Hold It on the Shelf
Lock an item you want and buy it next round, safe from the refresh.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- Design focus
- Planning · Economy
No.148Backpack Battles01The core loop
Action → feedback → next choice- 01Spot a wanted item
- 02Short on cash, lock it
- 03Play the next round
- 04Return and buy
↻Feedback changes the situation — the next round starts from there.
Walk through one round
A simplified design example. Situations and numbers illustrate the mechanic, not exact rules from a reference game.
- T1
Turn 1 · The situation
A 7-gold core item appears; you have 5 and earn 5 per round.
- T2
Turn 2 · The player chooses
Lock it and buy only a 2-gold trinket this round.
- T3
Turn 3 · The feedback
Next round you have 8 gold, buy the core item, and keep 1.
- T4
Turn 4 · The next decision
The player starts eyeing the next lock target.
How it plays
The shop refreshes each round, but players can freeze slots to carry them over. Locked slots survive rerolls but block new options there. A lock icon and tinted slot show what’s held.
What the player weighs
- Lock a future target vs reroll for better
- Save for the locked item vs spend on current power
02Start small
Scope is an editorial estimate for the minimum prototype, not the reference game or a production schedule.
03One mechanic, different implementations
Backpack Battles
Shop items can be locked through rerolls, letting you reserve parts for next round’s recipes or layout.
Super Auto Pets
You can freeze pets and food in the shop so they stay through rerolls and into the next turn.
The difference worth noticing
Backpack Battles locks also hinge on whether the shape will fit; Super Auto Pets only weighs team slots and levels.
Case notes are Yoroll editorial summaries; rules may change between versions.
04What could you combine?
A locked item reserves a dotted outline in the backpack, forcing players to clear that shape ahead of time.
Prototype this combo in Yoroll→Follow the next idea
Buy Here, Sell There
Buy low in one port, sell high in another, and the profit lives in the journey.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Compare regional prices
- 02Buy where it’s cheap
- 03Survive the trip
- 04Sell where it’s dear
Shelf Placement
What goes on which shelf decides what customers end up buying.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Choose what to stock
- 02Arrange the displays
- 03Customers browse and buy
- 04Rearrange by sales
Deliver Before the Deadline
Taking a contract starts the clock: deliver on time for the reward, or lose it.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Browse the board
- 02Accept a contract
- 03Gather or craft
- 04Deliver and get paid