diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 4db68d3..9d6edb4 100755
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -154,9 +154,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "bumpalo"
-version = "3.19.0"
+version = "3.20.3"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "46c5e41b57b8bba42a04676d81cb89e9ee8e859a1a66f80a5a72e1cb76b34d43"
+checksum = "72f5acc6cb2ba439de613abc23857ec3d78374d8ed5ac84e9d11336e87da8649"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "bytemuck"
@@ -180,9 +180,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "bytes"
-version = "1.11.1"
+version = "1.12.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "1e748733b7cbc798e1434b6ac524f0c1ff2ab456fe201501e6497c8417a4fc33"
+checksum = "8ae3f5d315924270530207e2a68396c3cc547f6dca3fbdca317cfb1a51edb593"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "calloop"
@@ -469,13 +469,39 @@ version = "0.3.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "aa9a19cbb55df58761df49b23516a86d432839add4af60fc256da840f66ed35b"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "futures-core"
+version = "0.3.32"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "7e3450815272ef58cec6d564423f6e755e25379b217b0bc688e295ba24df6b1d"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "futures-task"
+version = "0.3.32"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "037711b3d59c33004d3856fbdc83b99d4ff37a24768fa1be9ce3538a1cde4393"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "futures-util"
+version = "0.3.32"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "389ca41296e6190b48053de0321d02a77f32f8a5d2461dd38762c0593805c6d6"
+dependencies = [
+ "futures-core",
+ "futures-task",
+ "pin-project-lite",
+ "slab",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "game"
 version = "0.1.0"
 dependencies = [
  "pbio",
  "png",
+ "serde",
  "sim",
+ "toml",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -702,11 +728,12 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "js-sys"
-version = "0.3.82"
+version = "0.3.103"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "b011eec8cc36da2aab2d5cff675ec18454fad408585853910a202391cf9f8e65"
+checksum = "53b44bfcdb3f8d5837a46dae1ca9660a837176eee74a28b229bc626816589102"
 dependencies = [
- "once_cell",
+ "cfg-if",
+ "futures-util",
  "wasm-bindgen",
 ]
 
@@ -921,19 +948,18 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "num_enum"
-version = "0.7.6"
+version = "0.7.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "5d0bca838442ec211fa11de3a8b0e0e8f3a4522575b5c4c06ed722e005036f26"
+checksum = "683751d591e6d81200c39fb0d1032608b77724f34114db54f571ff1317b337c0"
 dependencies = [
  "num_enum_derive",
- "rustversion",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
 name = "num_enum_derive"
-version = "0.7.6"
+version = "0.7.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "680998035259dcfcafe653688bf2aa6d3e2dc05e98be6ab46afb089dc84f1df8"
+checksum = "6c11e44798ad209ccdd91fc192f0526a369a01234f7373e1b141c96d7cee4f0e"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro-crate",
  "proc-macro2",
@@ -1306,9 +1332,9 @@ checksum = "2f3a9f18d041e6d0e102a0a46750538147e5e8992d3b4873aaafee2520b00ce3"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "portable-atomic"
-version = "1.11.1"
+version = "1.14.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "f84267b20a16ea918e43c6a88433c2d54fa145c92a811b5b047ccbe153674483"
+checksum = "3d20d5497ef88037a52ff98267d066e7f11fcc5e99bbfbd58a42336193aacec3"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "portable-atomic-util"
@@ -1327,10 +1353,11 @@ checksum = "e8cf8e6a8aa66ce33f63993ffc4ea4271eb5b0530a9002db8455ea6050c77bfa"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "proc-macro-crate"
-version = "3.5.0"
+version = "2.0.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "e67ba7e9b2b56446f1d419b1d807906278ffa1a658a8a5d8a39dcb1f5a78614f"
+checksum = "b00f26d3400549137f92511a46ac1cd8ce37cb5598a96d382381458b992a5d24"
 dependencies = [
+ "toml_datetime 0.6.3",
  "toml_edit",
 ]
 
@@ -1535,6 +1562,15 @@ dependencies = [
  "syn",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "serde_spanned"
+version = "1.1.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "6662b5879511e06e8999a8a235d848113e942c9124f211511b16466ee2995f26"
+dependencies = [
+ "serde_core",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "shlex"
 version = "1.3.0"
@@ -1729,24 +1765,44 @@ dependencies = [
 ]
 
