DELVE/HOLD is one persistent game presented through two modes. This section is the canonical game design document: player promises, mode loops, shared state, simulation authority, narrative progression, and the behavioral proofs the machine must pass.
Chapters
- Foundations — overview, pillars, roles, joined loop, progression, and the first playable proof.
- DELVE — expeditions, living dungeon generation, encounters, extraction, preparation, and recovery.
- HOLD — workshop practice, runes, automation, production, logistics, and civic stewardship.
- Shared world — canonical state, simulation ownership, Ghostlight, economy, contracts, Vaults, Holds, signals, time, and persistence.
- Narrative and validation — revelation, crisis progression, and acceptance criteria.
Design status
The architecture and authority boundaries in these chapters are commitments. Exact combat formulas, recipe quantities, item catalogues, progression rates, and economic tuning remain bounded prototype work. A number does not become canon merely because a draft needed one.