hayao 0.4.1 → 0.4.2

package/design/10-anchors/outer-wilds.md

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+---
+id: anchor-outer-wilds
+title: Outer Wilds
+kind: anchor
+tags: [exploration, knowledge, curiosity, open-world, time-loop, discovery, non-linear]
+summary: Knowledge is the only progression — no upgrades gate the world, only what *you* understand; a curiosity-driven open world you unlock in your own head.
+use-when: The intent is an exploration game where the player's real growth is understanding, and the world is gated by knowledge rather than items or stats.
+composes-with: [genre-exploration, system-progression, system-session-structure, system-onboarding, pattern-readability]
+anchors: []
+verify-with: docs/FUN.md#3-metroidvania
+---
+
+# Outer Wilds
+
+**What it is.** An open-world exploration game with **no power progression at all**.
+Your ship and tools never upgrade; the *only* thing that changes across the game is
+**what you know**. The solar system is fully open from minute one — every gate is a
+knowledge gate ("I don't understand how to reach that" → later, "oh, *now* I do").
+A **time loop** resets the world each cycle, so the world is constant and *you* are
+the variable.
+
+**Player fantasy.** Pure curiosity, rewarded. The dopamine is the *understanding*
+click — the moment a scrap of lore, a physics quirk, and a place you saw earlier
+snap together into "I know where to go now." You progress by getting *smarter*, and
+nothing can be taken from you but confusion.
+
+## Design DNA
+
+The engine is **knowledge-as-progression** over a **static, curiosity-gated world**.
+Three parts. First, **no mechanical gates**: the world is fully reachable; the only
+lock is comprehension ([[genre-exploration]]). Second, **the world teaches
+itself**: environmental storytelling and physical clues let players deduce the next
+step — the design *seeds curiosity* and trusts the player to follow it
+([[pattern-readability]], [[world-narrative-delivery]]). Third, **a constant world +
+a changing player**: often a loop/reset ([[system-session-structure]]) so the
+*place* never changes and all progression lives in the player's head. The "aha" is
+the reward, and it can never regress.
+
+## Load-bearing structures
+
+| Structure | Why it works |
+|---|---|
+| **Knowledge as the only progression** | No upgrades; you advance by *understanding*. Progress can't be lost, and every player earns each insight themselves. → [[system-progression]]. |
+| **Curiosity-gated open world** | Fully open from the start; gates are "I don't get it yet," not locked doors — pull, not permission. → [[genre-exploration]]. |
+| **Self-teaching world** | Clues are environmental and physical; the world *shows* you the next question. → [[pattern-readability]], [[world-narrative-delivery]]. |
+| **Constant world, changing player** | A time loop / reset keeps the place fixed so all change is internal — mastery of *knowledge*, not stats. → [[system-session-structure]]. |
+| **Non-linear discovery** | Threads can be pulled in any order; the player's path *is* their story. → [[pattern-emergence]]. |
+| **The "aha" as the reward** | Understanding-clicks are the payout — the strongest possible intrinsic reward. → [[pattern-mastery-and-flow]]. |
+
+## What to steal
+
+- **Gate with knowledge, not items**: let the world be open and lock it only behind
+  *comprehension*. The reward becomes the player's own insight, which never
+  regresses and can't be grinded. → [[genre-exploration]].
+- **Make the world teach itself**: seed physical, environmental clues so the player
+  *deduces* the next step. Trust the player; don't quest-marker it. →
+  [[world-narrative-delivery]].
+- **A constant world + changing player** (a loop or reset) so all progression is
+  internal — and so exploration is safe to be non-linear. → [[system-session-structure]].
+- **Design for the "aha"**: structure clues so distant facts *converge* into an
+  understanding-click. That convergence is the whole reward. → [[pattern-mastery-and-flow]].
+
+## What's just theme (drop it)
+
+- The **space/solar-system fiction** — knowledge-gated exploration works in a
+  mansion, a city, a dream, a codebase. → [[world-theme-vectors]].
+- The **literal time loop** — one implementation of "constant world, changing
+  player." A hub-and-return or persistent-notebook structure achieves the same.
+- **3D flight/physics** — the DNA is comprehension-gating; it fits 2D, top-down,
+  or even a pure text/point-and-click world.
+- **The specific lore/mystery** — content. The *transferable* part is the
+  clue-convergence architecture, not the particular secret.
+
+## Composes into
+
+- [[genre-exploration]] — the parent (discovery/immersive-sim-lite; curiosity and
+  knowledge as reward); Outer Wilds is its purest anchor.
+- [[system-progression]] — but progression *in the player's head*, an inversion of
+  the usual power curve.
+- [[system-session-structure]] — the loop/reset as the session container.
+- [[system-onboarding]] — the world as its own tutorial; teach-by-curiosity.
+- [[pattern-readability]] — clues must be legible enough to deduce, subtle enough
+  to earn.
