Write the prompt around a playable rule
The prompt creates a fixed budget and three competing needs. The forecast makes planning possible, while the short horizon keeps a run easy to review. Show costs beside actions and use a clear status for incoming boats. If a repair has delayed value, state how many nights it helps so players can compare that investment with immediate safety.
Original concept prompt: “Make a tiny lighthouse management game played over five stormy nights. Each night, spend three oil units between keeping the beacon bright, repairing the lens or saving oil for later. Boats need a lit beacon to reach shore. Show each night’s forecast, available oil and the result of every choice before the player commits.” This is a recipe for an idea, not a claim that this exact game is already playable.
Play, observe and refine one thing at a time
Play one run focused on the beacon, another on repairs and another on saving. Check whether each strategy produces understandable consequences and whether the forecast supports a meaningful decision. If one option is always best, vary the incoming challenge or change its cost. If players fail without warning, show the risk before the turn is locked in.
Tune the resource budget and event schedule separately. Try an extra oil unit before changing all action costs, then compare the same sequence of forecasts. If the game needs more depth, add one new action with a distinct benefit rather than introducing a second currency. Keep an end summary that connects outcomes to choices made during the run.
A resource game should not force players to guess hidden costs. Make spending and consequences visible before confirmation. If saving is always optimal, add a near-term pressure; if spending everything is always optimal, create a future event that rewards planning.
Playable reference for this prompt: Stone Keep. Build and upgrade walls, archer towers, cannons and gold mines around your island keep, then alternate rounds: hurl catapult stones at landing raiders to defend it, and drop knights on the shore to raid enemy camps for stars and gold. Use this example to compare the proposed rules with a game you can try now. For your version, use this check: What makes the oil allocation a decision?
Questions about resource management game prompt
What makes the oil allocation a decision?
Current safety competes with repair and future reserves. Show the forecast and the cost of each option so players can reason about that tradeoff.
What should the night summary explain?
Show oil spent, remaining supplies and the consequences for boats and equipment. Players should be able to connect each result to an action they chose.