hayao 0.4.0 → 0.4.2

package/design/10-anchors/hades.md

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+---
+id: anchor-hades
+title: Hades
+kind: anchor
+tags: [roguelite, meta-progression, narrative, death, build-diversity, boons, run-based]
+summary: Action roguelite where dying is the delivery mechanism for story and power — meta-progression is narrative, so losing is content, not punishment.
+use-when: Designing a run-based game where you want death to advance the fiction and the meta-loop to carry players through failure.
+composes-with: [genre-roguelike, system-meta-progression, system-build-diversity, system-emergent-systems]
+anchors: [anchor-hades]
+verify-with: docs/FUN.md#10-·-traditional-roguelike
+---
+
+# Hades
+
+**What it is.** A fast isometric action roguelite where every death returns
+you *home* — and home is where the story, the relationships, and the permanent
+upgrades all live. You lose, you learn something, you get a little stronger
+and a lot more attached.
+
+**Player fantasy / why it's fun.** *Failure is progress.* Most roguelites ask
+you to endure the grind between runs; Hades makes the grind the *best part*.
+The pull is a double hook: the tight combat run, and the soap-opera of NPCs
+who react to your last death by name.
+
+## Design DNA
+
+Take the roguelike's **fair-discovery run** and solve its oldest problem — the
+demoralising reset — by routing **death straight into content**. Every failed
+run spends its currency on: a permanent power sliver, a new line of dialogue,
+a nudged relationship. The meta-layer isn't a stat screen; it's a *story that
+only advances when you die*. Combat gives you the moment-to-moment; the
+between-runs layer gives you the reason to start the next one.
+
+The structural inversion is worth naming: in most roguelites the run is the
+reward and the reset is the tax. Hades makes **the reset the reward** — you
+*want* to come home, because home is where the writing, the gifts, and the
+mirror upgrades live. A player who bounces off the combat still gets a full
+game out of the hub. That doubles the audience the design can hold, and it's
+why "just one more run" survives even a losing streak.
+
+The second pillar is **build-from-a-draft**: boons offered on the way down
+compose into a run identity, so no two descents play alike. The draft and the
+meta-layer reinforce each other — the mirror talents you unlocked by *dying*
+widen the space of viable builds, so failure literally expands the strategy
+tree.
+
+## Load-bearing structures
+
+| Structure | Why it works |
+|---|---|
+| **Death → home → story** | The reset isn't a punishment screen; it's the narrative delivery vehicle. Losing *is* the content. [[system-meta-progression]] + [[world-narrative-delivery]]. |
+| **Two currencies, two horizons** | Ephemeral in-run resources (build the run) vs persistent meta-currency (build the *account*). Splits "this run" from "forever." [[system-economy]]. |
+| **Boon draft = run identity** | Choose-1-of-N god blessings compound into a build; synergies (duo boons) reward committing. [[system-build-diversity]] / [[pattern-risk-reward]]. |
+| **NPCs with memory** | Characters react to your deaths, gifts, progress — a light [[system-emergent-systems]] that makes the hub feel alive and rewards *returning*. |
+| **Escalating-but-optional heat** | A self-imposed difficulty stack (Pact of Punishment) lets mastered players re-earn tension. [[system-difficulty-and-dda]]. |
+| **Generous permanent floor** | Meta-upgrades (death defiance, mirror talents) make each run start stronger — the curve pulls weak players forward without trivialising skill. |
+| **Short, legible runs** | ~30-min descents keep the death-story loop tight; you're never far from the next beat. [[system-session-structure]]. |
+
+## What to steal
+
+- **Route failure into content.** The single most portable idea: every loss
+  should hand the player *something* — a line, an unlock, a relationship tick.
+  Kills the "wasted run" feeling and turns a losing streak into a story arc.
+- **Split ephemeral vs persistent currency.** One builds the run, one builds
+  the save. Keep the horizons distinct so both decisions matter — in-run
+  resources are spent recklessly, meta-currency is hoarded and planned.
+- **Draft-of-N boons that compound into an identity**, with rare high-synergy
+  payoffs (duo boons) that reward committing early to an archetype rather than
+  grabbing the best single card.
+- **A hub of NPCs that remember.** Even shallow memory — a flag per death, a
+  gift counter, a "last boss killed" string — makes the meta-loop feel like a
+  place you return to, not a menu you tab through. See
+  [[system-emergent-systems]].
