# Living app and clinic layer

## Product split

Step Away is not just a deck. The deck is the tactile interface, but the app is the living product.

The app carries:

- active case files
- locked case outcomes
- player profiles
- Afterlight points
- clinic rooms
- staff attracted by play patterns
- weekly world events
- richer result stories

## Afterlight

Afterlight is the name used for the reflective points earned from completing cases. It was chosen as a softer, game-shaped alternative to “afterlife”, because the game should point toward what remains, what is learned, and what carries forward.

## Clinic layer

The clinic is a light sim layer. It gives the player reasons to return without turning the game into a power fantasy.

Rooms and staff create sideways shifts, not straight upgrades.

Examples:

- longer draw pause, but harder crisis beats
- stronger Dig Deep, but higher pressure cost
- starting with a connection point, but higher pressure
- first Seen or Secured action gaining +1

## Multiplayer default

Open-table co-op. Players may talk, show hands, and combine cards for the table action. One action per step applies to the table, not to each player.

## Charity pledge wording

The public copy currently says:

> 80% of sales are pledged to suicide prevention work. 20% is retained to keep Step Away running and fresh.

Before commercial sales, replace “sales” with the exact legal/accounting term you intend to use, such as gross sales, net sales, net profits, or proceeds after production costs.
