settled-reach/docs/workshops/wiki-review/round1-tracking.md

Wiki Review Workshop — Round 1 Tracking Document

Compiled by: Qatux (Documenter) Date: 2026-02-12 Status: Round 1 complete. Cataloging proposals, tensions, and open questions for Round 2.

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Proposal Registry

Topic 1: Direction Check

#	Proposal	Author	Support	Status
P-01	Name the theme: the game is about complicity, not just asymmetric information. Add thematic framing to wiki index.	Gore	—	For Round 2
P-02	Add "Thematic Question" field to NPC profiles — each character's answer to "Is this enough?" Authoring guidance, not mechanical.	Gore	—	For Round 2
P-03	Elevate contaminated trust as the normal condition of community life, not just a post-arc endpoint.	Gore	—	For Round 2
P-04	Strengthen Triangle 1 (Hub Power) — add concrete smuggler decision moment (Nils volume escalation: side with Nils / side with Voss / split the difference).	Gestalt	Paula (flagged T1/Nils as weak)	For Round 2
P-05	Make Torek's ring connection randomizable per seed in Triangle 3 (Bar Tensions).	Gestalt	Nigel (general randomization advocacy)	For Round 2
P-06	Consider making Nils partially present in v0.1 — even one comm call would strengthen T1.	Gestalt	Paula (wants Nils stub page)	For Round 2
P-07	Add smuggler-specific entity attribute keys to achieve parity with detective investigation vocabulary: operational_reliability, exposure_risk, loyalty_assessment, leverage_held, social_debt.	Paula	Gore (smuggler lens = complicity)	High priority
P-08	Create stub wiki pages for off-stage referenced NPCs (Nils at minimum).	Paula	Gestalt (Nils presence)	Medium priority
P-09	Normalize Tier 2 depth — all 10 Tier 2 NPCs should hit the same quality bar.	Paula	Ozzie (Tier 3 soul gap)	Medium priority
P-10	Flesh out Olin with actual backstory and motivation to strengthen Triangle 3.	Paula	Gestalt (T3 ambiguity is load-bearing)	Medium priority
P-11	Write smuggler-perspective FactId progression text for facts where smuggler starts at KnowsDetails.	Paula	—	Medium priority
P-12	Sera needs one unprompted composure-crack moment early — a half-sentence where control slips.	Ozzie	—	For Round 2
P-13	Tier 3 NPCs (Renn, Tav, Drin) need more emotional presence — "furniture that talks" currently.	Ozzie	—	For Round 2
P-14	Style guide must mandate a "gut-check line" per NPC — one voice sample that makes you pause when read aloud.	Ozzie	—	For Round 2

Topic 2: Style Guides

#	Proposal	Author	Support	Status
P-15	Hard mechanical requirements table (10 constraints) for NPC profiles — engine will break without these.	Gestalt	—	High priority
P-16	Structured YAML routine block alongside prose in wiki for engine consumption.	Gestalt	—	For Round 2
P-17	Per-tier validation checklist (Tier 1: 7 items, Tier 2: 7 items, Tier 3: 5 items).	Gestalt	Paula (template formalization)	High priority
P-18	Formalized Tier 1/2/3 templates as standalone style guide documents.	Paula	Gestalt (checklist)	High priority
P-19	7 implicit conventions made explicit (voice mood count, dual-lens format, cross-refs, relationship depth, contradiction arc scope, header format, monologue counts).	Paula	Mellanie (similar gaps found)	High priority
P-20	Location shortcode table — one canonical ID prefix per location, enforced in YAML.	Mellanie	—	High priority
P-21	Freeform tag vocabulary — living list, reviewed, prevents divergent naming.	Mellanie	—	High priority
P-22	Standardize dual-lens note format — one sentence per character, imperative voice.	Mellanie	Paula (format varies)	Medium priority
P-23	Extract voice cards per character — 5-10 reference lines showing register, vocabulary, sentence length.	Mellanie	—	Medium priority
P-24	Prerequisite validation in content pipeline — schema check against fact catalog.	Mellanie	Tyre (validation pipeline)	High priority
P-25	Standardize mood list usage — simultaneous emotional states only, not alternatives.	Mellanie	—	Medium priority