+- **A permanent floor generous enough to carry a struggling player**, paired
+  with an *opt-in* difficulty stack for the mastered one (Heat / Pact). One
+  curve, two audiences: the floor pulls weak players up, the opt-in ceiling
+  re-earns tension for strong ones.
+- **Make the meta-tree widen builds, not just raise stats.** Unlocks that add
+  *options* (new weapons, mirror branches) keep death interesting far longer
+  than unlocks that only add power.
+
+## What's just theme (drop it)
+
+- **Greek mythology.** Fully cosmetic — the boon-givers could be corporate
+  sponsors or rival chefs. The *draft-from-named-benefactors* structure is
+  what matters.
+- **The specific family drama.** The *structure* (NPCs react to deaths) is
+  stealable; the exact cast is flavour — see [[world-narrative-delivery]].
+- **Isometric hack-and-slash combat.** The meta/death loop is genre-agnostic;
+  bolt it onto a deckbuilder, a shmup, a racer.
+- **Voice-acted dialogue at scale.** The reactive-NPC *hook* works with one
+  line of text per event.
+
+## Composes into
+
+- [[genre-roguelike]] — supplies the fair-discovery run this wraps.
+- [[system-meta-progression]] — Hades is the reference for meta-as-narrative.
+- [[system-build-diversity]] — the boon draft is the exemplar.
+- [[system-emergent-systems]] — the remembering hub.
+- [[world-narrative-delivery]] — story told through system events, not
+  cutscenes.
+
+## Twist seams
+
+- **Hades but you play the ones left behind** *(perspective)* — you're a hub
+  NPC managing the runners; death sends *them* home to you, and you spend
+  their currency. Inverts who owns the meta-loop.
+- **Hades but the story only advances on a *win*** *(structure)* — flips the
+  emotional register: now every run is a fragile hope, and the meta-tree is a
+  reward for survival, not consolation. Bends [[system-meta-progression]].
+- **Hades but cozy — death is a dinner party** *(tonal)* — no combat; each
+  "run" is a social escapade, and returning home unlocks recipes and
+  relationships. Keeps the death→home→story spine, drops the violence. Pairs
+  with [[genre-narrative-decisions]].
+- **Hades but the hub is the game and the runs are backstory** *(perspective)*
+  — invert the weighting: you *manage* the house between other characters'
+  descents, and their deaths deliver content to *you*. The action loop becomes
+  ambient; the relationship sim becomes central. Feeds
+  [[system-emergent-systems]].
+
+## See also
+
+- [[genre-roguelike]] · [[system-meta-progression]] ·
+  [[system-build-diversity]] · [[world-narrative-delivery]]
+- `docs/FUN.md#10-·-traditional-roguelike` — connectivity + winnability
+  verify.
+- `sandboxes/procgen-lab/` — seeded run generation with `Rng` / `pickEntry`.

package/design/10-anchors/into-the-breach.md

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+---
+id: anchor-into-the-breach
+title: Into the Breach
+kind: anchor
+tags: [tactics, perfect-information, telegraph, turn-based, puzzle, positioning, grid]
+summary: Perfect-information tactics — every enemy move is shown before it happens, and the game is the puzzle of rewriting that telegraphed future in one turn.
+use-when: Designing a turn-based tactics game where fairness comes from total honesty and the fun is manipulating a known future, not guessing an unknown one.
+composes-with: [genre-tactics, system-telegraphs, system-combat-model, system-counter-systems]
+anchors: [anchor-into-the-breach]
+verify-with: docs/FUN.md#12-·-turn-based-tactics-into-the-breach-like
+---
+
+# Into the Breach
+
+**What it is.** A compact turn-based tactics game on an 8×8 grid. Enemies
+telegraph exactly what they'll do next turn; you have three mechs and a
+fistful of moves to shove, block, and reposition so the incoming attacks land
+on *nothing* — or on each other.
+
+**Player fantasy / why it's fun.** *I am a puzzle-solver defusing the future.*
+The pull is **perfect information**: nothing is hidden, nothing is
+random-to-your-face, so every loss is *your* miscalculation and every clean
+turn feels like a proof you found. It's chess where the opponent shows their
+move and dares you to invalidate it.
+
+## Design DNA
+
+Invert the fog. Where most tactics hide enemy intent behind hit-chances and
+initiative, Into the Breach **shows everything** — targets, damage, order —
+and makes the game about *editing* that plan. Your verbs aren't mostly damage;
+they're **displacement**: push an enemy off its target, into another enemy,
+into a hazard. The threat is real, the answer is spatial, and the board is
+small enough to solve fully in your head.
