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Into the Breach Mechanics Reference
What we're borrowing from Subset Games' Into the Breach — the game that proved deterministic tactical combat works.
Borrowed
Deterministic Combat
The core premise: no miss chance, no crit RNG, no damage variance. An attack that says "3 damage" deals exactly 3 damage minus DEF. This is Pillar 2 in its purest form.
Player skill is measured by positional decision-making, not by dice rolls. Losses are the player's fault. Wins are earned.
Our adaptation: We keep one deliberate exception — the Ninja-equivalent "Evasion" Defense aspect shows (?) on the timeline. This is a conscious design choice, not a rollback on determinism.
Telegraphed Enemy Actions
Every enemy action is visible before it happens: where they'll move, what they'll do, where it lands, and when. The question is never "what is the enemy doing?" — it's "how do I respond?"
Our adaptation: We add the charge time layer. ITB has immediate actions. We have spells that charge over multiple ticks, creating a new layer of interaction (kill/disable the caster before the spell lands, push them, body-block).
Vek Emerge → Downed State + Permadeath
ITB's "mech reaches 0 HP → pilot killed → permadeath for the run" is our model. We keep the 3-turn counter from FFT as a hybrid: unit goes down, counter ticks, then permadeath. This gives more drama and counterplay than ITB's instant death.
Roguelike Structure
ITB's island → mission → upgrade loop. Our 3-island structure, relic choices after each fight, and meta-progression between runs are all patterned on ITB's model.
Our adaptation: We add branching path choice (StS-style map) and node types (shop, camp, mystery, recruit) that ITB doesn't have. ITB's islands are linear; ours are not.
Tiny Grid → Big Decisions
ITB's 8×8 grid proved that a small space creates tight tactical puzzles. Our 8×12 grid is slightly larger (to accommodate 6–8 units in co-op) but the same philosophy applies: small grid, meaningful choices.
Adapted / Evolved
Push/Displacement as Primary Verb
ITB centered on pushing enemies into each other, into hazards, and away from buildings. Our Shove, Grapple, and fall damage mechanics are the direct evolution — but we add height as a damage multiplier.
Unit Roster
ITB: 3 mechs, each with a fixed weapon loadout.
Us: 3–5 units (solo) or 6–8 (co-op), each with 5 swappable Aspect slots. Same squad size constraint, vastly more build depth.
Deliberately Left Behind
| ITB Mechanic | Why We Dropped It |
|---|---|
| Building/Grid defense objective | Replaced by unit permadeath stakes. No escorting buildings. |
| Fixed mech loadouts | Replaced by Aspect system. No two runs look the same. |
| No progression between islands (ITB is flat) | We have the meta-progression shop + difficulty unlocks. |
| Time travel undo (entire turn) | We keep single-move undo. Full-turn rollback is an ITB signature we're not copying — it doesn't work with charge-time spells. |
Open Questions
- [ ] ITB's maps were fully hand-crafted. We're procedurally generating. How do we validate that generated maps are actually interesting? ITB's maps are puzzles. Can a grammar system produce puzzles?
- [ ] ITB had perfect information (enemy HP, attack patterns, everything). Do we ever hide information? Currently: almost never. The
(?)dodge effect is the one exception. Are there others?