# Economy & Progression

What you do with crafted output, and what makes the game advance over time.

## Market

Two destinations for finished goods:

### NPC Merchants
- Always-on, instant sell.
- Base prices, no negotiation.
- Merchants in your roster boost prices and unlock distant markets (better rates for specific item types).

### Patron Orders
- Specific finished items requested by NPC patrons.
- Often 4–5 component crafts with quality requirements ("Fine or better").
- Sometimes time-limited.
- Premium rewards: gold, reputation, unique recipes, relics.

## Patrons

Named NPC characters with personalities, factions, and grudges with each other. Filling one patron's order well may anger another faction. Patron tier raises with Guild Rank — you start outfitting villagers and end up arming kings.

Patron board is the main "directed objectives" surface — players who want a quest will look here.

## Future bazaar (architecturally stubbed)

Single-player at launch, but designed so a player-to-player **bazaar** (auction house) and **leaderboards** can be added later without a rewrite. See `06-asset-pipeline.md` and a future `architecture.md` for the multiplayer-ready design choices that matter now (stable IDs, event-sourced state, server-shaped local services, signed saves).

## Progression spine: Reputation / Guild Rank

One meta-progression bar. Earned from:
- Completed patron orders
- New discoveries (recipes, ingredients, items)
- Masterwork / Legendary crafts
- Notable expedition outcomes
- Achievements

Each Guild Rank unlocks:
- Max roster size
- Hire-pool quality
- Station tier cap
- Region access
- Patron tier
- Workshop slot count (parallel crafts)

**No skill bars per minion or per craft type.** Personal mastery is implicit in unlocked recipes, station tiers, and trained engineers — not in numbers that grind up.

## Dopamine sources (the "always something shiny" rule)

A non-exhaustive list of moments that should light up:
- Expedition return → loot drop animation, event log opens
- Craft completion → quality reveal, sometimes a critical success flourish
- New recipe discovery → big flourish, item card unveiled
- New applicant at Guild Hall → portrait reveals
- Equipment gear-up → visible portrait change
- Patron order completion → gold + rep payout
- Guild Rank up → unlocks cascade
- Masterwork or Legendary roll → particle effects, named entry in the Library
- Bonded pair surviving a dangerous expedition together → relationship event

The game's daily rhythm should be a series of these moments, not a series of grinds.