Install + first game

The fastest path — install, then start playing:

pip install sovereignty-game
sov play campfire_v1

sov play campfire_v1 is the no-config quickstart — one human plus a default opponent on the Campfire ruleset. For multi-player at the table, use sov new -p Alice -p Bob -p Carol. For a guided 60-second walkthrough, use sov tutorial.

No Python? The npx path downloads a prebuilt binary:

npx @mcptoolshop/sovereignty tutorial

Your first game

Once you and 2-3 friends are at the table, the console runs the round and you do the talking. A real session looks like this:

# Start a game with three players
sov new -p Alice -p Bob -p Carol

# Each player takes a turn — roll, land, resolve
sov turn

# Check where everyone stands
sov status

# When everyone has gone, close the round
sov end-round

sov status shows a Rich-formatted table with player coins, rep, upgrades, position, and goal. For a quick one-line glance between turns:

sov status --brief

R3 |  Alice: 7c 4r 0u | >Bob: 4c 3r 0u |  Carol: 6c 5r 0u

(Nc Nr Nu = coins / rep / upgrades; > marks the active player.)

Repeat for 15 rounds. sov game-end prints the final scores.

• Multiple saved games (v2.1+): sov games lists saves; sov resume <game-id> switches between them.
• Batched anchoring (v2.1+): sov anchor at game-end batches all pending rounds into a single XRPL transaction — one verifiable chain pointer per game. Use sov anchor --checkpoint for mid-game flush.
• Network selection (v2.1+): sov anchor --network testnet|mainnet|devnet (or SOV_XRPL_NETWORK env var; default testnet).
• Daemon mode (v2.1+, optional): sov daemon start runs a localhost HTTP/JSON server for desktop integration and background chain polling. See Daemon mode below.
• Audit Viewer desktop app (v2.1+, optional): npm --prefix app run tauri dev. See Desktop app below.

Want a guided in-app walkthrough first? Run sov tutorial. Want to play with no software at all? See Print & Play. Want a deeper rules tour? See Start here or the full handbook.

The inline sov turn example above shows what a round looks like in the console; for the v2.1 desktop visualization, see Desktop app below.

Play without the console

Print the cards, grab a die and some coins, sit down with 2-4 people. The game works fully on the table.

Start here | Print & Play | Full rules | Play with strangers

sov play campfire_v1                 # no-config quickstart (v2.1+) — alias for sov new
sov new --recipe cozy -p ...         # curated vibe (cozy/spicy/market/promise)
sov new --tier treaty-table -p ...   # pick a tier
sov new --code "SOV|..." -p ...      # play from a share code
sov games                            # list saved games (multi-save, v2.1+)
sov games --json                     # machine-readable saves list (v2.1+)
sov resume <game-id>                 # switch to a saved game (v2.1+)
sov tutorial                         # learn in 60 seconds
sov turn                             # roll, land, resolve
sov status                           # show current game state
sov board                            # show the board layout
sov recap                            # what happened this round
sov promise make "I'll help Bob"     # say it out loud
sov promise keep "I'll help Bob"     # kept it: +1 Rep
sov promise break "text"             # broke it: -2 Rep
sov apologize Bob                    # once per game, pay 1 coin, +1 Rep
sov offer "2 coins for 1 wood" --to Bob  # make a trade offer
sov treaty make "pact" --with Bob --stake "2 coins"  # binding treaty
sov treaty list                      # show your treaties
sov market                           # show market prices + supply
sov market buy food                  # buy a resource (Town Hall+)
sov market sell wood                 # sell a resource (Town Hall+)
sov vote mvp Alice                   # table votes: mvp/chaos/promise
sov toast Alice                      # +1 Rep, once per player per game
sov end-round                        # generate round proof
sov game-end                         # final scores + Story Points
sov anchor                           # batch pending rounds to XRPL (v2.1+)
sov anchor --checkpoint              # mid-game flush (v2.1+)
sov anchor --network mainnet         # network selection (v2.1+)
sov verify --tx <txid>               # confirm a proof is anchored on chain
sov daemon start [--readonly]        # localhost HTTP/JSON daemon (v2.1+)
sov daemon status                    # running | stale | none
sov daemon stop                      # SIGTERM + cleanup
sov postcard                         # shareable summary
sov season                           # season standings across games (v2.1+)
sov season-postcard                  # printable season recap
sov feedback                         # issue-ready play report
sov scenario list                    # browse scenario packs
sov scenario code cozy-night -s 42   # generate a share code
sov scenario lint                    # validate scenario files
sov doctor                           # pre-flight check before play night
sov self-check                       # diagnose your environment
sov support-bundle                   # diagnostic zip for bug reports

