I have been thinking about how you could make work PCA (Punch card alchemy) into a game.
First and for most, each item would require a base type. So, for example, Dave had about four different suits. These would all have the base type of a 'Suit' and that would define some of it's most basic functions. Suits can always be worn, rifles can always be shot, lunch boxes can always hold stuff. From then, you need a tag system to define additional functions and colours. So for example, let's make up some imaginary raw files for some objects.
<ITEM:GLASSES>
<COLOR:BLACK>
<PREFIX:'cool', hidden>
<NOUN:'shades'>
//Basically black sunglasses, can be worn on face due to being of item type 'glasses' and a pallet swap is done to shade them black.
<ITEM:SQUIDDLE>
<COLOR:RED>
<NOUN:'squiddle'>
<PREFIX:'squiddle', hidden>\
//A red squiddle. En fucking joy
If you then combined these items, you would take a random base type, then select random tags from each, so you could end up with either of these.
<ITEM:GLASSES>
<COLOR:RED>
<PREFIX:'squiddle', visiable>
<NOUN:'shades'>
//Squiddle shades! As if every DaveXJane fanboy hadn't already alched these in their head.
<ITEM:SQUIDDLE>
<COLOR:BLACK>
<NOUN:'squiddle'>
<PREFIX:'cool', visiable>
//cool Squiddle. As if every BroXSquiddle fanboy hadn't already alched these in their head.
Clearly it needs refinement, such as combining the prefix and colour tag might be a good idea, and careful checking to make sure a prefix is required, but I think it is possible. Point is that then you all some other utility tags.
<ITEM:PHONE>
<COLOR:SILVER>
<NOUN:'Communicator'>
<PREFIX:'Star Trek', visiable>
<COMMUNICATOR>
<ITEM:HEADGEAR>
<COLOR:BLUE>
<NOUN:'snorkle'>
<PREFIX:'lucky', visiable>
<LUCKY>
<BREATH_UNDERWATER>
//Weird ain't it
Then if you were to combine these two with the right seed, you would get this.
<ITEM:HEADGEAR>
<COLOR:SILVER>
<NOUN:'snorkle'>
<PREFIX:'Star Trek', visiable>
<COMMUNICATOR>
<BREATH_UNDERWATER>
//A snorkel that can be used as a mobile phone so that you can talk underwater.
So yea... I think it could be done. You could program PCA, it would be a little crude and require a bit of refinement. Tags would need to have multiple responsibilities, especially in the name and colour departments, but it could be done.