 [[package]]
-name = "toml_datetime"
-version = "1.1.1+spec-1.1.0"
+name = "toml"
+version = "0.9.12+spec-1.1.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "3165f65f62e28e0115a00b2ebdd37eb6f3b641855f9d636d3cd4103767159ad7"
+checksum = "cf92845e79fc2e2def6a5d828f0801e29a2f8acc037becc5ab08595c7d5e9863"
+dependencies = [
+ "indexmap",
+ "serde_core",
+ "serde_spanned",
+ "toml_datetime 0.7.5+spec-1.1.0",
+ "toml_parser",
+ "toml_writer",
+ "winnow 0.7.15",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "toml_datetime"
+version = "0.6.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "7cda73e2f1397b1262d6dfdcef8aafae14d1de7748d66822d3bfeeb6d03e5e4b"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "toml_datetime"
+version = "0.7.5+spec-1.1.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "92e1cfed4a3038bc5a127e35a2d360f145e1f4b971b551a2ba5fd7aedf7e1347"
 dependencies = [
  "serde_core",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
 name = "toml_edit"
-version = "0.25.6+spec-1.1.0"
+version = "0.20.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "0db3bae107c9522f86d361697dee1d7386a2ddcf659d5aea5159819a21a3c4a7"
+checksum = "396e4d48bbb2b7554c944bde63101b5ae446cff6ec4a24227428f15eb72ef338"
 dependencies = [
  "indexmap",
- "toml_datetime",
- "toml_parser",
- "winnow",
+ "toml_datetime 0.6.3",
+ "winnow 0.5.40",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1755,9 +1811,15 @@ version = "1.1.2+spec-1.1.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "a2abe9b86193656635d2411dc43050282ca48aa31c2451210f4202550afb7526"
 dependencies = [
- "winnow",
+ "winnow 1.0.3",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "toml_writer"
+version = "1.1.1+spec-1.1.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "756daf9b1013ebe47a8776667b466417e2d4c5679d441c26230efd9ef78692db"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "tracing"
 version = "0.1.44"
@@ -1825,9 +1887,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "wasm-bindgen"
-version = "0.2.105"
+version = "0.2.126"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "da95793dfc411fbbd93f5be7715b0578ec61fe87cb1a42b12eb625caa5c5ea60"
+checksum = "4b067c0c11094aef6b7a801c1e34a26affafdf3d051dba08456b868789aaf9a4"
 dependencies = [
  "cfg-if",
  "once_cell",
@@ -1838,22 +1900,19 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "wasm-bindgen-futures"
-version = "0.4.55"
+version = "0.4.76"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "551f88106c6d5e7ccc7cd9a16f312dd3b5d36ea8b4954304657d5dfba115d4a0"
+checksum = "c62df1340f32221cb9c54d6a27b030e3dba64361d4a95bed55f9aacb44da291d"
 dependencies = [
- "cfg-if",
  "js-sys",
- "once_cell",
  "wasm-bindgen",
- "web-sys",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
 name = "wasm-bindgen-macro"
-version = "0.2.105"
+version = "0.2.126"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "04264334509e04a7bf8690f2384ef5265f05143a4bff3889ab7a3269adab59c2"
+checksum = "167ce5e579f6bcf889c4f7175a8a5a585de84e8ff93976ce393efa5f2837aab1"
 dependencies = [
  "quote",
  "wasm-bindgen-macro-support",
@@ -1861,9 +1920,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "wasm-bindgen-macro-support"
-version = "0.2.105"
+version = "0.2.126"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "420bc339d9f322e562942d52e115d57e950d12d88983a14c79b86859ee6c7ebc"
+checksum = "f3997c7839262f4ef12cf90b818d6340c18e80f263f1a94bf157d0ec4420380e"
 dependencies = [
  "bumpalo",
  "proc-macro2",
@@ -1874,9 +1933,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "wasm-bindgen-shared"
-version = "0.2.105"
+version = "0.2.126"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "76f218a38c84bcb33c25ec7059b07847d465ce0e0a76b995e134a45adcb6af76"
+checksum = "dc1b4cb0cc549fcf58d7dfc081778139b3d283a081644e833e84682ad71cea24"
 dependencies = [
  "unicode-ident",
 ]
@@ -1992,9 +2051,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "web-sys"
-version = "0.3.82"
+version = "0.3.103"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "3a1f95c0d03a47f4ae1f7a64643a6bb97465d9b740f0fa8f90ea33915c99a9a1"
+checksum = "8622dcb61c0bcc9fffa6938bed81210af2da9a7e4a1a834b2e37a59b6dfb6141"
 dependencies = [
  "js-sys",
  "wasm-bindgen",
@@ -2385,13 +2444,25 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "winnow"
-version = "1.0.3"
+version = "0.5.40"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "0592e1c9d151f854e6fd382574c3a0855250e1d9b2f99d9281c6e6391af352f1"
+checksum = "f593a95398737aeed53e489c785df13f3618e41dbcd6718c6addbf1395aa6876"
 dependencies = [
  "memchr",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "winnow"
+version = "0.7.15"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "df79d97927682d2fd8adb29682d1140b343be4ac0f08fd68b7765d9c059d3945"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "winnow"
+version = "1.0.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "0592e1c9d151f854e6fd382574c3a0855250e1d9b2f99d9281c6e6391af352f1"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "wit-bindgen"
 version = "0.46.0"
diff --git a/assets/fonts/cga-8x8.png b/assets/fonts/cga-8x8.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0ebc4f0
Binary files /dev/null and b/assets/fonts/cga-8x8.png differ
diff --git a/assets/packs/Mini-Medieval-Documented-8x8/.zip b/assets/packs/Mini-Medieval-Documented-8x8/.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9b579c0
Binary files /dev/null and b/assets/packs/Mini-Medieval-Documented-8x8/.zip differ
diff --git a/assets/tilesets/entities-template.png b/assets/tilesets/entities-template.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b020768
Binary files /dev/null and b/assets/tilesets/entities-template.png differ
diff --git a/assets/tilesets/entities.png b/assets/tilesets/entities.png
index eb59285..b020768 100644
Binary files a/assets/tilesets/entities.png and b/assets/tilesets/entities.png differ
diff --git a/assets/tilesets/entities.toml b/assets/tilesets/entities.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e10f717
--- /dev/null
+++ b/assets/tilesets/entities.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+# Sidecar manifest for entities.png.
+#
+# The sheet is a grid of 8×8 cells: one entity per row, one fixed column slot per
+# state. States are Idle, Sit, Walk, Action 1, Action 2, Hit, Dead; a slot holds up to
+# `max` frames, left to right. Frames present in a slot are detected from the PNG
+# (a fully transparent cell ends the animation, an empty slot means the entity has no
+# such state and Idle is shown instead) — so this file only says WHERE things are,
+# never how many frames exist.
+#
+# `assets/tilesets/entities-template.png` (from `tools/mktemplate.py`) shows the
+# same layout with labels and slot guides: paste sprites into it, save it as
+# entities.png. The label column and header are outside `origin` and never loaded.
+
+[layout]
+cell   = 8
+origin = [64, 16]   # x, y of the first sprite cell (right of the labels, below the header)
+
+# state = [first column (cells, relative to origin), max frames]
+[layout.states]
+idle    = [0, 2]
+sit     = [2, 2]
+walk    = [4, 4]
+action1 = [8, 4]
+action2 = [12, 2]
+hit     = [14, 2]
+dead    = [16, 2]
+
+# name = row (0-based). Order is free, rows must be unique.
+[entities]
+player        = 0
+
+ghost1        = 1
+ghost2        = 2
+mutant_rat    = 3
+slime1        = 4
+slime2        = 5
+slime3        = 6
+ent           = 7
+shroom        = 8
+floating_eye  = 9
+
+chick         = 10
+hen           = 11
+rooster       = 12
+fox_kit       = 13
+fox           = 14
+rabbit_kit    = 15
+rabbit        = 16
+mouse_pup     = 17
+mouse         = 18
+kitten1       = 19
+cat1          = 20
+kitten2       = 21
+cat2          = 22
+puppy         = 23
+dog           = 24
+foal1         = 25
+horse1        = 26
+foal2         = 27
+horse2        = 28
+foal3         = 29
+horse3        = 30
+foal4         = 31
+horse4        = 32
+
+baby_bird1    = 33
+bird1         = 34
+baby_bird2    = 35
+bird2         = 36
+cardinal_chick = 37
+cardinal      = 38
+baby_eagle    = 39
+eagle         = 40
+baby_crow     = 41
+crow          = 42
+
+piglet        = 43
+pig           = 44
+calf          = 45
+cattle        = 46
+kid           = 47
+goat          = 48
+lamb          = 49
+sheep         = 50
+duckling      = 51
+duck          = 52
+wolf_pup      = 53
+wolf          = 54
+doe           = 55
+buck          = 56
+boar_piglet   = 57
+boar          = 58
+bear_cub      = 59
+bear          = 60
+squirrel_kit  = 61
+squirrel      = 62
+turkey_chick  = 63
+turkey        = 64
+opossum_joey  = 65
+opossum       = 66
+skunk_kit     = 67
+skunk         = 68
+raccoon_cub   = 69
+raccoon       = 70
+
+fish1         = 71
+fish2         = 72
+fish3         = 73
+fish4         = 74
+bees          = 75
+bugs1         = 76
+bugs2         = 77
+butterfly1    = 78
+butterfly2    = 79
+butterfly3    = 80
+butterfly4    = 81
diff --git a/game/Cargo.toml b/game/Cargo.toml
index 9274d10..c306414 100755
--- a/game/Cargo.toml
+++ b/game/Cargo.toml
@@ -7,3 +7,5 @@ edition = "2024"
 sim = { path = "../sim" }
 pbio = { git = "https://git.bnd.wtf/irrlicht/pbio.git", branch = "truecolor16" }
 png = "0.18.1"
+toml = "0.9"
+serde = { version = "1", features = ["derive"] }
diff --git a/game/src/assets.rs b/game/src/assets.rs
index 5e8487a..95d4738 100755
--- a/game/src/assets.rs
+++ b/game/src/assets.rs
@@ -41,25 +41,30 @@ impl Image {
         Image { width: info.width, height: info.height, pixels, opaque }
     }
 
