README.md

metadata

title: The Podium
emoji: 🎯
colorFrom: indigo
colorTo: purple
sdk: gradio
sdk_version: 5.20.0
python_version: '3.11'
app_file: app.py
pinned: false
tags:
  - thousand-token-wood
  - game
  - debate
  - llm
  - gradio
  - interactive
  - track:wood
  - achievement:offbrand
license: mit

The Podium

A strategic LLM debate game — Hugging Face "Build Small" hackathon entry.

You are the strategist, not the debater. Manage a finite word pool, pick your champion's archetype, play ability cards, and coach an AI debater through 3 rounds judged by wildly opinionated AI characters — each with their own agenda, biases, and scoring personality. Every word you choose costs something. Every judge changes the calculus. Outsmart the opponent AI, read the room, and claim The Podium.

Built with a custom Gradio HTML/JS hybrid UI (Off Brand badge candidate).

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Demo

🎬 Demo video: The Podium Demo

📣 Social post: LinkedIn post

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How to Play

1. Setup — A word pool is generated with a hidden flavor seed. Choose your debater's archetype (Firebrand, Academic, Contrarian…). Receive 3 ability cards.
2. Each Round — A topic is revealed along with a biased judge. Pick words from your pool and set their emphasis order. Optionally play an ability card.
3. The Podium — Both AI debaters argue their assigned sides using your chosen words. The judge scores on coherence, persuasion, word integration, and judge appeal — in their own character's voice.
4. Win 2 of 3 rounds (or most total points) to claim The Podium.

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Tech Stack

Component	Technology
UI	Gradio 5.x with custom HTML/JS hybrid
Language	Python 3.11
LLM (submission)	google/gemma-4-31B-it via HF Inference API
LLM (dev)	Claude Sonnet (Anthropic)
Deployment	Hugging Face Spaces

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Running Locally

pip install -r requirements.txt
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env — set LLM_PROVIDER and the matching API key/token
python app.py

Environment variables:

Variable	Required for
LLM_PROVIDER	hf (HF Spaces) or anthropic (dev)
HF_TOKEN	HF Inference API (when LLM_PROVIDER=hf)
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	Dev/local only (when LLM_PROVIDER=anthropic)

Headless / terminal mode (for prompt testing):

python engine.py

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Provider Switching

The game runs against any LLM via a single env var — no code changes needed:

LLM_PROVIDER	Model	Setup
hf	google/gemma-4-31B-it via HF Inference API	Set HF_TOKEN
anthropic	Claude Sonnet (dev only)	Set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY

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File Structure

app.py          # Gradio UI — no game logic
engine.py       # Pure-Python game engine — testable headless
llm.py          # Provider abstraction (HF Inference / Anthropic)
prompts.py      # All LLM prompt templates
content.py      # Static content: judges, archetypes, abilities, seed words
config.py       # Tunables and feature toggles

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Archetypes

Archetype	Style	Judge Effect
🔥 The Firebrand	Emotional, punchy	+persuasion, -coherence
🎓 The Academic	Precise, structured	+coherence, -appeal w/ personality judges
🧢 The Everyman	Plainspoken	No modifiers (safe pick)
⚔️ The Contrarian	Flips expectations	Bonus when arguing the harder side
✨ The Charmer	Witty, disarming	+appeal with personality judges only

Ability Cards

Echo 🔁 · Wildcard 🃏 · Hoard 📦 · Scramble 🌀 · Plant 🌱 · Silence 🤫 · Appeal ⚖️ · Bias 🎯 · Inspiration 💡

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Built for the Hugging Face "Build Small" hackathon. Open-weight model ≤ 32B parameters.