tomevault-io 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, scopereferences/creative_team.md- 8 expert personas with tensionsreferences/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 templatescripts/add_decision.py- Append formatted decision to logscripts/check_mvd.py- Report MVD checklist statusscripts/export_artifacts.py- Bundle all artifacts for review
Integration Notes
This skill works with:
ecosystem-patterns- For project organizationsoftware-change-management-using-git- For versioning artifacts
When creating Thermite project files, follow iMi worktree patterns and maintain corresponding vault documentation.
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