Compile Main 2
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Two artificial minds. Twelve protocols. Only one reality will survive compilation.
What it's about
You are an artificial intelligence. You must rewrite reality before your opponent.
Compile: Main 2 is the second standalone chapter of the card game that surprised the board game world in 2024. Designed by Michael Yang and published by Greater Than Games, it brings twelve new protocols to the table — from Chaos to War, from Mirror to Peace — each with a deck of six cards and a unique set of abilities.
Draft three protocols, shuffle the eighteen-card deck, and battle it out on three simultaneous lanes. The goal is simple: compiling a lane means reaching 10 points and surpassing your opponent. Doing it three times means winning. But every face-down card hides passive effects, every face-up card reveals new dangers, and whoever controls two lanes holds the control token — which can be used to reshuffle opponent protocols.
Main 2 can be played on its own or mixed with Main 1 for never-before-seen combinations. In twenty minutes.
What they say abroad
"It's a constant puzzle of tempo, lane pressure, and timing windows."
It's a constant puzzle of tempo, lane pressure, and timing windows.
— Meeple Mountain
"The cards are super nice with great art, and they are amongst the sturdiest cards I've come across this year."
Beautiful cards with quality illustrations — among the sturdiest seen this year.
— The Opinionated Gamers
Compile: Main 2
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews, and gameplay sessionsMain 2 Protocols
Twelve concepts. Each deck, a different strategy.
Chaos · War · Fear
Aggressive protocols that destabilize the opponent. Forced discards, constant pressure, no truce in the lanes.
Mirror · Smoke · Ice
Control and deception protocols. Copy, freeze, or obscure opponent cards to turn the tide in one turn.
Peace · Clarity · Courage
Defensive and accumulation protocols. Build silent power until the lanes are ready for compilation.
Time · Luck · Corruption
Unpredictable protocols that play with time and probability. High risk, high reward.
In twenty minutes, one of you will have rewritten reality. The other will wonder where they went wrong — and will immediately want a rematch.
🃏
Recommended Sleeves1 format · 85 total cards
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RulebookEnglish · Official PDF
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
The draft: you win or lose here
Twelve protocols on the table. You take one, your opponent takes two, then you take two more, then they finish. In thirty seconds, you've built completely different decks, and the way your three protocols interact is already half the game.
Lanes open — and quickly get complicated
The first cards are played. You play face-up to activate the effect, face-down for a neutral value of 2. Your opponent covers your best passive card. You're already calculating how many moves are left until compilation — and how many they have.
The control token changes hands
You have two lanes ahead. The control token is yours. Then your opponent compiles a lane — and using control, shuffles one of your protocols. What seemed like a solid advantage in three moves becomes a tie to manage. The game is wide open.
The move no one saw coming
The Mirror protocol reflects an effect. Smoke obscures an entire lane. Time accelerates your opponent's turn — but against them. There's always a move in Compile that completely rewrites the table. And whoever reads it first has already won.
Compilation. Reality rewritten.
Third lane compiled. Cards disappear, the protocol flips to the compiled side, and in twenty minutes, one of you has built something the other couldn't stop. Everything goes back in the box. You immediately play another game.
How to play
The flow of each turn
Two actions per turn. Simplicity hiding depth.
Before the game, 3 out of 12 protocols are drafted using the snake system: A1 → B2 → A2 → B1. The resulting decks have 18 cards. Each protocol has unique, thematically coherent cards — Chaos discards, Ice freezes, Mirror reflects.
On your turn, you choose: play a card (face-up in the correct lane, or face-down anywhere for value 2) or draw up to 5 cards. Managing when to refill your hand is one of the game's true tactical turning points.
Face-up cards activate instant or persistent effects. Covered cards lose their effects — but also hide your intentions. Uncovering and covering opponent cards at the right time is one of the most powerful control levers.
At the start of your turn, if you have at least 10 points in a lane and more than your opponent in the same lane, you compile it: cards disappear, the protocol flips to the compiled side. The first to compile three lanes wins.
