MLP Scenario Walkthrough

Narrate the player's experience before writing code. If you can't describe it, you can't build it.

Quick Reference

What Is a Scenario Walkthrough?

A moment-by-moment narration of a complete play session through your MLP. Not a feature list — a story of what the player sees, does, and feels from launch to session end.

Write one when: Core loop + 3 features are defined, BEFORE implementation begins (see scoping → The 3-Feature Rule).

The 5-Beat Structure

Input & Feedback Mapping

For each key moment, fill in this template:

Rule: If you can't fill in all 5 columns for a core action, the design isn't concrete enough to build.

MLP Scenario Checklist

• First 30 seconds described — what does the player see and do first?
• First failure described — how does the player lose/fail and what happens?
• Complete core loop cycle narrated — action → reward → reinvestment
• Every input method used in MLP is mentioned at least once
• A reason to replay or continue is present at session end
• No beat says "the player has fun" — describe what they DO, not how they feel

Deep Dives

• (see scenario-walkthrough/template.md for all 5 beat walkthroughs, Visual Snapshot Prompts, Walkthrough Anti-Patterns)

See Also

• design-frameworks — Onboarding (Beat 2), core loop design (Beat 3), game feel (feedback mapping) (see design-frameworks → Core Loop Design)
• scoping — Tracer bullet as the technical equivalent of a walkthrough (see scoping)
• playtesting — Use the walkthrough as a testable artifact (see playtesting → The 3-Question Framework)
• antipatterns — Design in Isolation and GDD Tome — walkthroughs help avoid both (see antipatterns)
• economy-design — Narrate economy decisions within the walkthrough (see economy-design)
• difficulty-design — Flow and difficulty for Beat 4 (Rising Stakes) (see difficulty-design → Flow State & Difficulty)
• content-planning — Narrate content pacing and level progression before building (see content-planning)