Tokenonmics
Bull Run Boost Tokenomics
Here we explore a wide range of possibilities for the in-game token and governance token, as well as the rules and strategies that can emerge from these tokenomics.
Listen to our discussion on different tokenomics strategies
Tokenomics, a working definition
Tokenomics is the system of rules and incentives that governs how digital tokens work within a project, much like the economy of a game or a small country. It’s a blend of “token” (a digital asset, like a coin in a video game) and “economics” (how value is created, distributed, and managed). In Bull Run Boost, tokenomics defines how our tokens—Boost Tokens (BT), Bull Coins (BC), and Trail Dust (TD)—are earned, spent, and traded to make the game fun, rewarding, and educational.
Think of it as the “money rules” of our Wild West world:
Earning: You gain BT by raising cattle or winning saloon bets, like earning gold in a game.
Spending: Use BT to buy cows or bet in races, or spend BC to upgrade your ranch, like buying a better horse.
Trading: Swap BT for BC in our marketplace, or trade TD on external markets, like bartering in a frontier town.
Incentives: Stake tokens to grow your rewards, or burn them to boost your odds—teaching you real financial strategies like investing versus gambling.
Tokenomics ensures our game’s economy is balanced, players are motivated, and everyone learns while having fun.
Goals for Tokenomics and Game Rules
Educational Focus: Teach players about blockchain, tokenomics, and financial principles (e.g., staking, risk management, supply/demand) while keeping the game fun.
Player-Centric Design: Prioritize user benefit over profit maximization, ensuring fairness and incentives for participation.
Engaging Gameplay: Create strategic depth through token interactions (e.g., staking, burning) that influence race outcomes.
Sustainable Economy: Balance token supply, inflation, and deflation to maintain long-term value for both RUN and BULL.
Governance: Empower players with a say in the game’s future via BULL, fostering community ownership.
Step 1: Brainstorming Tokenomics Setups
Let’s explore different setups for the dual-token system (BULL as the governance token, RUN as the in-game token), considering various distribution methods, use cases, and economic mechanisms.
1.1 BULL Token (Governance Token)
BULL is the primary token with real-world value, used for staking, governance, and exclusive perks. Let’s brainstorm its setup.
Total Supply Options:
Fixed Supply (75M BULL): As in your Scenario 3, a fixed supply creates scarcity, potentially increasing value over time as demand grows.
Dynamic Supply with Cap (e.g., 100M Cap): Start with 50M and mint additional BULL for treasury rewards, capped at 100M to control inflation.
Fully Dynamic Supply: Mint BULL as needed for rewards, with burns to manage inflation (riskier for value stability).
Distribution Options:
Scenario 3 (40% Public Sale, 20% Team, 30% Treasury, 10% Liquidity):
Pros: Balanced distribution, with a large treasury for rewards and growth.
Cons: Heavy reliance on public sale might exclude smaller players if price rises.
Community-Heavy (50% Airdrop, 20% Team, 20% Treasury, 10% Liquidity):
Pros: Encourages early adoption and community engagement.
Cons: Less treasury for long-term rewards; airdrop might lead to dumping.
Staking Rewards Focus (30% Public Sale, 20% Team, 40% Treasury, 10% Liquidity):
Pros: Larger treasury supports staking APY, incentivizing holding.
Cons: Smaller public sale might limit initial liquidity.
Use Cases for BULL:
Staking for Rewards: 5-12% APY from the treasury, as in Scenario 3.
Burning for Perks:
Burn 1000 BULL for VIP status (e.g., bonus RUN, exclusive runners).
Burn 500 BULL for a temporary odds boost in a race.
Governance:
Stake BULL to vote in a DAO (e.g., decide treasury allocation, new runners).
Quadratic voting: Voting power scales with the square root of staked BULL to prevent whale dominance.
In-Game Purchases:
Buy cosmetic upgrades (e.g., runner skins) with BULL.
