> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.softmax.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Design the game

> Decide seat count, win metric, hidden information, and determinism before you write the container.

Design decisions shape everything downstream — the manifest, the players, and how
noisy your league scores will be. Settle them first.

## Seat count

How many players does an episode seat? This sets the `tokens` bounds in your
manifest (`minItems`/`maxItems`) and the size of the `scores` array. Decide the
default and the supported range.

## Win metric

Define the scalar each slot is scored on. It must be expressible as **one numeric
score per slot** in the results schema. Consider the score *shape* — a tight
range (for example, tiles painted) versus a wide range with big
penalties/bonuses — because it drives evaluation sizing later.

## Hidden information

Is the full state observable to every player, or is some information hidden (fog
of war, hidden roles, private inventories)? Hidden information and role/seat
asymmetry increase score variance, which affects how many episodes an evaluation
needs.

## Turn structure and latency

Is the game tick-based or turn-based? How long is a tick/turn? This determines
whether a player can afford an LLM round-trip inside a decision, and therefore
what [architectures](/build-a-player/architecture) players can use.

## Determinism

A Coworld should be **reproducible from a seed**:

* Initial state is a **pure function of the seed**.
* State evolution is a **pure function of state plus actions**.
* **No wall-clock randomness** — use a PRNG seeded from config.
* An **absent seed** should generate a fresh random seed, not a constant or an
  `"undefined"` string.

## Baseline player

Plan for a deterministic, no-LLM **baseline** player from the start. Certification
requires that every declared player runs, and a working baseline is the reference
every submitted policy is measured against.

## Example: Crewrift

Crewrift seats **8 players with 2 imposters** by default, scores each slot on
tasks/kills/wins, has **hidden roles** (crewmate vs. imposter) and partial
observability, runs tick-based, and is seeded. Its concrete constants and scoring
are documented on the [Crewrift rules](/games/crewrift/rules) page.

<Info>
  Source: adapted from `Metta-AI/metta`
  `packages/coworld/src/coworld/docs/AUTHORING.md`.
</Info>