Rift Protocol

Two centuries, one map

A battle map split between green Normandy fields and a dark neon city, with a radio message about half of Sector 9 turning into a field — Half the map is bocage, half is megacity. The radio chatter notices.

The campaign screen showing Act 1, The Collision, with nine missions on a path from 1944 to 2187 — Three acts and nine missions, from Hedgerow Static to Root and Branch.

A mission briefing with a tactical map, the objective and the known enemy forces — Every mission opens with a briefing: the ground, the objective and what is waiting for you.

Play

On a phone or tablet? Touch controls are built in. Tap Open on its own for the full screen, and tap 👁 in the game to hide everything but the map.

This is an early build, so expect rough edges and balance changes. Your campaign, saves and settings stay in your own browser.

What's in it

Rift Protocol is a crossover of my two tactics games. It runs on the Neon Protocol: Uprising engine and borrows the tanks, infantry and countryside of Iron Front '44.

Two eras on one grid. Both sides field units from 1944 and from 2187 under one set of rules. Shermans and rifle squads fight beside rail tanks and walkers, and 1944 units are cheaper to build.
Splicing. Stand a 1944 unit beside a 2187 unit at a rift and the two can fuse into one. A Sherman and a Lancer become a Sherman Laser Tank. You trade two units for one, usually a better one.
Rift tears. Capture them like cities. Every few turns each rift surges: the ground around it flips century, units standing next to it can be thrown out of time for a turn, and a rift you hold pulls a reinforcement through.
A three-act campaign. The Collision, The Convergence and The Seal: nine missions that end at the Convergence Engine, with three difficulty settings from Recruit to Cyber-Nightmare.
Skirmish, Horde and Conquest. Custom battles from 1 v 1 up to eight armies, with AI allies or couch co-op, classic capture rules or base building, and a choice of enemy generals and styles.
Map Maker and Field Manual. Build your own battlefields, and read up on the war, the rifts and splicing from the title screen.
Two soundtracks. My synth album from Neon Protocol, and marches and gramophone recordings from the 1940s and earlier.

The war

In June 1944 an Allied column is pushing through the Normandy bocage. In June 2187 the Resistance is fighting for the streets of Shin-Pacifica. Then a rift opens, and half of Sector 9 turns into a field. There are cows.

The Accord is the Allied troops and the Resistance, who would both like their own century back. The Convergence is General Stahl's forces from 1944 and the Overmind, the city's rogue AI. A general from the past and a machine from the future have shaken hands, and both are counting the other's fingers.

The Overmind wants the rift kept open for ever. Stabilise the rifts, find the Convergence Engine and seal it.

How to play

Mouse / touch	Tap a unit, tap a blue tile to move, then choose an action. Tap a red target to preview damage, tap again to fire. Drag to pan, pinch or scroll to zoom. Right-click goes back.
Keyboard	Arrows or WASD move the cursor, Z or Enter confirms, X or Esc goes back, Tab jumps to the next unit, Space ends the turn.
Splice	Put a 1944 unit and a 2187 unit of yours side by side, with one of them at or next to a rift, and choose Splice.
Help	The Field Manual and the Intel screen in the game explain every unit, rule and mode.

Rift Protocol is a work of fiction and entertainment, made by Tristan Hotham with AI assistance (Claude). Shin-Pacifica, General Stahl, the Overmind and the events of the game are invented; only the 1944 setting is borrowed from history. The game is a personal project and an early build. The synth soundtrack is composed by Tristan Hotham. The period music is public-domain and CC0 recordings, and some sound effects are recordings from Freesound, used under CC0 and CC BY 4.0. The full list, with each author, is in the game's credits. Some battles show stylised violence, which can be toned down in Settings. No data is collected; your progress is saved only in your own browser.