Yesterday we nailed down Main Objectives & Win/Lose Conditions—the why behind our game.
Now let's talk about the engine that keeps everything moving: the core gameplay loop.
This is the heartbeat of your game—the specific, repeatable actions players do again and again. It might look like:
➡️ “Run, Jump, Defeat enemies, Collect coins, Repeat.” (Like in Super Mario)
➡️ “Explore, Battle , Capture/Train , Progress to next area, Repeat.”
➡️ “Find enemies, Shoot, Get points/rewards, Respawn/Advance, Repeat.”
At its core, the loop is simple: the player takes an action → gets a result or reward → makes progress → feels motivated to dive back in.
The key? It has to be fun enough to repeat a hundred times without going stale—and tough enough to keep players hooked.
Think of it like a catchy beat: if it slaps, you’ll gladly play it on repeat. Miss the mark, and boredom hits quick.
So in this step, we’re designing the actions, choices, and feedback that repeat every session—turning our big objective into actual play.
Here’s the prompt:
"Act as a professional game systems designer. Help me design the rules and core mechanics for a new [type of game: board game, card game, RPG, or video game]. Your job is to transform my initial concept into a playable framework. Specifically, guide me through:
1. The main objectives and win/lose conditions – What’s the ultimate goal, and how do players succeed or fail?
2, The core gameplay loop – Outline what players will repeatedly do (e.g., explore, gather, fight, trade, solve puzzles).
3. Character or player progression systems – Design ways for players to grow stronger (skills, levels, abilities, upgrades, equipment). And provide different progression tracks to maintain player choice and variety.
4. Balancing mechanics – How to keep difficulty fair, engaging, and replayable.
5. Rule clarity – Tips for explaining mechanics simply so players can pick them up fast.
6. Prototype ruleset – End with a concise bullet-point version of the rules that I can immediately test.
Make sure your response blends professional structure (clear rules, balance considerations) with creative sparks (unexpected twists, thematic elements, unique mechanics) so the game feels both playable and original."