I began designing this game by attaching systems and components from other games that I liked. While trying to break those compound mechanics into molecules small enough to balance, a friend told me to start from the absolute basics and work my way up. He was right, and I had given that same advice to another friend who was forging his own system.
I found that assembling the game without starting at the foundation left a lot of assumptions unquestioned. It was difficult to understand the components I liked, because they were not designed to be used in a modular way. Even if I was successful in patching these pieces together, it would be a nightmare to interpret balance across the sum of six or seven games.
By starting at the marrow of the game and building outwards, the systems will be consistent and work together far better.
I call breaking things down to this elemental level the 'atomic' approach.
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