Roles and Responsibilities
Shotcaller
SHOTCALLER PLAYBOOK
“Keep the team moving. Make the call when it matters.”
🎯 YOUR MISSION
You are the team coach.
You are responsible for:
- Keeping the team focused and moving forward
- Making or guiding decisions when the team is stuck
- Making sure everyone knows what they’re doing
You are NOT responsible for:
- Doing all the work
- Being “the boss”
- Having all the answers
👉 Your power = clarity + momentum
🎮 YOUR GAME LOOP (DAILY)
At the start of class
✔ Confirm roles
✔ Ask: “What are we trying to complete today?”
✔ Make sure everyone has a clear task
During work time
✔ Watch for blockers (people stuck, confused, or idle)
✔ Ask: “What’s the next move?”
✔ Step in only when needed
If the team is stuck
✔ Decide OR force a decision
✔ Keep it moving (perfect is not the goal — progress is)
Before the end of class
✔ Ask each role: “What got done?”
✔ Identify what’s unfinished
✔ Set up tomorrow’s first step
🎮 YOUR GAME LOOP (WEEKLY)
CLUTCH MOVE:
✅ “We over-scoped — next week we’re narrowing to one
✅ WHAT “CLUTCH” LOOKS LIKE
✅ “We’re off track for finishing everything — what’s the smallest version we can complete that is still awesome?”
❌ NOT CLUTCH
❌ “What do you want to do?” (no direction)
❌ Letting one person dominate
❌ Waiting for the teacher to decide
⚠️ WHEN YOU’RE STUCK
- Ask the team what they think
- Pick a direction (even if imperfect)
- Test it → adjust if needed
👉 No decision = worst decision
Earning Your Shotcaller Stripes
✅ CORE (ALL 4 MUST HAPPEN)
✔ Led team alignment (start of class)
✔ Made a decision that unblocked the team
✔ Ensured everyone had a task
✔ Monitored and enforced Kanban movement across the team
👉 Shotcaller-specific Kanban expectation:
- No one is stuck in “In Process” all period
- Tasks get reviewed and moved forward
➕ SUPPORTING (CHOOSE TWO)
⬜ Reassigned work when someone finished early
⬜ Prevented bottlenecks at “Needs Shotcaller”
⬜ Helped a teammate clarify their task
🎯 EVIDENCE (MUST HAVE AT LEAST ONE)
“[A decision] I made that moved us forward:”
OR
Team confirmation
{ } ENGINEER PLAYBOOK
“Make it work. If it doesn’t work, keep trying until it does!”
🎯 YOUR MISSION
You are the builder of systems.
You are responsible for:
- Writing code / building mechanics
- Making features actually work
- Fixing bugs and issues
You are NOT responsible for:
- Making it look good
- Writing documentation
- Making final team decisions
👉 Your power = functionality + problem solving
🎮 YOUR GAME LOOP (DAILY)
At the start of class
✔ Check the Project Board for project status
✔ Know what feature / system you're working on
✔ Check out your task
✔ Confirm with Shotcaller if unclear
During work time
✔ Build or fix something that moves the project forward
✔ Test what you make
✔ Break problems into smaller parts
If something breaks
✔ Try at least one fix
✔ Then ask another Engineer / team member
✔ Then escalate
Before the end of class
✔ Show what works
✔ Clearly state what is broken
✔ Leave notes (verbally or to Comms)
✔ Update the Project Board with task status
🎮 YOUR GAME LOOP (WEEKLY)
✔ Ensure at least ONE working system exists
✔ Identify biggest technical problem
✔ Help test the full build
✔ Clean up or stabilize messy systems
CLUTCH MOVE:
✅ “Movement works consistently now — we can build on it next.”
✅ WHAT “CLUTCH” LOOKS LIKE
✅ “I tried X and Y — neither worked, next I’ll try Z.”
✅ “This part works — we can build from here.”
✅ “Hey! I've tried to do X and Y, but I am not sure if there is another or better way to make this work; do you have any suggestions?"
❌ NOT CLUTCH
❌ “It’s not working.”