Purchase entry to high-stakes races (e.g., 100 BULL entry fee for a race with bigger RUN rewards).
Economic Mechanisms:
Burning: 20% of excess treasury burned yearly (Scenario 3) to reduce supply and increase value.
Dynamic APY: Adjust staking APY based on total staked BULL (e.g., 12% if <10M staked, 5% if >50M staked) to encourage early staking.
Lockup Periods: Require staking for 30 days to earn rewards, discouraging short-term speculation.
1.2 RUN Token (In-Game Token)
RUN is the in-game token with a dynamic supply, earned through gameplay and used for betting and upgrades.
Supply Options:
Dynamic, No Cap (Scenario 3): Mint 100 RUN per win, 20 RUN per loss, with burns to manage inflation.
Dynamic with Soft Cap: Mint RUN freely but burn 50% of the treasury daily if supply exceeds 1B RUN.
Fixed Issuance per Day: Mint a fixed 1M RUN daily, distributed based on gameplay activity (e.g., proportional to races played).
Distribution:
Gameplay Rewards (Scenario 3): 100 RUN per win, 20 RUN per loss.
Bonus for Educational Tasks:
Complete a tutorial on staking: 50 RUN.
Watch a video on token supply: 30 RUN.
Referral Program: Invite a friend and both earn 100 RUN after their first race.
Daily Login Bonus: 10 RUN per day, increasing with streak (e.g., 20 RUN on day 5).
Use Cases for RUN:
Betting (Scenario 3): Bet RUN on races, with 95% of the pool to winners and 5% to the RUN treasury.
Burning for Odds Boost:
Burn 500 RUN for a +5% odds boost (Scenario 3).
Burn 1000 RUN for a +10% boost, with diminishing returns (e.g., +15% for 2000 RUN).
Upgrades (Scenario 3):
1000 RUN for a temporary speed boost.
500 RUN for a cosmetic runner skin.
Educational Challenges:
Spend 200 RUN to unlock a quiz on risk management; pass to earn 300 RUN.
Economic Mechanisms:
RUN Treasury (Scenario 3): Collects 5% fees, redistributes as daily bonuses or burns 50%.
Burn Events: Host weekly "burn races" where 10% of all RUN bet is burned, reducing supply.
Decay Mechanism: RUN held for >30 days without use loses 1% value daily, encouraging active participation.
1.3 Interaction Between BULL and RUN
Burn BULL for RUN: Burn 1000 BULL to mint 5000 RUN, bridging the two economies.
Stake BULL to Boost RUN Earnings: Staking 1000 BULL increases RUN rewards by 10% (e.g., 110 RUN per win).
RUN-to-BULL Conversion: Burn 10,000 RUN to mint 100 BULL, creating a deflationary loop (requires careful balancing to avoid arbitrage).
VIP Status: Burn BULL for VIP status, which doubles RUN odds boosts (e.g., 500 RUN for +10% instead of +5%).
Step 2: Brainstorm Game Rules and Strategies
Now, let’s define game rules and explore how they create strategic depth, influenced by the tokenomics.
2.1 Core Gameplay Rules
Race Setup:
4 runners per race (e.g., "Red Runner," "Golden Dasher," etc.).
Each runner has base odds (e.g., 25% each, adjusted by player actions).
Race lasts 8 steps; the first runner to reach 8 steps wins.
Betting:
Players bet RUN on a runner before the race starts.
95% of the pool goes to winners, 5% to the RUN treasury.
Randomness:
Each step, one runner advances based on a random draw (using Switchboard VRF in production, pseudo-random for now).
Base odds (25%) can be modified by player actions (e.g., burning RUN).
2.2 Strategic Rules and Mechanics
Let’s explore rules that add depth and encourage strategic thinking, tied to tokenomics.
Rule 1: Staking BULL to Boost Odds
Mechanic: Staking 1000 BULL increases your chosen runner’s odds by +2% per race (e.g., from 25% to 27%).
