Game Overview

Game Pitch

Delve is an asynchronous idle MMO where players create characters inspired by classic tabletop RPG archetypes and send them into dangerous dungeons, questlines, and encounters that resolve over real-world time. Players don’t control combat in real-time — they prepare, strategize, and configure their characters’ behavior, then set them loose and review the results.

Think of it as managing an adventurer’s career. You’re the strategist behind the hero: picking quests, equipping gear, setting combat priorities, stocking supplies, and joining up with other players’ characters for raids. The dungeon happens while you’re at work. You come back, read the battle log, see where things went right or wrong, adapt, and send them out again.

Core Fantasy

You are the mind behind the adventurer. Every decision you make before the dungeon matters — what spells to prioritize, when to use potions, whether to bring extra rations or a second weapon. The dungeon run plays out like a story you get to read, with your preparation determining the outcome.

Core Gameplay Loop

LOGIN
  │
  ▼
REVIEW RESULTS ─── Read the timeline of your last dungeon run.
  │                 See each encounter: combat rolls, trap checks,
  │                 loot found, resources consumed.
  │                 Understand exactly why you succeeded or failed.
  │
  ▼
MANAGE INVENTORY ── Equip new gear, sell unwanted loot,
  │                  salvage materials, brew potions,
  │                  restock supplies (rations, torches, scrolls).
  │
  ▼
BROWSE QUESTS ───── View the quest board: bounties, questlines,
  │                  dungeon crawls, guild raids.
  │                  Each shows difficulty, estimated duration,
  │                  potential rewards, and recommended level.
  │
  ▼
PREPARE ─────────── Configure combat AI priorities.
  │                  Select spells to memorize.
  │                  Choose supplies to bring.
  │                  Set trap detection behavior.
  │                  Join a party lobby (if multiplayer quest).
  │
  ▼
COMMIT ──────────── Lock in and send your character on the quest.
  │                  The run resolves over real-world time.
  │
  ▼
IDLE ───────────── While waiting, you can:
  │                 • Manage other characters (if unlocked)
  │                 • Craft items or gather materials
  │                 • Browse the marketplace
  │                 • Chat with guild members
  │                 • Review leaderboards
  │                 • Log off entirely — the run continues
  │
  ▼
NOTIFICATION ────── "Your dungeon run is complete!"
  │
  └──► Return to REVIEW RESULTS

Session Flow

Quick Session (5-10 minutes)

1. Review last run results
2. Sell junk loot, equip upgrades
3. Pick a new quest from the board
4. Use default combat settings or make minor tweaks
5. Commit and log off

Active Session (30-60 minutes)

1. Review results in detail — study the combat log
2. Reorganize inventory, craft consumables
3. Browse marketplace for upgrades
4. Fine-tune combat AI configuration
5. Coordinate with guild for an upcoming raid
6. Commit to a quest
7. While waiting: gather materials, manage a second character, chat

Check-in Session (1-2 minutes)

1. See notification that a run completed
2. Glance at results (success/fail, notable loot)
3. Quick-commit to another quest of similar difficulty
4. Log off

Target Audience

• Tabletop RPG fans who love character building and tactical decisions but don’t always have time for a full session
• Idle game enthusiasts who want deeper progression and strategy than typical idle/incremental games
• MMO players who want social features (guilds, raids, PVP) without demanding a fixed play schedule
• Strategy gamers who enjoy optimizing builds, min-maxing gear, and solving the puzzle of dungeon preparation

Platform Considerations

• Web-first — accessible from any browser, desktop or mobile
• Mobile-friendly — the async nature makes it perfect for phone check-ins
• No downloads required — low barrier to entry for F2P
• Push notifications — run complete, raid starting, auction sold

Monetization Philosophy

Delve is free to play with an optional $5/month subscription and small permanent purchases. No premium currency. No loot boxes. No cosmetic microtransactions.

The Patron Subscription ($5/month)

• 50% faster dungeon runs, crafting, and gathering
• That’s it. No bonus XP, no bonus loot, no combat advantages. Subscribers wait less — they don’t hit harder.

Permanent Purchases

• Additional character slots ($2 each, up to 5 extra)
• Expanded bank/storage space ($1 per upgrade)
• Name changes and appearance resets ($1 each)

What You CANNOT Buy

• Gear, weapons, or items with stats
• XP, gold, or loot boosts
• Premium currency (doesn’t exist)
• Loot boxes or randomized purchases (don’t exist)
• Combat advantages of any kind
• Cosmetics (earned through gameplay only)
• Content access (all gameplay is free)

Why This Model

Players should never feel like they lost a dungeon run because someone else spent money. A subscriber and a free player in the same dungeon have the same chance of success. The game makes money by being good enough that players want to support it — not by creating friction that drives impulse purchases.

See 14-monetization.md for full details.

What Makes Delve Different

Design Pillars

1. Preparation is gameplay. The decisions you make before a dungeon run ARE the game. Choosing the right spells, configuring smart combat behavior, bringing enough supplies — this is where skill lives.

2. Failure is a teacher. When a run fails, the player should understand exactly why and what to change. The run timeline is the core feedback mechanism.

3. Respect the player’s time. Whether you have 5 minutes or an hour, there’s something meaningful to do. You should never feel punished for not logging in.

4. Social without synchronous. Guilds, raids, and PVP should be engaging without requiring everyone to be online at the same time. The timed lobby system makes group content accessible to all schedules.

5. Earn, don’t buy, your power. Every piece of gear, every level, every achievement is earned through play. Money buys time savings, never power.