KN-86 Carts → Verbs — Tier-2 Verb-Taxonomy Map
A cross-module map of which Tier-2 verb-tool taxonomy each of the 17 launch carts contributes, grounded in the DeckRunner verb model (ADR-0040 §10). Synthesized and ratified in a 2026-06-19 working session. This is a living design reference, not an ADR — the open reconciliation items in §12 feed back into the DeckRunner companion spec.
1. The anchor — a “verb set” is a Tier-2 verb-tool
Section titled “1. The anchor — a “verb set” is a Tier-2 verb-tool”The per-cart “verb sets” below are not a new concept — they are exactly Tier-2 verb-tools in the ADR-0040 §10 three-tier model:
| Tier | What | Mapped here? |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Primitives (grammar) | CAR/CDR/CONS/EVAL/… Lisp keys, fixed left hand | no — invariant |
| 2 — Verb-tools (vocabulary) | CRACK SPIKE PING THREAD SHADE … — cart-contributed right-hand context palette | this is the “verb sets” |
| 3 — Mission verbs (arc) | PENETRATE / OBTAIN / OBSERVE / DESTROY + affinities — not keys, the structure of a run | the “arc-of-a-job shape” |
ADR-0040 §10: “Grouping verbs by the arc of a run is the layer schedule — DeckRunner swaps the active palette as the run moves recon → entry → breach → exfil.” So each set is a Tier-2 vocabulary ordered as a palette-swap schedule along that cart’s run arc. The arc verbs stay Tier-3 affinity tags procgen reads; the sets are the Tier-2 palettes those arcs schedule.
2. Headline — §10 names four domains; the roster needs ~10
Section titled “2. Headline — §10 names four domains; the roster needs ~10”ADR-0040 §10 names exactly four Tier-2 domains — netrun / drone / forensic + comms — and §16 resolves comms as “no separate comms cart.” The full 17-cart roster actually demands ~10 distinct Tier-2 taxonomies. That is a real extension of the §10/§16 surface — it is carried back as a reconciliation item (§12).
The four base sets bridge to the §10 domains cleanly:
| Set | §10 domain | Primary cart(s) |
|---|---|---|
| INTRUSION (Recon→Disconnect) | netrun | ICE BREAKER |
| REMOTE OPS (Pre-flight→Recovery) | drone | DEPTHCHARGE |
| FORENSICS (Acquisition→Cleanup) | forensic | BLACK LEDGER |
| SIGNALS (Channel setup→Closing) | comms | DRIFT, SHELLFIRE |
3. Master mapping — all 17 carts
Section titled “3. Master mapping — all 17 carts”graph TD R["17 carts"] --> BASE["4 base domains · §10"] R --> NEW["6 new taxonomies"] R --> Q["INTROSPECTION · 7th, resolved fresh"] BASE --> B1["INTRUSION · ICE BREAKER"] BASE --> B2["REMOTE OPS · DEPTHCHARGE"] BASE --> B3["FORENSICS · BLACK LEDGER"] BASE --> B4["SIGNALS · DRIFT + SHELLFIRE"] NEW --> N1["CRYPTANALYSIS · Cipher Garden"] NEW --> N2["TERRITORY · Nodespace + Takezo"] NEW --> N3["MARKET · SynthFence"] NEW --> N4["DEFENDER · Sysop Mode"] NEW --> N5["EXPLORATION · Threshold"] NEW --> N6["CONTENT · Relay"]
| Cart | Tier-2 set | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ICE BREAKER | INTRUSION | primary | ships all three tiers (the §10 reference cart) |
| DEPTHCHARGE | REMOTE OPS | primary | submersible / sonar drone rig |
| BLACK LEDGER | FORENSICS | primary | forensic accounting suite |
| DRIFT | SIGNALS | primary | RF triangulation |
| SHELLFIRE | SIGNALS | primary | RF freq / jamming countermeasures |
| NEONGRID | SIGNALS + INTRUSION | borrower | sentry-evasion: THREAD/SCATTER/SHADE |
| PATHFINDER | REMOTE OPS | borrower | convoy: PLOT/HUG/THREAD/CRAWL/PARK/SHADE/SHED |
| THE VAULT | FORENSICS | borrower | §Analysis+§Output: CROSS/PROFILE/NARRATE/BRIEF/ARCHIVE |
| MARTY GLITCH | SIGNALS (parasite) | borrower | §Manipulation: ECHO/GHOSTWRITE/WEDGE/DRIFT; no native set |
| CIPHER GARDEN | CRYPTANALYSIS | new | |
| NODESPACE | TERRITORY (competitive) | new | shares taxonomy w/ Takezo |
| TAKEZO | TERRITORY (contemplative) | new | shares taxonomy w/ Nodespace |
| SYNTHFENCE | MARKET | new | |
| SYSOP MODE | DEFENDER | new | inverse of INTRUSION; shares Network Memory w/ ICE Breaker |
| THRESHOLD | EXPLORATION | new | reconcile vs Threshold’s existing §4 verb map |
| RELAY | CONTENT | new | |
| NULL | INTROSPECTION | new (7th) | “FORENSICS turned inward” — resolved fresh, see §11 |
Total: 11 Tier-2 taxonomies — 4 base (§10) + 6 new + INTROSPECTION (the 7th, resolved fresh in §11).