Strategy:
Players must decide whether to stake BULL for a small odds boost or hold for long-term APY (5-12%).
High rollers can stake more BULL for a bigger boost, but lockup periods (e.g., 30 days) add risk.
Educational Value: Teaches the trade-off between short-term gains (odds boost) and long-term investment (staking rewards).
Rule 2: Burning RUN for Odds Boost
Mechanic: Burn 500 RUN for a +5% odds boost (Scenario 3), with diminishing returns (e.g., +8% for 1000 RUN).
Strategy:
Players must balance burning RUN for a better chance to win vs. saving RUN for upgrades or future bets.
Burning creates a deflationary pressure, encouraging active participation.
Educational Value: Demonstrates supply/demand dynamics—burning reduces RUN supply, potentially increasing its value.
Rule 3: Speed Boost Upgrades
Mechanic: Spend 1000 RUN for a temporary speed boost (e.g., +1 step every 2 steps instead of 1).
Strategy:
Players can invest RUN in a runner to improve its chances, but the cost might outweigh the reward if the runner doesn’t win.
High-risk, high-reward strategy for players confident in their runner.
Educational Value: Teaches risk management—investing in upgrades is a gamble that might not pay off.
Rule 4: Sabotage via Burning
Mechanic: Burn 2000 RUN to reduce a rival runner’s odds by 5% (e.g., from 25% to 20%), redistributing the odds to other runners.
Strategy:
Players can target strong runners to improve their own chances, creating a competitive dynamic.
Risk of retaliation—other players might sabotage your runner in response.
Educational Value: Introduces game theory and market manipulation concepts.
Rule 5: High-Stakes Races
Mechanic: Pay 100 BULL to enter a high-stakes race with 10x RUN rewards (e.g., 1000 RUN per win).
Strategy:
Players must weigh the cost of entry (100 BULL) against the potential RUN reward.
Encourages saving BULL for high-value opportunities.
Educational Value: Teaches opportunity cost and the value of premium features in token economies.
Rule 6: Educational Challenges
Mechanic: Spend 200 RUN to unlock a quiz on blockchain concepts (e.g., "What is staking?"); pass to earn 300 RUN.
Strategy:
Players can earn RUN by learning, incentivizing engagement with educational content.
Risk of failing the quiz and losing RUN, adding a strategic element.
Educational Value: Directly aligns with your goal of gamifying financial education.
Rule 7: Community Events
Mechanic: Weekly "burn races" where 10% of all RUN bet is burned, and the top 10 players share a 10,000 BULL prize pool.
Strategy:
Players are incentivized to participate in burn races to win BULL, but must risk RUN.
Creates a community-driven event that reduces RUN supply.
Educational Value: Shows how community actions (burning) can impact token value.
Rule 8: Dynamic Odds Based on Betting Volume
Mechanic: Odds adjust based on total RUN bet on each runner (e.g., if 50% of the pool is on "Red Runner," its odds drop to 20%).
Strategy:
Players can bet on underdogs for higher payouts, but with lower win chances.
Encourages diversification and contrarian strategies.
Educational Value: Teaches market dynamics—popular choices have lower returns due to supply/demand.
Step 3: Explore Implications and Strategies
Let’s analyze how these rules create strategic depth and align with your educational goals.
Strategic Depth
Risk vs. Reward: Players must balance short-term actions (burning RUN for odds boosts, entering high-stakes races) with long-term strategies (staking BULL for APY, saving RUN for upgrades).
Game Theory: Sabotage mechanics and dynamic odds introduce player interaction—your actions affect others, and vice versa.
Community Dynamics: Burn races and governance voting create a sense of community, encouraging players to collaborate or compete.
Economic Trade-Offs: Burning RUN for odds boosts vs. saving for upgrades teaches players to think about opportunity costs and resource allocation.
Educational Value
Staking vs. Betting: Staking BULL for APY vs. burning RUN for odds boosts contrasts long-term investing with short-term speculation.