The console keeps score. You keep your word.

Daemon mode (optional, v2.1+)

For desktop integration (Audit Viewer, Tauri shell) or background chain polling, run sovereignty as a localhost HTTP daemon:

pip install 'sovereignty-game[daemon]'
sov daemon start --readonly        # audit-only, no wallet seed
sov daemon start                   # full daemon with anchor endpoints (loads XRPL_SEED)
sov daemon status                  # running | stale | none
sov daemon stop

Daemon binds to 127.0.0.1 on a random port; connection details (port + bearer token) live in .sov/daemon.json. One daemon per project root. See docs/v2.1-daemon-ipc.md for the full IPC contract.

Desktop app (optional, v2.1+)

The Audit Viewer is the v2.1 desktop app — a Tauri shell (Rust + webview) that runs the audit viewer and a read-only game view on top of the daemon.

Install (binaries)

v2.1.0 ships pre-built binaries on the GitHub Releases page:

• macOS (universal): sovereignty-app-2.1.0-darwin-universal.dmg — Intel + Apple Silicon
• Windows (x64): sovereignty-app-2.1.0-win-x64.msi
• Linux (x64, .deb): sovereignty-app-2.1.0-linux-x64.deb — Debian / Ubuntu / derivatives. Install with sudo dpkg -i sovereignty-app-2.1.0-linux-x64.deb. AppImage support deferred to v2.2 (upstream linuxdeploy / Ubuntu 24.04 FUSE interaction).

You also need the Python daemon backing the app: pip install 'sovereignty-game[daemon]'==2.1.0.

First-launch warning is expected. macOS will say "unidentified developer" — control-click the .app, choose Open, confirm. Windows SmartScreen will say "unrecognized publisher" — click "More info" then "Run anyway." Both warnings reflect that v2.1 ships with build-provenance attestation only (verify with gh attestation verify), not OS-level code signing. Workspace-level signing infrastructure ships in v2.2.

Verify provenance

Every release artifact carries a SLSA build-provenance attestation. Verify before running:

gh attestation verify \
  --repo mcp-tool-shop-org/sovereignty \
  ./sovereignty-app-2.1.0-darwin-universal.dmg

A clean verification proves the binary was built from a specific commit, by the release workflow, in this repo. Different layer of trust than OS-level code signing — the binary still triggers the OS warning, but its supply-chain provenance is cryptographically pinned.

Run from source

If you'd rather build from source (or the binary won't run on your platform):

# 1. Install Python + daemon deps
pip install -e '.[xrpl,daemon]'

# 2. Install frontend + Rust deps (one-time)
cd app && npm install && cd ..
cargo build --manifest-path app/src-tauri/Cargo.toml

# 3. Start the dev shell (auto-starts the daemon in readonly mode)
npm --prefix app run tauri dev

The Tauri shell auto-starts a readonly daemon on launch and auto-stops it on exit. Externally-started daemons (sov daemon start) stay alive across shell restarts.

See docs/v2.1-tauri-shell.md for the full contract.

The Audit Viewer ships with three views:

• /audit — XRPL-anchored proof viewer. Collapsible per-game list, per-round anchor status, "Verify all rounds" runs local proof recompute + chain lookup in series. The auditor's view: confirm a game ran honestly without reading raw JSON.
• /game — passive real-time state display for the active game. Player resource cards, round timeline, last-20 SSE events log. Read-only; play in the CLI in another terminal.
• /settings — daemon config display + network switcher (testnet / mainnet / devnet) with mainnet-confirmation guardrail.

