INDEX 1391

OVERVIEW

Play as a Machine Priest tasked with purging the VIRUS infecting your faith. How far are you willing to bend the rules to restore order?

Index 1391 is a roguelike deckbuilder based within the mix between Gothic and computer. The world is a digital simulation, from which, a holy computer operates every facet of life. This machine embodies perfect order, everything is a cog in the machine. The VIRUS is the opposite, an entity of pure chaos, sent to disrupt the sanctum and ruin its harmonious conformity. The player is tasked with removing this malicious visitor. They must use cards and The Stack to do so.

Cards represent actions to perform, and The Stack is the medium from which those actions are resolved. The Stack represents a delayed resolution structure, where actions resolve from top to bottom, generally in the order of play. Cards and enemies have actions that are played into the Stack, which resolves at the end of the player’s turn. When The Stack resolves, actions stay in the Stack for the next turn, generating persistence. The Stack does have a limited capacity, and when overflowed, older (bottom) elements are pushed out of the Stack.

The Stack is often a background structure within games to assist resolution, Index 1391 is using it as a primary foreground mechanic, from which the player directly interacts.

CONTRIBUTIONS

GAME DESIGN RESEARCH

To establish a basis for the design of the game, I did background research into the Stack mechanic as seen through other games. While widely popularized by Magic The Gathering (1994), the stack as a resolution system predates collectible card games and has persisted across decades of board and card game design.

In this research project, I investigated the historical emergence and evolution of stack-based resolution systems by sampling a range of tabletop games over time. This analysis allowed me to trace how the mechanic developed, adapted, and ultimately became a standard, yet largely background feature in game design.

Building on these findings, Index 1391 introduces a novel design approach by bringing the stack into the foreground as the central zone of player interaction. Instead of functioning passively, the stack becomes an active, visible structure that players directly engage with during gameplay.

To evaluate the games design, I conducted player surveys examining two key questions: how understandable a complex resolution mechanic is when presented as a primary interface, and how players feel about interacting with such a system directly. The results contribute both a historical perspective on the stack and new insights into player experience when foundational mechanics are made explicit.

The Paper Is Coming Soon

GAME DESIGN

I designed and documented the game’s design iterations. I managed core game design documentation, with reasoning behind design pivots.

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PROTOTYPING

I managed the paper prototype phase of our development. Using Python and Gimp, I setup card image creation automation from a spreadsheet, which allowed us to rapidly iterate on card designs.

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CONTENT DESIGN

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SYSTEMS PROGRAMMING

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UI PROGRAMMING

I programmed the card UI systems, …