Tips for writing great scenarios
Practical advice for opening prompts, world facts, AI guidance and State Cards that make players want to keep going.
There's no single right way to write a scenario, but these habits make a real difference to how the AI plays it.
Open strong#
The Opening prompt sets the tone for everything after it — the AI imitates its style, length and point of view.
- Start in the middle of something. A door is being kicked in, a letter has just arrived, the ship is sinking. Give the player an immediate reason to act.
- End with an opening, not a question. Finish on a moment that invites action — the stranger waiting for an answer, the path splitting in two.
- Write the way you want the story to read. Short punchy sentences get short punchy responses. Lush description gets lush description.
- Keep it to a few paragraphs. Remember it counts toward the content budget.
Put each thing in the right place#
| If it's… | Put it in |
|---|---|
| A fact that's always true and always relevant (the setting, the premise, the player's situation) | Plot Essentials |
| A rule for how the AI should behave ("never decide actions for the player", "keep responses under three paragraphs") | AI Instructions |
| The voice of the prose (genre, tone, mood, style) | Author's Note |
| Background the AI should know about the world's history | Story Summary |
| Details about one person, place or thing | A State Card with good keywords |
| How the world works (magic, technology, laws) | A Rule card |
Splitting things up this way keeps the always-sent parts small, so more room is left for the actual story.
Keep the always-on parts lean#
Everything in Plot Essentials, AI Instructions, Author's Note, Story Summary and Rule, Class and Quest cards is sent on every turn. On the free plan, the whole context is 4,000 tokens. Check the Content budget on the Details tab — if your scenario uses most of it, free players will find the AI forgetting recent events quickly.
Move details that only matter sometimes into keyword-triggered State Cards.
Write cards the AI can use#
- Lead with what matters. "Mara — the smuggler captain. Owes the player a debt. Lies when nervous." beats three paragraphs of backstory.
- Choose keywords carefully. Include names, nicknames and titles. Avoid short keywords that hide inside other words.
- Lock cards that must stay exactly as written.
Tell the AI what you want, positively#
The AI follows clear, positive instructions better than long lists of prohibitions. "Describe the city as crumbling and rain-soaked" works better than "don't make the city nice". If there's something the AI must never do, say it once, plainly, in AI Instructions.
Give players room#
- Use
${placeholders}to let players shape the start — their name, their goal, their past. See Placeholders and player setup. - Don't script every beat. Give the world wants and tensions, and let the player's choices drive the plot.
- Add Quest cards with clear objectives if you want structure — they also let you see your scenario's completion rate.
Test, then test again#
Play your own scenario several times, trying different approaches. Use Retry to see the range of responses the AI gives, and look at Inspect on a turn to see exactly what was sent. When something goes wrong, adjust the scenario — not just the adventure — so every player benefits.
Make it easy to find#
- Add a few accurate tags, starting with a genre tag.
- Pick a striking cover.
- Share the link to your unlisted scenario with friends while it waits for review — early feedback helps.