Choose and act
The player chooses a setting and character, then declares actions freely.
CURRENT BUILD · 13 SEPTEMBER 2026
Open-ended play: the foundation is live; numerical rules come next
33 Library collections are connected for private testing. Prologue's solo free play and PostgreSQL campaign history are deployed. The free-play update passed 26 offline checks and four actual-model cases; human campaign acceptance remains pending.
Retrieve context
Selected Library evidence supports world facts; campaign events remain separate.
Resolve through rules
Structured stats, items, dice, damage and penalties require implementation.
Commit outcomes
Existing campaign transactions will gain numerical character and item changes.
Narrate and continue
Narrative free play works today; rules-driven outcomes will feed future narration.
Player freedom is the product direction
The GM responds to unanticipated choices with coherent people, consequences and continuity. The fixed Last Lantern scenario is historical test material, not the requested play experience. Players choose their own goals and can change the direction of the story.
Eight remaining implementation components
| # | Component | Required result | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Structured character sheets | Nine attributes, HP, skills, bonuses, movement and attacks. | Partly specified |
| 2 | Individual item records | Persistent critical outcomes, damage taken/dealt and equipment effects. | Requirements recorded |
| 3 | Dice and skill resolution | Actual logged rolls and the approved percentile critical rules. | Rules recorded |
| 4 | Damage and injury states | Native damage dice, zero-HP penalties and unconsciousness at −END. | Partly specified |
| 5 | Modifiers and equipment | Apply penalties, rounded-down attacks, movement and engine wear. | Partly specified |
| 6 | Numerical persistence | Transactional character/item updates, ownership and duplicate protection. | Campaign foundation exists |
| 7 | Free-play integration | Resolve actions in code, narrate outcomes and expose the character sheet. | Narrative mode live |
| 8 | Acceptance and deployment | Boundary and recovery tests, reviewed model cases and Discord verification. | Pending for numerical rules |
Recorded rules direction
Inclusive percentile success; natural 1/100 critical outcomes; persistent item histories; weighted engine-failure tables; native explosive and kinetic damage dice; Endurance-based HP and injury penalties.
Still to settle
Exact skill bonuses, armour, bleeding and recovery, movement rounding, modifier interactions, and engine repair/reset rules. Recorded rules are not deployed mechanics.
The broader product and UGC design below remains a design record. A private bot test does not complete website, payments, public-release or rights-portal milestones.
Purpose
Move an idea, source or community submission into a playable experience without confusing Libraries, Resources, Scenarios, Campaign histories or user-created material.
Finish line
A real player can discover and launch an accurately labelled experience, while a rights holder can submit a report and receive a recorded disposition through the Rights & DMCA Portal.
CORE PRODUCT FLOW
Knowledge becomes play through explicit gates
Creative or Source Intake
Ideas, texts, research, existing releases and Community submissions enter with provenance.
Name the Object
Library, Resource, Category, Scenario, Campaign or Community submission.
Apply the Gates
Sources, rights, age realm, content labels, authority and release state.
Build the Play Contract
Permitted manifest, roles, objectives, opposition, canon relationship and divergence policy.
Game Library
Official, Community, public-domain, licensed and Coming Soon cards remain visually distinct.
GM Orchestration
Retrieval, actions, outcomes, event history and character knowledge stay attributable.
Test & Release
Play testing, continuity review and append-only correction lead to closed invite and public release.
COMMUNITY CONTENT
UGC can fill the windows without pretending to be official inventory
Community publication lane
Creator submitsTitle, creator, age/content, sources, assets and rights declaration.
Automated and human gatesFormat, privacy, age realm, prohibited material and rights status.
Publish as Community / UnofficialVisible badge, creator credit, playable status and report control.
Main Game Library displayEligible Community cards contribute abundant eye candy without silent official endorsement.
Rights-status lane
Original or public domainRecord the evidence and applicable release.
Licence, permission or fan policyRecord the exact authority and conditions.
Uploader-declared, unverifiedA claim by the creator—not independent clearance.
Disputed or disabledAccess and promotion respond to the recorded case disposition.
MANDATORY UGC LAUNCH GATE
Rights & DMCA Report Portal
Report
Copyright, trademark/affiliation, impersonation or protected personal material.
Preserve
Case ID, receipt, exact item location, evidence and restricted personal data.
Validate
Incomplete reports request repair; valid reports enter the applicable rights lane.
Disable & Notify
Access is disabled expeditiously when warranted and the uploader is notified.
Counter-Notice
A valid counter-notice reaches the claimant and begins the statutory window.
Disposition
Restore, retain removal or escalate; then update the case and repeat-infringer record.
Launch dependency
Public UGC does not launch first and receive governance later. The portal, designated-agent process, notice and counter-notice handling, restricted evidence records and repeat-infringer policy must be operational when public UGC is enabled.
PLAYER-FACING LANGUAGE
Every card says what it is
OFFICIAL ATHENAEUMGoverned platform release
COMMUNITY / UNOFFICIALUser-created experience
PUBLIC DOMAINVerified source foundation
LICENSEDPermission recorded
COMING SOONNot falsely presented as playable
DECISION STATE
Accepted
The Rights & DMCA Report Portal is IN MVP whenever public UGC is enabled. Community cards may appear in the main visual catalogue with unmistakable status.
Open for legal review
Famous franchise names in featured collections, advertising or monetised placement depend on the exact licence, rightsholder policy, fair-use facts and trademark presentation.
Does this create a better playable experience now, or is it creator satisfaction disguised as launch work?