Topic 3: Regional Style Guide + Van Maanen's Star

#	Proposal	Author	Support	Status
P-26	Regional style guide template (6 sections: Heritage Profile, Naming Conventions, Language Echoes, Aesthetic Markers, Social Structure, 180-Year Drift).	Miri	—	Ready for adoption
P-27	Van Maanen's Star regional brief — Nordic-Baltic heritage, fully specified for v0.1.	Miri	—	Ready for adoption
P-28	Cultural identity as mechanical resistance — regional style guides must include social norms toward authority, privacy expectations, loyalty structures, shared silence.	Gore	Miri (social structure section aligns)	Consensus forming
P-29	All NPCs get canonical full names — stored in Core Identity, surface in institutional contexts.	Paula	Miri (family name heritage pool provided)	Consensus forming
P-30	Document phonological naming rules — syllable count, consonant preferences, vowel preferences, family name patterns.	Paula	Miri (phonetic signature defined)	Ready to merge
P-31	Break name-as-tier-signal — surface full names for 2-3 lower-tier NPCs in natural contexts.	Paula	—	Medium priority
P-32	Environmental text type catalog — 8 types, ~65-90 items for v0.1.	Mellanie	—	For Round 2
P-33	"Regional brief first" gating workflow — no content for new regions until cultural brief approved.	Miri	Mellanie (brief was blocking dependency)	For Round 2

Topic 4: Wiki Taxonomy

#	Proposal	Author	Support	Status
P-34	Max 2 levels of spatial nesting for locations: locations/{system}/{slug}.md.	Tyre	—	For Round 2
P-35	NPCs flat until collision — disambiguate with -{district} suffix only when needed.	Tyre	—	For Round 2
P-36	World hierarchy flat with cross-references — spatial hierarchy in content, not directory.	Tyre	—	For Round 2
P-37	Filesystem is navigation, not identity — unique identity in YAML frontmatter, not paths.	Tyre	Miri (canonical_id convention)	Consensus forming
P-38	canonical_id convention in wiki frontmatter for collision-safe cross-referencing (e.g., van-maanens-star.sova.transit.the-terminal).	Miri	Tyre (identity in frontmatter)	Consensus forming
P-39	Add cultural-groups/ section to wiki index + create van-maanens-star-system.md as first entry.	Miri	—	Ready for adoption

Topic 5: Content Directory + Moddability

#	Proposal	Author	Support	Status
P-40	Three-layer content stack: base content/ → content/dlc/ → mods/.	Tyre	—	For Round 2
P-41	content/ directory structure with global/ and districts/ top-level split.	Tyre	Gestalt (similar, used _global/)	For Round 2 — see Tension T-02
P-42	Three overlay operations: ADD (new file), REPLACE (entity), MERGE (line pools).	Tyre	—	For Round 2
P-43	Schema per content type (_schema/ directory), not one monolithic schema.	Tyre	Gestalt (validation checklist aligns)	Consensus forming
P-44	Validation at three points: author-time CLI, CI, load-time.	Tyre	Mellanie (prerequisite validation)	Consensus forming
P-45	Hot-reload for line pools (dev-only, notify crate, #[cfg(feature = "dev")]).	Tyre	—	v0.2 scope
P-46	pool_eligible field on NPCs — randomizer can include/exclude per seed.	Nigel	—	For Round 2
P-47	Template role slots (N regulars, M staff, K outsiders per social site) — modders fill slots, randomizer draws from pools.	Nigel	Gestalt (template model)	For Round 2
P-48	Content pack manifest structure with extends, adds, overrides declarations.	Nigel	Tyre (manifest.yaml)	Consensus forming