+
+## Twist seams
+
+- **Outer Wilds but deduction is the verb** *(mechanic-swap)* — you record and
+  *submit* what you've understood, Obra-Dinn-style; knowledge becomes an explicit
+  played move. Pairs with [[anchor-return-of-the-obra-dinn]].
+- **Outer Wilds but coop** *(perspective)* — two explorers pool clues; the "aha"
+  becomes a shared deduction and communication is the mechanic. Pairs with
+  [[genre-coop-chaos]].
+- **Outer Wilds but on a run timer with stakes** *(structure / constraint)* — a
+  tight loop where you must *act* on knowledge before the reset, adding pressure to
+  curiosity. Pairs with [[system-session-structure]].
+- **Outer Wilds but the world hides, not resets** *(constraint)* — knowledge
+  *decays* if unused; you must consolidate insight, inverting the "can't lose
+  progress" rule for tension.
+
+## See also
+
+- [`docs/FUN.md#3-metroidvania`](../../docs/FUN.md) — the locked-door promise and
+  *negative gate proofs*; the closest verify neighbour — here the "gate" is
+  knowledge, so prove the intended clue-path exists and the un-hinted path doesn't
+  trivially bypass it.
+- [[genre-exploration]] · [[anchor-return-of-the-obra-dinn]] ·
+  [[world-narrative-delivery]].

package/design/10-anchors/overcooked.md

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+---
+id: anchor-overcooked
+title: Overcooked
+kind: anchor
+tags: [coop, chaos, party, communication, time-pressure, kitchen, escalation]
+summary: Couch-coop chaos where the design *forces* communication — a shared task under a clock, split across players so no one can solo it, escalating each level.
+use-when: The intent is a local/coop party game whose fun is frantic coordination; you need interdependence enforced by layout, not politeness.
+composes-with: [genre-coop-chaos, system-coop-and-competition, system-encounter-design, system-difficulty-and-dda, pattern-pacing-and-tension]
+anchors: []
+verify-with: docs/FUN.md#8-tower-defense
+---
+
+# Overcooked
+
+**What it is.** A coop cooking game whose real subject is **communication under
+pressure**. A recipe ticket demands a chain of steps; a **timer** demands speed;
+and the **kitchen layout** splits the work so no one player can do it alone. The
+result is a controlled panic where players *must* shout, hand off, and plan — and
+every level cranks the layout to make coordination harder.
+
+**Player fantasy.** Beautiful chaos with people you like. The joy is the
+table-slamming, cross-talking scramble — and the shared triumph when a frantic
+kitchen suddenly clicks into a rhythm. You didn't beat the level; *you and your
+crew* did.
+
+## Design DNA
+
+The core isn't cooking — it's **forced interdependence**. Overcooked engineers
+situations where solo play is impossible, so communication becomes a *mechanic*,
+not a nicety. Two levers do it: **task decomposition** (a dish is a pipeline of
+steps that naturally splits across hands) and **spatial constraint** (counters,
+gaps, moving floors that make one person physically unable to cover the kitchen).
+A **shared clock** ([[pattern-pacing-and-tension]]) turns coordination into
+pressure, and each level **escalates** the layout — a rising difficulty of
+*coordination*, not reflexes. See [[genre-coop-chaos]] for the parent pattern.
+
+## Load-bearing structures
+
+| Structure | Why it works |
+|---|---|
+| **Forced interdependence** | The layout makes solo impossible, so players *must* coordinate — communication becomes required play, not optional. → [[system-coop-and-competition]]. |
+| **Task decomposition** | A dish is a pipeline (chop→cook→plate→serve) that splits cleanly across hands — instant, legible division of labour. |
+| **Spatial constraint as difficulty** | Counters, gaps, moving/hazard floors gate movement; the *room* is the antagonist, not enemies. → [[system-encounter-design]]. |
+| **Shared clock** | One timer everyone races creates the pressure that makes coordination fail interestingly. → [[pattern-pacing-and-tension]]. |
+| **Escalating layouts** | Each level ratchets the coordination demand (splitting kitchens, conveyor floors) — a difficulty of *teamwork*. → [[system-difficulty-and-dda]]. |
+| **Legible shared state** | Every player can read every ticket, station, and timer at a glance — coordination needs shared readability. → [[pattern-readability]]. |
+| **Instant, blameless retry** | Fail a level, restart at once; the momentum and the laughter carry over. → [[system-save-and-checkpoint]], FUN.md law 5. |
+
+## What to steal
+
+- **Design interdependence, don't request it**: make solo *impossible* via layout
+  and task-split, so communication is a mechanic. Politeness is not a design.
+- **Decompose the task into a pipeline** that maps to hands — the clearest way to
+  create "you do this, I'll do that" without a manual. → [[system-coop-and-competition]].
