ARTICLE

Session Logs - 2026-02-07

Sessions 1-7 - Project foundation, exploration mechanics, character system, and first card tables

2026-02-07

Updated Chef.md with full character sheet structure and how-to-play guidance
Updated all 5 specialist documents: Forager, Butcher, Host, Pastry Chef, Food Scientist
Designed dual-specialist system: Focused specialists (+2 one stat) vs Hybrid specialists (+1 two stats)
Focused specialists: Forager (+2 Foraging), Butcher (+2 Combat), Host (+2 Social)
Hybrid specialists: Pastry Chef (+1 Foraging, +1 Social), Food Scientist (+1 Combat, +1 Foraging)
All characters include: identity, exploration stats, example builds, cooking section (TBD), how to play, strengths/weaknesses, tips, example characters
Updated Character Mechanics.md to document dual-specialist structure
Character System Priority 1 tasks now 90% complete (only cooking specialties remain, blocked by cooking mechanics design)
Ready to design Cooking Phase mechanics next

Created Character Sheet Design.md defining individual character sheet contents
Created Restaurant Sheet Design.md defining shared party resource sheet
Designed dual reputation system (individual reputation + restaurant star rating)
Separated individual progression (personal stats, wages, reputation) from shared resources (inventory, restaurant fund, equipment)
Two-sheet system works for solo (1 char + restaurant) and group (multiple chars + 1 restaurant)
Cooking stats section marked as TBD (blocked by cooking mechanics design)
Ready to create Chef character document next

Created Character Mechanics.md as canonical source for character system (stats, point-buy, resolution)
Updated 19 files to link to Character Mechanics instead of duplicating information
Enhanced game-focus skill to emphasize wiki philosophy (link don’t duplicate, check for duplication)
Updated all exploration documents (Phase, Mechanics, Resolution, Card System)
Updated all 4 card tables (Hearts, Diamonds, Spades, Clubs) to reference new stat system
Updated character files (Forager, Butcher, Host) with new stats and links
Flagged Food Scientist and Pastry Chef specialties for redefinition (Discovery/Puzzles removed)
Vault now follows wiki principle: each concept lives in ONE place, others link to it
Ready to create Chef character document next session

Reconsidered character system approach multiple times to balance simplicity with player agency
Defined rolling system for group play: group discusses and decides who rolls based on narrative
Anyone can attempt any roll, specialists get bonuses in their specialty
Defined Chef as baseline character: no specialty bonuses, required in all games, narrative value (it’s their restaurant)
Changed session structure from time-based to percentage-based (40% exploration, 30% cooking, 15% review, 15% progression)
Session length now varies (30-60 min) based on grid size and player count
Simplified to 3 exploration stats: Foraging, Combat, Social (removed Discovery and Puzzles)
Point-buy system: Specialists get 2 points to distribute + automatic +2 in specialty (4 total); Chef gets 4 points to distribute (4 total)
Decided to focus on exploration stats first, defer cooking stats until cooking mechanics are designed
Resolution: d20 + stat bonus
Character System now In Progress (20% - up from 5%)
Next up: Create Chef character document, then define remaining 5 specialists

Completed Clubs (environmental events) numbered card table (Ace-10)
Completed Hearts (proteins/mains) numbered card table (Ace-10)
Completed Diamonds (vegetables/sides) numbered card table (Ace-10)
Designed two d20 resolution systems: Narrative (for encounters) and Quantity (for foraging)
Created shared complication/bonus tables for Nat 1s and Nat 20s
Added Spades d20 resolution mechanics (was missing)
Reorganized card system into modular file structure (6 separate files)
Exploration Phase now 70% complete (up from 30%)
Overall game progress: 25% complete (up from 15%)
Next up: Movement rules and remaining Exploration Phase tasks

Corrected “Locked-In Decisions” to separate framework approaches from completed mechanics
Moved Character System implementation to Priority 1 (was incorrectly marked as locked/complete)
Updated Cooking Phase status from “In Progress (40%)” to “Not Started (10% - framework only)”
Updated Review Phase status from “Ready (20%)” to “Not Started (5% - framework only)”
Corrected Progress Tracking percentages to reflect actual completion (Overall: 15% not 40%)
Clarified that only CONCEPTS are locked, actual mechanics are NOT designed
Identified Character System as Priority 1 blocker (need character details before cooking mechanics)

Completed Spades (social encounters) numbered card table (Ace-10)
Split Exploration Phase Mechanics into modular wiki documents
Created: Exploration Grid and Movement, Exploration Card System, Exploration Resolution
Updated game-focus skill with vault wiki structure guidelines and session wrap-up protocol
Removed Design Status from individual documents (centralized in Decision Log)
Next up: Clubs environmental events table