Thermite Design Process Skill

Overview

This skill encodes the thermite game design methodology: structured creative sessions with domain expert personas, tracked decisions, and standardized artifact outputs.

Core Documents

Load these at session start:

references/system_prompt.md - Design pillars, constraints, scope
references/creative_team.md - 8 expert personas with tensions
references/artifact_templates.md - All output formats

Design Session Protocol

Session Types

Boardroom Retreat (multi-persona discussion)

State the topic clearly
Identify which personas are relevant (not all 8 every time)
Let each voice react from their expertise
Surface tensions explicitly
Drive toward synthesis
Capture decisions, open questions, action items

Deep Dive (single-domain exploration)

Focus on one persona's domain
Produce domain-specific artifact
Flag cross-domain implications

Decision Review (validation check)

Review pending decisions
Run pillar check on each
Promote to "Decided" or flag blockers

Session Output Requirements

Every session MUST produce:

# Session [N]: [Topic]
**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Type:** Boardroom | Deep Dive | Decision Review
**Participants:** [List relevant personas]

## Decisions Made
[For each decision, append to decision_log.md]

## Open Questions
[Append to open_questions.md with tags]

## Artifacts Updated
[List which reference docs were modified]

## Action Items
- [ ] Owner: Task

## Next Session
[Recommended topic]

Artifact Registry

| Artifact | File | Owner | Update Trigger | |----------|------|-------|----------------| | System Prompt | system_prompt.md | Moderator | Pillar changes | | Decision Log | decision_log.md | Moderator | Every session | | Open Questions | open_questions.md | Moderator | Every session | | Core Loop Spec | core_loop.md | Viktor + Shinji | Loop changes | | Gear Registry | gear_registry.md | Marcus | Item additions | | Map Templates | map_templates.md | Elena | Map changes | | Economy Model | economy_model.md | Sarah | Economy changes | | Visual Language | visual_language.md | Jordan | UX changes | | Tech Spec | tech_spec.md | Wei | Architecture changes | | MVD Checklist | mvd_checklist.md | Moderator | Milestone tracking |

Decision Log Format

## Decision: [Short Title]
**ID:** DEC-[NNN]
**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Session:** [N]
**Status:** Decided | Tentative | Revisit After Playtest
**Pillar(s):** [Which design pillars this serves]

### Context
Why this came up.

### Decision
What we chose.

### Alternatives Considered
What we didn't choose and why.

### Dissent
Who disagreed, their concern, how addressed.

### Validation Needed
What we need to test to confirm this works.

MVD (Minimum Viable Design) Checklist

Before prototype development begins, these must be answered:

Must Have (Blocks Development)

[ ] Core loop minute-by-minute flow documented
[ ] Grid contract defined (tile size, movement speed, bomb timing)
[ ] Loadout system scoped (slots, starter kit, 2-3 tiers)
[ ] Death rules codified (what's lost, what persists)
[ ] One map template with zones annotated
[ ] Extraction mechanic specified
[ ] AI presence decided (in v1 or not)

Should Have (Blocks Polish)

[ ] 6-8 bomb types defined with counterplay
[ ] Economy curves modeled (rebuild time, progression speed)
[ ] Visual language guide started
[ ] Audio design approach documented
[ ] Netcode architecture specified

Nice to Have (Can Iterate)

[ ] Full gear registry
[ ] All map templates
[ ] Hideout system details
[ ] Skill/progression system

Persona Quick Reference

| Persona | Domain | Key Question | Tension With | |---------|--------|--------------|--------------| | Shinji Tanaka | Classic Arcade | "Is this readable in 2 seconds?" | Viktor, Maya | | Viktor Volkov | Extraction/Economy | "Does risk feel real AND survivable?" | Shinji, Marcus, Maya | | Elena Vasquez | Map Architecture | "Does space create decisions?" | Shinji, Wei | | Marcus Chen | Combat Balance | "What beats this?" | Viktor, Wei | | Sarah Okonkwo | Economy | "Where does currency leave?" | Viktor, Wei | | Dr. Maya Reyes | Player Psychology | "What does first death teach?" | Viktor, Marcus | | Wei Zhang | Technical | "What happens at 150ms latency?" | Everyone | | Jordan Ellis | UX/Accessibility | "Can colorblind players distinguish this?" | Marcus, Elena |

Pillar Check Protocol

Before finalizing any decision, run:

Meaningful Risk - Does this preserve stakes?
Readable Chaos - Is this instantly parseable?
Compressed Tension - Does this respect 5-8 min target?
Earned Mastery - Does skill beat gear?
Sustainable Economy - Is this exploitable? Patchable?

If ANY pillar is violated, flag and discuss.

Red Flags

Stop and reconsider if you hear:

"This would be cool but..." → Scope creep
"Players won't do that..." → They will
"We can balance it later..." → No you can't
"Just like [AAA game] but..." → Resource mismatch
"It's fine if it's a little unfair..." → Pillar violation

Scripts

scripts/new_session.py - Initialize session output template
scripts/add_decision.py - Append formatted decision to log
scripts/check_mvd.py - Report MVD checklist status
scripts/export_artifacts.py - Bundle all artifacts for review

Integration Notes

This skill works with:

ecosystem-patterns - For project organization
software-change-management-using-git - For versioning artifacts

When creating Thermite project files, follow iMi worktree patterns and maintain corresponding vault documentation.