chore: decouple party recruitment from assumed LFG UI

docs/game-design/gigs.md

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ Fiction may say *contract*, *loadout*, or *job*; specs use **gig**.
 
 ## Gig roster
 
-**Open:** final count and names. Start from a **small roster** with **clear party niches** so LFG and encounter design stay legible; grow over content seasons.
+**Open:** final count and names. Start from a **small roster** with **clear party niches** so **recruitment talk** (chat or any future tool) and **encounter** design stay legible; grow over content seasons.
 
 **Starter archetypes to cover (working labels, not final):**
 
@@ -61,15 +61,24 @@ Cyberpunk paint (netrunner overlay, street sam, corp tech, etc.) layers on these
 - **Loadout UX** after swap: auto-unequip invalid combat gear vs player-managed **presets** per gig pair.
 - **Party:** what happens if someone swaps while grouped—**open** (session lock vs free swap at hub).
 
-## Party, LFG, encounters
+## Party, encounters, and recruitment
 
-**Intent:** gigs give a **plain language** for recruitment (“need mitigation,” “need cleanse”) and for **encounter** assumptions (required niches vs flexible).
+Earlier drafts implied a **dedicated LFG UI** (tags, filters). That is **not** decided. Players might use **chat only** (zone, guild, party ads), a **future matchmaking tool**, or a **hybrid** (e.g. hub board + chat).
 
-**Open:**
+**Design intent (UI-agnostic):** gigs still give **shared vocabulary**—“need mitigation,” “need cleanse,” “LF damage”—whether typed in chat or, later, picked from a structured browser. **Encounter** and **scaling** design can reason about **niches** without assuming any specific recruitment feature ships.
 
-- LFG **tags** and filters (map 1:1 to gigs vs to niches).
-- **Mandatory roles** in instanced content vs open-world flex.
-- **Group scaling** ([E5.M4](../decomposition/modules/E5_M4_GroupCombatScaling.md)) vs gig composition—design pass with encounters.
+**Open — product / client:**
+
+- **Recruitment:** chat-only vs **built-in LFG/matchmaking** vs hybrid; scope for **launch** vs later.
+
+**Open — only if a structured LFG-style tool exists:**
+
+- Tags/filters (**gig** vs **niche**), how **main/sub** appears, limits, auto-fill from loadout.
+
+**Open — rules / content (independent of LFG UI):**
+
+- **Mandatory niches** in instanced content vs open-world flex.
+- **Group scaling** ([E5.M4](../decomposition/modules/E5_M4_GroupCombatScaling.md)) vs gig composition—pass with encounters.
 
 ## PvE vs PvP
 
@@ -97,7 +106,7 @@ Detail: seams table in [skills.md](skills.md).
 | Gig roster size & names | Small launch set; clear niches | Open |
 | Gig XP award timing | **Main gig only**; **sub-gig** earns no XP (level that gig as main to progress it) | Agreed |
 | Sub-gig + consumable amp (passive) | **Sub counts**; main **or** sub can trigger passive amp | Agreed |
-| LFG / party tags | — | Open |
+| Recruitment UX | **Undecided:** chat-only vs LFG/matchmaking tool vs hybrid; tag schema only if tool ships | Open |
 | PvP gig rules | — | Open |
 
 ## Next artifacts

docs/game-design/overview.md

@@ -13,14 +13,14 @@ Neon Sprawl’s design work here starts from **concrete visions** of progression
 | Document | Focus | Notes |
 |----------|--------|--------|
 | [skills.md](skills.md) | Hybrid progression; vocabulary; gigs ↔ skills seams | With [gigs.md](gigs.md) |
-| [gigs.md](gigs.md) | Combat gigs: roster, hub swap, sub-gig, party, PvP (open) | Gig artifact |
+| [gigs.md](gigs.md) | Combat gigs: roster, hub swap, sub-gig, party/encounters, PvP (open) | Recruitment UI undecided |
 | *(add rows as files land)* | | |
 
 ### Planned topics (stubs)
 
 Link new files here when they exist; remove or rewrite this subsection once the table is populated.
 
-- **Gigs** — [gigs.md](gigs.md): combat roles, hub swap, sub-gig, progression, party/LFG. **Skills** (non-combat): [skills.md](skills.md). *Professions* stay folded into **skills** + rep unless a future doc defines something separate.
+- **Gigs** — [gigs.md](gigs.md): combat roles, hub swap, sub-gig, progression, party/encounters (LFG tool vs chat **open**). **Skills** (non-combat): [skills.md](skills.md). *Professions* stay folded into **skills** + rep unless a future doc defines something separate.
 - **Zones** — tone, danger, faction or economic role of a place.
 - **Travel & connections** — how places link (gates, costs, downtime, danger en route); complements zone identity.
 - **Mechanics** — loops, constraints, what the server vs. client must honor.

docs/game-design/skills.md

@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ Fiction and UI may still say *job*, *contract*, or *loadout* in dialogue; design
 
 ## Gigs (combat)
 
-The **gig** artifact—**roles**, **hub swap**, **per-gig progression**, **main + sub-gig**, **party/LFG**, **PvP notes**, and **gig-only open questions**—is **[gigs.md](gigs.md)**. This file keeps **vocabulary**, **why hybrid**, and **seams** with **skills**.
+The **gig** artifact—**roles**, **hub swap**, **per-gig progression**, **main + sub-gig**, **party/recruitment** (no LFG UI assumption), **PvP notes**, and **gig-only open questions**—is **[gigs.md](gigs.md)**. This file keeps **vocabulary**, **why hybrid**, and **seams** with **skills**.
 
 ## Skills (non-combat, classless)
 
@@ -88,6 +88,6 @@ Categories group skills for **UI and balance** (e.g. *Gathering*, *Craft*, *Tech
 
 ## Next artifacts
 
-- **[gigs.md](gigs.md)** — gig roster, hub UX, LFG, PvP (started; extend there).
+- **[gigs.md](gigs.md)** — gig roster, hub UX, recruitment (chat vs tool **open**), PvP (started; extend there).
 - **Abilities** — **gig-locked** vs. **item-locked** vs. **skill-gated**.
 - **Items** — **equip:** gig rules; **craft:** **skills** (and recipe/rep), never gig level.