skills.rest
watchthelight
watchthelightCOMMUNITY
Explore all skills by this author →
WebsiteGitHub

gds-gdd

Create, update, and validate Game Design Documents through guided discovery and genre-aware checklists.

Updated Sep 3, 2026
Search Tags:#validation#epics#game design#facilitation#gdd#genre#game design document
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/watchthelight/shatterfish --skill gds-gdd-watchthelight
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: gds-gdd
Source: https://github.com/watchthelight/shatterfish/tree/main/.claude/skills/gds-gdd
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/watchthelight/shatterfish --skill gds-gdd-watchthelight

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes scripts (resource) and references (resource) and assets (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? Writing a Game Design Document that is precise, measurable, and usable by downstream architecture and production workflows is hard; this Skill coaches a designer through creating, updating, or validating a GDD so design intent is captured before implementation begins. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Guided GDD authoring: Facilitated or express drafting of pillars, core loop, mechanics, progression, and epics using a canonical template with genre-specific sections. - Genre-aware validation: A checklist-driven validator cross-references game-type and genre-complexity data, then renders HTML and Markdown validation reports with severity-graded findings. - Use Case: A solo developer with a roguelike concept runs the skill, confirms the matched game type, walks the roguelike genre guide section by section, and ends with gdd.md, epics.md, and a decision log ready for the architecture phase. ## Quick Start Ask the assistant to help you create a Game Design Document for your game idea and answer its discovery questions.

Frequently Asked Questions about gds-gdd

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I write a Game Design Document with AI assistance?▼

Invoke the skill with your game idea and it runs a discovery phase covering game type, existing inputs, scope, and downstream needs. You then choose express drafting or a facilitated section-by-section walkthrough, and the GDD is written incrementally to disk.

How do I validate an existing GDD against genre conventions?▼

Use the skill's validate intent, which spawns a validator subagent against a structured checklist. It cross-references game-types.csv and genre-complexity.csv to check genre-critical sections, then renders an HTML and Markdown report with severity-graded findings.

What sections does a GDD template include?▼

The canonical template covers Executive Summary, Goals and Context, Core Gameplay with pillars and loop, Game Mechanics, a genre-specific section, Progression and Balance, Level Design, Art and Audio, Technical Specifications, Development Epics, Success Metrics, Out of Scope, and Assumptions.

Does the GDD skill support headless or non-interactive runs?▼

Yes, headless mode is documented in references/headless.md. It infers intent and game type from provided inputs without prompting, and ends with a JSON status block listing produced artifacts, assumptions, and open questions.

When should I use a PRD instead of a GDD?▼

Use a PRD when you need formal functional and non-functional requirements, user journeys with acceptance criteria, or PRD-format output for an external tool. The GDD remains the canonical source for mechanics, levels, art, audio, and progression design intent.

Related Skills

Explore More Design & Creative Skills→
bmad-code-orgbmad-code-org
212

gds-create-game-brief

Create, update, or validate a game brief with audit trails for a GDD.

Official
Advanced
DonchitosDonchitos
24.7k

create-stories

Decomposes a game development epic into implementable story files with acceptance criteria and test specs.

Community
Advanced
TeamFlint-DevTeamFlint-Dev

narrative

Design game narratives, character development, and world-building within a structured framework.

Official
Basic
XyHalcyonXyHalcyon

spike

Decompose software ideas into feasibility questions and build disposable experiments.

Community
Intermediate