+    /// The 8×8 tile whose top-left pixel is `(x, y)`.
+    pub fn tile_at(&self, x: usize, y: usize) -> Tile {
+        let w = self.width as usize;
+        let mut tile = Tile { px: [0; 64], mask: 0 };
+        for tr in 0..8 {
+            for tc in 0..8 {
+                let i = w * (y + tr) + x + tc;
+                tile.px[tr * 8 + tc] = self.pixels[i];
+                if self.opaque[i] {
+                    tile.mask |= 1 << (tr * 8 + tc);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        tile
+    }
+
     /// Split this image into 8×8 tiles, row-major. Tile ID = flat index into the Vec.
     pub fn to_tileset(&self) -> Vec<Tile> {
-        let w = self.width as usize;
-        let cols = w / 8;
+        let cols = self.width as usize / 8;
         let rows = self.height as usize / 8;
         let mut tiles = Vec::with_capacity(rows * cols);
         for row in 0..rows {
             for col in 0..cols {
-                let mut tile = Tile { px: [0; 64], mask: 0 };
-                for tr in 0..8 {
-                    for tc in 0..8 {
-                        let i = w * (row * 8 + tr) + col * 8 + tc;
-                        tile.px[tr * 8 + tc] = self.pixels[i];
-                        if self.opaque[i] {
-                            tile.mask |= 1 << (tr * 8 + tc);
-                        }
-                    }
-                }
-                tiles.push(tile);
+                tiles.push(self.tile_at(col * 8, row * 8));
             }
         }
         tiles
diff --git a/game/src/game.rs b/game/src/game.rs
index 314f7b1..e97bb1e 100755
--- a/game/src/game.rs
+++ b/game/src/game.rs
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ use std::collections::{HashMap, VecDeque};
 
