What actually works:

• Clear stakes: If you can’t pass the Tuesday Test — “When X happens, our people come here because Y” — you’re not ready to recruit.

• Shared language: Canon beats content. Keep a living glossary, principles, and inside jokes.

• Useful rituals: Lightweight, rhythmic, opt‑in. One weekly ritual. One monthly teardown. Quarterly reset.

• Real roles: Scout, Builder, Cartographer, Host. Each with a simple loop: Observe → Act → Share → Get recognized.

• Tight spaces: Fewer rooms. Higher signal. Map spaces to journeys: Start, Build, Ship, Show.

Minimal metrics that matter:

Throughput (shipped artifacts per week).

Depth (% posts with a how or why).

Reciprocity (replies per post).

Continuity (% active 4 weeks running).

Pathway flow (Orientation → First Ship time).

14‑day sprint:

Interview 5 users. Cut channels to 3–5. Draft pledge and roles. Run two workshops. Ship 5 artifacts. Publish your canon. Review metrics. Remove one thing.

Less cosplay. More craft. Help people make useful things together and they’ll come back without quests.