Worthbound Archetype Design Law

Status

Canonical System File
Version: 0.1
Authority Level: System
Depends On:

03-Archetypes/00-Archetype-Overview.md
00-Core/03-Core-Design-Law.md
09-Production/01-MVP-Scope.md

1. Purpose

This file defines the laws that govern archetype design in Worthbound.

Archetypes are not just starting profiles.
They are structured financial life paths.

This file exists to ensure that every archetype:

feels distinct
teaches a different money truth
supports a different win story
remains readable and viable inside the mobile-first MVP

2. Core Archetype Law

An archetype in Worthbound must define:

income level
expense burden
dependent pressure
lifestyle pressure
risk exposure
opportunity access
insurance sensitivity
likely path to passive-income escape

If a so-called archetype does not meaningfully alter these things, it is not a real archetype.

3. Archetype Design Questions

Every archetype must answer these questions:

How does this archetype earn?
What does this archetype owe every cycle?
What kind of disruption hurts this archetype most?
What opportunities appear more naturally for this archetype?
What protection matters most for this archetype?
What trap most often destroys this archetype?
What is this archetype’s most reliable route to escape?
What financial truth does this archetype teach?

These questions are mandatory design filters.

4. Law of Distinct Mastery

Each archetype must support a different mastery pattern.

Examples:

practical compounding
stable asset conversion
expense-control under high income
reserve-based risk play

The player should feel that changing archetypes changes the kind of intelligence the game rewards.

If two archetypes reward the same behavior in the same rhythm, they are too similar.

5. Law of Distinct Traps

Each archetype must also have a different failure pattern.

Examples:

interruption risk
thin-margin exhaustion
comfort stagnation
lifestyle inflation
overextension
volatility collapse

An archetype becomes memorable when the player can describe both:

how it wins
how it fails

6. Law of Asymmetric Starting Position

Archetypes may begin with different:

salary
expenses
cash
debt
dependents
stability
opportunity access

These differences are expected.

The goal is not equal starts.
The goal is viable starts with different stories.

No archetype should feel like:

a joke pick
a tutorial-only pick
a strictly superior choice

7. Law of Early Readability

In the mobile-first MVP, archetype identity must become legible quickly.

Within the early cycles, the player should begin to feel:

what this archetype is good at
what this archetype fears
what kind of choices this archetype prefers

If the player must play half a run before the archetype feels different, the design is too weak for MVP.

8. Law of Protection Relevance

Protection must matter differently by archetype.

Examples:

a Skilled Worker may care more about interruption and health protection
a Corporate Climber may care more about protecting a high-expense structure
an Entrepreneur may care more about income protection and risk buffering

Protection differences help archetypes feel like different lives, not just different paychecks.

9. Law of Opportunity Bias

Each archetype should have a biased opportunity relationship.

This does not always mean exclusive access.
It may also mean:

better odds of seeing certain opportunities
stronger synergy with certain assets
easier entry into certain paths
better payoff from certain decisions

This helps create a lived identity for each archetype.

10. Law of Salary Counterweight

Higher salary must carry meaningful counterweight.

Possible counterweights include:

higher expenses
stronger lifestyle pressure
more expensive mistakes
more tax drag
greater dependency on status maintenance

Lower salary must also have some compensating strengths.

Possible strengths include:

lower overhead
lower inflation pressure
earlier practical wins
cheaper entry into asset-building

This law protects asymmetric balance.

11. Law of One-Sentence Win Story

Every archetype must be explainable with a one-sentence win story.

Examples:

Skilled Worker: build steadily from practical cashflow and side income
Professional: turn stability into disciplined asset ownership
Corporate Climber: convert big income into ownership before lifestyle creep consumes it
Entrepreneur: survive volatility, protect downside, and scale when timing is right

If the archetype cannot be summarized this way, it is not yet clean enough.

12. Law of One-Sentence Money Truth

Every archetype must teach one clear money truth.

Examples:

Skilled Worker: interruption can destroy progress unless skill and protection work together
Professional: stable income becomes powerful only when redirected into assets
Corporate Climber: high income leaks away when spending rises to meet status
Entrepreneur: upside is worthless without reserves and discipline

This teaching truth is part of the archetype’s identity.

13. Law of MVP Containment

For the mobile-first MVP, archetypes must remain contained.

This means:

no excessive subclassing
no large perk trees
no heavy narrative backstory requirements
no complex progression branches
no archetype-specific systems that explode implementation cost

Archetypes should create meaning through system interaction, not content sprawl.

14. Archetype Acceptance Test

A new or revised archetype is acceptable only if all of the following are true:

It changes how the player experiences the loop.
It changes the player’s main pressure pattern.
It changes the player’s likely win route.
It changes the player’s likely failure route.
It changes how protection is valued.
It is readable on mobile.
It does not dominate the rest of the archetype roster.

If these are not true, the archetype needs redesign.

15. Working Summary

An archetype in Worthbound is a playable financial life pattern.

It must shape:

what the player earns
what the player owes
what the player fears
what the player notices
what the player protects
how the player escapes

That is the law.