 use crate::assets::{Image, Tile};
 use crate::font::Font;
+use crate::sprites::{Sprites, State};
 use crate::ui;
 use crate::input::{GameAction, InputState};
 use sim::entity::{Brain, Entity, EntityKind, Prey};
@@ -49,11 +50,6 @@ const CAM_SNAP_PX: f32 = 96.0;
 const HEN_COUNT: usize = 150;
 const FOX_COUNT: usize = 6;
 
-/// Sprite indices in `entities.png`.
-const SPRITE_PLAYER: u16 = 0;
-const SPRITE_HEN:    u16 = 1;
-const SPRITE_FOX:    u16 = 2;
-
 /// HUD panel: the 80 px strip right of the viewport.
 const HUD_X: i32 = VIEW_PX;
 const HUD_W: i32 = 320 - VIEW_PX;
@@ -80,8 +76,11 @@ struct EntityLerp {
 
 pub struct Game {
     tileset:        Vec<Tile>,
-    entity_tileset: Vec<Tile>,
+    sprites:        Sprites,
     font:           Font,
+    /// Sprite ids (= entity `type_id`) resolved from the manifest by name.
+    id_hen:         u16,
+    id_fox:         u16,
     sim:            Sim,
     player_id:      u32,
     /// Frame time not yet consumed by whole ticks.
@@ -107,7 +106,8 @@ pub struct Game {
 impl Game {
     pub fn start(map_path: &str) -> Self {
         let tileset = Image::from_png("assets/tilesets/overworld.png").to_tileset();
-        let entity_tileset = Image::from_png("assets/tilesets/entities.png").to_tileset();
+        let sprites = Sprites::load("assets/tilesets/entities.png", "assets/tilesets/entities.toml");
+        let (id_player, id_hen, id_fox) = (sprites.id("player"), sprites.id("hen"), sprites.id("fox"));
         let font = Font::from_png("assets/fonts/micro-chat-8x9.png", 8, 9);
 
         let t0 = std::time::Instant::now();
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ impl Game {
                  map.width, map.height, t0.elapsed().as_secs_f64() * 1e3);
         let mut sim = Sim::new(world);
         let player_id = sim.world.spawn_entity(
-            EntityKind::Player, SPRITE_PLAYER, Brain::Idle, (0, 0), 100, 3);
+            EntityKind::Player, id_player, Brain::Idle, (0, 0), 100, 3);
 
