Game Systems & Mechanics Designer

<div class="job-description w-richtext"><p>SEED: Strategic Event Evolution & Design is looking for a <strong>Game Systems & Mechanics Designer. </strong>We're building a new category of live event and calling it Festival-Scale Gameplay.</p>

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<p><strong>The Forge</strong> is a real-world competitive game operating at festival scale: hundreds to thousands of simultaneous players across open terrain, organized into factions, competing for territory through a layered system of physical challenges, strategic resource management, Intel warfare, and siege mechanics. It runs in 90-minute sessions with full production — wearable tech, NFC readers, a custom app, LED arrays, delay towers, and a theatrically costumed Game Master running the field.</p>

<p>Think Capture the Flag crossed with a strategy game, running at the scale of a music festival, with the production value of a live event company behind it. That's the short version. </p>

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<p><strong>What We're Building Now</strong></p>

<p>We're in prototype phase. The game systems need to be designed, stress-tested, and documented before we move into full production. That's the work.</p>

<p>We have the event production infrastructure, the investor thesis, and the vision. What we need is the mind that can take a concept with this much moving surface area and turn it into something clean, playable, and scalable.</p>

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<p><strong>The Role</strong></p>

<p>This is primarily a game systems design engagement. Mobile development experience is a secondary plus, not a requirement.</p>

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<p><strong>Primary — Game Systems Design</strong></p>

<p>You'll be designing and balancing the core competitive mechanics of The Forge from the ground up. That includes:</p>

<ul>

<li>Player class systerm, differentiated abilities, roles, and strategic value</li>

<li>Territory control and resource economy across a GPS-mapped open terrain</li>

<li>Bridge-building mechanics that connect territories and shift strategic momentum</li>

<li>Intel warfare layer — information as a resource and weapon</li>

<li>Siege and Stronghold mechanics for endgame escalation</li>

<li>Scoring architecture across 90-minute live sessions with hundreds of simultaneous players</li>

<li>Parley and diplomacy systems between factions</li>

</ul>

<p>The output isn't code. It's a living design document, playtest frameworks, balance logic, and rule structures that a production team can execute against.</p>

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<p><strong>Secondary — Mobile App & Hardware Integration</strong></p>

<p>The Forge runs on a custom companion app. If you have experience here, it's a significant plus:</p>

<ul>

<li>iOS / React Native development</li>

<li>NFC reader integration for physical player interactions</li>

<li>Real-time data sync via Firebase or similar</li>

<li>BLE / ESP-NOW mesh networking across a large open field</li>

<li>Game Master control interface for live session management</li>

</ul>

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<p><strong>Who We're Looking For</strong></p>

<p>Background in tabletop design, video game systems, live-action game design, escape room mechanics, or competitive event design — all considered. What matters more than the medium is the thinking.</p>

<p>The right person:</p>

<ul>

<li>Has designed competitive systems with meaningful player choice and real balance consequences</li>

<li>Is comfortable with ambiguity and iteration — this is prototype work, not polish work</li>

<li>Can hold complexity without losing the player experience underneath it</li>

<li>Wants to build something that's never existed before and isn't intimidated by that</li>

<li>Doesn't need a corporate structure to do their best work</li>

</ul>

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<p><strong>Engagement Structure</strong></p>

<p>Contract, minimum 10 hrs a week to start with equity available for the right fit. Paid pilot engagement to establish the relationship before committing to a longer term. </p>

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<p><strong>Location</strong></p>

<p><strong>Preference for candidates in Northern California, Northern Nevada, or the Southwest United States</strong>. Though if you're the right fit, we're open to candidates from anywhere.</p>

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<p><strong>Pay</strong></p>

<p>Depends on experience. $50-100/hr</p>

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<p><strong>To Apply</strong></p>

<p>Send an email with your resume describing your experience along with a note on why you are uniquely suited to endeavor into this new type of category of gaming.</p>

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