+- **The room as antagonist**: escalate difficulty through *space and layout*, not
+  enemy stats — a party game's threat is geometry (cf. FUN.md §5 stealth's safe
+  pockets, §8 coverage geometry).
+- **A shared clock + blameless retry**: pressure to make coordination fail funnily,
+  and instant restart so failure is a laugh, not a punishment.
+
+## What's just theme (drop it)
+
+- The **cooking fiction** — the loop is "a decomposable task, split by space, under
+  a clock." Firefighting, ship-repair, surgery, moving house all fit. →
+  [[world-theme-vectors]].
+- **Specific recipes/stations** — content on the pipeline system; swap freely.
+- **Physical/janky controls** — the humour helps but isn't load-bearing; the
+  interdependence is. Precise controls + hard layouts work too.
+- **Local-only** — the DNA is coordination pressure; it survives online with good
+  shared-state readability. → [[system-coop-and-competition]].
+
+## Composes into
+
+- [[genre-coop-chaos]] — the parent genre (couch-coop/party; communication under
+  time pressure); Overcooked is its defining anchor.
+- [[system-coop-and-competition]] — forced interdependence and shared-state hooks.
+- [[system-encounter-design]] — composing kitchen layouts as escalating "fights"
+  against space.
+- [[system-difficulty-and-dda]] — difficulty expressed as coordination load.
+- [[pattern-pacing-and-tension]] — the shared clock as the tension engine.
+
+## Twist seams
+
+- **Overcooked but roguelite + you build the track ahead** *(mechanic-swap +
+  structure)* — Unrailed: the pipeline is laying rail before a moving train; the
+  "kitchen" advances. (The worked twist in [[process-the-twist]].)
+- **Overcooked but asymmetric roles** *(perspective)* — each player has different
+  verbs/abilities, so interdependence comes from *complementary powers*, not just
+  layout. Pairs with [[anchor-it-takes-two]].
+- **Overcooked but silent** *(constraint)* — no voice/text allowed; coordination
+  must route through in-game signals only. Forces diegetic communication.
+- **Overcooked but competitive** *(tonal)* — two crews share one sabotageable
+  kitchen; coop pressure becomes PvP. Pairs with [[system-coop-and-competition]].
+
+## See also
+
+- [`docs/FUN.md#8-tower-defense`](../../docs/FUN.md) — coverage/space as difficulty;
+  wave curves that breathe (the escalation shape) — closest verify neighbour for a
+  space-and-clock game.
+- [`sandboxes/pathfinding-demo`](../../sandboxes/pathfinding-demo) — grid movement
+  the kitchen layout rides on.
+- [[genre-coop-chaos]] · [[anchor-it-takes-two]] · [[system-coop-and-competition]].

package/design/10-anchors/peggle.md

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+---
+id: anchor-peggle
+title: Peggle
+kind: anchor
+tags: [physics-arcade, variable-ratio, juice, reward-schedule, aim, one-input, spectacle]
+summary: Aim, drop a ball, watch physics scatter it through pegs — trivial input wrapped in variable-ratio payoffs and maximal celebration juice.
+use-when: Designing a low-skill-floor game that feels ecstatic through reward scheduling and disproportionate feedback on a single simple action.
+composes-with: [genre-physics-arcade, system-reward-schedules, pattern-juice-choreography, pattern-risk-reward]
+anchors: [anchor-peggle]
+verify-with: docs/FUN.md#19-·-physics-arcade-breakoutpeggle
+---
+
+# Peggle
+
+**What it is.** A pachinko-like arcade game: aim a launcher at the top of the
+screen, drop one ball, and watch it ricochet through a field of pegs, lighting
+them up. Clear the orange pegs to win the level. The input is a single angle;
+the payoff is a cascade.
+
+**Player fantasy / why it's fun.** *I barely did anything and something
+wonderful happened.* The pull is **maximal juice on minimal input**: you set
+one angle, and the game rewards you with an escalating fireworks show — lucky
+bounces, a "free ball" bucket, and a final slow-mo, orchestral,
+rainbow-explosion victory that's wildly out of proportion to the click that
+caused it.
+
+## Design DNA
+
+Take a **trustworthy physics sandbox** and lay a **variable-ratio reward
+schedule** over it, then celebrate every outcome — especially the lucky ones —
+with disproportionate feedback. The skill floor is near zero (aim and drop),
+but the *feel* is ecstatic because the physics manufactures surprise and the
+juice amplifies it. The genius is the **gap between input effort and output
+spectacle**: a single trivial action detonates a chain of delightful
+consequences you didn't fully control but feel credit for.
+
+The design does two clever things at once. First, it **outsources complexity
+to physics** — the player supplies one number (the angle), and the peg field
+plus deterministic bounces generate all the richness, so the game is deep
+without the input being hard. Second, it **launders luck into feeling like
+skill**: because you *chose* the shot, a lucky twelve-peg cascade reads as
+*your* triumph, not the RNG's gift. The variable-ratio schedule supplies the
+surprise; the aim supplies the ownership; together they make a near-zero-skill
+action feel earned.
