NOMOS (Invariant Engine): Simulation Guide
Overview
NOMOS is a general-purpose agent-based modeling simulation engine designed for worldbuilding in intellectual properties. The engine is theme-agnostic, supporting Bronze Age, modern, and sci-fi settings. It simulates emergent economic systems, social dynamics, and agent behaviors through a closed-loop architecture. All items are generated from a material layer, which is based on a set of rules and parameters; all goods are items; all materials are composed of elements.
System Architecture
The pipeline flows:
- Stochastic Core — SpectralFlux (pink noise RNG) for natural variance
- Material Layer — 55 Elements → Compounds → Material Compositions → Items (Alchemy, Craftsmanship, Quality Tiers, Condition/Degradation)
- Agent Layer — PICK+E attributes, Aspects (Vices/Virtues), Attractor Engine, AgentNeeds, JobRole, WoD Module (opt)
- Social Layer — Person → Household → Polity → Realm. Governance, Policy, Taxes/Welfare, Licensing. Scale-agnostic (Neighborhood → Empire)
- Economic Layer — Vendors, Production Pipelines, Monetary System, Markets, Trade, Economy Planner
- Spatial Layer — HexGrid (Hierarchical Zones), World, Celestial Mining
- Simulation Tick — SimState → SimTickManager → Base-12 Time
Core Abstractions
PICK+E (Agent Attribute Model)
The PICK+E system defines agent capabilities, derived from the Terminium Compendium PnP RPG.
| Letter | Attribute | Description | Simulation Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| P | Physique | Body health, strength | HP (PHY×10), labor capacity |
| I | Intuition | Perception, stress tolerance | Market trust, vendor selection |
| C | Cognition | Logic, puzzles, knowledge | Business acumen, skill scaling |
| K | Kinesthesia | Dexterity, motor control | Craftsmanship quality |
| E | Existence | GODLIVING or GODLESS | Metaphysical alignment, magic potential |
Power Tiers (N-Levels):
| Tier | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|
| N0–N2 | 8–512 | Normal encounters |
| N3 | 4096 | Greater bosses, party required |
| N4+ | 32768+ | Mythic/Divine, special requirements |
Attractor Engine (Behavioral Drivers)
| Driver Type | Source | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Main Driver | Divinity/Destiny | Apollo→Truth, Ares→Conflict |
| Sub Driver | Hobby/Interest | Art, Commerce, Science |
| None | Survival baseline | Pure need satisfaction |
Driver strength is configurable globally (CSV) or per-agent, affecting behavior priorities.
Aspects (Vices & Virtues)
Data-driven personality system loaded from CSV:
- Vices: Avarice, Deceit, Wrath, Pride, Sloth, Envy
- Virtues: Charity, Justice, Temperance, Prudence, Fortitude
- Aspects influence: black market tendency, tithe rates, social interactions
- Updated on throttled schedule to avoid performance impact
Model Architecture
Each simulation is driven by a model directory (data/model/{name}/) containing a core.ini configuration file. Models represent different IPs, eras, or fictional universes while sharing the engine infrastructure.
This engine supports the Terminium Compendium worldbuilding:
- Godless/Godliving dichotomy simulation
- Hellenia economy modeling
- Asteroid fracking logistics
- Planet Archeros resource flows
Simulation Tick Architecture
Base-12 Time System
| Unit | Ticks | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Tick | 1 | Smallest unit |
| Moment | 12 | 12 ticks |
| Period | 144 | 12² ticks |
| Cycle | 1,728 | 12³ ticks (≈1 day) |
| Epoch | 20,736 | 12⁴ ticks |