         // Scatter animals over free tiles. A cheap LCG is plenty for placement.
         let mut seed: u32 = 12345;
@@ -133,13 +133,15 @@ impl Game {
                 }
             }
         };
-        scatter(&mut sim, HEN_COUNT, SPRITE_HEN, Brain::Wander, 5, 1);
-        scatter(&mut sim, FOX_COUNT, SPRITE_FOX, Brain::Hunt(Prey::Kind(SPRITE_HEN)), 8, 2);
+        scatter(&mut sim, HEN_COUNT, id_hen, Brain::Wander, 5, 1);
+        scatter(&mut sim, FOX_COUNT, id_fox, Brain::Hunt(Prey::Kind(id_hen)), 8, 2);
 
         let mut game = Game {
             tileset,
-            entity_tileset,
+            sprites,
             font,
+            id_hen,
+            id_fox,
             sim,
             player_id,
             tick_accum_ms: 0.0,
@@ -209,7 +211,15 @@ impl Game {
 
     /// How an entity is referred to in the log. Ids only carry meaning for debugging.
     fn name(&self, id: u32, type_id: u16) -> &'static str {
-        if id == self.player_id { "you" } else { species(type_id) }
+        if id == self.player_id { "you" } else { self.species(type_id) }
+    }
+
+    fn species(&self, type_id: u16) -> &'static str {
+        match type_id {
+            t if t == self.id_hen => "hen",
+            t if t == self.id_fox => "fox",
+            _                     => "something",
+        }
     }
 
     /// React to what the sim reported for the last window. Returns `true` once the
@@ -232,7 +242,7 @@ impl Game {
                 }
                 Event::Died { id, .. } if id == self.player_id => dead = true,
                 Event::Died { type_id, by, .. } if by == self.player_id => {
-                    self.push_log(format!("you kill the {}", species(type_id)));
+                    self.push_log(format!("you kill the {}", self.species(type_id)));
                 }
                 Event::Attacked { .. } | Event::Died { .. } => {}
             }
@@ -493,7 +503,7 @@ impl Game {
             let px = ex - cx;
             let py = ey - cy;
             if px <= -TILE_PX || px >= VIEW_PX || py <= -TILE_PX || py >= VIEW_PX { continue; }
-            if let Some(tile) = self.entity_tileset.get(e.type_id as usize) {
+            if let Some(tile) = self.sprites.frame(e.type_id, State::Idle, 0) {
                 pixelhelper::blit_tile(frame, W, px, py, tile);
             }
         }
@@ -507,14 +517,6 @@ impl Game {
     }
 }
 
-fn species(type_id: u16) -> &'static str {
-    match type_id {
-        SPRITE_HEN => "hen",
-        SPRITE_FOX => "fox",
-        _          => "something",
-    }
-}
-
 impl Game {
     fn render_hud(&self, frame: &mut [u16]) {
         const W: usize = 320;
@@ -535,7 +537,7 @@ impl Game {
         self.font.draw(frame, W, x, y, HUD_DIM, &hp);
         y += LINE_H;
 
-        for (label, sprite) in [("hens", SPRITE_HEN), ("foxes", SPRITE_FOX)] {
+        for (label, sprite) in [("hens", self.id_hen), ("foxes", self.id_fox)] {
             let n = self.count(sprite).to_string();
             self.font.draw(frame, W, x, y, HUD_DIM, label);
             self.font.draw(frame, W, x + inner_w - self.font.text_width(&n), y, HUD_DIM, &n);
@@ -574,7 +576,7 @@ mod snapshot {
         for _ in 0..secs * 60 {
             g.update(&mut frame, 16, &input);
         }
-        println!("after {secs}s: {} hens, {} foxes", g.count(super::SPRITE_HEN), g.count(super::SPRITE_FOX));
+        println!("after {secs}s: {} hens, {} foxes", g.count(g.id_hen), g.count(g.id_fox));
     }
 
