Contributing to Phalanx Duel

Phalanx is an open tactical system. The engine is open-source, the canonical rules are public, and we rely on community contributors to improve the game, the tools, and the documentation.

We have explicit pathways for different types of contributors.

1. Engine & Rules (Developers)

If you want to work on the core server-authoritative engine, deterministic logic, or canonical rules specification:

• Where to go: The Game Repository (GitHub)
• What we need: Bug fixes, performance improvements, invariant testing, and strict alignment of the engine with the RULES.md spec.

2. Site & Tools (Web Developers)

If you want to improve this site, the Battle Calculator, or the onboarding funnels:

• Where to go: The Site Repository (GitHub)
• What we need: UI/UX improvements, Jekyll layout polish, accessibility (a11y) fixes, and visual upgrades to the Battle Calculator.

3. Playtesting & Balance (Players)

You do not need to write code to contribute. We need players to test the game and report usability issues, confusing interactions, or balance concerns.

• Where to go: Read the Playtesting Guide
• What we need: Reproducible bug reports, balance proposals backed by actual match data, and feedback on the new-player experience.

4. Documentation & Examples (Writers)

If you have a talent for clear, concise explanation, we need help refining our onboarding guides and creating tactical examples.

• Where to go: The Site Repository (GitHub)
• What we need: Better diagrams, clearer explanations of edge cases, and new “scenario study” examples for the Mastery section.

To get started, check the open issues on our GitHub repositories and look for the good first issue label.