05 / The game lab

From panels to play.

Play short games drawn from progression comics, then compare the decisions behind them.

Play the prototypes ↓Compare game mechanics ↗Genre mechanics ↓Title studies ↓Browse game genres →Explore five more game concepts ↗Research from your favorites ↗

Playable prototypes

Carry your equipment, companions or town into a new challenge.

What changes on the next run

Three manga studies on equipment tradeoffs, new routes, and keeping a project alive.

Read the World Trigger, Shangri-La Frontier and Silver Spoon studies

World Trigger

Daisuke Ashihara’s manga treats Trion as a constraint on equipment. Border’s recruit guide describes Raygust as both a heavy blade and a shield. It also describes Bagworm, a cloak that hides its wearer from radar, consumes Trion while active, and cannot operate alongside another Trigger. After a loss in the Rank Wars, Osamu looks for a way to contribute despite his low Trion. Later, the away-mission exam puts his squad through a different kind of test using simulated team battles. VIZ recruit guide, volume 14, volume 25.

Play the tradeoff in The Fracture Engine. On Blackout Relay, the Scanner Jammer lets both specialists cross an arc safely for one turn. Read the affected tiles before you arm it, and plan the following move before the scanner goes dark. Blackout Relay playtest notes.

Shangri-La Frontier

After Sunraku’s party defeats Wethermon, the VR game opens a story chapter earlier than its developers expected. The squad claims its rewards, while Sunraku pursues a separate scenario. Later, Rust and Mordo provide information about a new encounter, sending a different group after Ctarnidd. Much later, the Vorpal Epic sends him into a facility to retrieve a particular set of devices with new equipment. The unlock changes where he goes and what he has to find. Kodansha volume 6, volume 11, volume 23.

Play the tradeoff in Bondbound. A veteran’s memory can open a route in Ash Foundry. Mira reads the Draftways shutters, Tor secures the Crane Span, and Iona finds supplies in the Scrap Flue. Each needs to be in the party to guide it. Foundry playtest notes.

Silver Spoon

At agricultural school, Hachiken discovers that running a pizza party means coordinating ingredients across several disciplines. Later, rejected proposals push him toward part-time work to fund the food business. The time he spends earning money is itself part of getting the project off the ground. The eventual public debut puts its ingredients, customers and potential investors on the same deadline. The earlier project taught him how to make something. The later one tests whether he can support it as a business. Yen Press volume 2, volume 12, volume 14.

Play the tradeoff in The Deed and the Drain. Pledge two or four sacks for Ternford’s day-four fair. A delivery pays in coins and comes out of the grain you need for the winter audit. The Farm Lane approach can save a work shift on a large delivery. Winter Stores playtest notes.

The mechanics are original to the prototypes. The manga studies draw on publisher guides and volume descriptions.

Genres as game rules

Choose a story structure to see the rule, the player’s decision and a small test.

Games inspired by the reading studies

Each design starts with a decision from a specific comic.

Study 01 / Tactics roguelite

Oath of the Last Bone

Draft a binding at the awakening stone, take a contract, and turn fallen enemies into tactical options. If your caster falls, the last bound summon can still carry your life out.

First playable: One dungeon, three awakenings, three summon roles, three rooms and a boss. Aim for a 10–15 minute run.

Playtest question: Do players protect, sacrifice and reposition different summons under pressure?

Study 02 / Reverse tower defense

A Fortress of Broken Rules

You run the fortress. Read the heroes’ playbook, rearrange your defenses, and use diplomacy to give would-be raiders a reason to defect.

First playable: One keep, six room cards, three scripted raids. Let players choose between negotiation and a trap route.

Playtest question: Can players predict an invasion and win by breaking a different rule each time?

Study 03 / Regression tactics

The Ninth Morning

Replay a siege with the forecasts you earned last time. Intervening changes enemy plans, so learning the original script only takes you so far.

First playable: One settlement, three loops, one schedule of events and two rival factions.

Playtest question: Can players explain which event their intervention changed and plan around the new result?

Study 04 / Salvage and logistics sim

Boneworks Guild

Run a salvage crew that happens to be undead. Assign recovery contracts, route workers and manage the cost of keeping the guild operational.

First playable: One workshop, two routes, three worker roles and a handful of timed contracts.

Playtest question: Is it fun to optimize recovery and upkeep when another fight is optional?

From premise to play

Read the chapter research

Open all dossiers ↗

Read how professions are assigned, how a summoner spends resources, and what a returner can learn from a failed timeline.

Research trail

Read for the mechanics

Open the 35-title research dossier ↗