This is not a “chapter” in the typical sense. Rather, this is a guide going over how the reader-interactive portions of the story will work.
The foundation for how this story is structured will be links. Different choices will use links to direct you to different chapters. I will never utilize a link to direct you away from this website. Royal Road’s author tools do not allow links to be added mid-chapter, but do allow them in chapter notes. Therefore, choices that occur in the chapter will direct you to search the post-chapter for a specific link.
Example:
{> Choice A (Page X)
{> Choice B (Page Y)
{> Choice C (Page Z)
Certain choices or interactions may also be marked with special symbols, denoting a special action or condition required to take that action. The following is a key of symbols used and their meanings:
(Ø) - The symbol for coins, or currency. Will often be followed by a number to indicate cost/amount.
Example: {(Ø)320> Purchase a brand-new sword.
(?cond.) - The symbol for a condition. Before you can choose this option, you must check if you have the appropriate items/traits to do so.
Example: {(?trait:“Literate”)> You open the book and begin sifting through the contents.
(!) - The symbol for a required choice. If you meet whatever conditions may be present, you must choose this option.
Example: {(!)(?(Ø):200)> Pay the 200-coin “protection” fee.
More symbols may be added as they become necessary while the story is in development, and will appear in this list.
Some choices may change your character or their state. This could include gaining/losing items, currency, or traits. These changes are important to record yourself for later use. This can be done through methods such as the Notes app or a physical journal. It is technically possible for me, the author, to eliminate this entirely simply through divergent choices. However, it would lead to a great deal of chapter bloat, where essentially the same content is copy-pasted into several separate chapters with only slight differences. This would both be a pain to set up, and possibly be viewed as manipulating/abusing Royal Road’s algorithm. Instead, I’ll try to make it as self-evident as possible what the reader needs to record. See Author’s Note below.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Author’s Note (8/21/23): I’m struggling with the actual logistics of implementing items and currency. Right now, I’m considering drastically cutting down on the number of items you can actually get in order to make it possible to just track items through divergent chapters without creating too much chapter bloat. At that point, I could even cut out the (Ø) symbol entirely. One less thing for us both to remember. Actually, I’ve convinced myself. I’m going to try doing it that way and see if it works better. The same approach may be taken with the (?cond) symbol in the future.
One such change that needs to be recorded is Madness. Certain actions may accumulate Madness, which will open up — and possibly force you into — different choices. You may see Madness abbreviated as MDN in the (?cond.) symbol.
Example: {(!)(?MDN:10)> You smile at it.
Madness cannot go above 10, or below 0. Feature under author scrutiny. Awaiting judgement.
Options for mid-chapter choices may be contained in spoiler boxes like this when it’s convenient to do so. They will usually fall into one of three categories.
{> They will contain a change that should be recorded by the reader.
{> They will direct you to seek a specific link in the post-chapter note. (Fiction Page)
{> They will just be flavor text.
(Don’t skip over that spoiler box, by the way.) When directed to seek a link in the post-chapter note by a mid-chapter choice, skip over any remaining reading in the chapter unless otherwise stated.
Author’s Note (Release): This is a work in progress, and the structure/rules of this story are likely to undergo some changes. Any such changes will be able to be found here when they occur. Feedback is welcome.