+
+The hidden design work is honest physics — swept collision so the ball never
+tunnels, energy conservation so bounces feel real — because the whole payoff
+depends on *trusting* the scatter. A ball that clips through a peg or gains
+speed from a bounce breaks the illusion instantly; the ecstasy is only
+possible on a foundation the player never doubts.
+
+## Load-bearing structures
+
+| Structure | Why it works |
+|---|---|
+| **One trivial input, cascading output** | Aim + drop is all the player does; physics + pegs generate the complexity. The effort/reward gap IS the fun. |
+| **Trustworthy swept-collision physics** | Closed-form time-of-impact = no tunneling ever; energy honesty (a bounce never speeds the ball up) makes the scatter feel real, not glitchy. FUN.md truth. [[genre-physics-arcade]]. |
+| **Variable-ratio surprise** | Lucky multi-peg bounces and the free-ball bucket are unpredictable payoffs — the schedule that keeps you dropping "one more ball." [[system-reward-schedules]]. |
+| **Disproportionate celebration** | Slow-mo, zoom, orchestral sting, screen-filling explosion on the last orange peg — feedback far exceeds the input. [[pattern-juice-choreography]]. |
+| **Read the board, place the bet** | Skill lives in *choosing the shot* — angling for clusters, banking off walls — turning luck into a decision. [[pattern-risk-reward]]. |
+| **Aim-search proves winnability** | Pure state → clone-and-fire candidate aims → count clears: winnability AND a difficulty meter for free. FUN.md law 7. |
+| **Escalating per-ball scoring** | Points ramp within a single drop (peg after peg), so even one ball has an arc. [[pattern-feedback-loops]]. |
+
+## What to steal
+
+- **Widen the gap between input effort and output spectacle.** One trivial
+  action → a cascade of consequence. This is the whole feel; steal it into any
+  arcade toy.
+- **Overlay a variable-ratio schedule on physics.** Let lucky bounces and
+  bonus buckets manufacture surprise; the unpredictability is the compulsion.
+  See [[system-reward-schedules]].
+- **Celebrate disproportionately.** Slow-mo + zoom + audio sting on the win
+  moment. Feedback should *exceed* the action — that's the Peggle signature.
+  [[pattern-juice-choreography]] / `docs/JUICE.md`.
+- **Make honest physics the foundation.** Swept collision (no tunneling),
+  energy conservation — the surprise only delights if the ball is *trusted*.
+  Wire via [[genre-physics-arcade]].
+- **Use aim-search bots** to prove every level is clearable within the ball
+  budget and to *rate* its difficulty (FUN.md law 7). Pure state means you
+  clone the board, fire candidate aims, and count clears — winnability proof
+  and a difficulty meter from the same loop.
+- **Give the trivial input a *decision*.** Skill lives in *choosing the shot*
+  — banking off a wall, aiming for a cluster, going for the free-ball bucket.
+  Layer a real read over the simple action so mastery has somewhere to grow.
+  [[pattern-risk-reward]].
+
+## What's just theme (drop it)
+
+- **The unicorns / Peggle Masters fiction.** Cosmetic; the loop is theme-free.
+- **The rainbow "Ode to Joy" victory.** The *disproportionate celebration* is
+  structural; the specific song/rainbow is a [[pattern-juice-choreography]]
+  instance you'd re-skin.
+- **The specific power-ups.** Bomb/multiball/etc. are *reward-schedule
+  variants*; the categories matter, the names don't —
+  [[system-reward-schedules]].
+- **Peg colours (orange = must-clear).** *A subset of targets defines the win*
+  is structural; the colour is readability flavour — [[pattern-readability]].
+
+## Composes into
+
+- [[genre-physics-arcade]] — its canonical anchor; trustworthy-flight physics
+  lives there.
+- [[system-reward-schedules]] — variable-ratio payoff exemplar.
+- [[pattern-juice-choreography]] — disproportionate-celebration reference.
+- [[pattern-risk-reward]] — reading the board to place a shot.
+- [[pattern-feedback-loops]] — escalating per-ball scoring.
+
+## Twist seams
+
+- **Peggle but the pegs are a deck you place before the drop**
+  *(mechanic-swap)* — you build the board, then fire; aim becomes
+  construction. Pulls in [[genre-deckbuilder]] / [[anchor-loop-hero]]
+  planning.
+- **Peggle but two players share one board and alternate drops**
+  *(perspective)* — every bounce sets up or spoils the rival's next shot.
+  Feeds [[system-coop-and-competition]].
+- **Peggle but one ball for the whole level** *(constraint)* — no retries per
+  level; the trivial input becomes a high-stakes single bet, converting
+  variable-ratio joy into push-your-luck tension. Sharpens
+  [[pattern-risk-reward]].