Topic 6: Randomizer, PC Briefs, Proc-gen

#	Proposal	Author	Support	Status
P-49	THE FRIEND is never procedurally generated. Write authored pool, randomize selection.	Gore	Nigel (pool concept)	Consensus — see T-01 for pool size
P-50	PC-as-NPC requires authored relationship stubs — Tier 2 minimum for all connections, Tier 1 for FRIEND.	Gore	Gestalt (reverse knowledge), Paula (conversion checklist)	High priority
P-51	Proc-gen varies context, not content. Authored emotional core stays fixed; surroundings shift.	Gore	—	For Round 2
P-52	Full PC-as-NPC upgrade pipeline — 16-axis data transfer table, 8 generated-at-upgrade fields, reverse knowledge entries.	Gestalt	Paula (conversion process aligns)	High priority
P-53	Starting FactId confidence table + Starting RelationshipState table required for PC-upgradable NPCs.	Gestalt	Paula (starting knowledge)	High priority
P-54	Reverse knowledge entries — what each related NPC knows about the PC, read bidirectionally from relationship data.	Gestalt	—	Critical insight
P-55	Three randomization axes: (1) WHO is FRIEND, (2) WHAT is contraband, (3) WHO is compromised.	Nigel	—	For Round 2
P-56	Contraband moral shuffle — primary contraband varies per seed from pool (lattice / medical / severance / mixed).	Nigel	—	For Round 2 — see T-06
P-57	Network shuffle — conspiracy roles (compromised inspector, schedule manipulator, etc.) assigned to different NPCs per seed.	Nigel	—	For Round 2
P-58	NPC-format briefs for both v0.1 PCs (smuggler + detective).	Paula	Gestalt (upgrade pipeline needs this)	High priority
P-59	"PC Upgrade" appendix on every Tier 1/Tier 2 NPC profile template.	Paula	Gestalt (archetype templates)	High priority
P-60	NPC → PC conversion checklist for content authors.	Paula	Gestalt (pipeline spec)	High priority
P-61	Never tell backstory directly — discover through NPC reactions, monologue, environmental knowledge, social knowledge.	Ozzie	—	Design principle
P-62	First 60 seconds must feel like "walking into Cheers" — NPCs greet PC with warmth, history, inside jokes.	Ozzie	Gore (authored relationship stubs)	Design principle

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Key Tensions Requiring Round 2 Resolution

T-01: FRIEND Pool Size and v0.1 Scope

Agents: Gore, Nigel, Gestalt

The tension:

• Gore proposes 4-6 FRIEND-eligible NPCs per district, all at Tier 1 authored depth. Each ~70-100 lines. Selection randomized, content never generated.
• Nigel proposes 2-3 FRIEND candidates per character at launch, with architecture supporting more.
• Gestalt maps the upgrade pipeline with bidirectional knowledge but doesn't specify pool size.
• Unresolved: Does v0.1 ship with 1 FRIEND per character (Kael + Sera, as currently authored) with pool architecture ready? Or do we author additional FRIEND candidates for v0.1?
• Content cost: Each additional FRIEND = ~70-100 authored lines at Tier 1 depth. 2 additional FRIENDs = ~140-200 lines = significant Sprint 3 scope.

Consensus: THE FRIEND is always authored, never proc-gen. Pool-based selection is the architecture. Pool size and v0.1 scope need a decision.

T-02: Content Directory Naming (global/ vs _global/, lines/ vs separate dirs)

Agents: Tyre, Gestalt

The tension:

• Tyre: global/ (no prefix), _schema/ and _meta/ with underscore for infra. lines/ subdirectory for dialogue+monologue.
• Gestalt: _global/ with underscore prefix. Separate dialogue/ and monologue/ directories.
• Both agree on districts/ as atomic content unit.
• Minor naming difference, but affects tooling paths, mod documentation, and every content reference.

Needs: One decision, either works. Tyre's global/ is more conventional; Gestalt's _global/ sorts infrastructure to top.

T-03: Kael/Hael Sonic Collision

Agents: Paula, Miri

The tension:

• Paula flags Kael/Hael as one letter apart — potential confusion in dialogue, monologue, and player memory.
• Miri's Van Maanen's Star naming brief includes both names as valid Van Maanen's Star phonology (short, consonant-heavy, -el ending).
• Changing either name has cascade effects (Kael appears in ~10+ files, Hael in ~5+).
• Unresolved: Is this a real usability problem, or acceptable cultural texture? If a problem, which name changes?

T-04: Smuggler Lens Gap

Agents: Paula, Gore, Gestalt

The tension:

• Paula: Wiki is detective-shaped. Investigation attributes are well-defined; smuggler operational attributes are not.
• Paula proposes 5 new smuggler-specific entity attribute keys.
• Gore frames this thematically: smuggler lens = complicity, detective lens = judgment.
• Gestalt hasn't yet mapped these proposed attributes to the ECS data model.
• Needs Round 2: Gestalt to validate Paula's proposed attributes map cleanly to EntityKnowledge, or propose alternatives.

T-05: Triangle 1 (Hub Power) and the Nils Problem

Agents: Gestalt, Paula

The tension:

• Both independently flag T1 as the weakest triangle.
• Gestalt: smuggler role is passive ("wants everyone to calm down" is not a decision). Proposes Nils volume escalation as concrete fork.
• Paula: Nils referenced in 5+ profiles but has no wiki page. Risk of contradictory characterizations.
• Gestalt also proposes making Nils partially present (comm call).
• Needs Round 2: Agree on T1 strengthening approach. Nils stub page seems consensus. Comm call presence and decision moment need design validation.

