Hoop Dynasty - Game Concept
This document captures the core game concept as resolved through a structured design interview. It supersedes all earlier open questions on genre and mechanics. The narration system defined in 3-storyline.md remains in full effect and is not repeated here.
This document covers genre identity and the protagonist frame — the foundational layer from which all other design follows. The remaining design is split across companion documents:
- 2-season-structure.md — the roguelite season arc, roster churn, and coaching free agency
- 3-game-loop.md — the exhibition game simulation, Heat system, court display, crisis layer, and blowout mode
- 4-between-games.md — the post/pre-game sequence, context-gated decisions, and scouting
- 5-card-systems.md — all four card types and their unified visual language
- 0-design-notes.md — resolved design tensions and open questions
1. Genre Identity
Section titled “1. Genre Identity”Primary genre: Basketball Coaching Roguelite.
The game is a roguelite first. The season is the run. The coaching career is the meta-progression. The card systems (coaching toolkit, player development) are features of the roguelite, not the primary genre framing.
“A basketball coaching roguelite — build your roster and coaching toolkit across seasons, manage your team through live card-based crisis moments, and watch unique stories emerge from every run.”
Secondary genre influences, in order of structural weight:
- Roguelite — season-as-run structure, meta-progression, natural roster reset through contracts/aging/injury
- Deck Building — card collection and hand construction for the coaching toolkit; compatible development cards per player archetype
- Auto Battler — the live simulation with player-driven crisis intervention; team-as-build tested against opposition
- RPG — coach-as-protagonist with persistent identity, narrative weight, legacy accumulation
2. The Protagonist Frame
Section titled “2. The Protagonist Frame”The player is the coach/GM — a persistent character whose identity, reputation, and toolkit accumulate across seasons and across runs. The coach is not a neutral observer. They are a character with a philosophy, a history, and a legacy.
The team is the run. The coach is the meta-progression.
This resolves the prior tension between single-protagonist RPG focus and ensemble franchise storytelling: the coach is the anchor character, the players and the league are the ensemble. The coach’s decisions are what produce the stories; the players and events are the cast.