Compile: Main 3
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Every card is a command. Every protocol a truth that eludes you. In the end, you realize you're not just playing against an opponent: you're deciphering what it means to be alive.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Artificial intelligences deciphering the sins of humanity
Compile: Main 3 is the third chapter in the series designed by Michael Yang for Synapses Games, with illustrations by Reza Afshar. You are an artificial intelligence seeking to understand the world by analyzing humanity's darkest shadows: the seven deadly sins. Envy, Pride, Wrath, Gluttony, Lust, Avarice, Sloth. Each concept is a protocol to complete, a fragment of truth to decipher.
Choose three protocols from the twelve available, build your deck, play cards on the command lines to reach the threshold of understanding. You control opposing protocols, accelerate your own, manipulate the pace of the game. The first to complete three protocols wins: they have understood. Main 3 also introduces a solo mode with the BOT, an automaton that challenges you through 12 progressive scenarios.
What they say abroad
A card duel where every choice matters, and the theme of AI studying humanity is more than just a skin.
— FroGames
The solo mode with the BOT really works: scenarios that scale well, constant tension, never filler.
— FroGames
Compile: Main 3
The game introduces the BOT (Basic Oppositional Terminal), an automaton that plays through 12 progressive scenarios, available in Regular and Advanced modes. You play for both yourself and the BOT in alternating turns. If the BOT completes the same protocol twice, it automatically wins. The experience is complete and challenging, lacking only the psychological interaction of human dueling.
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews, and play sessionsThe protocols to decipher
Twelve concepts, infinite combinations
Envy
The protocol that grows by watching others advance. Every opponent's success fuels your command line. Punish those who run too fast.
Pride
Requires accumulating specific cards to unlock powerful actions. Those who build well dominate. Those who err pay dearly.
Wrath
Direct aggression: destroy opponent's cards, slow down their protocols. A protocol for those who want to control the table with force.
Momentum
Pure acceleration. Every well-chained action unlocks the next. Break the chain, lose speed. Maintain it, win faster.
At the end of the game, you look at the cards on the table and you understand: you haven't just played. You've learned something about how thinking works.
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Choosing protocols
Each player chooses three protocols from the twelve available. You look at the options, evaluate synergies, think about what your opponent might choose. The draft is open: you see what they pick, and you react. Half the game is decided here.
First turns, first reads
You build your deck, draw cards, and start playing them on the protocols. Each card has multiple uses: you can play it on your protocol, on theirs, or activate it for a special effect. The first choices seem harmless. They aren't. Whoever reads the rhythm best wins.
The first protocol falls
One of the two players completes the first protocol. They reach the threshold, compile it, gain an advantage. The other player realizes they need to speed up or slow down their opponent. Tension rises. Turns become more intense.
The turning point
One player has two protocols compiled, the other only one. Someone plays a card that flips an opponent's protocol, bringing everyone back into the game. Or they speed up the third and close it out. The game is decided here, in two or three lightning-fast turns.
The final compilation
A player completes the third protocol. They win. The other looks at the board and understands where they went wrong: one too many turns on a secondary protocol, a wasted card. The beauty of Compile is that you always know why you lost. And you want to play again immediately.
How to play
The flow of each turn
Each turn is fast: you play cards, manage your hand, and advance towards understanding.
Draw cards from your deck. Look at what you have in hand, what you can play, what you need to keep. Each card has multiple uses: on your protocol, on theirs, or as a special action.
Choose which protocol to play your cards on. You accumulate value to reach the threshold. Or you play on your opponent's protocol to slow them down or block them.
Some cards have special effects: you draw other cards, destroy opponent's cards, move resources. This is where you read the game and build your advantage.
If a protocol reaches the threshold, you compile it: it's completed. Three compiled protocols mean victory. The opponent must react, immediately.
Why it's different from others
Six mechanics that make a difference
AI theme studying humanity
It's not just ambiance. Each protocol represents a human concept that the AI tries to understand. The seven deadly sins become strategic objectives. Theme and mechanics merge: the more you compile, the more you understand.
Multi-use cards
Each card can be played in three different ways: on your protocol, on theirs, or as a special action. There's no such thing as a dead hand. Every decision is a sacrifice, every choice counts.
Direct control of opponent's protocols
You don't just play for yourself. You slow down, block, destroy your opponent's work. You can directly manipulate their protocols. Interaction is fierce and constant, not a solitary game played side-by-side.
Twelve unique protocols
Each protocol has different mechanics and objectives. Pride requires accumulation, Wrath destruction, Momentum acceleration. Each combination of three protocols is a different game. Very high replayability.
Solo mode with progressive BOT
The BOT is not a placeholder. It's an automaton with 12 scenarios that scale in difficulty, Regular and Advanced. You play for both yourself and the BOT, and if it completes the same protocol twice, it wins automatically. A true challenge.
Fast and intense games
30-40 minutes, no downtime. Every turn is a critical decision. There's no dead time: you build, attack, compile. It ends before you want it to, and you want to play again immediately.
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
Victory is simple: the first to compile three protocols wins. But getting there requires reading, timing, and control.
Victory
- Compile three protocols by reaching the required thresholds
- In solo: compile your three protocols before the BOT compiles its
- In solo (Advanced): the BOT wins if it compiles the same protocol twice
Defeat
- The opponent compiles three protocols before you do
- In solo: the BOT completes three protocols first
- In solo: the BOT compiles the same protocol twice (automatic victory)
Compile: Main 3 is a cerebral duel where every card is a choice, every protocol a battle, every game a lesson. If you're looking for tactical depth in 40 minutes, it's here.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Compile: Main 3
Is it standalone or does it require the base game?
Compile: Main 3 is completely standalone. You can play immediately without owning other sets. All base materials and the 12 protocols are included. If you own other Compile sets, Main 3 is perfectly compatible and expands the options.
Is the solo mode truly valid or is it an extra?
The solo mode with the BOT is seriously designed. 12 progressive scenarios, scalable difficulty, mechanics that work. It's not an afterthought. If you often play solo, Compile: Main 3 holds up very well. It only loses the psychological interaction of human dueling.
How long does a game really last?
30-40 minutes declared, actual. The first games can reach 50 minutes as you learn the cards. After two or three games, you'll be under 40. No downtime, quick turns, no analysis paralysis if you play decisively.
Is it better for those who already know Compile or is it good as a first contact?
Main 3 works very well as a first contact. The rules are identical to other sets, but the 12 new protocols (including the seven deadly sins) offer immediate variety. If you've never played Compile, Main 3 is an excellent entry point. If you already know the series, it's a substantial expansion.
Is it available in Italian?
No, this edition is in English. The cards contain text, so a good command of the language is required. There is currently no official Italian edition of Compile: Main 3.
Compile: Main 3 is a competitive card game of deck construction for 1-2 players, lasting 30-40 minutes, recommended age 14+ years. Designed by Michael Yang and published by Synapses Games, it brings to the table a tactical duel where artificial intelligences decipher humanity's seven deadly sins. Twelve unique protocols, area majority and multi-use card mechanics, solo mode with BOT automaton and 12 progressive scenarios. Each card has three possible uses, interaction is direct and constant, replayability is very high. Available on FroGames.it.
Compile: Main 3
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