T-06: Randomizer Scope for v0.1

Agents: Nigel, Gore, Tyre, Gestalt

The tension:

• Nigel proposes three randomization axes (FRIEND identity, contraband type, compromised NPCs) with evidence placement variation.
• Gore endorses FRIEND pool but says proc-gen must vary context not content.
• Tyre scopes v0.1 content pipeline as "directory structure + YAML parser + basic schema validation (1 sprint)." No mod overlay, no hot-reload. Randomization support is implicit but not specified.
• The question: Does v0.1 implement seed-based variation, or just build the architecture that supports it? Nigel's proposals are mechanically exciting but significantly expand v0.1 scope if implemented immediately.
• Nigel's contraband moral shuffle is particularly scope-heavy — different contraband types require different FactId progressions, different dialogue flavor, different NPC attitudes.

T-07: Wiki Structure vs Content Directory Structure

Agents: Tyre, Miri, Gestalt

The tension:

• Miri proposes wiki restructure to star-systems/{system}/station-X/.../ deep nesting with characters/ flat.
• Tyre proposes wiki keeps current shallow structure (locations/{system}/slug.md, npcs/ flat).
• Both agree content directory (content/) uses districts/ as atomic unit.
• Current wiki already has: locations/van-maanens-star-system/, npcs/, world/ — closer to Tyre's proposal.
• Miri's proposal references D-040 (which I note doesn't exist in the current decisions directory — this may be a forward reference or error).
• Needs clarification: Is Miri proposing a wiki restructure or describing a future state? Does D-040 exist?

T-08: Tier 3 Emotional Depth vs Scope

Agents: Ozzie, Paula, Gestalt

The tension:

• Ozzie: Renn, Tav, Drin are "furniture that talks" — need soul.
• Paula: Tier 3 is defined as sketch/minimal (3 axes, 1 voice hint, 10-15 lines). Olin specifically needs backstory.
• D-023/D-029: Tier 3 is explicitly "procedural filler with systemic hooks." ~30% of NPCs are truly flat.
• The question: Can Tier 3 NPCs have emotional presence without becoming Tier 2? Or should some current Tier 3s be promoted? Drin is already doing Tier 2 narrative work (Triangle 2, Triangle 5, compromised by Harek).
• Ozzie's "gut-check line" proposal (P-14) is a low-cost middle ground — one memorable line doesn't require full Tier 2 depth.

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Emerging Consensus (Likely Decisions)

#	Topic	Consensus	Confidence	Supporters
C-01	THE FRIEND is never proc-gen	Authored pool, randomized selection	High	Gore, Nigel, Gestalt, Paula
C-02	All NPCs need canonical full names	Store in Core Identity, surface in institutional contexts	High	Paula, Miri
C-03	Regional style guide template	Adopt Miri's 6-section template	High	Miri, Gore, Mellanie
C-04	Van Maanen's Star regional brief	Adopt Miri's Nordic-Baltic brief as canonical	High	Miri (author), Mellanie (unblocked)
C-05	Formalized tier templates	Paula's Tier 1/2/3 templates + Gestalt's mechanical checklists	High	Paula, Gestalt, Mellanie
C-06	Content directory: global/ + districts/	Both Tyre and Gestalt converge on this split	High	Tyre, Gestalt
C-07	Schema per content type	Per-type schemas, not monolithic	High	Tyre, Gestalt
C-08	Identity in frontmatter, not paths	canonical_id or equivalent in YAML frontmatter	High	Tyre, Miri
C-09	Location shortcode table	One canonical ID per location	High	Mellanie, Tyre
C-10	Smuggler needs own knowledge vocabulary	Parity with detective investigation attributes	High	Paula, Gore
C-11	Triangle 1 needs strengthening	Nils stub page + concrete smuggler decision moment	High	Gestalt, Paula
C-12	PC-as-NPC requires explicit specs	Starting knowledge tables, reverse knowledge, conversion checklist	High	Gestalt, Paula, Gore, Ozzie
C-13	Regional brief gates content creation	No NPC/dialogue/env text until cultural brief approved	High	Miri, Mellanie
C-14	Backstory through discovery, not exposition	NPC reactions + monologue reveal PC history organically	High	Ozzie, Gore

