{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/narrative-investigation--t195","type":"mechanic","id":"narrative-investigation--t195","lang":"en","title":"Procedural stories and drama systems","summary":"A drama system selects events from character states and unresolved conflicts to maintain narrative causality.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/narrative-investigation--t195/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/narrative-investigation--t195.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/narrative-investigation--t195.md","aliases":["Procedural stories"],"tags":["Narrative, dialogue and investigation","Mechanics and variants"],"sourceIds":["source-24607f3488b057c0","source-66b8bba810f83fc8"],"sources":[{"id":"source-24607f3488b057c0","title":"inkle: ink","url":"https://github.com/inkle/ink","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-66b8bba810f83fc8","title":"Storyteller","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1624540/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"A drama system selects events from character states and unresolved conflicts to maintain narrative causality."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Mechanic variants\n\n<a id=\"t195-variants\"></a>\n\n- Preconditions permit events only in suitable states. <a id=\"t195-v1\"></a>\n- Motives explain a character's chosen action. <a id=\"t195-v2\"></a>\n- Consequences change available subsequent events. <a id=\"t195-v3\"></a>\n- Memory preserves previously revealed conflicts. <a id=\"t195-v4\"></a>"},{"id":"example","title":"Design example","body":"A neighbor who loses a job asks for help only from someone previously trusted.\n\nPrototype check: Test long event chains against established knowledge, relationships and irreversible actions."},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"Narrative challenges give players grounds for interpretation, observable consequences of choice and ways to revise a hypothesis. Each overview separates player actions, state changes and alternative rules. Examples are hypothetical design scenarios, not claims about a named game. A prototype check states an observable question for the next iteration. Existing detailed references remain separately linked from the direction map."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"narrative-investigation","id":"t195","title":"Narrative, dialogue and investigation","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/narrative-investigation/#t195","categoryIds":["mechanics"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Procedural stories","description":"A drama system selects events from character states and unresolved conflicts to maintain narrative causality.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/adventure-storyteller-00.webp","width":1440,"height":810,"game":"Storyteller","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1624540/","originalUrl":"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1624540/ss_5f99d37b23fc3d4469c40dfc78a69cd3a51d4f26.1920x1080.jpg?t=1729098997","credit":"Daniel Benmergui / Annapurna Interactive","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"Scenes and characters build a three-panel story","alt":"Scenes and characters build a three-panel story","markers":[{"x":44,"y":24,"label":"The goal specifies the required story outcome"},{"x":54,"y":84,"label":"Available scenes and characters"}]},"tips":["Define consistent character responses to story events."],"examples":[{"title":"Storyteller","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1624540/"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/narrative-investigation"}}