+
+Perfect information changes what "skill" means. In a hidden-info tactics game,
+skill is partly *managing variance* — hedging against the roll. Here there is
+no roll to hedge; skill is *pure spatial reasoning*, and a loss is
+unambiguously a puzzle you solved wrong. That honesty is a design constraint
+with teeth: every telegraph you show must resolve *exactly* as shown, or the
+whole contract collapses. The reward is that hard turns feel *solvable* rather
+than *unlucky* — the player always believes a perfect answer exists, and
+usually it does.
+
+Constraint is the engine: tiny grid, few units, few moves, one objective —
+protect the buildings. Depth comes from interactions, not scale. Because you
+win by *prevention* rather than *elimination*, the state space stays small
+enough to reason about exhaustively, which is exactly why the puzzle lands.
+
+## Load-bearing structures
+
+| Structure | Why it works |
+|---|---|
+| **Telegraphs as directions, not target tiles** | Store "this bug attacks *this way*," so pushing it *rewrites the outcome*. This is the single most important implementation choice. FUN.md truth. [[system-telegraphs]]. |
+| **Perfect information, perfect honesty** | What's shown is exactly what resolves — no hidden rolls. Fairness is structural, so hard turns feel solvable. |
+| **Displacement as the primary verb** | Push/pull/block beats raw damage — you win by redirecting threats onto each other or into hazards. [[system-combat-model]] / [[system-counter-systems]]. |
+| **Tiny bounded board** | 8×8 keeps the state space small enough to *fully reason about* — the puzzle is tractable by design. |
+| **Protect-the-objective win condition** | You don't need to kill everything; you need the buildings to survive. Reframes "win" as damage-*prevention*. [[system-encounter-design]]. |
+| **Both proofs per scenario** | A winning line AND a losing do-nothing must exist — a threat a null turn survives isn't a threat. FUN.md law 4. |
+| **Run structure with persistent pilots** | Light meta (pilot XP, mech unlocks) wraps the tactical puzzles into a campaign. [[system-meta-progression]]. |
+
+## What to steal
+
+- **Show the enemy's move, then make the game about editing it.** The whole
+  design flips from prediction to manipulation. This is the reusable core.
+- **Store telegraphs as directions on units, not fixed target tiles** — so a
+  push *changes* the outcome. (FUN.md §12; this is the load-bearing data
+  choice.)
+- **Make displacement a first-class verb.** Redirecting a threat is more
+  interesting than out-damaging it, and it turns enemies into weapons.
+- **Keep the board tiny and the objective defensive.** Solvability comes from
+  bounded scale + "protect," not "eliminate."
+- **Ship both proofs per encounter:** a winning line and a losing null (FUN.md
+  law 4); prove each mechanic — push, bump, redirect — in isolation. A 1-ply
+  greedy bot over `structuredClone`d state is a real baseline defender and a
+  completability check in one.
+- **Reframe the win condition as *prevention*.** "Protect the objective"
+  instead of "kill everything" keeps the board small, makes displacement
+  matter more than damage, and turns every enemy into a tool rather than just
+  a target.
+
+## What's just theme (drop it)
+
+- **Kaiju / mech / time-travel fiction.** Cosmetic; the puzzle is theme-blind.
+- **The specific squads.** *Squad = a coherent verb-set with an identity* is
+  structural; "Rift Walkers vs Rusting Hulks" is flavour —
+  [[system-faction-asymmetry]].
+- **The grid being 8×8.** *Small enough to fully reason about* is the rule;
+  the exact number is tuning.
+- **Sci-fi VFX.** The threat only needs to *read* its direction and damage
+  clearly — [[pattern-readability]].
+
+## Composes into
+
+- [[genre-tactics]] — its canonical anchor; the rewrite-the-future loop lives
+  there.
+- [[system-telegraphs]] — the exemplar of intent-as-direction.
+- [[system-combat-model]] — displacement-first resolution.
+- [[system-counter-systems]] — turning threats against each other.
+- [[system-encounter-design]] — protect-the-objective scenario design.
+
+## Twist seams
+
+- **Into the Breach but you play the swarm** *(perspective)* — you set the
+  telegraphs; a defender edits them; asymmetric two-side design. Feeds
+  [[system-coop-and-competition]] / [[system-faction-asymmetry]].
+- **Into the Breach but real-time with a freeze verb** *(mechanic-swap)* — the
+  "shown future" becomes a pausable prediction line you scrub and rewrite.
+  Bends the turn structure while keeping perfect information.
