Pressure System

What escalates over time unless actively controlled. The Pressure Rule of the Tabletop OS: pressure MUST increase or mutate over time unless the player invests action to hold it back. This is the framework's core differentiator from generic rule systems.

Schema path: pillars.pressure.types.items. Array-valued (a game may carry multiple values). Back to the framework page.

ai-adaptation

A bot opponent escalates difficulty over rounds — same player skill, harder fight (REQ-537).

cascading-failure

One loss triggers further losses; small mistakes snowball.

economic

A shared resource pool drains; later players face thinner options.

elimination

Reduce another player below a survival threshold (HP / influence / lives).

resource-scarcity

A finite shared pool depletes; the same play costs more next round.

No games currently use this value.

score-gap

The score race itself is the pressure; falling behind reduces option value.

social

Other players' reactions create stakes around your visible choices.

spatial

Limited board space narrows valid moves as play progresses.

terrain-change

The board itself mutates — tiles flip, areas close, the map shrinks.

time

A wall-clock or turn-count timer ticks toward an end.

uncertainty

Hidden state (cards, intent, board layout) compounds risk.