Season 1 — Canonical Design Document
Inquiry Cup is a performed inquiry staged using the visual grammar of football.
It is not:
- a simulation of football,
- a debate panel,
- or a philosophy lecture.
It is:
- inquiry under constraint,
- staged as competition,
- observed as sport,
- delivered as live performance (scripted, premiered in real time).
The guiding inspiration is the Monty Python Philosophers' Football Match, but with:
- stricter internal rules,
- sustained inquiry,
- and contemporary tooling (Matrix, TTS, WorkAdventure).
Season 1 is intentionally minimal and controlled.
- Scripted matches (authored in advance)
- Delivered live, line-by-line
- No improvisation by humans
- No substitutions mid-match
- No real-time physics
- No crowd participation beyond reaction
This is a proof of form, not a full league simulator.
- Two teams per match
- Example: NAT vs LOG
Each team fields:
- 1 Tender (goalkeeper / epistemic anchor)
- 4 Field Players
Total:
- 5 players per team
- 10 players on the pitch
- No substitutes
Any deviation renders the match invalid unless explicitly narrated (e.g., red card).
The Tender is foundational.
- First principles
- Axioms
- Ground assumptions
- Reset point when inquiry collapses
- Remains near goal
- Rarely speaks
- Rarely moves
- Holds the ball during dead play
- Never sits
- Never leaves the pitch
- Positioned inside the goal box
- Slightly forward from the goal line
- Visually distinct (posture, subtle aura, or framing)
- Same sprite resolution as others (no scale inflation)
A match must show two visible Tenders at all times.
- Standard football pitch markings
- Pitch size increased ~20%
- Avatars remain at the same resolution
- Empty space communicates hesitation and pressure
- Movement becomes meaningful
- Silence reads as intentional
- The ball becomes the focal point
- Defensive thirds (expanded)
- Midfield (more breathing room)
- Center circle emphasized
- Goals fixed at ends (never repurposed)
No benches on the pitch for Season 1.
The ball represents initiative under constraint.
- One ball per match
- Always visible
- Glows subtly
- Has a single holder at any time
- Only the holder may initiate a play
- Possession changes via:
- explicit pass
- Ref decision
- dead ball reset
Occurs at:
- kickoff
- halftime
- ref stoppage
Ball snaps to center or Tender.
There is no physics simulation. Movement is symbolic and instant.
Movement is rare and meaningful.
- stand
- step forward
- retreat
- remain still
- walk off (exit tunnel)
- running
- crowding
- chaotic motion
Stage directions are authored in script and executed deterministically.
- Singular authority
- Positioned below the pitch
- Interrupts play without explanation
- Issues penalties tersely
- Can confiscate the ball
- Can eject players
Ref interruptions are essential for realism.
- Announces time
- Announces possession
- Names speakers
- Frames silence
PbP is the clock.
- Context
- Interpretation
- Tension
- Irony
Commentary never enters the pitch.
- One faculty = one body
- No duplicate identities
- No name appears twice anywhere
- No one appears on both teams
- All identities are singular and persistent
Violations invalidate assets.
- All players, Ref, PbP, and Color are bots
- Humans are spectators only
- Bots post to Matrix
- Bots appear as avatars in WorkAdventure
- SSML generated by the LLM
- Plain-text mirror messages for Element compatibility
- Custom frontend interprets SSML for TTS
- Stage directions are metadata, not chat text
- Clean transcript
- No SSML noise
- Readable narrative
- Live avatars
- Ball visualization
- Movement execution
- Audio playback
- Spatial authority
This is:
- performative inquiry
- conceptual sport
- systems art
- absurdist seriousness
This is not:
- mass entertainment
- casual gameplay
- debate TV
- edutainment
A small audience deeply engaged is success.
Inquiry Cup is not about motion. It is about permission to act under constraint.
Everything in this document serves that principle.
At this point, the design is:
- internally consistent
- visually legible
- philosophically coherent
- production-feasible
Further iteration should focus on:
- scripting quality
- commentary rhythm
- audience onboarding
—not structural changes.