+- **Into the Breach but the objective is to *cause* the chain reaction**
+  *(constraint)* — Rube-Goldberg tactics: you can't attack directly, only
+  nudge, so every kill is a redirect. Sharpens displacement into the *only*
+  verb.
+- **Into the Breach but tonal — you're a crossing guard, not a soldier**
+  *(tonal)* — the telegraphed threats become traffic, weather, or a panicking
+  crowd; you displace *hazards away from people* rather than bugs off
+  buildings. Same perfect-information displacement puzzle, cozy register.
+  Pairs with [[pattern-readability]].
+
+## See also
+
+- [[genre-tactics]] · [[system-telegraphs]] · [[system-counter-systems]]
+- `docs/FUN.md#12-·-turn-based-tactics-into-the-breach-like` — greedy-clear +
+  do-nothing-loses + per-mechanic proofs.
+- `sandboxes/pathfinding-demo/` — grid movement / `astar` for reachable-tile
+  UI.

package/design/10-anchors/it-takes-two.md

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+---
+id: anchor-it-takes-two
+title: It Takes Two
+kind: anchor
+tags: [coop, asymmetric, set-piece, interdependence, mechanic-per-chapter, two-player]
+summary: Asymmetric two-player coop as a parade of set-pieces — a fresh interlocking mechanic every chapter, each requiring both players' different verbs at once.
+use-when: The design is a curated (non-random) two-player coop where each level introduces a new paired mechanic and players are mechanically interdependent.
+composes-with: [genre-coop-chaos, system-coop-and-competition, system-onboarding, system-mastery-curve, system-encounter-design]
+anchors: []
+verify-with: docs/FUN.md#3-metroidvania
+---
+
+# It Takes Two
+
+**What it is.** A two-player coop adventure structured as a **parade of set-pieces**.
+It is relentlessly novel: nearly every chapter hands the two players a **new pair
+of interlocking abilities** — one controls time, the other space; one is the
+anchor, the other swings — and builds a self-contained world around *that*
+mechanic before discarding it for the next. The players' verbs are **different and
+complementary**, so neither can progress alone.
+
+**Player fantasy.** Two minds, one machine. The joy is the constant "oh, *that's*
+how this works" of a fresh mechanic, plus the intimacy of a challenge only
+solvable *together* — your ability is useless without your partner's, and theirs
+without yours. It never gets stale because it never stays the same.
+
+## Design DNA
+
+The engine is **asymmetric interdependence, refreshed constantly**. Two ideas
+carry it. First, **complementary verbs**: the two players hold *different*
+abilities that only combine into a solution — mechanical interdependence, not two
+copies of one character ([[system-coop-and-competition]]). Second, **novelty
+pacing**: each chapter is a mini-game with its own mechanic, taught, mastered, and
+retired within one level ([[system-onboarding]], [[pattern-pacing-and-tension]]).
+The design trades *depth-per-mechanic* for *breadth-of-mechanics* — a
+curated, authored sequence, the opposite of a procedural or endless loop.
+
+## Load-bearing structures
+
+| Structure | Why it works |
+|---|---|
+| **Complementary asymmetric verbs** | Each player's ability is incomplete alone; solutions require *combining* them — interdependence is mechanical, not social. → [[system-coop-and-competition]]. |
+| **A new mechanic per chapter** | Constant novelty; boredom never sets in because nothing outstays its welcome. → [[pattern-pacing-and-tension]]. |
+| **Teach→master→retire arc** | Each mechanic gets a full onboarding, a peak challenge, then exits — a complete little curve per chapter. → [[system-onboarding]], [[system-mastery-curve]]. |
+| **Authored set-pieces** | Hand-crafted, non-random encounters tuned to *this* mechanic — spectacle and precision over replay variance. → [[system-encounter-design]]. |
+| **Two-player-locked design** | Built for exactly two; no solo or scaling path — the interdependence is total. |
+| **Spectacle as reward** | Big, legible, choreographed pay-offs punctuate each chapter. → [[pattern-juice-choreography]]. |
+
+## What to steal
+
+- **Complementary verbs, not duplicated ones**: give coop players *different*
+  abilities that only solve problems together. This is the antidote to "coop =
+  two of the same guy." → [[system-coop-and-competition]].
+- **One mechanic per chapter, fully arced**: teach it, peak it, retire it. Breadth
+  as a pacing strategy keeps a long game fresh. → [[pattern-pacing-and-tension]].