+- **Peggle but the pegs fight back** *(mechanic-swap)* — pegs move, shield, or
+  shoot on a telegraph between your drops; the calm arcade toy gains a
+  reactive-threat layer. Pulls in [[system-telegraphs]] and shifts the read
+  from static to dynamic.
+
+## See also
+
+- [[genre-physics-arcade]] · [[system-reward-schedules]] ·
+  [[pattern-juice-choreography]]
+- `docs/FUN.md#19-·-physics-arcade-breakoutpeggle` — swept collision, energy
+  invariant, aim-search verify.
+- `sandboxes/physics-lab/` — swept-collision / no-tunnel reference.
+- `sandboxes/juice-lab/` · `docs/JUICE.md` — the celebration choreography.

package/design/10-anchors/reigns.md

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+---
+id: anchor-reigns
+title: Reigns
+kind: anchor
+tags: [narrative, choice, swipe, meters, stewardship, cards, decisions]
+summary: Swipe-choice narrative — binary decisions nudge four meters you must keep between two ditches, so ruling is an act of doomed balance, not victory.
+use-when: The intent is a minimal-input, choice-driven game where the tension is balancing competing meters and every decision is double-edged.
+composes-with: [genre-narrative-decisions, system-reward-schedules, system-difficulty-and-dda, system-collectibles, pattern-risk-reward]
+anchors: []
+verify-with: docs/FUN.md#21-narrative-decisions-reigns-like
+---
+
+# Reigns
+
+**What it is.** A narrative game reduced to one gesture: **swipe left or right**. An
+advisor presents a situation on a card; you choose one of two answers; the choice
+nudges **four meters** (church, people, army, treasury). Every meter has *two*
+lethal edges — too low *and* too high both kill you. Ruling is **stewardship**: not
+winning, just staying alive between the ditches one more reign.
+
+**Player fantasy.** The impossible throne. Every decision helps one faction and
+hurts another; you can never satisfy everyone, only *balance* them. The pull is the
+grim comedy of doomed juggling — and the itch to see the next situation, because
+the deck is full of tiny stories you've only glimpsed.
+
+## Design DNA
+
+The engine is **meters between two ditches, fed by double-edged binary choices**.
+Three parts. First, **two-sided meters**: a resource you must keep in a *band*, not
+maximise — depletion and excess both kill ([[genre-narrative-decisions]]). Second,
+**every choice is a tradeoff**: no move is pure gain; helping one meter costs
+another, so there's no dominant policy ([[pattern-risk-reward]]). Third, **minimal
+input, maximal consequence**: one swipe, but it ripples through four systems — the
+depth is in the *content* (the card deck), not the controls. Judgement must beat
+any fixed policy (FUN.md §21: 19/20 vs always-left's 0/20).
+
+## Load-bearing structures
+
+| Structure | Why it works |
+|---|---|
+| **Two-lethal-edge meters** | Keeping a resource in a *band* (not maxed) makes every gain a future risk — the core stewardship tension. → [[genre-narrative-decisions]]. |
+| **Double-edged binary choices** | Every option helps one meter and hurts another; no dominant policy, so judgement matters. → [[pattern-risk-reward]]. |
+| **One-gesture input** | Swipe left/right; the entire skill is *reading and deciding*, not executing. Radical accessibility. → [[system-accessibility]]. |
+| **Card-deck content** | Situations are data cards drawn against state; content *is* the game, and it's cheap to author and lint. → [[system-collectibles]]. |
+| **Conditional/flagged cards** | Cards unlock from prior choices, threading arcs and callbacks through a shuffled deck. → [[system-emergent-systems]]. |
+| **Death as the loop** | You *will* die; each reign is a run, and the deck keeps dealing new stories. → [[system-session-structure]]. |
+
+## What to steal
+
+- **Two-sided meters**: a resource you keep *in a band* creates far richer tension
+  than one you maximise — every gift is a future liability. → [[genre-narrative-decisions]].
+- **Make every choice double-edged**: if any option is pure upside, delete it
+  (FUN.md §21: "no no-op choices"). The tradeoff *is* the game.
+- **Content-as-data**: author situations as linted cards (unique ids, bounded
+  effects |Δ|≤20, every needs-flag settable) so editorial judgement becomes CI.
+- **One gesture, deep consequence**: minimal input keeps the design about
+  *decisions*, and makes it trivially accessible. → [[system-accessibility]].
+
+## What's just theme (drop it)
+
+- The **medieval-monarch fiction** — swipe-meters-stewardship fits a ship captain,
+  a startup CEO, a dungeon master, a parent. → [[world-theme-vectors]].
+- **The four specific factions** — the count and identities are tuning; 2–5
+  two-sided meters all work. → [[system-difficulty-and-dda]].
