Design: Token Gaiden v1 — multi-generation Tokegotchi RPG in the Tokade tab

[bjamba]

Docs + design assets only. Captures the design that came out of an extended back-and-forth across all six system layers + sprite system + animation rig.

Terminology

• Tokade — the macOS app (existing brand, unchanged)
• Tokade tab — the new tab (the container; could host other games later)
• Token Gaiden — the v1 game inside the tab (this RPG)
• Tokegotchi — the creature you raise across generations

What this proposes

Token Gaiden is a small RPG fed by real Claude Code telemetry:

• Token consumption ages the Tokegotchi (model-weighted: Opus ×4 faster than Haiku)
• Tool calls drop themed stat items (Bash → STR, Edit → DEX, WebFetch → INT, etc.)
• File edits drop food (HP recovery); skill invocations drop SP potions
• Projects (cwds) become regions, with language-seeded flavor and LoC-step discovery
• Encounters mix passive auto-resolve combat with active turn-based modals (user toggle)
• Two quest flavors: prescriptive NPC quests + implicit system achievements
• Two-track death: peaceful natural death (no revive), HP=0 has a 24h Critical state with Revive Stone
• 30 in-game skills: 20 combat + 10 D&D-style RPG skills for branching dialog
• Bloodline inheritance: 30% peak stats, 100% reputation, partial skills, partial appearance

The long-term score is how many days each Tokegotchi lived, recorded in a Hall of Fame.

What's in the PR

Design docs

• `docs/02-design/TOKADE_TAB.md` — full v1 spec: player experience, tab layout sketch, all six system layers with concrete numbers, 49 v1 cosmetics across 9 slots, sprite + animation system summary
• `docs/adr/0005-token-gaiden-rpg-system.md` — eight architectural decisions: matrix-as-runtime, role-parameterized palette, cosmetic z-order composition, rig-based animation, state persistence, telemetry → game translation, single-game scope, region seeding

Design assets (`design/tokegotchi/`)

• Base sprite SVG at 32×54 with named part groups for animation
• 11 hair styles, 49 cosmetic items (hat / eyewear / shirt / pants / belt / cape / held)
• `compose.py`, `pixelate.swift`, `bake.swift`, `render_matrix.swift`, `render.sh` — the design-time pipeline
• `anatomy-overlay.svg` — region + anchor map for cosmetic authoring
• 36+ reference renders (idle, walk-A, walk-B animation frames + cosmetic variations including the "weird" set)

Implementation plan

After merge, implementation lands on a fresh `productionize/token-gaiden-v1` branch following the file layout in the ADR.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code