Act Template

[Arc Title] Seq [#] | Sequence Title

Narrative Purpose

Brief overview of what this step accomplishes in the story and gameplay flow.

• Define emotional tone (panic, calm, discovery, dread).
• Identify immediate narrative or character goal.
• Specify any mechanical or tutorial purpose.

Narrative Breakdown

Each step is divided into beats, which are self‑contained moments of action, emotion, or transition.

• Use as many beats as the pacing requires (sometimes one sustained beat, sometimes three to five).
• Each beat should mark a change in objective, tone, or control state.
• Keep every beat anchored in what the player feels and does.
• Player is not voiced, they choose interaction options dialogue style

[Beat] | [Title]

Base description of the beat in general terms—what the player feels and does.

• Camera: Describe the player's viewpoint, camera control state or Full Control if not specified.
• Audio: List ambient sounds or musical cues tied to this moment or "None".
• Environmental Cues: Lighting, motion, or visual storytelling that defines the space or "None".
• Objective / Task: What the player is trying to accomplish in this beat or "None".
• Player Feedback: Haptic, visual, or dialogue responses to success or delay or "None".

Actions:

• Bullet list of what happens in this beat.

Dialogue:

Short sample lines or reference tone for interaction. tone-driven, minimally voiced. Player is not voiced—they choose interaction options.

Branches (if conditional variations):

• Use when the beat changes depending on previous actions, variables, or states.
• Branches inherit all parent beat data (Camera/Audio/etc.) by default.
• Override only what changes: Add any data point (Gameplay, Audio, Environmental Cues, etc.).
• Minimum fields: Condition, Variation, Transition. Add NPC or system responses if applicable.

Branch A – [Condition Summary]

• Condition: [Trigger or state dependency, e.g., "If player saved NPC earlier"].
• Variation: [How the beat differs—scene tone, dialogue, animations, or objectives].
• Transition: [Next beat/step or "None"].

[Repeat for additional branches]

Choices (if decision beat):

• Insert after Dialogue using horizontal rules (---). Use 2-4 options maximum.
• Options inherit all parent beat data (Camera/Audio/etc.) by default.
• Override only what changes: Add any data point (Gameplay, Result, Camera, Audio, etc.) as needed—do not restate unchanged elements.
• Minimum fields: Gameplay/Result, Purpose, Transition. NPC Response optional.

Option A – [Descriptive Choice Title]

• Gameplay: [Specific mechanics/outcomes].
• Purpose: [Narrative/mechanical intent].
• Transition: [Next beat/step or "None"].

[Repeat for additional options]

Triggers:

• Bullet list of triggers this beat can fire.

Notes:

• Bullet list of any notes (may be omitted if no notes).

Narrative Intent

Explain why the step exists in narrative terms.

• How it develops relationship dynamics.
• What theme or mystery it reinforces.
• What knowledge or tone shift the player carries forward.