+- **Authored over procedural** when the fun is *novelty and spectacle*: curated
+  set-pieces beat random generation for a "wow, what's next" game.
+- **Interdependence as the emotional hook**: needing your partner is what makes the
+  win *shared*. Design the reliance in, don't hope for it.
+
+## What's just theme (drop it)
+
+- The **relationship/toy-doll narrative** — flavour that motivates the coop, not
+  the loop. Any two-hander premise (heist duo, ghost + medium, pilot + gunner)
+  works. → [[world-theme-vectors]].
+- **The specific chapter mechanics** — time control, magnetism, etc. are *content*;
+  the transferable part is "a fresh complementary pair each chapter."
+- **AAA production / 3D platforming** — the DNA is asymmetric interdependence +
+  novelty pacing, which works in 2D, top-down, or puzzle form.
+- **Exactly two players** — two is the purest form, but the "complementary verbs +
+  per-chapter mechanic" idea extends to 3–4 asymmetric roles.
+
+## Composes into
+
+- [[genre-coop-chaos]] — the coop parent, but its *authored/asymmetric* wing rather
+  than the frantic-party wing.
+- [[system-coop-and-competition]] — complementary abilities and interdependence are
+  its home.
+- [[system-onboarding]] — each chapter is a full teach-by-doing loop.
+- [[system-mastery-curve]] — many small curves rather than one long one.
+- [[system-encounter-design]] — authored set-pieces tuned per mechanic.
+
+## Twist seams
+
+- **It Takes Two but roguelite** *(structure)* — draw a random *pair* of
+  complementary abilities each run; the interdependence stays, the sequence
+  randomises. Pairs with [[system-meta-progression]].
+- **It Takes Two but same screen, frantic** *(tonal)* — swap the authored calm for
+  a shared clock and chaos; complementary verbs under time pressure. Pairs with
+  [[anchor-overcooked]].
+- **It Takes Two but solo with a swappable second body** *(perspective /
+  constraint)* — one player controls both complementary characters, toggling; the
+  interdependence becomes a puzzle of self-coordination.
+- **It Takes Two but the partner is the level** *(mechanic-swap)* — one player
+  plays a character, the other *edits the world* (spawns platforms, moves hazards);
+  asymmetry becomes player-vs-designer coop.
+
+## See also
+
+- [`docs/FUN.md#3-metroidvania`](../../docs/FUN.md) — ability-gated progression and
+  negative gate proofs; the closest verify pattern for "new ability opens the
+  path" design (here two abilities gate together).
+- [[genre-coop-chaos]] · [[anchor-overcooked]] (the party/chaos wing) ·
+  [[system-coop-and-competition]].

package/design/10-anchors/loop-hero.md

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+---
+id: anchor-loop-hero
+title: Loop Hero
+kind: anchor
+tags: [genre-fusion, placement, auto-combat, deckbuilder, roguelite, novel-loop, indirect-control]
+summary: Three genres fused into one loop — you place tiles from a deck around a fixed track, an auto-battling hero walks it, and the terrain you build both feeds and threatens you.
+use-when: Designing a novel loop by fusing genres, or an indirect-control game where the player shapes the world and watches consequences unfold.
+composes-with: [genre-auto-battler, genre-deckbuilder, system-resource-loops, pattern-risk-reward]
+anchors: [anchor-loop-hero]
+verify-with: docs/FUN.md#11-·-roguelike-deckbuilder
+---
+
+# Loop Hero
+
+**What it is.** Your hero auto-walks a looping track and auto-fights
+whatever's on it. You don't control the hero — you place **terrain cards**
+(meadows, rocks, vampire mansions) around the loop from a hand you drew, each
+of which spawns loot, resources, *and* stronger enemies. Build up, cash out at
+camp, go again.
+
+**Player fantasy / why it's fun.** *I author the world; the hero lives in it.*
+The pull is a **genuinely novel loop** stitched from three familiar genres —
+placement, auto-battler, and deckbuilder — where your only lever is *the map
+itself*, and every tile is a double-edged bet: more reward always means more
+danger.
+
+## Design DNA
+
+Fuse three solved cores into one: the **auto-battler's** watch-don't-touch
+combat, the **deckbuilder's** draft-and-play hand, and a **placement** puzzle
+where the board is a fixed loop. Then bind them with one rule — **everything
+you build both helps and threatens you.** A rock gives HP but a mountain
+spawns harpies; a road-side spider farm is loot *and* a death trap. The
+player's whole agency is *indirect*: you don't fight, you *cultivate the
+conditions* of the fight, then decide when to flee to camp with your spoils.