❌ Waiting without trying
❌ Rebuilding everything from scratch without reason
⚠️ WHEN YOU’RE STUCK
- Try a different approach (5 min max)
- Ask another Engineer on your team
- Ask the rest of your team
- Ask an Engineer from a different team
- Then ask the teacher
👉 You are allowed to think through problems
👉 You are not allowed to sit stuck silently
🎨 DESIGNER PLAYBOOK
“Shape the experience. Make it feel right.”
🎯 YOUR MISSION
You are the experience creator.
You are responsible for:
- Visuals (art, UI, layout)
- Sound / feel / player experience
- Making the project understandable and engaging
You are NOT responsible for:
- Making systems work
- Writing all documentation
- Making final team decisions
👉 Your power = clarity + feel + player impact
🎮 YOUR GAME LOOP (DAILY)
At the start of class
✔ Check the Project Board for project status
✔ Know what part of the experience you're improving
✔ Check out your task
✔ Ask: “What does the player see / feel today?”
During work time
✔ Create or improve assets
✔ Check that things make sense visually
✔ Help the team stay player-focused
While working
✔ Ask: “Would a player understand this?”
✔ Simplify when possible
Before the end of class
✔ Show what changed visually or experientially
✔ Explain why it improves the game
✔ Update the Project Board with task status
🎮 YOUR GAME LOOP (WEEKLY)
✔ Check if the game makes sense visually
✔ Align visuals across the project (consistency)
✔ Use feedback from Comms to refine the design
CLUTCH MOVE:
✅ “Players were confused — I redesigned the layout to fix that.”
✅ WHAT “CLUTCH” LOOKS LIKE
✅ “I simplified the layout so it’s easier to understand.”
✅ “This version isn’t final, but it works for now.”
❌ NOT CLUTCH
❌ Spending all day perfecting one tiny detail
❌ Making things unclear or overcomplicated
❌ Ignoring how the player experiences it
⚠️ WHEN YOU’RE STUCK
- Look at existing examples
- Try a quick rough version
- Ask for feedback
- Then ask the teacher
👉 Done > perfect
📡 COMMS PLAYBOOK
“Capture the work. Amplify the impact.”
🎯 YOUR MISSION
You are the team signal caster.
You are responsible for:
- Documentation (what’s happening)
- Playtesting and feedback
- Communicating progress clearly
You are NOT responsible for:
- Doing everyone else’s work
- Making final decisions
- Writing essays
👉 Your power = visibility + clarity + improvement
🎮 YOUR GAME LOOP (DAILY)
At the start of class:
✔ Write down today’s goal (1 sentence)
✔ Check the Project Board for project status
✔ Check out your task
During work time:
✔ Track what changed (continuously, not just at the end)
✔ Watch for confusion (players, teammates, yourself)
✔ Run micro playtests whenever something new exists
✔ Ask questions that improve the build:
“Does this actually work?”
“Would a new player understand this?”
“What breaks if I try something weird?”
✔ Log issues:
Bugs (doesn’t work)
Confusion (doesn’t make sense)
Feel (not fun / unclear / frustrating)
Midway through:
✔ Interrupt the team briefly (1–2 mins)
✔ Ask:
“What is working?”
“What is NOT working?”
“What needs to change right now?”
Before the end of class:
✔ Write Patch Notes:
✅ WORKING:
✅ NOT WORKING:
🧪 TESTED:
➡️ NEXT MOVE:
🎮 YOUR GAME LOOP (WEEKLY)
✔ Identify top 3 problems:
- Broken
- Confusing
- Not fun
✔ Present findings to team:
“Here’s what’s working / not working”
✔ Recommend next priorities based on testing
✔ Track what improved from last week
✅ WHAT “CLUTCH” LOOKS LIKE
✅ “I simplified the layout so it’s easier to understand.”
✅ “This version isn’t final, but it works for now.”
❌ NOT CLUTCH
❌ Spending all day perfecting one tiny detail
❌ Making things unclear or overcomplicated
❌ Ignoring how the player experiences it
⚠️ WHEN YOU’RE STUCK
- Look at existing examples
- Try a quick rough version
- Ask for feedback
- Then ask the teacher
👉 Done > perfect