How to Play
Prerequisite: You must purchase an Operator's Pass to access the game. Each character requires its own pass.
What to Expect
Reticle Cold War is a text-based strategic RPG featuring ASCII art and retro aesthetics.
This is a deliberate design choice. Resources went toward systems that create lasting engagement:
- AI-driven narrative systems that remember your choices and adapt
- A self-regulating economy modeled on natural systems
- Extensive unique locations with distinct briefings and histories
- Deep personalization where data, analytics, and AI create experiences unique to you
- Three strategic mini-games games providing additional immersive gameplay opportuinites
Investing in deep analytics, smart use of AI and machine learning, plus a personalized narrative, are designed to keep the game engaging players for years.
Personalized to You
Every aspect of Reticle Cold War adapts to your profile:
- Procedurally generated content unique to your situation
- Skill-based challenges calibrated to your abilities
- Economic intelligence showing opportunities YOU can pursue
- AI agents that remember your history and adjust their behavior
- Career-optimized recommendations aligned to your chosen path
You also have access to IDINA, your AI assistant who can answer questions about game mechanics, provide strategic advice, and search the game's knowledge base—all grounded in verified lore.
Learn more about personalization →
Your Role
As an Echo Operative, you:
- Gather intelligence across faction boundaries
- Command forces in virtual territorial warfare
- Provide strategic consultation to organizations across the Cosmos
- Navigate complex scenarios where your choices shape outcomes
- Develop skills that determine your operational effectiveness
The Echo Collective maintains strict neutrality—you serve all factions while pledging allegiance to none. This neutrality is your greatest asset.
Single-Player, Shared Universe
Your game is single-player, but it doesn't exist in isolation.
- Your advice matters: Strategic consultation you provide influences NPC decisions
- Your actions persist: Completed operations become part of location histories
- Your victories count: Combat outcomes shift faction territorial control for everyone
The Cosmos evolves based on collective player actions.
Core Systems Overview
The Homeostatic Economy
Your operations are funded through a self-regulating economy modeled on natural systems:
| Resource | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Data Shards | Raw In-game currency earned through activities—decays over time |
| Forge Points (FP) | Primary currency for skills, crafting, and advancement |
| Memory Fragments | Used for Memory Machine competition and special items |
Your Forge Engine converts Data Shards into Forge Points through an ecosystem of Producer and Predator agents. The system monitors 18+ factors to maintain healthy balance without central control.
You receive personalized Economic Intelligence Reports that show your position relative to others, highlight opportunities matching YOUR skills, and help you make informed decisions.
Learn more about the economy → | Economic Reports →
Skills
Your effectiveness depends on mastering diverse skills across five areas:
- Intelligence: Pattern Recognition, Analytical Thinking, Memory Enhancement
- Technology: Reticle Navigation, Echo Interface, Bridge Tech
- Combat: Basic Combat, Advanced Combat, Tactical Planning
- Social: Negotiation, Alliance Building, Faction Relations
- Diplomacy: Political Strategy, Crisis Management
Skills determine your operational capacity—what you can accomplish, not just bonuses to existing abilities. An operative with Analytical Thinking at level 3 faces vastly different options than one at level 18.
Advancement requires both experience (doing things) and Forge Point investment (solidifying learning).
Factions
Four major powers compete for influence:
| Faction | Alignment | Specialty |
|---|---|---|
| Scions of Ogo | Anti-Centopoly | Martial prowess, genetic enhancement |
| Prospectors | Neutral | Exploration, ancient knowledge |
| Technomages | Neutral | Technology, functional immortality |
| Mercantile Alliance | Pro-Centopoly | Trade, economic control |
You maintain relationships with all factions simultaneously—building trust without permanent allegiance. Your choices gradually position you as pro- or anti-Centopoly.
Your Primary Activities
Narrative Missions
Story-driven operations where your choices matter:
Live Scenarios: AI-generated interactions with agents representing different factions and operational roles. Dynamic conversations with skill-based outcomes—all grounded in verified lore through the Lore Master system.
Pre-built Scenarios: Branching narratives responding to your abilities, faction standing, and previous choices. Embedded challenges (ciphers, logic challenges, pattern analysis) test specific skills.
Combat Operations
Command sub-faction forces in territorial warfare:
- Accept missions from combat brokers
- Lead real combatants in contested zones
- Capture or defend virtual territories
- Earn performance ratings (S through F)
Six sub-factions compete for control of territories across the Reticle. Your victories shift the balance of power.
Intelligence Gathering
Conduct spy operations across the Cosmos:
- Decrypt Numbers Broadcasts
- Communicate with faction agents
- Handle After-Action Cases from previous missions
- Provide strategic consultation through the Advisement System
Signal Intelligence (SIGINT)
Idle gameplay that respects your time:
- Intercept encrypted faction transmissions
- Solve cipher puzzles to decode intelligence
- Gather strategic information as rewards
- Your successes influence faction dynamics
Start a puzzle, return later, collect rewards. SIGINT delivers meaningful interaction whether you have hours or minutes.
Cognitive Training
Sharpen your mind through strategic games:
- TriDyak: Spatial reasoning and influence projection (350,000+ opening book positions)
- Confluence: Multi-dimensional strategic thinking with 6 distinct archetypes
- Chronotrate: Time-pressure strategic challenges for rapid decision-making
These develop real skills that affect your operational effectiveness and provide competitive rankings.
Learn more about cognitive training →
The Echo Interface
Your primary tool is the Echo Interface—technology enabling consciousness projection into the Reticle.
Capabilities:
- Project into virtual environments across the Cosmos
- Navigate Combat Zones, Deep Networks, and Archived Sectors
- Access simulations of historical events
- Limited physical interaction via holographic emitters
Why this matters to the fiction: In a universe dominated by superintelligent AI, why do human operatives matter? The Metric can monitor everything, but it cannot be everything. Your judgment, relationships, and decisions matter in ways automation cannot replace.
Non-Linear Progression
No forced paths. Specialize in:
- Combat — Tactical command, territorial warfare
- Intelligence — Analysis, codebreaking, pattern recognition
- Diplomacy — Faction relations, strategic consultation
- Crafting — Equipment manufacturing, Memory Machine competition
- Economic gameplay — Forge Engine optimization, resource management
Or blend approaches. Your career develops based on your choices, with the game adapting to your preferred playstyle.
Getting Started Checklist
- Keep your Forge Engine running — Load Data Shards to generate Forge Points
- Pick 2-3 skill areas to specialize in
- Accept your first mission — Start building faction relationships and experience
- Try a cognitive training game — TriDyak, Confluence, or Chronotrate
- Explore locations — Build your intelligence database
- Check Economic Reports — Understand your position and opportunities
Next Steps
- Your First Steps — Detailed walkthrough of early gameplay
- How the Game Adapts to You — Understanding personalization
- The Homeostatic Economy — Understanding resources
- IDINA: Your AI Assistant — Getting help in-game
- Story Overview — The world you're operating in