+
+The lesson Loop Hero teaches about *composition* is the most valuable thing to
+extract: **fusing genres is not stapling them together — it's finding the one
+rule that makes them the same game.** Three loops that would each be complete
+on their own are welded by the single principle that every placement raises
+reward and danger *together*. That binding rule is what stops the fusion from
+feeling like three minigames in a trench coat; it makes the deckbuilder's
+draft, the placement puzzle, and the auto-battle all *about the same
+decision*. When you fuse genres (see [[process-composition]]), your real
+design work is discovering that rule.
+
+The novelty isn't a new verb — it's the *combination*, and the discipline of
+satisfying all three parent genres at once. Indirect control is the delivery
+vehicle: because you shape conditions rather than act, the placement, the
+draft, and the fight are naturally one continuous authored consequence.
+
+## Load-bearing structures
+
+| Structure | Why it works |
+|---|---|
+| **Indirect control** | You never move the hero; you shape the world and watch. Agency lives in placement + when-to-retreat, not in reflexes. [[system-emergent-systems]]. |
+| **Every tile is double-edged** | Each card raises reward *and* danger together — pure [[pattern-risk-reward]] baked into placement; there are no free builds. |
+| **Fixed loop as the board** | The track never changes shape, so the puzzle is *what you add to it* — a bounded, legible placement space. |
+| **Deck-drawn placement hand** | You play from a drawn hand of tiles, so runs vary and building is a draft. [[genre-deckbuilder]] / [[system-build-diversity]]. |
+| **Auto-combat resolves the bets** | Watch-don't-touch fights turn your placement decisions into visible outcomes — the auto-battler's prep-then-watch. [[genre-auto-battler]]. |
+| **Push-your-luck retreat** | Leave the loop to *keep* resources; die and you lose most of them — the tension of when to cash out. [[pattern-risk-reward]] / [[system-session-structure]]. |
+| **Two economies (run vs base)** | Run resources feed a persistent base that unlocks new cards — meta-progression across loops. [[system-meta-progression]] / [[system-resource-loops]]. |
+
+## What to steal
+
+- **Fuse genres by binding them with one rule.** The parts (place / draft /
+  auto-fight) are borrowed; the invention is "everything you build both helps
+  and threatens you." A single binding rule turns three genres into one game.
+  See [[process-composition]].
+- **Indirect control.** Let the player author *conditions* and watch
+  consequences — agency through the world, not the avatar. Distinct,
+  low-input, deeply strategic.
+- **Double-edged placement.** Make every build-choice raise risk and reward
+  together, so there are no dominant plays — only bets.
+  [[pattern-risk-reward]].
+- **Push-your-luck cash-out.** A "retreat to keep your spoils vs push for
+  more" decision gives every run a self-authored climax.
+- **Two economies (run/base)** so loops feed a persistent unlock tree —
+  [[system-meta-progression]]. Run resources are volatile (lost on death
+  unless you retreat); base resources are permanent — the same
+  ephemeral/persistent split [[anchor-hades]] uses, here gating the card pool
+  itself.
+- **Bound the board so placement is legible.** A fixed loop (rather than an
+  open map) keeps the placement space small enough that every tile's effect is
+  readable and every bet is comprehensible — the constraint is what makes
+  indirect control *strategic* rather than fiddly.
+
+## What's just theme (drop it)
+
+- **The pixel-fantasy / "the world was erased" fiction.** Cosmetic framing.
+- **The specific tiles.** *Terrain cards that spawn paired reward+threat* is
+  structural; "vampire mansion vs oblivion" is flavour —
+  [[system-build-diversity]].
+- **The hero classes.** Loadout variants; the loop is class-agnostic.
+- **The retro aesthetic.** Aesthetic, not structure.
+
+## Composes into
+
+- [[genre-auto-battler]] — supplies the prep-then-watch combat.
+- [[genre-deckbuilder]] — supplies the draft-and-play hand.
+- [[system-resource-loops]] — the gather-during-loop, spend-at-base cycle.
+- [[pattern-risk-reward]] — double-edged tiles + retreat timing.
+- [[process-composition]] — Loop Hero is the exemplar of
+  genre-fusion-with-a-binding-rule.
+
+## Twist seams
+
+- **Loop Hero but the loop is a real map you traverse** *(structure)* — swap
+  the fixed track for an open path; placement becomes route-authoring. Moves
+  toward [[genre-exploration]].
