Rules

Core Gameplay Rules

1. Every Benefit Needs A Cost

Drafts should add value but also carry upkeep, decay, risk, or a dependency burden. Systems designed with pure upside are treated as unstable design.

2. Reliability Rewards Tradeoffs

Higher reliability tiers require credible risk handling. Stable designs acknowledge risk and show how they absorb failures instead of pretending failures do not happen.

3. High Saturation Slows Breakthrough

When too many properties sit near max, progression can degrade or slow over time. Keep variation, headroom, and maintenance loops to sustain momentum.

4. Conditional Logic Must Be Plausible

Conditions may target the same node that defines the condition when the behavior is physically valid (for example radiation damaging solar arrays). The condition still needs clear balancing.