Creating a scenario
A tour of the scenario editor — templates, the opening prompt, plot components, cover, mode, tags and the content budget.
A scenario is the starting point for an adventure: an opening scene, facts about the world, guidance for the AI and a set of State Cards. Anyone can write one.
To start, open the ☰ menu and choose New Scenario, or pick Create a Scenario from the Play menu.
Pick a starting template#
First you'll be asked to Choose a Starting Template:
- Empty — a blank page.
- Fantasy, Mystery, Zombie, Cyberpunk or Apocalyptic — fills in a title, an opening prompt, Plot Essentials and a couple of tags for that genre, ready for you to rewrite.
- Random — one of the genre templates, chosen for you.
How saving works#
A scenario must have a cover image. If you haven't chosen one, RPGCortex assigns a genre-appropriate cover automatically (based on your template or first tag). You can change it any time.
To come back to a scenario later, open Profile → Scenarios and choose Edit from its ⋯ menu, or press Edit on the scenario's page.
The Plot tab#
The editor has four tabs: Plot, State Cards, Script and Details.
Always there#
- Title — keep it short; up to 60 characters when creating a scenario.
- Opening prompt — the first passage of every adventure. Write it in the second person ("You are…") unless you turn on Third Person below. You can include questions for the player using placeholders like
${your character's hometown}— see Placeholders and player setup.
Plot components#
Press a button under + Add Plot Component to add any of these. Each has a trash icon to remove it again.
| Component | What it does |
|---|---|
| AI Instructions | Directions the AI always follows — rules, pacing, what to focus on. Includes a Tone preset dropdown (Gritty Survival, Whimsical Fantasy, Epic High Fantasy, Noir Mystery, Cyberpunk Dystopia, Cozy Slice-of-Life, Tense Horror) to get you started. |
| Author's Note | The tone, writing style and theme of the prose — not rules or facts. It's placed near the end of what the AI reads, so it strongly shapes the voice. |
| Plot Essentials | Persistent world facts sent to the AI on every turn. |
| Story Summary | Background the AI always uses. Players see it in-game as Story Background. |
| Image Style | The art style for scene images: Cinematic, Painted Fantasy, Anime, Pixel Art, Comic Book, Watercolor, Cyberpunk, Dark Fantasy, or Custom. |
| Third Person | Enable third-person narration — the story talks about the player's character rather than to "you". |
Players can override AI Instructions, Plot Essentials, Author's Note and Story Background in their own adventures without changing your scenario.
The State Cards tab#
Build the characters, places, items and rules of your world. See State Cards for authors.
The Script tab#
Optional JavaScript that can adjust input, context and output as the story plays. See Scenario scripts.
The Details tab#
- Cover — press Add Cover / Change Cover to Generate one with AI (costs credits — the button shows how many), Upload your own (PNG, JPEG or WebP, under 8 MB) or choose from the Gallery of previously generated covers. You can also add Cover alt text for screen readers.
- Visibility — see Publishing, visibility and ratings.
- Mechanics Mode:
- Full RPG (stats, inventory, characters) — the default. Shown to players as RPG.
- Freeform (no structured mechanics) — the AI won't set stats, add custom stats, grant XP or change reputation. Shown to players as Story.
- Character Naming — Enable Character Name Prompt asks the player to name their character before starting.
- Tags — comma-separated, up to 20. Genre tags (fantasy, sci-fi, horror and so on) help players find your scenario in Discover, and the first recognized genre tag labels your scenario's card.
- Content budget — how much of a free-plan player's 4,000-token context your scenario's own content would use (opening prompt, Plot Essentials, AI Instructions, Story Summary and all State Card entries). Keep it well under the limit so there's room for the story itself.
- Content rating — Check Rating runs the rating check you need before sharing. See Publishing, visibility and ratings.