03 · Story
Writing the story layer
World setting, constraints, cast, opening—what actually steers the model.
8 min read · Matches the world setup workbench (Overview / Story / Play / Publish)
Where story fields live
- Overview: title, private creator notes, default writing style, setup progress.
- Story: world setting, progression tiers, writing constraints, characters, opening; plus gallery and planned events.
- Setup progress jumps to the right tab. Cast, play UI, blurb, and cover are suggested—not hard gates for starting.
World setting: half a page of rules beats an encyclopedia
State time and place, who holds power, where conflict comes from, and what the player can roughly do. Skip unused lore dumps—the model needs “what is happening now.”
Day seven of the lockdown. Supplies run through a remnant city algorithm. You are bound as interim manager of an unmanned supermarket: finish inventory in three hours or the shelves lock forever.
Creation myths, three provinces, twelve sects and every past master—yet no “where you stand” or “what pressures you now.”
Writing constraints: tell the model what not to do
Use hard boundaries: forbidden powers, unbreakable facts, tones or endings you do not want. Specific, checkable lines beat “please write well.”
Opening: place + pressure + an immediate choice
The opening seeds turn one. Fill first scene, location, situation, description, and/or trigger—one field is enough to start; more is stabler.
Rain on the outer-sect trial stage. Your name is called; the opponent already draws steel. Refuse and you are marked for fleeing the trial.
You are an ordinary person in a peaceful city. The weather is fine.—No pressure, so choices barely matter.
Characters: recommended, not required
The checklist suggests at least one character. Named cast stabilizes chat, relationships, and later plot. You can start without cast, but openings often become monologues.
Progression tiers and default style
Tiers help cultivation / ranked worlds cap “how strong now.” Default style on Overview shapes narration; adventure preferences may also appear before start.