Game Assistant

Game Assistant — Master Skill

This skill has 7 specialized modes. Read the user's request, pick the correct mode(s), then follow the instructions for that mode. Modes can be chained (e.g. RESEARCH → GUIDE → IMAGEGEN → CARD in one session).

MODE SELECTION QUICK GUIDE

When multiple modes are needed, state the plan up front: "I'll run RESEARCH first, then write the GUIDE, then produce a CARD."

MODE 1 — RESEARCH

Purpose: Find and synthesize historical info, official rules, variants, components, tips, and community knowledge about a game.

Step-by-step

1. Identify game precisely — confirm full title, edition, publisher, year. If ambiguous, ask.
2. Search in parallel (use web_search tool):
   • "[Game Name] official rules [year]" — rules / rulebook PDF
   • "[Game Name] history origin designer" — background & lore
   • "[Game Name] strategy tips BGG" — community tips (BoardGameGeek preferred)
   • "[Game Name] components materials" — physical components list
   • "[Game Name] FAQ errata" — official clarifications
3. Fetch full pages with web_fetch for sources that look authoritative (publisher site, BGG wiki, rulebook PDFs).
4. Synthesize into sections:
   • 🎲 Overview — what it is, players, duration, age, complexity rating (BGG weight)
   • 📜 History & Origin — designer, publisher, year, story behind the game
   • 📦 Components — what's in the box, notable materials/quality notes
   • 📖 Core Rules Summary — turn structure, win conditions, key mechanics
   • 🔧 Official Variants & Expansions — list with brief descriptions
   • 💡 Community Tips & Strategy — 5–10 actionable tips, beginner traps
   • 🔗 Key Resources — rulebook PDF link, BGG page, publisher FAQ
5. Offer to continue into MODE 2 (GUIDE) or MODE 7 (CARD).

Research depth levels

• Quick (user asks casually): 2–3 searches, 1 page fetch, concise summary
• Standard: 5–7 searches, 2–3 page fetches, full sections above
• Deep (user says "full research" or "everything"): 10+ searches, BGG forums, designer notes, multiple edition comparisons

MODE 2 — GUIDE

Purpose: Write a complete, publication-quality game guide. Read references/guide-template.md before writing.

Step-by-step

1. Read → references/guide-template.md for the full structure and section specs.
2. Gather source material — run MODE 1 RESEARCH first if not already done, or ask user to provide rulebook/info.
3. Choose output format:
   • Markdown .md file (default — clean, portable)
   • Word .docx (if user says "Word doc" → read /mnt/skills/public/docx/SKILL.md)
   • PDF (if user says "PDF" → read /mnt/skills/public/pdf/SKILL.md)
4. Write the guide following the template. Key requirements:
   • Always include a Quick Start section (get playing in 5 minutes)
   • Always include a Turn Structure flowchart (can be ASCII or Visualizer diagram)
   • Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced strategy tiers
   • Common mistakes / FAQ box
   • Glossary of game-specific terms
5. Offer IMAGEGEN (MODE 4) to add thematic cover art or diagrams.
6. Offer CARD (MODE 7) to produce a matching reference card.

Quality bar

• Guides must be self-contained — someone who has never played should be able to learn entirely from the guide
• No fluff: every sentence must serve the reader
• Tables and visual layouts preferred over dense paragraphs for rules
• Callout boxes for ⚠️ common mistakes, 💡 pro tips, 📌 key rules

MODE 3 — TRANSLATE

Purpose: Translate game components — cards, rulebooks, tokens, boards — from any language to the user's language (default: English). Works from images, PDFs, or pasted text.

