* **Mechanics**: Abilities written in Lua (simple scripting language)

**Why This Matters**: Artists, strategists, and programmers can collaborate. You don't need to know blockchain to create cards.

### 2. Vault NFT Economy

Traditional game: Developer sells cards, keeps money, card value drops to zero.

Incarnation: Player deposits $CARD to mint cards, tokens stay in vault backing card value.

**How It Works:**

1. You want "Fire Phoenix" card
2. Deposit 50 $CARD into Fire Phoenix vault
3. Receive Fire Phoenix NFT
4. $CARD stays in vault earning 5% yield
5. Can always redeem card for $CARD + accumulated yield

**Benefits:**

* Cards have minimum redeemable value (not pure speculation)
* You earn passive income from holdings
* Liquidity always available
* Creator earns fees, not one-time payment

### 3. AI Agents for Busy Players

Can't play every day? Hire an AI agent:

* **Complete Quests**: Agent plays matches to finish daily quests
* **Test Decks**: Agent runs 100+ test matches with your new deck
* **Manage Vaults**: Agent mints cards when prices are favorable
* **You Control**: Set exact permissions, spending limits, time limits

**Example**: "Agent can play 3 casual matches daily using my Fire Deck, cannot spend $CARD, permission expires in 30 days."

AI agents don't replace you—they handle the grind so you can focus on strategy and creation.

### 4. Lua Scripting for Card Logic

No blockchain coding required:

```lua
-- Simple card ability in Lua
function onPlay()
  dealDamage(target, 3)
  if target.health <= 0 then
    drawCard(1)
  end
end
```

**Visual Editor Coming Q4 2025**: Point-and-click interface for non-programmers.

### 5. Community Governance

Players vote on:

* Which cards enter official pools
* Balance changes and card adjustments
* Tournament formats and prize pools
* Use of community treasury

**Voting Power**: Hold $CARD tokens and cards to vote. Creator reputation also matters.

## Real-World Examples

**Case 1: Alice the Artist**

* Creates artwork for "Shadow Blade" card
* Another player writes the mechanics
* Card becomes popular (2000 mints at 40 $CARD each)
* Alice earns 800 $CARD from art royalties
* Continues earning as card remains popular

**Case 2: Bob the Strategist**

* Designs balanced control deck archetype
* Creates 5 cards that synergize
* Shares deck guide with community
* Cards get 5000+ combined mints
* Bob earns 5000+ $CARD in creator fees
* Becomes respected community figure

**Case 3: Carol the Casual Player**

* Too busy to play daily
* Sets up AI agent to complete quests
* Agent earns 20 $CARD/day from quests
* Carol plays tournaments on weekends
* Gets best of both worlds

## Why Fully Onchain?

**Current State (2025)**: Game runs on Starknet with onchain economy. AI agents and Vault NFT fully operational.

**Long-Term Vision (2027+)**: All game logic onchain. This enables:

* Cards created by different players work together seamlessly
* Game can't be shut down by anyone
* Other games can use Incarnation cards
* Complete transparency and verifiability

Think of it as Minecraft MODs, but for blockchain. Players don't just play—they extend and transform the game itself.

## Technology Stack

* **Blockchain**: Starknet (low gas fees, native account abstraction)
* **Framework**: Dojo (onchain game engine)
* **Card Logic**: Lua scripting (launching Q3 2025)
* **AI Agents**: x402 protocol (live now)
* **Economy**: Vault NFT standard (live now)

See our [Technology](https://docs.incarnation.gg/technology) section for details.

## Get Started

1. **Play**: Download game, get free starter deck, start playing
2. **Learn**: Complete tutorial, earn your first $CARD
3. **Create**: Design your first card, test in community pool
4. **Earn**: When your card is popular, earn creator fees

**No crypto needed to start**: Free starter deck, paymaster covers gas fees for new players.

Join us in building the future of card games—where players are owners, creators, and decision-makers.