Reverse dependency resolution for board games
Every heavy game has a ladder.
Pick the big box you're working up to. We break it into its core mechanics and map the lighter games that teach each one — so the 40-page rulebook is the last step, not the first.
The ladders
The first ladders are still being climb-tested.
Every published ladder is validated before it goes live — no filler, no guesswork. Check back soon, or read how the ladders are built.
How a ladder is built
Decompose the target
Every heavy game is a stack of core mechanics — worker placement, engine building, area control. We identify which ones actually carry the game.
Find the teachers
For each mechanic, the pool is scored for how well a lighter game teaches it. Pedagogical fit dominates the score — teaching is the product.
Climb in order
Rungs are sorted by complexity, a mid-weight bridge is added when the final jump is steep — and if no good teacher exists, we say so honestly.
The mechanics
Fifteen mechanic families, distilled from BGG's 190-odd tags. Every ladder teaches a subset of these.