+- **Loop Hero but two players share one loop — one places, one fights**
+  *(perspective)* — split indirect and direct control across a coop pair; the
+  placer's bets are the fighter's problem. Feeds
+  [[system-coop-and-competition]].
+- **Loop Hero but tonal — you're gardening, not adventuring** *(tonal)* — the
+  double-edged tiles become plants that yield harvest *and* pests; auto-combat
+  becomes an auto-tending sim. Pairs with [[genre-farming-sim]].
+- **Loop Hero but the binding rule is scarcity, not danger** *(constraint)* —
+  every tile you place *consumes* a shared budget that also powers the hero,
+  so building up literally starves your walker; the double-edge becomes
+  economic rather than combat. Sharpens the "everything helps and threatens"
+  rule along a new axis. Pairs with [[system-resource-loops]].
+
+## See also
+
+- [[genre-auto-battler]] · [[genre-deckbuilder]] · [[process-composition]] ·
+  [[pattern-risk-reward]]
+- `docs/FUN.md#11-·-roguelike-deckbuilder` — draft delta + win-rate window
+  (the deck parent).
+- `sandboxes/procgen-lab/` — `Rng`/`pickEntry` for weighted tile-hand draws.
+- `sandboxes/pathfinding-demo/` — loop/route traversal reference.

package/design/10-anchors/nuclear-throne.md

@@ -0,0 +1,130 @@
+---
+id: anchor-nuclear-throne
+title: Nuclear Throne
+kind: anchor
+tags: [twin-stick, roguelite, arcade, tight-loop, permadeath, mutation, execution]
+summary: Twin-stick arcade roguelite built for the tight loop — fast lethal runs, mutation drafts on level-up, and a skill ceiling that lives in your hands.
+use-when: Designing a fast, lethal, execution-first run-based shooter where the core minute is so tight that "just one more run" carries the whole game.
+composes-with: [genre-horde-survival, genre-roguelike, system-build-diversity, system-mastery-curve]
+anchors: [anchor-nuclear-throne]
+verify-with: docs/FUN.md#6-·-twin-stick-horde-survival-vampire-survivors-like
+---
+
+# Nuclear Throne
+
+**What it is.** A brutal twin-stick shooter roguelite: aim and fire freely,
+clear a room of enemies, take the level-up mutation, and push deeper. Runs are
+short and lethal, death is permanent, and the whole game is the *feel* of the
+shooting.
+
+**Player fantasy / why it's fun.** *My hands are the build.* Where
+[[anchor-vampire-survivors]] auto-fires, Nuclear Throne puts the trigger in
+your grip — the pull is **execution mastery in a tight arcade loop**: reading
+a room, dodging, aiming, and choosing mutations on the fly, all fast enough
+that a full run is minutes and a death costs you nothing but the impulse to
+hit "again."
+
+## Design DNA
+
+Perfect the **core minute** — movement, aim, weapon feel, enemy reads — until
+the second-to-second is so satisfying that repetition is the reward, then wrap
+it in a **roguelite run** so every attempt is fresh and permadeath keeps the
+stakes taut. The build layer (mutations, weapon pickups) is light and
+*reactive*: you draft from what the run gives you, not from a plan. Depth is
+80% in your hands, 20% in the draft — the inverse of Vampire Survivors, and
+the reason the same horde substrate feels like a different genre.
+
+The dial worth internalising: **the same survive-the-room substrate spans an
+entire genre axis, and the position on it is set by one choice — who pulls the
+trigger.** Automate the firing and shift weight to the build, and you get
+[[anchor-vampire-survivors]]: a low-input, build-forward power fantasy. Put
+the trigger back in the player's hands and shift weight to execution, and you
+get Nuclear Throne: a high-input, skill-forward arcade run. Neither is "more
+roguelite"; they're the same loop tuned to opposite skill sources. Knowing
+this lets you *place* a design on that axis deliberately instead of by
+accident.
+
+Lethality is the point: enemies hit hard, so *reading and reacting* — not
+tanking — is the skill. That only stays fair if attacks telegraph; a lethal
+enemy with no tell is a coin flip, a lethal enemy with a clear windup is a
+test you can pass.