Full view spec at docs/v2.1-views.md.

How it works

You start with 5 coins and 3 reputation. Roll a die, move around a 16-space board, and land on spaces that give you choices: trade, help someone, take a risk, or draw a card.

28 Event cards read like moments: "Has anyone seen a small leather pouch?" (Lost Wallet) or "Nobody saw... right?" (Found a Shortcut). Includes 8 market-shift events for Town Hall games.

22 Deal & Voucher cards force conversation: "Spot me 2 coins? I'll pay 3 back." or "I've got your back if you've got mine." Deals set goals with deadlines; Vouchers are IOUs you issue to other players.

The Promise rule: Once per round, say "I promise..." out loud and commit to something. Keep it: +1 reputation. Break it: -2 reputation. The table decides.

The Apology: Once per game, if you broke a promise, publicly apologize. Pay 1 coin to who you wronged, regain +1 reputation.

Pick your goal (secret or public):

• Prosperity — reach 20 coins
• Beloved — reach 10 reputation
• Builder — complete 4 upgrades

After 15 rounds, highest combined score wins.

What is Diary Mode?

Every round, the console can produce a proof — a fingerprint of the game state. If anyone changes the score, the fingerprint won't match.

Optionally, that fingerprint can be posted to the XRPL Testnet — a public ledger. Think of it as writing the score on a wall that nobody can erase.

sov end-round                        # generate proof
sov wallet                           # create testnet wallet (free)
sov anchor                           # post hash to XRPL (optional)
sov verify proof.json --tx <txid>    # trust but verify

Only the host needs a wallet. Nobody else touches a screen. The game works perfectly without anchoring — it's just the diary that remembers.

Three tiers

| Tier | Name | Status | What it adds | |------|------|--------|-------------| | 1 | Campfire | Playable | Coins, reputation, promises, IOUs | | 2 | Town Hall | Playable | Shared market, resource scarcity | | 3 | Treaty Table | Playable | Treaties with stakes — promises with teeth |

Core rules are stable through v1.x. See roadmap.

Scenario packs

Zero new rules. Just vibes. 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 |

sov scenario list to browse from the console.

Project structure

sovereignty/
  sov_engine/       # Pure game logic (models, rules, serialization, hashing)
  sov_transport/    # Ledger transport (offline + XRPL Testnet)
  sov_cli/          # Typer CLI (the "Round Console")
  tests/            # Engine, transport, and CLI tests
  docs/             # Rules, cards, print-and-play, play-with-strangers
  assets/print/     # Printable cards, player mat, quick reference

Development

git clone https://github.com/mcp-tool-shop-org/sovereignty.git
cd sovereignty
uv sync --dev
uv run pytest tests/ -v
uv run ruff check .

Design principle

"Teach through consequences, not terminology."

Players learn by doing: issuing IOUs, breaking promises, trading at shifting prices. The concepts map to Web3 primitives — wallets, tokens, trust lines — but players don't need to know that to have fun.

Contributing

The easiest way to contribute is to add a card. No engine knowledge needed — just a name, a description, and some flavor text.

Security

Wallet seeds, game state, and proof files — what to share and what not to. No telemetry, no analytics, no phone-home. The only optional network call is XRPL Testnet anchoring.

See SECURITY.md.

Threat Model

| Threat | Mitigation | |--------|-----------| | Seed leakage via proofs | Proofs contain hashes only, never seeds | | Seed in git | .sov/ gitignored; sov wallet warns | | Game state manipulation | Round proofs envelope_hash covers game_id, round, ruleset, rng_seed, timestamp_utc, players, and state. sov verify detects tampering across the full envelope. Proof format v1 is no longer supported in v2.0.0+. | | XRPL anchor spoofing | Proof hash anchored on-chain; mismatch detection in verify | | Player name privacy | Player names ARE included in proofs (top-level players list and inside player snapshots). For private play, do not publish proof.json or share postcards. |

License

MIT

Built by MCP Tool Shop