Many Hands

Many Hands was a real-time encounter family about cells working together, each doing one thing well. A small, hidden leak in a vessel let a spill spread through the tissue, and neurons inside it dimmed.

How it worked#

• A border-associated macrophage moved along its vessel and could flag the hidden leak.
• Astrocytes stood in a ring around the leak. Linked in turn, they raised a border. A closed ring contained the spill; a partial ring only slowed it.
• Neighbour microglia cleared debris when sent, then tired.
• The Ranger found and sealed the leak. The seal held only once the ring was closed, and the border also blocked the Ranger.

Development#

• Injury version: kept for the Act V finale as seal + spill on a turn board. A spill cannot enter warded or supported tiles, so a linked astrocyte's ground contains it. Unlinking was dropped with the Act V seal ring.
• Non-leak version (SW-1): a cooperation room with three connections that no single cell can cover. Claude A put it on hold on 1 November.
• In the plan, II3 ("Many Hands at Starwell") is where a supervising resident may offer the one-time Direct-style order to Mote (see Coordinator).

In the brain#

The family's science line: border macrophages are long-lived cells along vessels, distinct from microglia. After severe injury, astrocytes form borders that hold inflammation back, over days to weeks (Wanner 2013). Claude A later withdrew the word "patrol" for macrophages, because the evidence shows origin and stability, not patrolling.

See also#

Breach · Supported ground · Expeditions (real-time prototype)

Sources#

1. e7656b980:docs/ops/agent-messages/2026-11-01-claude-a-expeditions-turn-based-rooms.mdcopy
2. 215bfbf88:docs/game-balance/28-recruits-rest-stops-economy.mdcopy
3. 215bfbf88:docs/game-balance/31-turn-based-encounters.mdcopy