     /// Renders a frame headlessly to the PNG named by `$SNAPSHOT` — a way to eyeball
diff --git a/game/src/main.rs b/game/src/main.rs
index 114cdaf..4d684d1 100755
--- a/game/src/main.rs
+++ b/game/src/main.rs
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ mod assets;
 mod font;
 mod game;
 mod input;
+mod sprites;
 mod ui;
 
 fn main() {
diff --git a/game/src/sprites.rs b/game/src/sprites.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a6c7ef7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/game/src/sprites.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+//! Entity sprite sheet with its sidecar manifest (`entities.toml`).
+//!
+//! The sheet is a grid of 8×8 cells, one entity per row, one fixed column slot per
+//! animation state. The manifest gives the layout and `name → row`; which states a
+//! row has and how many frames each holds is read off the pixels: frames are the
+//! leading non-empty cells of a slot, an empty slot means "no such state".
+
+use std::collections::HashMap;
+
+use serde::Deserialize;
+
+use crate::assets::{Image, Tile};
+
+#[derive(Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq, Debug)]
+pub enum State {
+    Idle,
+    Sit,
+    Walk,
+    Action1,
+    Action2,
+    Hit,
+    Dead,
+}
+
+const STATES: [(State, &str); 7] = [
+    (State::Idle, "idle"), (State::Sit, "sit"), (State::Walk, "walk"),
+    (State::Action1, "action1"), (State::Action2, "action2"),
+    (State::Hit, "hit"), (State::Dead, "dead"),
+];
+
+#[derive(Deserialize)]
+struct Manifest {
+    layout:   Layout,
+    entities: HashMap<String, u16>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Deserialize)]
+struct Layout {
+    cell:   u32,
+    origin: (u32, u32),
+    states: HashMap<String, (u16, u8)>,
+}
+
+/// One state's frames on a row: first cell index into `Sprites::tiles` and count.
+#[derive(Clone, Copy)]
+struct Frames {
+    start: usize,
+    count: u8,
+}
+
+pub struct Sprites {
+    tiles: Vec<Tile>,
+    /// Per row, per `STATES` index.
+    rows:  Vec<[Option<Frames>; 7]>,
+    ids:   HashMap<String, u16>,
+}
+
+impl Sprites {
+    pub fn load(sheet: &str, manifest: &str) -> Sprites {
+        let text = std::fs::read_to_string(manifest)
+            .unwrap_or_else(|e| panic!("failed to read {manifest}: {e}"));
+        let m: Manifest = toml::from_str(&text)
+            .unwrap_or_else(|e| panic!("bad manifest {manifest}: {e}"));
+        assert_eq!(m.layout.cell, 8, "{manifest}: only 8 px cells are supported");
+
+        let slots: Vec<(u16, u8)> = STATES.iter()
+            .map(|(_, name)| *m.layout.states.get(*name)
+                .unwrap_or_else(|| panic!("{manifest}: layout.states.{name} missing")))
+            .collect();
+        let cols = slots.iter().map(|&(c, n)| c as usize + n as usize).max().unwrap_or(0);
+        let row_count = m.entities.values().map(|&r| r as usize + 1).max().unwrap_or(0);
+
+        let img = Image::from_png(sheet);
+        let (ox, oy) = (m.layout.origin.0 as usize, m.layout.origin.1 as usize);
+        assert!(img.width as usize >= ox + cols * 8 && img.height as usize >= oy + row_count * 8,
+                "{sheet}: {}×{} is too small for the manifest's {cols}×{row_count} cells",
+                img.width, img.height);
+
+        let mut tiles = Vec::with_capacity(cols * row_count);
+        for row in 0..row_count {
+            for col in 0..cols {
+                tiles.push(img.tile_at(ox + col * 8, oy + row * 8));
+            }
+        }
+
+        let rows = (0..row_count).map(|row| {
+            let mut states = [None; 7];
+            for (i, &(col, max)) in slots.iter().enumerate() {
+                let start = row * cols + col as usize;
+                let count = (0..max as usize)
+                    .take_while(|&f| tiles[start + f].mask != 0)
+                    .count() as u8;
+                if count > 0 {
+                    states[i] = Some(Frames { start, count });
+                }
+            }
+            states
+        }).collect();
+
+        Sprites { tiles, rows, ids: m.entities }
+    }
+
+    /// The sprite id (row) for a manifest name. Panics on unknown names — a typo in
+    /// game code, not a runtime condition.
+    pub fn id(&self, name: &str) -> u16 {
+        *self.ids.get(name).unwrap_or_else(|| panic!("no sprite named {name:?} in the manifest"))
+    }
+
+    /// Frame `i` (wrapping) of `state`, falling back to `Idle` for a missing state.
+    /// `None` only for a sprite that has no idle frame either — an empty row.
+    pub fn frame(&self, sprite: u16, state: State, i: usize) -> Option<&Tile> {
+        let row = self.rows.get(sprite as usize)?;
+        let f = row[state as usize].or(row[State::Idle as usize])?;
+        Some(&self.tiles[f.start + i % f.count as usize])
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    fn sprites() -> Sprites {
+        let root = concat!(env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR"), "/../assets/tilesets/");
+        Sprites::load(&format!("{root}entities.png"), &format!("{root}entities.toml"))
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn manifest_names_resolve_and_bootstrap_sprites_have_idle() {
+        let s = sprites();
+        for name in ["player", "hen", "fox"] {
+            let id = s.id(name);
+            let idle = s.frame(id, State::Idle, 0).unwrap();
+            assert_ne!(idle.mask, 0, "{name}");
+            // Only one idle frame so far: index 1 wraps to it. No walk yet: falls back.
+            assert_eq!(s.frame(id, State::Idle, 1).unwrap().px, idle.px);
+            assert_eq!(s.frame(id, State::Walk, 0).unwrap().px, idle.px, "{name}");
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn empty_rows_have_nothing() {
+        let s = sprites();
+        assert!(s.frame(s.id("butterfly4"), State::Idle, 0).is_none());
+    }
+}
diff --git a/notes/roadmap.md b/notes/roadmap.md
index bef5491..4abfa00 100755
--- a/notes/roadmap.md
+++ b/notes/roadmap.md
@@ -10,9 +10,21 @@ branch `truecolor16`),
 not in this repo.
 