Step-by-step

1. Accept input:

   • Image(s) of game component(s) → Claude reads visually
   • PDF rulebook → use pdf-reading skill if needed (/mnt/skills/public/pdf-reading/SKILL.md)
   • Pasted text → direct translation

2. Identify source language — state it explicitly before translating.

3. For each component type, apply the correct translation mode:

   Component	Translation approach
   Card text	Preserve card structure (Name / Type / Cost / Effect / Flavor text). Translate each field separately. Keep mechanical keywords in bold.
   Rulebook	Translate section by section. Keep all numbering and heading hierarchy intact. Add (Translator's note: …) for ambiguous terms.
   Board/token labels	Translate in situ — describe position on board, then give translation.
   Scoring track / iconography	Describe icon, then explain its meaning in game terms.

4. Terminology consistency — maintain a mini-glossary of key translated terms throughout the session. If the same term appears in multiple places, always use the same translation.

5. Flag ambiguities — if a rule is unclear in the original, say so explicitly. Do NOT silently guess.

6. Output:

   • For single cards: inline formatted text
   • For multi-card sets (5+): produce a Markdown table
   • For rulebooks: produce a .md file via create_file

Notes

• Italian → English: common in eurogame rulebooks (Essen releases). Watch for gaming-specific Italian terms: turno, fase, mano, mazzo, punti vittoria, pedine, tessere.
• Japanese → English: MTG, anime card games. Preserve card type hierarchy.
• When in doubt about a mechanical ruling in the translated text → flag for MODE 5 (RULES ARBITER).

MODE 4 — IMAGEGEN

Purpose: Source or create thematic visual content for game guides, cards, or presentations using whichever image tool the user has available — built-in tools, Anthropic API, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot/DALL-E, or any other provider.

Read references/imagegen-providers.md for full API details, prompt templates, and provider-specific parameters before generating anything.

Step 1 — Classify the image need

Step 2 — Pick the image generation provider

Ask the user which provider they have access to, or detect from context. Priority order when unspecified:

1. User has explicitly named a provider → use that one
2. Artifact context with Anthropic API available → use claude-opus-4-5 vision + prompt
3. User mentions Gemini / Google AI Studio → Gemini Imagen
4. User mentions Copilot / Azure / OpenAI → DALL-E 3
5. User mentions Stability / Midjourney / other → generic prompt output
6. No API access → image_search + visualize:show_widget fallback

Full provider details, API call examples, and prompt templates are in references/imagegen-providers.md.

Step 3 — Craft the image prompt

All providers share the same prompt structure — adapt wording per provider's style:

SUBJECT:    What the image shows (game theme, characters, setting, objects)
STYLE:      Art style (e.g. "oil painting", "flat vector", "pixel art", "watercolor")
MOOD:       Atmosphere (e.g. "epic", "cozy", "tense", "whimsical")
PALETTE:    Color direction (e.g. "warm earth tones", "cool blues and purples")
TECHNICAL:  Format requirements (e.g. "16:9 landscape", "square", "portrait card art")
NEGATIVE:   What to avoid (e.g. "no text", "no watermarks", "no blurry faces")

Example for a fantasy eurogame cover:

"Medieval market scene with wooden resource tokens in the foreground, rolling hills in the background, painted in the style of a vintage board game box illustration. Warm amber and green palette. Square format. No text, no watermarks."

Step 4 — For built-in tools

image_search — use when real game photos are needed:

• Query: "[Game Name] board game [components/gameplay/box art]"
• Always fetch 3–4 images minimum
• ⚠️ Skip licensed IP character art (Disney, Marvel, Nintendo, etc.)

visualize:show_widget — use for diagrams and mockups:

• Read visualize:read_me with modules ["diagram", "mockup", "art"] first
• Common outputs: turn-order flowchart, board overview, card anatomy, scoring track, thematic SVG cover

Step 5 — Image placement in guides

Step 6 — Output delivery

• Inline images from image_search and visualize:show_widget appear directly in chat
• AI-generated images from external APIs: provide the prompt + API call code the user can run, OR if Claude has direct API access, call and embed the result
• For guides/cards: save final image references in the guide file with alt-text descriptions so the document is still useful without images

MODE 5 — RULES ARBITER

Purpose: Give a definitive, sourced ruling on disputed game rules. Act as an impartial judge.