+- **The literal swipe** — left/right is one binary-choice UI; buttons or dialogue
+  options carry the same DNA.
+- **Death-by-succession framing** — the "reign" wrapper is flavour on "a run ends,
+  a new one deals fresh cards." → [[system-session-structure]].
+
+## Composes into
+
+- [[genre-narrative-decisions]] — the parent genre; Reigns is its defining anchor
+  (impossible stewardship; meters between two ditches).
+- [[pattern-risk-reward]] — every card is a double-edged, teeth-bearing choice.
+- [[system-difficulty-and-dda]] — meter volatility and card weighting are the
+  difficulty knobs.
+- [[system-collectibles]] — the card deck as content the player uncovers.
+- [[system-accessibility]] — one-gesture input as a floor-level design.
+
+## Twist seams
+
+- **Reigns but the meters are a factory** *(mechanic-swap)* — swipes route
+  throughput between competing subsystems; stewardship becomes logistics. Pairs
+  with [[anchor-factorio]].
+- **Reigns but two rulers, one kingdom** *(perspective)* — coop where each player
+  owns two of the four meters and swipes can undermine the partner. Pairs with
+  [[system-coop-and-competition]].
+- **Reigns but the deck is a colony sim** *(structure)* — a RimWorld director deals
+  the cards from live colony state; systemic drama in swipe form. Pairs with
+  [[anchor-rimworld]].
+- **Reigns but cozy** *(tonal)* — the "ditches" are gentle (a garden, a friendship)
+  and death is retirement; balance without dread. Pairs with [[anchor-stardew-valley]].
+
+## See also
+
+- [`docs/FUN.md#21-narrative-decisions-reigns-like`](../../docs/FUN.md) — content
+  lint (unique ids, bounded effects, no no-op choices); balanced-policy bot
+  survives; always-left loses 0/20; every doom fires its own ending.
+- [[genre-narrative-decisions]] · [[pattern-risk-reward]] · [[system-collectibles]].

package/design/10-anchors/return-of-the-obra-dinn.md

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+---
+id: anchor-return-of-the-obra-dinn
+title: Return of the Obra Dinn
+kind: anchor
+tags: [deduction, mystery, logic, reasoning, verification, non-linear, knowledge]
+summary: Deduction as the core loop — the game gives you evidence and *trusts your reasoning*, confirming answers only when you've triangulated a solvable set.
+use-when: The intent is a logic/mystery game where the played verb is *inferring* facts from evidence, and the design must be provably solvable without guessing.
+composes-with: [genre-exploration, system-onboarding, system-progression, pattern-readability, pattern-mastery-and-flow]
+anchors: []
+verify-with: docs/FUN.md#1-grid-puzzle-sokoban
+---
+
+# Return of the Obra Dinn
+
+**What it is.** A mystery where the core verb is **deduction**. You walk frozen
+death-scenes aboard a lost ship and must name every fate: *who* this is, *how* they
+died, *by whose hand*. The game hands you evidence — faces, voices, clothing,
+positions — and **trusts you to reason**. It never tells you an answer; it only
+*confirms* a set of three correct fates at once, so you must **triangulate** until
+your logic is certain.
+
+**Player fantasy.** You are a detective the game *respects*. It refuses to
+hand-hold — no hint arrows, no "you're close." The high is the deduction click:
+cross-referencing a dozen scattered facts until a name that was a guess becomes a
+*certainty you proved*. You didn't find the answer; you **reasoned** it.
+
+## Design DNA
+
+The engine is **deduction as the played move, over a provably solvable evidence
+set**. Three parts. First, the verb is *inference*, not action: the player
+assembles facts into conclusions ([[genre-exploration]]'s cousin — exploration of
+an *idea-space*). Second, **the game trusts your reasoning**: it withholds
+confirmation, so the reward is *your own certainty*, not a checkmark
+([[pattern-mastery-and-flow]]). Third — critically — **the mystery must be
+solvable by logic alone**: every fact is derivable from evidence without guessing,
+which is a *solver proof* exactly like a puzzle's (FUN.md §1, [[genre-grid-puzzle]]).
+The "confirm in batches of 3" mechanic is anti-brute-force: it rewards *deduction*
+over *permutation*.
+
+## Load-bearing structures
+
+| Structure | Why it works |
+|---|---|
+| **Deduction as the verb** | The player *reasons*, doesn't act; the whole loop is turning evidence into conclusions. → [[genre-exploration]]. |
+| **Provably-solvable evidence** | Every fact is derivable by logic — no guess required. This is a solver proof and is *non-negotiable*. → [[genre-grid-puzzle]], FUN.md §1. |
+| **Withheld confirmation** | The game won't say "right" until you've earned certainty; the reward is your *own* conviction. → [[pattern-mastery-and-flow]]. |
+| **Batch-of-3 gating** | Confirming fates in threes defeats brute-force permutation and forces genuine triangulation. → [[pattern-risk-reward]]. |
+| **Non-linear evidence** | Facts can be gathered and cross-referenced in any order; the player builds their own inference chain. → [[pattern-emergence]]. |
+| **Difficulty by inference depth** | Early fates need one clue, late ones need many chained deductions — a curve of *reasoning*, not reflex. → [[system-progression]]. |
+| **The notebook as UI** | A ledger of hypotheses the player fills in — the deduction made *manipulable*. → [[pattern-readability]]. |
+
+## What to steal
+
+- **Make deduction the verb**: give the player evidence and let them *conclude*.