4. The four base domains (verb spines)
Section titled “4. The four base domains (verb spines)”These already exist in §10. The primary cart owns the full spine; borrowers lift a slice. (Arc middles are drafted from the named endpoints — refine during the per-domain buildout.)
- INTRUSION
netrun— Recon → Scan → Exploit → Entry → Breach → Escalate → Exfil → Cover → Disconnect. Primary: ICE BREAKER. Borrow: NeonGrid (evasion slice). - REMOTE OPS
drone— Pre-flight → Launch → Transit → Approach → Operate → Hold → Recover → Recovery. Primary: DEPTHCHARGE. Borrow: Pathfinder (PLOT/HUG/CRAWL/PARK/SHADE/SHED). - FORENSICS
forensic— Acquisition → Triage → Analysis → Correlation → Output → Cleanup. Primary: BLACK LEDGER. Borrow: The Vault (CROSS/PROFILE/NARRATE/BRIEF/ARCHIVE). - SIGNALS
comms— Channel setup → Acquire → Triangulate → Intercept → Decode → Closing. Primary: DRIFT, SHELLFIRE. Parasite: Marty Glitch (§Manipulation only).
5. New taxonomy — CRYPTANALYSIS (Cipher Garden)
Section titled “5. New taxonomy — CRYPTANALYSIS (Cipher Garden)”Arc: Examination → Hypothesis → Substitution → Validation → Solve
FREQUENCY · KASISKI · GUESS · PIN · SUBSTITUTE · SHIFT · REVERT · CONFIRM · CONTRADICT · COMMIT
Grounded: the Cipher Garden spec defines SUBSTITUTION / TRANSPOSITION / VIGENÈRE / FREQUENCY-ANALYSIS / ONE-TIME-PAD cipher types and a Kasiski Examination tool — FREQUENCY / KASISKI / SUBSTITUTE are real, not invented.
6. New taxonomy — TERRITORY (Nodespace + Takezo)
Section titled “6. New taxonomy — TERRITORY (Nodespace + Takezo)”One taxonomy, two dialects — Nodespace = competitive, Takezo = contemplative.
Arc: Opening → Middle Game → Endgame → Reading → Concession
PLACE · EXTEND · CONNECT · INFLUENCE · INVADE · REDUCE · SACRIFICE · SEAL · READ-AHEAD · ATARI · COUNTER · PASS · RESIGN
Both specs confirm the territory/influence model (Nodespace: CLAIM/FORTIFY/SCOUT + supply lines; Takezo: board influence, OBSERVE→ANALYZE→COMMIT→REFLECT). A candidate for full 30-verb buildout first — verb grammar is the cart-distinguishing UX here (§12).
7. New taxonomy — MARKET (SynthFence)
Section titled “7. New taxonomy — MARKET (SynthFence)”Arc: Quoting → Execution → Position → Settlement → Manipulation-Detection
BID · ASK · LIFT · HIT · FILL · SPREAD · ICEBERG · FADE · ARB · HEDGE · CORNER · FLIP · MARGIN · SETTLE
Grounded: the SynthFence spec is literally “OODA LOOP: MARKET TEMPO” with Order Types & Submission, Spread Dynamics & Slippage, and a Margin System — a trading floor, not audio synthesis.