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Open Questions for Round 2

#	Question	Raised By	Needs Input From
Q-W01	Does v0.1 ship with 1 FRIEND per character (Kael/Sera) or do we author additional pool candidates?	Gore/Nigel	Project lead (scope decision)
Q-W02	global/ vs _global/ prefix for content directory?	Tyre vs Gestalt	Project lead (convention call)
Q-W03	Is Kael/Hael sonic collision a real usability problem? Should either name change?	Paula	Mellanie (authoring impact), Ozzie (player confusion)
Q-W04	Does v0.1 implement seed-based randomization or just the architecture for it?	Nigel	Project lead + Tyre (scope)
Q-W05	Does D-040 exist? Miri references it for wiki taxonomy but it's not in current decisions directory.	Qatux	Miri
Q-W06	Should some Tier 3 NPCs be promoted to Tier 2? (Drin does Tier 2 narrative work.)	Ozzie	Gestalt (mechanical impact), project lead
Q-W07	lines/ (Tyre) vs separate dialogue/ + monologue/ (Gestalt) for content subdirectory?	Tyre vs Gestalt	Project lead (convention call)
Q-W08	What is the district or template atomic content pack unit for modding?	Tyre	Gestalt, Nigel
Q-W09	Should modder-added line pools have weighting/caps to prevent NPC voice drowning?	Tyre	Gestalt, Nigel
Q-W10	Should location shortcodes match wiki slugs or use abbreviated forms?	Tyre	Mellanie, Paula
Q-W11	Is Torek's ring connection always authored (one answer) or randomizable per seed?	Gestalt	Nigel, project lead

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Per-Agent Proposal Counts

Agent	Proposals	Topics Addressed	Key Contributions
Gore	7 (P-01 through P-03, P-49 through P-51, P-28)	1, 3, 6	Thematic spine (complicity), FRIEND never proc-gen, cultural identity as mechanical resistance
Gestalt	9 (P-04 through P-06, P-15 through P-17, P-41, P-52 through P-54)	1, 2, 5, 6	Triangle analysis, mechanical requirements, content directory, PC upgrade pipeline
Paula	12 (P-07 through P-11, P-18, P-19, P-29 through P-31, P-58 through P-60)	1, 2, 3, 6	Smuggler lens gap, tier templates, naming analysis, PC conversion
Miri	5 (P-26, P-27, P-33, P-38, P-39)	3, 4	Regional style guide template + Van Maanen's Star brief, canonical_id, growth planning
Ozzie	5 (P-12 through P-14, P-61, P-62)	1, 6	Emotional gut-checks, NPC soul assessment, PC-as-NPC wow moments
Mellanie	8 (P-20 through P-25, P-32, P-25)	2, 3	Authoring conventions, location shortcodes, environmental text catalog
Nigel	5 (P-46 through P-48, P-55 through P-57)	5, 6	Mod pool_eligible, template role slots, three randomization axes
Tyre	8 (P-34 through P-37, P-40, P-42 through P-45)	4, 5	Taxonomy rules, content directory architecture, mod overlay mechanics

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Notable Quotes (For SUMMARY.md)

• Gore on complicity: "Every character in Sova Transit District is complicit in something. [...] The player becomes complicit in whatever they choose. Watching IS participating."
• Gore on Hael: "Hael [...] is the emotional fulcrum of the entire vertical slice. One person who never touches the conspiracy is the person the conspiracy most damages."
• Ozzie on Hael: "Not Kael, not Sera — HAEL. The partner sitting in the bar, checking the door every time it opens. [...] THAT'S the game."
• Paula on detective bias: "The smuggler's content pipeline is systematically under-served compared to the detective's."
• Gestalt on T1: "The smuggler's role is 'caught between' — but what do they DO?"
• Miri on naming drift: "Nobody decided Van Maanen's Star names should be short and consonant-heavy. But when Finnish, Estonian, and Latvian naming traditions blend in a working-class logistics culture that values directness, compression happens naturally."
• Mellanie on blocking dependency: "I don't have a regional style brief to write against. [...] The brief is my blocking dependency."
• Nigel on mods as replayability: "Mods are replayability we don't have to build."
• Ozzie on the wow moment: "The wow moment isn't 'I read my backstory.' The wow moment is 'I HAVE a backstory and I'm discovering it the way I'd discover a real place — by living in it.'"
• Gore on proc-gen: "Procedural generation amplifies authored content only when the authored content is the emotional core and the procedural content is the context that reframes it."

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62 proposals tracked. 8 tensions identified. 11 open questions for Round 2. 14 emerging consensus items.