+  The played move is reasoning, and it's a genre almost nobody occupies. →
+  [[genre-exploration]].
+- **Prove it's solvable by logic** before you ship a single mystery: every answer
+  must be derivable from evidence, no guessing. This is a solver proof — treat it
+  exactly like [[genre-grid-puzzle]] winnability (FUN.md §1).
+- **Withhold confirmation** so the reward is the player's *own certainty*. Then
+  gate confirmation (batches, cost) to defeat brute force. → [[pattern-risk-reward]].
+- **A notebook/ledger UI** that makes the player's reasoning *manipulable* — the
+  interface for the invisible verb. → [[pattern-readability]].
+
+## What's just theme (drop it)
+
+- The **1800s-shipwreck fiction** — deduction-over-evidence fits a crime scene, a
+  code audit, a genealogy, a haunted house, a spreadsheet of lies. →
+  [[world-theme-vectors]].
+- The **1-bit dithered art** — a striking aesthetic pick ([[world-aesthetic-direction]]),
+  not part of the loop. Any legible style works.
+- **The frozen-time death scenes** — one delivery mechanism for evidence;
+  documents, interviews, or logs deliver the same facts.
+- **The specific 60 fates** — content. The transferable part is the *solvable
+  evidence graph* and the batch-confirm anti-guess mechanic.
+
+## Composes into
+
+- [[genre-exploration]] — the parent, but exploring an *idea-space* (evidence →
+  conclusions) rather than a physical world.
+- [[genre-grid-puzzle]] — shares the *solvable-by-logic* proof obligation; a
+  deduction game is a puzzle whose state is the player's knowledge.
+- [[system-onboarding]] — early easy fates teach the deduction loop by doing.
+- [[system-progression]] — difficulty rises with required inference depth.
+- [[pattern-mastery-and-flow]] — the deduction-click is the flow reward.
+
+## Twist seams
+
+- **Obra Dinn but knowledge-gated exploration** *(structure)* — evidence unlocks by
+  *understanding*, not by walking; deduction + Outer Wilds. Pairs with
+  [[anchor-outer-wilds]].
+- **Obra Dinn but coop deduction** *(perspective)* — two detectives hold different
+  evidence and must *argue* to a shared conclusion; communication becomes the
+  mechanic. Pairs with [[genre-coop-chaos]].
+- **Obra Dinn but procedurally generated cases** *(mechanic-swap)* — a solver
+  guarantees each generated mystery is logic-solvable, giving endless deduction.
+  Pairs with [[system-procgen-design]] and the winnability proof of [[genre-grid-puzzle]].
+- **Obra Dinn but you can be *wrong* and it costs you** *(constraint / tonal)* —
+  confirmations are risky bets with consequences; deduction under stakes, not
+  free retries.
+
+## See also
+
+- [`docs/FUN.md#1-grid-puzzle-sokoban`](../../docs/FUN.md) — solver-provable
+  solutions; unwinnable = unshippable. A deduction game inherits this obligation:
+  prove every fate is derivable by logic.
+- [[genre-exploration]] · [[anchor-outer-wilds]] (the knowledge-progression
+  sibling) · [[genre-grid-puzzle]].

package/design/10-anchors/rimworld.md

@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+---
+id: anchor-rimworld
+title: RimWorld
+kind: anchor
+tags: [colony-sim, story-generator, ai-director, emergent, drama, pacing, simulation]
+summary: A colony sim built as a story generator — an AI director paces crises against your state so the *narrative*, not a win screen, is the product.
+use-when: The design wants players to leave with stories, not scores; you need a director that authors drama over a deep sim.
+composes-with: [genre-city-builder, system-emergent-systems, system-difficulty-and-dda, system-enemy-ai, system-resource-loops]
+anchors: []
+verify-with: docs/FUN.md#17-citycolony-builder
+---
+
+# RimWorld
+
+**What it is.** A colony sim whose real product is **stories**. You keep a handful
+of flawed characters alive on a hostile map, but the game's genius is the **AI
+storyteller** — a director that watches your state and *paces* raids, disasters,
+and lulls to build tension and release like a screenwriter, not a random-event
+table. You don't win RimWorld; you *tell someone about* your RimWorld.