+
+## Load-bearing structures
+
+| Structure | Why it works |
+|---|---|
+| **The core minute, over-tuned** | Aim, dash, weapon recoil, enemy tells — the moment-to-moment is the product. Feel is the design budget. [[system-combat-model]] / [[system-mastery-curve]]. |
+| **Active aim + free fire** | You control the trigger, so execution (not just positioning) is the skill — the twin-stick counterweight to auto-attack. [[system-combat-model]]. |
+| **Level-up mutation draft** | Choose-1-of-N run-scoped upgrades on each level clear — a light build layer that reacts to the run. [[system-build-diversity]] / [[system-reward-schedules]]. |
+| **Short, lethal, permadeath runs** | Minutes-long attempts + real lethality = high stakes with a cheap reset. The "one more run" engine. [[system-session-structure]]. |
+| **Reactive, not planned, builds** | You draft from weapon drops + offered mutations; adaptability beats a fixed plan. [[pattern-emergence]]. |
+| **Readable enemy tells** | Lethal only works if attacks telegraph; reaction windows keep death fair, not cheap. [[system-telegraphs]]. |
+| **Character-as-starting-verb** | Each unlockable character has a distinct active power — light asymmetry that reshapes the run. [[system-faction-asymmetry]] (unit-scale). |
+
+## What to steal
+
+- **Over-tune the core minute first.** Before content, before meta, make the
+  second-to-second *feel* undeniable. In a tight-loop game, the minute IS the
+  game.
+- **Put execution back in the player's hands** (active aim/fire) when you want
+  a *skill* game rather than a *build* game — the dial between Nuclear Throne
+  and Vampire Survivors is exactly this.
+- **Keep the build layer light and reactive.** Draft-1-of-N mutations from
+  what the run offers; don't force a plan. Adaptability is the fun.
+- **Short + lethal + permadeath + instant restart.** The four together create
+  "one more run." Wire instant retry via [[system-grace]] /
+  [[system-save-and-checkpoint]].
+- **Telegraph lethal attacks** so death reads as your misplay, and inherit the
+  horde verify (orbit/dodge bot survives; assert peak-alive; ms/step budget —
+  FUN.md §6).
+- **Give each character one starting verb, not a stat block.** Light asymmetry
+  — a distinct active power per unlockable character — reshapes the whole run
+  without a class tree, and gives the meta a reason to keep unlocking. See
+  [[system-faction-asymmetry]] at unit scale.
+
+## What's just theme (drop it)
+
+- **Post-apocalyptic mutants.** Cosmetic.
+- **The specific weapons/mutations.** *Weapon archetypes* and *mutation
+  categories* are structural; the roster is content —
+  [[system-build-diversity]].
+- **The pixel gore.** Aesthetic; the *impact feedback* is structural juice —
+  [[pattern-juice-choreography]].
+- **The "Nuclear Throne" endgame framing.** A win condition wrapper; the loop
+  is fun from level one.
+
+## Composes into
+
+- [[genre-horde-survival]] — shares the survive-the-room substrate
+  (execution-first variant).
+- [[genre-roguelike]] — supplies the fresh, lethal run.
+- [[system-mastery-curve]] — hands-on execution as the skill ceiling.
+- [[system-build-diversity]] — reactive mutation drafts.
+- [[system-combat-model]] — active-aim twin-stick feel.
+
+## Twist seams
+
+- **Nuclear Throne but auto-fire** *(mechanic-swap)* — slide the dial the
+  other way and it becomes Vampire Survivors; useful to know the *same
+  substrate* spans both by moving one verb from hands to automation.
+- **Nuclear Throne but the ammo is a shared coop pool** *(perspective)* — two
+  players draw fire from one reserve; execution becomes negotiated. Feeds
+  [[system-coop-and-competition]].
+- **Nuclear Throne but one life, one weapon, no drops** *(constraint)* — strip
+  the roguelite draft entirely; pure arcade execution on a fixed loadout.
+  Bends it back toward a classic score-attack shooter.
+- **Nuclear Throne but tonal — the "shooting" is cleaning/tidying under time
+  pressure** *(tonal)* — keep the over-tuned core minute and the reactive
+  draft, recolor the verb from violence to frantic housework; the swarm
+  becomes mess, the weapons become tools. Same execution loop, cozy-chaotic
+  register.
+
+## See also
+
+- [[genre-horde-survival]] · [[anchor-vampire-survivors]] ·
+  [[system-combat-model]] · [[system-mastery-curve]]
+- `docs/FUN.md#6-·-twin-stick-horde-survival-vampire-survivors-like` —
+  orbit/dodge-bot + peak-alive verify.
+- `sandboxes/juice-lab/` — hit-impact, muzzle, screenshake choreography.
+- `sandboxes/particle-studio/` — pooled cosmetic effects (deletable per law
+  6).