Role Allocation

Choosing the right role for each elf is a balancing act between resource production, artistic output, and construction progress.

The Four Roles

See Roles for detailed per-role behavior and task selection logic.

Allocation Strategies

Early Game (First 50 Days)

With 5-8 elves, a good starting split:

• 2-3 Gatherers — food security and building materials
• 1 Builder — start the build queue (Dwelling → Workshop → Garden)
• 1-2 Composers — begin cultural output, gain Music XP
• 1-2 Unassigned — flexible labor, passive foraging

Why not all Gatherers? Resources accumulate faster, but you miss early composition XP. Music skill levels matter for quality — starting one tick sooner compounds.

Mid Game (Days 50-75, Autumn)

Shift toward stockpiling for Winter:

• 3+ Gatherers — build food reserves above 15 (Winter revel threshold)
• 1 Builder — finish remaining structures
• 2+ Composers — established skill levels produce better compositions for revels

Winter (Days 75-99)

Foraging yields drop to 50% (25% with snow). Adjust:

• Keep at least 2 Gatherers — maintaining food supply is critical
• More Composers — indoor work, unaffected by weather (if Workshop exists)
• Builder if queue remains — indoor construction if buildings are pending

Late Game

Once buildings are complete and resources are stable:

• 1-2 Gatherers — maintenance level
• 0 Builders — reassign once queue is empty
• Majority Composers — the art system is the endgame

Skill-Based Assignment

The Dummy Curator's bootstrap_roles() assigns roles based on each elf's highest skill:

• Highest Music skill → Composer
• Highest Building skill → Builder
• Highest Gathering skill → Gatherer
• Ties → falls through to Gatherer (most useful default)

Should you follow it? Usually yes. An elf with high Music skill produces better compositions faster. But consider:

• An elf with Music 1 and Gathering 8 generates way more resources as a Gatherer
• XP formula is linear (level × 50 per level), so low-skill elves catch up eventually
• Aesthetic position affects composition genre — an elf with extreme aesthetic values produces more distinctive work

Specialization vs. Generalization

Specialization (few role changes):

• Pros: faster skill growth, higher quality output
• Cons: fragile if an elf departs, resource bottlenecks

Generalization (frequent role changes):

• Pros: flexible, resilient to departures
• Cons: slower XP growth, lower quality output

Recommendation: specialize your best elves (highest skills) and keep 1-2 generalists as flexible labor. The XP curve is linear — every tick of role time matters.

Interactions

• Roles — detailed role behavior
• Skills — XP formula and level effects
• Satisfaction & Departure — departing high-skill elves hurt most
• Seasonal Planning — seasonal role adjustments