Hoop Dynasty - The Off-Season

The off-season is a distinct phase between seasons. It is not an extension of the between-game loop — it has its own chapter structure, its own decision economy, and its own stakes. Where the between-game loop is about managing a season in motion, the off-season is about shaping the next one.

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1. Influence and the Card Economy

1.1 Reputation as the Driver

The coach’s reputation — accumulated across seasons through results, player development, and legacy achievements — is the primary determinant of off-season agency. It is not a permission gate. It is a card economy multiplier: higher reputation means more cards available across every off-season chapter, and a richer context-gated decision pool during the in-season between-game loop.

A low-reputation coach can still sign free agents, influence contract decisions, and shape the roster — they simply have fewer actions to do it with. Every decision carries more weight.

The same reputation-driven card economy applies in-season: a Franchise Coach draws from a richer between-game decision pool than a New Coach managing the same situation.

1.2 The Contract Sets the Season’s Influence Tier

The signed coaching contract translates reputation into a concrete influence tier for the coming season. Contract terms are not about money — they reflect roster authority, draft involvement, scheme autonomy, and perceived success horizon.

Three influence tiers:

Tier	Context	Off-season card economy	In-season card economy
New Coach	Prove-it deal, first season at a franchise, or post-reputation-hit	Minimum card pool; inherited roster has fixed elements the coach cannot immediately change	Restricted between-game decision pool
Established Coach	Multi-year deal, mid-reputation, standard front-office relationship	Standard card pool; full draft involvement; meaningful free agent agency	Standard between-game decision pool
Franchise Coach	Long-term deal, high reputation, high front-office authority	Expanded card pool; maximum roster agency; early free agent access; bonus scouting actions	Enriched between-game decision pool

1.3 Prestige vs. Control

A coaching offer’s influence tier does not always match the coach’s reputation tier. High-prestige contenders with established front offices may offer Established Coach authority to a Franchise Coach-reputation coach — they are not ceding full control. Rebuilding teams offer Franchise Coach authority as an incentive to attract strong candidates.

This creates a genuine contract decision: prestige vs. control. A coach who wants to run their system takes the rebuild. A coach chasing a championship takes the contender and accepts the constraints.

The coaching free agency screen presents 2–3 offers simultaneously (established in 2-season-structure.md). Each offer displays the team, the perceived success horizon, and the influence tier — but not the full detail of the off-season card pool until the contract is signed.

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2. Off-Season Chapter Structure

The off-season runs as a guided chapter sequence. Each chapter has a fast lane (mandatory decisions only) and an optional depth layer (additional actions available from the chapter’s card pool, governed by influence tier). Chapters advance when mandatory decisions are resolved; optional actions expire when the chapter closes.

Chapter 0 — Coaching Contract

Mandatory: Select one of 2–3 incoming coaching offers, or re-sign with the current team if an offer was made.

This is the first resolved event of the off-season. Everything that follows — roster authority, draft involvement, card pool depth — flows from the signed contract.

The prior team is one possible offer but not guaranteed (established in 2-season-structure.md). The coach sees pending offers before the last games of the season, making late-season results mechanically meaningful — a strong playoff run may upgrade an offer’s influence tier before the off-season formally begins.

Sets: Influence tier for all subsequent chapters and the coming season’s between-game loop.

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Chapter 1 — Season Debrief

Mandatory: Review is presented automatically — no decisions required.

Content:

• Key narrative moments from the season (narrator voice highlights)
• Season-level Heat history per player (who ran hot, who regressed)
• Morale outcomes and their carry-over implications
• Reputation delta — how the season shifted the coach’s standing
• Legacy achievements unlocked (Identity Card unlocks triggered)

Optional depth (influence-gated):

• Detailed per-player stat review
• Rival team season summary (standings, notable trajectories)

The debrief is informational, not decisional. It sets the context for every chapter that follows.

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Chapter 2 — Contract Resolution

The coach and front office decide the fate of every player with an expiring contract.

