The two issues are related. I've not been able to track the issue down over the weekend. Now that the jam is finished, i'll put some polish into the game. Thanks for the feedback!
Additionally, I got kill locked for a good amount of turns, where I was forced to sit there, watch myself die and get revived repeatedly, until another kind monster spawned to break the infinite loop.
Spawn appears to be at least partially based on turn number, which means you can have a significant number of turns, 10+, where there is nothing on the field.
People having troubles with the axes, the side you are connecting the axe head to DOES matter. If you can't put the axe head in the right spot, try moving it to the other side.
 "TenSeconds")
 "10SecTD")
 "Socrates Jones: Pro Philosopher")
 "Robot Run")
 "no-one has to die.")
 "Elephant Rave HD")
 "Nightmare Runner")
 "Avant-Garde")
 "Monster Tap")
 "Throne of Swords")
 "Construct It")
 "Game Corp")
 "Dungelot")
 "Sunlight Casino")
 "American Racing")
 "Jacksmith")
The two issues are related. I've not been able to track the issue down over the weekend. Now that the jam is finished, i'll put some polish into the game. Thanks for the feedback!