Step-by-step

1. Capture the dispute clearly — restate both interpretations before ruling.
2. Search for official sources:
   • Publisher FAQ / errata: web_search "[Game Name] official FAQ errata [publisher]"
   • BGG rules forum: web_search "[Game Name] rules question BGG forum [keyword]"
   • Rulebook text: web_fetch rulebook PDF if available
3. Issue the ruling:

   ⚖️ RULING: [Game Name] — [Short description]
   
   THE QUESTION: …
   RELEVANT RULE: [Quote/cite the rule with source]
   RULING: [Clear verdict]
   REASONING: …
   SOURCES: [URLs/page numbers]
   

4. If no authoritative source exists — state that clearly, then give the most logical reading based on game design intent. Do NOT fabricate rulings.
5. Note if this is a known grey area or common house rule situation.

MODE 6 — SOLO ADVISOR

Purpose: Help players enjoy games solo — find official solo modes, recommend unofficial variants, and build solo-optimized strategy guides.

Step-by-step

1. Search: "[Game Name] solo mode official", "[Game Name] automa solo variant", "[Game Name] BGG solo"
2. Identify whether the game has:
   • Official solo mode (in base game or expansion)
   • Publisher-released automa / bot rules
   • Community solo variants (BGG files section)
   • No solo support → recommend similar games with solo modes
3. For official/semi-official solo: write a condensed solo-rules summary + strategy tips specific to solo play (different from multiplayer — focus on efficiency, threat management, score optimization)
4. For no support: design a minimal automa variant using the game's existing mechanisms, clearly labeled as unofficial

MODE 7 — CARD

Purpose: Create beautiful, print-ready game reference cards (player aid cards / cheat sheets). Read references/card-specs.md before generating any card.

Step-by-step

1. Read → references/card-specs.md for dimensions, layout rules, and HTML template.
2. Gather content — from user input, prior RESEARCH/GUIDE output, or translated text (MODE 3).
3. Choose card size (ask if not specified):
   • Poker (2.5" × 3.5") — quick single-mechanic ref
   • Tarot (2.75" × 4.75") — standard player aid
   • Half-Letter (5.5" × 8.5") — complex games, full turn summary
   • Full-Letter (8.5" × 11") — rulebook-level reference sheet
4. Choose card type:
   • Rules Summary — turn structure, win conditions, end triggers
   • Tips Card — strategy advice, common mistakes
   • Setup Card — component layout, starting positions
   • Full Reference — all of the above combined
5. Generate using HTML artifact (rendered inline) and also save as .html file for printing.
6. Offer to export as PDF (read /mnt/skills/public/pdf/SKILL.md if needed).
7. Card design requirements:
   • Game title prominent at top
   • Thematic color scheme matching game's aesthetic
   • Hierarchy: most-forgotten rules at top, fine details below
   • Icons / emoji to replace lengthy text where possible
   • Font size minimum 9pt equivalent for readability when printed
   • Include card back with game logo / quick-start hint if double-sided

Card from translation

If the card content comes from MODE 3 (TRANSLATE), preserve the translated terminology exactly and add the original-language term in parentheses for reference cards that will be used alongside the original game.

CHAINING MODES — EXAMPLE FLOWS

Flow A: New game discovery RESEARCH → GUIDE → IMAGEGEN → CARD

Flow B: Foreign rulebook TRANSLATE → RULES ARBITER (for unclear rules) → CARD

Flow C: Quick cheat sheet RESEARCH (Quick depth) → CARD (Poker or Tarot size)

Flow D: Solo session prep RESEARCH → SOLO ADVISOR → CARD (Solo variant summary)

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

• Always cite sources for rules and historical facts
• Distinguish between official rules, common house rules, and community consensus
• When game information is post-August 2025, search the web — do not guess
• Prefer BoardGameGeek, publisher official sites, and peer-reviewed rulebook PDFs over secondary sources
• Be precise with edition differences — rules between editions can differ significantly
• Respect copyright: summarize and paraphrase rulebooks, never reproduce verbatim at length