Game economy and resource balance planning. Use when designing resource systems, currencies, loot tables, progression curves, reward structures, or planning how players earn and spend in a game. Covers taps and sinks, economy flow mapping, reward planning, balance frameworks, genre economy patterns.
Designs balanced game economies by planning resource systems, currencies, loot tables, and progression curves.
npx claudepluginhub smileynet/game-spiceThis skill inherits all available tools. When active, it can use any tool Claude has access to.
balance.mdframeworks.mdgenre-patterns.mdPlan resource systems that create meaningful choices. Start simple, add complexity only when needed.
| Complexity | What It Is | Best For | MLP Viable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| None | No persistent resources | Puzzle, rhythm, pure action | Yes |
| Single resource | One currency (coins, XP, energy) | Platformer, casual, arcade | Yes |
| Dual currency | Soft + hard currency, or resource + currency | RPG-lite, tower defense, roguelike | Yes (start with one) |
| Full economy | Multiple interconnected resources | Sim, strategy, MMO, survival | No — scope to single resource for MLP |
Decision rule: Start one level simpler than you think you need. Add complexity after playtesting proves the simple version lacks interesting choices.
| If... | Then... | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Taps > Sinks | Inflation — resources lose meaning | Add sinks (repair costs, consumables, upgrades) |
| Sinks > Taps | Deflation — players feel starved | Add taps or reduce sink costs |
| Taps = Sinks | Equilibrium — but can feel flat | Add variance (jackpots, costly upgrades) |
MLP rule: One tap, one sink, one resource. Prove the decision is interesting before adding more.
(see economy-design/frameworks.md for Taps & Sinks detail, Economy Flow Mapping, Progression Curves, Loot & Reward Planning)(see economy-design/balance.md for Balance Heuristics, Design-Phase Validation, Economy Anti-Patterns)(see economy-design/genre-patterns.md for Roguelike, Idle, Tower Defense, RPG, Survival patterns + Dual→Full Economy Scaling)(see design-frameworks → Core Loop Design)(see scoping → MLP Scoping Process)(see playtesting)(see antipatterns)(see scenario-walkthrough → The 5-Beat Structure)(see difficulty-design → Challenge Types)(see content-planning)(see mechanics-palette)