I just realized (again) that shep is a genius.

The Shepherd has given us a very complex set of information with his tweet history.

He has also given us a map, a construct that articulates both numerical data, game-play hints, and a structure that can be interpreted and dissected at every level.

In short, shep has given us the equivalent of a crime scene, we are waiting for the results from the lab, and trying to find out what is the perfect play. Before we know more about facts we have to hunt down every suspect and witness, to be ready in every case.

All that is designed to generate a pseudo infinite mine of hype content that we extract ourselves, motivating one another, and hooking up the newcomers.

Shep is constantly feeding us small amounts of data that will keep us on edge indefinitely. This is a conscious action from a mastermind.
Shep is the perfect Paper RPG host. And we are playing rn.