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VaultForge
Crack the code, capture the flag — a white-hat cryptography / cybersecurity puzzle game for ages 15–18. Solve scaffolded crypto and forensics-lite challenges (substitution, frequency analysis, modular arithmetic, public-key intuition, hashing) to capture flags, and build defensive cyber awareness. Low floor, high ceiling.
#0E8C7F Distributed-narrative cast
Meet the cast
VaultForge's adapted-DN-S cast (ages 15–18, realistic cryptographer/analyst personas — no mascots, per R-OLDER-TEEN-DN-ADAPTED) each embody one cryptography/cybersecurity primitive: shifting every letter by a fixed amount (Cassia, Caesar cipher), counting letter frequencies to crack it (Freya), the public-key exchange (Pax locks with the public key, Sela opens with her private key), turning any input into an irreversible fingerprint (Hana, hashing), wrapping numbers around a clock (Mox, modular arithmetic), hiding a flag inside an innocent cover (Vesna, steganography), using a known snippet to break the rest (Kai, crib attack), and spotting the fake login before anyone clicks (Ivo, phishing awareness). Mentor Sen sets the challenge, keeps it white-hat, and guides reflect-on-approach.
Browse all 10 chapters → · What's distributed-narrative methodology? →
What's inside
Learning goal
Crack the code, capture the flag — a white-hat cryptography / cybersecurity puzzle game for ages 15–18. Solve scaffolded crypto and forensics-lite challenges (substitution, frequency analysis, modular arithmetic, public-key intuition, hashing) to capture flags, and build defensive cyber awareness. Low floor, high ceiling.
Question kits
16 curriculum-aligned kits × 25 questions = 400 questions per app, mapped to recognized standards.
On-device AI mentor
FoundationModels-powered hints, feedback, and adaptive difficulty — all running locally.
Mentored by Sen — on-device AI, no data leaves the device.
How VaultForge handles your kid's data
- ✅ All progress, settings, and AI-generated content stays on the device
- ✅ No analytics, no tracking, no third-party SDKs
- ✅ No ads, no in-app purchases — you pay once
- ✅ COPPA compliant under the 2026 FTC amendments
- ✅ Parental controls + session limits + content filters built in
VaultForge runs on ForgeKit — the open-source Swift Package Manager framework that powers every Spark & Anvil app. ForgeKit ensures consistent accessibility, COPPA compliance, and design language across the portfolio, so your kid's progress and preferences feel coherent across every app they touch.
Coming to the App Store
VaultForge is in active development. Email us to hear when it ships — no marketing, no spam, just a one-shot launch announcement.
Email me at launch