+
+**Player fantasy.** The anecdote you can't wait to share: the pyromaniac who
+saved the colony, the winter you ate your own dead. The pull is that every crisis
+lands on *characters you know*, and the director times them so the disaster
+arrives exactly when it'll hurt — and mean — the most.
+
+## Design DNA
+
+Fun here is **emergent narrative** — story as the output of interacting systems,
+not authored scenes. Two engines make it work. First, a deep, legible **sim of
+needs and traits** (mood, injuries, relationships, resources) so consequences
+*chain* into stories. Second, an **AI director** ([[system-emergent-systems]],
+[[system-difficulty-and-dda]]) that reads your current state and schedules events
+for *dramatic* effect — hit you when you're strong, breathe when you're
+reeling — turning a difficulty curve into a plot. The characters are the stakes;
+the director is the author; the sim is the ink.
+
+## Load-bearing structures
+
+| Structure | Why it works |
+|---|---|
+| **AI storyteller / director** | Paces events against live state (wealth, health, morale) for tension→release, not flat randomness. The heart. → [[system-difficulty-and-dda]]. |
+| **Characters with traits & relationships** | Named pawns with quirks and bonds make every consequence *personal* — the stakes that turn events into stories. → [[system-emergent-systems]]. |
+| **Deep need/mood sim** | Hunger, sleep, mood, breaks; needs interact and cascade (a bad meal → a tantrum → a fire). Consequence chains = plot. |
+| **Interacting subsystems** | Medicine, temperature, food, defence, social — each affects the others; second-order events emerge nobody scripted. → [[pattern-emergence]]. |
+| **No win state** | Open-ended survival; the "goal" is the story you generate, which removes the "solved, done" cliff. → [[system-session-structure]]. |
+| **Legible cause-and-effect** | You can always trace *why* it went wrong — the story is coherent, so it's tellable. → [[pattern-readability]]. |
+
+## What to steal
+
+- The **director-as-author**: schedule events against player state for dramatic
+  shape (strike when strong, relent when reeling), not uniform randomness. This is
+  the single most stealable idea here. → [[system-difficulty-and-dda]].
+- **Named, flawed characters** as the stakes: a trait/relationship layer turns
+  "a unit died" into "*Grigori* died." Personalisation is what makes emergence
+  *tellable*. → [[system-emergent-systems]].
+- **Consequence chains**: design needs/systems that *cascade*, so one bad event
+  spawns three — the raw material of story.
+- **Traceable failure**: keep cause-and-effect legible (FUN.md §17: the exposed
+  score) so the player can narrate what happened.
+
+## What's just theme (drop it)
+
+- The **sci-fi frontier** setting — the loop is a survival colony of *anything*
+  (a ship, a village, an office, a hive). Theme is a [[world-theme-vectors]] pick.
+- **The specific event menagerie** (raids, blights, solar flares) — those are
+  content slotted into the director; the *director* is the transferable part.
+- **Top-down colony-management UI** — one presentation of "watch a system, nudge
+  it." A card game or a text log could host the same director.
+- **Real-time-with-pause** — the sim can be turn/tick-based; timing is sim time
+  (FUN.md law 6), and pausing to think is a [[system-save-and-checkpoint]] concern.
+
+## Composes into
+
+- [[genre-city-builder]] — the parent colony/management genre (the exposed score,
+  negative synergies).
+- [[system-emergent-systems]] — RimWorld is the canonical *story-generator* case:
+  memory, relationships, and reputation producing systemic narrative.
+- [[system-difficulty-and-dda]] — the storyteller is dynamic difficulty *as
+  drama*, not just as a fairness knob.
+- [[system-enemy-ai]] — raiders/threats the director deploys.
+- [[pattern-emergence]] — interacting subsystems as the source of unscripted story.
+
+## Twist seams
+
+- **RimWorld but one character** *(perspective / constraint)* — no colony; the
+  director paces a single life's crises. The story-generator shrinks to a memoir.
+- **RimWorld but the director is visible and adversarial** *(mechanic-swap)* — the
+  storyteller is a named opponent you can bargain with or sabotage; drama becomes
+  a duel. Pairs with [[genre-narrative-decisions]].
+- **RimWorld but cozy** *(tonal)* — strip lethality; the director paces *heart-warming*
+  beats (a wedding, a harvest, a reunion) instead of raids. Pairs with
+  [[anchor-stardew-valley]].
+- **RimWorld but swipe-to-decide** *(structure)* — collapse the sim into
+  card-choices the director deals from colony state. Pairs with [[anchor-reigns]].
+
+## See also
+
+- [`docs/FUN.md#17-citycolony-builder`](../../docs/FUN.md) — the exposed score;
+  negative synergies create the only real decisions; scoring-honesty audit.
+- [[system-emergent-systems]] · [[system-difficulty-and-dda]] ·
+  [[anchor-shadow-of-mordor]] (the other systemic-memory anchor).