Spiral

Ductus base_pattern · cyclic_ascending

Cyclic patterns that intensify with each repetition – recurring cycles with escalation. Each cycle brings higher stakes, more complex decisions or scarcer resources; the familiar gives orientation, the escalation prevents monotony.

Design question – What repeats – and what becomes different with each repetition?

Reference example – Pandemic Legacy: month by month the same game, but the world changes and the pressure rises. Slay the Spire: the same spire, but with every ascension level it gets harder.

Intensity

Recurring cycles with intensity rising from run to run.

Compatible with

• Hero’s Journey (NA-02) – Recurring trials.
• Cyclical Structure (NA-07) – Recurrence with escalation.
• Iterative Narrative (NA-12) – Loops with knowledge gain.

Tension with

• Cyclical (DU-11) – Distinction: the spiral escalates upward, the cyclic returns home.