Lucid Workshop: Rules in Motion

About Lucid Workshop: Rules in Motion

Lucid Workshop: Rules in Motion is a switch-and-weight puzzle set on the sunlit floor of a clockwork planetarium. A small brass keeper walks the marble tiles one step at a time. Its job is to reach the golden dial, and in its way stand shutters that open and close by themselves according to a chain of cause and effect that you have to read.

The chain is short and exact. Copper orbs can be pushed, never pulled, and an orb that comes to rest on a gold sun plate presses it; when every sun plate carries an orb, the sun channel is on and the brass sun shutters stand open. A silver star pad flips the star channel each time the keeper steps on it, and the ink-blue moon shutters follow the star. A closed shutter blocks the keeper and every orb. Nothing is timed, and every single move can be undone, so you can try a thing and watch what it causes.

Then the rules move. The first time every sun plate has been pressed, the clockwork turns and one rule changes for the rest of the floor: the moon shutters invert and open while the star is off, the two shutters swap channels, or the star pad jams. The card on the side tells you which one before you begin, and the plan you had must adapt. Stars count your moves against the fewest the game's own solver found. Twelve hand-ordered floors bring in each change in turn, then spare floors from the annex without end and a daily floor that is the same for everyone. Your progress stays in this browser.

How to play

Walk the brass keeper to the golden dial. Orbs can be pushed, never pulled.
An orb on every sun plate opens the brass sun shutters; the silver star pad flips the moon shutters.
The first time every sun plate is pressed, the clockwork turns and one rule changes.
Undo is free and unlimited. Fewer moves earn more stars. There is no clock.

Controls

Arrow keys, WASD or D-pad — walk and push; on a touch screen, swipe on the floor or tap beside the keeper
Backspace, Z, U or Undo — take a move back; R or Start over — back to the beginning
H or Hint — the next move of a fewest answer
P, Escape or Start — pause

Frequently asked questions

What opens the shutters?

Brass sun shutters stand open while every sun plate carries an orb. Ink-blue moon shutters stand open while the star channel is on, which the silver star pad flips each time the keeper steps on it. A closed shutter blocks the keeper and orbs alike.

What changes when the clockwork turns?

The first time every sun plate carries an orb, one rule changes for the rest of the floor. Either the moon shutters invert (open while the star is off), or the two shutters swap channels, or the star pad jams and stops toggling. The change card on the side says which, and it stays even if you take an orb off a plate again.

Can I get stuck?

An orb pushed into a corner cannot be pulled out, but every move can be undone without limit, and Start over returns to the beginning. Nothing is lost by trying.

How are stars counted?

By your moves when the keeper reaches the dial, against the fewest the solver found: three stars at that number, two a few moves over, one beyond. A hint limits that floor to two stars. Undo and Start over are free.

Can I play without telling the colours apart?

Yes. Sun shutters carry a sun and moon shutters a crescent, the star pad a star, and an open shutter is drawn as a thin frame. Every move that changes something is announced in words for screen readers.

Does the game save?

Yes, in this browser: solved floors, stars, and the moves of the floor you were on. Nothing is uploaded.