8. New taxonomy — DEFENDER (Sysop Mode)
Section titled “8. New taxonomy — DEFENDER (Sysop Mode)”Arc: Topology → Wire → Arm → Monitor → Counter-Intrude → Audit → Reward
PLACE-ICE · ARM · ALARM · BAIT · FORGE-LOG · BANISH · REROUTE · QUARANTINE · COUNTER-INTRUDE · AUDIT · REWARD · REVOKE
Structurally the inverse of INTRUSION — every attacker verb wants a defender counter. The Sysop Mode spec confirms the Defender Toolkit cells (ICE_NODE / ALARM_CELL / TRACE_CELL / LOCKOUT_CELL / SYSOP_CONSOLE) and shared Network Memory with ICE Breaker. Highest-leverage new buildout: mostly mirroring an already-built set.
9. New taxonomy — EXPLORATION (Threshold)
Section titled “9. New taxonomy — EXPLORATION (Threshold)”Arc: Look → Move → Manipulate → Converse → Rest → Party
LOOK · GO · ENTER · TAKE · DROP · COMBINE · GIVE · TALK · ASK · BARTER · REST · REMEMBER · MAP · PARTY-UP · WHISPER · SHARE-LOCATION
Layers on the CAR/CDR/CONS/INFO/BACK nav backbone. Caveat: the Threshold spec already has a §4 “Lisp Verb Mapping & Grammar” with a “Final Verb Map” — reconcile against it before locking; do not overwrite it (§12).
10. New taxonomy — CONTENT (Relay)
Section titled “10. New taxonomy — CONTENT (Relay)”Arc: Fetch → Verify → Stage → Apply → Rollback → Publish → Mirror
FETCH · VERIFY · STAGE · APPLY · ROLLBACK · SIGN · MANIFEST · MIRROR · SUBSCRIBE · BLACKLIST · AUTHOR · PUBLISH
Sibling of SIGNALS but distinct noun-objects (packages, manifests, mission-templates). The Relay spec’s own phase arc is SCAN → EVALUATE → APPLY → VERIFY — fold those four in as the canonical phase names.
11. INTROSPECTION (Null) — resolved as a fresh taxonomy
Section titled “11. INTROSPECTION (Null) — resolved as a fresh taxonomy”Arc: Recall → Filter → Compare → Annotate → Project → Share
RECALL · BENCHMARK · CORRELATE · ANNOTATE · EXPORT · REFLECT · OPT-IN (~20 verbs, the short set)
This was the contested “6 vs 7” call: the draft proposed “6 new taxonomies” but listed 7 names. It reconciles if INTROSPECTION collapses into FORENSICS §Analysis turned inward rather than counting as fresh.
Resolved: kept fresh. The Null spec’s verbs act on the operator’s own deck-state / provenance (RECALL / BENCHMARK / OPT-IN) — a different noun-space than a target’s books. Final count: 4 base + 6 new + INTROSPECTION = 11.
12. Reconciliation items / follow-ons
Section titled “12. Reconciliation items / follow-ons”Items carried back into the DeckRunner companion spec’s open-items table:
- SIGNALS vs §16. ADR-0040 §16 says “no separate comms cart; fold comms into an existing cartridge.” But DRIFT and SHELLFIRE are primary SIGNALS carts — they are comms carts. Either §16 needs amending, or “comms” (the folded micro-vocab) and “SIGNALS” (Drift/Shellfire’s full RF taxonomy) are two things sharing one name. Disambiguate.
- §10 “four domains” line. Update to reflect the 11-taxonomy roster (4 base + 6 new + INTROSPECTION).
- Build order. DEFENDER first (it mirrors INTRUSION + shares Network Memory — low invention cost), TERRITORY second (verb grammar drives the UX). The other four follow.
- Threshold §4 collision. Threshold already ships a verb map — EXPLORATION must reconcile, not replace.
Related
Section titled “Related”- ADR-0040 — DeckRunner engine layer (the verb model this map extends).
- DeckRunner — Engine & Run Architecture — §10 verb model, §16 open items.
- ADR-0028 — Mission Control / Capability Registry (Tier-3 mission verbs + affinities).
- ADR-0005 — NoshAPI (the cart-facing FFI surface; distinct from the player-facing DeckRunner interface).
../modules/— the 17 per-module gameplay specs the verb spines are grounded in.launch-titles-capability.md— the capability-model framing of the launch lineup.