Supply and Demand: Burning RUN and BULL reduces supply, showing how scarcity can increase value.
Risk Management: Speed boosts and high-stakes races teach players to assess risk before investing resources.
Market Dynamics: Dynamic odds based on betting volume demonstrate how markets adjust to player behavior.
Potential Risks
Inflation: If RUN minting outpaces burning, its value could plummet, discouraging participation.
Whale Dominance: High BULL holders might dominate governance or odds boosts, alienating smaller players.
Complexity: Too many mechanics (e.g., sabotage, quizzes, burn races) might overwhelm new players, reducing accessibility.
Step 4: Narrow Down to a Polished Setup
After exploring these possibilities, let’s narrow down to a tokenomics setup and game rules that balance simplicity, engagement, and educational value for your MVP.
Final Tokenomics Setup
BULL (Governance Token):
Total Supply: 75M (fixed, as in Scenario 3).
Distribution:
40% Public Sale (30M).
20% Team (15M, vested over 2 years).
30% Treasury (22.5M).
10% Liquidity (7.5M).
Use Cases:
Staking: 5-12% APY from treasury (dynamic based on total staked).
Burning: 1000 BULL for VIP status (doubles RUN odds boosts).
Governance: Stake BULL for DAO voting (quadratic voting to prevent whale dominance).
Economic Mechanisms:
Burn 20% of excess treasury yearly.
30-day lockup for staking rewards.
RUN (In-Game Token):
Supply: Dynamic, no cap.
Distribution:
100 RUN per race win, 20 RUN per loss.
50 RUN for completing educational tasks (e.g., staking tutorial).
Use Cases:
Betting: 95% pool to winners, 5% to RUN treasury.
Burning: 500 RUN for +5% odds boost (diminishing returns: +8% for 1000 RUN).
Upgrades: 1000 RUN for a temporary speed boost.
Economic Mechanisms:
RUN treasury redistributes 50% as daily bonuses, burns 50%.
Weekly burn races: 10% of RUN bet is burned.
Interaction:
Burn 1000 BULL to mint 5000 RUN.
VIP status (from burning BULL) doubles RUN odds boosts.
Final Game Rules
Core Gameplay:
4 runners, 8 steps per race.
Bet RUN on a runner; 95% pool to winners, 5% to treasury.
One runner advances per step based on random draw (Switchboard VRF).
Strategic Mechanics:
Staking BULL: Stake 1000 BULL for a +2% odds boost per race.
Burning RUN: Burn 500 RUN for a +5% odds boost.
Speed Boost: Spend 1000 RUN for a +1 step every 2 steps.
Educational Challenges: Spend 200 RUN to unlock a quiz; pass to earn 300 RUN.
Dynamic Odds: Odds adjust based on betting volume (e.g., heavy bets on a runner reduce its odds).
Community Events:
Weekly burn races: 10% of RUN bet is burned, top 10 players share 10,000 BULL.
Why This Setup?
Simplicity: Focuses on a few key mechanics (staking, burning, speed boosts) to keep the game accessible for new players.
Engagement: Dynamic odds and burn races add strategic depth and community interaction.
Educational Value: Staking, burning, and quizzes teach blockchain concepts in a gamified way.
Sustainability: Burning mechanisms and a fixed BULL supply ensure long-term value, while RUN’s dynamic supply is balanced by burns.
Next Steps
With this tokenomics and rules foundation, you’re ready to:
Fix Solana Programs: Implement these tokenomics in
bull_token.py,run_token.py, andrace.py. For example:Add staking logic in
bull_token.pywith dynamic APY.Update
race.pyto adjust odds based on RUN burns and betting volume.
Document for Investors: Create a tokenomics whitepaper summarizing the setup, including charts for BULL distribution and RUN flow.
Move to Phaser: Once the backend is solid, use Phaser to visualize the race and integrate these mechanics.
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