 Assets: `assets/packs/` holds the source packs untouched (Mini Medieval family by
-VEXED, CC-BY); `assets/tilesets/` is what the game actually loads — sheets assembled
-from the packs (`entities.png`: player, hen, fox); `assets/fonts/` the font sources and
-the repacked atlas; `assets/maps/` the Tiled CSV maps.
+VEXED, CC-BY — "documented" sheets: labels and state columns are pixel text in the
+PNGs, readable by eye, not by script); `assets/tilesets/` is what the game actually
+loads; `assets/fonts/` the font sources and repacked atlases (Micro Chat for the HUD,
+CGA 8×8 kept for menus/titles); `assets/maps/` the Tiled CSV maps.
+
+Entity sprites: `tilesets/entities.png` is assembled by hand from the packs into a
+fixed grid described by the sidecar `entities.toml` — one row per entity, one column
+slot per state (idle 2, sit 2, walk 4, action1 4, action2 2, hit 2, dead 2 frames
+max). The manifest only maps `name → row` and the slot layout; which states and how
+many frames a row has, the loader (`game/src/sprites.rs`) reads off the pixels
+(leading non-empty cells; empty slot → falls back to idle). `tools/mktemplate.py`
+renders the paste-in template `entities-template.png` (labels, header, slot guides at
+alpha 48 — invisible to the loader) and carries existing sprites over, so adding rows
+is: edit the manifest, rerun the tool, paste, save as `entities.png`. Game code refers
+to sprites by name (`sprites.id("hen")`); the id doubles as the entity's `type_id`.
 
