SpicyChat Rulebooks: Story Meters, States and Consequences

Start with one thing worth tracking

A small system is easier to test. If the scene is about an expedition, begin with supplies rather than introducing money, morale, weather, health, and six relationship scores at once.

Define what a number means before deciding how it changes. A supplies meter might distinguish a prepared expedition from a group that must turn back. Those states should have consequences that a participant can recognize in the dialogue.

Connect events to behavior

A meter stores state. An update rule describes what changes it. An influence rule connects the current state to the character's behavior. Those parts work together, but they are not the same instruction.

Use a neutral test scene first. If a routine meal consumes supplies, check that the value changes once, in the intended direction. If a low score should affect an answer, test that state deliberately rather than waiting for a long story to reach it by accident.

Use rules where they help the story

You can attach a Rulebook to the appropriate character, persona, or conversation through the supported controls. Review any imported or cloned book before using it: inherited rules can be perfectly valid but wrong for your premise.

A Rulebook supports up to 15 meters, with 8 visible in the chat strip and one Story clock. Each conversation keeps its own values. Mobile chats can use Rulebooks, while the editor is on the website.

A Lorebook describes the world. A Rulebook keeps track of changes within it. Neither removes the need for a coherent character definition, and neither guarantees that every generated reply will interpret an instruction exactly as intended.