Mandatory: For each expiring contract, a decision is required:

• Retain — offer a new contract; player may accept, negotiate, or decline based on morale, market interest, and fit. See 12-contract-resolution.md.
• Release — player enters the waiver pool immediately
• Let expire — player enters free agency at chapter end; rival teams can sign them

Optional depth (influence-gated):

Action	New Coach	Established Coach	Franchise Coach
View player’s full season Heat history before deciding	No	Yes	Yes
Negotiate contract terms (affects player morale and retention probability)	No	Limited	Full
Identify which rival teams are interested in your expiring players	No	No	Yes

New Coach constraint: Some contracts may already be resolved by the front office before the coach’s involvement — inherited fixed decisions. The number of pre-resolved contracts decreases as influence tier increases.

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Chapter 3 — Draft

The annual draft class enters the league. The coach selects from available prospects in draft order.

Structure: Defined in 7-draft-and-scouting.md. Draft event UI is an open question (board vs. crisis-style). Undrafted players enter the free agent pool at chapter end.

Influence-gated actions within chapter:

Action	New Coach	Established Coach	Franchise Coach
Pre-draft scouting actions (progressive reveal)	1	2–3	4+
View rival teams’ draft tendencies	No	No	Yes
"The Eye" Identity Card (free hidden tag per pick)	If slotted	If slotted	If slotted

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Chapter 4 — Free Agent Signing

The open free agent pool — including undrafted players, waived players, and unsigned veterans — is available for signing.

Mandatory: None. This chapter is fully optional but time-sensitive.

Soft pressure: High-value free agents have a signing window. If the coach does not make an offer within a certain number of chapter actions, rival teams sign them. The window is visible — the player can see which agents are attracting rival interest. There is no hard timer; pressure advances by action count, not real time.

Influence-gated signing slots:

Tier	Signing actions available
New Coach	1–2
Established Coach	3–4
Franchise Coach	5+ plus early access to the pool before rival teams

Scouting before signing: Free agents are partially-obscured dossiers (same model as draft prospects in 7-draft-and-scouting.md). Scouting actions within this chapter reveal more of a target’s card before committing a signing slot.

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Chapter 5 — Roster Construction

With contracts resolved and new signings complete, the coach sets the roster structure for the coming season.

Mandatory:

• Set the depth chart (starting five + rotation order)
• Assign player roles (primary ball handler, defensive anchor, sixth man, etc.) — roles feed into scheme fit and morale expectations. See 11-role-assignment.md.

Optional depth (influence-gated):

• Waiver claims — pick up recently released players who became available after free agency
• Review role assignments against scheme fit (attribute and tag compatibility surfaced)

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Chapter 6 — Pre-Season Setup

The final chapter before the new season begins. This is where the coach’s identity for the season is locked in.

Mandatory:

• Slot 3 Identity Cards from the career library (locked for the season once confirmed)
• Select opening scheme
• Build the opening situation card pool (~15–20 cards selected from available pool; 5 will be chosen pre-game each game)

Optional depth:

• Review Identity Card interactions with current roster (does "Player Whisperer" have a target? Does "System Prophet" unlock a scheme the roster fits?)
• Deliberate situation card pool construction — considering known opponent tendencies from scouting

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3. Off-Season Summary

Chapter 0  Coaching Contract      → sets influence tier for everything that follows
Chapter 1  Season Debrief         → informational; sets context
Chapter 2  Contract Resolution    → retain / release / let expire expiring contracts
Chapter 3  Draft                  → draft class selection; undrafted pool opens
Chapter 4  Free Agent Signing     → sign from open pool; soft rival pressure
Chapter 5  Roster Construction    → depth chart, role assignments, waiver claims
Chapter 6  Pre-Season Setup       → Identity Cards, scheme, situation card pool

Each chapter has a fast lane (mandatory decisions only) and an optional depth layer governed by the coach’s influence tier. The off-season is completable quickly for a casual session; meaningful engagement is always available for a player who wants it.

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4. Open Questions

Question	Notes
Draft event UI	Board vs. crisis-style. Deferred. See 7-draft-and-scouting.md.
Influence tier thresholds	At what reputation scores does the coach cross from New Coach to Established to Franchise? Needs calibration once reputation scoring is designed.
Waiver timing	Waivers are available in Chapter 5 but also mid-season. Is there a distinction between off-season waivers and in-season waivers in terms of available pool or influence cost?
Negotiation card vocabulary	Chapter 2 negotiation card contents (names, costs, effect magnitudes). Deferred to card design pass. See 12-contract-resolution.md.