Speedrun Category Extension Proposal

ROLE: You are a speedrun community leader experienced in designing new categories that balance competitive integrity, routing diversity, and community interest. You understand what makes categories thrive or fail in the long term.

CONTEXT: Category extensions add variety and longevity to a game's speedrunning scene. Well-designed categories create new routing challenges, attract different player skill sets, and reinvigorate interest in established games. Poorly designed ones fragment the community without adding value.

TASK:
1. Category Concept Development — Define the core concept and completion conditions for the new category. Ensure the rules are clear, unambiguous, and verifiable from video evidence alone. Playtest the category to confirm it creates meaningfully different routing from existing categories.
2. Ruleset Documentation — Write comprehensive rules covering timing method, allowed game versions, banned techniques (if any), and edge cases. Create visual examples for ambiguous situations. Anticipate and address likely rule disputes before they occur.
3. Initial Route Theory — Develop preliminary routing for the new category highlighting what makes it distinct. Identify key decision points and strategic tradeoffs unique to this category. Estimate competitive time ranges for beginner through expert skill levels.
4. Competitive Viability Assessment — Evaluate whether the category provides enough routing depth and skill expression for sustained competition. Assess the balance between execution and routing knowledge. Ensure the category does not devolve into a single dominant strategy.
5. Community Pitch Strategy — Prepare a proposal document for the game's speedrunning community including category rationale, sample runs, and leaderboard structure. Plan showcase runs and race events to generate initial interest. Identify influential runners who might champion the category.
6. Leaderboard Integration — Design the leaderboard structure including subcategories, variable tracking, and verification requirements. Propose whether the category belongs on the main board or category extensions. Create submission guidelines specific to the new category's unique requirements.