Narrative Content
Own particular conflict, sequence and expression under Narrative Foundation and applicable fictional constraints. Do not invent a shared rule to solve one plot problem silently.
| Category | Record | Prerequisites for finalization |
|---|---|---|
| Work briefs and skeletons | Audience/medium scope, particular premise, linked conflict and composition. | Relevant direction and arc; a work may differ from another in plot and revelation. |
| Story and character arcs | Goals, motivation, opposition, stakes, pressures, change, revelations and outcomes. | Linked participants and plausible consequences; gameplay only for agency. |
| Novel chapters | Viewpoint, dramatic purpose, sequence, scene links and entry/exit change. | Arc, participants, facts and prose/revelation rules; no game or level prerequisite. |
| Game progression chapters | Progression segment, dramatic/play purpose, conditions and outcomes. | Applicable systems, quest/scene state and level scope where needed. |
| Quests | Objectives, triggers, player actions, choices, transitions, consequences and rewards. | Actors, places, conflicts and supported systems; spatial rules if staged in a level. |
| Scenes | Participants, place, viewpoint, purpose, entry knowledge and resulting change. | Applicable arc/facts; add actions/state/conditions when interactive. |
| Dialogue | Speaker intent, voice, knowledge, lines and responses. | Participant and context; state conditions only where required. |
| Discoverable accounts | Particular claims, source, reliability and discovery/reveal point. | Authoritative event/fact and relevant discovery context. |
Story skeleton
Link premise and thematic question to the protagonist's goal and motivation, opposition, stakes, disruption, causal escalation, difficult decisions and payoff. Several shapes are possible; do not require every story to follow one act structure. A scene can contribute through relationship, atmosphere or discovery as well as overt conflict. State its contribution and resulting change.
Separate event order from audience presentation. Track participant knowledge at each relevant point. Record alternate game outcomes as local possibilities instead of overwriting shared historical facts. Environmental evidence and systemic reactions can deliver narrative without a dialogue tree.
Check: Can the creator walk through what causes the next beat, why the participants act, what the audience understands, and what the work promises?