What is Ask the Storyteller?
Sometimes you want to ask a question about the story rather than play it out: "wait, who is this person again?", "what was I trying to do?", "how do my choices actually work here?". Ask the Storyteller lets you step out of the story and...
Sometimes you want to ask a question about the story rather than play it out: "wait, who is this person again?", "what was I trying to do?", "how do my choices actually work here?". Ask the Storyteller lets you step out of the story and ask the Storyteller directly, out of character.
It is off the record. Your question and the answer are not added to your journey, and they do not change anything that happens next. Ask as much as you like; the story continues exactly where you left it.
How to open it
While you are playing, look for the message icon at the end of the row with the steering field, just under where you type your actions. Hover it and it reads Ask the Storyteller. Click it to open the popup, type your question (or pick one of the suggestions), and the Storyteller answers in plain language as your guide, not as the narrator.
What it is great for
- A recap. "What's happened so far?" The Storyteller summarises your journey up to now.
- Who's who. "Who have I met?" or "Remind me who Vanda is." Get a quick read on the characters around you.
- The rules. "How do my choices affect the story?" Understand how success, failure, and your relationships shape what happens.
- Getting unstuck. "What am I trying to do right now?" or "What are my options?" A nudge when you are not sure what to do next.
These are the everyday uses, and none of them spoil anything.
A word on spoilers
You can also ask where the story is heading, what the Storyteller is planning, or for a hint about what's coming. The Storyteller will tell you, but those answers can spoil surprises you have not reached yet. That is why the popup keeps a reminder on screen:
Heads up: out-of-character answers can reveal the Storyteller's plans and spoil what's coming.
If you like discovering things as they unfold, stick to recaps and who's-who. If you are stuck or just curious, ask away. It is your journey, so it is your call.
What it won't do
The Storyteller is happy to talk about your story. It will not pull back the curtain on how the engine itself works: it won't print its own instructions, list its internal tools, or explain the behind-the-scenes machinery that keeps the world feeling alive. Some mystery is meant to stay behind the screen, and that is part of what makes a journey feel real.
It also will not reveal secret lore you have not discovered in the story yet. Those earned reveals are saved for the moments they are meant to land.
Anatomy of a journey: what's on the play screen?
Once you start playing, the screen splits into three zones: a header bar at the top, the narrative in the middle, and your action input at the bottom. Here's what every part does.
Slash commands and @-mentions
The action box is mostly for writing what your character does, but it has a few power-user shortcuts built in: slash commands for quick controls, and @-mentions for dropping a character's name in without retyping it. Neither is required...