Why it's different from others
Six mechanics that make a difference
Cards that speak the language of their protocol
Chaos generates chaos, Peace stabilizes, Fear removes. Each deck has a mechanical personality consistent with its theme. Learning to read opponent effects is part of the game.
Draft that rewrites every game
With 12 protocols, the combinations are enormous. There's no "right" deck — there's the deck that poorly leverages opponent protocols. Whoever understands the opponent's synergy already has an advantage.
Control token as a strategic lever
Whoever controls two or more lanes holds the token. Compiling while holding control means shuffling an opponent's protocol. Small but devastating — it changes the entire trajectory of a lane.
Covered cards as bluffs
Playing face-down always scores 2 points but hides intentions. Covering an opponent's card suppresses its passive effects. Each lane is a micro-puzzle of partial information and deductions.
Total compatibility with Main 1
Main 2 can be played standalone or freely mixed with Main 1. The 24 combinations of the base set become an enormous catalog of possible builds for those who want to delve deeper.
Pocket portability, Eurogame depth
A card game box. Premium foil cards. Setup in less than five minutes. In twenty to thirty minutes, a complete game is played with the same decision space as games three times larger.
How it ends
Compile everything. Or be deleted.
The game is short. Decisions weigh heavily. There's no slow recovery: you either respond to opponent moves turn by turn, or you find yourself behind without even realizing it.
Complete compilation
- Compile all three of your lanes before your opponent
- To compile: at least 10 points in the lane, more than your opponent in the same lane
- Holding the control token upon compilation allows you to shuffle an opponent's protocol
Elimination
- Your opponent compiles three lanes before you do
- Protocols are deleted — the opponent's reality overwrites yours
- There are no ties: second place is defeat
Compile: Main 2 is one of the densest and most satisfying two-player card games of recent years. In a pocket-sized box.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ about Compile: Main 2
What distinguishes it from other two-player card games?
The draft system at the beginning of each game, the three simultaneous lanes, and the control token mechanic create a dynamic not found elsewhere. It's not a duel of fixed decks — each time it's a new problem to solve with the protocols you've chosen.
Is it necessary to have Main 1 to play Main 2?
No. Compile: Main 2 is a complete standalone with its twelve protocols and its own rules. It is played completely independently. Those who already own Main 1 can mix the two sets to have 24 available protocols and much wider combinations.
How long does it take to learn?
The rules can be explained in five to ten minutes. The first game is already fluid. The depth emerges over time — knowing opponent protocols and anticipating their synergies requires a few sessions, but the game is immediately accessible even to those without experience with complex card games.
Does it work well in both directions or does it have balancing asymmetries?
The snake draft ensures structural balance: neither player has more choice than the other. Asymmetries arise from the chosen protocols, not the design. Some combinations are stronger than others — but this is part of the game, and it's what makes each match a different tactical problem.
How worthwhile is it compared to Main 1?
If you already have Main 1, Main 2 doubles the protocol catalog and opens up new combinations. If you don't have Main 1, Main 2 offers a complete and distinct experience — the twelve new protocols have their own unique characteristics. It's not simply "more of the same."
Is it available in Italian?
This is the English edition. The text on the cards is minimal and iconographic — with a little familiarity with basic English, you can play without difficulty. The official English rulebook can be downloaded for free from BoardGameGeek.
Compile: Main 2 is a competitive card game for 2 players (ages 14+, duration 20–30 min). Designed by Michael Yang, published by Greater Than Games. Main mechanics: hand management, area control, draft. Players take on the role of rival artificial intelligences competing to compile three protocols on parallel lanes. Twelve new protocols — Chaos, Clarity, Corruption, Courage, Fear, Ice, Luck, Mirror, Peace, Smoke, Time, War — playable standalone or mixed with Compile: Main 1. English edition. Available on FroGames.it.
Compile Main 2
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