 History: this fork started from a client/server multiplayer architecture (authoritative UDP
 server, thin client with prediction). The scope was cut to single player in September 2026;
@@ -37,7 +49,10 @@ crate's `tick`/`set_action` interface is the seam a server could be wrapped arou
       dimensions), `load_world` slices it into chunks, invisible solid border at the map rim.
       See `notes/07-map-loader.md`
 - [x] Tile rendering: chunk-based world rendering straight from `World` (`render_viewport`)
-- [x] Sprite-based entity rendering: entity `type_id` → tile in `entities.png`, blitted with transparency
+- [x] Sprite-based entity rendering: entity `type_id` → sprite row in `entities.png`
+      (via the `entities.toml` manifest, see Assets above), idle frame blitted with
+      transparency. Animation (walk while the lerp runs, hit/dead from events) is the
+      next step — the sheet layout and loader already carry the frames.
 - [x] Hybrid tick loop: 24 Hz base tick, movement in `entity_tick` every 4th tick (6 Hz);
       the game loop drives the sim with a fixed-timestep accumulator. See `notes/06-hybrid-tick-loop.md`
 - [x] Intent model: one scheduled action per entity per movement window (`Sim::set_action`),
diff --git a/tools/mktemplate.py b/tools/mktemplate.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d47b3b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/mktemplate.py
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Draw the paste-in template for entities.png from its manifest.
+
+Reads assets/tilesets/entities.toml and writes entities-template.png: a label
+column and header (outside the loaded area), and per-state slot guides tinted at
+low alpha — below the loader's opacity threshold, so guides left under a sprite are
+harmless. If entities.png already exists in this layout, its sprites are carried
+over, so the template can be regenerated after adding rows to the manifest.
+
+    python3 tools/mktemplate.py
+"""
+
+import tomllib
+from PIL import Image
+
+MANIFEST = "assets/tilesets/entities.toml"
+SHEET = "assets/tilesets/entities.png"
+OUT = "assets/tilesets/entities-template.png"
+FONT = "assets/fonts/micro-chat-8x9.png"
+
+GUIDE_ALPHA = 48                     # < 128: transparent for the game
+GUIDE_TINTS = [(90, 160, 255), (255, 200, 90), (120, 230, 120), (255, 120, 120),
+               (200, 120, 255), (255, 160, 60), (160, 160, 160)]
+LABEL_COLOR = (0, 0, 0, 255)
+GRID_COLOR = (0, 0, 0, 90)
+
+
+class Font:
+    """Minimal reader for the CP437 atlas in font.rs's layout (32 columns)."""
+    def __init__(self, path, gw, gh):
+        self.img = Image.open(path).convert("L")
+        self.gw, self.gh = gw, gh
+        self.left, self.width = {}, {}
+        for code in range(256):
+            cx, cy = (code % 32) * gw, (code // 32) * gh
+            xs = [x for y in range(gh) for x in range(gw) if self.img.getpixel((cx + x, cy + y)) > 128]
+            if xs:
+                self.left[code], self.width[code] = min(xs), max(xs) - min(xs) + 1
+
+    def draw(self, dst, x, y, text, color):
+        for ch in text:
+            code = ord(ch) if ord(ch) < 128 else ord("?")
+            w = self.width.get(code, 0)
+            if w:
+                cx, cy = (code % 32) * self.gw + self.left[code], (code // 32) * self.gh
+                for gy in range(self.gh):
+                    for gx in range(w):
+                        if self.img.getpixel((cx + gx, cy + gy)) > 128 \
+                                and x + gx < dst.size[0] and y + gy < dst.size[1]:
+                            dst.putpixel((x + gx, y + gy), color)
+            x += w + 1 if w else self.gw // 2
+        return x
+
+
+def main():
+    m = tomllib.load(open(MANIFEST, "rb"))
+    cell = m["layout"]["cell"]
+    ox, oy = m["layout"]["origin"]
+    states = list(m["layout"]["states"].items())
+    entities = sorted(m["entities"].items(), key=lambda kv: kv[1])
+    rows = max(r for _, r in entities) + 1
+    cols = max(col + n for _, (col, n) in states)
+
+    w, h = ox + cols * cell, oy + rows * cell
+    # A little margin right of the sprite area so the last header label fits.
+    out = Image.new("RGBA", (w + 8, h), (0, 0, 0, 0))
+    font = Font(FONT, 8, 9)
+
+    # Slot guides: one tint per state, alternating rows slightly for readability.
+    for i, (name, (col, n)) in enumerate(states):
+        r, g, b = GUIDE_TINTS[i % len(GUIDE_TINTS)]
+        for row in range(rows):
+            a = GUIDE_ALPHA if row % 2 == 0 else GUIDE_ALPHA * 2 // 3
+            x0, y0 = ox + col * cell, oy + row * cell
+            for y in range(y0, y0 + cell):
+                for x in range(x0, x0 + n * cell):
+                    out.putpixel((x, y), (r, g, b, a))
+        # Header label, staggered over two lines so narrow slots don't collide, and a
+        # separator line at the slot's left edge.
+        label = {"action1": "act1", "action2": "act2"}.get(name, name)
+        font.draw(out, ox + col * cell + 1, 1 if i % 2 == 0 else 8, label, LABEL_COLOR)
+        for y in range(0, h):
+            out.putpixel((ox + col * cell, y), GRID_COLOR)
+    for y in range(0, h):
+        out.putpixel((w, y), GRID_COLOR)
+
+    # Cell grid lines (every cell, faint) inside the sprite area.
+    for x in range(ox, w, cell):
+        for y in range(oy, h):
+            if out.getpixel((x, y))[3] < GRID_COLOR[3]:
+                out.putpixel((x, y), GRID_COLOR)
+    for y in range(oy, h, cell):
+        for x in range(ox, w):
+            out.putpixel((x, y), GRID_COLOR)
+
+    # Row labels.
+    for name, row in entities:
+        font.draw(out, 1, oy + row * cell, name.replace("_", " "), LABEL_COLOR)
+
+    # Carry over sprites from an existing sheet in this layout.
+    try:
+        old = Image.open(SHEET).convert("RGBA")
+        if old.size[0] >= w and old.size[1] >= oy:
+            region = old.crop((ox, oy, w, min(h, old.size[1])))
+            out.paste(region, (ox, oy), region)
+            print(f"carried over sprites from {SHEET}")
+    except FileNotFoundError:
+        pass
+
+    out.save(OUT)
+    print(f"wrote {OUT}: {w}×{h}, {rows} rows, {cols} columns")
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()